Useless Conversation

[Lantyssa]

Back from Big Bend. No snakebites to report but did get accosted by a ranger for having an open bottle of wine in the hatchback of the car.

Open container laws and their enforcement have gotten a bit silly in Texas.

Very pretty shots, even for a cell phone.

[Selby]

Just how I remember Big Bend.  Looks like a good time.  This is probably one of the best times of year to visit since it isn't 120°F+ out there ;-)

[MuffinMan]

Full photo album here. There may be an illegal border crossing in there.

The temperature during the day was excellent. At night not so much. It got down into the 30's and super windy. Not having a campfire was a bummer and made for early nights.

[Samwise]

So TJs has Honeycrisps and I'm trying one now.

It's kind of all right.

[Trippy]

Fujis are better.

[MuffinMan]

I had a few SweeTangos a month ago that if not for price they would rival Honeycrisp. Also bought SweeTango cider which was amazing.

On a related note I think I had fresh squeezed orange juice for the first time and no orange juice will ever satisfy me now.

[Samwise]

Fujis are better.

Yeah, I was thinking that it tasted kinda like a slightly blander/sweeter Fuji.  I tend to prefer my apples more tart.

Pippin remains my favorite.

[Selby]

TJ's has had Honeycrisps these last few weeks and I've been eating them.  They are definitely juicy and tasty with the crunch that I require from my apples, but I still prefer Fuji apples when they are in season.  I LOVE Pacific Rose apples, but those are hard to find =(

[IainC]

I nipped over to France yesterday for lunch with some friends and stocked up on proper Normandy cider while I was there. I really miss good cider.

[Merusk]

Funny.. Fujis are my least-favorite apple, ever.

[IainC]

Funny.. Fujis are my least-favorite apple, ever.

I envy you not living in a world where granny smiths exist.

[Merusk]

What?  No love for the green apple standard, Ian?  For shame!

[Tale]

Fujis are better.

Yes, there's a farmer's market near me on Sundays where an old guy comes down from the mountains with huge, fresh, unwaxed Fuji apples. They are amazing.

I envy you not living in a world where granny smiths exist.

I live a few streets from where THE Granny Smith grew her apples and I still prefer Fujis :P

[Trippy]

Fujis are better.

Yeah, I was thinking that it tasted kinda like a slightly blander/sweeter Fuji.  I tend to prefer my apples more tart.

Pippin remains my favorite.

Honeycrisps are more tart than Fujis.

[Samwise]

I might be remembering Fujis too fondly then.  It's been a while.

[Johny Cee]

So, at my new job right now I don't have a company email account.  That means that I'm getting all my work emails at my personal address...  which means I'm up on a Sunday night answering work emails.

Not to mention a title two sizes larger than the current paycheck....  I won't miss tax season, though.

[Sky]

Supermarket apples are suspect and this year was a pretty shitty year for honeycrisps in general. The two trees I planted in the spring put out better apples than anything I got in the bushels from the best local orchard.

Congrats (?) JC.

[RhyssaFireheart]

We picked up a container/package of Honeycrisps from Costco recently (as part of the eating better initiative) and those things were awesome!  Really tasted great and the husband and I have loved eating those as snacks instead of chips or trolling for extra food.  Problem is Costco can be hit or miss on when they have a particular item, so there's no guarantee there'll be more to buy when we go next. :(

I've decided I want a snow free winter for Christmas and perhaps a not-too-cold one as well.  I'm sure Sky will call me a heathen or something, but I'd love to not deal with snow and/or extreme cold for a season.  I also realize my chances of getting this wish fulfilled is about nil considering I'm in Chicagoland.

[rattran]

I'll be back home a few days after thanksgiving, so expect my 'welcome home snowstorm/cold snap' right about then. It's been pretty reliable the last few years, I think in an effort for the gods to keep me from driving to Randall rd Costco/Trader Joe's/Caputos to stock up for winter.

[WayAbvPar]

Supermarket apples are suspect and this year was a pretty shitty year for honeycrisps in general. The two trees I planted in the spring put out better apples than anything I got in the bushels from the best local orchard.

Congrats (?) JC.

What type and age tree did you plant? Finally cleared some space in the backyard for some apple trees, and plan to plant in the spring. I think I can easily fit two dwarfs, if not 3.

[RhyssaFireheart]

driving to Randall rd Costco/Trader Joe's/Caputos to stock up for winter.

Oh fuck, are you stalking me?  That's where I shop!

[Furiously]

Did you notice an increase in rodents when you planted the trees Sky? That would be my worry.  Then again I live by a stream next to a greenbelt full of blackberries.

[Nebu]

Then again I live by a stream next to a greenbelt full of blackberries.

I think I'm going to quit my job and pitch a tent in your back yard.  You don't mind, do you?  Sounds like a beautiful view.

[Minvaren]

I approve of Nebu camping in Furiously's backyard, provided you guys tithe 10-20 pounds of the blackberries to me annually for the brewing.   

[Samwise]

You're welcome to all the blackberries in my backyard.  I only require that you take the entire bush with you.  Don't worry, it'll all grow back by the following summer and you can do it again.

[Furiously]

I never thought 1/2 to 3/4 an acre would be such a pain in the ass to maintain.

[Nebu]

I never thought 1/2 to 3/4 an acre would be such a pain in the ass to maintain.

I have an acre and it's really easy to maintain.  I make a phone call and this guy comes out with his machines.  All he asks in return is money.  It's a wonderful arrangement.

[Sky]

Two honeycrisp trees, they're posted here somewhere, but for summary:


Not sure how old they were when I got them in April or so, this year. They flowered not long after I got 'em home. The fence is about 6' tall and around 8' to a side, for winter I'm adding bark guards for sun scald and just in case a wascally wabbit sneaks in there.

In the second pic, there's a little pile of crap wood by the tree line right of the main stack...that sits in a big ol pricker bush full of yummy berries. It tried to eat my shed last year.

[Xanthippe]

I never thought 1/2 to 3/4 an acre would be such a pain in the ass to maintain.

Goats if it's brushy or geese if it's grassy.  Never have to trim or mow again.

[Samwise]

Goats wouldn't eat blackberry bushes, would they?  If so, I'm so renting a goat.

[Trippy]

I never thought 1/2 to 3/4 an acre would be such a pain in the ass to maintain.

Goats if it's brushy or geese if it's grassy.  Never have to trim or mow again.

What about all the poop?

[IainC]

Goats wouldn't eat blackberry bushes, would they?  If so, I'm so renting a goat.

Goats will eat anything they can reach.

[Furiously]

Had a goat when I was a child. It got free a lot.

And who am I kidding. I hated goatburgers the first time we had a goat.

[Khaldun]

I am trying right now to decide if a small area of my backyard that has clearly subsided by 3+ inches in the last two days (about 3 feet across, it's a sudden little hollow in an area that was pretty much level though on a slight general slope that runs across the whole backyard) is an issue.

We haven't had any rain for 2 weeks. It's an area near where there was a huge pine tree that I had cut down about five years ago--I'm wondering if a big dead taproot has crumbled or something. No limestone or anything like that hereabouts.

[Lantyssa]

Goats will eat anything they can reach.

Including your Disney World Pass hanging from a belt-loop despite having a handful of food.  There's nothing so traumatizing to a 10 year old as thinking they'll be kicked out of WDW because of a goat...