Trying to find the light

My little apartment faces west and I've got 2 windows.  Big in the living room, small in the bedroom.

I can't block the window with shelving, it's considered a fire hazard. In the past, every horizontal surface in my living room was covered with starter cells. Emma the Cat was frustrated. And every time I started moving things around to rotate them in the light, she thought she was finally going to get her spot back.

I bought an indoor greenhouse to start seedlings this year. My brilliant idea was to put it in the space between the living room and kitchen on top of my kitchen table to catch as much of my western light as possible.

This is the first time I've had seeds in pots in the greenhouse. As the day passed, I watched the sunlight rotate through the room. At one point, the bathroom was brilliant with light. But then the sun went down. Direct light didn't get near the greenhouse. It's too early in the season for the kitchen to get direct sunlight. I've never paid attention to that before.

So I got my three bulb reading lamp pole from the bedroom, arranged the seed trays and pointed the lamps and got some really bright light going on the seeds. The lights aren't perfectly arranged. From what I read, it's best if the lamp is 4-6" above the soil shining straight down. This is supposed to prevent "seed stretch" which I've had problems with in the past, but I didn't know how to fix it. Now I know how to fix it, but I'm not sure I want to spend money on a few horizontal florescent shop lights that I'll only use a few months per year. So it will be reading lamps for now. Eventually, the sun will catch up.

1st Market day of the season

I went to the Farmer's Market for the first time today. I was looking for the guy who sells cat grass and seeds. He's not there all season, so I was really happy to find him. I got oat grass and wheat grass seed for $5. It's plenty to keep a couple of pots in rotation to keep Emma happy.

I also acquired some head scarfs, sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic oil with balsamic vinegar and I got some mendhi and a bindi from my friend Judi.

It's been stormy for several days now. I stopped by the garden and checked my rain gauge. We got .5 inch of rain last night. We had another really heavy rain this afternoon and we may have more rain tonight.

There are tornado warnings in Minnesota again tonight. Yesterday, a tornado touched down in Kiester, MN (near my hometown) according to a Twin Cities station, but I couldn't get feedback from anyone on FB for details. Social media is the way to go for rural disasters. People can post without electricity or phone and the word can get out fast. Two years ago, there was a lot of damage from a tornado that hopped through that area. I was worried this might be the same, but according to today's news, only one farmstead was hit and the owners actually lived in a farmhouse 2 miles away, so all were safe.

We're in for possible tornadoes in Minnesota again tonight. Before tornadoes come rain, wind, and sometimes hail. Sometimes thunder and lightning.

We won't see the super moon tonight, but we'll get more rain. I'll check the rain gauge tomorrow. It may be around 2 inches.

lil sprouts day 18

"The Rack" in west facing window

rhubarb and chives

cosmos

cubanelle peppers

mixed sweet peppers

cherry tomatoes

4 O'clocks

Brussels sprouts

sweet peas 1

yellow cherry tomatoes

butternut squash

zucchini + 1 butternut

spinach

sweet peas 2

poblano peppers

NEW chives, cilantro, chamomile and lettuce

    

Don't Even Bother

My cat (Emma) did that thing, where she runs around bouncing off of things like she's possessed, but part of it was bouncing off of me. At 5am. Run into the bedroom, jump on the bed, jump on my chest, turn, run away. Jump on the bed, jump onto the shelves next to the bed, chase tail, jump off shelf onto my chest, run away. All while cat grumbling.

I got up for a few hours, and eventually went back again. I finally woke up around 2:30p and the day was pretty much over. I had a few errands and before I'd finished, it started to rain again. I didn't even bother to check the garden today. The shovel for re-trenching is still in the back seat of the car.

Now I'm in really cozy jammies, I've planted myself on the couch, and I'm done for the day.

Yesterday the chiropractor touched my fibro spots (they aren't always so sensitive) and my brain is suffering fibroPTSD. I'm supposed to go back on Friday morning - other parts are crooked and locked up - but I'm already getting nervous. It's so sensitive today, even sitting up against the sofa pillows hurts. I'm going to have to take some pills and go back to sleep.

No touchy.