September 4, 2010

  Saying Goodbye To Summer

Have a safe and Happy Labor Day!

In loving memory of my friend, Debbie Williams who lost her battle with brain cancer.  She was a 'Sunset' kinda girl.  Via Con Dios, Debbie.

As the sun sets on another Summer, reflecting on one of the hottest on record; it has been a fine one, all things considered.  All of the hard work in the garden and the ' just in time to save the day' rains;  resulted in a bounty any gardner would be proud of.

We have visited friends, gone to reunions and even got more than a 'farmer's tan'! 

For you, my friends, my hope is that you have made your own wonderful memories this Summer.  Maybe you taught a child to ride a horse.  Or held the hand of someone old.  Or rescued a kitten.  Or made a friend.

Don't forget to remember the good things in your life.  We, too often; take them for granted.  

Memories are what give us Roses in Winter.  

    Last Full Moon of the Summer!

The Full Red Moon

The moon will reach full phase Tuesday. But as far as full moons go, it won't be the most impressive. In fact, it will be the smallest full moon of the year.

About 13 hours after it's officially full, the moon will arrive at the point in its orbit farthest from Earth (called apogee), a distance of 252,518 miles (406,389 km). The moon's apparent angular size that night will be at a minimum in 2010.

Though the casual viewer may not notice the difference, the Aug. 24 moon will appear 12.3 percent smaller than the full moon of Jan. 30, which nearly coincided with perigee – the moon's closest point in its orbit relative to Earth.

Observing the moon

When is the best time to observe the moon with a telescope? Most astronomy neophytes might say during full phase, but that's probably the worst time. The moon tends to be dazzlingly bright as well as appearing one-dimensional.

The intervals when the moon is at or just past first-quarter and last-quarter phases are when we get the best views of the landscape right along the moon's sunrise-sunset line, or terminator. [Skywatcher's Guide to the Moon] (The terminator can also be defined as that variable line between the illuminated portion and the part of the moon in shadow.)

Along with the fact that a half moon offers more viewing comfort to the eye than a full moon does, we can see a wealth of detail on its surface using a telescope with just small optical power (magnifications of 20 to 40 power), or even good binoculars. Around those times when the moon is half-lit or in the gibbous phase (as it will be next weekend), those features lying close to the terminator stand out in sharp, clear relief.

The moon was at first-quarter phase on Monday, Aug. 16 at 18:14 GMT  (2:14 p.m. EDT). That was the moment when its disk was exactly 50 percent illuminated. Lunar mountains became visible as the sun lit  them from the right.

How bright it is

How does brightness of a half moon compare with that of full? Most would probably think it's half as bright, but astronomers tell us the half moon of the first quarter is only one-eleventh as bright as full. This is due to the fact that it  is heavily shadowed, even on its illuminated half. Believe or not, it isn't until just 2.4 days before full that the moon actually becomes half as bright as when it's full.

A full moon is almost completely illuminated, especially right around its center; the sun shines straight into all the microscopic crevices, and perhaps except for around the immediate edges, you will find no visible shadows at all.

Finally, have you ever noticed that when artists portray the moon, they invariably seem to show it as either a slender crescent or full? Half moons are shown far less frequently, and gibbous moons are rarely depicted at all. Ansel Adams' famous photograph "Autumn moon" is an outstanding exception, involving a waxing gibbous moon that Adams imaged from Yosemite National Park's Glacier Point in California back in September 1948.

What "gibbous" means

The word "gibbous" is derived from the Latin word "gibbus," meaning, "hump." An unusual word to be sure, but in describing the moon between half and full, it's the correct term.

The gibbous moon also is the most-seen phase, occurring for the half month between first and last quarter. Because it is in the sky for more than half the night, we're more apt to see the gibbous moon.

In fact, it is even visible during the daytime hours. That will be the case just after sunrise on the weekend following the full moon. In contrast, the oft-pictured crescent moon is visible only during the early evening or early morning hours, and sometimes only briefly.

gourds

Lovely in it's silhouette, dipper gourds come in all shapes according to how you grow them.  This beauty was left to wander on it's own, giving your imagination a chance to work when planning a craft for your gourd.

Despite being an old and somewhat unusual medium, gourds haven't lost their appeal. In fact, their popularity is still growing.

The gourd has been referred to as "nature's greatest gift to mankind." Experts believe it is the only plant that spanned the entire globe in prehistoric times. In North America, gourd seeds and fragments dating from 11,000 B.C. have been discovered in Gainesville, Fla. In both Africa and the Americas, gourds were used for baby bottles, infant bathtubs and cradles. Native Americans used gourds for cooking, eating, storing and transporting food, and American settlers stored eggs in bushel (large vessel) gourds.

This connection with ancient culture, coupled with the fact that the gourd is an organic life form, provides a sense of energy that many contemporary artists find compelling. Many gourd artists refer to the spiritual and inspirational nature of their work, saying, "The gourd tells me what to do."

There are many kinds of gourds in use around the world, but most artists in the United States work with the hard-shell variety. These grow in many shapes, but are generally categorized as baskets, bottles or dippers, and siphons, snakes or troughs.

One challenge that gourd artists face (like most craftspeople) is the public's lack of understanding about the amount of labor that goes into each piece. The approximately 12-month growing season for a gourd requires 130 days of full sun. Once ripe, the gourd is cured or dried; this can take anywhere from several weeks to a year. During the curing period, water (about 90 percent of a ripe gourd) evaporates through the woody shell and dries on the gourd's surface, forming mold. The cured gourd then must be cleaned by soaking the gourd in hot water, scrubbing and scraping it to remove the mold. Depending on how the gourd will be used, it may also be cut, and the dried pulp cleaned out.

Once cleaned, the gourd is ready for decoration. Some artists paint the surface; some embellish with beads, shells, basketry, wire, antlers and found objects; some burn; and some carve. Depending on the techniques used and the size of the gourd, some works can be completed in a couple of hours. Others take weeks or even months.

  Loofa Gourd Bloom

The only thing left in the garden that is blooming!

August Garden Tips

by Andrew Odom |

Good day to you!  While you ponder your thoughts for today, we here in the Valley would like you to know what a group in Cannon County, TN is doing!  The petition has it's signatures (One of which is mine) and now it is up to the voters in Cannon County on the ballot for November!

We need the jobs, we need the tourism; so what's the problem?  We see none!

Good Luck to our new friends at the Short Mountain Distillery! 

Group turns in signatures for Tennessee’s first distillery referendum

If you're going to plant for fall crops, you'd better get on with it! 

Gas up the Tractor and let's PLANT!

Planting guide for August 2010

Courtesy of the Farmer's Almanac

1st-2nd Barren Days, Do No Planting.
3rd-4th Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now Will Yield Well.
5th-6th Any Seeds Planted Now Will Tend To Rot.
7th-8th Most Favorable Days For Planting Beets, Onions, Turnips, And Other Root Crops. Plant Seedbeds And Flower Gardens.
9th-13th A Barren Time. Best For Killing Weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, And Other Plant Pests. Clear Woodlots And Fence Rows.
14th-15th Good Days For Planting Above Ground Crops. Excellent For Sowing Grains, Winter Wheat, Oats, And Rye. Plant Flowers.
16th-17th Plant Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, Peppers, And Other Above Ground Crops In Southern Florida, California, And Texas. Extra Good For Leafy Vegetables. Plant Seedbeds.
18th-20th Cut Winter Wood, Do Clearing And Plowing, But No Planting.
21st-22nd A Good Time To Plant Above Ground Crops.
23rd-25th Barren Days.fine For Killing Plant Pests.
26th-27th Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops, Fine For Vine Crops.
28th-29th Barren Days.do No Planting.
30th-31st Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now Will Yield Well.

  Good bye, my beauties!

August is upon us and the lilies are no more.  But I'll be looking in the spot by the creek for this beauty called Big Smile.  This stunning flower comes back every year and just screams Spring! 

Do yourself a favor.  Plant some flowers.  Plant different, pleasing 'fleurs' in secluded spots in the shade, at your favorite place to sit, in bunches by the water or a single flower in an otherwise desolate location.  Will it grow in full sun?  Will it grow in the shade?  How do I take care of it?  The person that sells them to you will know the answers to these questions.  Just be sure to ASK!

The rewards are tremendous.

What could possibly be better than wandering around the yard every season to see what made it and what didn't.  Most do make it, with even more blooms than the last season!  It does not take a green thumb, just tender loving care.  Like every living, breathing thing.    

And Venus Was Her Name …

by Jaime McLeod | Monday, July 19th, 2010 | From: Astronomy, Featured

After the Moon, the planet Venus is the brightest natural object in the night sky. It is both the Earth’s closest neighbor in our Solar System and the planet most similar to Earth in size, gravity, and composition. For this reason, Venus is often referred to as our “sister planet” or “twin.” Here are some more facts you might not know about the “cloud planet”:

• The diameter of Venus is 7519 miles, or about 95% that of the Earth. Its mass is 81.5% of the Earth’s.

• Venus orbits the Sun once every 225 Earth days, and rotates once every 243 Earth days, giving it the longest day of any planet in our Solar System. It is the only planet whose days are longer than its years. Venus rotates on its axis in the opposite direction from most planets, and although all planetary orbits are elliptical (oval-shaped), Venus comes the closest to having a perfectly circular orbit.

• The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Its two upraised continental masses are named for the Greek and Babylonian goddesses of love, Aphrodite and Ishtar.

• Venus’ surface can’t be seen from space, because it is covered with a thick layer of clouds and sulfuric acid. Venus has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), which consists mostly of carbon dioxide. The atmospheric pressure at the planet’s surface is 92 times that of the Earth. This is equivalent to the pressure of the ocean at a depth of about half of a mile.

• Though Venus is nearly twice the distance of Mercury from the Sun, and thus receives only 25% of the solar radiation Mercury does, its surface is actually hotter, reaching temperatures of up to 860 °F. The reason is that Venus’ thick carbon dioxide-based atmosphere and sulfur dioxide clouds produce the strongest greenhouse effect in our Solar System.

• Venus has no moons. Some scientists believe Venus once had at least one moon, which was reabsorbed into the planet when a large-scale impact reversed the direction of its spin.

• Though the surface of Venus now resembles a desert, the planet may once have had oceans, similar to those on Earth. If this is true, they completely evaporated as the planet’s surface temperature rose.

• Nearly 1,000 impact craters pock the surface of Venus. These are fairly evenly distributed across the planet. While craters on the Earth and our Moon degrade over time, the majority of Venusian craters are in perfect condition. The craters range from about two miles to 175 miles in diameter. Because of the planet’s dense atmosphere, incoming projectiles less than two miles in diameter lack sufficient mass to make a dent.

• Venus is brightest either just before sunrise or just after sunset, which is why it is often celled “the Morning Star” or “the Evening Star.” Every 584 days, Venus passes the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. When it does so, it shifts from being the Evening Star, most visible after sunset, and becomes the Morning Star, most visible before sunrise.

• Venus is one of the few celestial bodies bright enough to be seen with the naked eye during the day, if you know where to look. It always sits within about 47° of the Sun. Viewed by telescope, Venus appears to have phases similar to our Moon.

No matter the time of year, Venus is one of the most impressive sights in the night sky. Take some time tonight to view this brilliant celestial body.

Jaime McLeod is a contributing editor for the Farmers' Almanac. She is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, loves eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.

Garden Problems? Cures and suggestions.

by Andrew Odom | Monday, June 21st, 2010 | From: Home and Garden

It has been said that gardening is more or less the art of digging a hole, dropping in a seed, throwing a little dirt back on, sprinkling some water, and then waiting. Seems easy enough until something goes wrong. And oh, the things that can go wrong! From rotten looking tomatoes to bugs lunching on your leaves to a deflating squash plant, the possibilities are endless and can cause even the most mastered of gardeners to give up and head back to the grocery store!

But before you reach for the poison or rip that plant out in the name of “composting,” take a minute to truly comprehend your difficulties and what can be done to turn your frown upside down.

1. Problem: Black-ish rings or brownish spots at the base of tomato
Chances are your tomatoes are suffering from BER – Blossom End Rot. BER is a lack of calcium in the blossom end of the fruit caused by irregular or excessive watering. As it is not a disease it won’t spread to other fruits.

To combat keep the ground moist at all times without exceeding about an inch of water a week. You may also want to enhance the soil with a touch of lime.

2. Problem: Squash plant has rotted, died, and/or disappeared altogether.
The archenemy of southern gardeners is the squash vine borer, a moth’s worm that burrows its way into the stem of the squash leaving it hollow. And there is a 99.9% chance that the aforementioned is a direct result of the borer.

But how does a gardener deal with malady? Good question. By the time most gardeners realize their squash have been compromised, it is too late. While there is no absolute preventative it is a good idea to plant your squash as early as the weather will allow. You may also want to companion plant with radishes and nasturtiums or even wrap the stems of the squash plants with foil for protection. If you are looking for a pesticide Bt may make a slight difference. Just make a tiny slit in the infected stem and inject it with the solution.

3. Problem: Plants don’t appear to be growing in any direction.
More often than not this is an issue of improper soil preparation.

Step one would be to dig up your plants and tend to their soil. Till the soil. Work it. Break it up. And then add compost to the mixture.

4. Problem: My tomato plant is losing its blossoms.
Blossom drop is caused by fluctuations in temperature and this seems to be the case in this situation.

Pollen is needed. It needs to settle in order to fertilize and turn the bloom to veggie. Perhaps going Mr. Miyagi is the best option. Each morning take a set of chopsticks or even pencils and tap the bushes to allow the pollen to settle where need be.

5. Problem: Bugs appear to be chewing leaves and maybe even leaving eggs behind.
They appear to be because they probably are. But not all bugs are bad.

ID the pest before doing anything. You can then use a range of products including fish oil, vinegar, Bt, need oil, dipel dust, and even insecticidal soap to kill off the creature.

 COURTESY OF THE FARMERS ALMANAC

OR...you can just pull up the plants and turn the whole thing under!  :)  Darlene

Philanthropy is the effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations to orphanage and others poor who need help.

Here are some interesting facts you may not be aware of!

The Founders at Independence Hall in Philadelphia acted as a philanthropic voluntary association. The Declaration of Independence was the first instance in history in which the creation of a national government was formally preceded by an idealistic mission statement—routine in voluntary associations—addressed to, on behalf of, and for the benefit of, all mankind. The Declaration concludes with a voluntary pledge by the Founders as individuals “to each other” of their personal lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.

The first form of government proposed for the new nation was called an “Association”. The final form, the United States Constitution, proceeded as a voluntary association, also beginning with a mission statement and—another “first” in history—ratified by vote of its individual members, "The People". The Constitution’s “Preamble” featured private initiative, public good, and quality of life:

“WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Finally, in the very first Federalist Paper, page 1, paragraph 1, Alexander Hamilton launched the Founders’ argument for the Constitution’s ratification, by noting that “it is commonly remarked” that in creating this new nation, Americans were acting on behalf of, and for the benefit of, all mankind. “This” he wrote, “adds the inducements of philanthropy to those of patriotism.”

And “commonly remarked” it was—: In 1776, Thomas Paine had written in Common Sense, his very popular and influential tract for independence:

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind (emphasis here) are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested.”

As Ben Franklin had said to the French about the American Revolution: “We are fighting for the dignity and happiness of human nature.”

The “philanthropy” Hamilton was talking about was not “rich helping poor”, but private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life. Classical philanthropy had become classically American.

The United States was not only created by philanthropy, but also for philanthropy—to be a philanthropic nation, a gift to humanity, squarely in the Promethean tradition.

Another wandering stream, another beautiful valley

We were blessed to be invited to visit with friends that have become family.  To see the land where their fathers before had claimed, built on and cared for.  Just like us.  Seeing the home built a century and a half ago, still loved by the latest family occupants.  Just like us.

 

 

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"Dirt is what you wash off your hands.  In your garden is life-giving soil."