Can't do either of those - I know humans with those names!

I kinda like that name... She's a weird little cat, but very friendly now that she has decided that the guy putting food out for her isn't a trap.

Okay, gang. Time to quit screwing around chit-chatting about Bitcoins and protocols and art and homesteads and whatever other frivolity ya'll engage in around here. Focus that nostr brainpower on this cat for a minute.

She started hanging around the farm a couple months ago, and has finally got comfortable enough to let me pet her, so now she needs a name.

Based on her physical characteristics, I think she might be a sister of the other little stray that started hanging around here a couple years ago, Junebug. And she doesn't really meow, she makes a croaking sound like a tree frog (see the video for that). So I'm pretty sure she's a cat, but there might be some frog or toad DNA in the mix.

https://video.nostr.build/50a4e5747eafc1306a273772717757a8e718c39054be1aa5750b6eac5f73dc73.mp4

#cat #farm #asknostr #grownostr #catstr

Definitely a fungal problem in the soil. Probably fusarium from the looks of that stem, but there are other similar diseases, too.

You can look for cucumber varieties that are specifically mentioned as resistant to fusarium and other fungal disease and try those. Another technique (I haven't tried because it gets too hot to grow it where I am) is to companion plant celery with the cucumbers. Apparently the celery produces chemicals in its roots that help control some fungal diseases, including fusarium.

Looks like fusarium crown rot to me. It's a fungal disease.

What variety of cucumber was this?

I 3D printed a soil block maker over the weekend, and I'm giving it a try now. Seems to work pretty well once you dial in the moisture content of your soil mix. Time will tell how durable it is (I only used 40% infill to save time and materials on this one), but it's basically just an experiment for us to see if we can incorporate soil blocks into our growing. If it works out, I can invest in a larger/more durable one.

This is the file I used (it's not my design) if you're interested in making one of your own:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3444101

#3dprinting #gardening #homesteading #grownostr #plants

College.

GM and Happy Cinco de Mayo, ya'll!

#dogstr #catstr #dogs #cats #cincodemayo

Hill Country is beautiful, but it's tough homesteading. There isn't much soil out there. We looked at some properties out that way when we were shopping, but ended up buying a place to the east of Austin. All of the places we looked at to the west were rock with a few inches of topsoil. The place we have now has deep, beautiful soil that can grow anything that's suited for the climate.

I've got a friend who had a nice place in Johnson City, with a gorgeous view, but the whole thing was one big rock. Digging a well was going to cost so much, he ended up going with a big rainwater tank. Just some things to consider as you start shopping around.

But as far as the political climate and attitudes you're looking for, as long s you start away from the cities, you'll find people like that all over the state.

You sound like exactly the kind of people that we here in Texas need. The climate here might not be pleasant to adjust to from California weather, though. Good luck on your escape plan!

Kittens are the biggest bait-and-switch scam ever. They're infinitely adorable, hilariously entertaining, and incredibly lovable. Then, once they get you emotionally hooked, they turn into cats and start sleeping all day, making noise all night, breaking your stuff and being assholes about food. I love my cats, but sometimes it's like having the worst roommate in the world... 🐱

Beautiful photos! As much as I love the spring garden, with its tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers and melons, my favorite season to grow here is the fall and winter. The garden is so much easier then, without having to worry about watering all the time, and every bug, bird, and rodent in the county trying to eat your harvest. And it's so beautiful with all the different types and colors of lettuce, kale, cauliflower, etc.

Have you ever had horsemint honey? If there's a lot of horsemint in the flower mix, the honey actually has enough thymol in it to give you that cooling, minty feeling on your tongue. Not my favorite honey, but it is good for sweetening herbal teas. Some people absolutely love it.

I've got lemon balm coming out of my ears, all from a couple little starts a few years ago. It's insanely prolific.

I'm running my node using the software from Start9 on an old laptop, but they sell turnkey servers that are really easy to get running out of the box. It can do other server type tasks besides Bitcoin, too, if you later decide to explore self-hosting some of your own digital life.

https://start9.com/

I've lived here in #Texas for almost three decades, and this year is the first time I've ever seen this particular native wildflower. It's called Blue Curls (Phacelia congesta). Sometimes called Caterpillars or Fiddleneck for the way the flowers grow in neat little curls that unfurl over time as the flowers bloom in sequence. Bees seem to love it, so I'm planning on collecting some seeds from this roadside patch I found and establishing it in my pasture somewhere.

#grownostr #garden #flowers #plants

The pineapple element is mostly just in the aroma, and in my experience it dissipates a lot when you dry the leaves. The flavor is a lot more sage-y and less pineapple-y than the smell.

You might try making tea from the leaves. Sage tea is used for its anti-inflammatory benefits, though the taste isn't for everybody.

You can propagate it fairly easily from cuttings, so you can make more plants to give away to friends, or to bring one inside over winter if you live somewhere that the outside one won't survive.

You're not the only ones!

Love the surprise appearance of the cat!

It's really amazing how many people are irrational about snakes. Those tiny little grass snakes or brown earth snakes aren't even big enough to get a bite on you, even if they were venomous. Yet people still freak out about a little snake the size of a pencil. A lot of folks out in the country will still kill any snake they see, which is stupid. Then they'll complain about having mice and rats everywhere...

One of the neighbor kids is a little girl who loves animals. Every once in a while she'll catch one and carry it around with her for a while. Not many wild animals will tolerate that!