Scattered around are a couple "mini-gardens" holding more butternut, a few zucchini & summer squashes, & one plot of blue Hubbard squash. Turnips are planted in the blackberry patch, & the potato bin is started.
I got a good start this year due to a very cool gift of a greenhouse from the Mrs. last Christmas. It's just about 3x5', but big enough to walk into, with shelving for the plants. Works great if you want to get the plants outside- in March!
Another great gift idea from the very same smart lady was a gravity-fed irrigation system. This thing is specifically designed for use with a water barrel (blue thing on the wall), & allows the first plant on the run to get the same amount of water as the last, providing the runs aren't too long & the head (barrel height) is adequate. This year I'm just running the system for the beans, just to see if it works as advertised.
Now, I'm gonna start sharpening the knife for the first tomato sandwich.
I'm not a big fan of the Dixie Chicks' politics, but I love this song. Vietnam was "my" war; I served during that time, but not in country. I'm still here to talk about it; many are not. But still...
I’m usually a pretty healthy guy, but the one thing that has been a 20-year pain in my life is occasional flares of gout. Those that have had the opportunity to experience this delightful phenomenon know what kind of pain I’m talking about.
A couple years ago, my Good Doctor told me about colchicine, a relatively cheap medication to alleviate the symptoms of an attack as it begins. I was ecstatic; no more incapacitation due to this foul condition.
Enter the Feds.
My doc advised me yesterday that the generic drug has been pulled from the market due to a FDA ruling. That leaves only the “brand” name version- the price of which is 50X more than the commonly used variety (10 cents vs. $5 per pill).
Ben Franklin was a gout sufferer, & in 1820 or thereabouts he brought back info from Europe on an “autumn crocus extract” which became the drug colchicine. It’s been used since then to lessen the pain for the afflicted.
He said to them, “Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.”
By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set to-day a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those spirits dare, To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee.
...marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the start of the bloodiest war in American history.
At 0430 in the morning of April 12, 1861, Ft. Sumter in South Carolina saw the first artillery fire in the War Between the States, Civil War, War of Succession, War for Southern Independence, War of the Rebellion, or War of Northern Aggression.
The name will vary depending on where you live, or your political proclivity.
The 1858 Napoleon will be wheeled out & fired tomorrow to commemorate the occasion.
Scattered around are a couple "mini-gardens" holding more butternut, a few zucchini & summer squashes, & one plot of blue Hubbard squash. Turnips are planted in the blackberry patch, & the potato bin is started.
