Sunday--
Very cool again this morning but clear skies. I plan to harvest some more herbs for drying this morning but haven't anything else on the agenda. I took all but one of the tumbler tomatoes off the fence because of the wind. I won't put them back up. Instead I will get some new lower growing herbs to replace them when we go the the farm market on Tuesday. The tomatoes are distributed around the patio in more protected areas. The wind was strong enough it nearly picked the pots up our of the baskets holding the on the fence. I have never seen wind do that here. I also transplanted the little blueberry into a larger pot. So far it appears to be doing well--new growth and nice healthy green.
Excellent commentary from Helen at Margaret and Helen.
Monday--
Wet and cool today so I won't be doing much outside. Just a quick trip outside to check on things. At least we don't have the awful wind. I harvested Moldavian balm, lemon thyme, rosemary and lavender yesterday. All dried and ground and on the shelf now. Also cleaned up the shelf so I know what I have where. Haven't seen many bees so far. Hope the herbs and other plants flowers will attract more. No mason bees yet.
I have been hearing about this for the last week on several of the gardening blogs I read.
Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism linked to this story with the comment that the story is old and "sank without a trace. Odd, that." I am not surprised either by the corruption or that the story got so little traction. The current philosophy driving much of our politics is privatization of public services which simply transfers public funds and goods into private pockets and provides a ripe field for corruption. Do we really expect corporate controlled media to criticize other corporations' looting of the public sector (i.e., taxpayers)? I don't.
Bloomberg has an interesting animated graph comparing the increased temperatures over the last 130 years and various factors that have been proposed as the causative agents of the change. I won't keep you in suspense over the results. The only factor which actually correlates with the increase is--greenhouse gasses released by human activity
Here is a feel good story for cat lovers.
From the "if your only tool is a hammer, all problems look like nails" file. The war ethos Astore writes about has been growing for a long time. Now-a-days we have irate "Christians" upset and yelling about a "war on religion" when every any one challenges their overwhelming occupancy of public space and insistence that their interpretation of Biblical rules apply universally. The war imagery tells us exactly what to expect: no quarter, no compromise.
I love this flow chart that demolishes the anti-gay marriage argument based on Leviticus. They really need to read all the "paperwork."
Found this on Armstrong Economics. Damn these idiotic politicians.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Saturday--
The news readers this morning asked "where is summer?" The temperature now is just under 60F. That is well below normal for this time of the year and cool enough that we will enjoy the hot cereal we have cooking for breakfast. It should be dry enough today and early tomorrow to harvest and dry some of my herbs which are loving the cooler weather.
Update on harvest: cut basil, lime basil, strawberry leaves, Moldavian balm, and chocolate mint. it is in the dehydrator now. I will grind them all later after everything is dry. Thinking about lemon basil, rosemary and lavender tomorrow. Maybe even take a cutting of hyssop if I have a tray left over.
I didn't expect Tsipras to do this but I think it is a brilliant tactic. From what I have read Syriza has been on the edge of a knife since it came into office. On the one hand Greeks were split: they wanted easing of austerity and to stay in the EU. The bottom line question was what they would choose if they couldn't have both. Do they want out of the austerity imposed by outsiders badly enough to default and get out of the Union? The referendum might clarify that. And in the same vein, Syriza itself is split with the hard line anti-austerity wing (and its allies) threatening to bolt which would bring down the government. On the other hand, negotiations require partners willing to actually negotiate and I haven't seen that in the troika, especially not with the IMF. The Greeks haven't had "partners" in their economic crisis. They have had tyrants demanding utter submission.
The news readers this morning asked "where is summer?" The temperature now is just under 60F. That is well below normal for this time of the year and cool enough that we will enjoy the hot cereal we have cooking for breakfast. It should be dry enough today and early tomorrow to harvest and dry some of my herbs which are loving the cooler weather.
Update on harvest: cut basil, lime basil, strawberry leaves, Moldavian balm, and chocolate mint. it is in the dehydrator now. I will grind them all later after everything is dry. Thinking about lemon basil, rosemary and lavender tomorrow. Maybe even take a cutting of hyssop if I have a tray left over.
I didn't expect Tsipras to do this but I think it is a brilliant tactic. From what I have read Syriza has been on the edge of a knife since it came into office. On the one hand Greeks were split: they wanted easing of austerity and to stay in the EU. The bottom line question was what they would choose if they couldn't have both. Do they want out of the austerity imposed by outsiders badly enough to default and get out of the Union? The referendum might clarify that. And in the same vein, Syriza itself is split with the hard line anti-austerity wing (and its allies) threatening to bolt which would bring down the government. On the other hand, negotiations require partners willing to actually negotiate and I haven't seen that in the troika, especially not with the IMF. The Greeks haven't had "partners" in their economic crisis. They have had tyrants demanding utter submission.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Thursday--
Raining today so I will occupy myself inside. Should have a break between systems tomorrow morning and, if it develops, I will harvest some herbs then. I got a bit more of the tangle of tomato plants the wind left in the corner of the gardens. I have Costuluto and Amish Gold plants there which are getting quite tall and the wind twisted them into a mess. Usually the gardens begin to look like a jungle by this time. This year I have managed to keep some order and control. One of my sunflowers has started blooming. New flowers always bring me a bit joy.
On the issue of the "Stars and Bars" Confederate flag, what it means and if it should be displayed--John Beckett has a good piece. An underlying question in his post involves exactly what whoever wants to wave that flag is wanting to honor or proclaim in doing so.
Gene Logsdon, the Contrary Farmer, has another interesting post on "Farming Starts In Cities." I have followed the "urban agriculture" movement for several years now and it doesn't surprise me that plant cultivation has been a part of the urban environment since such an environment arose.
Friday--
Cloudy now after rain off and on during the night. I don't have anything pressing in the gardens. The herbs can wait till tomorrow. I have some plants inside to water and trim.
The Onion on the pending 6th extinction. Crying won't help so you might as well laugh.
This should be an interesting little war that won't be covered by the mainstream media. I think the corn refiners are feeling a pinch from the latest seismic shifts in American eating habits which has cast doubt on the benefits of one of their major products--high fructose corn syrup.
Philip Car Gomm has a good take on the news. Everyone would be better off if we turned it off. And the article he links to has even more good points to make in advocating a strictly curtailing our diet of news.
Raining today so I will occupy myself inside. Should have a break between systems tomorrow morning and, if it develops, I will harvest some herbs then. I got a bit more of the tangle of tomato plants the wind left in the corner of the gardens. I have Costuluto and Amish Gold plants there which are getting quite tall and the wind twisted them into a mess. Usually the gardens begin to look like a jungle by this time. This year I have managed to keep some order and control. One of my sunflowers has started blooming. New flowers always bring me a bit joy.
On the issue of the "Stars and Bars" Confederate flag, what it means and if it should be displayed--John Beckett has a good piece. An underlying question in his post involves exactly what whoever wants to wave that flag is wanting to honor or proclaim in doing so.
Gene Logsdon, the Contrary Farmer, has another interesting post on "Farming Starts In Cities." I have followed the "urban agriculture" movement for several years now and it doesn't surprise me that plant cultivation has been a part of the urban environment since such an environment arose.
Friday--
Cloudy now after rain off and on during the night. I don't have anything pressing in the gardens. The herbs can wait till tomorrow. I have some plants inside to water and trim.
The Onion on the pending 6th extinction. Crying won't help so you might as well laugh.
This should be an interesting little war that won't be covered by the mainstream media. I think the corn refiners are feeling a pinch from the latest seismic shifts in American eating habits which has cast doubt on the benefits of one of their major products--high fructose corn syrup.
Philip Car Gomm has a good take on the news. Everyone would be better off if we turned it off. And the article he links to has even more good points to make in advocating a strictly curtailing our diet of news.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Tuesday--
As we fell asleep last night the wind hit. I woke to find two of the tumbler tomatoes on the fence were askew again and the gold leaf lemon thyme was on the patio. The thyme had been in a low spot on a chair with a pot of peppermint. Normally that is a very protected spot. Not last night. It is now inside. No damage, thankfully. The news this morning says that Illinois had six tornadoes overnight. I don't think we got a drop of rain.
Thank whatever gods exist for nice people. We need them to counter the cruel assholes.
Wednesday--
Windy but somewhat cooler yesterday. The drop in the temps and the humidity were welcome. I have some trimming and perhaps some herb harvesting to do. The cupcake squash is blooming profusely and we welcomed our first (that we know of) bee. Hope it comes back and brings it's friends. The cucumbers (both types) are climbing quickly up their trellises and the beans are doing the same on the sunflowers which survived the winds nicely.
I didn't read all of this post on Tomdispatch but what caught my attention was the figure of $10 billion which is the "top end estimate" for what will be spent on the coming elections. I find that more than a little obscene. It makes me wonder who is buying whom and what they want for their money.
Another food scandal in China. This one is really sickening.
I have noticed a lot more willingness on the part of the mainstream media to call out the right-wing news sources (Faux--that means you) on their refusal to call the Charleston killings either a hate crime or a terrorist act. This piece asks a good question: what is the difference? It also notes something I had noticed long ago--as far back as the Oklahoma City bombing. That suspicion is first directed at a shadowy, dark-skinned, and non-Christian immigrant enemy who turns out when finally revealed to be home-grown, white, and (self-proclaimed) Christian.
As we fell asleep last night the wind hit. I woke to find two of the tumbler tomatoes on the fence were askew again and the gold leaf lemon thyme was on the patio. The thyme had been in a low spot on a chair with a pot of peppermint. Normally that is a very protected spot. Not last night. It is now inside. No damage, thankfully. The news this morning says that Illinois had six tornadoes overnight. I don't think we got a drop of rain.
Thank whatever gods exist for nice people. We need them to counter the cruel assholes.
Wednesday--
Windy but somewhat cooler yesterday. The drop in the temps and the humidity were welcome. I have some trimming and perhaps some herb harvesting to do. The cupcake squash is blooming profusely and we welcomed our first (that we know of) bee. Hope it comes back and brings it's friends. The cucumbers (both types) are climbing quickly up their trellises and the beans are doing the same on the sunflowers which survived the winds nicely.
I didn't read all of this post on Tomdispatch but what caught my attention was the figure of $10 billion which is the "top end estimate" for what will be spent on the coming elections. I find that more than a little obscene. It makes me wonder who is buying whom and what they want for their money.
Another food scandal in China. This one is really sickening.
I have noticed a lot more willingness on the part of the mainstream media to call out the right-wing news sources (Faux--that means you) on their refusal to call the Charleston killings either a hate crime or a terrorist act. This piece asks a good question: what is the difference? It also notes something I had noticed long ago--as far back as the Oklahoma City bombing. That suspicion is first directed at a shadowy, dark-skinned, and non-Christian immigrant enemy who turns out when finally revealed to be home-grown, white, and (self-proclaimed) Christian.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Sunday--
Welcome to Summer and happy Solstice to you all. Unfortunately, that also means that the days will now start to get shorter.
Monday--
Spent a busy day yesterday getting my tomatoes upright again after the winds the night before bent them over. I found two of the pots in the baskets on the fence blown askew. They were just heavy enough that the weren't blown completely out. I had to retie the upper part of one of my sunflowers because the vibrations of the wind loosened one of the twist ties. I was so glad I had put the supporting stakes in and tied them up. I thought it a good idea after seeing what high winds did to tall plants in some of the nearby gardens over the last few years. I also had to pull one bed of my India mustard that was badly infested with cabbage moth caterpillars. It appears the little pests love the mustard. Surprisingly a nearby planting of mustard shows no sign of them. Perhaps the nearby bird feeder discouraged the moths from laying eggs there.
Tom Englehardt has some very good observations on "violence in the homeland' and the "terrorist" threat from ISIL. Before anyone gets pissed thinking I am anti-gun--I am not. I don't blame a tool for the carnage the people who use it cause. Unfortunately, we don't seem to be very big in this society on personal responsibility--except for the poor of course. They are wholly responsible for everything about their lives whether they could really do anything about their conditions or not. And yes, I am being very sarcastic.
Welcome to Summer and happy Solstice to you all. Unfortunately, that also means that the days will now start to get shorter.
Monday--
Spent a busy day yesterday getting my tomatoes upright again after the winds the night before bent them over. I found two of the pots in the baskets on the fence blown askew. They were just heavy enough that the weren't blown completely out. I had to retie the upper part of one of my sunflowers because the vibrations of the wind loosened one of the twist ties. I was so glad I had put the supporting stakes in and tied them up. I thought it a good idea after seeing what high winds did to tall plants in some of the nearby gardens over the last few years. I also had to pull one bed of my India mustard that was badly infested with cabbage moth caterpillars. It appears the little pests love the mustard. Surprisingly a nearby planting of mustard shows no sign of them. Perhaps the nearby bird feeder discouraged the moths from laying eggs there.
Tom Englehardt has some very good observations on "violence in the homeland' and the "terrorist" threat from ISIL. Before anyone gets pissed thinking I am anti-gun--I am not. I don't blame a tool for the carnage the people who use it cause. Unfortunately, we don't seem to be very big in this society on personal responsibility--except for the poor of course. They are wholly responsible for everything about their lives whether they could really do anything about their conditions or not. And yes, I am being very sarcastic.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Saturday--
Yesterday was a very busy day. I set up the old dehydrator and I filled both it and the old one with peppermint, spearmint and oregano. That was a good start on cutting back my herbs a bit. I think I will trim the lavender today but that should require only one dryer. I checked all of the plants on the fence pots. Two were too far gone so I pulled them but the others should benefit from a bit of trimming, a deep watering, and a dose of fertilizer. I found some pea pods developing. I will harvest them to freeze. The info I saw on the variety said that they are usually harvested for shelled peas but are tasty in the pod harvested young. The plants look like they will live up to the description "high yielding." I see a lot of flowers in addition to the pods. The new St. John's wort and gold leaf lemon thyme are upstairs under the lights. I transplanted them yesterday--in addition to everything else I did. Discovered I had run out of small and medium sized permanent pots--meaning sturdy plastic or terra cotta. I had to put them into the pots I save from garden shop transplants.
First item I saw on the news this morning covers a new academic study continuing earlier studies that we are in a "sixth" mass extinction. I am skeptical--not about the possibility of a mass extinction under way but about whether we have the ability (or will) to stop the process. It is mid June and I haven't seen a single bee yet--of any variety. Last year very few honey bees visited our gardens--many fewer than the year before. We have put up a mason bee house and I hope that it will attract some. Not yet though.
Perhaps Perry really did mean to say "incident" instead of "accident." However, I don't think the deliberate murder of 9 people peaceably attending a prayer service and Bible study should be diminished or marginalized by calling it an "incident." Nor is it any kind of accident. As a character in a disaster film I like tells a young punk: "Threatening people with a loaded gun is no accident." It is rather like the military describing the unintentional casualties of their intentional aggression as "collateral damage." I hate weasel words!!
Yesterday was a very busy day. I set up the old dehydrator and I filled both it and the old one with peppermint, spearmint and oregano. That was a good start on cutting back my herbs a bit. I think I will trim the lavender today but that should require only one dryer. I checked all of the plants on the fence pots. Two were too far gone so I pulled them but the others should benefit from a bit of trimming, a deep watering, and a dose of fertilizer. I found some pea pods developing. I will harvest them to freeze. The info I saw on the variety said that they are usually harvested for shelled peas but are tasty in the pod harvested young. The plants look like they will live up to the description "high yielding." I see a lot of flowers in addition to the pods. The new St. John's wort and gold leaf lemon thyme are upstairs under the lights. I transplanted them yesterday--in addition to everything else I did. Discovered I had run out of small and medium sized permanent pots--meaning sturdy plastic or terra cotta. I had to put them into the pots I save from garden shop transplants.
First item I saw on the news this morning covers a new academic study continuing earlier studies that we are in a "sixth" mass extinction. I am skeptical--not about the possibility of a mass extinction under way but about whether we have the ability (or will) to stop the process. It is mid June and I haven't seen a single bee yet--of any variety. Last year very few honey bees visited our gardens--many fewer than the year before. We have put up a mason bee house and I hope that it will attract some. Not yet though.
Perhaps Perry really did mean to say "incident" instead of "accident." However, I don't think the deliberate murder of 9 people peaceably attending a prayer service and Bible study should be diminished or marginalized by calling it an "incident." Nor is it any kind of accident. As a character in a disaster film I like tells a young punk: "Threatening people with a loaded gun is no accident." It is rather like the military describing the unintentional casualties of their intentional aggression as "collateral damage." I hate weasel words!!
Friday, June 19, 2015
Thursday--
Foggy this morning with spates of rain expected throughout the day. I found a blossom open on the cupcake squash but I need bees to pollinate it and I haven't seen any so far this year. I put the mason bee house up but no bees yet. I wonder how long it will take them to find it.
An interesting post on the Contrary Farmer. Most of us would say that modern, conventional farmers are better off, more efficient and more prosperous than old fashioned Amish farmers. As usual we really do need to define our terms more carefully.
Sovereign Man has a post which reflects my mood, or where my mood has been going for the last several election cycles. Another blogger began his post with "A choice of the lesser of two evils is no choice at all." I don't see any real choice among any of the candidates.
Friday--
We didn't get the rain predicted yesterday so I did get a few little chores in the gardens. Spread some fertilizer in the large tomatoes and the cucumbers. We should have clear and warm weather today so I will harvest some of my herbs and check out a couple of sickly tomatoes. We had to make a quick trip to the grocery store and we passed some other potted tomatoes with similar problems so our screwy weather may be at fault. I moved a rosemary, Red Robin tomato, and the inside lavender, which has somewhat revived, to the new grow light system just to see how they will do.
Foggy this morning with spates of rain expected throughout the day. I found a blossom open on the cupcake squash but I need bees to pollinate it and I haven't seen any so far this year. I put the mason bee house up but no bees yet. I wonder how long it will take them to find it.
An interesting post on the Contrary Farmer. Most of us would say that modern, conventional farmers are better off, more efficient and more prosperous than old fashioned Amish farmers. As usual we really do need to define our terms more carefully.
Sovereign Man has a post which reflects my mood, or where my mood has been going for the last several election cycles. Another blogger began his post with "A choice of the lesser of two evils is no choice at all." I don't see any real choice among any of the candidates.
Friday--
We didn't get the rain predicted yesterday so I did get a few little chores in the gardens. Spread some fertilizer in the large tomatoes and the cucumbers. We should have clear and warm weather today so I will harvest some of my herbs and check out a couple of sickly tomatoes. We had to make a quick trip to the grocery store and we passed some other potted tomatoes with similar problems so our screwy weather may be at fault. I moved a rosemary, Red Robin tomato, and the inside lavender, which has somewhat revived, to the new grow light system just to see how they will do.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Wednesday--
We got relief from the heat. Oh, did we!! We didn't get out of the 70s yesterday and won't today. And we should get more rain. The same pattern that brought a train of snow storms hardly a day between last winter is now bringing rain in a similar pattern.
Not really unexpected given how abnormally warm the weather has been up there. The only surprise was the source of the story--the Japan Times.
I am sure the decision to reverse the layoffs (while requiring the works to train their own foreign replacements to receive their severance pay) was not out of the goodness of their black little hearts.
Charles Hugh Smith answers the implied question behind my question of how many ways our banking fraudsters can find to screw everyone (individual and group) out of how much. We have optimized our system for them to continue to screw everyone and the financial rewards puts a premium on their continued ingenuity in devising new schemes to grab as much as they can. As long as the system is so organized to optimize their predation it will continue and will be bounded only by human cupidity and inventiveness--in other words not bounded at all.
We got relief from the heat. Oh, did we!! We didn't get out of the 70s yesterday and won't today. And we should get more rain. The same pattern that brought a train of snow storms hardly a day between last winter is now bringing rain in a similar pattern.
Not really unexpected given how abnormally warm the weather has been up there. The only surprise was the source of the story--the Japan Times.
I am sure the decision to reverse the layoffs (while requiring the works to train their own foreign replacements to receive their severance pay) was not out of the goodness of their black little hearts.
Charles Hugh Smith answers the implied question behind my question of how many ways our banking fraudsters can find to screw everyone (individual and group) out of how much. We have optimized our system for them to continue to screw everyone and the financial rewards puts a premium on their continued ingenuity in devising new schemes to grab as much as they can. As long as the system is so organized to optimize their predation it will continue and will be bounded only by human cupidity and inventiveness--in other words not bounded at all.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Tuesday--
Rain again last night after a day of one cloudburst after another. The weather people expect things to dry out today. Good. I have several herbs I should harvest and dry. We have our regular shopping to do also. Oh, well--it is foggy outside now so I don't think we will get dried out soon enough for me to harvest anything. I may get other things done and I have the clean-up after putting the new grow-light together.
I do like Pope Francis for things like this. Unfortunately, there are so many firmly embedded objectionable parts of Catholic doctrine that that faith holds no attraction. And, according to Bloomberg, he provides very strong arguments on the issue of climate change.
The more I hear of the TPP and other trade treaties, the less I like them. I don't think global companies should have the right to circumvent governments' (any governments) right to regulate them. Gains Publius points out another reason to hate these efforts to create a global rule by corporate interests.
Mind-boggling!! How many ways can these (insert your favorite epithet--I've run out) find to loot how many?
Well, this is a novel approach to sunburned grapes: treat them like you would your kids. Treat liberally with sunscreen.
I have never cared for the artificial sweeteners. They always had an off taste to me. When they came out with Truvia I wasn't at all tempted to try it out. I found the actual plant in the garden centers and grew it for several years. We don't use it much because we use honey for the most part. However, that is a long winded way to get to this post which contains no surprises at all. To say it is natural depends on a really elastic definition of "natural." And, yes, it does contain stevia--just not much of it. Don't ask what else is in it.
Rain again last night after a day of one cloudburst after another. The weather people expect things to dry out today. Good. I have several herbs I should harvest and dry. We have our regular shopping to do also. Oh, well--it is foggy outside now so I don't think we will get dried out soon enough for me to harvest anything. I may get other things done and I have the clean-up after putting the new grow-light together.
I do like Pope Francis for things like this. Unfortunately, there are so many firmly embedded objectionable parts of Catholic doctrine that that faith holds no attraction. And, according to Bloomberg, he provides very strong arguments on the issue of climate change.
The more I hear of the TPP and other trade treaties, the less I like them. I don't think global companies should have the right to circumvent governments' (any governments) right to regulate them. Gains Publius points out another reason to hate these efforts to create a global rule by corporate interests.
Mind-boggling!! How many ways can these (insert your favorite epithet--I've run out) find to loot how many?
Well, this is a novel approach to sunburned grapes: treat them like you would your kids. Treat liberally with sunscreen.
I have never cared for the artificial sweeteners. They always had an off taste to me. When they came out with Truvia I wasn't at all tempted to try it out. I found the actual plant in the garden centers and grew it for several years. We don't use it much because we use honey for the most part. However, that is a long winded way to get to this post which contains no surprises at all. To say it is natural depends on a really elastic definition of "natural." And, yes, it does contain stevia--just not much of it. Don't ask what else is in it.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Saturday--
Foggy this morning though the weather people say it should burn off and the sun should give us warmer temps than we had yesterday which was quite cool. I will harvest a good batch of mustard greens for supper today. Otherwise I don't have anything else planned in the gardens but we will see on that. I do have some peppermint that I could cut back and the Moldavian balm. That would go into the dehydrator.
Sunday--
Wet this morning. Herb harvesting may wait till tomorrow. I repotted the oldest rosemary. Every year or thereabouts I trim back its roots and reset it with fresh soil. My new grow light, the support hoops for the row covers with the cloth and mason bee house came in yesterday. That was fast.
Monday--
Yesterday we did't do much. One of the year-round farm markets we haven't visited in quite a long had a very good sale on eggs which justified a trip over there. The savings easily paid for the gas and then some. Otherwise it was so hot and muggy we just had no energy for anything. See how we do today.
Well, today is already hot and muggy. I finally decided (not without a lot of reluctance) to turn on the air. I spent the last two hours getting the new grow-light put together and working. It triples my space for starting plants and I can adjust it for taller plants later in the season. I have a couple of tomato varieties I want to try to grow under it over the winter. Just before this current burst of rain began I got my dragon's egg cucumbers tied up to the trellis and away from the peppers and mizuna. I may get a chance to put some stakes in among the Barese cucumbers to guide the plants along that trellis. We'll see. I feel like I have already done a full day's work.
Foggy this morning though the weather people say it should burn off and the sun should give us warmer temps than we had yesterday which was quite cool. I will harvest a good batch of mustard greens for supper today. Otherwise I don't have anything else planned in the gardens but we will see on that. I do have some peppermint that I could cut back and the Moldavian balm. That would go into the dehydrator.
Sunday--
Wet this morning. Herb harvesting may wait till tomorrow. I repotted the oldest rosemary. Every year or thereabouts I trim back its roots and reset it with fresh soil. My new grow light, the support hoops for the row covers with the cloth and mason bee house came in yesterday. That was fast.
Monday--
Yesterday we did't do much. One of the year-round farm markets we haven't visited in quite a long had a very good sale on eggs which justified a trip over there. The savings easily paid for the gas and then some. Otherwise it was so hot and muggy we just had no energy for anything. See how we do today.
Well, today is already hot and muggy. I finally decided (not without a lot of reluctance) to turn on the air. I spent the last two hours getting the new grow-light put together and working. It triples my space for starting plants and I can adjust it for taller plants later in the season. I have a couple of tomato varieties I want to try to grow under it over the winter. Just before this current burst of rain began I got my dragon's egg cucumbers tied up to the trellis and away from the peppers and mizuna. I may get a chance to put some stakes in among the Barese cucumbers to guide the plants along that trellis. We'll see. I feel like I have already done a full day's work.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Friday--
We had good weather yesterday (hot but sunny) until late when a train of pop-up storms came through. It seems now-a-days that rains come like sledge hammers. I harvested strawberry leaves, sweet basil and sage all of which is now dried and ground and in jars. I had to water all of the plants on in the fence hangers. Everything else was in good shape but those dry out so quickly. I also, finally, got a large part of the tomato pruning and staking done. If it is dry today I will finish that chore. The dragon's egg cucumbers are starting to really take off with the Barese cucumbers a bit slower. The beans are doing well except for the red-seeded asparagus beans which did not come up at all. I debated replanting but I have three other varieties doing very well so I will let it go.
This story just gets worse as time goes on. No one really knows how much information was scooped up by the hack and I doubt that anyone has any serious idea of how to prevent any more of these breaches.
I have followed this story for the last several years--not simply Iowa but everywhere. We bought honey at the farm market and that beekeeper said half of his hives died over the winter and a friend who started beekeeping last year lost her hive. I have yet to see a bee here and I have had plants blooming that should have attracted them. I can't keep a hive of honey bees because I don't have the room but I decided to order a mason bee house for our space. It should be arriving soon.
Only one word for this; OUCH!!! We can't even imagine this kind of situation and are shaking our head in amazement.
We had good weather yesterday (hot but sunny) until late when a train of pop-up storms came through. It seems now-a-days that rains come like sledge hammers. I harvested strawberry leaves, sweet basil and sage all of which is now dried and ground and in jars. I had to water all of the plants on in the fence hangers. Everything else was in good shape but those dry out so quickly. I also, finally, got a large part of the tomato pruning and staking done. If it is dry today I will finish that chore. The dragon's egg cucumbers are starting to really take off with the Barese cucumbers a bit slower. The beans are doing well except for the red-seeded asparagus beans which did not come up at all. I debated replanting but I have three other varieties doing very well so I will let it go.
This story just gets worse as time goes on. No one really knows how much information was scooped up by the hack and I doubt that anyone has any serious idea of how to prevent any more of these breaches.
I have followed this story for the last several years--not simply Iowa but everywhere. We bought honey at the farm market and that beekeeper said half of his hives died over the winter and a friend who started beekeeping last year lost her hive. I have yet to see a bee here and I have had plants blooming that should have attracted them. I can't keep a hive of honey bees because I don't have the room but I decided to order a mason bee house for our space. It should be arriving soon.
Only one word for this; OUCH!!! We can't even imagine this kind of situation and are shaking our head in amazement.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Thursday--
Puttering in the gardens today, I got everything planted though I still need to get the tomatoes properly staked. We have been getting greens consistently. The mustard and mizuno are producing prolifically. I saw flowers budding on the peas. As usual my gardens are stuffed. I can'g put anything more out there. We had nasty thunderstorms come through yesterday afternoon with some small hail but nothing was harmed. We may get some more afternoon showers but, they promise us, nothing like what we have had over the last week.
Yves posted this interesting item on her Naked Capitalism blog. Reading it I have to wonder if we have had a coherent foreign policy since the end of the Cold War or perhaps further back. Have we been in the process of committing national suicide for the last half-century or so?
I have thought for some time that several of our Cold War treaty arrangements are past their "sell-by dates." This is some confirmation that my thoughts on that aren't all that far off the mark and might be right on. The whole point of Nato (and similar treaties) is collective defense--the notion that an attack on one is an attack on all. Evidently, those closest to potential areas of conflict in eastern Europe aren't as sold on the idea any more.
Puttering in the gardens today, I got everything planted though I still need to get the tomatoes properly staked. We have been getting greens consistently. The mustard and mizuno are producing prolifically. I saw flowers budding on the peas. As usual my gardens are stuffed. I can'g put anything more out there. We had nasty thunderstorms come through yesterday afternoon with some small hail but nothing was harmed. We may get some more afternoon showers but, they promise us, nothing like what we have had over the last week.
Yves posted this interesting item on her Naked Capitalism blog. Reading it I have to wonder if we have had a coherent foreign policy since the end of the Cold War or perhaps further back. Have we been in the process of committing national suicide for the last half-century or so?
I have thought for some time that several of our Cold War treaty arrangements are past their "sell-by dates." This is some confirmation that my thoughts on that aren't all that far off the mark and might be right on. The whole point of Nato (and similar treaties) is collective defense--the notion that an attack on one is an attack on all. Evidently, those closest to potential areas of conflict in eastern Europe aren't as sold on the idea any more.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Tuesday--
Supposed to be sunny and warm today. Good--I want the gardens to dry out a bit. I put the tumbler tomatoes back on the fence only to take them down as a new round of thunderstorms rolled through with high winds. Luckily we didn't get the hail some areas reported. We will stop at the garden shop during our shopping today so I can pick up replacements for the sweet potatoes that didn't make it along with a couple of other items.
Wednesday--
I am still getting some things straightened up from the weekend storms and I have the new plants to get in. We found another of the hanging pocket-gardens and the replacement sweet potatoes as well as a chocolate mint. Got the salad fixings for today's dinner at the farmer's market. I did get a few things done after all our shopping but didn't have much energy left for links or comments.
Those of you who have visited regularly over the years know that we have slowly changed out diets and how we eat. We have eliminated most of the prepared foods, most of the canned foods, and haven't had a coke (we never did like Pepsi much) in the house for years. I was surprised at how many of the companies and food brands listed in this article we no longer use, or use very sparingly.
Supposed to be sunny and warm today. Good--I want the gardens to dry out a bit. I put the tumbler tomatoes back on the fence only to take them down as a new round of thunderstorms rolled through with high winds. Luckily we didn't get the hail some areas reported. We will stop at the garden shop during our shopping today so I can pick up replacements for the sweet potatoes that didn't make it along with a couple of other items.
Wednesday--
I am still getting some things straightened up from the weekend storms and I have the new plants to get in. We found another of the hanging pocket-gardens and the replacement sweet potatoes as well as a chocolate mint. Got the salad fixings for today's dinner at the farmer's market. I did get a few things done after all our shopping but didn't have much energy left for links or comments.
Those of you who have visited regularly over the years know that we have slowly changed out diets and how we eat. We have eliminated most of the prepared foods, most of the canned foods, and haven't had a coke (we never did like Pepsi much) in the house for years. I was surprised at how many of the companies and food brands listed in this article we no longer use, or use very sparingly.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Sunday--
We are expecting nasty weather today. I hope it won't be as bad as the weather people think it might be. Please, Please, Please--no hail. But I think I will take the tumbler tomatoes off the fence and put them on the patio till the storms (two of them) pass by. On the bright side--if the systems produce the rain expected I won't have to water for a couple of days. We are starting to enjoy the proceeds of the gardens. I harvested some of the mustard greens and mizuno for our salads yesterday.
"--now he has a mind of metal and gears and he cares not for growing thing." Saruman isn't the only one.
Monday--
Well, the weather was nearly as bad as expected. Thankfully, no hail. But a number of my plants are quite bedraggled and the rain pounded down two of my tomatoes. I don't think they are broken and I may be able to straighten them and gently stake them. I am very glad I took the tumblers off the fence. I may have to wait till tomorrow when things, I hope, will have dried out. A couple of days ago I took the second cutting from my peppermints and spearmints, and clipped back the lemon verbena to encourage branching. I managed to collect three trays of spearmint and one each of the lemon verbena and peppermint. All are dried, chopped and in jars on the shelf. Looking at my strawberries I think I can start clipping leaves to dry for tea.
Truthout has a fantastic and humorous piece about the pathetic Republican field of contenders for that party's nomination. Mom says we ought to watch the debates because they will be the best comedy around--when we aren't wishing we had a brick that would magically go through the TV and hit the ass mouthing inanities on the other end.
We are expecting nasty weather today. I hope it won't be as bad as the weather people think it might be. Please, Please, Please--no hail. But I think I will take the tumbler tomatoes off the fence and put them on the patio till the storms (two of them) pass by. On the bright side--if the systems produce the rain expected I won't have to water for a couple of days. We are starting to enjoy the proceeds of the gardens. I harvested some of the mustard greens and mizuno for our salads yesterday.
"--now he has a mind of metal and gears and he cares not for growing thing." Saruman isn't the only one.
Monday--
Well, the weather was nearly as bad as expected. Thankfully, no hail. But a number of my plants are quite bedraggled and the rain pounded down two of my tomatoes. I don't think they are broken and I may be able to straighten them and gently stake them. I am very glad I took the tumblers off the fence. I may have to wait till tomorrow when things, I hope, will have dried out. A couple of days ago I took the second cutting from my peppermints and spearmints, and clipped back the lemon verbena to encourage branching. I managed to collect three trays of spearmint and one each of the lemon verbena and peppermint. All are dried, chopped and in jars on the shelf. Looking at my strawberries I think I can start clipping leaves to dry for tea.
Truthout has a fantastic and humorous piece about the pathetic Republican field of contenders for that party's nomination. Mom says we ought to watch the debates because they will be the best comedy around--when we aren't wishing we had a brick that would magically go through the TV and hit the ass mouthing inanities on the other end.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Saturday--
Yesterday was one strange day. We went for a bit of a walk early and it was pleasantly cool. Before noon the temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up, As the clouds moved in my ambition evaporated so I got nothing done in the gardens. I did rescue my oregano. It was fine when I checked everything in the morning but the cold wind sucked the moisture out. I watered it and brought it inside. Also watered the two inside rosemaries. I don't think we are going to get any rain before tomorrow so I will check everything outside and water where needed. Right now our cable is out along with internet. I hope it comes back real soon.
Why I generally ignore dietary guidelines. And why I avoid most commercially processed foods. As I noted yesterday I don't mind processed foods. We process our own foods all the time. I do mind many, if not most, of the additives.
Like eggs? Get ready to pay more, if they are available at all.
Yesterday was one strange day. We went for a bit of a walk early and it was pleasantly cool. Before noon the temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up, As the clouds moved in my ambition evaporated so I got nothing done in the gardens. I did rescue my oregano. It was fine when I checked everything in the morning but the cold wind sucked the moisture out. I watered it and brought it inside. Also watered the two inside rosemaries. I don't think we are going to get any rain before tomorrow so I will check everything outside and water where needed. Right now our cable is out along with internet. I hope it comes back real soon.
Why I generally ignore dietary guidelines. And why I avoid most commercially processed foods. As I noted yesterday I don't mind processed foods. We process our own foods all the time. I do mind many, if not most, of the additives.
Like eggs? Get ready to pay more, if they are available at all.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Thursday--
Turned out nice and warm yesterday with warmer temps but bouts of rain. I want to trim the lemon verbena to encourage it to branch out. Did get all of the tumbler tomatoes on the fence trimmed a bit and added some soil to several of the pots. They are all showing flower buds. The Roselle tomatoes are finally starting to catch up to the others after lagging behind all year. If the weather cooperates I should have a good harvest.
This was good for a chuckle this morning. Well deserved recognition for the big guy.
Is anyone at all surprised by this development? All you need to use anything as a weapon is what ever justification your little mind and minimal moral standards will allow. Are you dealing with infidels? They have no right to live so you can rape their women, torture them, starve them or cut off their water. Are they savages? Send them smallpox infected blankets. Mutually Assured Destruction? If we both die, I'm going to heaven and you're going to hell. Sounds like a deal to me.
Friday--
Cooler today. Didn't get the trimming done but I will get it done today. I need to check plants for moisture since we didn't get any rain yesterday and, probably, won't today.
Over the last few years I have become convinced that the U.S. government should find a way to cancel all student loans (guaranteed or otherwise, public or private) and cancel a loan programs. Higher education in this country has become so corrupt that that is the only way I can see to reset it. This story demonstrates the worst of the abuses. Although the focus is on for-profit schools the problems pervade even the public institutions. Students have been assured for the last 30 years (and perhaps a bit longer) that student loan debt was "good" debt, and that the degrees they earned would guarantee them good jobs with salaries that would both allow them to live a comfortable life and pay back the loans (with interest.) Most of that was either a lie (there is no such thing as "good" debt; debt is debt) or an illusion that depended an economy the fragility of which was not readily apparent. Whatever the student loan program was to begin with it has become a scam and should be done away with.
Long but interesting post on Jacobin on the the various food movements advocating a return to some mythical golden era when we got "fresh, natural and unprocessed" foods. Since mankind discovered fire and fermentation we have processed foods and, for the most part, it was a good thing. It made foods more digestible, or preserved the nutritive value for a not very future season of scarcity, or neutralized toxic elements making the foods available for human consumption, or killed not-so-friendly bacteria that would have caused disability or death. We don't have a bug about processing foods but we do have a bug about some of the chemical additives whose major purpose is to disguise the condition of the food (nitrogen added to packages of meat to make them seem fresher than they are), or to enable the sellers to keep the item on the shelf until some poor idiot buys it however long that may be, or that allow ersatz conglomerates of ingredients to masquerade as something they are not ("fruit bits" that have nothing of the fruit in them.) Those I consider a sham and fraud.
David Kaiser has an interesting post which cuts to the core of any debate over glass ceilings and women in any position of power. Women are no more a homogenous group than men and, more often than not, they absorb the values of their group rather than change those values. Unless the corporate, or academic, or political culture changes the values won't change not matter how many women are in positions of power.
Turned out nice and warm yesterday with warmer temps but bouts of rain. I want to trim the lemon verbena to encourage it to branch out. Did get all of the tumbler tomatoes on the fence trimmed a bit and added some soil to several of the pots. They are all showing flower buds. The Roselle tomatoes are finally starting to catch up to the others after lagging behind all year. If the weather cooperates I should have a good harvest.
This was good for a chuckle this morning. Well deserved recognition for the big guy.
Is anyone at all surprised by this development? All you need to use anything as a weapon is what ever justification your little mind and minimal moral standards will allow. Are you dealing with infidels? They have no right to live so you can rape their women, torture them, starve them or cut off their water. Are they savages? Send them smallpox infected blankets. Mutually Assured Destruction? If we both die, I'm going to heaven and you're going to hell. Sounds like a deal to me.
Friday--
Cooler today. Didn't get the trimming done but I will get it done today. I need to check plants for moisture since we didn't get any rain yesterday and, probably, won't today.
Over the last few years I have become convinced that the U.S. government should find a way to cancel all student loans (guaranteed or otherwise, public or private) and cancel a loan programs. Higher education in this country has become so corrupt that that is the only way I can see to reset it. This story demonstrates the worst of the abuses. Although the focus is on for-profit schools the problems pervade even the public institutions. Students have been assured for the last 30 years (and perhaps a bit longer) that student loan debt was "good" debt, and that the degrees they earned would guarantee them good jobs with salaries that would both allow them to live a comfortable life and pay back the loans (with interest.) Most of that was either a lie (there is no such thing as "good" debt; debt is debt) or an illusion that depended an economy the fragility of which was not readily apparent. Whatever the student loan program was to begin with it has become a scam and should be done away with.
Long but interesting post on Jacobin on the the various food movements advocating a return to some mythical golden era when we got "fresh, natural and unprocessed" foods. Since mankind discovered fire and fermentation we have processed foods and, for the most part, it was a good thing. It made foods more digestible, or preserved the nutritive value for a not very future season of scarcity, or neutralized toxic elements making the foods available for human consumption, or killed not-so-friendly bacteria that would have caused disability or death. We don't have a bug about processing foods but we do have a bug about some of the chemical additives whose major purpose is to disguise the condition of the food (nitrogen added to packages of meat to make them seem fresher than they are), or to enable the sellers to keep the item on the shelf until some poor idiot buys it however long that may be, or that allow ersatz conglomerates of ingredients to masquerade as something they are not ("fruit bits" that have nothing of the fruit in them.) Those I consider a sham and fraud.
David Kaiser has an interesting post which cuts to the core of any debate over glass ceilings and women in any position of power. Women are no more a homogenous group than men and, more often than not, they absorb the values of their group rather than change those values. Unless the corporate, or academic, or political culture changes the values won't change not matter how many women are in positions of power.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Tuesday--
Another chilly day today but plenty of sunshine. I saw a couple of the beans popping above the soil so I need to tie the sunflowers to the stakes. The herbs are thriving and I will need to take a new cutting on the peppermint and spearmint over the next couple of days. We added some of the India mustard to our salads during the last warm up and I think we will gather enough for a cooked dish soon. The sweet potato slips arrived yesterday. I planted them but they looked rather pathetic. I hope they revive and thrive but next year I will wait and buy at the local garden shops.
I have often wondered how many of the people our government charged with aiding terrorist groups have been helping groups our own government has been aiding. Reading this piece from Britain I wonder even more.
Every year Tom Englehardt writes a "graduation" speech for the new graduates. Here is this year's--it's a pip!.
Wednesday--
Should be another pretty day. Have some little chores in the gardens today. I picked up some stakes for some of the smaller plants and need to get them in. We visited the local farmers' market on its first day of this season. I found a gold-leaf lemon thyme which needs a permanent pot. The sunflowers are growing rapidly and are big enough to tie up to the stakes. I put those in so that the tall mature plants will have additional support in case of high winds. Two of my lemon verbena plants need stakes to encourage them to grow straight.
We had a lot of errands Monday and Tuesday, and an unexpected one for today. We remarked that the lawns looked abnormal dry considering the rain we got over the last couple of days last week and the weekend. Looking up the stats we evidently got less than we thought. The drought monitor lists us in a short term slightly dry phase.
I wouldn't have thought about this source of nitrogen pollution in the Rocky Mountains however it does make sense. I have seen more stories about the pollution going the other way via run-off. But the one source I notice the author doesn't mention: feed lots. I remember several just outside Ft. Collins that you could smell long before you saw them.
Another good reason to buy chicken from local farmers who aren't a part of the industrial meat production machine--as if we hadn't enough reasons already. There is something incredibly evil about this kind of a system.
The above article noted that the chicken production industry abuses its "farmers" almost as badly as it does the chickens and that Congress has consistently yielded to the industry lobbyists to defund the provisions which would protect farmers from that abuse. Evidently, according to this article, the negative publicity has increased and, hopefully, that impasse can be broken allowing the programs to get funding.
Now this is an elegant, simple and cheap solution to a health problem.
Well, here is another once All-American company I will not willingly do business with. I put it in the same category as Walmart and Pilgrim's Pride.
Another chilly day today but plenty of sunshine. I saw a couple of the beans popping above the soil so I need to tie the sunflowers to the stakes. The herbs are thriving and I will need to take a new cutting on the peppermint and spearmint over the next couple of days. We added some of the India mustard to our salads during the last warm up and I think we will gather enough for a cooked dish soon. The sweet potato slips arrived yesterday. I planted them but they looked rather pathetic. I hope they revive and thrive but next year I will wait and buy at the local garden shops.
I have often wondered how many of the people our government charged with aiding terrorist groups have been helping groups our own government has been aiding. Reading this piece from Britain I wonder even more.
Every year Tom Englehardt writes a "graduation" speech for the new graduates. Here is this year's--it's a pip!.
Wednesday--
Should be another pretty day. Have some little chores in the gardens today. I picked up some stakes for some of the smaller plants and need to get them in. We visited the local farmers' market on its first day of this season. I found a gold-leaf lemon thyme which needs a permanent pot. The sunflowers are growing rapidly and are big enough to tie up to the stakes. I put those in so that the tall mature plants will have additional support in case of high winds. Two of my lemon verbena plants need stakes to encourage them to grow straight.
We had a lot of errands Monday and Tuesday, and an unexpected one for today. We remarked that the lawns looked abnormal dry considering the rain we got over the last couple of days last week and the weekend. Looking up the stats we evidently got less than we thought. The drought monitor lists us in a short term slightly dry phase.
I wouldn't have thought about this source of nitrogen pollution in the Rocky Mountains however it does make sense. I have seen more stories about the pollution going the other way via run-off. But the one source I notice the author doesn't mention: feed lots. I remember several just outside Ft. Collins that you could smell long before you saw them.
Another good reason to buy chicken from local farmers who aren't a part of the industrial meat production machine--as if we hadn't enough reasons already. There is something incredibly evil about this kind of a system.
The above article noted that the chicken production industry abuses its "farmers" almost as badly as it does the chickens and that Congress has consistently yielded to the industry lobbyists to defund the provisions which would protect farmers from that abuse. Evidently, according to this article, the negative publicity has increased and, hopefully, that impasse can be broken allowing the programs to get funding.
Now this is an elegant, simple and cheap solution to a health problem.
Well, here is another once All-American company I will not willingly do business with. I put it in the same category as Walmart and Pilgrim's Pride.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Monday--
Chilly today--woke to mid-to-high 40s. We don't expect those temps to warm up past the 50s. They say we should dry out a bit. Nothing planned for the gardens until the sweet potatoes come. I have a couple of herbs that need clipping a bit. I haven't yet walked through to see if anything had trouble with the low temps. The one lemon verbena and the mandevilla are most likely to suffer from the cool temperatures. We'll see.
I haven't had much to say about what I find on the news sites. It seems like the same old crap repeated endlessly. Let's see what I find today.
Well, well--the U.N. has noticed that the increasingly precarious nature of employment is a global problem. Isn't globalization wonderful? I wonder how many leaders in how many countries thought our more frequent and longer term unemployment followed by increasingly poorly paid temporary or part time work would not come home on them. What goes around comes around--or so they say.
Another interesting trend--elderly jewel thieves and bank robbers. The article claims the U.S. has, so for, escaped the trend. Not for long if those gold-plated idiots get around to "reforming" Social Security.
Kunstler takes the New York Times to task for a recent editorial idiocy.
Are you feeling safe yet??
Chilly today--woke to mid-to-high 40s. We don't expect those temps to warm up past the 50s. They say we should dry out a bit. Nothing planned for the gardens until the sweet potatoes come. I have a couple of herbs that need clipping a bit. I haven't yet walked through to see if anything had trouble with the low temps. The one lemon verbena and the mandevilla are most likely to suffer from the cool temperatures. We'll see.
I haven't had much to say about what I find on the news sites. It seems like the same old crap repeated endlessly. Let's see what I find today.
Well, well--the U.N. has noticed that the increasingly precarious nature of employment is a global problem. Isn't globalization wonderful? I wonder how many leaders in how many countries thought our more frequent and longer term unemployment followed by increasingly poorly paid temporary or part time work would not come home on them. What goes around comes around--or so they say.
Another interesting trend--elderly jewel thieves and bank robbers. The article claims the U.S. has, so for, escaped the trend. Not for long if those gold-plated idiots get around to "reforming" Social Security.
Kunstler takes the New York Times to task for a recent editorial idiocy.
Are you feeling safe yet??
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