Has Anyone Seen Noah?

I just wanted to update everyone that we are okay here in central Oklahoma.

We had some excitement with tornadoes, rain, hail, winds, and flooding the past two weeks.  As I type this post, we’re under another flood warning, the rain is coming down like cats and dogs with all kinds of thunder and lightning. Expected wind gusts of 60 mph, with the potential of hail.  As the house shakes from the thunder, I’m happy we’re not under a tornado watch or warning as of right now. 

Hold for a minute………….

Crap, I spoke too early; our weather radios are screaming, we’re now under a tornado warning. There’s an area of rotation (hook) over the top of Purcell, and Lexington, and I am totally weather aware while typing this post.  In fact, my linen closet has my bug out bag, food, water, medical bag, security, ham radio, weather radio, and animal preps just in case I need to run for safety.

Okay, since the storm is south of us, I’m going to continue on with my post. 

Now, what was I saying……oh yes, several of you had asked if we were okay?  We all are okay; we did receive damage from winds, hail, rain, and flooding.  Our damage was mostly in the garden and on the property.  I’m okay with garden/property damage because no one in my family was injured from the storms.  Remember the quote, “Life is more precious than material things”.  Well that’s my thought!!!  I can replace things, but can’t replace family or friends.

I’ve started pulling destroyed vegetables and placing them in my compost pile.  My plans are to replant seeds, and seedlings, in the next couple of weeks, after these heavy rains subside.   

Pulling the messed up lettuce.

Bed cleared, I will replant in a couple of weeks.

I’ll need to replant lettuce, and some tomato seeds/seedlings.  My green beans received too much water; causing them to yellow and some leaves were also shredded. 

The onions continue to thrive, however; the tops (the stuff we use for green onions) were destroyed from the winds.  My strawberry plants have flooded; I’m still trying to baby them back to life. 

The cucumber leaves on the seedlings were beat up pretty bad, but the seedlings are continuing to grow.

I have water just sitting in the garden; it looks like a miniature lake.  Eventually it will absorb into the ground.

With all of this water, the bugs have come out, and they've started eating on my potatoes and purple cabbage leaves, celery, and green bean plants.  I continue to spray these vegetables with a homemade concoction to prevent the bugs from eating everything in sight.  Each time I spray the rain washes it away.  Requiring me to continuously spray these vegetables, my goal……not to let the bugs win!!!

The rain has even fed trees growing from under the metal fence.  Bulldog Man and I will have to cut these down when the rain stops and place salt along the fence line to kill off the plant and maybe the roots.

Updates on items in the garden which continue to grow:

A couple of tomato plants didn't get broken up, they’re now showing blossoms, I may just get some tomatoes after all.

Even though the green bean leaves are turning yellow, and are full of bites from bugs, they’re producing little flowering blossoms.

The cabbage plants have little bites on the outside leaves; however, they’re producing new leaves which tell me they've taken off pretty good.

I had picked up an Apple Mint plant, from Atwoods Ranch store, over a month ago, and this thing has taken off.  It seems to really like the little plastic pot it’s potted in.  This particular plant will take over your garden unless you confine it in a pot.  The Apple Mint or mint plants in general have several medicinal uses.    They help ease headaches/migraines, fevers, and sore throats.

My jalapeno and California peppers are all doing pretty well, because they’re in 5 gallon buckets under the canopy on the porch.

*****

I recently started learning how to crochet through You Tube, and made several dish cloths, a toilet paper roll cover, and now a camouflaged afghan for Bulldog Man.    I might as well learn now with all this rain, I can’t work outside on the property or in my garden. 

*****

Monday was the only day we had no rain, the sun came out, and Bulldog Man and I took in a baseball game in the big city.  Iowa vs. Oklahoma, Iowa won.  It was nice to just get out of the house and away from the water for one night.

Anyone need some rain??