Working with only 9 fingers....

I took part of my finger off the other day so I will keep this short. We now have an article on home gardening with children.... The first paragraph is below...

Gardening can be an opportunity for a family to grow together through activities that all can enjoy. With children, learning to care for a garden can be not only an educational activity, but it can also help them develop a sense of appreciation for nature and our connection with the world around us. As spring approaches, we all have the chance to bring new wonders to our children and grandchildren with a simple home garden made from the scraps we have around the yard, a bit of soil, a few seeds or store plants, loving care and water. So why don’t you consider dragging those younger versions of ourselves from the television and begin the journey into home gardening with children........

Enjoy!!

Ethanol, Engine Damage, Concrete Slabs, Walking Onions, & Coupons!

Concrete is probably one of the greatest inventions ever invented by man or was it woman? The Romans used it to expand their empire by building some of the greatest aqueducts ever known to man. If fact, it was the Roman invention of underwater concrete that allowed them to build the first concrete piers ever known. This achievement alone allowed them to create or expand harbors in locations that until that time were useless as such. Yet, even today pouring concrete is considered a difficult, only to be sourced out project that in truth any homeowner can do with a little preparation and skill.

The best concrete project for any homeowner to tackle is that of a patio or short walkway. The advantage of these two choices is that they are both large enough for a concrete truck, but small enough for a crew of two to tackle. .......

We all like onions and if we added up the number of onions we actually use in the United States each year, it would total 20 pounds per person per year. In my family, we like onions a lot and use them in almost everything we eat. As I was writing this article, I calculated the amount of onions that we consume each year and it totaled 50 pounds per person. Sounds like a lot, but when compared to the people of Libya who actually eat over 66 pounds of onions per person each year it doesn’t seem quite so much. As onions have always been cheap, I never developed the skills needed to grow the amounts that my family would need if we ever decided that we were going to give up the grocery store and live off the land. I know, living off the land is a difficult thing to do, but one has to have a goal in life and this one is a lot of fun and it does help with the family budget! So after my repeated failures at growing onions, I looked into the possibility of having an onion in my garden that would give me the ability to harvest without the aggravation of replanting each year and the disappointments that go with it. After a bit of research, two types of onions came to light, the Welsh Onion and the Egyptian Walking Onion, both of which are perennials. .....

As you may have heard, the nation is on a “green” kick and things that we considered good and acceptable before are no longer treated as such. We no longer use lead in our paint as it causes brain damage, we have reduced the phosphates in our detergents so we can reduce the amount of algae in our rivers and streams. Many, if not most of these changes have been for the good, as I can remember living in Southern California in the late 70s and not being able to see the mountains for the smog that permeated the air we breathed. To this day, I swear my endurance and ability to grab a lungful of air has been affected by that smog, but one change that we have created in the name of going “green” has been anything but beneficial. That is the use of ethanol in our gasoline!.....

Are you looking to stretch your food dollars, but not willing or able to cook everything from scratch? It may be time to look at what our parents did in order to balance their food budget. Yes, it may be time to start couponing, that divisive practice that always seems to be slowing down the check out lanes at the grocery store and giving everyone in that lane a headache as coupon after coupon is scanned and verified by the beleaguered cashier before checkout. Yet, if you are willing to be diligent and methodical, couponing can be a viable alternative to the escalating costs an ever-expanding food budget.

Enjoy!

Story Time

This is one of those articles that are geared more to fun than profit or ranting. I have a friend who works as the local big blue superstore and he likes to tell me some of the funnier and sometimes sad shoplifting stories that happen from time to time. So when I have a new case of beer and he has a day off, he will come over and tell me a story or two. I have transcribed for your pleasure some of the more interesting stories. I hope you enjoy them, as they are 100% true.

The Nudist- is a story that occurred one summer evening when everyone is wearing those semi-short baggy pants with oversize shirts. It was a very hot summer day where everyone is cooling off by using the store’s air conditioning, so needless to say the store was crowded, especially the DVD section of the store. Well one enterprising young man entered the store about 8:00 pm with what appeared to be an empty backpack. I never learned what he did to catch the eye of the Loss Prevention people, (what we used to call Security), but for some reason he caught their eye as he made a beeline to the DVD section at the back of the store. ....

Enjoy!

Potatoes!

Potatoes are one of those staples that everyone should have in their pantry. The potato is a great source of the nutrients and vitamins that we all need. In fact, it seems that the Irish survived by eating potatoes and drinking buttermilk for what seems to be eons. If it hadn’t been for the potato famine of the 19^th century, they would probably be still growing them as the main staple food of Ireland. For those who are a little short on their history, the potato originated in South America presumably around the region of Peru and was brought back to Europe by the Explorers of the 16^th and 17^th centuries where it began its rise to the prominence it now enjoys in both Europe and America.

If you plan to grow potatoes this year, you should know that the potato is an easy and fun crop for most gardeners. In fact, if you have small children it is an ideal tuber for them to begin their experiences in gardening with. Potatoes can be grown in almost any container, ranging from tires to plastic bags to even trash cans if you are so inclined, but most people will use mounded dirt for their potatoes. Just be sure to empty and clean the trashcan before you begin your new potatoes or they just will not taste right. .....

Enjoy!