Climate And Gardens On My Mind

I've read a couple of things about the United States withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord and am puzzled by most of the reactions, which border on hysteria. Our previous president got us into it rather arbitrarily, if my recall is even halfway accurate. That's neither here nor there in what puzzles me. I just threw it in because I felt like it.


Here's an article that's not from any of the 'usual' sources:



ACCUWEATHER has this to say:

"The manner in which the U.S. leaves the Paris agreement is still up in the air and it could be several years before the exit officially happens. There are three ways in which the U.S. could leave the agreement, according to Climate Central.

[A] One scenario is that rather than executing a formal withdraw, Trump and his administration could simply stop efforts to limit greenhouse gas pollution.

[B] If the U.S. does formally withdraw, the treaty requires a country wait three years after joining the agreement before they can file the necessary paperwork to leave the accord, meaning the U.S. wouldn't leave until near November 2020.

[C] A third and more aggressive option would be if the U.S. pulls out of the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). According to Climate Central, the Paris Agreement states that any country that withdraws from the UNFCCC is also considered to have left the Paris accord. The waiting period in this scenario would be one year."

The timeline/s involved give/s us a window of at least a year to come to terms with the whole thing, so the flustering and blustering seems a bit overdone.

The billions of dollars on the line aren't pocket change, you know. You and I can pretty well guess that the pockets those billions were probably slated to fill aren't American ones, and the projects they would have funded probably wouldn't have been American ones. Just sayin'.

The rebuttable presumption seems to be that the United States is going to just disregard anything to do with the climate. [option A above]

While that could conceivably be true, I honestly have my doubts that's the intent here. With the United States and China (China's staying in at least for now, by the way) apparently the biggest pollution-makers in the world, does it make sense for us to be spending billions on other parts of the world when we could probably put those dollars to better use right here on our own 'home turf'?

I'm typically a 'pie in the sky' optimist about a lot of things other folks see only gloom and doom in. Not always, mind you, but a lot of the time I am. I will happily own that.

So let's play 'What If' for just a minute here.

What if we not only spend those billions on developing alternative energy sources and alternatives to most of the things we're currently using non-renewables for, but add an incentive for our own (and other) corporations to invest a hefty hunk of their profit margins in said developments and training for the associated jobs? It will pay off for them before too long I should think. That ought to make everyone happy, right? The world better not gripe either, because we'll be doing what they say they want (only in our own way).

Being as we're right up there at the top of the 'guilty party' list, you'd think the rest of the world would be kicking into the kitty to help us get off of that list. Why do I not think that's happening, or going to happen? I wonder. No, I don't wonder at all about that. I may be an eternal optimist, but honestly ... I just don't see anything like that happening, do you? Didn't think so. Betcha it hadn't even crossed your mind. Or theirs.

Be that as it may, given that we're apparently 'guilty as charged', it certainly behooves us to be taking steps - on our own as the rest of the world isn't going to suddenly become givers instead of takers - toward removing ourselves from the 'bad list' and doing what America does: be the best as whatever we choose to do. Are we going to stand still while the Scandinavians are kicking our behind on this stuff? I think not.

I've said it before and I'll preach it until the cows come home (there have been several preachers on both sides of my lineages, of whom more than one have been women, so yes I can and I will preach) ... 

Reforest.

Recycle.

Re-purpose.

Renewable Resources.

Use our available resources to develop the ones that will replace them, or at least supplement them until we get to where we don't need them any more.

Use some of those billions to provide American individuals, farms, small towns, bigger towns, cities, counties, and states with both the resources and the practical knowledge to pick up a bit of the energy load by using renewables. Give us what we need, starting with individuals and working up to states, to become responsible contributors to our own benefit and the benefit of everyone else.

You don't think that could happen?

You might be right, but we're playing 'What If' here remember.

I wasn't born yet when Americans were apparently gung ho on growing Victory Gardens during the WWI years. I wasn't born yet when American Women stepped up to the plate to work in factories when their men were away fighting. But I spring from the ones who were gung ho, who did step up. So do you if your family's been in the United States for any length of time. They did what they had to do when they had to do it. So can we. So WILL we.

But we aren't going to do it because some 'outsiders' tell us we have to. We'll do it because we want to, because it's common sense, and because we're just ornery enough to do it to spite those who think we can't or won't.

*laughing*

November 8, 2016 comes to mind. God Bless Deplorables!

We really ought to be doing 'Victory Gardens' anyway, on general principles. Some of us are, and I think Yard Gardens are great for those who have them (and their friends and relatives who get the surplus). Do a web search for Front Yard Gardens and see what you can see. If you don't think the everyday ordinary American family/individual can make a difference, you're flat wrong.

If you're wondering what possible impact such small things as planting gardens and trees and getting a solar panel can have, consider the effect of thousands of us (or millions) doing our own small bit, for ourselves yes but for everyone else's benefit too, could generate. 

We do NOT have to always leave it all up to somebody else, and sit around feeling like there's nothing we can do about anything.

Pffft.

What if Americans really did start planting gardens again (including apple trees, or plum, or whatever), for example, and eating what they themselves have grown? Such a simple thing as that.

There would be a great big impact right there.

Psychologically and intellectually, the pride would make people feel better. They'd have to plan, prepare, and implement their ideas for the kind of garden they want, and then feel accomplished and proud when they prove to themselves and everyone else that they could do it.

Physically, the home grown produce would make people healthier (and better cooks), not to mention the being out of doors on a regular basis, and the exercise. The pharmaceutical companies might not like it, but what the heck. They're already in hot water; let's let them simmer.

Spiritually, reconnecting with and nurturing the natural gifts we've been blessed with might bring us all closer to reconnecting on a bigger scale.

Many of us don't feel much connected to the society in which we live in, sad but true. We each have our own lives to get through as best we can, and most of us are too busy and perhaps too isolated within ourselves. Too many of us don't have the time or the energy to get to know many other people, even the ones who are right next door. 

Think about it for a minute. If you're out in your yard, trying to plan what you might want to plant where, and your neighbors are too, guess what. You're likely to actually have conversations, compare notes, get and give advice. You might be as different as night and day as individuals, but you've found something you have in common.

CLICK

There you go.

Let the healing begin.

Believe it or not, We The People really can set the bar for our own selves. 

And we can set it as high as we want. 

If you think your City Council won't notice if everyone starts planting vegetable gardens in their yards, you're wrong. If you think the media won't notice, you're wrong. If you think our government at all levels won't take notice and take heed, you're wrong. If you think our corporations are insensitive to our wants and needs, you're wrong. If you think that We The People can't send a message on up the line by taking the reins into our own fists, you're wrong. 

What if American families and individuals started planting trees and gardens, whole neighborhoods and communities and towns together with a goal they've set for themselves?

What if American families and individuals and neighborhoods and communities and towns got together (for once) and made sure everyone got some kind of renewable energy source and the knowledge to use it?

You think we can't or won't do it?

Think again.

Nobody has to make a great big deal out of it. It's an individual, family, neighborhood, community, town thing - not some mandate from anyone. That's one of the best things about it: that We The People can just quietly go about making some really positive changes in our own sweet time, in our own sweet way, in our own sweet lives, by our own sweet choice, all by our own sweet selves.

Somebody tell Melania, okay? (no 'first name familiarity' intended but she's kind of our awesome collective Mother Figure now) Our First Lady needs a vegetable garden. And we need someone who cares enough about us to encourage us in making healthy choices. Healthy for us as individuals, and healthy for our nation when neighbors are once again neighbors instead of strangers. Some of us have such families, neighborhoods, communities, and towns, and I'm fortunate to have experienced it. It's something worth sharing. And it's something we can all participate in, whether we have acres or square feet to work with. You can always grow a tomato plant or something in a bucket on your kitchen counter, you know. Pumpkins might be a bad choice for that, but lots of things would be perfect.

It's time for our nation to grow up and to grow into something that's good for all of us, and I mean that literally.

PS: the farmers won't mind; they might laugh, but they won't mind

PS2: I don't need two scoops of ice-cream, but could I please have seconds on those home-grown green beans?

Straw Bale Garden ... Tomatoes And Spinach

Why on earth I can't add photos is totally beyond me, and it's a pain in my backside, but at least I can write, and maybe figure out the image issue later.


Yes, there are little tomatoes coming. They're small, of course, about the size of a fingernail. These aren't going to get very big anyway being as they're cherry tomatoes. And the two plants I didn't think would make it because they weren't very strong in the first place, have rallied and are flowering!

If all goes well I ought to have the tomatoes and my first crop of baby spinach leaves ready at the same time and I'll have a terrific salad.

The combination is a winner.

Both are great for you, and the tomatoes will get the iron of the spinach quickly into your bloodstream where it will do you some good.

A raw salad is good, but a cooked side dish of these two is even better. Saute them in a little olive oil. The cooking and the bit of fat puts the antioxidants to work on your behalf better than raw - although raw is definitely still pretty darned good, the change-up of cooked adds that bit of oomph, besides trying something different.

One thing I want to do, with my own 'crops' and/or produce I get at local farmers' markets, is to dehydrate as much as I can.

Tomatoes and spinach are perfect for this. The dehydrating leaves them with almost all of the benefits of fresh or fresh-cooked. Adding them to soups, stews, hotdishes, whatever, in the non-producing months means I'll get those benefits year-round. Canning is good, don't get me wrong, but canned spinach just isn't on my 'best-loved' list. Dehydrated produce will be good forever. Okay, not forever, but for a really long time. Plus (and this makes a difference to me) it's no hassle. Just fill the dehydrator and go do whatever you want while they dry. When they're completely dry put them into baggies or the jars you would have canned them in, and you're done. One thing about the jars. You can fit a whole lot more dehydrated stuff into a jar than canning will allow. And some things, when subjected to the temperatures required for canning, lose nutritional value. As a general rule dehydrating doesn't have that effect.

End of lecture.

The straw bales seem to be working out pretty well so far (knock wood) and as we've had more rain than has been usual around here (again, knock wood) I haven't had to water them too much yet. The hot dry days of summer are coming, and I'll keep a close eye (hand) on them to make sure they're staying hydrated (don't want to dehydrate anything until I'm good and ready to). The 'hand' bit has to do with checking the internal condition of the bales as I go along. The straw with the little bit of potting soil around the plants makes it easy to wriggle a hand in to check the temperature (you want it warm in there) and moisture content.

Also, although this post is about tomatoes and spinach, I got green beans planted along the fence line that's about a foot and a half away from my line of bales. They don't get any of the special treatment that the bale plants do, so we'll see how they cope. If I'm lucky they'll grow up the fence; if they don't, I'll likely use strips of cloth to tie them up as they grow (IF they grow).

The spinach is in a tub and so are the carrots. The carrots I first planted sprouted fine but I was totally not aware of it because I'd put too much straw and potting soil over them (sad eyes). It was barely a sprinkle, mind you. It's not like I buried them nine feet in the ground. But ... it was too much for those tiny seeds and the seedlings didn't make it, which I discovered when I brushed aside the straw and soil to check on them. I put beets into the carrot bale instead.

So I've got a bale of sweet bell peppers (there are lots of folks around here who plant the hot ones; believe me I don't need to plant any of those) with four plants; two bales of cherry tomatoes with three plants in each; a bale of onions, a bale of beets, and a bale that's got three little watermelon plants and three little cantaloupe plants (although one of the cantaloupe plants isn't looking too healthy, it might make it). Six bales for this experiment, plus the tubs for the spinach and carrots.

*laughing*

I planted cosmos flowers in the washtub that had daffodils and hyacinth (wow, they were awesome! I planted them in the ground after they were done blooming so they'll hopefully come up next year). While the cosmos (hopefully) are growing and blooming and all that this summer, I'll choose a spot for them in the yard and that's where the seeds will go as they come along.

Anyway, around the inside perimeter of the washtub went a bunch of the extra onion sets that I didn't want to try to crowd into the bale. I think I'll let those flower. The cosmos are supposed to be shades of pink and the purple (or maybe white; I'll find out soon enough) of the onion flowers will be a good combination I betcha. Plus they'll be shorter and the flowers are those round balls, as opposed to the petals of the cosmos, so there's that contrast to add interest. Being as I put the daffodils and hyacinths into two places, I dumped the rest of the onions in with one of those batches. We'll see what happens there, too! People will likely think me nuts to let my onions flower, but it might take them a minute of wondering what those pretty flowers are that I've planted before they figure it out.


I sure wish I could figure out why my images aren't 'taking'. Grrrrrr!

If ever I can get fixed whatever's ailing here, I'll add them and update the posts.

Climate Change and Renewables

I haven't really paid a whole lot of attention to all the brouhaha regarding climate change, mainly because I'm of the opinion that yes the climate is going to change. It's been changing for as long as Earth has been around; why would it stop now?

Frankly I'm somewhat relieved that our President is apparently opting us out of the Paris Climate Accord. In my opinion, there might be better directions for the nations of Earth to take. (that's my polite way of saying it's dumb and a waste of time and resources that would be better used elsewhere)

While I am absolutely in full support of developing renewable energy sources, I'm not quite sure what that has to do with climate change. I'm in favor of renewables because they're ... well ... renewable, as opposed to non-renewable. Hello. Non-renewable stuff runs out eventually. Just because it ain't likely to run out in our time doesn't mean we ignore the fact that it will run out in somebody else's time, and there's no reason for us to not develop renewables now so our future folk will know that we at least thought about them. We can't adjust the way Earth's climate works, but we could maybe start getting some tools ready for those who are going to be coming along behind us so they (or we, for that matter) might have a better chance of adjusting TO said climate.

That being said, I don't think humankind is actually affecting any climate change that's going on, and can't imagine us being able to reverse it, stop it, or even slow it down any.

If we're going to talk about climate change we'd be better off figuring out how to cope with it rather than dicking around trying to influence it.

When humankind can control volcanic activity, which probably isn't going to happen any time soon, we might have a shot at controlling climate change - as just one example. When we can stop impact events, it might be a good idea to do that. When we can control tectonic plate movement and glacial advances and retreats, good for us - but that day is not today, nor any time soon.

We can't do those things, and we cannot control climate change any more than anyone before us has been able to.

Focusing on the renewables makes sense.

So does planning and preparing ourselves ahead of time for what we might need to cope with.

No, I don't know what's going to happen so don't even ask.

But we've got a whole lot of information about what has happened in the lifetime of Earth. Somebody out there has probably got a darned fine idea of what might be going to happen. The sooner they clue the rest of us in, the better.

We are not going to impact whatever climate change is going on with Earth, but we could and should at least pay attention and devote as much as we possibly can of those non-renewables to the development of the renewables that are going to replace them. That just makes sense. Having almost all of our energy eggs in the same basket is just as dumb as thinking we can control the climate changes of Earth.

Before I get off on a tangent about energy, I'm going to rein myself in and spare you and myself (for the moment) an energetic discussion that's both the most simple and the most complex thing ever.

Climate change is going to happen. What I'm interested in is knowing what direction it's going to take, short term and long term (relatively speaking, as in during the next few generations), what the effects are going to be, how the changes are going to impact us as human beings (along with everyone else), and what we can do to prepare.

And yes I know full well that a random impact event could obliterate us in pretty much no time flat, but that's not what I want to know about right now. At the moment I'm just wanting the smart ones among us to talk to the wise ones among us so that maybe the ordinary ones among us (like me and probably you) can at least have some kind of understanding of what all the hoop-la is about - and maybe go about educating our young folk in a way that's halfway sensible.

It's not, in my opinion, sensible for anyone to think we can effectively control climate change. Put stoppers on the volcanoes? Can't do that. Put thermostats on the glaciers? Right.

We could, and really should, replant our forests, though. And get those renewables moving right along. That might be halfway sensible.

If the nations of Earth want to cooperate in something, reforesting would be a great place to start. It's probably not as lucrative for some people, but it would help ALL of the occupants of Earth. It doesn't take a lot of regulation, you know. Just start planting trees. What kind goes where is already pretty obvious.

Whoever makes the investment in developing renewables is going to reap some mighty big profits, which really is such a no-brainer that even I can figure it out. The non-renewables are plenty lucrative but ... there are alternatives and the ones who take the lead are going to benefit even more than the rest of us.

Think on this for a minute.

We HAVE to use the non-renewables for the time being because our world has become dependent on them. We'd best be using them to get the alternatives ready to roll.

Last year there was a big deal about pipelines and that big deal isn't going to go away. It would ease the minds of a lot of people if they knew those pipelines aren't going to be necessary forever. Solar, Wind, Water ... and others ... don't require pipelines for energy distribution. We in the United States are going to be working on our infrastructure anyway; why not make accommodations for renewable energy distribution a part of the plan so we don't have to try to mess with it later?

You know those quantum computers we've been hearing about? We've got some really smart folks among us. Put those smart brains to work figuring out renewable energy sources and how to get them into use.

Just sayin'.

Our world is changing and we might not have time to evolve to meet the demands those changes will put on humankind.

We can buy ourselves some time maybe if we give ourselves more options than we have at the moment. When all is said and done, the nations who are best prepared are in the best position to both survive and to thrive, no matter what the climate does.

I think I might plant a couple of trees in my yard, just because it would be a good thing to do. Maybe one that grows fast, like a poplar, and one that grows slow, like an oak. One for me and one for the generations who aren't even born yet.

Arbor Day was April 28th this year so it's past.

Who says every day can't be Arbor Day?

Plant some trees.

It's one little something we can all do, while the smart folk are figuring out our energy issues and the rich energy folk are finding more baskets for their eggs and the engineers are planning distribution options.

For that matter, install a solar panel or two if you can afford it. Actually, we ought to get them for free, or almost free, and installation too. And every farm and small town ought to have a wind turbine or two or three. Get yourself one if you can, or go in with neighbors for one. There's scads of information on line about them, even plans for doing it yourself. Just don't put the turbines too close to the trees you're planting, or the solar panels either for that matter (putting them in the shade might defeat their purpose).

If enough of us start doing stuff like this, it might get the ball rolling.

And to heck with the Paris Climate Accord for cryin' out loud. If we have to do it ourselves, we can do that. The entire population of our world is made up of individuals, remember.

Eggs and Crow

Just a thing that came into my head a bit ago:

Some folks are working really hard at digging that big deep hole, and at the same time they're working just as hard to make sure they have the makings for a big meal if they ever stop digging. The menu items? All the egg they'll have on their faces, and a whole lot of crow.

Just sayin'.

Watching this thing play out ... as an Independent I don't have a horse in the race or a dog in the fight ... as an American citizen I have a vested interest in what's going on between the Republicans and the Democrats so maybe I really do have a horse in the race and a dog in the fight, huh? It's just that mine are sort of invisible.

Basic laws of physics come to mind, just as I've mentioned before. The harder the push, the harder the push-back is going to be.

Is it possible, really, that there can possibly be so very many people who are truly that ignorant about something as basic as ordinary physics?

Uffda.

While I'm pattering I may as well ask a question that's been on my mind for quite a while, since even before the whole Presidential campaign thing last year.

From my perspective, the goals of the Republicans are pretty straightforward: they want security. Economic security, resource security, personal security, religious security, national security both at home and in the world at large. That's something even I can understand.

I honestly have no idea what the goals of the Democrats might be. The general impression I've gotten over a long period of time is that they want ... what? ... a sort of world-wide socialistic or communistic kind of thing? If that's what they're shooting for, it would sure help if they would just come right out with it and explain the reasons they think that would be a good thing. We don't want any more meaningless rhetoric. If they have a goal, they need to do some clarifying.

Meanwhile, it's like they don't have anything to bring to the table. At all.

Well, shovels maybe ... and all that egg ... and hot air, lots and lots of hot air. They could fill our skies with balloons.

*laughing*

Maybe that's how they'll get themselves out of that hole they're digging, huh? Hot air balloons. If they don't learn how to close their yaps those hot air balloons are liable to carry them clear out of the atmosphere of Earth. At least they'll have plenty of egg and crow to keep them from starving.

I wonder how far up there into the atmosphere they'd have to get before we wouldn't have to hear them any more?

The Republicans might be stolid and kind of boring, relatively speaking, but at least they're doing something halfway constructive at the moment and not just yapping and yiping every which way from Tuesday until the rest of us hope they really do take off into the blue in those hot air balloons. They can come back when they learn how to shut their mouths and use their brains and their muscles for something positive and constructive for a change. That might take a couple of millennia so don't be holding your breath or anything.

And I'm not even a Republican.

What the heck.

Straw Bale Garden Not Dead Yet!

I got the bales into place, soaked 'em down good for several days, sprinkled the nutrient mix on as I went, and then went to put the bedding plants and seeds in.

Reaching down into the bales to make openings for the potting soil and plants/seeds, I was pleased to find that the bales were pretty warm inside. It makes me happy because that heat is an indication that the bales are already in the process of breaking down. As they do, they'll provide nutrients for the plants whose roots are even now growing down into that warmth.

I put in sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and beets. The cantaloupe and watermelon get five gallon pails, and I'm thinking to see if I can get green beans to grow up along the fence.

So far things are looking pretty good (knock wood) and the peppers are beginning to flower.

So we shall see what we shall see.

*laughing*

One thing that I do see is that apparently that wasn't ALL just straw in those bales. I'm going to have to weed them as I have a strong suspicion that if I don't I might have a good crop of wheat coming.

Electronic difficulties are the reason I haven't gotten photos into these posts, but hopefully that will soon be figured out and fixed.

Busy As All Get-Out And Loving Every Minute

Just lately I really have been busy, even more so than usual.

COME  HELL AND HIGH WATER, the Alianora Books of SONG, are all headed for print and the Younglings are clamoring for attention while Sass and Aine are vying to see which will produce the next set of books for SONG. Caileen, being of a more patient nature, stands by, watching the dispute.

Sass' main 'argument' is that she's technically next in the line up.

Aine suggests that the timeline of Sass might be a bit ... tumultuous ... all things considered. She thinks we all need a change of pace. Plus she's in a hurry to get to the New World, and to take us all along with her.

Danann of Dunnottar, their father, stands with Sass, arms folded.

Sidhelagh of Dunnottar, the mother of the Sisters of Dunnottar, just smiles. Me, I have a feeling she might have something up her sleeve, but she's not saying anything. At all. She's just smiling.

Which of the two will prevail is anybody's guess.

The Younglings, on the other hand, are yammering that they want to be about having their adventures. To them, time and place aren't the least bit relevant. Their adventures take them all over the Spiral.

So there's that.

While Aine and Sass argue their cases, we'll likely tend to the impatient Younglings, which is no hardship by any means. Their adventures are going to be a great deal of fun for all concerned.

Meanwhile, I've been focusing on getting a garden going. For the first time in WAY too long, I've got some things planted, and none of them have died (yet). You'll likely see more posts about it along the way. Look for the Straw Bale Garden posts.

Another string to my harp is working that little calf hide. At the moment it's been mostly scraped (another time or two to go as we progress through the procedure) and is in the 'pickling solution'. The posts about it will probably have 'Tan Your Hide' labels.

There are a few art projects in the works, neglected for the moment but I'll soon be back to them.

And I've been reading my way through the remnants of my collection of westerns, books about the American West, so that I can get them into the mail to my grandboy in Minnesota.

Add to all that a full time job that I adore, people around me who are awesome, Duke keeping me company, getting outfits and accessories done for the Character Collections, adjusting to a very definite change in climate :) ... and the meeting of new friends ... not to mention the things I haven't had time to even get started on ... yes I've been busy.

And yes I've been loving every minute of it.

Laughing At Self

Truly.

I really have to stop staying up all night during my days off.

It's bad enough that during my work schedule days I have to sleep all day so that I can put in those night shifts. And when I was finishing up the Alianora Books I did that during my 'off' nights so as to keep myself on a night schedule.

But that was back in the winter time when I didn't really want to do anything during the daytimes anyhow.

Now it's springtime and I WANT to be awake in the daytimes.

So why in the name of all that's Holy am I spending this whole entire night exploring the contents of my blog posts from way back when?

Because I feel like it.

In the course of the exploration I've come to a couple of conclusions.

One is that there's actually some pretty decent stuff in them.

Another is that I'm going to follow through on a few of the ideas I came up with for stories, and write the stories.

Yet another is that it might be fun to go ahead and make books out of the posts.

They're my work, already protected by copyright, and with some editing the collection would come in handy to be able to poke around in whenever I want.

Plus I'm at the moment a tiny bit ticked.