Nature's Ongoing Joke

Why are the weeds so proficient and yet I struggle to cultivate flowers or vegetables?
It seems that agriculture is man's constant war with nature. To produce abundant crops we use pesticides and herbicides and genetically modified seeds. Nature naturally (of course) spreads her seeds and plants grow!
It does seem kind of crazy, doesn't it?

We seem to spend a lot of time and energy fighting against nature when working with nature seems to be more beneficial. Currently, the US government is working against green energy like electricity generated from wind. It appears to be a personal battle rather than a scientific one, but there really isn't a surprise there. Empirical evidence and intellectual knowledge have little to do with anything our current administration does.

Although I rarely undertake household projects myself, adding some solar power on a smaller scale is one that I have considered in the past and may look into again. I'm not interested in trading an energy bill for a solar panel installation bill or I'd just hire somebody that does that. I definitely need to do some more research.

We did add an old energy saving device recently -- a clothesline! 
I can't say it uses solar power because it's on the shaded deck. At best it uses indirect sunlight, a little wind, and mostly just allows clothes to hang and dry naturally.
It is a retractable pair of lines so that it is out of the way when not in use.
While the deck prevents direct sunlight, it also screens line items from the devastating effects of birds that have been feasting on the nearby mulberry bushes! It is also much more convenient than carrying baskets of wet laundry down the steps to a line in the backyard. 
Chris wasted no time in using our newly installed air dryer and hung our freshly washed sheets and pillow cases out to dry shortly after I finished putting it up. I am certain that it will get plenty of use throughout the summer. It probably won't save a great deal in energy costs, but it is nice to do a little something that feels a little green and is better for some of our clothes.

I suppose it is time to figure out how I am going to work with and against nature today. There is always work to be done.

John 

The Circle of Life ... ?

I've been wondering...

In the movie Lion King there is a scene where Mufasa is teaching a young Simba about the circle of life and the way of the world. He says that even though they (lions) eat the antelope while living, when they die their bodies become the grass and the antelope eat the grass, and such is the great circle of life.

But when we die, our remains are filled with chemicals, placed in a metal coffin, and buried in a concrete vault. We never really return to the earth from which we came.
Have we broken the circle of life?
How would our environment be different if we allowed dead bodies to return to the earth?
What if burials didn't include all of the packaging and bodies were just wrapped in a blanket and placed six feet under and buried simply?
Or we were all cremated and the ash returned to the earth?

I know it's a weird thought, but my brain wonders about such things.
I think we tend to upset nature by doing things in very unnatural ways.

What weird things work into your thoughts?

John

Monday Meditation

Last week I picked up my long awaited Ford Maverick hybrid pickup truck. It is the first new vehicle I've had in quite some time. I'm still getting used to it and it might be a little while before I have a good grasp on how everything works. It is probably a good thing that Ford has left off some features in order to keep the price point lower. I'm still a pretty low tech kind of guy.

The thing that I have most been looking forward to is the energy saving of the hybrid engine. It would certainly be more beneficial if we lived in a more urban setting. While driving around Central Illinois (where I took delivery) I was getting around 40-45 mpg. The 400+ mile drive home brought the average for the first full tank of gas down to just under 35 mpg.
The short drive to the convenience store (2 miles) on Saturday didn't use any gas at all as the electric motor managed the entire short, slower speed trip.

One of the interesting dash features shows when the truck is functioning as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and when the battery is charging (like going downhill, slowing, or braking).

I'm writing this today because I am contemplating ways to give back to the earth -- or at the very least, to take less. 
More flowers, more plants, and more trees are ways to give back to nature. 
I'll convert some of the 5 acres we own (and mow) to restored meadow land next spring. I'll begin at the treeline and move toward the house. 
I buried some apple cores in the soft, rich, leaf covered soil at the edge of the treeline a week or so ago. Perhaps there will be apples for the deer to enjoy in a few years. I may do that with more seeds and pits in the spring. 

It is impossible to separate myself from nature during my morning meditation time. The birds are chirping and flying around the house and back field. I can hear the neighbors chickens and roosters. The sun is warm and shining into the deck as it makes its way further south each passing day. It won't be long before I'll need to bring the deck plants in and find a place indoors to winter them.

How are you interacting with nature today?
How much are you taking?
How much are you giving back?
Think about the environment around you.
How are we living in harmony with nature?
How are we destroying it?
What can you do -- today -- to help the earth and her creatures have a better environment?

Think about it.

John 

Friday flowers

I'm going to do a little planting and repotting today. That will be my meditation and time for centering.

Yesterday I bought some plants -- tomatoes for the garden, a blackberry and a raspberry bush, a sweet potato vine, four coleus plants and a small flat of petunias. I bought a few marigold varieties to plant in pots for the deck rail to help keep away the pesky insects. I also bought a flowering crabapple tree and a redbud tree. I put up a wire cage for the pole beans and cucumbers and re-potted the four tomato (two cherry, a big beef, and heirloom) plants. 

I don't know if I would call digging in the garden fun. I do enjoy it, but it's probably more therapeutic than fun. There is something about the earth connection that seems to bring the body's energy and vibration frequency back to what it is supposed to be. 

And the results can be so very rewarding. Truthfully, I am as satisfied watching the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds at our flowers as I am at eating tomatoes or other produce from our garden. Our perennials are beginning to grow again and Chris just planted this year's zinnias and cosmos in the downspout flower beds. I am really looking forward to the added color around the house. 

"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine into trees." --John Muir

John

The coleus in a repurposed plastic container (my weak attempt at crafts)

Pool Blogging and Going Green

Yep, I'm in the pool and typing on my chromebook.
In Puerto Vallarta.
It is a brutal life I live. 

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that I ordered a 2023 Ford Maverick hybrid yesterday. Today I read that the plug-in hybrid and the full EV models will be coming very soon. It's too bad Ford didn't have those ready for the '23 models. 
I'm excited about moving towards being more green. I'm still hoping to add solar panels to our home system and maybe looking at a Zero motorcycle, as well. With solar energy, our liquid propane (now used for heat, cooking, and our fireplace) would only be used for cooking and the fireplace and should last for quite a while. I'm not sure if I'm willing to give up my gas stove/oven just yet. I really prefer a gas stove vs. electric for cooking. 
We would probably continue with our gas furnace at a lower base setting and electric space heaters to warm the occupied living areas rather than replacing the nearly new gas forced air furnace we have now. Solar is looking like a project for next year, maybe to coincide with covered pergola for a pool of our own!

Pool. solar, outdoor living area...
Yeah, pretty much sounds like Highlandville, MO will be where we are living out our golden years.
In my head I just dropped an F-bomb. 

All-in-all, I've got a good life, a very privileged life. I mean--do you know anyone else sipping tequila and blogging from a pool in an oceanside community right now? Just getting to this slice of paradise is a greater carbon footprint than most of the locals here expend in a lifetime. 

I hope you are having a good week. This retired guy is doing well. I'm going to post this, put on my sunglasses, and drift into the sunny side of the pool for a bit. 

John

Morning Work

I'm a slow starter in the mornings.
I like my quiet time and coffee.
I generally scroll through a little social media, read a few blogs, read a little of a  book or two, and just sit for a bit while I enjoy my morning coffee.
I tend to put off the morning's chores for as long as I can. 

The downside is that it gets pretty warm pretty quickly in July and that can be tough on an old, fat guy. Fortunately, I have no problem with taking breaks as I need them or knocking off earlier than originally planned.
I did get a couple of crepe myrtles in the ground yesterday and have two more to plant today. I also have a small maple tree to plant from pot to ground. It doesn't sound like much, but digging three tree holes in this hard rocky soil will pretty much do me in for the day. I need to spread a little mulch in one of the landscape areas and should be able to get that done, as well. 
And if not today, there is always tomorrow.

I find that working in the yard, watering plants, planting trees, etc., has a way of connecting me to the earth and to The Creator. A big part of what disturbs me about the SCOTUS ruling concerning the EPA is how it ignores the symbiotic relationship we have with the planet and allows those that can't see beyond their own immediate monetary gains to continue to destroy what is left of our environment. 
We have to do better. We have to take care of the earth for the future generations of humanity. 

*sigh*

It's time to plant a tree (or two).

John

What's Next?

It's the final week of 2021 and 2022 is just around the fast approaching corner. I suppose this should be a time of reflection and consideration of the past year, but I think I'll just put it behind me and look ahead. I wonder what 2022 will hold for me in particular and for all of us in general.

At the moment, I don't really have much in the way of plans or goals. I do want to have a better garden than last year and have plans to get an earlier start on the planting. I'm thinking that flower gardening and landscaping will be as big (if not bigger) of a project as the vegetable garden. 

My motorcycle has been parked in the garage for all of 2021. I really need to get back to riding. There is a part of my thinking that says riding to be riding is a bit of a waste -- a waste of resources and a waste of time. It doesn't cost or use anything to sit on the deck and read, or to do a little work in the yard -- and I enjoy both of those things. I need to get back to using the bike as my main means of transportation and just ride whenever I need to be out. I also need to plan a round about trip to Colorado Springs -- maybe OKC, Amarillo, Albuquerque, CO Springs, and something equally round about for the trip home. I might need to upgrade the bike for the mountains. Just thinking for now.

I'm not really making any life changing plans nor resolutions for the coming year; just more of the same movement towards a more healthy and less consuming life. I like traveling, but am also happy staying home. I'm thinking about cutting back on the cigars a bit. I seldom smoke more than one in a day and don't smoke one everyday. There is something contemplative and relaxing about cigar smoking. It's like everything stops for an hour or so while you just enjoy a simple pleasure. But it certainly doesn't make it on the healthy living side of life's habits, so...

I feel like a bit of a slacker by not having any goals for the year. If I come up with something in the next few days, I'll be sure to let you know. If not -- well, I'm okay with that.

How about you?
Any plans, goals, resolutions for 2022?

John

The Best Time to Plant a Tree...

I have five acres of former pasture/hayfield. I don't mind mowing it (much), but it does seem to be a huge waste of land. I want to plant trees (both evergreen and fruit and nut trees) and also would like to have a mini solar farm.

When we moved to Missouri several decades ago, I bought tree seedlings from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDoC). There are some good looking, mature trees on that piece of property now.
I was too late to buy trees from the MDoC the year we moved into our house, and just forgot about it last fall. Purchase dates for spring '22 delivery of tree seedlings begin Sept. 1, 2021. I'll definitely be buying some for spring planting.

The area I'll be using for most of the trees is far from a water source, so I'll have to haul water to the seedlings while they establish their root systems and during dry seasons. I'll need to get a barrel or tank with a spigot that I can fill and haul out there. Fruit trees I'll probably keep closer to the house.
If you'd like to do your part to reduce your carbon footprint, consider ordering several trees for yourself. If you don't have a place to plant them, you can send them to me and I'll plant them for you.
Seriously! I haven't looked lately, but they used to be a very reasonable cost. Let me know if you want me to plant trees for you and I'll send you my address.
Here is the MDoC's website. The catalog of available trees should be up on Sept. 1.  By planting trees, not only am I reducing my carbon footprint with new trees, I'm also reducing the amount of time on my lawnmower!

"The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. (I did that, then moved.)
The second best time is now." (or in the spring) 

If I get some fruit trees and expand my garden, I'm going to have to learn how to can fruits and veggies or buy a bigger freezer. This year's garden as been pretty pathetic, but even so we have had several servings of green beans, plenty of cucumbers, some tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and a few potatoes. There is something special about eating stuff that you've grown.

And as much as I enjoy the produce, I really like watching the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds around the flowers. I'll definitely be planting more flowers next year and still want to have beehives at some point. 
For today I just need to work on our new landscaping project.

John

It's Another New Beginning and Monday Motivation

Actually, it's Day2 of this, my 62nd trip around the sun.
The 61st trip was pretty non-eventful. That wasn't entirely due to restrictions from the pandemic. I'm in a position to enjoy a pretty non-eventful life.

However, I think it is time to get back to some of the volunteer service that we were participating in pre-pandemic. Chris and I are both fully vaccinated, so that leaves us with laziness and unwillingness as excuses -- neither of which are very good. The next couple of weeks are unusually busy for us, so I'll wait until to July to figure out where and when we can start serving again. I've got to admit -- there is a cold and uncaring part of me that could easily isolate in this peaceful setting and let the world fend for itself. That whole "love your neighbor" thing can be inconvenient and bothersome at times, but it is difficult to love when you stay isolated.

On the health front: I'm beginning this 62nd trip at 250 pounds. I haven't really lost nor gained weight in the past year, but this is not a good place to remain. I really need to drop 50 pounds (22.7kg for my metric friends). Experience has taught me that's not happening with a casual "I'm going to eat better and be more active" attitude. I'm going to have to log foods (damn, I hate that) and be purposeful about exercise. I'm still of the mindset that you eat to control weight and exercise for better health, but it would be a shame to lose all that weight and be unhealthy at 200 pounds!
Fortunately, I don't have any other health issues to worry about. The only meds I take regularly are for allergies, and the only chronic condition is obstructive sleep apnea which will be greatly helped by losing weight.
I do have the 60+ year old body with old, worn joints and poorly conditioned muscles, so I'll make the appropriate adjustments and start slowly. The key is to get started.

Other things for the current journey:
Continue reading. I've slowed a bit in the last month, but still continue to read more than I have in the past. I do need to find some more interesting non-fiction books that aren't about religion or philosophy. 

I'm looking forward to learning more about gardening, bee keeping and solar power. I have some books, but just haven't really gotten around to them yet. I'm thinking about a late fall project of building a small greenhouse to get an early start on next spring's garden and flowers -- just a thought.

I still need to plant some trees. I'm working on getting some fruit trees. I really wouldn't mind some nut trees, black walnuts are very plentiful around here. I'd keep the nut trees close to the existing tree line so I won't have to deal with them while mowing, plus they'll feed the critters that dwell in the trees. I'm also in search of some pine trees to help fill in the tree line for the winter months. Currently the deciduous trees lose their leaves and expose the streetlights of the street behind us. I'd prefer them to remain hidden as I really enjoy the dark country nights.

I'm sure there will be other things that pop into my head as the year rolls on. These are the things I'm thinking about today.
If you are looking for your own new beginning -- you can make this your day!
Or summer begins at 10:31pm (CDT) next Sunday night, making next Monday the first full day of summer. That gives you a week to make plans and get your attitude right.

A recent America's Got Talent contestant went viral with her performance and story. She gave us this quote for Monday Motivation: "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." --Nightbirde

John

Today

Sometimes it is difficult to live in the moment. The past is always there to remind you of how you got to the present place, and tomorrow is already clamoring for attention. There is still snow on the ground in places that are shaded from the sun -- a reminder of the brutal winter weather of last week, and I have a list of things to do to get ready for the spring. 

Why can't I just sit and enjoy the sun and the day with temperatures that will reach the warm side of 60f (15c)?

I do plan on enjoying the day. Today will include: 
     a trip to the recycling center to recycle paper, plastics, glass, and aluminum cans.
     a trip to the lumber yard buy material for my raised garden beds.
     I still have a couple of downspout flower beds to build (already have the material) that I may get started on.
     Some time in the hammock, enjoying the sun.

Geez, that's a lot!
I'd better get busy.

What ever you have planned for the day -- I do hope that you will enjoy it and revel in the moment of work/play/rest as it happens. It is possible to remember the past, plan for the future, and enjoy the moment -- all at the same time!

John

The Circle of Life

I've mentioned that weird thoughts have a way of rolling around in my head. Here's the most recent:

I've been more concerned with the planet and how we are abusing it. Consequently, I've been reading about things that upset the natural balance of the ecosystems and how the earth resolves the imbalances. Occasionally humans will try to intervene and correct some of the problems we have caused, but our solutions often address the problems from our perspective, not from a save the earth perspective.

Anyway -- from somewhere came this thought about a scene in the Lion King. Mufasa is explaining to young Simba about the circle of life. He says that even though they (lions) eat the antelope, when they (again, lions) die their bodies turn to grass and the antelope eat the grass--or something like that.
But that doesn't happen in the human circle -- at least, not anymore.

Our bodies are not left to decompose and return minerals and nutrients to the soil. We pump them full of chemicals, seal them in a casket, seal the casket in a concrete burial vault, and finally buried in the earth where they will eventually decompose but still remain isolated from adding our basic elements back into the earth's ecosystem.

Weird, huh?

Burial vaults have only been used for a hundred years or so, and primarily serve to keep cemetery grounds level by not allowing the ground to collapse as the casket and body decay. I imagine that cremation has a negative impact on the atmosphere from the burning part, but at least the elements can be reintroduced into the environment in some fashion -- spreading or burying the ashes in some manner. There are now several companies that offer to make bio-pods from your ashes and create an urn with a tree or potted plant that can be replanted for a memorial. Or you can even have your ashes compressed into a diamond or jewel that can be worn or handed down for generations.

Personally, I kind of like the tree idea.
I mean, since dumping my corpse into a ditch or burying it in the backyard isn't really an option.
Anyway -- just another weird thought.

And since you're already singing the song in your head, here it is with the video intro to the animated movie version.

https://youtu.be/Zn_qirpdBag?t=35

John

Trump Tweets While the World Burns

Yes, it's an awful, contemporary take on the old "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" but at least it is more accurate (fiddles weren't invented at the time of Nero's rule).

I know -- to many, the idea of climate change and global warming as a result of human action is still a hoax. But for those of us that do believe in science and the data that we have, the analogy is real. The past four years in the US have done great damage to the efforts to reduce our impact on climate change and to begin to repair the damage we have done to our home.
Well, at least the current Administration has. I do believe that many of us are still interested in reducing our own carbon footprints and are actively working at activities that can help.

Here's an article about the escalating crisis and the rising temperatures of our world's oceans.

Our 2020 pandemic controlled lives have greatly reduced our travels -- both in the way of leisure activity and local driving. We stay at home more, eat out less, and try to consolidate local errands to avoid covid exposure. I wonder how much we've saved this year on gas alone. I suppose some of that savings is offset by the five acres of land that I now have to mow, but I have plans to plant a few trees this year to contribute to our footprint reduction.
I know that "Giving Tuesday" has past, but I think that we will be making a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation and picking out some trees to plant on our property.

Did you know that conifers and deciduous trees of comparable sizes produce similar amounts of oxygen on an annual basis? However, it is believed that deciduous trees sequester more carbon in their much denser trunks and branches.  

I am glad that the coming Biden/Harris Administration will make addressing climate change a priority in the coming years. As a country, I believe it is important for us to do this and move away from fossil fuels.
As individuals, it is also important that we work to be more ecologically minded in our daily activities. We will continue to recycle and reduce our use of single use plastics. We will continue to consolidate errands (which is also necessary due to the distance we have to travel to get anywhere) and make fewer local trips. We will plant some trees and a small garden this year (not sure if that helps with climate change, but it sounds like it should). And I'm still hoping to do that beehive thing this year.
We're also looking into a solar grid, but I don't know if that's going to happen in '21.

What about you?
Will you fiddle while the world burns?
Or will you act to put out the fire and rebuild a better world community?
What are your green plans for 2021?

John

Going Green

I've been getting better, but I have a long way to go.
We've started some recycling; but we need to do more.

Since this area is NOT progressive when it comes to things like recycling, our personal efforts will become even more challenging when we move to our new home in a more rural setting. Currently there is a recycling center nearby. Soon we'll have to weigh the environmental cost of taking things to be recycled against the benefit of recycling -- one big special trip, or take what we can when it's not too far out of the way.

Another part of going green is using the motorcycle whenever I'm able. I get twice the gas mileage and it's more fun, but I can only carry what fits in the saddlebags or I can strap onto the back. I sure enjoy a nice long ride on the bike, but now I also think about the necessity of that ride and its environmental impact. I suppose I could exchange every mile not driving the car for a mile of pleasure riding, but that becomes more of a carbon neutral thing for personal pleasure than a green thing for environmental benefit.
Truth be told, there will probably be days when Chris will want me to take a day long pleasure ride so she can have the house to herself!

I'll be planting some trees this year (hopefully dozens). That's a big environmental plus.
We also hope to plant lots of flowers for the benefit of the birds and bees, and a garden for our own use. Eventually I'd like to have our own hives.
I've previously written that we plan on using solar power. The property sits high and also almost always has a nice breeze, so a small wind turbine or two is a possibility. (But not the kind that spews toxic gases or causes cancer. 😉)

I'm using less single use plastic and trying to keep a reusable cup for coffee or water handy, and I'm not using straws at restaurants. We gave reusable metal straws to the kids (and us) as stocking stuffers for Christmas.
I try to use my own reusable bags at the grocery store and need to buy some reusable produce bags.

Is anyone else working on being more green in the coming year?
What things are you doing to help heal the earth?

John