Spring/Summer

Howdy Ya'll!!

Well it feels like spring has done sprung and I'm tickled! At my age, cold ain't yer best friend. So, since the time has come to git outside, I reckon I'll give ya'll some outdoorsy tips. First we'll talk about gardenin'. Remember, jest gittin' outside and gittin' started means yer half done.

I ain't gonna tell ya how to grow yer stuff, er even what to grow. I figure ya aught to have that all figured out in the beginnin'. So, I can tell ya a few ways to make things easier.

If ya happen to have gardenin' tools that are old, antique some might call'em, they ain't made out of stainless steel. More than likely they are made out of iron, which will rust to bits if'n ya ain't careful. So, after ya finish with yer gardenin', there's a couple things ya can do to keep'em lookin' good. Take the time to wash off the dirt. Then give'em a quick rub down with a plain rag dipped in some kerosene . A kerosene rag works good on everything from a hand spade to plow shares to rototiller tines. If'n ya are often in a hurry and skip the rinsin' off, keep a bucket with some clean sand, like the kind you'd buy fer a young'uns sandbox. Mix linseed oil into the sand. When ya git done with the spade, er whatever hand tool, jest stab it down in the oily sand. The sand knocks off the dirt and the oil keeps'em from rustin'.

If'n yer tired of replacin' wood fence post, try this. Mix boiled linseed oil with powdered charcoal till it's about the thickness of paint. Paint the post with it, let it soak fer a day e'r two, then bury it as usual. Yer grandyoung'uns probably won't see it rot!

Now if'n yer willin' to put in some work to git a true whitewash fer yer fence, workshed, er other outdoor buildin', here's a recipe fer it. But, this ain't fer youn'uns to mess with. Take 7 1/2 pounds of unslaked lime, 1 1/2 pounds of rock salt and 3/4 pounds cement. Disolve the rock salt in a gallon of water. Pour it careful onto the lime.Then add 1 1/2 gallons of water real slow and be careful cause it's gonna get real hot. Finally, sprinkle the cement a bit at a time and mix it good. Then apply it when it's still hot. Make sure ya pay attention to the weather. Ya don't need no rain fer a couple days at least. It'll take a couple days to dry and harden, but after it does it'll really last. But again, I'm gonna tell ya to be careful with stuff - it'll dern sure burn ya.

Fer weather predictions, we all know that a lot of times, the TV weatherman ain't so smart. I reckon we've all heard red sky n the mornin, sailor take warnin', red sky at night, sailor's delight. Well, there's more you can look fer. In the evenin', a bright yeller sky means ya got some wind comin', a pale yeller sky means wet weather, and a gray dawn means fair weather. If'n the birds ain't flyin' too much er yer pigs is tryin' to get straw to their sty, it usually means a storm is approachin', as does a spider tearing' down their web.. Now if'n ya want a good weather predicter, my gran'pa told us young'uns how to make one. And of course, you can git yer young'uns to make one too.

Tie a rock about the size of a baseball with a long piece of twine. Tie it off to a tree branch and let it hang about 3 feet off the ground. Pay close attention to the rock. If'n it's swingin', ya got a breeze. If'n it's jest hangin' and not moving, ya ain't got any breeze. If'n it hangs level with the branch, ya got a hurricane. If'n it's warm, ya got sunshine. If'n it's got snow on it, it's cold. If'n it's wet, ya got rain. If'n it ain't there, somebody done stole it! Yep, my gran'pa was a joker!

Now when yer flowers git to bloomin' and yer young'uns er grandyoung'un pick ya little bouquet, of course ya want to display'em! But, more often then not yer vases, glasses er jars are a bit too big for what they brought ya. Grab a few little fishin' corks and float'em on top of the water, then put the flowers in. The corks take up space and kinda help the shortest ones float.

If'n ya grow sunflowers, after they bloom and ya cut'em down, save the stalks. Them stalks make good tomater stakes, er even trellises fer ya beans, cucumbers, er mornin' glories to run on. Jest tie the stalks however ya want with some good twine and there ya go!

Speakin' of cucumbers, we all know how good a fresh cuke it and about how all the beauty people use'em fer baggy eyes. But did ya know you can leave the peelin' out on the counter at night and git rid of roaches? Jest throw'em away in the mornin' and put fresh ones out at night.

Ok, so yer done gardenin' fer the day and yer hands look awful. Mix up some course ground cornmeal, about a cup er so, a handful of salt and a handful of Ivory soap shavin's. The cornmeal helps git out stains, the salt helps get'em soft and the Ivory soap is easy on yer hands.

I reckon that's about all fer now. I gotta git my tackle box sorted out and git ready fer my next fishin' trip. Last week me and Pa went fer a couple days and I brung home 18 catfish and I'm more than ready to go again!

Till next time,
Gran'ma Gertie