tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17708699718612513892024-03-08T15:49:44.837-07:00Grunt and Grungy's GardenDan and Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512160127056702431noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-44648381756158762642012-04-29T19:12:00.000-06:002012-04-29T19:12:03.131-06:00Sadly, Dan McMurray passed away on February 15, 2012. His work continues.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">I am sad to report that Dan McMurray passed away on February 15, 2012 at his home in Wynndel, British Columbia. Dan was 69 years old.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">The funeral service was held on Wednesday February 22, 2012 at the G.F. Oliver Funeral Chapel, with Pastor Brian Atmore officiating.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">At the service, Dan's brother Cameron McMurray read the following eulogy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">EULOGY - DAN MCMURRAY</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">An adventurer at heart and a generous and kind man by nature, Dan will be dearly missed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">by all those who have come to know him.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">Dan lived life to its fullest, loved fishing, and loved being in remote places, or in his</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">garden and orchard. When he was retiring from the lighthouses in 2002, he went onto</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">his computer on the lighthouse and researched weather patterns to find a place with the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">best climate for gardening and growing grapes. He found Wynndel, with its long growing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">season and good soil, and when he retired from 28 years of service as BC lighthouse</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">keeper, settled in Wynndel.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">Dan took to gardening much like everything he did – forcefully and wholeheartedly.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">Many hours he labored in his garden and green house, and he became passionate about</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">preserving heritage seeds. He developed and grew over 400 varieties of tomatoes and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">collected many seeds of vegetable varieties. He shared the harvest from his garden and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">orchard with his neighbors, friends, and local churches.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">Dan never shied away from challenging tasks, be it growing tomatoes, or the curve balls</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">life threw at him. He was widowed twice, but in his mid-sixties he fell in love again with</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">a woman named Shaoling, and he was happier than I’ve seen him in decades. Not a man</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">of words, he demonstrated his love for his friends and family by his actions.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">He is survived by his beloved wife Shaoling, his brother Cameron and sister Vicki, his</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">his sons Cameron and Grant, and granddaughter Cherine.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">------------------</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">Stories of Dan and his life as a gardener, fisherman, lighthouse keeper and beloved family member were shared by the funeral attendees, and the poem "Desiderata" - which epitomized so much of Dan's life - was read.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">The heritage seeds that Dan collected and catalogued are being catalogued, and his work will be carried on by a local seed bank in Creston.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Vanessa Grant Oltmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02327498576913689191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-57986113630906654932012-01-23T18:27:00.002-07:002012-01-24T20:54:15.213-07:00One more step down the road<div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7484048863407224"><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">2012/20/01</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Well, the stent has been installed, with an immediately noticeable improvement in blood flow. I could feel the difference before they finished the cleanup. Still had some initial swelling left, which went away and returned several times over the course of the first day and a half, with no discernible reason for any of it. It seems to have settled at partial facial swelling now, noticeable to me, but perhaps not everyone else. I can lean forward, bend over, and kneel now without feeling like my head is going to pop, so the main purpose of the stent (reopening the flow in the Vena Cava) has been achieved. I am now learning what pace I can do things at = for the past almost two months, I have been able to do nothing but walk, and that at a greatly reduced pace. I can walk a bit faster now, but that is going to have to be explored, to see what is a comfortable pace now, that will not have me chuffing in a block or two.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">2012/22/01</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I chased the snow blower yesterday, at a much reduced pace from what I am used to, but I managed to do almost all of what I wanted to before I wore out for the day. Got up today, and rediscovered the “pleasures” of over doing it on muscle sets. It has been so long since I have done anything using more than walking muscles, that I feel every stria of muscle that was used more than once yesterday. Break out the menthol cream, and coat the affected parts. With in the hour, most of the pain is gone, but the muscles still don’t want you abusing them again. I will hit the area with more menthol tomorrow, and push myself into service. It’s the only way to get past this in any decent sort of time = work through it. I am going to do extremely easy work, to give myself a bit of a break, but I will work through it</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Things change even as I write this from day to day. I have been modifying the results in the past, but I think that is a mistake now. I will leave what gets written as things progress. It will help me keep better track of what is going on too. The fluctuations in facial swelling seem to have subsided now, and my throat has stopped puffing. I am a bit fuller in the face than I remember, but I can live with that. Still feeling slightly out of phase with the universe, but not bad enough to quantify. It will change or not, and I will get on with my life.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I have to drive over to Trail tomorrow morning (about 90 miles) through one of the more notorious mountain passes. I am getting an echo-doppler scan of my heart, what ever that is. Because of the time of year and the weather we have been having, I have to plan in an extra two to three hours travel time, to allow for avalanche control.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">2012/23/01</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Just back from the “echo doppler “ scan (read ultrasound) of my heart. The “pericardial effusion” (read fluid around the heart) is gone, the rest seems to be okay. The fluid was the initial reason for the scan = to see if it had increased enough to be causing the backup effect on blood flow. I was fairly sure the fluid had departed before i got the scan = I have been feeling radically better in the past 24 hours, and at the same time, dropped almost 8 lbs of weight = the only way I could drop that much weight in that short a time is by passing it out of my body, and I can assure you I would have definitely have noticed that amount of solids leaving me. Initially the weight loss alarmed me, as i have been fighting to maintain weight, even when my appetite was flagging. My chest and abdomen feel much better than they have for weeks. My breath comes easier, i have far fewer undefinable pains in my chest (you know the ones = your not sure if they are muscle aches from some action you have performed, a knock you don’t remember, or what). My stomach no longer feels slightly off, making it much easier to get enthusiastic about approaching a meal. It may all be just coincidence, but I will put it down to the stent returning blood flow to normal, which gave the rest of the systems a chance to repair and reset to a more normal function.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I have already regained about 2 lbs of the initial weight loss, and will likely be able to put most of the loss back on just by cutting back on coffee a bit (coffee is a great natural diuretic, but I don’t want to dehydrate), and eating normal meals. The problem with dropping the 8 lbs, is that those lbs were on while I was having all of my treatments, and indicate the weight that I should be carrying. I am sure that increasing my water retention now will not be a problem (won’t put fluid back around my heart) because there are no longer outside influences pestering my insides = no more radiation or chemo. I believe they set up the conditions (constriction of the Vena Cava) that created the fluid build up in the first place. Right or wrong, that is what I think. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The past 24 hours have increased my feeling of well being immensely, even before having the ultrasound. The physical sense of well being is comparative of course, but still immensely rewarding to me.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And the adventure continues</span></p></b></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-68190406073268612622012-01-07T20:31:00.001-07:002012-01-07T20:34:31.869-07:00The suspense still isn't over<div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.11882889666594565"><span ><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Saw the oncologist on the 5th, and I know about the same as before I saw him, with a tentative confirmation of what I already suspect. Something is pressing against the vein that feeds blood from my head back to my heart, slowing the return and causing a build up of pressure in my head if I lean forward, bend over, or exert myself otherwise. This should be taken care of with the installation of a stent, which I am awaiting an appointment for.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There is a small amount of fluid around my heart (pericardial effusion), and fairly advanced emphysema = which is hardly surprising after smoking for 56 years.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The requirement for me to have a stent installed is possibly caused by advances made by the largest tumor I had = or by a clot = or inflammation from the radiation treatments. The major tumor in my lung has been reduced by ½, the smaller tumors in my lymph nodes have disappeared, but the largest tumor in my lymph nodes may be aggressing already. That is all unclear, because they did not use the contrasting dye when they did the latest CT scan, as I had a reaction to either the dye, or the Advair I had been put on at the same time. My bet was on the Advair, the family doctor went with the dye. I think I was right, as I still had the reaction when I stopped taking steroids. They switched me from Advair to Symbicort, and no more reaction. Unfortunately, someone forgot to correlate the data, so they didn’t use the dye in the last CT scan.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Once the stent is installed, they will do another CT scan, with the dye, and give me steroids in case of a reaction. Since the only problems I am experiencing right now should be cleared up with the stent installation, there is no rush to get a look at what is going on inside = if it is the cancer aggressing, there isn’t much they can do, as I have already had all the radiation there that I can handle, and the location makes it inoperable. A little more time will just give them a better base to make estimates on, as to what is going to happen, and the time frame involved.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Regardless of the actual circumstances, I am optimistic. I have known from the start that there might not be the best of outcomes, despite the assurances of the oncologist.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I have already been blessed with a long and full life, and do not feel that things are going to end anytime soon. It would be nice to have some clear information about what is going on, and what to expect, but it really doesn’t make that much difference. They could tell me I have 40 years left, and I step in front of a bus the next day, or they could tell me it’s short time, and I go into complete remission. Neither way is going to very much change the way I face the world tomorrow. I do not look forward to things ending, but I have always tried to live so that I will have no regrets.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">This is not a farewell posting by any means. It is notice that I am going to pull back from the world a bit, and do a few more personal things, put some of the gardening aside for now, and live a bit more in the now. The emphysema says that I am not going to be quite as quick off the gun, or last quite as long at what ever I am doing, and the calendar has been telling me I can’t pack as much as I used to, or as fast, but I will still do what I want to = just a little slower. </span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">it is still a beautiful world. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">This is still the way I look at things.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And the adventure continues.</span></p></span></b></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-19029523650312010032011-12-06T19:39:00.002-07:002011-12-06T19:43:36.856-07:00Now I wait.<div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.2621611044742167" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >Monday I went for my CT scan. Now I wait for them to tell me what they think has been accomplished. I have to go with the certitude that the cancer is now gone, and time will let me get back to what I was for healthiness. Right now, I am still someplace close to the bottom of the cycle = not much wind yet, and I can feel that there is still some interior inflammation from the radiation. I don’t have the strength I had before the treatments, but that will change. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >My appetite has returned with a vengeance, but I’m not bloating up as a result = yet. I eat a meal, then want something more about an hour later, no matter how much I eat at the meal. Then I want to start snacking about a half hour before the next meal. Evenings are a series of small snacks until an hour before bed = usually fruit is what I want then, so it doesn’t load me too heavy for sleeping.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >I was able to get in the garden this week, and rescue the leeks that had been frozen into their bed before I could get them out. Leeks, like onions, will take a fair amount of frost with no harm. We’ve had a few warmer days here, and 95% of the snow is gone. The ground in the beds has mostly thawed, which allowed me to fork out the leeks. I cut them slightly shorter than the tall ice cream pails I store vegetables in in the spud pit, and filled a pail to put in the pit. I do not know if they are going to store well or not, but I know that once the ground is frozen, I can’t get the leeks out of the ground anyway. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >There are a few ice chunks left yet in the soil in the spud beds, or I would have planted my potatoes, and mulched them heavily until spring. Forecast for the next few days shows freezing lows, and single digit highs for the near future, so I likely won’t get to plant my spuds until spring, as the soil is unlikely to thaw again. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >No snow left on the valley floor, but you only have to go up about 300 feet to find it. The mountains all have their bright winter coats on, but so far the amount of snow has been fairly reasonable. No problems going through the pass to get to the CT scan.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >The ground in the garden is all clear now, but frozen solid, so I still can’t do much. I’ll try to scare up enough energy to get stuck into the pruning, and get that job out of the way. If I can get that done, the next major job before spring is knocking most of the growth off of the stumps along the driveway = I haven’t done that in about 3 years, and some of the growth is getting tree sized now. To do the stumps, I need to have a lot of extra energy, because the cleanup after I knock them down is going to be a lot of work = some of the growth is about 10” in diameter, so I’m not going to be picking up one end and dragging it to the burn pit</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >I have my tomato, melon and squash seeds processed and baggied, but still have about half of the beans to thresh out and clean. I’ll get a list posted sometime soon, I hope.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " >And the adventure continues</span></p></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-50124537506968373802011-11-20T11:10:00.000-07:002011-11-20T11:11:21.568-07:00Season wrap up<div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.9077949619386345" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I’m pretty much back to normal now. I can eat pretty much anything, with only minimal care about swallowing, my weight is stable, and energy levels are coming back up.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I have an appointment for a CT scan December 5, and there will be a video conference with the chemo oncologist some time shortly after that, which will tell me how they did with the radiation and chemotherapy. I am confident that they have done what they said they would, and gotten rid of the cancer, but the verdict will be what it will be.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I got everything harvested, with the exception of the leeks = they are frozen in place now. I had them hilled up very nicely, so there would be more nice clean white stems on them. The hills are frozen solid now,and any attempt to get them out is going to thoroughly mash them. Still have to thresh out the majority of the beans, but they are all nice and dry. There are three bundles of Ethiopian lentils hanging under shelter, waiting for me to figure out just how to beat them out. They are dry enough that I think most of the plants are going to basically powder when I start thrashing. It doesn’t look like the pods are going to hold on to the seed very much = actually, I’m hoping I can get something around the bundles without losing too many seeds in the process.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Most of the tomato detritus is still in place in the rows, along with the rest of the debris. Cornstalks still standing, lots of immature onions frozen stiff and unusable now, Florida weave stakes standing alone and lineless now (I got most of the lines out of the way, but not past that). Potato beds are all set to receive seed potatoes = I intended to put them in and cover with a few inches of mulch, but we got a hard freeze (-9.5C or 14.8F) the night before they were to go in the ground. The ground was a little too stiff to dig them in, so I guess I do it in the spring. The leeks were supposed to come out right after the spuds went in = they aren’t going to be trialed in the spud pit this year after all.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Got all of the apples off for juicing. Still have four boxes in the basement, for consumption through the winter = that is a first here too. Usually, there are too few apples worth looking at at the end of the year, to do more than make juice. I can juice apples that are not in good enough shape to store for the winter, and there are usually too few left that have enough flavor to put in storage. This year, there was a bumper crop of good flavored apples on my Red Delicious. Most years there is either a poor crop, or the flavor just doesn’t develop in them, and they aren’t even usable for juice. I saved two boxes of Red Delicious, and got two mixed boxes of MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, Spartan and Jonogold from my neighbor for juicing all of her apples for her.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Most of the pruning is still to be done. Hopefully we will get some milder windless days through the winter, so I can get it done before spring. I would have preferred to get more done before the garden season ended, but I’m satisfied that I got the necessaries out of the way. There’s always next year to do better in, and I don’t foresee having any limitations to what I can do from now on.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And the adventure continues</span></p></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-23953733337293355162011-11-06T10:23:00.004-07:002011-11-06T10:36:02.217-07:00JUICING<div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7559372137766331" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Eating is almost back to normal now. Still have to watch temperature and bite size, but with thorough chewing, almost everything is back on the menu now. Have to increase my fluid intake a bit more now, and stay hydrated. No stamina at all presently = the last round of chemo, and the over all effects of the radiation treatments, have me down to maybe ten minutes at a shot, then rest for a bit, and start off on what ever is next. I'll keep plugging at it, and pushing myself a bit, just to keep active, and try and shorten the recovery time. Still have 90% of the garden cleanup to get done this fall = if the weather holds for me for another three weeks, I might actually get some of it done.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7559372137766331" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7559372137766331" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Got into the orchard and picked the apples on Friday, and even had time to pull the last bed of carrots = the church will definitely be getting some of them, as there are at least another 6 pails = spud pit only holds 14 pails, and I still have to put spuds in it. There are already 6 pails of carrots in the pit, and I want to put a pail or two of leeks in, just to see how they do.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7559372137766331" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7559372137766331" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Finally got to press apple juice yesterday. It took me longer to get the press set up than it did to macerate and press the juice. One load in the press gave us 65 quarts of juice = still have another 40 quarts worth of apples to do for us today, and probably another 100 quarts or so for the neighbors. I did remember to take photos of the equipment and process, but rather than post 18 photos, I’ll give the link to the album they are in. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7559372137766331" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/108421163807481105353/JUICING"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">https://picasaweb.google.com/108421163807481105353/JUICING</span></a></p></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-53942509629532690342011-11-02T20:58:00.003-06:002011-11-02T21:33:21.888-06:00All this and Epigenetics too<div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.9468474462628365" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">In the first few days after the last post, eating became substantially easier. I still have to be careful with temperatures, make sure I chew everything very thoroughly, and swallow small amounts at one time = but I am eating almost normal amounts of softer foods = noodles, ground meat in soups, fish, and vegetables. I’ve already picked up about 2 pounds of what I lost, so I should be able to get back to what they will consider an acceptable weight for next week.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Temperatures are starting to drop at night (-9C or 15F), but we are still getting reasonable daytime temperatures (10C or 50F). If I can get enough energy together, carrots and spuds will hit the pit in the next couple of days, provided we don’t get rained out of digging. Still have to get the macerator and press wrestled out of the basement, so we can make some apple juice = I don’t think we have enough pears left to make pear juice, but I might try a small batch, if we can find enough to make it worth while.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Canned 44 quarts of pears, which finishes what Shaoling has not given away or been frozen. I guess we must have had a few nights that were colder than I thought, because we lost most of the remaining Asian pears to water core, which means they were frozen. Checking the max/min thermometer memory, we have already been down to -14.5 C (5.9F), so I guess the water core should be no surprise. I suppose they could have gone to a juicing attempt, but it didn’t occur to me until later. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I caught part of an interesting discussion/explanation of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">epigenetics</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> on CBC’s “Quirks and Quarks” on the way home from my second to last chemo treatment. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It is standard knowledge that DNA is formed from a combination of the parents DNA, and does not change through the life of the progeny. Epigenetics were explained this way = If you take the DNA as a string of letters that gets punctuated into words and sentences, epigenetics is what happens when the progeny are still in the womb, or in the early stages of life. Experiences and circumstances that significantly impact the mothers health and life style or quality, alter the punctuation to prepare the offspring for life. It does not alter the actual DNA, but rather alters the state of the expression of the DNA = turning some processes on, and others off. For example, if food is in short supply for the gestation period, then the ability to convert food into energy and save it is cranked up, trying to ensure the progeny will be better able to survive. If water is in short supply, the processes that regulate water utilization are fine tuned, to allow better usage in the progeny. The epigenetic “punctuation” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">may</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> be changed to some degree by life experiences, or perhaps by chemical means (something they are trying to figure out).</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The study that found this, used data from a long term, large bodied medical study, (for what I dis-remember) that had blood samples of those studied for a long period of time. They were looking for information that could show if there was any genetic footprint left on DNA by living in poverty. They tested DNA for individuals over a period of ten years, and could see the “punctuation” was altered by several indicators of poverty during the gestational period and early life. The “punctuation” was so definitely changed, that they could pick out individuals whose mother had smoked during the pregnancy, and even to some degree, the children who had two parents who smoked while the children were young. This would also tend to explain Fetal Alcohol Syndrome = scrambled “punctuation”.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The above might be something that would appear a bit strange in a gardening blog, but the phenomenon would be the same in the plant world = what your plants experience in your garden influences what their progeny are going to act like in the next generation. Gives you pause to think about how you might be able to “engineer” a little change in production or size in a variety, by how you treat this years plants. It would also explain why some varieties change over a fairly short period of time when grown in the same location year after year = epigenetics start changing the punctuation. Good examples are Blacktail Mountain, and Small Shining Light watermelons = first time I grew them, they came in at a size that was just about perfect for two people for one meal = this year they are about three times that size. And my weather conditions here are almost identical to those that Blacktail Mountain was developed in, with the exception that I have been feeding and watering mine somewhat more than the originals got. I have heard of people who have grown Blacktail Mountain for longer periods, and are now getting 20 - 30 pounders. I suppose the way to get back to the original size would be to grow them in less than optimal conditions for a few years, and get some of the original “punctuation” back, or re-punctuate in some way.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It is going to be squirming its way through my so called mind quite a bit now = what changes could I make if I........</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I am now eating almost normally = only a small amount of pain when I get careless with swallowing. Tomorrow I get my last chemotherapy treatment. Sometime around the end of the year I will have another CT scan, and talk to both the Chemo and Radiation oncologists sometime in early January. There will be periodic checkups after that, to make sure things stay good, but other than that, I expect life will get back to what it used to be for many years to come = Shaoling says she wants "at least twenty years", and I intend to give her as many of them as I can.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We did get one carrot bed dug and into the spud pit = 6 pails worth. Still have almost as many more to pull from the other bed = they have sized up much better than I expected them to. I have a feeling the church is going to be getting quite a few of them, so I will have room for the spuds in the pit too.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">This weekend should see us making apple juice, if the weather cooperates. I will be stripping the apple trees on Friday, weather permitting. For a change, all four trees have a good amount of fruit, and they have had enough water this year that they have a reasonably good taste = juice should be very good. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> I am fortunate enough to have a very good wine press to process the apples with. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> I'll try to remember to get the camera out and document the process, from box, to macerator, to pressure cooker. The result always beats anything you can buy.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And the adventure continues.</span></p></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-68699937709948114572011-10-24T16:33:00.001-06:002011-10-24T16:39:49.693-06:00Last Pick Off<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.3979576416313648" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I am slowly getting a few things done around here now. All of the beans have been picked/pulled, and are spending at least their nights in the greenhouse. The larger piles of greener pods get dragged out on tarps for the day, if it’s sunny, trying to get them dried down so they can be shelled and frost treated before storage. All of the vines have been cleaned up, and the poles are stacked, waiting for me to decide next spring if they are still strong enough to use again. I will likely grow more bean varieties next year, as they are a nice trouble free crop that needs no babying through the summer. Takes me a bit longer to set up in the spring, and a year like this stretches the growing season a bit later than I like, but they are good calorie return for effort = the local church can use the extra calorie/protein input for their lunch program, and I like beans a lot myself. The only real crop producer in the squash was the Musquee/Muscade de Provence, but I have a feeling they got a few extras during the growing season.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I have dill scattered through all of the main garden beds, and it will be even more so next year = I think about 80% of the umbels shattered on me while I was in Kelowna, which means not only the beds they grew in, but the pathways have an abundance of seed in them. If I get the time to till at least the beds before freeze up, I may be able to reduce at least some of the volunteering by burying the seed. The pathways are going to be dill central, if I give them a half chance to get started. There are onions all over the place that are no where near mature enough to try and harvest, most don’t even have identifiable bulbs on them, they’re just over sized green onions. If I can get one bed tilled before freeze up, I think I’ll try direct seeding a bunch of Australian Browns this fall = if they come up YAHOO!! = if they don’t, I still have lots of seed. I think I’ll try the Amish Bottle in one end of the same bed too = if I get to do it at all. I know I am letting myself in for a lot of weeding in the spring, until I find out if the onions will do anything.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Carrots and spuds are going to have to be pulled/dug very soon, and stuck into the spud pit. I’m going to try putting some leeks in a bucket or two as well, just to see if it will work. Next summer I may dig another pit, and use it for fruit storage = apples and pears. I know the regular pears won’t hold long, but some of the Asian pears will hold several months.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There are going to be a lot of tomatoes going into the compost bins this year = likely over a ton. Nobody came around to pick any = I guess they thought it wasn’t worth the labor, and I’m just too lazy to feel like picking them so they’ll come take them away. Frost has put an end to pickability now, so it’s just a matter of taking the wheelbarrow around and filing it up for the compost bins. Ah well.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I did find out this year that I have not been watering enough in the past = Shaoling misunderstood my watering directions while I was in Kelowna, and was watering every other day while I was gone = the plants showed the effects very quickly, and I ended up with an almost normal production from most of the plants, despite the extremely off year, weather wise.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">So next year, everything gets much more water than last year, unless it turns out to be an extremely wet year. This year was a bit wetter than usual, and for the most part, much cooler. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Still not much stamina yet = I sleep well and long, and have to kick start myself to get out the door and get going, and don’t last very long yet, but keep plugging at it. The radiation oncologist warned me it would be like this for several weeks, and would then get gradually better = the chemo doctor gets to hit me for one more series of three treatments, which will likely make me stumble a bit again = that will happen the first week of November. After that, things should start getting steadily better. They will do another CT scan in early January, and let me know how successful they have been = they can’t do it sooner, because the radiation has everything inside inflamed, so nothing will show clearly. I am expecting to hear that all is as they wanted it to be, and the cancer is completely gone.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">This week has had frost every night, starting with just enough to bother the tomato plants, but not the fruit, getting slightly colder every night, until it has reached the point that there are no longer salvageable tomatoes left, or anything else aside from spuds, carrots and leeks. The leeks don’t even realise it’s getting cold, and the carrot tops are only just starting to show the effects. Spud tops were still growing until the first frost hit them.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We have been watching skeins of geese build up in a couple of fields alongside the road we do our morning walks on = probably close to 1000 birds gathering in one field over the past few days. Wednesday morning was one of those fog bowl events, where the fog gradually tips its way off the fields, and exposes the mountainsides across them. The geese started lifting off when we were still about a half mile from our closest to them, wheeling under the fog, and clamouring as only they can when they are about to leave. I wanted to sprout feathers and follow them, a feeling that I have had every time I hear that sound, spring and fall, since I was twelve years old. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I can remember the first time I ever heard geese heading south. I was sitting outside on the back porch,with my grandfather, watching the skeins of geese stream across the face of the moon, singing, = both of us shivering and shaking, and unwilling to leave long enough to get a coat or blanket to keep warm with. It was probably about 1948, in the south Okanogan, just north of Oliver. A magical time in a magical place that is no longer there.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The radiation oncologist has had his final statement verified = I am having more trouble swallowing, I am very aware of my chest, and have less energy and endurance = even a mild Tai Chi session is more than I can comfortably handle. I’m managing to keep my weight up, which is difficult when every swallow causes a twinge, even with just liquids. The saving grace to all of this, is that it should start to get better in about another ten days. I believe I have hit what he would describe as the lowest or worst point now, where I will sit for a few more days, then progress upwards.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I’m not feeling sorry for myself here = I bought this ride with 56 years of smoking, and knew it was possible for most of those years. I am talking to myself here, as much as to the followers of the blog. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I will give a plug here for a stop smoking drug, because for me it worked extremely well, when nothing else has. If you really want to quit smoking, give Champix (Chantix in the USA) a try. I understand that it can have some bad side effects, but had none myself. If you get through the trial dosage with no problems, but have side effects with the full dosage, try doing the trial dosage for the whole treatment. For me the whole experience was stress free = no physical withdrawal symptoms at any point, no feeling like I was going to crawl out of my skin, no loss of sleep, or lethargy. I did fall off the wagon four times while using the drug, but after that, no problem. I eventually started forgetting to take the medication for a day or two at a time, then just quit taking it altogether.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Got out in the garden for the final go around of picking tomatoes = got about 70 lbs of greens and maybe 5 lbs of ripe, or close to ripe tomatoes, that were protected to some degree by foliage. Now I can go around, and pull all of the sidelines and Florida weave from what is left. That will make it much easier to pull what I can and put it in the compost bins. I think I’m going to be seeing a lot of volunteers for the next few years. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I am finding a bit more energy, and eating just a bit easier the last two days. I have about four pounds to regain by November 1, and I feel like it will be possible to do it. If I don’t, they may hold off on the chemo then, and I’d just sooner get it over and done with. I do believe I have passed the low point now, and should be starting up the other side. What the last chemo does to me, I don’t yet know, but don’t think it’s going to be that large a problem. So far, except for the 70+% hair loss, there is nothing that I can attribute directly to the chemo. I would imagine that part of the debilitation i feel is due to the chemo, but I can’t tell how much.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">My last chemo is next week.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And the adventure continues.</span></p></div></span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-55660942019151445132011-10-13T17:39:00.003-06:002011-10-13T17:51:40.065-06:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><div style="font-size: medium; background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.430297413142398" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I managed to keep my weight up enough to get this round of chemo. I just have to make sure I don’t lose any weight over the next three weeks. Since I will be eating at home for two of those weeks, it should be no problem. They have adjusted the last three treatments to Nov 1, 2, & 3. to allow me to have the pre-chemo blood test done in Creston, the town nearest where I live, on October 31. They do a blood test before each chemo series to make sure they haven’t beat your system up too badly to continue beating it. Actually it is a good thing they do = they can seriously compromise your immune system, if they hit you too hard, and that and red blood cell count are the two main things they look at. Weight loss is a general systemic indicator that they are doing a bit too much. In my case, the weight loss is a side product of the radiation, not the chemo, but they will not differentiate between the two.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I also found out that my receiving chemo and radiation at the same time for three of my four chemo series is a bit unusual = most often they only do two of the four series in conjunction with radiation. Doing them at the same time apparently substantially increases the effectiveness of the chemo drugs. I’m not sure why they made the exception with me = providential timing, trying to recoup the time lost when I fell through the cracks, I was in better shape than most when my cancer was discovered, the extra is needed to accomplish or make sure of a cure, or my attitude said I could take the extra hits. What ever the reason, I’ll take it as it is given. They know a lot more about what they are doing than I do, so I won’t second guess them.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I am looking forward to getting back into the garden for real this weekend, even if I won’t have the stamina to accomplish all that I would like to. I won’t have to short-plan everything to prep for coming back here. Being able to drop a project in mid-stride, and know that I can come back to it the next day, is not something I have looked at as a bonus or a luxury before, but it is. </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">So far, I have brought about 90 lbs of tomatoes, 30 lbs of squash, and 15 lbs of dried beans, to the kitchen here at the lodge. I’ve also put about 20 lbs of cherries tomatoes and 20 lbs of plums = Green Gage and Italian Prune Plums, in the activities/TV/lunch room. I have a hard time eating the cherry tomatoes and plums, but I nibble a bit from time to time = they usually last about two days, and are all gone.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">One of the places I walk past on a daily basis here, has a filbert/hazelnut tree in the front yard. Last week, the morning after we had a fairly strong wind system go through here, there was a woman raking up leaves and debris from one part of the yard (not where the tree is), and I commented on passing, that there were a lot of nuts under the tree. She replied “Take them if you want them, no one here eats them.”</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I came back later with a few plastic grocery bags to pick them up, and filled two of them, about 10 pounds. These will make some excellent nut butter this winter, among other things. This week, I paid her back with about 30 lbs of tomatoes (two tall ice cream pails full). I figure we made an even trade = we each gave away something we couldn’t use, and received something we wanted = although she didn’t know at the time that it was going to be a trade.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>This next bit will sort of date me a bit, and it’s slightly political, which I usually steer clear of, but it’s something that has been going through my head every time the news mentions anything about the “Occupy Wall Street” phenomenon that has hit all 50 states. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Buffalo Springfield originally released this in 1967 as </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">For What It's Worth</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> but it’s more commonly known as </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Something’s Happening Here.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> Judge for yourself if it’s as applicable now as it was then.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There's something happening here </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">What it is ain't exactly clear </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There's a man with a gun over there </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Telling me I got to beware </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There's battle lines being drawn </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Nobody's right if everybody's wrong </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Young people speaking their minds </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Getting so much resistance from behind </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">What a field-day for the heat </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">A thousand people in the street </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Singing songs and carrying signs </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mostly say, hooray for our side </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Paranoia strikes deep </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Into your life it will creep </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It starts when you're always afraid </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">You step out of line, the man come and take you away </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We better stop, hey, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Stop, hey, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Stop, now, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Stop, children, what's that sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Everybody look what's going down </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>What gets me about the whole phenomenon, is that half the politicians seem to be blind or tunnel visioned about it. One has been on the news saying he is becoming alarmed at how pervasive it is = when he should be alarmed at why it is so pervasive it is = something is seriously broken in the system, and it is not just an American phenomenon. There are versions of it starting in many parts of Europe, it is about to migrate to Canada, and likely will show up elsewhere. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Combine this with what has been seen to happen in the “Arab Spring” phenomenon, and I think the politicos have to start looking real hard at the rule books they have created due to manipulations by big business, both home grown and multinationals. I strongly dislike the violence that I see at things like the G8 and G20 summits, but I think what they have been like will be nothing compared to what may come if no one listens to what is coming out of the “Occupy Wall Street” phenomenon. So far it has been almost entirely non-violent, and I would hope it would continue that way = but I know that sooner or later, if something doesn’t start happening as a result, some group is going to hijack the forum and start preaching violence by example. It happened in the 1960’s, and will happen again. The “99%” want to be heard.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>And that’s all the “political comment” for this week.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>There are a few new photos of this years garden at </span><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/108421163807481105353/KOZULACOLLECTION2011"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">https://picasaweb.google.com/108421163807481105353/KOZULACOLLECTION2011</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">and</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; " ><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/108421163807481105353/GARDENFINAL20111008">https://picasaweb.google.com/108421163807481105353/GARDENFINAL20111008</a></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; background-color: transparent; "><br /></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Many of the tomatoes look less than optional, but the photos were taken in October.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium; background-color: transparent; "><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span id="internal-source-marker_0.430297413142398" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I will leave it at that for this post. The next one will be posted from home in about a week or ten days, after I have had a chance to really see what has been happening in the garden, aside form stupendous weed growth, and great late tomato production. Except for the cherry tomatoes, it is hard to see where anything has bee taken from most of the tomato plants, but I know there has to have been at least 1000 lbs taken since the first week of September. I’ll try and document a bit of that and add it to one of the albums.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>And the adventure continues.</span></div></span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-4827534928385293782011-10-10T23:08:00.005-06:002011-10-10T23:47:06.703-06:00One short week left<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9145782552659512" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span>Swallowing got to be enough of a problem that I started losing weight I didn’t want to lose, and had fallen below my start weight for chemotherapy. Had a visit with Dr. Davies, my chemotherapy doctor, and she gave me a prescription for “Dr Akabutu’s Mouthwash” = I saw the list of ingredients = the first on the list is 2% lidocaine. It has to be made up fresh by the pharmacist, and takes them about an hour to make it. It doesn’t completely dispel the pain if I swallow wrong, or too coarse a food, but it mutes it enough that I have regained 2 pounds in a day and a half. To me this is very important, because Dr Davies told me, if I lost more weight, they would have to hold my next chemo series back until I regained some = and that I do not want. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Next week I start my third of four chemo series. After that, the final series is scheduled for Oct 31, November 1, and 2. The end of next week also sees the end of my radiation = which is what is making my throat sore. Basically, the peripheral radiation from shooting the tumor is cooking the lower part of my larynx, and the upper swallowing muscles in my esophagus. About two weeks after I finish radiation therapy, I should start to notice a lessening in discomfort when I swallow = after that things get better in a hurry.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">For those of you curious about the mouthwash, it was easy to find with Google = </span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The formula:</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">For a 240 ml Bottle</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Glycerin</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Cortef 10 mg (cortesone)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Ratio-Nystatin susp 100,00 U/ML (anti fungal)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">PMS-Lidocaine viscous 2% 100ml</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Lens Plus 360ml (saline solution) which contains salt 0.9%</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It does not taste as bad as you might think, but it’s also not a flavor that I am likely to become enamoured of. The taste leaves your mouth fairly quickly, and it does make it possible to swallow somewhat easier, but care and temperature control must be exercised.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Energy levels are pretty low now too = I can still do what I used to, just not quite as fast, and it takes a little more for me to convince myself to get moving. The initial burst of 180 paces a minute when walking is a thing of the past, but the walk still goes at the usual 120 paces a minute.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>We have had rain here the past three days, so walking gets a little more complex = have to watch for breaks in the rain, and hope they are long enough to let you stay dry. I have still managed a minimum of 5 kilometers a day (~3 miles), but getting started is sometimes problematic. Since getting the magical mouthwash, I have been taking in enough extra calories that I have a bit more energy.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I got very few photos of the garden this year, because garden photo season seemed to coincide with the start of my cancer treatments. Tomatoes didn’t started ripening until after that, so I have almost no photos of any tomatoes with color this year, which is a shame, because I have all of the Kozula collection in the garden, and most of them are uniquely and beautifully colored. Weather and time permitting, I will try and get some photos of the different varieties this weekend = they likely won’t get posted until I am back here next weekend, if I do take them, as I don’t like to waste good garden time on editing photos. I need some photo documentation of what was grown this year for myself as well, because I know I will not remember what color half of the varieties were without it. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The forecast for the next few days has lows of 3 C, which means the tomatoes may get hit with frost this weekend = we often get a touch of frost here, when the forecast is 3 or less. I hope it doesn’t happen, but if it does, the call goes out to come strip the plants, and I start ripping beans down and inspecting for frost damage before storing to dry. Melons and squash are close enough to the ground they may not be affected if there’s only a light touch, but a killing frost means I start processing and freezing squash immediately, and melons may or may not be usable right away. Seed harvest will get a big boot in the butt = do it or lose them. It looks like most of my walks while I am home this weekend, will be in the garden, for one reason or other.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Well, I’m back at Kelowna again. Got most of what had to be done, done = I think. Got to take the photos of the Kozula collection, but the plants and fruit are showing the effects of weather in most case. Considering that it’s already October 10, it’s hardly surprising. A real different year. I still have grasshoppers flitting around, if the day warms up enough for them to move, and there are still yellowjackets showing up in unusual places, hiding out to try and survive a little longer.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">My Chires Baby corn has decided it will tassel and start ears now, thank you. Supposed to be 75-85 days = I planted it first week of June = 120 days, and still no cob formation.</span></p></span><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B9cmBXnRHDc/TpPLPC87aXI/AAAAAAAAQ14/01TVB-Gt9xI/s640/2011-10-08%252520154.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B9cmBXnRHDc/TpPLPC87aXI/AAAAAAAAQ14/01TVB-Gt9xI/s640/2011-10-08%252520154.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This long row of squash foliage is one hill each of Musquee de Provence, and Muscade de Provence. I wanted to see if they were actually the same variety that had just been misnamed someplace along the road. It seems they are the same thing = I can see no difference in the fruit from the two hills. I duplicated the experiment in a different area of the garden, with the same result, but lower production.</span></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dXnqBKLd4HA/TpPLSDS1bRI/AAAAAAAAQ2A/KebH-SskTI4/s640/2011-10-08%252520127.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dXnqBKLd4HA/TpPLSDS1bRI/AAAAAAAAQ2A/KebH-SskTI4/s640/2011-10-08%252520127.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This barrow load was hiding under the squash foliage in the above photo. 94 Kilograms, or 208 lbs.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PzI0owhGNtI/TpPLN-8Po5I/AAAAAAAAQ10/eiqPcmSSWgY/s640/2011-10-08%252520156.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PzI0owhGNtI/TpPLN-8Po5I/AAAAAAAAQ10/eiqPcmSSWgY/s640/2011-10-08%252520156.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The greenhouse has become bean drying central for the moment = also onion and what ever else makes it in here.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ep2zPncCTQU/TpPLQNvZmSI/AAAAAAAAQ18/HBNyfEEyCx0/s640/2011-10-08%252520148.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ep2zPncCTQU/TpPLQNvZmSI/AAAAAAAAQ18/HBNyfEEyCx0/s640/2011-10-08%252520148.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>There are a couple of cucumbers and a few tomatoes waiting for me to get to seeding them, but they will hold until I get home at the end of the week.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The majority of the beans have been picked but not threshed. There are a few bush beans that need to be done,and a couple of lima beans that I am leaving up as long as I can, because they haven't started to get dry pods yet. Got very few chick peas, a much smaller crop of soy beans than I expected, and far more Ethiopian Lentils than I expected. Now I just have to find out if I like eating them = I hope so, as they are a very good source of protein and are high in calories as well = and they are dead easy to grow. I tried munching a couple while they were immature, and they are as sweet as peas, but somewhat different flavored.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I have this one week of treatments left = actually only four days = then I go home to stay, and get to wear myself out in the garden, instead of wearing out my shoes walking. I am hoping for at least a few days in the garden before frost hits hard, but likely won't get it. Fall rains started last week, and the forecast is for lowering night temperatures = down to 2C Saturday. Being home and able to work in the garden will definitely speed my recovery along = too many things to do to lay around, regardless of how little I feel like getting started. Keeping myself moving is the best way for me to rebuild, provided I stoke enough calories in = and Shaoling will see to that. I look forward to Friday, and going home. They didn't wear me down as much as I expected with the radiation or chemo, and I have been lucky enough to have missed most of the side effects of the chemo that were possible. I have lost about 70% of my hair, but not all = yet. I expected to be able to polish the dome before this = I still may, but it doesn't seem like the second round of chemo cost me any hair at all. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And the adventure continues.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B9cmBXnRHDc/TpPLPC87aXI/AAAAAAAAQ14/01TVB-Gt9xI/s640/2011-10-08%252520154.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">.</span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p></div></span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-6716237817389608472011-10-02T22:35:00.003-06:002011-10-02T23:14:41.290-06:00Five weeks done<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.32067150506190956" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Home for the weekend now. Eating is becoming problematic = one little bit of inattention when chewing and swallowing, and I get brought up short very quickly. I knew this was coming, but it is somewhat disconcerting when even taking a drink of water requires paying close attention to what you are doing. </span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I am going to be doing a lot of blender work in the next few weeks, and learn to like everything served cool to cold. This makes it possible to swallow, but in small amounts, and carefully. It’s only going to be for a few weeks, so I’ll weather it okay.</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The tomato seeds I left to ferment last week, may or may not be okay = I’ll have to germination tests on most or all of them, after they dry down. Some of them ballooned a bit from being immersed so long, which may or may not mean they are toast. Most of the beans still need to be picked, at least partially, to ensure I get the seed I need for next year. Melons have to be gathered and labelled = half at least are not mature yet. Squash are still playing hide and seek in the leaves, the pears are starting to drop at the least excuse, so it’s about time to pick them, and get ready to process what I can’t store.</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Even under the present circumstances, I just love this time of year, even when it drives me nuts to be so far behind everything = and that happens every year.</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Shaoling has finally conceded that we have far too many tomatoes for us to use, and she really hates to waste food, so we are going to be opening the gates to all comers pretty soon. She was a shop keeper all of her working life, so she want to sell everything we can’t use ourselves, and yet share with those who can’t afford to pay.</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Next year is still a mystery to me, as far as knowing what will be planted. I do know that the garden is not going to be allowed to consume all of my time, but I also know that I will, one way or another, plant every foot of bed I have = just not possible not to. I know there’s going to be a lot more sweet corn, and a lot of that is going to get processed for winter use = soups stews, and the occasional batch of kernel corn smothered in butter. Probably a lot more squash going in too = the church can use them for school meals all through the winter. And a large contingent of beans, as usual. Have to look around and see what strikes my fancy now. And beans, lots of beans = They also benefit the church's lunch program, and they look so damned impressive when they get going.</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Processed another 30 varieties of tomatoes for seed. Never did get to picking the beans, but they’ll be fine for another few weeks anyway, if need be. I have it set up now so that Shaoling can pick them, and label the buckets she puts them in with the varietal name = She can copy from the special labels I put up. She tries very hard to pick up as much as she can for me, trying to keep me from tiring myself out (futile effort, which I think she knows, but she wants to help as much as she can).</span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And I only just remembered to take photos of the spud pit as it now is = I saw my camera bag as I was loading the car to travel back to Kelowna, which jogged my memory.</span></p></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I get 14 tall ice cream pails in the pit = it was designed to accommodate them, with a little play left over, so I can squeeze in another half row down the center, if need be.</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hjW4bPYlAsM/Tok5cUPYCkI/AAAAAAAAQ1U/OP5e-7f5wqU/s640/2011-10-02%252520002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hjW4bPYlAsM/Tok5cUPYCkI/AAAAAAAAQ1U/OP5e-7f5wqU/s640/2011-10-02%252520002.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The rack on the bottom keeps the pails off the soil, and allows ventilation through the pails (about 24 3/16" holes in the bottoms).<br /><a href="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CHBJBdaDOek/Tok5dNMwofI/AAAAAAAAQ1Y/kE5hkUh6Wt8/s640/2011-10-02%252520003.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CHBJBdaDOek/Tok5dNMwofI/AAAAAAAAQ1Y/kE5hkUh6Wt8/s640/2011-10-02%252520003.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I use half length fiberglass insulation batts in feed bags, to insulate the top of the pit.<br /><a href="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vqG6Dlpt6MM/Tok5d1VNMPI/AAAAAAAAQ1c/bwE8RYMhrkA/s640/2011-10-02%252520004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vqG6Dlpt6MM/Tok5d1VNMPI/AAAAAAAAQ1c/bwE8RYMhrkA/s640/2011-10-02%252520004.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I put a double layer of batts on top of the pails, one layer running cross ways, the other going length ways.<div><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mQg4aeCmPOQ/Tok5e2cGQyI/AAAAAAAAQ1g/0vttZRNfK1Y/s640/2011-10-02%252520006.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mQg4aeCmPOQ/Tok5e2cGQyI/AAAAAAAAQ1g/0vttZRNfK1Y/s640/2011-10-02%252520006.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I never have mouse problems in the pit = the cats like to sleep on the batts in the winter.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It is still going to be a few weeks before I dig up spuds, carrots and leeks to fill the pails. I don't know if the leeks will do well or not = I do know that we get a hard enough freeze here that I will likely lose most of them if I leave them in the soil. Onions didn't size up worth a damn this year, so I have none to hang in the basement. I know they require a little more air movement than they would get in the pit, so I won't try them there.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We are starting to get sizable harvests on our pears, both Asian and European varieties, so I may try building another pit for fruit storage = have to keep them away from the veggies or they speed the ripening there. More things to cogitate for the future.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And the adventure continues.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.32067150506190956" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p></div></span></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-3881650990421822872011-09-28T20:52:00.005-06:002011-09-28T23:05:01.632-06:00We need a little help here<div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.7695949992630631" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We need a little help here, so this is an aside from talking about me and mine = I have a American forum-friend that has sort of painted himself into a corner with his desire to help those who need it. He started to gather seed to send to a seed distribution agency (<a href="http://wintersown.org/"> </a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://wintersown.org/">Wintersown</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> ) that sends seeds to people in need.(free, private, non-profit), and suddenly found himself with a pallet load of seed (800 lbs). He is unsure how, (and cannot personally afford) to send the seed to the seed agency.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">If anyone out there can help with this it would be a boon to him and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://wintersown.org/">Wintersown</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> . I will send personal contact information for him to any who con</span><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">tact me about this.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I think someone </span><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">who tries this hard to pay it forward should get a little help from the rest of us = my own seed money receipts are going there.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; " >On a more personal note again, still no sign of me starting to feel as badly as I am apparently supposed to be feeling. While my energy level could not be described as particularly high, I am having no trouble getting started in the morning, and once in motion, I keep on going. Don't have quite the sustained speed capabilities walking, but still walk faster than most I see around me.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; " ><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; " >It is likely that my good luck will not hold forever, and that I will, sooner or later, start to feel like the knot hole is getting smaller by the day, but for now, I revel in the level of goodness and life I feel within me.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; " >I will make a full post when I get home for the weekend again, and try to catch up on some of the photos that should be posted.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; " ><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; " >And the adventure continues.</span></span></p></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-73549287530701750332011-09-26T12:56:00.004-06:002011-09-26T13:01:03.783-06:00Four weeks done now.<div><br /></div><div><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.06942762830294669" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I think for a while the blog is going to become a bit more like a journal for me and my trip through the medical system, and back to good health. I will keep it garden oriented as much as possible, but I think it is likely going to slide into my current circumstances fairly often.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Last weekend I didn’t quite get to seeding the tomatoes in the greenhouse = a few other things got in the way. We canned another 58 quarts of tomato juice, I picked a few more seed tomatoes, and I picked all of the dried pods off of 6 or 7 varieties of beans.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Speaking of making juice, I think I have created a monster = Shaoling has never had a garden before, and had never done any canning before this year. I introduced her to canning with cherries. Now she wants to make juice out of everything in the garden and orchard. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">At least 200 quarts of tomato juice (which is normal for this household anyway). Carrots are next on the list, if I plant enough, and celery, and onions, and all of the other ingredients for a good mixed vegetable juice.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We have already made 30 odd quarts of cherry juice, in addition to the canned cherries.. She wants to make plum juice, and pear juice and apple juice, and if we get a good producing peach tree going, I am sure peaches will be on the list, as well as apricots, if we get a good crop.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I will quite willingly go along with all of it, for the simple reason that walking through the garden with her renews for me the awe and excitement that got me hooked on gardening in the first place. It awakens memories of walking through the garden with my grandparents, at eye level with the hornworms when they were discovered, the explanations of who and what they were and would become if left alone, and why they were not left alone. I used to love running to the nearest free range chicken with one.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I am now walking 2.6 kilometers (1.5 miles) before breakfast, doing the first and last 400 meters (.25 miles) at 180 paces/minute (8.2 kph or 5.1 mph) and slow down to 120 paces a minute (5.5 kph or 3.4 mph) for the rest of the walk). I do the same walk 3 to 6 times a day, depending on how wired I feel, and what else there is to do here. I should have the same energy in the garden!!</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Over the weekend I seeded 30+ tomato varieties using chemicals, and got another 20 varieties ready to put chemicals on, then got sidetracked for a bit doing other things = and had to leave them to ferment until next weekend. I will see just how they do, sitting for a week in the greenhouse, with its cool nights, and pass judgement on them when I get home. If they need re-doing, I still have the tomatoes available to do them, if not, then it’s just a matter of cleanup = then I can turn my attention to the other three trays of less ripe tomatoes that are setting int he greenhouse waiting for me to gut them. Cleaned a couple of squash, ripped up the Ethiopian Lentils and hung the bundles to dry under cover, for thashing later, stripped off all of the dry soybean and chickpea pods, and cut the grass int the pathways, some of the orchard, and the yard. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The Bradshaw plums are ripening now = I had forgotten just how good they can be = they are a variety I ate as a kid, and put in the orchard for the memories. Italian prune plums are coming on, apples and pears getting very close = The Asian pears have to be thinned a whole lot more than I have been doing so far = I’m only getting half sized fruit, because I am leaving far too many on the tree. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Time to start getting the spud pit ready for storage use = the carrots are sizing up, most of the spud plants have died back, and this year I will try sticking some of the leeks in the pit as well, just to see how they do. I have a rack in the bottom of the pit that keeps the pails off the ground, and holes drilled in the bottom of the pails to allow ventilation of the contents. Feed bags with fiberglass insulation go over top the buckets, and keep everything from freezing. I have already sprayed the interior of the pit with fixed copper, to eliminate any fungal growth, at least for the first half of the winter.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">You can get an idea of what I am talking about from these photos = </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p></div><a href="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nh6KEKxru4I/SuVhlKBK1MI/AAAAAAAAJ4M/8OiY1Ye6TEY/s640/2009_10250008.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nh6KEKxru4I/SuVhlKBK1MI/AAAAAAAAJ4M/8OiY1Ye6TEY/s640/2009_10250008.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IXgcrpAkYPk/SuVhh_yDplI/AAAAAAAAJ38/fzZIgc8D-Lk/s640/2009_10250002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IXgcrpAkYPk/SuVhh_yDplI/AAAAAAAAJ38/fzZIgc8D-Lk/s640/2009_10250002.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="background-color: transparent; "><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I will take some more current photos when I am home again this weekend, and update this post with them.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I’m back at the lodge again, starting another week of radiation treatments. I am no longer taking Prednisone, and it’s two weeks until my next chemo treatments, so no other meds either. This will be the first period that my body will be dealing with everything on its own. I am supposed to be entering the period of my treatments, where I start to feel the effects of the radiation and chemo = so far, nothing much that I notice. I have had no steroids or other meds for 36 hours now, and still feel somewhat wired, where I am supposed to start feeling fatigued. I did try to counter the lack of steroids by drinking my four cups of coffee this morning, and it seems to have done more than that = I felt more wired than I did while drinking coffee and taking the steroids = time will tell I am sure, in the meantime, no more coffee = I could not sit still and felt extremely speedy for about three hours after the last coffee. Tomorrow morning will likely tell the tale about whether I stay energetic and hungry, or start to feel like they say I should.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And the adventure continues.</span></p></div></span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-33181959848068058182011-09-17T21:00:00.004-06:002011-09-17T22:04:36.895-06:00Drip Irrigation System<div><br /></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.6697929457295686" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>For some time, I’ve been meaning to do a proper rundown on my drip system, complete with photos. I am going to start by giving a general description, and linking to some of the photos that I have already posted elsewhere, that reasonably represent what I do. I will try to get into the garden and take some photos to go with this, when I am home this weekend, but I tried to do that last weekend too.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I keep this blog ad free on purpose, but do occasionally plug companies or products that I like and use myself. I have no affiliation with any company I name here, other than being a satisfied customer. I also reserve the right to pan any company that I am dissatisfied with = and they will have to be very deserving of the pan before I will give it.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">That being said, I buy my ⅛” micro-tubing from </span><a href="http://www.submatic.com/catalog/tubing/1-8-micro-tubing-high-flow-1000-ft-roll.html"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">http://www.submatic.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">. I have dealt with them since 1980 or 1981, and have always been satisfied with their service.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I make my own punch from a block of wood</span></p></div><a href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9-8CfTgxpMc/SjdHlQ9s0GI/AAAAAAAAGZE/gTuIjFVDzMs/s640/EMITTER%252520PUNCH%252520DSCF4520.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9-8CfTgxpMc/SjdHlQ9s0GI/AAAAAAAAGZE/gTuIjFVDzMs/s640/EMITTER%252520PUNCH%252520DSCF4520.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; "> and an appropriately sized nail, sharpened to a fine point. End clips are made from pieces of what ever I am using for feeder lines, or garden hoses or what ever comes to hand and will stay in place. If you are covering the drip lines with mulch or anything else, the end clips are not really necessary = they just convert the water to a drip, instead of letting it squirt across the bed (if you are running higher pressure/volume to increase watering, they can squirt quite a ways). The best feeder lines are the black plastic variety, although that can get a bit expensive if you have any amount to purchase. Cheap garden hose will work very well, but usually has the disadvantage of getting stiff after a season or two, and does not hold onto the emitter lines quite as well. If you are not going to be rolling the lines up to move them, garden hoses are a good cheap alternative = if you will want to be able to roll them up every year, spring for the black plastic.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">You can make your individual emitter lines what ever length and spacing best suits your needs. If the drip lines are always going to be in the same locations, and the crops are going to be the same or similar every year, you can get very particular with your emitter layout, and reduce your water consumption accordingly. for instance, if you are always planting tomatoes with the same spacing,in the same rows, you could easily put very short emitter lines in exactly the right position, and reduce the amount of micro-tubing and water required. If you are going to be rotating things through the beds, or re-orienting garden areas, you might want to do a more general configuration, with longer and closer spaced emitter lines. I move stuff all over my beds, so I tend to do longer lines, and closer spaced. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> Since I have no water constraints, I tend to use a bit more, and a bit more frequently than I might otherwise = for me it pays off in larger harvests.</span></p></div></div><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--l4s_AYIgn0/SjdHlaVCsII/AAAAAAAAGZE/uP4a4BW51po/s640/2009_04160009.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--l4s_AYIgn0/SjdHlaVCsII/AAAAAAAAGZE/uP4a4BW51po/s640/2009_04160009.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><a href="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_kDUC1VGl-M/SjdHlU9bmjI/AAAAAAAAGZE/ReMqezd-fCE/s640/2009_04160011.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_kDUC1VGl-M/SjdHlU9bmjI/AAAAAAAAGZE/ReMqezd-fCE/s640/2009_04160011.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-74YJXqsD8H4/SjdHlSHcH4I/AAAAAAAAGZE/8QCpRcaB74o/s640/2009_04160014.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-74YJXqsD8H4/SjdHlSHcH4I/AAAAAAAAGZE/8QCpRcaB74o/s640/2009_04160014.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">One of the advantages to using the micro-tubing is that it is very easy to clean a plugged emitter (which I seldom have to do) = pull the end cap off, and stick a piece of 16 gauge wire down the emitter line (metal guitar strings are great for this = they are stiff and don’t kink). When you cut your emitter lines, cut them at an angle </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span></span></p></div></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nLJd5skhcCM/TnVbwwyrirI/AAAAAAAAQzM/cfhsr_gZfB8/s640/2011-09-17%252520008.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nLJd5skhcCM/TnVbwwyrirI/AAAAAAAAQzM/cfhsr_gZfB8/s640/2011-09-17%252520008.JPG" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">so you</span></span> won’t plug them by pushing them against the far wall of the feeder line. If you make your emitter lines too long, they are going to be difficult to clean, as the wire will want to bend and kink. If you have an emitter in the wrong place, just cut it off at about 1”, and burn the end closed, or just pull off the end cap, and burn the end closed, leaving it in place in case you change your mind again.</p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "></p><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I run a header line across the top end of all of my beds, and use the cheapest taps I can find to control the water on each bed (usually water tank taps). Run the largest diameter header line you can, to allow the largest volume possible to your feeder lines, bearing in mind that the first restriction in the line sets the volume for all of the line behind it = ie the tap that regulates your water sets the volume that will flow through the lines downstream from it. If your first tap is ½”, that is what regulates the volume you pass to the rest of the system. This doesn’t necessarily say to put the rest of the lines in at ½”, because you also have to deal with friction in the lines, which can make a difference if you have longer runs. I cobbled my initial header lines out of what ever was available here when I started, so I have a mix of 1”, and ¾” headers, which is all made moot by the fact that all of my taps controlling the beds are ½”. The individual feeder lines on the beds are a mix of ¾” black plastic, ½” black plastic, and ½” and ¾” garden hoses. My beds vary in length from 40’ to 100’, with emitter spacings from 9” to 18”staggered down each side of the feeder line. Emitter line lengths are from 6” to 15”, mostly around 9”. I can adequately water 400 emitters at once, using two hours for watering time. This gives me enough time to water my whole garden in one day (I have two taps and two header systems, with about 1100 feet of bed). If you use water soluble fertilizer (MiracleGro, etc) or lots of well filtered compost, other teas, or molasses,invest in an injection siphon. </span></p></div></div><a href="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G1VVOKFQs9o/TnVayITuJ9I/AAAAAAAAQy4/dGBwstZgaKI/s640/2011-09-17%252520004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G1VVOKFQs9o/TnVayITuJ9I/AAAAAAAAQy4/dGBwstZgaKI/s640/2011-09-17%252520004.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="background-color: transparent; "><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It greatly simplifies feeding your garden, and cuts down on waste as well.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Because all of my lines are either plastic, or garden hose, I don't have to worry about winter frost damage. I disconnect the feed line, and open all of the valves and taps in the system, so there is no chance of water getting trapped in anything metal. The worst that might happen is a joint may get forced apart if water gets trapped in it, and it freezes solid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">In addition to the drip irrigation, I hand water new plantings of beans, carrots, onions and similar, two or three times daily, until they are large enough to mulch around. It substantially reduces the losses from stress.</span></p></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-7426731555611477622011-09-13T20:13:00.005-06:002011-09-19T21:41:28.141-06:00Two weeks inMy first week of treatment consisted of 3 chemo sessions, and 4 radiation treatments. I am now in my third week of radiation, with another 3 sessions of chemo next week. Already feeling slight improvements, and so far, no bad side effects, although I know they are coming. <div><br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> I'm staying in the Rotary Lodge behind Kelowna General Hospital during the week, and driving home Friday nights and back again Sunday evening, or Monday morning, if my first treatment is late enough in the day. It's a 5 hour drive each way, and I will go home every weekend, unless I start to feel too rough to make the drive. I have a mattress in the back of the Montana (all seats pulled to give me ample room), so I can pull over and recoup with a nap if need be. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Total treatment routine for me will be 12 chemo sessions = 3 consecutive days, a two week break then another 3 days, etc. and 33 radiation treatments. I expect things may start to get a bit unpleasant after about week four or five, but I am willing to be disappointed in that respect.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I've been taking Prednisone for a rash since just before the treatments started, and it is keeping my appetite at a higher than usual level, and my weight is staying up with no problem. I am also wired all the time, also due to the Prednisone. I'm walking 10 t0 15 kilometers a day (6 to 10 miles), just to keep the energy under control.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>A note on the garden and home front = I have seeding tomatoes picked for almost everything now, and they are waiting in the greenhouse for me to process when I get home this weekend. I will have to do chemical processing for this years seeds = I'm only home for two days, and fermentation takes more than that here, but less than a week, which is when I would be here next to finish them. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I have about 60 varieties that I have to get seed from this year, and some of those will have multiple entries, because they are stabilization grow outs, and have presented more than one good expression. So I am looking at 70 to 80 batches of seed to process. I'm not really rushed on these, thanks to having the greenhouse to hold them in, so I'll split the time I have, and do a day of tomato squishing, and a day of bean picking = they can hang and dry in the greenhouse too.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In the two weekends I have been home, we've processed 46 quarts of tomato juice, and a half dozen quarts of kosher dills. Shaoling picks the tomatoes on Thursday, and cuts them into canning pots and puts them in the oven Friday evening to cook. Saturday morning we start processing the tomatoes into juice, and can them in the pressure cooker through the day. If there is more than one canner load, it goes in the oven Saturday night and gets processed before I leave Sunday afternoon.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It's going to get interesting a bit later, when the pears start wanting to be canned, and the apples are ready for juicing, and we still have tomatoes to process. Storage is going to become a bit of a problem for a while too, when I start bringing the squash in from the field = I have only a slight idea of just how many squash are out there hiding in the leaves. And I believe I have a few watermelon hiding someplace under the tomatoes and squash in the main garden. This weekend is going to full of discoveries, I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>And the adventure continues.</div></div>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-56988220253161398362011-09-02T23:39:00.001-06:002011-09-19T21:31:31.131-06:00Personal Update<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; font-style: normal; widows: 2; orphans: 2; "><span><span><span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span style="text-decoration: none; "><span><span>I think I will start this by quoting something I first wrote in 1998 =</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 1.27cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; "><span><span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">“<span><span style="font-size: 11pt; "><i><b>There aint no reboot, rewind, or start game over. This is the only run through you get, so get it right, and do it now, because you have no guarantee the game will continue.</b></i></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-style: normal; widows: 2; orphans: 2; "><span><span><span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span style="text-decoration: none; "><span><span style="font-size: 11pt; "><i><b>You may feel that this is only the first inning, period, quarter, or half, but I tell you it is the bottom of the ninth, the end of the third, the last kick of the fourth, and the end of the second half, and you have no guarantee of getting off of the bench again.</b></i></span></span></span><br /><span style="text-decoration: none; "><span><span style="font-size: 11pt; "><i><b>If you have to play in pain, do it. If you wait for the pain to leave, the final buzzer, bell, or whistle may go before you get back in the game, so don’t wait.</b></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 1.27cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; "><span><span><span style="font-size: 11pt; "><i><b><span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Make the statement you want to make, and play the game as you want to play it. Don’t wait for the rules to change = they won’t, unless you change them yourself.</span></b></i></span></span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 1.27cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; "><span><span><span style="font-size: 11pt; "><i><b><span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Lest you think I am saying what I don’’t do, I tell you I am playing the game I chose, and have made my own rules long ago. Things I don’t want to do, I ignore. Face, appearances, respect of others, all of the things that we run our lives by = they are not for my rule book, unless they fit with what I feel my life should be. I do what I do, because I must to be me. The only person whose respect I have to work at keeping, is me. If I do what I can live happily with, I am doing alright. I respect my own value set more than most others, and if I meet mine, I don’t need to worry about meeting those of others.”</span></b></i></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>I have put off writing this post for several reasons. At first it was because I was not ready to share with the world what was going on with my life yet, as I had not fully absorbed what it meant to me, and how I was going to deal with it. Another reason I did not post, was that I did not have enough information myself yet about anything/everything, and would be unable to answer any of the questions that I knew would come.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>Since I now have enough of an information set I think it is time to post what is transpiring.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>I was diagnosed with lung cancer in May. To be specific, Type 3A lung cancer. The designation indicates that I have cancer in one lung, it has spread outside the lung to some of the lymph nodes, but not metastasized = I have had a total bone scan, a CT scan of my abdomen and head, and a bronchoscopy with ultrasound and a biopsy thrown in. The lung and nymph nodes are the only locations there is cancer.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>The prognosis, based on the statistics for Type 3A, and how I am presenting the symptoms is good. The median survival rate for a diagnosis of Type 3A is 15 months (that is the point at which 50% of those diagnosed will have died). The 5 year survival rate is 23%.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>Because of the way I am presenting the symptoms = very good general fitness, still good lung function despite 56 years of smoking (I quit August 23, 2010), no weight loss, and no difficulty swallowing = the oncologist says I will be in the 23%. He also said that he thought he could cure this, not just drive it into remission, and that is the premise he is treating me on.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>I know this blog has been badly neglected and very infrequently posted to for some time. I could make excuses about various things happening that made it impossible, but the fact is, life just sort of got in the way, and the garden got looked to first.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; "><span>I've had my bell rung again with this latest development, and will listen up a little better to what I <i></i><span style="font-style: normal; ">preach in the above quote.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>As a result, the garden is no longer going to be the sole focus of my life. I will still garden in a big way, but it's going to have to fend for itself a lot more than it has in the past. I will expand the variety of things I grow, but reduce the amounts of some of the crops at the same time.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>The orchard will see better maintenance, so I don't end up taking 3/4 of the crop off with a pruning that should have been done two years earlier. Thinning will take place on time for a change, watering will be more frequent, and there will be a lot of manure spread around the trees for a change.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>The trade offs come in that I will actually go fishing, and do a little travelling for a change. Things that I have shunted aside for most of the past nine years here, in favour of spending more time in the garden, are going to get done again.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>It's not that I don't still love gardening = it's just that I have been reminded that I do not have all of the time in the world, and there are still flavours of things out there that I have not sampled.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>I will keep you all apprised of what is happening, as it transpires.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>Strangely enough, this might also result in a lot more gardening content being posted as well, as there will be more time to do it in (I think).</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span>As with everyone else, I have more facets to my life than gardening and this blog = I have just faced away from them for a bit too long, and will start doing at least a few of them again.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; ">I do ask that you not let this announcement change or shade the way you interact with me. I am still the same guy, and I still plan to be around for a long time. If you think this has me thinking long about my mortality, don't = I just started crossing tomatoes, and am going to be replacing a few fruit trees that have had to be removed. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Life is the great adventure, and no adventure is complete with out days or periods where things do not go as planned, or it would be a very dull adventure. </p>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-89668072991738466592011-02-21T08:00:00.004-07:002011-02-21T10:06:17.543-07:00Urban Homestead, Urban HomesteadingThis is a bit of an unusual post for this blog.<br />It isn't about directly gardening, or improving how you do it, but about attitudes towards the whole gardening movement/lifestyle.<br />There is a family or group of people someplace in the USA (<span style="font-style: italic;">I don't know which, or where, or have many details on exactly what they are or do, because they are obviously not an entity that I am interested in knowing about, for reasons that will become clear</span>) that has taken it upon themselves to copyright the name of a movement that they had nothing to do with starting.<br />Taking out copyright protection on a particular product that you are instrumental in creating and popularizing, or the name of a particular article, organization, or farm is one thing = taking out copyright protection on a movement that was evident and named 30 years prior to your using it is just plain ludicrous.<br />A quick Google gave me an instance of its usage in Boston in 1975 (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/section810urbanh00bost">http://www.archive.org/details/section810urbanh00bost</a>), and it may have been in use before that = I didn't bother chasing any farther.<br />I don't know or care if they are going to try and make money off of the copyright, or just use it as a club to prevent use of the phrase/name in ways they disapprove of, it just rankles. I think the world could use a little break from "copyrightitis", and snobbery branding.<br />Don't know what I mean? How much do you pay for what used to be called "runners" and "sneakers", because they have a logo on the side. Quality and effectiveness (which are usually questionable) aside, you are paying more for the name than the product. I doubt you would be so accepting in a fancy restaurant, if the fancy "steak tartare" was listed on the menu for what it actually is = raw hamburger, raw eggs, onions, capers and anchovies.<br />Call the runners what they are, and see if you still want to pay $100+ for something that won't last a summer, and is no better for your feet than the $15 imports that don't have the fancy logo (that were probably made in the same country, if not factory).<br />But that's another rant.<br />I doubt that there is anything happening on their urban homestead than hasn't been happening in gardens and yards in cities since the '30's reminded the world they could go hungry even in civilized countries, but even if there is, it doesn't justify the copyright.<br />They didn't invent the phrase or the concept, by at least 30 years. Whether they use the club or not, it has no basis to legitimize it. Like patenting life forms, it should not be deemed legitimate.<br />Just my two cents worthDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-7220338899431088752011-01-25T14:08:00.003-07:002011-01-25T14:16:17.749-07:00The Latest Seed ListI finally have a link to the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4whnxy3">2010 FALL SEED LIST</a> . The list has been up for about two weeks, but I forgot to add the link here. Please check through it, and ask for what tickles your fancy.<br />I will try to update and add to this blog on a more regular basis, and offer what I can for information about what strikes me as necessary through the season. If you have questions, or suggestions for topics to be covered, drop me a line, and I will see if I can offer any constructive input.<br />I hope you will all have a great 2011 gardening year.<br />Cheers<br />DanDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-87132180158943605202010-06-01T01:35:00.002-06:002010-06-01T01:57:59.188-06:00Another new spud bed<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This is just to show you how quick and easy it can be to establish a new bed. In this case, it will be used this year to grow potatoes, although you could do the same thing without the potatoes, just to establish a bed for use next year, with a minimum of labour.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This is what I started with. I didn't even bother to mow the grass before starting.</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAS3clRv0JI/AAAAAAAALKE/eQC76q82uO8/s640/2010_05300002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAS3clRv0JI/AAAAAAAALKE/eQC76q82uO8/s640/2010_05300002.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cardboard installed, first loads of mulch in place, and seed potatoes nested in the mulch. My "guard cat" is a paranoid wuss.</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAS3ellJb2I/AAAAAAAALKQ/9gKOU-yUPIs/s640/2010_05300004.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAS3ellJb2I/AAAAAAAALKQ/9gKOU-yUPIs/s640/2010_05300004.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">And here is the finished bed, just waiting for the potatoes to show up. Total time between the first photo and the last one is one hour, twenty five minutes, and that includes the time to mow the grass for the mulch.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAS3grQA_mI/AAAAAAAALKY/hV-lYDQiYIU/s640/2010_05300008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAS3grQA_mI/AAAAAAAALKY/hV-lYDQiYIU/s640/2010_05300008.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> When the potato plants start flowering, probably early August, I will add another heavy coat of mulch around the base of the plants, perhaps twice in a two week period. The plants tend to put out most of the tubers almost on the surface of the mulch then, and they will sunburn if they don't receive another blanket of mulch, just as they would if you didn't hill them. Come harvest time in the fall, I won't need a shovel, as the tubers will almost all be above the cardboard. And since they are totally surrounded with green mulch, there should be no scab on any of them. I will try to remember to post update photos of the progress of this new bed.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Next spring, the soil here should be much easier to dig, than it would be right now, and it will have a fairly high humus content due to the amount of broken down weed roots and mulch. Most of the cardboard will literally dissolve over the summer and winter. I will also expect a fairly high worm population when I do turn the soil.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cheers</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dan</span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-37323946147281800682010-05-30T02:27:00.006-06:002010-05-30T03:28:02.946-06:00I'm late again<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">It has taken me a bit longer to get back here to post than I had intended. I am slowly getting caught up with bed prepping, and lost some ground with my transplants.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I waited ten days after the latest frost date I've seen here, before I started planting out the beans and corn that I had prestarted. I guess I should have waited a few more days, because we had a very light frost four days later, and I lost over half of the beans I had planted out. The corn fared much better, with only 4 or 5 plants out of about 700 being affected at all by the frost. I also lost a good percentage of my squash plants in my hoop houses, as I had no heater going (there was no frost warning). Surprisingly, I only lost two melon plants. I would have thought they would be even more susceptible to frost than the squash, but apparently not.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Any varieties I lost that I have enough seed for to plant out now, and still have some left for another try next spring, I will try direct seeding, and hope to get enough to save seed from. The beans that I can't replant, I will direct seed some other variety as a replacement = I like to see the teepees filled out.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Now, how to "cheat" on making new garden beds.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I started by tearing the turf out along the border of the new bed section I wanted to create, and throwing the beaten out turf on top of the bed I was making. It looks like I have done more digging than is actually the case, as I beat the soil out of the roots, to help kill the weeds and break them down a bit quicker. I have actually only dug out about an 8" (20 cm) border around the bed.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIfpX82hzI/AAAAAAAALIc/xWBzwzEWwaY/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIfpX82hzI/AAAAAAAALIc/xWBzwzEWwaY/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090020.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Then I covered the bed with a couple of layers of cardboard. If you don't have cardboard, newspaper will do, but you will have to put it on at least 5 pages thick, and heavier would be better. Don't use glossy colour magazine pages, as the inks and dyes often have heavy metals in them, and you don't want to incorporate them into your soil.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIfrb8xamI/AAAAAAAALIk/Yeg-BdjIBOo/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090021.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIfrb8xamI/AAAAAAAALIk/Yeg-BdjIBOo/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090021.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Since this bed is going to have a melon in it for this year, I only manured the hole the hill is going to be located in. Some of the soil that is on the cardboard will be pulled up around the base of the melon plant when I transplant it.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIftNwlbwI/AAAAAAAALIs/bYLxOdV4GJE/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090029.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIftNwlbwI/AAAAAAAALIs/bYLxOdV4GJE/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090029.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Then, to make it a little less ugly for the summer, and to help break down the turf under the cardboard, I buried the cardboard in mulch. This mulch happens to be recycled from the top of another bed. Make your mulch layer at least 3" (8 cm) thick, heavier than that if you have mulch to do it with. Almost anything organic will do for this, as you can scrape it away later, if you don't want to add it to your soil.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIfvDZ8THI/AAAAAAAALI0/bjzVgpBUvsI/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090030.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aKlVwuyZNvk/TAIfvDZ8THI/AAAAAAAALI0/bjzVgpBUvsI/s640/making%20new%20beds%202010_05090030.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The way I have done this is a bit more labour intensive than it has to be, but that is a matter of personal choice. The cardboard could have been laid directly on the sod, without digging the border, and just the hole for the melon dug out and manured, and the mulch added. I wanted the bed to already have an established border when I dig it out this fall or next spring.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">There are other ways of creating new beds without having to fight the turf while it is still alive. Probably the best known of these, is "lasagna gardening" </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" href="http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm">http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I'll post a couple of photos next time, making a new bed without digging the border first. It is worth noting that you can do this on areas you don't intend to plant this year, and even leave it to be done until early in the fall if you don't have the time to spare now. Of course, the longer you have for the cardboard and mulch to kill and break down the turf, the easier it will be to turn the soil next spring.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Until next time, have fun in the dirt.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cheers</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dan</span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-13385041613637948852010-04-28T01:42:00.007-06:002010-04-28T02:30:51.278-06:00Catching up<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I'm not sure yet just how this years garden is going to do. I think I am going to be caught up with the bed preparations by the time things are supposed to be hitting the ground, but that could just be me being delusional. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I've cut way back on the tomatoes this year = Less than 40 varieties, with the total number of plants undecided yet, but probably 150 to 200, way down from the 500+ of the year before last.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />As I did last year, I will be growing out 45 varieties of beans, only 8 of which are bush type, so there will be a whack of teepees in the garden again. They will be interspersed with 11 varieties of melons, 9 different winter squashes, 7 pea varieties, and 8 unique corns, most of which are flour or flint types, with first nation origins.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Something that many of you may not know, is that flint/flour corns can be eaten as a sweet corn, if you harvest while they are still in the milky stage, before the kernels change to their final colour. Some varieties are less flavorful then than sweet corns. Some rival the best sweet corns, with the bonus of having more than just sweet for taste.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Some of the corns I am trialing this year are sweet corns, and I am looking forward to seeing how well they do here, with our hot days and cool nights trying to lengthen their DTM.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />I'll also have onions planted in their own bed, as well as stuck in here and there throughout the garden beds = the only interplanting that will occur this year. There should be a block of carrots, and another of beets, and a half dozen varieties of peppers, both hot and sweet (provided they germinate for me), a half dozen beds of potatoes that were planted late October last year, and enough tobacco plants to last me for the year (23 varieties).</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Last years experiment with interplanting everything proved to me that it is possible to do without loss of production in anything. It also proved to me that it is only really doable if you have a smaller garden than I have, as the maintenance on the interplanting adds a bit more time and work.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />If you don't keep on top of them, the pole beans will strangle the tomatoes, the squash will climb the pole beans, and the melons will hide under the tomatoes and pole beans, and try to climb the corn. Squash runners will need tucking back into the beds about every second day, or they will take over the pathways. I did learn how to keep the squash and melons from getting too aggressive, but I'll save that for another post, when I can take photos to illustrate.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /> I've been in the garden until dark every day the weather has let me play in the dirt. Still lots of weeds to get out of the beds before I can transplant, and still lots of manure to dig in for this years feed for the plants. Another 6 or 8 beds to turn from turf into garden, and I'll probably "cheat" a little on how I do that, but I'll leave the explanation for that process for the next post.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cheers</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dan</span>Dan and Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512160127056702431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-7549393925052511692010-02-08T23:03:00.003-07:002010-04-01T18:34:58.206-06:00Seed list is finally ready<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We have had a more than eventful winter so far, but we finally have the seed list pulled together. There are offerings of beans, corn, peas, melons, squash, tobacco, and tomatoes, with links to the albums for each at the end of their respective listings.<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span></span><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://tinyurl.com/ygnh8v9"><b>http://tinyurl.com/ygnh8v9</b></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I'm afraid you will have to put up with me (Grunt) running the blog for now, as Grungy is busy battling cancer, and unable to post. I think we will be a bit more active here now, than we have been in the past couple of months.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">for now, I will say, check out the seed list(s), and see what strikes your fancy. Make up your list of wants, and email us at grungysgarden@gmail.com and include your address. I will be starting to ship out seeds this week, but there are no guarantees as to how soon I will get your order out, although I will be as quick as I can.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Start doing now (if you can) any of the things needed to get your garden ready to go. If your soil isn't frozen solid, start chinking out weeds or digging in compost or manure. If it is frozen, and you can find your beds, start putting the compost and manure in place to be dug in when you can. It gets you outdoors and into the fresh air, and cuts down on what has to be done when everything needs to be done at once.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Wishing you all a great gardening year.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dan</span>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-27854033538252714352009-11-21T01:11:00.003-07:002009-11-21T01:26:19.310-07:00Just a brief assurance that the blog has not been abandoned. We are experiencing an open fall, with weather that, most days, allows me to work in the garden. I am taking advantage of that, so the indoor work (computers, database, etc.) gets neglected. We had a mixed year for weather, with a few things doing exceptionally well, a few things doing atrociously, and most things just doing okay, but very late maturing.<br />Photos of "other than tomato" grow outs can be seen at<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.picasaweb.google.com/danvaltrial">http://www.picasaweb.google.com/danvaltrial</a><br />Some will have seed available later, some may not due to insufficient return. some of the peas and beans we only had 3 or 4 seeds to start with, and they will have to be regrown to increase, so may not be available. This years seed list will be posted here, when ready, but that may be a little while yet. As long as the weather lets me be outside, the indoor work is going to be deferred. Who knows, I may even get caught up out there.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03037686682441679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-33231573116286333722009-05-06T03:16:00.001-06:002009-05-06T03:19:22.257-06:00"Just a little busy right now"Just a little booster to let everyone know that the blog has not been abandoned, just set aside until we can catch our breathes again. <br /> We have about 900 tomato seedlings in the hoop houses now, with 285 having already gone out the door to one of the local nurseries. We also have a few peppers and eggplants keeping the tomatoes company, 20 varieties of squash and 20 of melons that have just poked their heads up, and over half of the 55 bean varieties sitting in their paper pots, getting ready to germinate. 23 varieties of peas have already been prestarted and planted out. along with a handful of chard, lettuce and carrots. <br /> The first batch of prestarted corn goes out tomorrow, or the next day that is good enough to get into the garden. Onions and a small patch of carrots have already been planted, and the onions are starting to emerge. <br /> A few new beds have been dug, but there are still more than 200' of beds to be de-turfed and readied for planting, and another 600 drip emitters to be installed. The pathway drip system has to be assembled and installed, and another 1500 or so emitters fitted to those lines. All of the established beds, about 1100', have to be weeded and prepped for planting, and another 40 poles for bean teepees strung and erected.<br /> The layout of this years garden has been committed to paper, and already altered on the ground. It should be interesting to see, as we are inter-planting everything throughout the rows, and trying a few vegetables that are new to us (collards and Couves Tronchuda, or Portuguese Cabbage) and a fairly fleshy leafed kale variety. Onions, beets, carrots, chard, and what ever else crosses our minds will get stuck in here and there throughout the garden rows, and maybe given a separate spot just for the heck of it. We might be pushing the envelope a bit with some of what we are trying, but it should all work, and will hopefully prove that you have room for more than you think, even in a fairly small garden. <br /> There will be photos posted, as there are developments that warrant them, so stay tuned. First photos will likely come towards the end of May, if all goes anywhere near according to plan.<br /> Have a great gardening year, and above all, enjoy it!!<br />DanDan and Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512160127056702431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770869971861251389.post-74833005090655561762009-03-16T23:41:00.003-06:002009-03-16T23:48:09.634-06:00Continuing the planting and germinationToday was the first day at planting tomatoes. These will become the early workhorses in the garden. With a little bit of luck we should be eating tomatoes by mid-July or earlier. The lettuce, collards, carrots are up and doing well. The hot peppers are continuing to poke their propeller heads through the soil. Now if we could just get more sunny days and a lot less clouds, everything would be hunky dory.<br /><br />In about 10 days time the first batch of tomatoes will be transplanted into individual pots, and then as the first germination chamber empties, we will begin planting the main bulk of the tomato varieties.Dan and Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512160127056702431noreply@blogger.com1