The hot news wasn't so hot this morning. Rumblings in the earth said that federal forces around army bases were telling their military dependants that they would get commodities and power generation and what ever it took in case of an ugly situation in this country. And it turns out this is all true. And it has been in the corporate media. It is a message being sent by Bush to the troops on foreign shores that they don't need to worry about their families while they are fighting. They have all been assured that everything will be fine with the wife and kids. I think it is a fine idea. You want the troops over there fighting, not worrying about their families.
We had a good rain this morning and gardening is out for the day. I did get some seed to a couple who got it in the ground before the rain. Just a couple packs of non-hybrid oranic green bean seed. But a least we had THAT measure of success. After this rain I won't be able to get into the garden until Friday or Saturday. And tha means I won't be tempted to violate the frost date. I get kinda carried away by the thought of growing my own preps.
There was a discussion this morning about planting a garden. One of the younger men was interested in plant prices. I told him the general rule of thumb was the bigger the plant the higher the price. A little bitty tomato plant might sell for a quarter and a foot and a half tall plant might sell for two and a half dollars, especially if it has a couple of small tomatoes on it. Nice looking buds will command a higher price also. I told him that this all came about because people had gotten away from planting seed and just wanted to buy plants that were already growing and healthy. And setting plants works too! If you can afford it. It costs so much money! And I was reading a garden book yesterday that spoke of buying your CORN plants at a greenhouse. I have never heard of such a thing. But it is probably true. I think it extremely humorous. Who do you impress with your horticultural knowledge by selling them a corn plant? "What fools these mortals be!"
It's raining again. Gonna get soggy for sure. I don't like the garden when it's muddy. Isn't good to plant then anyhow. And of course, if I had my garden in and was worrying about water it wouldn't rain! Murphy strikes again!
There is some discussion about times to plant, as in date-of-the-month and whatever. Go to your local feed and seed dealer and ASK what he has that you want to eat later on in the year. Tell him what you want and ask if he has seeds that will produce on your schedule. That is his business. That is how he keeps his farmer customers happy when regular planting time is wrecked but the crop still has to come in. I can give you a list a mile long about how industrial agriculture will be the ruination of food production on this earth. But organic food grown from non-hybrid seed is not a suicide pact! If you ain't worried about it before now then don't worry about it until next year! We will NOT solve all the collective ills of the earth this year. BELIEVE IT. But we shall damn well get 'em in due time. God willing, of course.
I, like many others, espouse the ideal most of the time. But we are survivalists and we do what we can. We do what God allows. Don't get hung up in some ideal and let it keep you doing SOMETHING to better your position in this world. Even the rich can't get it all accomplished. But every chance you get to unload a good smash to the mouth of error, let 'er go. And remember the scriptural admonition that tells you that if you do something do it heartily as unto the Lord. No little taps to the face allowed, but rather a damn good smash!
The rain is still coming down. To go into the garden at this point would be to enter a quagmire, or at least LEAVE it a quagmire. Nasty business.
It is now 1900 hrs and it is still raining. I might not get back into tha garden until Sunday. The creek has overflowed it's banks and the field across the road is starting to flood. I'm wanting to get to my regular Wednesdsay night rap and it looks like I might get a little wet just getting in and out of the truck.
The stock market is down. The dollar has dropped. Oil is up some more, well over $120 a barrel. And all I have to worry about is some wet dirt. Life is a little more satisfying on a simpler level. You all take care and I'll see you tomorrow, God willing. Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
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4 comments:
Michael
Down here in the sunny southland we normally plant mid to early april. Depends on the spring equnox and the new moon,..at least in my area it does.
With an early plant date we can sometimes work in 2 food crops in a season if the rains keep coming. The last 2 years has been real dry and the harvest a little on the poor side.
Well it seems like y'all get to much rain, and us , not enough.
Ive been watering my stuff and the corn is waist high the squash is starting to move along now and I have tomatoes about the size of a nickel,...pinto's seem to be doing well also.
But we need rain a cpl days a week now.
I never plant what seems to be enough for my family but always seem to have something to share with neighbors. Why I still have "maters" in the freezer from last year,...and some dried pepper left too.
I agree about planting non-hybrid,..but I dont get all worked up about it or single minded on the subject. I've fallen victim before to "getting things right" with so much energy that I let other important things slide.
Sometimes I like to step out on the porch with a cup of "joe" and wait for the sun to come up over the atlantic. Just taking in the sights and sounds, ya know?
Listening to the birds and crickets
waking up and the hum of early morning activity as the world prepares herself for a new day that the LORD brings.
Its these early mornings while the wife is still fast asleep that I can think and ponder on the relatives of life. It's 4:50 am and im not thinking about mad dashes to the Costco or Sams, Im thinking about life and its simple pleasures.
This is what its all about,..the joy of living.
To survive a man must have something worth surviving for,..like family and relations,..loved ones. Its these things that gives a man his worth,..not trinkets and conquests.
We are all for the most part yearning to return to a simpler life,...but if we overlook the simple now,..how will we recognize it then? What will be our driving force? What will be our reason to "get back up" if we have nobody to get up for.
Good luck with your crops,..maybe you will be back in the garden by saturday!
gott_cha,
It rained all night and some this morning. It is supposed to rain some more today. I can't do anything about it so why worry! Everything will get done in due season. And I am like you, I like my cup of Java out on the porch, watching the ducks and seeing if the sitting duck is still on her eggs. (She is!)
You have corn waist high? Man! That is a wonderful sight to a grower. I put a little thought into the head of one of the brothers who is more financially able than I about putting an unused portion of our garden into a solid planting of non-hybrid corn. A local orchard is selling the seed out of a barrel for $9 a pound. It would give us a HUGE boost in food rations. And I can save the seed!
Nothing much is showing in the garden. It was not time for the transplanters to go in and stick their stuff in the soil and us seed guys had very little in due to worry about the frost date. So I would say that our garden is fine and has not been washed out, at least not as of 2100 hrs last night.
The condition of caring for folks is a measure of maturity. When you are young and the hormones are pumping through your veins like a fire hose you ain't got a lot of time for worrying about other folks. Gotta keep exercising those drives! Gotta go look at another girl. Gotta go find a nicer pick-up. Gotta get a case of beer for Saturday night! Gotta rent that new movie! Gotta do this and gotta do that. And I say BULLSHIT! STOP THE TRAIN! A few friends and God are enough for me. I don't need the high life anymore. I have had it and tasted of it and thoroughly enjoyed it and it's time to move on to something more important. As you advance in life you should find your priorities changing also. (I know mine have!)
Michael
We've had a little rain but need more. The garden is doing OK but more rain would sure help. BTW, the facility I work at is stocking up big time on first aid, hygiene, and food items. They generally say there's no money in the budget for extra stuff but it sure don't look like it to me.
I'll gladly send some rain to anyone who wants it, although I may regret it come July. I just barely got my peas planted between the rain, snow, and hail. Usually they're planted months ago with the other cold weather crops like spinach, chard, kale and cabbage. My tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and similar stuff are started and in the mini greenhouse. I'm a bit worried about the lack of bees though. My apple blossoms are falling off the tree, and I've only seen a few bees. We're trying a mason bee block this year, but I haven't seen any around to move in. I'm really hoping to get some applesauce canned this year.
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