10.31.10
Posted in Country Living, Fall Activities, Football, Green Living, Growing Green Kids, Holidays, Parent-child relationship, Politics, family, honesty, integrity, sportsmanship at 4:50 am by Administrator
First of all, I can’t believe September and October have just scooted by me! What happened to life slowing down a little after school starts? Seems it is just the opposite these days.
FOOTBALL: This is one area that has been on everyone’s mind and kept us busy this fall. Alabama is just a football State, that’s the best way to sum it up. After UA won the National Championship last season, anticipation and expectations have been really high this season. I was told by our son this week that his Dad and Mom were the only two people he knew that cheered for both University of Alabama and Auburn University! Seems everyone else in Alabama chooses sides. Boy does it get hot even between Facebook Friends, especially a day or two before the next game. I like to think that most of it is just good fun, but sometimes I wonder. The closer the date comes for both teams to play each other tempers really get touchy, sometimes down right ugly! I can’t understand this. We have two great Universities with some of the best athletes in the Country, yet a good number of Alabamians cheer for an out of state team rather than cheer for the opposing in-state team. When they play each other, there is little of, “May the Best Team Win,” sportsmanship, but a, “Fight to the End,” attitude. Some people even seem glad when a team player gets hurt and taken out of the game, especially if the athlete is an important one for winning. I guess it may help to be an alumni member of both universities in order to cheer for both during football season. But to me it just seems a natural thing to do, alumni or not. This is probably the same in many states, but very noticeable in Alabama! Just a few more weekends of football left. I say, “May the best team win and good luck to both teams.”
Aside from the college level football games, we have enjoyed the Little League teams and the Pee-Wee games. One of our grandsons made two touchdowns in one game. His team won by two touchdowns. He could hardly walk straight after because his head was so big. He was so excited and proud of himself. We were proud as well. That’s been a dream of his since he was two years old. He’s now nine years old and it’s the first time his has played on a Little League team. We also enjoyed watching our two great-nieces (sisters) cheer for their Pee-Wee team. They were so cute and did a great job cheering at such young ages.
POLITICS: Well I know this is a nation wide battle right now. Every commercial time on TV is filled with this or that politician either asking for our vote or talking down the opponent candidate. I’d much rather listen for the pleas for my vote. Most of the political talk during this mid-term election has been conservatives verses liberals, Republicans verses Democrats rather than issues. There’s been more debates, cookouts, town meetings, etc. this year than I can remember, even on the local level. Seems the effort to replace Democrats with Republican candidates is more serious than ever. It’s almost like the issue has been to get rid of one party and vote the other one in regardless of the actual candidate and what they stand for. Here again, I have my own way of cheering for the team. For those that ask for my vote rather than talk down the opposing candidate, I try to listen and gather what real information is out there. Usually if they ask for the vote, they also tell you why they feel they are worthy of the vote and some information about who they are, their experiences, beliefs, important issues to them, etc. I pretty much vote out the candidates that allow negative ads against their opponent because these ads also tell me that the person running these negative ads is in fact a negative thinking person. We need positive thinking people in office. I like positive, all the way. One of my favorite sayings is, “The power is in the positive.” That’s the candidate I vote for; mine will not be a straight ticket, but hopefully a totally positive ticket. The election is right around the corner. I still need to spend some time researching the really positive verses the negative.
HOLIDAYS: Halloween begins the start of the holiday season with harvest festivals, church activities and other ways to usher in fall and the holidays. It starts with the candy at Halloween and we continue to snack on Trick or Treat goodies until Thanksgiving or the candy runs out. Then we have the great week of Thanksgiving which means more family time, celebrations at church and in the community and plenty of eating turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. By the end of Thanksgiving week, it’s time to get the last of the Christmas shopping done. I may run off a little of the new weight I’ve gained thus far with some of the shopping, but not nearly enough. Then the Christmas parties start from every club and organization we’re involved in. December usually has at least two parties a week. This keeps December very busy with lots of activity and more and more eating. Then the Christmas meal brings on more ham, turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. Who can resist? By the time New Year’s is over I have usually gained about ten pounds and face the “Lose the Weight” New Year resolution. I truly think that even with the best efforts, this trend is why people usually slowly add ten or more pounds permanently for every decade they live. At least it seems that way for me. But I don’t mean to sound completely negative. I’m learning how to cook and eat healthier even when it’s a party or other celebration. It can be done by varying the traditional recipes or what we serve altogether. And it is still delicious and fun!
This year these three things have made Fall a very busy time in Alabama and will continue to be through the rest of the year. It is for me the busiest time of the year, but I love it. The weather is cooler but not yet the dead of winter and there are plenty of friends and family to enjoy along with the activities. It starts with a fun time for fall, a Thanksgiving time for our harvest and blessings, a celebration time for the birth of Jesus Christ, and a new start for the New Year. What other time of the year offers all this? Busy, yes, but also good for friends, family and good for our own soul.
Written Oct. 28, 2010
Peggy Williams
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Posted in Country Living, Environment, Flower Sacks, Green Living, Recycling, eco system at 4:41 am by Administrator
During the last three months my brother and husband have been busy taking down an old ‘dog trot’ house on the weekends. It had enough usable lumber to reuse for a barn for our tractor and other equipment. That was the primary reason for taking on this task.
However, there were other treasures aside from the reusable lumber. The owners left boxes and sacks of all kinds of recyclable goodies in every room to be discarded. These goodies included plastic containers, glass containers, aluminum and other metal cans, paper, cardboard, other metal items suitable for recycling.
It was obvious the old couple that lived and probably died while this was still their home, did not throw away anything that could be reused. It reminded me of my grandparents that I wrote about in an earlier blog post. Everything was saved for the day that it would be needed. We sorted, bagged and labeled for several days, then took the truck and trailer load to the recycling center in a nearby town. It was enough recyclable items to make the trip very worthwhile.
Some things I found were not recyclable, yet had much value in other ways, some just sentimental from images of my own childhood. In the hallway of the dog trot house I saw hanging something there that I knew I recognized yet it took a few minutes for it to come to me. There on a large nail were hanging sacks for picking cotton. One very large one (father’s), one medium one (mother’s) and a smaller one for a child. I could not believe it. I had watched people every summer pick cotton in the old South as a child. Then one summer I found myself in the cotton field pulling around one of those sacks and realizing how very long it took to fill one up and how terribly hot and heavy the sack got the more cotton I put in it. The pay was just as bad or worse! Since then I have always respected anyone who ever experienced picking cotton, especially those that had it to do every summer.
Other items held value for the craft, time, creativity and work that went into them. For instance, I found some beautiful baby dresses and gowns (made when boy and girl babies wore gowns at least the first few months) that were hand sewn with delicate embroidery about the bodice and collar. My partner in this treasure hunt (my future daughter-in-law) wanted to reuse them for some of her dolls from childhood that needed new clothes. They had been stored in a way that preserved them from environmental problems and invasion from whatever critter that came along. They were just beautiful. Then there was the hand sewn quilt blocks lacking just one block to have the top completed and ready for quilting together. I found the pattern for the block (cut out of a newspaper) and in the same box found enough of the material the lady was using for the quilt blocks to make the last block. I want to see this quilt completed. I am not good at it, but will attempt to complete it myself. I’ll write an update on this project in the future. May take me a year or two, but I’m going to try it, just for the sake of completing a project this dear lady put many hours into, then just to have it packed in a box when she was unable to complete it.
The material this quilt was made from amazed me the most. It was made from old flour and other sacks that dry goods were sold in during the early 1900’s. How do I know the material was not the new ‘retro’ materials of the 1930’s and 1040’s now found in quilting shops? Because deeper into this box I began finding the original flour sacks. Some sewn together to be used as the backs of quilts and some still together in the original sack form. I found little ones for salt, medium ones for flour and sugar and larger ones that held other goods. All types of solid colors as well as beautiful prints were in that box. This was a quilters dream come true. These materials will be reused in a very creative way, into more quilts, quilt pillows or other craft items. But I will keep at least two of every size, just for the memory of other childhood images. I will give one of each size to my 83 year old mother who is a quilter and wore many dresses made out of these sacks. She will most likely begin to cry when she sees them.
I would like to share a poem about these sacks. The title is:
The Flour Sack
by Colleen B. Hubert
In that long ago time when things were saved,
When roads were graveled and barrels were staved,
When worn-out clothing was used as bags.
And there were no plastic wrap or bags,
And the well and the pump were way out back,
A versitile item was the flour sack.
Pillsbury’s Best, Mother’s and Gold Medal, too
Stamped their names proudly in purple and blue.
The string sewn on top was pulled and kept;
The flour emptied and spills were swept.
The bag was folded and stored in a sack,
That durable, practical flour sack.
The sack could be filled with feathers and down,
For a pillow or T’would make a nice sleeping gown.
It could carry a book and be a school bag,
Or become a mail sack slung over a nag.
It made a very convenient pack,
That adaptable, cotton flour sack.
Bleached and sewn, it was dutifully worn,
As bibs, diapers, or kerchief adorned.
It was made into skirts, blouses and slips.
And mom braided rugs from one hundred strips.
She made ruffled curtains for the house or shack,
From that humble but treasured flour sack!
As a strainer for milk or apple juice,
To wave men in, it was a very good use.
As a sling for a sprained wrist or a break,
To help mother roll up a jelly cake.
As a window shade or to stuff a crack,
We used a sturdy, common flour sack!
As dish towels, embroidered or not,
They covered up dough, helped pass pans so hot.
Tied up dishes for neighbors in need,
And for men out in the field to seed.
They dried dishes from pan, not rack,
That absorbent, handy flour sack!
We polished and cleaned stove and table.
Scoured and scrubbed from cellar to gable.
We dusted the bureau and oak bed post.
Made costumes for October (A scary ghost).
And a parachute for a cat named Jack.
From that lowly, useful old flour sack!
So now my friends, when they ask you
As curious youngsters often do.
“Before plastic wrap, Elmer’s glue
And paper towels, what did you do?”
Tell them loudly and with pride don’t lack,
“Grandmother had that wonderful flour sack!”
What treasures we did find in that old house! It was a true back to the past activity which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Now for the barn raising!
Written 09-29-2010
Peggy Williams
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Posted in Baby Chicks, Country Living, Eggs, Farming, Gardening, Green Living, Growing Green Kids, Laying hens, Roosters, chickens at 4:36 am by Administrator
Lucky for me, gardening in August took a back seat with the major tasks of just keeping shrubs, flowers and whatever was still growing in the garden alive by watering. We had over ninety days of 90 plus degree heat with heat indexes often over 100. Everything was suffering. It has been so hot that even though it is time to plant the fall garden we have delayed it because of the heat.
Our chickens have also suffered from the heat but seemed to have adjusted. For those that are interested this blog is about how the little chicks my brother sent me in the spring have survived, all 24 of them, and developed, particularly in August. My brother ordered 12 hens and 2 roosters. The company sends extras because they expect a certain percentage of the chicks to die soon after birth. Well for the people (us) who thought fourteen was a large number, all 24 survived, plus the one chicken we already had, making 25 total. Were we ever in for a learning experience!
Up until this month, the main event was just keeping them fed, watered and free of illnesses. Maintenance is what I call it. We got them through the mail the first part of March. They quickly began growing. But this month we hit a milestone in their development. I have been sharing on Facebook the adventures of the chickens and their development during August. I will share these comments here as well as they outline what one can expect of chickens from five to six months old. Hopefully it will help novices like me understand what to expect at this age.
The Monday of My Week (on Tuesday)
by Peggy Williams August 3, 2010 at 12:53pm
Today has been my Monday for this week. Started with one of the chickens “flying the coup” and the dog playing with it and almost de-feathering it before she let it go. I was looking out my kitchen window and saw her walking about seeming a little disoriented and with an almost naked back. She did not even squirm when I picked her up to take her back to the coup. She has one cut close to her tail feathers (what was left of them). Richard (age 4) and I played chicken doctor and patched her up as best we could. So far she is ok, a little shaken, but ok. Hopefully she will live. That was only the start of my chicken day!
About six P.M. I checked on the injured hen from earlier today. She is reviving, walking around with her antibiotic cream & bandages on her. But before dark, we decided that too many were getting smart and flying over the fence so we did what the ‘chicken book’ told us to do and clipped their wings. So we caught 24 chickens and you should have heard the noise! Better yet, you should have seen Wayne and me trying to catch them. We both ended up on the ground a time or two! But we came through it with just a few scratches.
The five roosters had been really pecking at the hens badly so we decided to separate them. We put them in a smaller area and boy, they did not like that! They began fighting each other and carrying on, going crazy. I guess they were trying to decide who the King of the Hill was since now they didn’t have the hens to peck on.
Before dark, everyone had found a roost and all was quiet. The chickens made it fine. But we are aching and grunting when we move. Our old bodies are just not young like they used to be.
August 5, 2010 The injured chicken is improving daily. It will take time for her feathers to grow back. It looks like she will live though. We got our first egg from the new chicks today! It was very small. I hope they will eventually get bigger.
August 14, 2010 I got nine eggs yesterday from the chicks. They are growing up. They have just started laying about two weeks ago and the eggs were really small. But now I’m getting more each day and the eggs are getting bigger. Anybody out there need a rooster? We have eight of them. I thought we only had five. Don’t need but one!
August 15, 2010 GOT 10 EGGS today. Anybody need eggs?? Better offer than the roosters! 
Those Darn Roosters!
by Peggy Williams on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:30pm
Four year old grandson, Richard, wanted to come spend the night yesterday. He helps me with the chickens, usually just feeding them. But one of the roosters got out into the hen’s pen and I was trying to catch it to put it back in the rooster’s pen. The rooster dodged me and flew over the fence near Richard. He says, “I’ll catch him.” I said ok, thinking to myself that if I couldn’t catch the critter, he sure couldn’t and he would just run around chasing the rooster until he couldn’t run anymore. But in a minute or so Richard says, “I got him,” real loud and so proud of himself. He caught him by the tail feathers and didn’t let go even though that rooster was fighting like crazy to get away. And the rooster was about half as tall as Richard. He walked up to the fence and gave it to me and I put the rooster back into the rooster pen. That boy will do anything! I asked him how did he do that and he said the rooster was poking his head into some tall grass and he just slipped up behind him & caught him. Brave, helpful & sweet little man. Smart and cute too. Course we all know where he got his genes, right?
August 18, 2010 Getting at least six eggs a day & usually more. Anybody need any? We need help eating them, running out of different ways to eat them and also tired of eating eggs, eggs, eggs. Nice price too, just provide the egg crate to put them in! At least no rooster chasing today, yea!
August 20, 2010 Now have eggs running out my ears!!
August 22, 2010 Got eleven eggs yesterday, in one day. About to hit the dozen mark!
August 24, 2010 The only good thing I can think of about this huge egg recall thing is that I’m not having as much trouble finding people to help me eat the almost a dozen or so I’m now getting everyday. Started yesterday with about 4 1/2 dozen in the fridge, now only have one. But it’s time to go collect them, so I’ll be looking for help again before too long. Any takers?
August 26, 2010 My chicks gave me 11 eggs again yesterday! Wayne took two dozen to work with him today to give to co-workers. People tell me they will start slowing down soon during the cooler months. I sure do hope so. Meanwhile, we’re eating eggs, eggs, eggs! Very blessed.
August 28,2010 I hit the JACKPOT yesterday. My hens layed one dozen eggs in one day! We’ve been at eleven a time or two but just couldn’t quite reach that last one. We have 16 or 17 hens (still can’t figure one out - is it a rooster or not???) so the number should be going on up some at least. I’m going to try making an egg custard this weekend. Tired of scrambled.
I’ll end this chicken saga with a true story told to us by a friend last Sunday at our church homecoming. Her grandfather knew the weather was bad, tornado like weather. He began getting all the animals on the farm “put up” in their various locations. He managed to get all the animals to safety except for one rooster. The people were safe in the storm pit. After the storm blew over he found the rooster with all his feathers blown off! It was completely naked. She said that was funny looking enough, but a batch of Guinea chicks hatched soon after the storm and for some reason saw that naked rooster first and apparently thought the rooster was their mother. So now the picture included the little chicks following around after this naked rooster. My husband remarked, “That rooster got to see what it’s like looking after the ‘youngins’ every day didn’t he?” Our friend replied, “Yes and he didn’t like it. My grandfather said it eventually seemed to have a nervous breakdown running around without feathers and these little chicks chasing him. He just couldn’t take it all.”
Chickens are fun to raise from chicks. Some get attached and are under my feet the whole time I am in the pen feeding them, clucking away as if talking to me. I answer them and they cluck some more. Others don’t want me to go near them. They do provide good eggs and the fertilizer really helped with our garden this year. We haven’t yet moved into eating or freezing them for food, but we may. We’ll take that one step at a time. For a small farm, chickens are a good choice regarding animals in general. It helps if your dogs are not hunters. Our next step is to broaden the fenced area where they can free range with more space yet protected from our Golden Retriever that likes to catch them and terrorize them by plucking their feathers.
Written August 29, 2010
Peggy Williams
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Posted in Country Living, Gardening, Green Living at 3:44 am by Administrator
July has really been a hot month in the Southeast, USA. In some parts of the South, the heat index has remained 100 + for a number of days in a row. We are having the usual afternoon thunderstorm that sometimes cools things off a bit, but also adds humidity in the air to deal with. So on we go, pretty much normal for July in the ole South.
The Extension System checklist is fairly simple this month. The main goal is to keep plants and outside animals healthy. The primary thing to do is to offer plenty of water if it doesn’t rain enough to keep plants alive and well.
Another common suggestion is to watch for diseases and invading insects in flowering plants as well as lawns and garden plants. As for the fruit trees the tasks is to keep birds and squirrels from eating the fruit that is near ripening and harvest time.
As far as the vegetable garden goes, I am still harvesting some from plants that haven’t died from meltdown or overheating. Our garden is just too big for watering with a hose. We welcome the afternoon thunderstorms when they come our way.
It is time to begin thinking about a fall garden if there is a desire for one. In our area, it is time to plant vegetable seed for the fall garden. These include rutabagas, Irish potatoes, cabbage, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and celery. If you want to plant the vegetable plants instead for fall, you will want to wait until August or early September before planting or this July heat will be sure to kill the plants.
Regardless of the heat, I believe we had a productive garden this year. In June I made five pints of plum jelly, and 4 pints of blackberry jelly. Then the rest of the garden harvest kicked in so I just picked the berries and froze them until I have more time in the fall to make more jelly. I picked 2 gallons of blackberries and 12 gallons of blueberries. That will make a lot of jelly. Some folks will be receiving jelly baskets for Christmas!
I canned fifteen quarts of green beans and gave several grocery bags full to neighbors. I froze 35 quarts of purple hull peas and also gave away several bags of peas to neighbors. I canned 17 quarts of tomatoes and 5 quarts of salsa. We ate the squash fresh and gave the extra away because I had plenty canned and left over from last year. We did the same for okra and butterbeans. We enjoyed a lot of fresh peppers, cucumbers, egg plant and green tomatoes. We are still harvesting a little here and there, but for the most part the summer garden has given its best and did a good job in spite of the heat.
Looking forward to fall planting!
Written July 29, 2010
Peggy Williams
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Posted in Country Living, Gardening, Green Living at 3:40 am by Administrator
Even though summer officially starts in June, to me June and July is the heart of summer time activities. By the end of July, the planting and harvesting of fruits and veggies are just about over for the year. Our fall garden is not usually as big and busy as our summer one.
According to the “Alabama Gardener’s Calendar,” published by the Extension System, June is the time to finish planting seeds and plants in the vegetable garden. If you have fruit trees, it is time to thin the fruit if the fruit is too thick on the trees. For shrubs and lawns, it’s fertilizer time. As far as our early blooming bulbs, we can now remove the foliage that is yellowing and becoming dry. For annuals and perennials, keep the old flower heads pinched off so they will continue blooming. Lastly, watch out for bugs and insects that will eat away at you vegetables and beautiful flowers. Also keep an eye out for plant diseases. If caught early, you may can save the plant or keep it from spreading to other plants.
As far as our garden goes, we have had an abundance of green beans and purple hull peas. The tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, peppers and squash are also beginning to mature.
So we have been busy. Thankfully, this year we have had steady rain which makes all the difference. I still remember those three years of drought a couple years back.
For fertilizer this year, we have made use of our new green adventure - our chickens. We mixed the chicken ‘fertilizer’ with lime and plowed into the ground before planting. Rows that would barely grow anything before, this year has grown beautiful vegetable plants all the way to the end of the row. Amazing what nature can do. I also have plenty of bird helpers to keep the bugs at bay on the garden plants. So we are very pleased.
I have enjoyed picking plums and blackberries and making jelly already. I have continued picking the blackberries, but had to freeze them for a later time to make more jelly as the peas could not wait. Our blueberries are about to ripen as well. We freeze some for blueberry pancakes and cupcakes and use the rest for jelly. Our peach trees need thinning. The trees went overboard with all the rain and have little peaches everywhere. I will freeze the peaches for peach cobblers.
It’s a very busy month keeping up with harvesting, canning, freezing and other chores about the farm. But come Thanksgiving, we’ll have a lot to be thankful for. Not just for the harvest, but that the work is done for another year! Time to enjoy.
Written June 29, 2010
Peggy Williams
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05.17.10
Posted in Country Living, Environment, Gardening, Green Living, Soil Erosion at 2:31 am by Administrator
May has been a good and busy month so far. My flower gardens have had beautiful red azaleas, roses, lilies, Sweet Williams and more. The snow ball bush was covered with big, bright, white flowers. There were some other flowers that were given to me that I don’t know the name, but were beautiful just as well. The yard was very colorful.
We completed our soil erosion project in the back yard. We planted cedars and holly as well as rose bushes and some annual flowering plants like daisies and petunias and planted wild flower seed behind it all. So we are hoping that all these roots plus the cross ties will save our back yard, especially if we continue to have the rain we have been blessed with the last six months.
I finally finished my inside spring cleaning and can really tell the difference by the improvement in my sinus allergies. As far as outside, the calendar is full. Although pollen is still about and almost everyone is complaining there is too much to do to stay inside. The Alabama Extension Calendar suggests that we complete the spray program for fruits and nuts. Those new shrubs I planted to prevent erosion need mulching, fertilizer and continued watering as do the new rose bushes.
Where the water wiped away our backyard topsoil, we have worked on replacing the soil and planting grass seed. I have planted some annual and perennial bedding plants to add a little more color.
I was blessed by gifts of bulbs from two different friends which amounted to about 1,000 bulbs that still need to be planted. The Extension Service advises not to remove foliage from spring flowering bulbs but let it die down naturally. They also suggest to not allow seed heads to form on tulips and other spring flowering bulbs. I did not know this and have already let seed heads form. So now I need to remove them.
Then there is the vegetable garden. It’s time to get the tomatoes in the ground along with peppers, eggplants, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, squash and corn if not already planted. Staking some of these plants will also be necessary, especially the tomatoes and pole beans. Once the garden is “laid by” as the old folks used to say, I’ll have a little more time to devote to flowers and other outside projects. Maybe even a few days of vacation before the crops start ripening.
We also need to clean undergrowth from around our blueberry bushes. They are already full of berries, but will also have less water available and more critters walking about if we don’t clean around them. We also need to put more pine bark down around the bushes. So far the blueberries look very healthy and if all goes well, we should have plenty for jams or freezing.
I’m sure there will be even more to do. If I can get the most important of the above completed, I’ll feel good about May. Happy May to everyone!
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04.19.10
Posted in Country Living, Gardening, Green Living at 2:55 am by Administrator
Spring is just a busy time of the year. For me it seems busier than the fall holidays. There is just so much to do. A lot of it is just plain hard work as well.
The Extension Service in Alabama furnishes a calendar for gardener’s which is a great asset for those like me who need help with keeping all the spring chores in mind and organized. It starts with January and has a ‘to do’ list for the garden for every month, even the cold months in the dead of winter. Granted, the warmer months have longer lists. But if I faithfully followed this calendar, I’d be very busy every month.
I’m behind in April already. It is time to spray the fruit trees, plant shrubs, plant seed or grass for the lawn, plant the vegetable garden, plant flower bulbs and annuals and perennials. Then there are the regular chores like weeding flower beds and watering plants. Grass cutting kicks in as well. April is definitely one of the busier months.
On top of the Extension’s list, I have several projects going on in addition. It has rained so much this past winter that we lost some of our backyard soil, just washed down the hill into the cleared pasture. So we decided to outline the edge of the backyard with cross ties and place cedar and holly’s to help the erosion problem. Plus these trees are helpful for attracting the birds.
Another preventive chore for early spring is spraying our decks with water-seal to keep the wood preserved as long as possible. Then there is the yearly pressure spraying chore of the house to remove mold and mildew, spider webs, etc. These two chores are time consuming and not easy for those that are just now getting around to shaping up after eating all those rich foods during Christmas. But the end result is very gratifying.
I love working outside in the fresh air and sunshine. The smell of fresh plowed earth is a special part of spring that those of us who live in rural areas are familiar with and enjoy each spring.
If I had been smart, I would have done the inside spring cleaning when it was still cold, windy and wet. Since I didn’t get it all done before the beautiful weather started, I now have to split my time between the fun outside and the not so fun ones inside. The sunshine and great weather outside will motivate me to spring more into action on the inside chores. The quicker I get done, the quicker I can get my toes into that fresh garden soil outside! Maybe I can be finished by Earth Day on April 22. That’s a good goal.
Happy Earth Day and Happy Gardening!
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03.14.10
Posted in Country Living, Environment, Green Living at 1:20 am by Administrator
One of my first post on this blog pointed out that the Canadian Geese were on the move and fall was on the way. Well, today I saw the Geese flying again, this time northbound. They picked a beautiful 70 degree sunny day to fly over and they were just beautiful.
I think everyone in the USA is looking forward to spring this year after all the snow, ice and storms of one kind or another. We are certainly ready for our normal warm spring weather in Central Alabama. It is near. I’ve been seeing robins and red-winged blackbirds already.
We are ready in other ways as well. Our gardens are tilled and we’re waiting for the last frost to come and go in order to set out the plants and plant the seeds. We have one garden just for corn and the other for all our other favorite vegetables. Last year the birds really helped out by enjoying the bugs and other insects on the plants. It seemed the change was welcomed from the winter’s seeds at the birdfeeders. This helped us as we did not have to use chemicals to rid the plants of the insects. Hopefully, the birds will be here this spring and summer as well. This type of help we can handle!
Spring also is a special time as it comes not long after the New Year when many people
made their resolutions to work toward during the year. By spring, many of us have already forgotten or dropped the efforts to keep our resolutions. Spring helps us revisit the newness of the year as we watch nature bud out and bloom all around us. We again set goals and begin working toward meeting them. Albeit, these goals usually have to do with getting outside, shaping up the flower beds, tidying up after winter or just enjoying the sunshine.
I have two goals for the spring. One is to successfully raise the twenty-four baby chicks I received last week from my brother for my birthday. That will keep me very busy, at least according to my Raising Chickens book. It has already been lots of fun just watching them adjust to the wonder of new life.
One of my other goals for the spring is to set out new shrubs that will outline my backyard. The birds seem to sometimes need more cover from our dogs as well as the weather. Before buying I will search my issues of Birds and Blooms to make sure I purchase shrubs that have berries and that will attract the most birds as well as offer the needed cover. There will be more goals to complete as well but these will be the big ones, so I’ll take it as it comes after completing these two.
Another good reminder that spring brings with it is Easter; a time when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of course this symbolizes new life, not just in nature but for all those who believe. It is a time when it seems that the whole earth including, humans, animals, and plants take time out to acknowledge this miracle in their own colorful way.
It just takes one look toward the sky to see the Geese, or the budding daffodils, new leaves on the trees, the sweet smells in the air, to experience this very special time of the year. To me it’s even better than Christmas.
So go ahead and make some spring goals and plans. It’s the best time for us green people to get our hands in the dirt. How fun is that? Spring is in the air!
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02.14.10
Posted in Chemicals, Environment, Glad Ware Company, Green Companies, Green Household Products, Green Living, Recycling, Technology, pollution at 4:59 am by Administrator
The last blog post examined some ways that chemicals and particularly those in plastics harm animal life, both on land and in the sea. This post will examine how certain chemicals harm humans. During my reading on this subject in the last week or so, one thing became very clear to me. Human and animal health is directly linked to the health of the environment. That seems like such an obvious statement, but oftentimes humans would like to think of environmental problems as just nature or animal problems. But when chemicals are involved, what affects animals also many times directly or indirectly affects the health of humans as well.
I read several articles on the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” which went into more detail about how the effects of tons of garbage in the Pacific Ocean is poisoning or killing the wildlife. The really sad thing is that there seems to be no quick feasible way to clean it up because it involves several countries, is very far from land and just gets complicated. This will take a lot of concentrated effort on everyone’s part including governments, advocacy groups, scientists and engineers to name a few, not to mention the money involved. But the chemicals leaking into the ocean from this garbage eventually makes its way into some of the fish/seafood we eat which makes its way into our bodies. Some pregnant women have been warned in the past not to eat certain fish because of the levels of certain chemicals. The ole food chain quandary sometimes gets really complicated. You’ll find several articles on this subject on http://www.treehugger.com and http://planetgreen.discovey.com. One program in particular that is taking a proactive stance in research and is taking positive actions to help clean up and prevent future ocean littering is Project Kaisei. Read about their good work at http://www.projectKaisei.org. Their work gives me hope that there is a solution. They are researching how to use this garbage to recycle into fuel of some kind. Through them we all can help with the research and clean up by helping fund the effort.
The websites noted above present much information about the chemicals that make their way into our bodies, not just through the ocean garbage dump but in our own homes, in every day living. Over this last decade, discussions, research and concerns have continued to rise about the harmful affects of certain plastics, or the chemical compounds making up certain plastics. These are the ones we are in contact with the most and which this blog will concentrate.
Questions began to arise about the chemical compounds of some plastics back in the 1980’s and continued into the new decade and century. Finally, recently after many studies, disagreements between agencies, researchers, scientists, industry personnel, advocacy groups, and others that had invested interest on one side or the other, the FDA made an announcement which denounced their previous finding earlier in the decade about bisphenol A (BPA). The FDA agency does now find ‘reason for concern’ about bisphenol A. However, the FDA took no further action. The statement itself was good and encouraging that more research will take place. But even so, bisphenol A or BPA is still in hundreds of products we use in everyday life.
That’s not to say that all plastics are harmful. Some plastics are safe and certainly useful. From my reading, one type of plastic used in many products proves to be non toxic in our daily use of it. It is named polypropylene. It is one of the few plastics that have no harmful occupational or health hazards during the manufacturing process as well (which is rare). Since the packaging of plastic products are not required to name the type of chemical compounds used in the product, how can we know what products we buy are made of this safe plastic? You will not know in the store. But you can either take down the phone number or website and contact the company and ask. Or you can buy the product and call before you unwrap or use the product to find out what it is made of, which is what I did last week. My bowls and tops had gotten so misplaced, borrowed or whatever that I needed to replace them so that I could send my husband to work with lunch that had a sealed top and could be warmed in the microwave. Having read that heating plastics is suspected to be one of the ways that BPA is leaked into our food and bodies, I called before I used. I purchased Glad Ware Containers with their “most interlocking lids ever.” The package said they were microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. When I called, the Glad representative stated the lids were made from polypropylene and the containers were made from Terephthalate which is another plastic compound that meets the FDA regulations for food containers and storage. (Regulations. U.S. FDA (1998) approved the use of PET as components of polyethylene phthalate polymers intended for use in contact with food in accordance with the conditions prescribed in 21 CFR part 177.1630.) Glad has on its website a declaration of safety and non use of BPA in their products including sandwich bags, plastic wraps, trash bags as well as the food containers.
After reading some of the literature regarding concerns about the leakage of potentially harmful plastic compounds the most widely known one, bisphenol A, there is still reason for everyone to be concerned until it is proven without a doubt non-harmful to animals and humans.
BPA is used in all kinds of everyday products including CD’s, baby bottles, sippy cups, lining in cans containing canned foods, water bottles, medical supplies, literally thousands of products we use everyday. Researchers at the CDC found that BPA was found in 93% of urine samples taken in a study of over 2500 participants. The levels varied somewhat with men showing 2.6 micrograms per liter, women with 2.9 and children between ages six to eleven showing a measurement of 4.5. The debate is ongoing that BPA does or does not accumulate in our bodies. The people that think BPA is not harmful say that the chemical leaves the body through the urine, therefore it doesn’t cause problems. The questions remain: does all the BPA leave the body or does it accumulate somewhere in the body? If so where and what are the lingering affects? Researchers have stated that BPA in low amounts have been harmful to lab animals and assume the same is so with humans.
Other researchers have found through tests with animals that BPA is suspicious or related to heart disease, complications in breast and prostrate cancer treatments, fertility problems and others. The FDA seems to be specifically concerned about how BPA affects infants and young children. Canada has taken the step to ban and remove BPA from baby bottles. Many manufacturers and retailers in the USA have voluntarily taken products off the shelves that contain BPA.
So while the jury is still out and the research still underway on BPA and other harmful plastic compounds, what do we do in every day life to care for our children and ourselves? Below is a list that can get us thinking and started. I will be doing these from now own, wish I’d known about such things when my children were young.
1. When in doubt, don’t use it. If you have a non plastic alternative, use it.
2. Contact the company and get their take on their products, then check the reputation of the company regarding violations of regulations, etc. The internet is a wonderful tool for this.
3. Use as little plastic as possible. Prevention on the front end is always better. Even if it is safe regarding human use, the disposal and recycling efforts of some plastics are not finely tuned. Much ends up in landfills (some say up to 22% or more of landfills are plastics) for millions of years to come – or in our oceans to cause havoc on the wildlife there and eventually making it back to our dinner table. Tons of other plastics just get thrown on roadways, parks, etc. where it stays forever until a good hearted human comes along and cleans it up. At least if it is an aluminum drink can littered in the park, it can be retrieved and easily recycled.
4. Advocate for better labeling of non-food products so we know what we are buying before we buy it.
5. Be on the safe side and buy glass baby bottles. Triple check the type of plastics in your childrens toys, especially teethers, rattles, etc. that will for sure go into their little mouths. Some harmful plastic are even in some childrens books that are bound in plastic. If you don’t know or can’t find out about safety, don’t buy it.
6. Aside from helping yourself and your family, get more involved. Some suggestions:
a. Celebrate Earth Day April 22.
b. Celebrate World Environmental Day June 5,
c. Celebrate World Ocean Day June 8.
d. Adopt a Mile clean up on a road near you.
e. Adopt a Stream, Creek, Lake, River, Bay, Ocean – any body of water will most likely have a clean up program. If not, get your community involved and start one.
d. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reclaim energy.
e. Save energy and water.
f. Live as green as you can, garden, alternative energy, hybrid vehicles, etc.
g. Give, aside from giving of yourself, give money to valuable and needed earth friendly causes.
h. Teach your children and grandchildren the importance of taking care of the earth. Teach them about animals, nature and recycling to start.
i. Pick at least one of these to do, preferably more.
j. Inform others of risks and needs regarding our earth.
k. Enjoy Your Earth!
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01.24.10
Posted in Chemicals, Environment, Green Household Products, Green Living, pollution at 8:56 pm by Administrator
In the early 1900’s scientists from different backgrounds, labs and companies were experimenting on their various products. One would pick up on the compounds of another and add or take away a chemical or two and by the 1950’s the fantastic product that we know today as plastics had evolved and was on earth to stay. Plastic material was soon found in every type of industry around the globe.
Plastics in one form or another during its evolution have been and are still good for human use regarding the quality and comforts of life that it offers. I would not want medical professionals to still be sterilizing needles or washing syringes to give me a shot or to be examined by a dentist or doctor without gloves. I want new single use sterilized needles and new gloves. There is too much room for error and too many new germs out there. Imagine taking medicine in a hospital setting without those little plastics disposable cups filled with clean water. What would we do without food storage and freezer bags, plastic wrap for covering cooked foods, individualized wrapped foods for protection and freshness on the store shelf? Imagine how much cleaner our garbage disposal systems and communities are due to using those large plastic garbage bags to dispose of household garbage. How many diseases have decreased because of better sanitation methods due to plastics? I doubt anyone will ever be able to determine a statistic measuring the good that plastics brought into our world. We can only relate somewhat to the great impact that plastics have made. Another thing that would be impossible to do is to list all the types of products made from plastics. The number of items is just immeasurable. No doubt about it, plastics have impacted each of our lives in many positive ways. Plastic is not the enemy in this discussion, but one of the most common products we use that unfortunately is frequently made of some questionable chemical compounds.
As my recycling efforts continue, I have been surprised to find that I recycle more plastics than anything else. I thought as I began recycling that cans would be the most recycled item or maybe paper. I also have been noticing how much plastic and other trash, usually food and drink containers, is left on the side of the road, in parks, parking lots, around and in lakes, oceans, just about everywhere. This fact brought about the question how does the chemicals in plastics affect humans and how does it affect wildlife as they run into it in their habitats?
The answer regarding potential harm to humans has become the subject of many research studies and some will be summarized in the next blog. The harm for animals takes several forms and any type of plastic is potentially dangerous to animals. Sadly, harm to animals could be prevented if humans would only properly dispose of plastics and other trash. The majority of plastic related mishaps with animals involve the animal getting its neck legs, wing, head or other body part caught some way with plastic items and cannot get free. Many animals die because their entanglement remains if a human doesn’t come along to help. For example our golden retriever recently had a bottle cap wedged in his gum. It was in the back of his mouth and by the time it was obvious to us that he needed a vet’s care, the cap was imbedded in the gum with a serious infection and had to be cut out. We had no idea it was even there. Another way animals get into trouble regarding plastics is by ingesting some plastic object or bit of plastic that may end up choking them or harming their digestive system. All animals are susceptible. A quote from Wildlife Stewardship on the website http://www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org emphasizes this, “Animals will eat anything with an odor including aluminum foil, plastic and other food wrapping. These can severely damage an animal’s digestive system and may even facilitate death.”
Examples of animals coming into harms way due to human neglect is birds and marine animals getting caught in fishing line or nets that became hung up and left in trees or caught on something under the water. At http://www.News.NationalGeographic.com, it is stated that 44% of all seabirds eat plastic by accident. I’m sure many other wild birds do the same. Little bits of Styrofoam after all to a wild bird will look like a seed. This site also claims that 267 marine species are affected by plastics that are left in lakes and the oceans. It also stated that larger fish will swallow a grocery bag whole as it looks like a jellyfish.
Another way of potential harm to animals is by how the chemicals within the plastic harm the soil or environment around them. The article, Plastic Breaks Down in Oceans After All–And Fast, on the National Geographic website listed above shares information about this new discovery. It states that unlike what was once believed, plastics do not last for years in the ocean, but the chemicals in plastics begin breaking down within months. The chemical that is harmful once the plastic breaks down is styrene trimer, a polystyrene (plastic) by-product (suspected to be a carcinogen) and bisphenol A (interferes with reproductive systems in lab animals) which is found in hard plastics like water bottles, baby bottles, linings of aluminum cans and other containers. The article described our oceans as “Plastic Soup”, a toxic soup at that.
The oceans are not the only place where environmental hazards exist for animals and humans. Toxic wastes dumped wherever always has the potential to be harmful sooner or later, according to how it was disposed. Also gases and toxic fumes are still polluting our air. While these problems are a major concern and government agencies, researchers and scientists work hard every day to rectify what they can, chemicals remain one of the most serious pollutants. Plastic items just happen to be one if not the most common commodity made from some of these potentially harmful chemical compounds. But most people could not imagine living without at least some plastic items and I’m one of them.
Almost everything has a positive and negative side, chemicals certainly do as well. While chemicals are necessary for many of the comforts of life we enjoy, they also present problems for the environment. Let’s just face it; there will continue to be an ongoing task for society to clean up the environment. We’ve just got to keep at it. All these thoughts bring about the question; is there another cleaner and greener alternative perhaps commodity items made of chemicals that are good, not bad, not harmful, maybe?
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