All armed up and no place to go

From the precints of chickenhawkdom, the denizen are restless.  With the most expensive military machine in the history of mankind idling in the backyard, John McCain and his collegues who never saw a war they didn't like (unless Obama is for it) are beating the drum for action in Syria.  It seems these idiots can't resist the urge to have pictures of Americans killing arabs and other brown skinned people plastered all over the world's media.  I sometimes think the Republican party gets contributions from Al Quieda (sic) for it's contribution to recruitment.  Sir John and his Merry Men seemingly love the idea we are killing other countries' citizens.  I guess it's much easier than the hard work of actually rallying the world to take collective action to end the horror in Syria.  We can only hope that cooler heads prevail.  Obviously, some people have been playing "Call of Duty" for too many hours in the Senate Cloakroom.

Fighting entropy

My yard is the poster child for the increasing entropy of the universe.  No matter how many hours of daylight and how many weekends I devote to restoring order, my little corner of creation is living up to the aforementioned natural law.  I have to admit I sometimes bring this on myself.  The expansion of the ultra secret garden is a case in point.  As perennials like asparagus and strawberries take up more space, I decided I wanted to keep the amount of annuals the same.  Probably a bad decision, especially if the growing season is difficult.  So far it looks like we may be in for a dry summer.  If that's the case, I will regret the expansion now.  In the meantime, the gardens look good, if only because the beds are neat and the weeds are slow in germinating.  That will definitely change over the next few weeks.

He is watching

The coming surveillance state is going to make Orwell's 1984 look like a libertarians wet dream.  Truly, if Michael Bloomberg gets his fondest wish, there will be so many cameras in NYC every purchase of a Big Gulp will be recorded and the buyer tapped on the shoulder and ticketed by the local gendarme.   For some reason, within the last 25 years we have become a nation of chicken littles when it comes to perceived threats to personal safety.  Is it the Boomer generation's helicopter parenting or the economic opportunities presented by the safety and surveillance industrial complex?  When did the safety fetish cause this quest for ever more intrusive infringements on our liberties.  While people seek personal thrills by skydiving from the edge of space or climbing Everest despite blindness, the majority of the population lead lives which are ever more circumscibed in the the name of security.   The security lines at any airport are the metaphor for life in general.  Is this what we want to bequeath to future generations of Americans?

Obsessions

While the media and policy makers continue to obsess over the Boston Marathon bombing suspects it is worthwhile to consider some other events which have and will affect more Americans than the event in Boston.  Since the bombing, more than a dozen people and counting have been killed by firearms in this country.  Robberies, murder, suicide and random shootings.  If we  as a people are really concerned about the safety of the average citizen, gun control should be our number one priority.  Meanwhile, a young Yemeni testified before Congress about how the US drone killings in the Middle East are creating a generation of anti-American activists which will dwarf the cohort we created during the Afghan war against the Russians.  As teenagers and children grow up in fear of invisible and indiscriminate killers hovering above them, they will grow up to be an army of potential terrorists.  At the very least, some of them will  become policy makers in their own countries and will have views antithetical to our interests.  And yet, the blowhards on the committes listening to the young man in question were more interested in cheap political points than examining the implications of his testimony.  And so it goes...

Making Progress

The mornings are starting out a little warmer as we close in on May.  From record lows in the low 20s on Monday to 38 this morning and predicted lows in the mid 40s for next week, the trend is up.  Planted 100 strawberry plants last night.  It is always amazing to see the bedraggled plants coming out of the packaging and thinking they will never grow, but lo and behold within a couple of weeks they sprout and start the cycle.  Dreams of shortcake and whipped cream in 14 months.  Barring the usual problems like weeds, late frosts, disease, etc.  Gardening and farming are continuing denials of disaster and expressions of faith in the regenerative powers of the earth. 

The insurance conundrum

Although the Boston Marathon bombing continues to dominate the media this week, as the NYT notes, there is another bomb ready to explode among the many victims of the blast.  The bills for medical intervention, especially for those greviously injured are likely to be staggering.  Unfortunately, thanks to the barbaric state of our health care system, if you don't have gold plated health insurance, even a relatively small deductable can be a financial catastrophe.  Without insurance, you might as well declare bankruptcy now and sort out the implications later.  Amputations, prosthetic limbs and months of rehab can run into the hundreds of thousands or more.  My eldest daughter broke her foot the other day and although she is a nurse, her health insurance through the hospital where she works has a $5000. yearly deductable.  That is a huge amount of money, especially for young people who ordinarily will not use that much care in a year.  The hospital is defacto forcing its employees to self insure, except in the case of severe trauma.  Is this the kind of health care system the citizens of this country deserve?

Busted

Why were you and your tractor on the wrong side of the fence asked the divine Mrs. M at dinner last night.  Oh, that.  Well, it's like this.....Busted again.  Since I have planted more perrenials, such as asparagus and now strawberries, there is less room for annuals, plus there is the problem of crop rotations away from brassicas.  So the obvious solution is to tear up more ground.  Unfortunately, the activity was noted and the consequences will be forthcoming.  Aside from that, I got the first plantings of beets and carrots into the ground on Sunday, along with another planting of spinach.  The first planting is up and growing, despite a record low of 22 degrees last night.  Soil temps remain low, but things are drying nicely.  I hope to get the strawberries planted tonight.

Gathering steam

The grass is greening up very quickly as the daytime temps slowly rise.  Soil temps in the North Country are still rather low, but with a 70 degree day today the weed seeds will start breaking ground.  If the weather cooperates, I should get peas, beets, carrots and radishes in this weekend, along with another planting of spinach.  It is hard to restrain the urge to plant more tender crops, but the aforementioned soil temps should be enough to dampen that enthusiasm.  The onions are sprouting in the cold frames and the cabbages, broccoli, etc. are ready to transplant.  I am getting tired just thinking about it.  Time compresses activity at this point in the season. There is never enough of the former and way too much of the latter.  Somehow it seemed more doable 20 years ago.  On the other hand I wasn't trying to do so much in those days. 

Disasters, quick and slow

The Boston Marathon Massacre and the explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant yesterday are examples of  a quick disaster.   Relief is quick, people appear almost instantaneously and despite the tragedy, there is a feeling of satisfaction that we have responded to the crisis in a humane fashion.   Then there is the slow motion disasters unfolding in countries like Greece where up to 20% of children don't get enough to eat and there are reports of kids doubled over with pain from hunger and stealing or begging food from classmates.  Meanwhile, the rest of the European community demands more austerity from the Greeks as their country tumbles into third world status.   A recent report from Unicief  ranks the US 26th out of 29 advanced countries in metrics which measure the well being of children.  Only Latvia, Estonia and Romania ranked lower.  What these statistics foreshadow is a generation which will mature in poverty with less education than there parents and certainly less economic opportunity.  I don't know if we will be able to summon the same sense of outrage at these slow motion tragedies as we do for bombings and explosions.  I doubt it, but the consequences will dwarf the explosions in Boston and Texas.

Glorious Garlic

Like ranks of little green soldiers, the garlic is up and showing its colors on this beautiful spring morning in the North Country.  The last thing planted each fall, the garlic is also the first vegetable to sprout and grow in the spring.  It is living proof that the garden will go on despite the contrary weather of the last few weeks.  It takes a lot of faith and work to grow a good crop, but the rewards are both tangible and cerebral.  Just a few minutes of gazing at the long straight rows of green in an otherwise brown wasteland is enought to carry me for another day.  It is mornings like this that convince me the sweaty, hard work of gardening is worth the candle.  Spinach, zuchini, basil and even tomaatoes come and go, but the garlic goes on from one year to the next, as I select the best looking bulbs for replanting each fall help them fulfil their promise as the summer waxes.  It may sound corny, but garlic is the crop which more than any other makes you feel in tune with the rhythms of nature.

Boston's Aftermath

The horror in Boston yesterday seems to have unmanned the people who cover the news.  While it is understandable to be concerned about the attack on the innocent spectators at the marathon finish line, the coverage veered into overkill territory.  All other news was excluded as expert after expert obsessed about the minutiae of the circumstances.  The fact many of these same reporters and experts spend virtually no time on the many terror attacks around the globe each day shows the disconnect between America and the rest of the world.  It is a shame people have to die to remind us that the policies this nation pursues outside its borders have consequences.  My heart goes out to the injured and the survivors of this attack.  I hope the perpetrators are apprehended and punished.  But I also hope for some reflection by the national concscience (if there is such a thing) regarding our role in the world and how our actions affects the lives and fortunes of other countries' citizens.   We have an unhealthy obsession with our own supposed exceptionalism.  It's is time to mute the chants of USA, and perhaps feel the pain of our fellow inhabitants of the Blue Planet.

Crazy swings

Standing on the practice green of my local golf course it seemed like a pretty nice Sunday afternoon.  Temperature in the upper 40s and some blues sky showing amid the clouds.  I started to chip and putt, and then it started to hail.  Pebble size stones were bouncing off the green.  Welcome to spring in the North Country.  The grass has not even shown a hint of growth yet and soil temps are not encouraging germination.  This week and the long range promise a little better scenario, but only marginally better than last week.  It's looking like a long slow slog to summer.

Spring snow

With little or no warm weather so far this year, a little snow this morning is not a disaster.   The apple growers are snug in their beds and the buds on the trees are still small and tight.  Field work will be pushed back at least a week and if it doesn't warm soon, seedlings in greenhouses will start getting leggy and growers will have to decide if transplanting them is a good bet.  In these weather conditions, farming is more like casino gambling than usual.  A good bet here or there can lead to a big payoff in June, while the wrong gamble will put you in danger of a bad season before the first day of summer.  Meahwhile, Almena Gardens remains in suspense and the golf clubs will stay in the car this weekend.

Back and Forth

It's barely above freezing this morning, and snow showers are predicted for tonight.  If this is what a real spring is like on the NCR, I may change my opinion on climate change.  Not really, but I have taken the last few mild winters and springs for granted.  As a novice produce broker in the 1980s, I spoke with people who took it for granted nothing was planted much before the first of May and tomatoes were a risky crop with a frost free season of less than 100 days.  Planting soybeans was almost as risky.  The changes since then have been pretty radical.  Iceberg lettuce is now harvested nearly a month earlier than in 1988.  Harvest continues into October.  As I said earlier, I and most of the growers in this area are used to this state of affairs, and devoutly hope it will continue, or even extend.

The Iron Lady's legacy

Much like her contemporary proto fascist, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher adored military pomp, disdained the middle and lower classes in her country and divided the society in ways that will probably never be repaired.  The glowing obituaries and fulsome tributes also remind me of Reagan's passing as pundits competed to see who could produce the most boot licking retrospectives to that monster's career.  They were both bullies who used the military to abuse the likes of Argentina and Grenada.  Neither cared a fig for the people disposessed by their social policies, and both played on and highlighted the underclasses and encouraged ridicule of same.   Both Reagan and Thatcher will be remembered as dividers of society.  Underneath the thin veneer of charm, they were both mean spirited opportunists.  It is somewhat ironic they both spent their last years as senile spectators of the messes they made of their respective societies.

Looking forward

Despite the wild, windy weekend, the sun keeps arriving earlier every day and feels stronger when it is not obscured by the omnipresent cloudbanks which plague the NCR this time of year.  Clouds do not necessarily mean wet weather, so the ground is drying fairly quickly.  Driving through farm country on Saturday, I saw many of the heavy tillage tractors in barnyards.  That means last minute maintenence  has been done and the growers are just waiting for the fields to finish drying enough to start plowing.   While it is still early, you have to be ready to go as soon as possible to be able to stay on schedule.

Slow start

The weather continues to whipsaw between late winter and early spring here on the NCR.   Snow and rain are predicted both today and Sunday.  I would guess we are at least 3 weeks behind where we were at this time last year.  Most of that will be lost as far as the garden is concerned.  No early spinach this year.  As the years pass, I feel these false starts more acutely.  The number of gardening years left in this body is steadily decreasing and each lost week is one less off that dwindling number.  No matter, life goes on.

People are from Earth, not so sure about Walmart

As with the rest of corporate America, Walmart aims to do more with less, especially in the employee category.  According to a story in the NYT, they have cut up to 15% of their workers since the start of the lesser Depression.  Unfortunately for them, customers are starting to notice the dirtier stores, unstocked merchandise and the lack of freshness in the produce department and are taking their business elsewhere.  Our local Walmart is no exception.  I have noticed the messy produce displays.  I don't buy produce at Walmart, but I do check the store from time to time and it seems a little more disorganized.  Another big problem is the lack of cashiers.  They have over 20 stations and rarely are more than 4 or 5 manned.  A 30 minute wait to check out is not worth a $2.00 savings, especially if the quality of the produce is not good.  Perhaps the pendulum is swinging toward a model which rewards fresh, quality produce at slightly higher pricing.  It might just catch Walmart's attention.

Gun nuts and climate denialists

Another day and I haven't been part of a mass shooting and/or experienced hideously elevated temps.  In other words, welcome to the slightly skewed world view of gun nuts and climate change deniers.  It doesn't take much to keep these folks from accusing anyone looking for sane gun control and tackling climate issues of radical left wing leanings.  The Fox news crowd would have you believe the fact that thousands of people die of gunshot wounds every year is because there are not enough guns.  Likewise, I guess, climate change will only be cured if we pump every barrel of oil and burn it.  What these media outlets and the people behind this barrage of misinformation want is a docile populace which will follow its natural inclination to shy away from facts which challenge their daily routine.  After the New Town massacre, there was thought to be strong support for some slight but sensible changes in gun laws.  Now the momentum is nearly gone, drowned out by "2nd amendment concerns".   If we can't rein in gun violence after the slaughter of innocents, what chance does the relatively slow moving change of climate have to attract attention.  Welcome to 21st century America...you gotta love it.

Foolsball

Well, Lucy snatched the ball yesterday and erstwhile gardeners on the NCR wound up on their backs again.  It was 24 degrees with a dusting of snow this morning.  Happy spring!  Of course we should be back on track by the weekend with temps in the 50s, but it is a little disheartening to see the white stuff in April.  I did get the tomato and eggplant seeds in last night, so take that old man winter.  Meanwhile, the veg markets continue their late winter swoon with soft markets on most items.  The California shippers continue to freak out with little encouragement.  With many eastern growing areas experiencing lower than normal temps, it would seem there is little competition on the horizon, but that has never stopped western grower panic attacks in the past.

Fools for April

Like Lucy and Charly Brown, April weather and me play the same game year after year and like Lucy, the weather almost always gets the laughs.  Saturday was by comparison to most of March a gorgeous day with temps near 60 and bright sunshine.  I started like a house afire, pruning fruit trees, starting cleanups, starting crops in the cold frames and even getting the first bed of spinach planted out in the garden.  The garlic is pushing up and the soil is starting to dry.  What's not to like.  Unfortunately, by 5 p.m., this 61 year old was feeling about 90 and the idea of doing the same thing again on Sunday was about as appealing as a root canal without anasthesia.  Fortunately, advil and a night's rest made me feel almost human again.  Of course, the first week of April will bring a return to late winter, so I'll get a chance to recover before next weekend when I can do it all over again.