Tonight there’s a frost advisory and we expect one in our #garden. We planted the #dahlias last week when the temps were in the 90s. Below is my protection for them - because overkill is underrated - and I do love them. #gardening
Weed fabric - a waste of money and effort multiplier.
Things I regret buying for my garden #2: weed barrier/fabric. I've tried them all. Every one of them does not stop weeds and eventually becomes an effort-multiplier. Weeds may not grow through it, but they will definitely grow on top of it, and removing it is an awful, dirty job. #gardening
So this morning the low was predicted to be 39°F. Our weather station in the garden showed 32°F with scattered frost. We anticipated this and moved plants into the greenhouses. Tonight the low is predicted to be 37°, so #dahlias will be covered. #gardening is not for wimps.
Roll of plastic edging: Do not buy this.
Things I regret buying for my #Garden #1: Plastic edging. Weeds laugh at it and go under or over it, and if it's too high, your lawn mower will chew it up. Worse, it can't be recycled. I put it in about 3 years ago, and now I'm ripping it out. Waste of money, effort and time. #Gardening
Deserts are beautiful. I used to do a lot of desert camping when I lived in SoCal, and Joshua Tree has a special place in my heart. But North Carolina isn’t a desert, and the wildlife and flora here are stressed. Dry periods usually come in the Summer, not in the Spring. How to cope? #Drought
#Gardening in a #drought is no fun. The soil is so dry, it's dusty. Shoveling it creates clouds in the air, and all afternoon I had coughing fits from inhaling it. Yes, I should have worn a mask, but it was too hot.
This is mid-April in central North Carolina zone 7B. We are praying for rain here.
in an evacuation. There isn't much we can take in two SUVs after the dogs and cats are accounted for. What is irreplaceable? My ancient coin collection. Doc originals. Backups. I'll have to start a list. Am I being dramatic? Perhaps, but to quote Intel's Andy Grove "Only the paranoid survive."
interested in doing a prescribed burn on our property to fight invasives and encourage local species. That is completely off the table, and I'm worried about an accidental blaze burning down our home. I've begun removing valuables and important docs off-site, and started building a bug-out kit...
North Carolina Drought map for 4/16/2026
The new #NorthCarolina #drought monitor is up and as expected, it's worse than last week's. It's starting to get a little frightening here in the Blue Ridge foothills. As an ex-Californian I am most concerned about fire danger - ironic since many of our native species require it, and I had been
Meme: burning world. Me: Wanna see Roman coins?”
“How often do you think about the Roman Empire?”
Me: “I think about the Roman Empire every day.” #history #ancientcoins #hobbies
Drought map of the southeast, as of 4/14/26
The #drought is getting bad. Farmers can't plant corn because there is not enough moisture for the seeds to sprout. I spent an hour last night digging a hole for a sapling. I had to use a pick-axe. The clay was hard 8" down.
Many happy memories of CWE during the 1980s. West End Wax. Heffalumps. Euclid Records. Left Bank books. Haagen Daz. The grand old mansions off the gated streets. It wasn't Sunset Strip but it was special.
Judging by the architecture in the foreground, looking west from the Central West End?
Saw them at UCLA in 1991. To say DCD was mesmerizing does not do the experience justice. Recently listened to their catalog and it was just as timeless and ethereal as I remembered.
78% of North Carolina is in severe #drought. The rest is in extreme drought. Spent yesterday expanding a berry bed stripping off the sod. The clay was hard down 5-6 inches.
It is getting scary here. #Gardening is not for wimps.
Wood stove fire
The last of many fires over the past 6 months. 90F days heading our way so the stove will get a well deserved cleaning and rest. I’ll miss sitting by the fire, a dog next to me in the recliner, a Mac Air on my lap, #coding and creating. Always thought I’d be a writer: guess in a way I am.
I am pleased to announce our latest app "MotorVault" has passed QA and is now available from the Apple App Store:
apps.apple.com/app/motorvau...
MotorVault is free for the first two cars, and $9.99 one time purchase for unlimited. Great for tracking mods, servicing, and fuel costs.
Coffee plant blooms
Zone 7B NC USA: Our #coffee plant is blooming, for the first time since we got it 5 years ago. We got it as a foot-tall seedling. Now it's over 5 feet tall. It's just beautiful. Times like this remind me why I love #gardening.
Denarius of Caesar with elephant on obverse, military mint. ca 44 bc.
No rest for the weary.
Our 6th app is in the whiteboard phase.
Here's a hint:
If a creation doesn't draw blood, either real or metaphorical, then you're not putting your soul into it. This app was no exception. I have the scars to prove it.
Planted bare-root trees today. I dug the holes last night, but the soil dried out today. I ended up beating the clay clods with a wooden stake to break them up, doubling the effort. #Gardening is not for wimps, especially during a spring drought.
He was Christian Death to me.
US. map showing temperatures and rainfall. Hot and dry for most of the country until mid-April
This is not good. North Carolina is already in a moderate #drought, and the weather looks dry for the next two weeks. There are several #wildfires burning. Ants are seeking moisture. Reminding me a lot of SoCal. I’ve cleared a few acres of brush around my house. Glad I did. #gardening
I've revamped SPQR Developers website. All the apps have their own web pages with screenshots and descriptions, and the layout is not as flat. Check it out. #Hobbies #FountainPens #Gardening #Watches #Auctions
spqrdevelopers.com
It’s baseball season. I grew up listening to Cardinals games on KMOX, with Jack Buck and Mike Shannon. My dad loved the team, and so it was always on his radio. It’s pure nostalgia now, Field of Dreams type stuff. Warm spring memories.
UI screen showing a red 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.
I'm not a fan of dark mode usually, but it makes the new app pop. Here's a sample screenshot of our upcoming release. #ios #hobbies #gearheads
Blooming dahlias
Blooming dahlias
Blooming dahlias
Well the lessons from #gardening 2026 are already coming in. The beautiful dahlias seen below did not survive being pulled out and stored. So far I’ve had much better luck leaving them in their beds and mulching over them. I’m done with that nonsense - but I’m in zone 7B. It may not work up north.
While working through issues in beta on the current app, I’ve begun brainstorming the next app. This is my typical workflow.
Any suggestions?
If you have any ideas, please comment or pm. Requirements are: app must be hobby related and in an area with weak or poor representation on the App Store.
I’m a SQL guy. #SQL can manipulate billions of rows of data without crashing. But working with JSONs is a real pain in the ass. I’ve spent a total of 6 hours determining why my JSON blew up, and preventing it from happening again. I’m glad it happened to me in beta, but traded time for experience.
Working late after my app murdered my JSON and refuses to import from backup. Too tired to stay up to fix it. I think better when I sleep. Still, I hate leaving bugs unresolved at bedtime. I’ve got code to prevent bad writes killing a database, but tonight it failed and the killer got away.