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.