Various things

Last Sunday we went to visit a co-worker of Cliff's to get some very heavy pipe; Cliff is going to use it somehow in the frame he's building to hold up the $100 hoist he bought a couple weeks ago.  

For several years, I thought I wanted a gazebo; these people had one that might actually be affordable, made from the top of an old grain bin.  I was impressed with their ingenuity.  However, at this point in my life, I've decided it wouldn't be worth all the trouble of retrieving such an item.   At this point in my life, very few things are worth the trouble, to tell you the truth.  

  Cliff's latest toy, the Oliver 1655 Diesel tractor, arrived Tuesday.  He's already fixed one thing on it; I wish I could recall what it was he fixed.  

And there it sits, with Cliff's other, larger project in the background.  No, that one isn't finished, and you can thank Missouri weather for that:  It's always either too cold or too humid to paint, and until Cliff gets it painted, he isn't going to be putting all the parts back on it.  He'll have more opportunity to catch the weather just right for painting when he retires.  

And now, on to the garden.  Last weekend, although it's early, I set out a row of peppers, as well as two tomato plants.  For some reason, my tomato seedlings are really starting to look sickly, even though I have them outside in a safe place and have been watering them daily.  So last night, I set out more of them.  If there's a frost warning, I'll cover them with straw; that has worked in the past, except for the time there was a really hard freeze in May.  

The problem might be that the little plants are overcrowded in those tiny pots; notice the roots sticking out.  

These pepper seedlings have received the same treatment as the tomatoes, and they look great.  Oh well, I never claimed to be a master gardener.   
I had some potatoes all cut up and ready to plant on Good Friday, as is my tradition.  However, since the forecast for the rest of the week sounds soggy, I went ahead and planted them yesterday evening; at least the moon sign is right (plant root crops in the waning moon).  My St. Patrick's Day potatoes are almost all up and growing now.