Good morning on this sunny Saturday.  We had drizzle and spotty rain all day yesterday.  The sun finally popped out about two hours before it was due to set.  Didn't do more that check things yesterday and take note of some trimming that needs doing.  I thin I already reported that the pepper seedling is blooming as is the oldest of my cucumbers.  The corn is growing rapidly and the three plants I needed to move to make room for Mom's shepherd's crook (for the hummingbird feeder Sister gave her at Christmas).  I need to get the new stands of lettuce and spinach started.  The rain and cold delayed those plans a couple of days.  And today is the opening day for our city farm market.  We have adjusted our grocery shopping days to coincide with the days it is open.

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It is now a sunny Sunday.  There wasn't much to comment on yesterday.  We did go to the city farmers' market and absolutely love what the city has done on that downtown park.  They had eight or ten early season vendors most of whom say the will be here all summer.  So we are planning what we would like to buy on a weekly basis.  I don't have much planned for the day in the garden.  Need to mix some soil to raise the levels in some of the pots and plant a new round of spinach and lettuce.  I know I said yesterday I should do it but I got lazy.  I also need to start harvesting some of the stevia and more of lemon balm.  Right now I don't have a lot to do except trim, fertilize and water (when needed.)

Let's see if I find anything to comment on tripping through the internet.

I always enjoy seeing stories like this one.  Sometimes living in a world where we go to a store that sells mass produced goods made by machines makes me a bit uneasy.  There is something very satisfying about making something you need with your own hands.

GMA this morning has a story this morning on a new use for a class of Alzheimer's drug: treating shopaholics.  We had several reactions to the story.  First, oh, hell, another damned pill in a society that has a major pill problem.  Second, in a country obsessed with an economy that runs on consumption they want to curb consumption???  Last, in a country where material possessions are a means of displaying status and achieving emotional satisfaction what will replace shopping for things as a national past time??  Remember when they advocated the use of methadone to treat heroin addiction?  They found the methadone simply replaced the heroin without curing the addiction.

I think this article shows some promise for the future.  Most often our response to nature is to try to dominate it, to force nature to bend to our will or wishful thinking.  Working with nature is somewhat alien to human beings generally and to Americans especially.

I remember the paradox highlighted during the long struggle that culminated in the landmark case against the tobacco companies:  the Federal government subsidized the tobacco industry while at the same time trying to discourage individual smokers.  This article shows that the pattern has continued.  I wonder if high fructose corn syrup would be so competitive with sugar if corn production wasn't so well subsidized?

I figured we have had a dry spring.  This confirms my suspicion.  I learned a new term in my reading yesterday: flash drought.  I found this piece which explains the phrase.  Some areas that had unseasonably high temperatures (90+) and dry conditions may be hurting even if they do get rain later.  The cool and wet conditions some crops need to get going weren't there.

Hypocrisy alert!  Another in the Repthuglican philosophy of "ok if your rights are violated but leave mine alone."

Perhaps if Mitt Romney wants to make Solyndra a campaign issue, the Democrats should make an issue of the Konarka Technologies bankruptcy an issue since Romney funneled government funds to its solar operations.  Another nice bit of hypocrisy!!