Daily activities of the owner of a 20 acre Organic
Farm plus
observations, notes, and comments on a wide variety of topics.
| 1 | Did the monthly business file updates. |
| 2 | Wrote a Web site Newsletter and e-mailed notices to people on our Guestbook List |
| 3 | Electric Utilities Advertising
Energy Conservation I spent over 20 year working for a large electric utility. I was always surprised when there was a radio or TV ad by the utility urging customers to conserve energy. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for energy conservation - but something seems out of wack. To begin with, the electric utility is basically advertising to encourage people to NOT use their product. If there was a need for advertising at all, I would have expected a theme along the lines of "Improve the quality of your life by using electricity." My second issue is centered on the money and monopoly aspect - I am being forced to pay my electric bill so the electric utility can have money to advertise to people to suggest they don't use electricity. Why should I be forced to pay for that? I would like to see the Rate Commissions rule that the costs of such ad campaigns cannot be passed along to the rate payers. If there needs to be advertising to encourage energy conservation, let the radio and TV stations do it themselves as a public service announcement or have the environmental groups pay for a spot. |
| 4 | Martha Stuart, Bush, Time To Face The
Truth Early this morning Martha Stuart was released from prison for supposedly lying to federal investigators about her sale of Imclone stock. I struggle to keep her situation in perspective. If she had to go to prison for lying about a stock trade, why isn't anybody holding President Bush accountable for the lies he tells? Please note that in my beliefs, if you say anything you know to not be true - that's a lie. The President lied to America and the world about the presence of WMD in Iraq - he knew before we started military actions that Iraq had no WMD and that they posed no threat to the USA. But that's not what he said. That's not what Mr. Powell told the United Nations. The President also told congress that Iraq had nuclear material from Africa. Again reports show that the President had been told that the rumors about Iraq having nuclear material from Africa were not true - and yet he reported that to congress anyway. Aside from my disappointment in having a Commander In Chief who lies, I'm also disappointed that our system of checks and balances is not working. I look to congress and the media as two key components in holding the office of the President accountable for his actions - both are silent. Why is that? How many congressional investigations have been launched over trivial issues? Isn't the fact that we went to war under false pretenses worth investigating? Why isn't the media on the issue? They should be reporting both on the fact that we went to war under false pretenses AND criticizing the congress for not looking into the facts. I feel like we are a nation so deeply involved in a lie that nobody is willing (or permitted) to speak out and face up to the truth. What would we do if we freely admitted that we went to war under false pretenses? How would we make things right? Refusing to face the truth about the situation is not a healthy foundation for our future. Martha Stuart stood tall and faced her charges and did her time for what she did. Shouldn't we hold our President to the same standards as Martha Stuart? |
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| 6 | |
| 7 | Started 9 flats of peas under lights in my basement greenhouse using the method described in my February 21 notes |
| 8 | Started another 4 flats of
peas in my basement greenhouse. Terra-Ponics |
| 9 | Mailed out a bunch of Notecard samples. |
| 10 | I set up last year's farm stand south of the greenhouse. last year's stand was built around several scaffold frames. It looks rather thrown-together. I think I can do better. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | We did a Craft Show at the Stevensville, MI Lakeshore High School. Not much of a crowd draw this year - we probably won't participate any more. |
| 13 | I started flats of the following herbs under lights in my basement greenhouse: spearmint, peppermint, catnip, Echinacea, thyme, cilantro, chives, sage, basil, oregano. |
| 14 | I started 5 seed packs of rainbow coleus in flats under lights. |
| 15 | Out in the greenhouse, I cut the remaining floor blocks to fit where the service lines come through the floor. |
| 16 | I took down a 4" duct in the greenhouse overhead (I gave up trying to export the greenhouse winter heat to our home). I set up 2 oscillating fans to blow the warm air from under the roof down toward the cement block floor. |
| 17 | I added a water faucet tap on the north side of the greenhouse. I plan to have a hardening off area on the north side and will need to water the plants. |
| 18 | Moved 16 flats of onions
from the basement greenhouse to the outside greenhouse. I started setting 4" thick solid concrete blocks for the north addition to the greenhouse. |
| 19 | I went to a Bird Show in
Mishawaka, IN. I had made a donation of a couple boxes of sunflower seed heads and
wanted to see just what a bird show was like. I started 2 flats of green peppers in the basement greenhouse. |
| 20 | I started the remaining 8 flats of green peppers in the basement greenhouse. |
| 21 | The ground warmed enough to
allow me to set the concrete anchors for the greenhouse addition walls. Cat - "Going Wolverine" |
| 22 | I moved 13 flats of pea
sprouts from the basement greenhouse to the outside greenhouse. I set half of the floor blocks for the greenhouse addition. |
| 23 | Started 6 flats of flowers
in the basement greenhouse. Set more floor blocks for the greenhouse addition. "Pleans" |
| 24 | I finished setting floor
blocks in the greenhouse addition. Some of the pea seedlings in the outside greenhouse look a bit frost-nipped. |
| 25 | Social Security Fix - Raise Taxes I'm always amazed the way government manages money - and even thinks about managing money. The Social Security Fund is in the news all the time and everybody is agonizing about the fund running out of money. If you or I had expenses that HAD to be paid (new child in the family, medical expenses, food, child going off to college, etc.) and we didn't have enough money to cover it, wouldn't we seek an additional source of income? We'd take on a second job or work some overtime - do something to increase our income. Why doesn't the government think that way? I don't like paying higher taxes but isn't that the government's primary source of income? I would rather pay higher taxes than to have the SS Fund run out of money. Sometimes I think the government sees money as coming from the Tooth Fairy. Guess that makes you and I a fairy (at least you anyway). See my March 28 notes for more on taxes. |
| 26 | Started 7 flats of tomatoes
in the basement greenhouse. Bought lumber for the greenhouse addition and built the west wall. DNA-Based Bio Classification |
| 27 | Started another 7 flats of tomatoes. |
| 28 | Started 3 flats of veggies
in the basement greenhouse. Moved 2 flats of ornamental sunflower sprouts to the
outside greenhouse. Dynamic Tax
Rates |
| 29 | Built the east and south
walls of the greenhouse addition. Built a hardening off structure north of the greenhouse. Big Bang -
Heavy Elements & Fusion Nebula |
| 30 | Disked several field Tanker Direct - Regular Gas Only |
| 31 | Assembled the greenhouse walls and added bracing. |
Comment/Response? 