YJL

Last week, 2016-01-22, I installed the Google Consumer Surveys, still no responses today, so I finally took a look. I misread the instruction and placed a piece of code for embedding script at wrong place resulting function not found, but it didn’t matter, after I correct it, it’s a 404. I am not from those countries where you will see the surveys, so I didn’t try to confirm the installation since I legitimately can’t do so. I might remove all this hassle.

Since 404 wasn’t the fault on my part, I contacted GCS and got a reply that pointed out that I had survey and Website Satisfaction codes put together in the same page. I fixed it, but six hours later, still seeing no responses analyzed, so I sent a reply and got a screenshot showing it’s working. The report page must not be updated frequently.

The weather forecasts next 5 out of 7 days would be rainy days and 78%+ humidity. The fortunate two days are cloudy days. It would be wet and humid in the following days.

It’s really cold, my laptop booted up to just 25°C, took a while to climbing up. Everything is touching cold, the water cup, the bed, the chair, the keyboard, the mouse, the everything. I even wore a knit cap, which made my forehead itchy, but it kept me warm. And I wanted to go toilet so often, not just urinating to be honest.

I stuck a few toothpicks into a long and thin sweet potato and placed in a jar of water. The only problem I got was I couldn’t tell which end was the pointy and round side. If the greens come out downwards, I’d just flip it upside down.

I’ve been trying to find out if you can plant potato slip like sweet potato’s, but a search never worked out. They are from same order, Solanales, but different families, potato is from Solanaceae also known as nightshades while sweet potato from Convolvulaceae, commonly known as bindweed or morning glory. That doesn’t mean potato slip can’t or can, but I just can’t find a definitive answer because poor design of top 1 search engine. Anyway, I will stick a few into water and see if they rot.

Pruned pink flower tree, so no branches rubbing each other, I planted to use those branches to build a bird house. After pruning, I stuck in the solitary bee house I just finished. Not sure if any solitary bees would move in, definitely not immediately, it’s still cold and there isn’t anything to attract them.

It’s so cold all tomatoes’ lower leaves wilted, two seedlings probably wouldn’t survive.

What else today:

• 2 of 3 tray were dried after about 14-15 hours, probably refilling twice a day will work, but I did see a bit of soil drying.
• Spreading moss.
• Saved small bell pepper seeds.
• Decided not to do that compost bag idea, need more than one set.
• Wash bed sheet, pillow case, blanket, and door rug.

This morning, the lowest temperature of the year, 4°C, it’s like a big refrigerator outside. My laptop temperature going down to just 35°C with the lowest fan setting, 43°C without fan.

The carrot top seems to grow even greener and busher in this inhuman weather, three weeks later, not sure when I can plant it, who knows, maybe it will just flower like that, but I doubt that’s possible. However, around 9, 2 out of 22 stem flopping down, so I moved it in and placed on top of drying box. At 12pm, they all were back up.

Starting to roll bee house tubes, my thumbs are really tiring after making 37 of 17-21cm long tubes. I don’t know which side should be the inside, one yellowish smooth, the other gray slightly rough. I think the rough side would be better, but I’d go half-half. One pencil to roll with, one tape in middle. I don’t want to use staple at one end as the instruction said, but I might have to find a way to close it up, or I could just see if they work without anything more, since I am using a small cardboard box to house these tubes.

Thinking about growing sweet potato, or just watching it rooting in water with tooth picks sticking into it. Already chitting three potatoes, why not sweet potato? I can plant just a few of slips, and keep growing for leaves to cook, even stick into a pot just for more leaves, just an idea, how it won’t try to grow more sweet potatoes in small pot.

On the 7th of using my drying box, I finally realized that I could just pour water to seed tray’s saucer. I sprayed four or more times to keep seed tray moist, but still I could see edges dried out.

What else?

• Moved that single purple dick plant to my window sill pot along with marsh pennywort, moss, fern, and one succulent plant, all in on pot with existing golden pothos and self-seeded celery.
• Burying a Chinese cabbage bottom in soil, it might regrow. Also trying leaf propagating succulent and golden pothos, but I don’t think that would work since I put the outside in cold. By the way, that tomato cutting is pretty dead to me, the only left leave is wilting.

First single digit in 2016, freezing cold. Today’s weather forecast looked like riding a sleigh, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 (Sunday), 5, 4.

I added Google Consumer Surveys to this blog, but I was not so sure about it since it’s not what I thought. It’s for website to content hidden until visitor finishes the survey. I don’t really want my visitors having to answer those questions. I have already signed up, I will try for a while. Also added Website Satisfaction which comes with the surveys, I don’t know how it actually shows to visitors, I have a feeling it’s a overlay popup, which I really hate.

Still nothing from the seed tray, so I resowed more. Maybe it was too cold, I might get a big bunch of sprouting since the tray is now on the drying box to keep warm, just have to remember to spray, or they will really dry out.

I have been caring for a carrot top for almost three weeks, water changed every morning. It’s lush thick green, so many stems from that top and tiny little leaves. They are not tall, just about 10cm, and I haven’t seen any roots.

Yesterday’s accidental tomato cutting is wilting from top two leaves, so I topped it off, maybe it just wouldn’t work in the soil directly without rooting in water first. I also topped a pepper plant, which had a tiny fruit for a month or longer, it turned into a disgusting yellowish color, no good, just cut it off and prompt more growth.

The weather forecast is getting more extreme, this Sunday would 6-3°C, a few more degrees colder, we might have snow.

According to forecast, this Saturday, it will be single digit, 12-6°C; and for Sunday 7-5°C. It’s gonna be freezing cold this weekend.

I made a light with 4 blue LEDs, now testing on a tomato seedling, I would see if it work in a week or two. The seeds I sowed in seed tray, nothing came up. However, 4 snow peas came up which I sowed in cup, and sugar snap is getting lengthy, no enough of sun light. Onion bottom is growing a bit more, so is celery bottom.

It’s not going to work indoors behind those windows, I’ll be moving them out tomorrow even the single digit temperature is coming in a few days. I’ll let the nature decide their fate. From now on, I will still sow seeds indoor, because this way, I can know what I’ve sowed more clearer. Once they have germinated, I transplant. Cold seems fine, but lack of sunlight is not.

I am under the weather today, stuffy and then running noses, but not too bad. The temperature is below 15°C, it is the lowest this year, so far. However, the yardlong bean and Chinese red noodle bean still flowering, I counted 6 flowers, but I don’t know if they are still fertilized.

This morning, I made a jar of sauerkraut, only white cabbage, nothing else. Also, the oyster mushroom in shredded cardboard, the king oyster mushroom that I prepared a few days ago, there seems to be some mycellium growing.

I heard that you can do leaf cutting, not all plants can grow into new plants, but I have to try this once. Seeds, stem cutting, leaf cutting, there might be other ways to propagate that I couldn’t never imagine.

The cat wasn’t interested in the toy I made, a flexible clothes hanger connected by electric wire to a small bell, he just didn’t want to move.

Sprouting has been going on for long time, celery sprouts are packed in that little cup, but I didn’t know how they taste. So I added some celery microgreen to toast, didn’t taste very strong, but if I eat one sprout directly, it’s very strong celery flavor.

This afternoon, as I walked to balcony, looking at plants, a pigeon suddenly landed on railing of external window sill. I immediately froze, kept very still as best as I can. It looked at me, or passed me, then busy looking down at ground level. Probably a minute or two before it took off. We were distanced in two meters at most, the only thing between us is window screen.

Some rainbow potatoes, I decided to chit three of them, not sure what colors inside or what I can grow in if they do chit, which I believe they would, quite some eyes on them. I am thinking about thick plastic shopping bag, filled with shredded cardboard, stacked with another bag if lucky enough that works. This would be an experiment, I just have to shred a lot of cardboard.

It’s the shortest day of the year, I’d think it’s supposed to get colder, but not this year. Actually, yesterday, it was raining and cold and slightly humid, but today is a sunny day and temperature jumps up about to ten degrees Celsius at high twenties.

Sesame and peanut big ones, assorted unfilled small ones, and azuki beans

It feels more like spring time had just arrived. According to forecast, it’s going to last about three days before the cold coming back, guess it’s the winter’s vacation.

Traditionally, we would have tangyuan, but I don’t really care about the tradition except there is tangyuan to eat and it’s good to have them in cold winter days.

Since I’ve stopped drinking coffee, tea, and sugary drinks around this past early November, although not strictly, but I rather not adding sugar if cooking the small unfilled tangyuan.

If not sweet, then flavor like from spices would do, unfortunately, I don’t have those. Besides, I really don’t like savory tangyuan. Surprisingly, milk is a quick solution. So, I cooked the azuki beans in pure water, than in milk to finish up with tangyuan.

Simple dessert and not too sweet. Now I do wish the weather went bad a bit, so I can really feel warm to eat.