themartianchick

I don't have any experience with them but according to the link that you posted, the plants are grafted so this isn't a seperate species of plant. Bot potatoes and tomatoes are from the nightshade family, so it is probably similar to grafting apples onto a pear tree. It would probably be a way of saving gardening space, but wouldn't help much in a situation because saved tomato seeds would only grow tomatoes and not tomato/potatoes!

Many years ago, (propbably 1998 or so) I discovered the low carb diets. Initially, I lost weight but nticed that my body began to react differently to food and not in a good way. While I felt full most of the time and the diet did dramatically reduce my carb cravings, I found that I dehydrated very easily. Without carbs in my diet, I do not think to drink water or anything else. Since that time, I've had issues with dehydration. I have found that not all carbs are treated the same way by my body. If I eat white rice or corn products like popcorn, tortilla chips, cornbread, etc... I am hungry for more almost immediately. A pot of dirty rice made with white rice is a neverending meal, but if made with brown rice, I only eat a normal portion. I lost 13 pounds this summer with very little effort and even less exercise by allowing myself 300-350 calories in snacks scattered throughout the morning and early afternoon. My typical snacks are simple things like a packet of high fiber oatmeal or a Fiber Plus bar. These are things that I keep in my desk because they don't spoil and I'm only there once per week. At home, a snack might be a baggie of baby carrots, a cup of lowfat yogurt, grapes, cherries, strawberries or some other fruit or vegetable that I want. Each of those items have between 100-125 calories each so I usually have 3 of them each day. The nice thing is that if I'm really hungry for some reason, I can have another 100 calorie item without feeling as though I've blown the diet! I drink a lot of water or unsweetened iced tea all day long and rarely drink anything with calories. Around 3 or 4pm, I will fix a dinner of whatever I want (within reason) and this helps to keep me from feeling deprived. I can have a scoop of ice cream as a treat and not be witchy acting with the family. I am just now back to adding exercise into my routine. I used to participate in the miles threads, but found that my knee was giving me so much trouble that it was hard to commit to any kind of an exercise schedule. The long layoff seems to have helped. According to the free Nike Running App on my iPhone, I have logged almost 14 miles this week...my first week back to running. This is a combination of running and walking and the app tracks how far you've gone using GPS. It is a fun little exercise tool and I've been sharing it with lots of folks this week. I have my eye on a Nike Training app, but seem to have a problem with downloading it from iTunes.

WARNING!!! Man bashing will commence below: You have to forgive your hubby for that... He is a man and cannot help it. My hubby immersed my crockpot in a sinkful of water to allow it to soak. He did the same thing to the one that I bought to replace it. Hubby is no longer allowed to touch the new crockpot!

Thanks, Miki & Mt Rider! I have essentially rehydrated but hubby and I are now wondering if we picked up a trace of norovirus or food poisoning. It hit me around 2 am, but now I'm fine. It hit hubby around 5am, though he is already on the mend. I am leaning towards food poisoning, but we really didn't eat anything that was the same. Hubbby is staying home because his job is very physical, but I'm going to work to put in my one day for the week.

Thank you ladies! I may have to wait until tomorrow to drink any adult , Jeepers. We spent the day at Niagara Falls (on the NY side of the border) and it was really HOT!!!!! I'm a little too dehydrated for alcohol, I'm afraid. The good thing is that alcohol doesn't spoil!! I'm still pondering how you can get dehydrated while surrounded by all of that rushing water... Hubby and I spent a wonderful day visiting the aquarium at Niagara Falls, walking through the park and across long bridges that take over the Niagara River and taking photos. While most people go gaga over the Canadian side of the Falls because they have a lot of touristy things to do, we also enjoy the beauty of the American side of the Falls. It is maintained as a pristine park, so things are kept in their natural state. We always try to imagine what it must have been like to be the first person to ever discover the Falls. It must have been absolutely amazing!!! It was so nice for the two of us to take a road trip together. For years, our kids went everywhere that we did. I'm starting to feel as though I've gotten my favorite date back...and that is the best gift of all!

That is odd to find in a grocery store egg, Arby. It is pretty common to have a spot or two of blood in an egg on a farm, though. Most commercial eggs are candled with a light to make sure that they are deformity free. With my chickens, I sometimes get an odd egg that has a spot or two of blood. My original flock had more spotty eggs due to the fact that they really weren't an egg producing breed. They were valued for having very dark shelled eggs and the breeders don't pay too much attention to the egg quality! My current flock includes one of the darkegg layers and two production hens (Hylines) The Hylines will lay a watery egg once in a while, but I've never had blood in them.

What a scary situation! I'm so glad that everyone is okay. Hubby and I just had a minor fender bender an hour and a half ago. The young man that rear-ended us was terrified. It was his first accident and he was driving his sister's car with only a learner's permit. He was trying to do a favor for his co-workers by transporting them home. We felt sorry for him...but we are extremely glad that the car was insured.

Guess what, Michael? Christmas in Bystander is now out in paperback!!! (I thought that you should be the first to know!)

Dear Lord, Please open our dear Stephanie's blind eyes that she might see the extremely souuuuuuuuuuuuuthern accent she is blessed with... lolol ((((stephanie)))) It is funny but I have always "heard" Stephanie's posts in a heavy Southern drawl in my head. Since I've never met her in person, I don't know why that is...

We got some rain last night and the ground was still wet this morning at 7:30 when I went outside. I just don't know how much rain we actually got, to know if it will have any real impact.

We got some rain overnight!! It is hard to figure out how much we actually got, but the ground didn't seem to be quite so hard when I went out to take care of the quail & chickens. In fact, the ground was still a little damp. I'm hoping that it was a significant amount.I spent this morning in court and am spending the afternoon tending to book-related stuff. I hope that everyone has a marvelous day!

It does sound like a lot of work, but I'm so glad that you enjoyed yourself!

I think I should subscribe to your theories, Michael! They make more sense than most of the other things that I've heard, lately! Still no rain here. It was cloudy for awhile, but nothing ever came of it. Sunny skies are practically blinding me and the temperature is 88 degrees.

No rain yet... Lots of lightning last night. Rain is forecasted for today...We shall see...

The one advantage that I see to quilting versus knitting is that you can quilt with recycled scraps and clothing. In my mind, that makes it quite useful in a situation. I hope that you are able to take a quilting class soon. (But don't stop practicing the knitting!)

I went outside at 5pm yesterday to trim back the only vegetation that continues to grow despite the drought...Trumpet Vine! Anyway, I could feel the ocassional sprinkle on my arms as I worked. I worked quickly because I didn't want to be caught out in the rain. 15 minutes later I was done and so was the sprinkling. I don't think that I felt more than one sprinkle per 30 seconds.

That is a nice find! I hope that your chickens enjoy their new home! ...............Especially the homeless ones that had to sleep on top of the old coop.

I think that the box has to be solid and gym lockers usually have holes for air to circulate. Maybe is someone were to weld metal plates over the air holes, it would work.

Mother, you are hysterical!

Yep... We've got what you've got! The ground feels like concrete!

Yaaay!! She's BACK!!!

I still haven't put my extra plants in the ground yet. They are still in sets, living in a recycling bin on my porch. The groundhogs are everywhere, but they aren't bothering my plants. There isn't anything for them to be bothered with really. I've never had them eat tomatoesand that is about all that is left. I could probably plant a crop of beans, but I just don't want to be bothered... There is something in the air and I don't have the energy to plant anything either. Edited to add...There aren't even any weeds in the garden! They wilted and died awhile back.

It isn't that your efforts to help your parents weren't good enough... It is that your parents couldn't accept or RESPECT the source. It is difficult to allow your child to help you under the best of circumstances. In this case, you are dealing with multiple challenges that range from mental health issues to legal issues, to physical impairments. A prophet is without honor in his (or her) own backyard. No matter how smart or talented you may be (and I have no doubt that you are both!), it is hard for parents to see that you are no longer the kid with the skinned knees and runny nose. When you have teenagers, they will have difficulty believing that you know anything about...ANYTHING!

In a situation, I assume that you would bake bread as needed. In the summer, I can only keep home baked bread for about 4 or 5 days before mold takes up residence. In a , breadmaking would probably occur every 3 days or so and be kept sealed in a bag or covered in a casserole dish or something. I also imagine that we'd consume more quickbreads like cornbread, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, biscuits, tortillas, etc... than actual sliced bread. I guess I just don't see the need for canning bread. Preserving fruits and veggies while in season will be critical, but bread? Not so much...