Bad Year for the Garden

This year was a bad year for our garden.  We have a good crop of tomatoes and some promising rutabagas, but little else.  Not even the zucchini plants, usually prolific producers, did much.  The corn, which likes warm days and cool nights, got hot days and very warm nights.  Some local farmers were cutting their corn for silage as early as mid-August, as the cobs were not developing.

The drought and heat hit us early and hard.  There was so little rain that I didn't mow the lawn from mid-May until late August.  With the lack of rain, we could not water the garden from the rain barrel as we usually do, so it got a big dose of Mason city water, which I believe has too much chlorine for a garden to thrive.  And the heat was hard on us, but even harder on the garden.  Days in June and July stayed hot for 24 hours, not giving plants time to recover from the heat.

But why a good tomato plant and very little else?  I believe the reason was a lack of bees.  Tomatoes will self pollenate, and the fruit we have picked so far have all been on the lower stems.  The fruits and vegetables that depend on bees to thrive did very poorly.  We picked four strawberries off one box, and none off the other.  Are there fewer bees in the area due to hive collapse, as has happened around the country, or are we just too far from an established hive?  That I do not know.

As convenient as it is to live in town, I would like to move out of town where I could have a bee hive or two.  Keeping bees would not only provide a much greater opportunity for our plants to be pollenated, but would also provide us with honey, which is starting to get very expensive.

I hope next year is more productive.

"I got nuthin'......"

Lately, I have felt like I have had little to write about.  I've read a couple of books, including the newest Kellerman mystery and a Lloyd Kahn book on homebuilt houses of the Northwest, ridden over 90 miles in a week for the first time in a couple of years, learned hot weather means Moose will not go out of the air-conditioning for more than how long it takes to pee,  drove the young one to swim conditioning camp, researched cross bikes to replace an outgrown mountain bike, exchanged a broken spoke for a good one, and saw the big dipper the other night while waiting for a certain pooch to complete his business.

It has finally started to rain and the temperature has dropped about 20 degrees.  Maybe I can convince the boy to go outside to catch a Frisbee or two.

Back on the road again

Muscle memory is an amazing thing.  Over a  period of years of riding a bike, my leg muscles, when used regularly, fall into a very comfortable rhythm of turning over the crank about 80 times per minute.  When not used regularly, they fall into a rhythm similar to a fine precision clock.  Well, at least a fine precision clock that has been tossed off a cliff.

For the past two days I have been doing a loop of about 11 miles.  A few short years ago a short loop would have been 20.  But after taking a considerable amount of time off the bike, for which there are no good reasons, 11 miles seems to be a good number to start.

I have not been consistent about getting on the trainer in the basement.  It is very hard to get enthused about parking myself on a bike that goes nowhere.  It is a good workout, on a good day.  But a half hour on the trainer is nothing like 15 minutes on the road.  An hour on the road seems to go faster than 10 minutes on the trainer.  The rhythm is different also.  It is not hard to hold a steady pace on the trainer, but toss in a few grades (there are no hills around here, just grades) and suddenly my cadence changes slightly as the hill progresses and gears change, my legs start to complain and my heart rate goes up much quicker, the scenery changes and it is much better than the basement.  

Even after two quick rides, the memory comes back.  Muscles remember how to tighten and loosen, I shift without thinking, I slide back and forth on the saddle as the terrain changes.  I stop thinking about what to do next.  I see birds, cows and farmers in the middle of spring planting.  The wildflowers are starting to bloom in the hedgerows and unplowed fields.  And there must be a deer or two around somewhere.

As I ride along, I think back to other rides.  The long hills of DALMAC, the steepness of Brockway Mountain, rider-packed roads of RAGBRAI and the castle with the moat in France.  I guess memory is not restricted to muscles.

Yes, I sold a bike

This weekend was the annual "Spring Fling" on the Courthouse Square in Mason.  Spring Fling is one of those small town events with craft booths, food and musicians designed by the Chamber of Commerce to get people out of their houses and into downtown Mason after a long winter.  It is a great little event that draws people from all over the area.  And drawing visitors from outside Mason is a good thing, because to people who live in Mason the weekend of the Spring Fling is when all the neighborhoods hold their annual garage sales, cleaning out their garages, basements and attics of surplus "stuff."

We rarely have a garage sale, mostly because we don't have that much stuff that accumulated to make a sale worthwhile.  But this year, the young one decided it was time to part with some of her childhood toys, and we had some excess furniture and other things, so why not?

Among the items I brought out of the basement was a nice Italian-made Bianchi frame made from Dedacciai tubing.  The frame was originally to be for the young one, but it is a 55 centimeter frame, she really needed a 53, and I got a great deal on a 53 LeMond frame last year and built it up.  So this year, I thought I would sell the Bianchi, as it is a nice, solid frame that I would probably never have any use for again.

This was something Kath has rarely seen, me parting  with a bike.  She has only seen it one other time, when I sold Hubert an old Fuji that I turned into a fixed gear about ten years ago.  There are bikes she knows I will only part with upon death.  But the Bianchi, to me, was not one of those bikes.  She kept asking if I was sure I wanted to do this.  "Once sold at a yard sale, it is gone forever, you may never find another like it....."  I was sure, but I was also convinced that selling a bike frame at a yard sale would be a long shot anyway.

Throughout Friday, the first day of the sale, we kept hearing the same thing.  "Where are the wheels?"  "Fifty dollars for that?" "I can buy a whole bike at Walmart for $60. "   But to save the day from these same comments over and over(one of my friends refers to non-cyclists as "the great unwashed"), there were two people who knew what the bike was, and what a deal it represented.  Unfortunately, they both passed.

The joint between the seat tube and top tube on Kath's Farmer's
market bike.  The frame was done by Powdercoat Studio.

Saturday morning went much the same for the Bianchi,  more great unwashed scratching their heads in amazement since they could buy a whole bike at Meijer for $75 and wondering where the wheels went, there was one wise gentleman who gave the old frame a close inspection.  He picked it up and turned it over, noticing the missing part of a decal on one side, and a little surface rust at the lugs.  He asked if it was a 57.  No, a 55. "That might work."  He put it down, pondered a few seconds more, pulled out his phone and took a picture.  As he started to walk away, he said, "Interesting frame."

Who he called as he walked away is not certain.  But he wasn't but a few yards down the sidewalk when he did an about-face and returned, with two twenties and a ten in hand.  We talked briefly after I recommended Powdercoat Studio in Traverse City as a great place for putting a  quality new coat on the "vecci ragazzo" (old boy) and showed him Kath's Farmers Market Cruiser, with a Powdercoat Studio finish.  Then he left, with the frame in his hand and a bounce in his step.

He probably thought he got a steal.  He did.  But what I got out of the transaction is knowing the frame would be used much more than if it were hanging in my basement.  With a new finish and some spare parts, it would make a fine bike once again.  It would be ridden, which was what it was made for, no longer hanging on a hook in the far corner of the basement, but possibly being ridden as a commuter bike, on long rides on the weekend, pulling children in a trailer, on a great adventure around the state, across the country or around the world.

I really didn't sell the Bianchi.  Like a mustang set loose on the prairie,  I gave it an opportunity to be what it was meant to be.  Something it would never be if it were hanging from a hook in my basement.

Lessons learned from a storm

Each spring, severe weather in the form of thunderstorms, high winds and even tornadoes will roll across mid-Michigan.   In 2011, just before Memorial Day, we experienced a storm that featured high winds, driving rain and even some hail.  There was no apparent damage to the house or cars, but we were without power.

The cause of the power outage was immediately apparent.  The high voltage “Y” shaped aluminum power towers, and the high voltage lines that run between them to feed the transfer station about a mile west of our house were badly damaged.  While not called a tornado, the winds had been powerful enough to twist many of the towers like a pretzel, and rip others completely out of the ground.   High-tension power lines were snapped like cheap string.

We live in a society that is dependent on electricity.  Stop for a moment to think about how much of our day is tied to electricity.  Every morning the alarm wakes us and the toaster helps with breakfast.  Traffic lights make getting to work faster and safer.  Computers and cell phones need power.  Getting money from the ATM, nighttime school events, reading a book late at night, the midnight snack from the refrigerator and much more are only possible because of the electricity fed to our homes and communities by power lines. 

The most we had ever been without power had been about two days.  This repair promised to take much longer.   In the end, it would be six days before power returned.  We were prepared for a two, or even a three-day power outage, but had not been ready for anything longer.   We have a number of flashlights and lanterns on hand, but most of our batteries are rechargeable and most of them were in a drawer, completely dead.  We had a refrigerator/freezer and a standup freezer that were filled with frozen vegetables from the garden, a couple of frozen pizzas, a turkey and a few pounds of meat.   Being on city water, and with a self-igniting water heater, we had a steady flow of water and did not have to worry about a pump, taking away one concern.

Looking back on the six days, we were prepared for a short power outage, but not a longer one.  Our two biggest inconveniences were defrosting food and no lights.   We had a crank powered radio to keep us connected with the world and listen to baseball games.  We cooked the pizzas on our backpack oven.  We cooked meat on the grill.  Everything else was packed in coolers and the coolers covered with sleeping bags to insulate them more.  The turkey would help keep the rest of the food cold enough to save to be cooked when the power came back and then refrozen, while the vegetables would be dehydrated.

The easy solution for the next major power outage would have been to purchase a portable generator, or have a natural gas generator connected to our home.  Or, would a better solution be to re-think how, and how much power we use.  The Amish live complete lives without power.  We should be able to last a few days.

We took steps to be better prepared.  Now, there is always a fresh 24-pack of AA batteries in the house to provide enough light to last for two weeks.  We have emptied the freezer, instead choosing to dehydrate or can the vegetables we normally would have placed there.  We keep a lot less frozen meat on hand.   By not having a freezer in the basement, we save about $10 a month in electricity.  There are now prepared  “ready kits,” with clothes, a first-aid kit and food for three days for the family, the dog and the cat ready to go.

The greatest lesson learned is how much power we have reduced how much electricity we use, and our bill, by about 20 per cent.  Since the storm, we have been more aware of when a light or bathroom fan is left on.  We turn off computers when finished.  We have identified the appliances in the house that use standby power, and have specialized power strips that will only power up a connected device when the main device is turned on.  The best example is the DVD player receives power only when the television is on.   

It is just a matter of time before we lose power again.  But the lessons that have been learned, and the changes that have been made in our lifestyle, will hopefully make that time less stressful.

Happy Birthday to the Boy!

Today is Moose's first birthday.  In a little over a year, he has progressed from an unwanted, about to be "disposed of" puppy, to an over-indulged member of the family.  From unwanted to loved.  From unimportant to part of the family.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I told "the girl" she could have a puppy.  But he was so cute, cuddly and playful that he won me over right away.  I may have jumped into this a little quickly,  My only previous experience with a dog was my childhood dog, that I got for a birthday present when I was six, so I had forgotten that dogs need to be trained and exercised, and that they cannot be left on their own for a few days, like cats.

And I had no idea what would be involved with raising a Border Collie before I agreed to let one occupy my house.  I knew he was playful, energetic and loved to be rubbed and scratched.  I found out on the ten-hour drive bringing him home from Kansas City that he did not mind riding in the car.  But what I read later from a borrowed a book on Border Collies from the library, and heard from a couple of friends who know a lot about dogs, I was wondering what I got myself into.  What I read was scarier than a Stephen King novel.

The warnings were clear.  This is a highly intelligent, easily bored animal that will tear up your house if you don't keep him occupied all the time.  He will take a great deal of work, he will push boundaries, he will try your patience.  He will try to herd and dominate everything because that's what Border Collies were bred to do.  He will be a challenge.  Cujo seemed like an upgrade.

The reality of raising this particular Border Collie has been something much different different from the dire warnings about the evil that this dog would bring.  He is a very intelligent dog, and does he like to herd everything.  Some people use "herding cats" to describe the impossible.  Moose herds the cat.  All the time.  Not that the cat cooperates, but it is herded nonetheless.  I would love to see him with some sheep.  He responds well to basic commands like sit and stay, goes out for "necessary breaks" on his own and stays in the perimeter of the yard without fence or chain, and is getting better about being walked on the leash.  If we would walk him more instead of playing frisbee with him all the time, he would be much better on the leash.  Frisbee is just more fun.

There have been reports of Border Collies knowing over 1,000 words.  I don't think Moose is that smart, but he responds on command to finding his red ball, Kong and frisbee.  He knows where to find his "house," which is his crate, knows it is time to go to sleep for the night when he hears "bedtime,"   He, much to my disgust, has not learned that rabbit poop is not food, but knows when to "leave it."  He also has trained us to respond to his needs by doing his "tippy head" thing, where he tips his head from side to side, and whines when he has to go out.

He is also very sensitive to tone of voice and certain noises.  Loud laughing or disagreements among members of the family result in Moose taking to his crate.  When the neighbor next door cranks up his Harley, or when a helicopter goes overhead, he goes from room-to-room looking for the source of the noise.  He responds enthusiastically to praise for catching his frisbee in the air, or when he gets a belly rub.  He wears his mood on his little doggie face.

But, after we got through the puppy stage where he wanted to chew everything, he has not been destructive.  He learned quickly what he could have and what he could not.  And when scolded with a "bad dog" it is a more powerful punishment that I could imagine.  As for needing to dominate, he is more of an overgrown lap dog, wanting more to just be a part of what is going on.

In many ways raising a dog is like raising a child.  They require a ton of patience and understanding when they are young, they respond well to expectations and rules, and they learn at an amazing pace.  They do things that make you crazy, but love unconditionally, if you love them in return.

There have been times, especially during the puppy period, that I wondered if I had what it takes to raise a dog.  If I had the patience to teach him to be a member of the family.  I have been frustrated, angry and impatient at times with Moose.  But I have also been frustrated, angry and impatient with myself at times.  I have learned to be patient with him, he with me.  It has been a learning experience for us both.  I have learned a great deal about his behavior and his needs and how they are connected.  He has learned a great deal about my behavior and needs, and has adjusted as well.

But I still do not understand why he likes to eat rabbit poop.  That is just...wrong.

Poop and the Aftermath

My grandfather always said that if you don't learn something every day, you have wasted your day. Since the day he first said that to me, I have tried to learn something new. Some have turned out to be little things, some that I thought were little things have actually been life lessons, some "big things" have proven not to be, and I will never make macaroni and cheese with a tablespoon of dry mustard even if a world-renowned chef says it is delicious.

Until now, I knew that septic tanks were where waste went when living in areas without large sewer systems.  Until I went off to college I lived in a house with a septic tank.  I knew they had to be pumped from time to time, and smelled real bad when opened for pumping, but I never thought that disposing of poop would be an interesting subject. Sure the whole idea of eat-process-dispose-flush-septic/sewer/hole-in-the-ground can be a lesson in creative engineering, and require more physics than I can wrap my head around, but I never thought it would be the subject of a book that I could not put down.

"The Septic System Owner's Manual" is a book about dealing with what you ate yesterday today.  A combination of technical-but- interesting text and illustrations make it a book that has been hard for me to put down.  The book has everything from design to maintenance to information on the new composting toilets.  I have learned how soil types and bacteria play a prominent role in waste disposal.  I have learned about the good and bad, the right and wrong, the icky and not so icky about septic systems.

The author is one of those people who would make a great dinner guest, or be someone to sit next to on a transcontinental flight.   Lloyd Kahn is the Editor-In-Chief of Shelter Publications, writes a very interesting blog, and from his blog and books I have read, knows a lot about a lot of things,  had a great deal of experience in doing many, and is not afraid to try something new. He has written books on building, architecture, health and fitness and many other subjects.  He is a great storyteller, which is essential when writing a book about septic tanks.

And the way the chapters are written, in short, concise chapters, it could rival People Magazine for what to read when.....

The First Day of Spring

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of spring. Usually, in our humble little part of the Mitten State, the first day of spring is marked by either snow or freezing rain. Tomorrow, however, is forecast to be much like today, near or a little above 80 degrees.

Which means it is time to put away the snowblower stuff, and haul out the stuff needed for the summer. The lawn mower is out and running, snow shovels put away, but close by because I still don't trust Michigan weather, and the first of the rain barrels has been put out.

This year, the plan is to water the gardens using only accumulated rain water. So the number of barrels will increase from one to four. Possibly five or six, but I am content to see how we do with one.

Rain Reserve 

When I went to re-attach the barrel to the Rain Reserve diverter, it was cracked along the bottom edge, where the light orange stain is located on the bottom right-hand corner of the unit. The repair was easy, with a little pvc cement.  I thought this thing was bomb-proof, as it has seen many winters in sub-zero temperatures.  This year, it looks like it got clogged with the little asphalt particles from the roof, which then froze along with the left over water, and the thing cracked.  Here is information on how the Rain Reserve system works.

Even though the thing cracked, I am still a happy customer.

We bought ours, and the barrel, from Sustain Dane in Madison, WI.  Sustain Dane is a pretty amazing organization, and one of the early leaders in using rain barrels to water urban gardens.  If I remember right, one of the members of Sustain Dane developed the Rain Reserve idea.  The barrel is a recycled Mountain Dew syrup container.  If in Madison, check out Sustain Dane.  But if you plan to buy a barrel from them and take one home in your car, make sure you have a way to get it home.  They take up a lot of space in a car.

More on the barrel system as it progresses.

We have plants!

It looks like this year's crop is off to a successful start. We have four varieties of tomato, three onion (including those from our own seed!), cilantro, basil and even "mystery beans."  The mystery beans may not be a mystery to those who truly know beans, but they were rolling around in the bottom of the seed box, and I have no idea what they are.

Plants as of March 12, 2012

Last year we did not have nearly as many plants sprout as have so far this year.  The only difference between the years is this year I used melted snow to start the seeds rather than tap water.  Our city water here has such a high concentration of chlorine that it often smells like a swimming pool.  My plan is to water only with rain water from here on, and see what that difference brings in plant health and yield.

Better late....

All warm and nestled in their beds.....

The garden planting did not start until today. My best intentions were to have it started two weeks ago, but life happens, and projects jump up. So today it was started. Basil, dill, cilantro, onions, peppers and tomatoes were all started and put on "the rack" in the basement with heating pads under their little feet and grow lights shining down upon them. And to the local enforcers, I AM PLANTING VEGETABLES!!!!!

"The Rack"

"The Rack" is my somewhat custom planting stand built with plant heating pads and two florescent light fixtures that I bought for about $5 each, on an "indoor greenhouse" that we picked up a couple of years ago at Family Farm and Home for under $30. Along with my homemade starter mix, peat moss, vermiculite and a little compost and a bucket of melted snow, we hope to get a good rate of sprouting. I used melted snow because the water here in Mason is very loaded with chlorine, and I think that may have been the reason nothing wanted to sprout last year.

In a week we should have a good indication on how this growing season is progressing.

Tired puppy!

This morning we bounced out of bed bright and early, well it was around 11 for me, and headed out for a dog-walking expedition. It is hard to get Moose any leash time near our house because our neighborhood is small, Sitz Road is busy with cars and no shoulder, and he is too chicken to cross the highway overpass to take us into town.

So into the car in search of dog walking Nirvana. Or at least nothing with disco. And in the winter that means, ta-daaaaaa.....a Michigan State Park. What better place to take a dog who needs time on a leash than to a place where there is a lot of space and few people. So off to Sleepy Hollow State Park we went.

It was a great time. We saw maybe twenty people the entire time we were there. In the summer it would have been a couple thousand, as Sleepy Hollow is a well-used State Park being that close to Lansing. Instead of the drone of motorhome generators, screaming brats and Lynard Skynard, it was just the sound of wind, a few birds and a guy flying his remote control airplane. A rather cool World War II fighter replica (it looked like a Corsair, but I may be wrong), and he really knew how to fly it. Barrel rolls, stalls, dives, and he didn't crash it once. That is far beyond my capabilities with remote-control model aircraft.

But we did end up with a tired puppy, which was the point of it all. We walked 2.43 miles according to the GPS, and he was good on the leash 99% of the time. And wanted help getting in the car at the end of the walk. And plopped right down in the seat to rest.

This may be a regular trip, at least until the weather warms and "Free Bird" fills the air.

I'll see your tech and raise you...

Grant Peterson of Rivendell Bicycle Works is an interesting guy. There are many who find his approach to bikes (friction shifting, lugged steel frames, platform pedals, etc.) to be backward and "retrogrouch" in a world of electronic shifting Dura Ace and the latest in carbon fiber frames and wheels. If you don't follow the latest in bicycles, think of Grant as the guy who still drives his 1965 Ford pickup, fixes it himself and saves a ton of cash because he does not need a mechanic with a computer to tell him what is wrong with it when it breaks.

This week in the blog on the Rivendell site (http://rivbike.tumblr.com/) he talks about modern bicycle lights, and how some of the older lights may be superior in some ways to the newest and greatest. I don't know if I got Grant's point as he meant it, but what I hear him say is that sometimes just because it is new, does not necessarily make it better.

The first thing that comes to mind is Windows Vista. What was supposed to be the latest and greatest at the time, with more bells and whistles than its predecessor, but also a propensity to crash at the worst possible times, and asks for permission to do things more than my 14-year-old.

And with some things, why something was "improved" makes me shake my head. In one of his Rivendell Readers a few years back, Grant had an article about why chasing something "new and improved" does not always pay off. During the space race, NASA decided they needed a pen that could write in space, and spend millions of dollars on development of a pen that would write reliably in zero gravity. The Russians used pencils sad saved millions by going the low-tech way.

I'm not saying new technology should be avoided. The advances in medicine, being able to connect with anyone-anywhere-at any time, digital photographs (I wasted so much money on bad film shots), and other new technology I warmly embrace. But I am not going to buy something just because it is "new" any longer.

Putting all of your eggs in one basket

I recently started watching a National Geographic Channel show called "Doomsday Preppers." It is a show about people who are preparing for the day the world as we know it comes to an end. Not just the Mayan calendar version of the end of the world, but some are prepping for the collapse of civilization, or the world economy, or because some charlatan has proclaimed that Jesus is really on the way this time. What amazes me is that how short-sighted some of these people are.

Most of these people live in the 'burbs and have great stockpiles of food, water, ammo and whatever else they think will get them through the Zombie Apocalypse. One woman had stockpiled five years of food and even had thrown a party to show what she could do with her stockpiled Campbell's soup and Rice-A-Roni. One person on the show lamented that he only had 3 years of water stored and had to store even more. Not hardly a mention of what happens when this stockpile runs out, and I have never understood the need for thousands of gallons of stored water when a simple water filter and rain will provide all the water you will ever need.

And what of the people who are stockpiling gold, who have the mistaken belief that it is better to invest gold than in things that could actually be used for trade, like seed, stock, simple tools and skills. Or how they will hope to survive without the power grid that they have become reliant upon.

The one sane person on the program was a woman from New England who was stockpiling food that she raised herself in her garden. It wasn't a huge garden, but about the size of what an average suburban back yard looks like around here. She also did not have a huge stockpile of munitions that many of the others on the show claim is necessary "to keep others from taking my stuff." She instead was forming good relationships with her neighbors, so that if the time ever comes, they would have a community to draw upon.

What a unique idea. Form a community of like-minded individuals (usually known as friends and relatives) that bring a variety of knowledge and skills to the table. Some will know how to raise food, some to hunt food, some to fix things and others to do whatever they do. Unlike the woman who had stockpiles of stuff in her basement and will shoot anyone who tries to take it, people who build a community don't have to worry that people will take their stuff. And after three or four years, when the hoarder runs out of food from her pantry and having spent all this time self-imprisoned in her home, and our New England neighbor will still be planting and harvesting, and have someone to talk to.

How to survive in the woods, without zombies

It might be the Boy Scout in me, but I am always looking for useful information on how to be better prepared for emergency situations. With the "end o the world" coming up at the end of the year, there have been a steady stream of books and documentaries on what to do when the zombies take over. These are usually worse-case scenarios and end up with dueling a zombie for the last mouse on the planet.

I am not really interested in battling zombies. I am interested in educating myself in how to survive if I get turned around while hiking, or injured in the woods and have to wait for rescue. So information on gathering food, making fire and building shelter always interest me. While I know quite a bit on each subject, I can always learn more.

In the past couple of weeks I have re-discovered an old favorite that my uncle had me read when I was a teen, and thanks to Jeff Potter at outyourbackdoor.com, an old Navy training film on survival.

Plants as of March 12, 2012

Euell Gibbons wrote "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" in 1962, and my uncle had an early copy. It is a great reference on wild plants that can be eaten, not only for survival, but as a supplement to grocery store food. These are all plants that Gibbons ate himself, in addition to his Grape Nuts for those who remember the commercials, but also served them to friends at parties. He gives ways to prepare each plant. I have tried and few, and they all all quite good. I still cannot stand boiled greens.

"Survival in the North Temperate Regions" was produced by the Navy in 1955 to prepare pilots for survival situations while flying in an area that includes Canada, Alaska, northern Europe, and as produced during Cold War, even Russia.

Designed to help pilots stay alive until rescued, it does have useful information if you are ever lost in the woods. While produced over 50 years ago, the information is still useful.

That time of year

Most people, when confronted with blizzard-like conditions outside, think of going outside to ski or snowboard, or stay inside and cuddle up to their friendly fireplace.  I  am thinking about planting seeds.

Not outside of course, but in my little seed-starting area of the basement.  I have the hot mats, lights and seed starter ready to go.  All the old yogurt containers are ready to be washed, and this year I am bringing in snow to melt so that I won't kill my seedlings with the over-chlorinated Mason water as I have in the past.  It may be winter outside, but it is very close to spring in my basement.

For the past two years my peppers and tomatoes have been small when it comes time to transplant.  Compared to the stock found at local nurseries or the big box stores, mine seem to be about a month behind.  So this year I am moving up the start date on my indoor planting to February 1.  In the past the start date has always been March 1, which is around the start date called for on the seed packs.

Amish Paste tomatoes are great for
sauces.

This year I will be planting the usual Amish Paste, Beefsteak and heirloom Italian tomatoes; jalapeno, green, yellow, red, Thai, Nepalese and Hungarian peppers; cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme and sage and oregano to replace the plants that have gone out of control.  I will listen to additional requests, or if you have an heirloom plant you would like me to plant for you, let me know.

Around Mid-March it will be time to plant peas, lettuce and spinach outside, where I have a small hoop house planned.  By small, I mean making a hoop house out of one of out raised beds.  But large enough to start what we need to start.

Every year I look forward to planting time.  It means full-time bike season is just around the corner.

Here yesterday, where is it today?

I already know the question you have in mind, "What happened to your blog?"  The better question would be "Don't you know what Google does with a Blogger account when you don't use it for a couple of months?"

The answer is the blog disappears like a free sandwich at a Houdini convention.   And since I wrote everything straight to the blog, there is no archive.  So if you thought something was clever, insightful, a waste of time, or just plain wrong, there is no chance of revival, retrieval, rebuttal or resurrection.  It is just gone.  

I still have all the pictures, however.  And the negatives.  

Moose when we brought
him home in June

So that brings me to the new name.  The old blog, The 150 project, was a tribute to my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Rockwood, who said that if you don't write at least 150 times a year, you forget how.  Any woman who is under five feet tall, 90 pounds soaking wet, who could turn growing, rambunctious boys into obedient, respectful children, and could swing a meter stick like a Louisville Slugger, has to be respected.   It was truly a goal to write 150 times last year, but time slips by, and posting to a blog takes a back seat to family and work.

Moose in September

The new blog will reflect where I am going forward.  I may not have time to write 150 times in 2012, but I will write when i can.  The new blog name came from the last few posts of the old blog, all dedicated to the latest interloper into my zen-like existence, Moose the dog.  Back then, he was still Moose the puppy.  But Moose the puppy now weighs about 50 pounds, is fairly-well behaved, and loves to play fetch and ride in the car.  The blog, of course, will not be all about the dog, but the way he dominates life around the ranch, well....