THINGS ARE PROGRESSING NICELY

One of the things that makes gardening fun is when you start finding new discoveries nearly every day.

The return of 80 degree temperatures has done wonders for the plants in the garden.

The tomatoes have blossoms, the apple trees have apples, the squash plants are vining and/or have squash blossoms, the pea pods are filling out, the nasturtiums, petunias, and snapdragons are each sharing their beautiful blooms.

The garden is not in full swing but it sure is showing signs of a promising harvest.

It is not without concerns though. As previously reported, the corn failed. The basil and marigolds also failed (how do marigolds, one of the easiest things to grow, just up and die?). I found Japanese Beetles on the apple trees, so they got a treatment of Neem Oil.

The failures and the successes are all part of growing a garden. Every season is for learning new lessons.

One exciting development is I finally found a filtration system to handle at least one of my water problems. I had a Sidewindr™ filter installed by Action Well & Pump to reduce the magnesium level, and subsequently the rust color and sludge, that has infiltrated every appliance, sink, toilet, shower, and article of clothing in my house. While correct amounts of magnesium in water are good for you, my water has so much it was deemed undrinkable. I have been living with it for 10 years as every filter I researched over that time period did not provide a solution. Until now.

It will take a couple of months to completely clear the deposits from my water lines, but I saw a difference in the water almost immediately. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks cleaning out the toilet tanks and trying to scrub the deposits out of the dishwasher and washing machine. I say “trying” because I’ve not had much success. I haven’t given up yet but have accepted that I may need to replace them. I also still need to drain my water heater. The last time we did that (pre-pandemic), the bottom level was nothing but orange sludge. Yuck.

After a couple of months, I will send a water sample to the County to see what improvement has been accomplished with just this unit. I’ll decide if anything else needs to be done at that point.

My hopes are high that we are on the right track!