if there is no taste thats good

IF THERE IS NO TASTE THATS GOOD

pure good clear water
well it has no taste
if you smell or taste your water
usually thats not good

at the country n we drank pure rainwater for several years
it was filtered multiple times ran through a carbon filter
then sterilized with ultraviolet light

what came out of the faucet was
pure
unadulterated
so pure it was almost sweet tasting

one place that it really showed how chemicalless it was
was with my drip system in the garden

previously i would use well water to irrigate with
every year i would have to clean out each individual dripper
to remove all the crud buildup that would stop them up

once i changed to rainwater
they always stayed open
there was no white crude buildup in the holes

in fact plumbers and rainwater gurus tell me that
when you start using rainwater it slowly begins to
clean out the water pipes in the house
gradually removing all that gunk in the pipes

this week we sprung a leak in our condo water pipes
in the courtyard
the plumber after he removed the broken pipe
and repaired it let me look at the segment removed

all i could think was
that looks like the inside of an artery thats all corroded
from cholesterol buildup that makes folks have
strokes or heart attacks

what our pipes here really needed was a stent
like they do in folks with clogged arteries

really what they need is rainwater for a water system

problem is
it dont rain much here

the water smells of chlorine when you run it into a glass of water

after drinking rainwater for years
we really notice the taste and smell
remember you shouldnt be able to taste water
so
we filter our drinking water
so it doesnt taste
bad

all this made me think of flint michigan
where switching water sources and adding new chemicals
released lead into the water system
poisoning folks
especially growing kids
sometimes permanently
seems sort of criminal to me

i wonder what gets released here as the chemicalized water
hits all that clogging stuff in the pipes around here
wonder what it does to those who drink it

the water is tested before it gets to the tap
before it goes through bad pipes
this sometimes is where the contamination occurs
in those bad pipes
this
the water faucet is where the test should occur

we were spoiled
first drinking well water that tasted good but had a lot
of calcium in it
then
drinking the pure no tasting rainwater with nothing in it

i guess we will just keep filtering our water
thinking of that rainwater with every sip we take

the goal
no taste
no odor

im afraid to have it tested

the organicgreen doctor

anniversary

ANNIVERSARY
today is two anniversary days
one is the anniversary of my parents
now deceased
we miss them

the other
is the anniversary of this blog

it was originally started
when my wife she suggested i watch this pbs show
on a lady that started blogging
and
now makes her living doing it

i said
i can do that
so
i did
and
i havent looked back

i started blogging on our living at the country n
on things like rainwater harvesting organic garden larry the rooster
chickenering etc
also
i hoped to write some on what it was like to be working
as a family doctor

then that fall late winter
it started as an ocular migraine
i had wavy lines like i was looking at a messed up tv
it lasted 30 minutes
was this the start of it all
i dont know

then 3 months later while volunteering to be in the normal
control group of a large national research study
at ut southwestern in dallas
it was noted that i had short term memory problems
i was not aware of

from there i went to having a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment
and
getting placed on the alzheimers medicine aricept (donepezil)
to now being in a large new experimental treatment trial for
alzheimers disease called the aducanumab study

so
i refocused the blog to include my journey with my diagnosis
luckily for me it hasnt progressed in 7 years
maybe my memory has slightly improved
its definitely stable

so now 7 years later
i have written over 1719 blogs
had my blog reviewed as many as 700,00+ times
from folks around the country
around the world

i communicate with them frequently over this blog facebook and twitter
answering questions about gardening rainwater collection etc and
of course
alzheimers disease

so
this summer as we enter another phase of our life
here in socal
we hope to continue our journey with the same focus as before
gardening organically of course
healthy living
alzheimers disease and our quest for a treatment and cure
ms b
anything else i can find interesting thats happening in the world
yep
theres plenty of material to write about

i hope to write until it doesnt make sense
the words i put down on this computer

thanks to my readers

the organicgreen doctor

country n news-story of a garden bed

COUNTRY N NEWS-STORY OF A GARDEN BED
i am always looking for ways
to make my garden beds better
at the same time staying totally organic
but
also trying to figure out ways to save water
a precious commodity in this area sometimes
especially here at the country n
where we only use rainwater
we have no well and we have no city water
just
what falls from the sky

when we first moved here
i was excited to get my garden ready
so
i took my shovel and
well
i hit rocky rocky soil
there was very little top soil

solution
bring in my own soil
so
i took limestone blocks that were left from the previous owner
made 4 ft x 12 ft raised beds
with about 12 inches of depth
then
i went and bought bulk top of the line garden soil
that had compost organic fertilizer green sand minerals etc
already in there
ready to plant it was
planted i did
but
as i have learned over the last 15 years
the soil gets better each year as it matures
compost is added plant materials added
it just seems to get richer

my next step later was
to dig out my beds completely
removing all the soil down to about 16 inches
then adding 2 more layers of limestone bricks
making my soil depth a good 2 ft

then
on the bottom i added tree limbs and stumps and leaves
and newspapers and cardboard and compost and soil
all layered up to the top of the bed

now
after a couple of years i have deep rich soil
that i farm only with my hands
rarely only using a rake or a pitch fork to twist in the compost

then
i dug trenches between my beds about 18 inches deep
added a deep layer of hardwood mulch
added inches and inches of leaves
up to the top of my beds
now having a compost pile between my beds
that holds gallons and gallons of moisture in my soil
down deep
plus each year i can just dig down in my trenches to
get fresh homemade best you can get compost

then
i dug trenches down the middle of my beds
added either 2 inch or 3 inch pvc pipes down
about a foot in the soil
drilling holes in the bottom half of the pvc pipes
then put the pvc in a sleeve that keeps dirt out of
the pipes
then
this is how i water deeply once a week when watering is needed
sending the water and liquid fertilizer deep to the roots

so
now i have a rich rich garden soil
surrounded by compost
holding tons of water deep under the top layers
providing moisture and nutrition to the plants
using a third of the water i used previously

all i have to add is
water
love
and then
i have a great garden all year round

water   compost   good deep soil
thats the life blood of a good garden

most failures i see are from the lack of these three things

maybe
you should try it

its almost fall and winter gardening time around here

the organicgreen doctor

droughtiness

DROUGHTINESS
it seems to be everywhere
this lack of water
the life blood of us all


kxan.com
it was interesting to read an article on straws that are put
down into the lakes from homeowners to suck the water
out of the lakes
these lakes supply the water for several cities around this area
the amount sucked out by these straws is 1.6 billion gallons
enough to empty out the smallest of these highland lakes that
sevices austin and the surrounding cities

the regulators only have one person to try to catch these folks
skimming off the water

they are thinking of putting meters on these straws

seems ok to me


we will be in trouble around here waterwise until
this sometimes island in lake travis disappers again
soon i hope

while in san francisco last weekend i read an interesting
article about the drought there in california
after reading it i realized the drought there is going to
affect us big time when it comes to our food we buy
in the near future
since
thats where most of our food comes from

san francisco usually gets 20+ inches
last year they got less than 4 inches
its the same all over the state
you would think with all those roofs in sf they could
do a heck of a job of collecting rainwater
but
it just all goes down the drains into the ocean
theres very little uncemented asphalted land there


whats those farmers out there doing to water their
plants
when i went to the farmers market i talked to some of the
organic gardeners
their usual sources the rivers and reservoirs are drying up
so
they are sucking it out of the ground
like those homeowners here
there sucking it up in giant straws to use it on
their fields
the problem is the aquifers are getting depleted
as they get depleted
the ground collapses so that
in some places the levels drop 3 feet
which of course crushes those straws


what they gonna do when the aquifers are gone
so
they are doing a lot of planning
water conservation
shutting down production
using rainwater collection techniques to keep the water
on their properties
like swells tanks areas to soak the water in to the soil
not planting part of their fields to act as a sink to soak up water
heck we do that in texas already
especially in austin and san antonio where its all encouraged
these
rainwater conservation methods

their crisis is our crisis
they grow our food
we hope they figure it out
well help if we can

no straws please is what we should be saying around here

at your level
conserve water at home like dont run faucets
use first run shower water in the yard
consider reuse of sink and wash water
shorten shower time
do a rain garden
collect rainwater off the roof
build berms in the landscape to slow down rain runoff
xericise your yard
dont waste any water

we are all in this together
the goal
is to survive

the organicgreen doctor

aichtooh

AICHTOOH
thats the phonetic spelling of h2o
or for those nonchemistry folks thats
water

cactus bloom

in the last two weeks we got about 3 inches of rain
and
for those who collect and especially those of us
who rely on rainwater for our water system
that rain came at an important time
as
we head into our driest time of the year
without that rain the country n owners were looking
at possibly buying water which i hate to do

another type of cactus with flower

now i know most of you buy your own water
but
when you have it delivered in a water truck
you pay $300+ for 3000 gallons

the average homeowner in austin texas uses 7,727
gallons a month

we at the country n use about 1500 gallons a month

if it was delivered that would cost them $0.1 a gallon
so their bill would be $772.70

um maybe that would be a way to curb some of the water
use by raising the cost

plant salvaged from destruction from westwood high school

so i got about 1800 gallons per inch x 3 inches =5400 gallons
of water from that rain
thats $540 if i had bought it

the average homeowner in austin would have sucked that up
and out the drain in about 20+- days

native wildflower firewheel

what made me think about all this
is
austin is about to hit a water crisis soon
they are conserving water fairly well but could do better
this conservation has made the price of water climb
since less water is bought
less money in coming into the city
they have fixed water costs that arent being met well

i say raise the prices
let the market control the water use
not sure if that works well though

salvia greggi or autumn sage

i was at a friends house last night looking at his landscape
he is on the austin water system
he can only water the yard and landscape once a week
it still looks pretty lush
thanks i guess to the weekly watering and the recent rains

he has landscaped away a lot of his grass
and more is planned

he rocked that no mans land between the sidewalk and the
curb which covers half the length and width of his lot
he is on a corner lot

the other no mans land at one side of his house where
no one ever goes
you know most home owners have this spot
he is covering it with black plastic and rocks so he can stop
watering it and mowing it and fertilizing it and deweeding it etc

zexmenia

then i looked at all his landscape
he and the person that helped him choose his plants
did a good job
they are mostly xeric natives
and are in the grow green pamplet from the city of austin 

i reminded him which he didnt know that he could get some
reimbursements and credits on his water bill from all the
landscaping he had done
several hundreds of dollars

now i have the same plants he has minus a few that tend to
not do as well here
like indian hawthorne magnolia tree etc

crossvine

he waters his plants
yes they look good
but so do mine
in fact they look the same

my water use on my landscape is zero
his well he is an average austin homeowner

he could cut off the drippers to all of his landscape
and only water them during all the real dry times
or
not at all
he would have to accept some browning of some
of the plants when it gets real dry
but
these xeric native plants dont die

thistle

i have a solution
only xeric natives can be planted
no supplemental irrigation is allowed
unless
its provided from rainwater collected off the roof
a requirement that should be made when homes are
built in this area

heck what if all those big mansion high schools that they
build around here were equipped with rainwater collection
systems to collect water for irrigation and flushing toilets

you know we are paying for them and we are paying their
water bills

eventually the added expense will pay for itself over time
either at home or at school

but
i guess nothing like this will happen until its too late
thats what we always seem to do here in america
crisis management

(note these pictures are a few of the flowering plants i have
planted in our yard at the country n
zero nadda no water has been used on these plants)

well here at the country n
we are well ahead of the curve

the only problem is
i may have to buy new fencing to keep people out
i may have to buy guns to protect my water supply
i may have to get another mean guard dog

sure hope it doesnt come to that
we all could just practice conservation
and
collect rainwater

the organicgreen doctor

its not everywhere

ITS NOT EVERYWHERE
it seems that our climate does a poor job of distributing water
for us to access

like those awful storms that went through arkansas this weekend
fast terrible storms with lots of rain then leaving their paths of
destruction
water is good for us to receive but not when its distributed that way

our thoughts are with those folks


then this last few months around here when the climate dumped 12 inches
on the austin area twice on separate weekends
causing its own destruction with its flooding and drownings that go with it

cruel it is as it made worse our water situation when it didnt fall on the
tributaries to all our lakes and aquifers that provide the water sources
for all the cities around here

and even more cruel here at the country n since very little rain has fallen
here since last early november

we can see it in our wildflowers
they are not as plentiful and they look like charley brown christmas trees
compared to what they look like in previous years
and
compared to some of the areas just a few miles from here where
there has been more rain

our lake levels here are down and the aquifer levels are down to
concerning levels since this should be our rainy season and
since we are about to reach in a month our hot dry time of the year

more severe water restrictions are about to be put in place
im afraid a lot of people will be losing their lawns and plants
this year

one town near here has gotten more aggressive
on new builds
there are restrictions on the size of the lawn
the type of grass you can plant
6 inches of topsoil has to be provided if grass is to be planted
more water restrictions are expected as things worsen

their water source is the river that runs near the country n
water on our acreage flows towards and into the river
we havent been giving them much recently

we of course catch water off anything that has a roof on
our property
we have a lot of berms and increased vegetation that slows the
flow down to the river so it soaks into our property
another form of xericscaping

so this last weekend i went out to check my aquifers
whats happening in mine is whats happening in theirs
its just my aquifers are more visible
yes im talking about my rainwater tanks
all 22 of them
excessive huh

i was saddened when i checked the levels in my tanks
we seem to be down to about 25% of our capacity
which like all the cities around here
is scary as we are headed into our dry season

im sad to say we may have water purchasing in our future
if it doesnt rain

cities cant really do that can they
they would have to buy it from somewhere that doesnt exist

so here we are on severe water restrictions
but that doesnt affect us that much since we already operate
that way

the techniques we use here can be used anywhere
well maybe except for one
you might get a ticket for that one

we plant only native xeric plants that gets no supplemental watering
we have no grass that we care for
although we have 10 acres of pasture land with grass on it

we reuse our gray water from the washing machine from showers
from our sink when we hand wash our dishes and rinse them
saving the rinse water for our edible plants
the first water you run when you take a shower
that stuff that goes down the drain
its pure water and can be used on edible plants
the other gray water is used on the landscape

we turn the water off when we brush our teeth or
when we shave

we take quick but effective showers

we use drip irrigation to our vegetable garden which is covered
thickly with mulch the leaves you folks have given me
which keeps the ground from drying so fast
that anthill garden bed method also helps to hold the water in

im afraid if in the future if you and the folks who live in the cities
around here dont adopt what we are doing here at the country n
that this area is going to be in trouble
as the scarcity of water continues

dont wait until the levels are dropped severely
thats called crisis management

there needs to management before the crisis hits

make people and encourage people to conserve now

just ask those folks in california how important all this is
as they run out of water there

yes its not everywhere
not anymore

lets save what we got

the organicgreen doctor

rains needed

RAINS NEEDED

we here at the country n depend on a continued rain supply
in order to fill our 30,000 gallon tanks that we use for our
drinking water and for the irrigation of our gardens

many of the cities in this area including austin depends on
the water system called the highland lakes which are several
lakes along the colorado river that provide reservoirs for
the water

it is gradually or suddenly let out from lake to lake and
eventually if they are lucky to the rice farmers further
downstream

we have been in a drought off and on now for a few years
as we know here at the country n
there has been very little
rain here in the last 3-4 months

our personal supply of water in our tanks is at 50% capacity
which is good compared to people just west of here
some of them have had their rainwater tanks run out again like they
did two summers ago

this area west of here is the recharge zone for the highland lakes
which are not being recharged
lets just say they are like a dead battery

one lake is so low that old towns and farms are now visible
on the bed of the lake

the rice farmers down stream were just told that they probably
wouldnt get any water this year which means
their rice production will be zilch
which will affect the rice supply some

last night and today we are getting rain   finally
over that recharge zone
which should help fill the lakes some and fill those tanks of
those rainwater collectors who have run out of water

my hope is to completely fill my tanks up with this rain
which should keep me supplied with rainwater for months and months

one problem also is water conservation
we here at the country n practice it every day
we wish that those of you who depend on this recharge zone for
your water supply would do the same

it makes me sick to see all the green grass and landscaping in
the towns and watch the water sprinklers dump all that precious water
on to the ground and watch it run down the street into the gutters

it doesnt have to be that way
we xeriscaped our yard and do no supplemental irrigation except
to our veggie garden

but i know thats the way it works
its always crisis management when it comes to the water supply
like when the lakes get real low and everyone is  put on strict
strict water measures
then they loosen the restriction when some water gets back in the lakes

they do that all the time
back and forth

if we dont do something in this area for water conservation
we are going to be up the creek without a paddle
as the population is growing rapidly and no new sources of
water are being located rapidly enough
theres not any

conservation is the answer
and or infection with the rainwater collection virus


so 20 years from now when this area is out of water
i will still have my full tanks and will enjoy life as i know it now
keeping my organic garden green
enjoying drinking clean rainwater
taking rainwater showers
washing clothes in rainwater
while many of those around us will be having trouble
getting water

guess ill better build a fortress around my tanks

i see a reality show idea
the rainwater collectors or
the rainwater hoarders or

(as i was called dr duck by my pediatric patients since i
talked to them like donald duck)

the dr duck rainwater dynasty
starring

the organicgreen doctor

almost off the grid stadiuim

ALMOST OFF THE GRID STADIUM

i have always been interested in solar power and how 

we need to harvest it more often for electricity 

if new houses had solar panels added over the life

of the house and in certain cities and states with the 

incentives and rebates the solar panels would easily 

pay for themselves 

at the country n where we live we have solar panels

sixteen total

that produce anywhere from 25%-75% of our electricity use

(no thats not a brazilian planking on that roof)

now the electric coop we use has installed digital meters

so that we can see how much of our electricity is being

rebated back to us on our electric bill

what it doesnt show though is how much of our electricity 

that we produce is used directly by us before it goes to the

meter for measurement

eg if we produce 15 kw of electricity and use only 10 kw that

day then the meter will show we sent 5 kw up into the grid

and that will show up on our monthly bill but not the

10 kw we used directly from the solar panels

so recently i was intrigued about an article about 

a new stadium for the 2014 world cup and later the 2016 olympics

in brazil 

that is completely a net zero energy stadium

the stadium which is a refurbished old stadium will have a ring of

solar panels around the roof 

because of net metering the stadium

will be able to trade power with the grid when needed

(we in texas and many other states have net metering laws that allow

you to send excess power to the grid when you are not using it 

then later when its needed you can pull from the grid

thats how my system works also)

the solar panels on the stadium will pay for themselves in 10-12 years

and will still be working well beyond 25 years

they also have a photocatalytic membrane over the roof that will

breakdown pollution from the air

50% of co2 production related to sporting events come from the 

transportation to and from the stadium

(for those who dont believe in the co2 pollution climate changing 

theories you might want to go ahead and invest in respirators for

yourself your kids your grandkids as they will need them if we 

dont change things)

they have 3500 bicycle parking spots

that would work well in austin

the part im excited about is they collect rainwater off the roof

wow im impressed

they use it in the landscape and with their low flow water fixtures

they use the plentiful natural light and also shade the hot brazil sun

why are other countries ahead of us in all this green energy stuff

and why are we about to lose our lead in wind production as 

congress considers withdrawing wind exemptions

they did this to the solar a few years ago and we lost out to 

the europeans especially the germans

why couldnt jerry have done all this in his billion dollar mansion

of  a football stadium

the montly electric bill for this place is $200,000

thats 2,000,000 kws a month

it uses the same amount of energy as santa monica california

does in a year

thats the american way i guess

the organicgreen doctor  

the week that was

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

THE WEEK THAT WAS

people are always asking me
are you staying busy in retirement
some say im not sure what ill do when i retire

luckily for me i had a plan that started 12 years ago
when we decided to move to our ten acres
i have a large 600 square foot garden that i use to
grow vegetables organically of course
i maintain and repair and build everything here myself
ive contracted out some plumbing and some electrical work
but most of the plumbing and electrical work ive done myself

i have a rainwater collection system i maintain and solar panels
for electrical generation
so the property keeps me busy

i also do this blog which can take up to 2-3 hours a day
sometimes reading articles writing the blog answering email
facebook text and comments on the blog

so when i had to retire suddenly my plan was already in place

here is what my week was like from wed last week to whats
planned wednesday next week

last wednesday i worked at habitat for humanity on one of their
houses
i work there twice a week unless im out of town or have
other commitments
this week on wed and sat we painted the outside of the house
i came home with a white shirt that was now light blue
we start at 730 and usually work until 2-330

thursday i did ranch work here at the country n
i pulled the noxious weeds that have taken over
my one acre yard especially since weve had a lot of rain
lately
these several wheelbarrows of weeds are sent to the compost pile
to be composted crushed and picked over by my chickens to be
used next year in my garden
i also planted the rest of my fall garden with turnips peas and more
lettuce and spinach

in the afternoon i brought left over plants to the habitat for humanity
homeowner who i helped put in a square foot garden last year
i reviewed her garden and helped plan what she should plant this fall
then
i went to a friends house who had just moved into his new house
he wants to put in a rainwater system in the next two years
and needed help deciding where to run the collection drainage
for the future rainwater system
when i do this i realize how much i have learned about rainwater
collection over the last 20 years

also on thursday i was notified that i would be on a panel at the
schwartz ethics grand rounds at baylor medical school in dallas
using my situation with the possible diagnosis of alzheimers
as a vehicle for the panel and residents staff doctors medical students
nursing students social workers to ask me questions
i look forward to being on the  panel
spreading the word on alzheimers is also one of my retirement
missions

on friday i had a doctors appoint for follow up on a thyroid nodule
detected 2 years ago when i had an ultrasound of the carotids for
an ocular migraine i had
you know like the chest xray that shows a spot so it has to be
worked up and followed
what i get for having the ultrasound done
at least my carotids are clear
ok they have two more years to follow this thing then i quit
going back for followup
damn those doctors

from that appointment i ran my meals on wheel route
that is 30 miles long in the rural area where i live
my mother use to get those meals where she lived so i felt
like i would do my part in this area
feels good to do this
sometimes im the only person they see that day

then for lunch i had it with my son and his friend who are in town
for the acl music festival in austin
chuys mexcian restaurant of course
its called the chuys fix whenever they come back to town
hes here for three days but we never see him

then after lunch i met with a former coworker who needed help
with her 401k plan
you know they give you all those choices for mutual funds to put
your money in and no one explains it all to you
so i helped her pick funds that was appropriate for her age and
financial situation
maybe i could be a financial planner

on saturday i worked at habitat for humanity again painting the house
then regrettably went home and watched the longhorn game that i
had dvred

ok thats 4 days of retirement
next week i will redo one of my garden beds to a keyhole less
square foot garden have my annual opthalmology appointment
have a walk to end alzheimers meeting for the austin walk then
the next day a meeting for the temple bell county walk
then a day of habitat for humanity then a day of ranch work again
then a day of meals on wheels then a saturday habitat day

so yes im busy in retirement
since retiring i now have to keep a calender so i can keep up
with what im doing that week
never had to do that when i was working
i have a lifetime of work to do here on my property at the
country n
but since i have a lifetime im not in a hurry to finish it all

so dont worry about me in retirement
i am busy as i want to be

the oganicgreen doctor

mr b

MR B
this blog is about a friend of mine
mr b
hes an elementary student and a former patient of mine

i have tried to keep up with some of my former patients
with facebook and email and this blog its been made easier



theres michael from last year
his story was well documented in this blog titled
thanks michael the hope for the future
yes michael made me cry the day he gave me that letter



then there is abbie who is such an inspiration to a lot of
people
she lets nothing stand in her way
heres is the blog titled abbie

mr b came to most of my larry weekends we had here each
april for the employees and families of the clinic where
i use to work

mr b was fascinated by larry the rooster and all the
country n chickens
(these chicks are laying eggs now and are selling them for
donations for our
organicgreeendoctor.com walk to end alzheimers team)

he as well as the other kids liked to ride in the trailer
pulled behind my lawn tractor

he liked my rainwater systems and i think he got infected
with the rainwater virus also
he started with putting 5 gallon buckets and anything that would
collect water under the gutters
when his mom told me about it i donated an extra rainwater
collection barrel to the cause

he now tells me this ones full so when i took him on a
recent tour of my favorite organic garden center he really really
liked the big green 10000 gallon tank there












he told me he wants one like that in his yard
maybe where his trampoline is
maybe mom will get that for his birthday

he was also my walking buddy for the
walk to end alzheimers last year
he was walking for his grandmother who died
recently from this terrible disease

but the common feature of all of these kids are that they
are our hope for the future
mr b talked freely with me about green issues and how we
need to do more green things like collect rainwater save water
do solar and wind energy collection stop polluting the air
drive energy efficient cars
grow more vegetables
this is an elementary kid now
there are thousands of these kids out there now thinking
about our future and ways to solve our problems

sure hope some of them go into politics
maybe the politicians should be talking to these kids

thanks again michael abbie and mr b
you guys are our hope for the future

the organicgreen doctor

its the water stupid

ITS THE WATER STUPID
in the presidential race the most important issue is
its the economy stupid

in this area the issue that may limit development in this area
is not the economy
ours is one of the best in the us


its the water stupid
we need to realize this and all start doing something about it

aquifers lakes wells rain water systems levels are all low despite
all the rain weve had this spring and winter
if we get a hot dry summer like last year we
could be in water trouble here

i know you just go in there and turn the faucet on and
the water comes out
what if one day it doenst come out or is restricted more
than just alternating watering days and no washing your
car days

whats a person to do
on a personal level
you cant make it rain but
you can conserve water

if you open your faucet to run water to get hot water in your sink
run it into a bucket
in some houses thats 2 gallons
in a year that about 750 gallons
about what my wife she and i use in  two weeks

theres a method of conserving water called the bucket list
not the bucket list ive done and am trying to get through
while i can
but a bucket under the faucet shower etc

catch that water in a bucket and use it to water plants

when you wash veggies run it in a bowl and use it for plants

when you shower catch shower water and use it for flushing toilets or
watering things outside

when you wash your hands catch that water

when you boil taters or eggs or pasta
save that water in a bucket and use it in your yard
i pour mine down my central compost basket in my
keyhole garden

if you have a fish tank
save that water for your garden
its a great liquid fertilizer
my wife she puts this on her square foot garden at school

save water from water bottles left over drinks and use
in the landscape

you do have to be careful what you pour on your plants
though
some things cant be put on plants like clorox water and
other caustic liquids

catch water from the ac units in the summer
sometimes we will get 5 gallons a day from ours
pure distilled water

when you take a bath scoop that water for use in the landscape
and again
when you shower catch that water in a bucket

these methods above are how we managed to keep many of our
plants in our yard alive during the severe drought last year
and how our garden survived partially from this recycled water

of course we have an incentive here at the country n as we
only use rainwater for our water source

we are already where you will be in a few years

the organicgreen doctor

rethink the drink, seriously, bye

RETHINK THE DRINK

when you are thirsty you should drink water
thats what your body is programmed by nature to drink
to satisfy your thirst

if you get up and drink a latte then have a soda for lunch
then have a sweet tea for the afternoon then have a
ginger ale for supper
you have consumed close to 800 calories of sugar

do that for a month and youll get 24000 calories from
sugar
that means for you
fat on your behind and belly and thunder thighs

its this excessive sugar in many forms that is contributing to the
health problems in america
ie obesity
just look around its easy to spot

sugar comes in many forms
many times its hidden in the ingredient so us stupid consumers
wont know its there
heres some
high fructose syrup
fructose
fruit juice concentrate
honey
sugar
syrup
corn syrup
sucrose
dextrose

honey sweety its all sugar no matter what you call it
it is what it is

heres some sugar calorie content of things you drink in 12 oz
fruit punch 198
apple juice 192
orange juice 168
regular soda 136
sport drink 99
bottled sweetened ice tea 135
bottled water 0
organicgreen doctors rainwater 0

drinking a regular soda every day for a year can make you gain
14+ pounds
stop drinking that soda and youll loose 14+ pounds
what if you stopped drinking all those sugar watered drinks everyday
how much would you lose
you do the math
could it really be that easy

just stop the sugar drinks and drink water
and lose weight

dont drink fruit juices
eat the fruit instead
youll get more nutrition and fiber that way

it really is simple to do

SERIOUSLY
rick perry is thinking of running for president in 2016
seriously
hasnt he embarrassed us enough in this state
although he did provide a lot of material for the news and comedians
none of it good for him the state of texas or the republican party
surely he wont do it will he

BYE

well miss you
dick clark died
remember those days of watching him on american bandstand
got to see all those bands and singers
we didnt have the internet and all those cable stations
his show was watched by teenagers and young adults everywhere
and he did this for more than one generation
the show brought  all of us together with all of the new bands
miss you dick clark
thanks

the organicgreen doctor

lins real, rainwater, leslie

LINS REAL


just wanted to see for myself
and not rely on all those news reports
well i saw jeremy lin play yesterday on tv
friends he is the real deal

he reminds me of steve nash the way he can
shoot handle the ball and pass the ball

he plays almost all of the game
and plays it well
wonder who he replaced in the line up
if they were hurt they probably wont get
their spot back on the roster

yep
hes the real deal
guess ill have to start watching those knick games now

RAINWATER
we got 3 inches here at the country n this weekend
thats over 6000 gallons of water we collected here
if i had to buy it like that community near here does it
would cost $600

we now are about 80% full in our rainwater tanks so that
we have enough water to last my wife she and i for a year
unless we have visitors

its going to be so sad if we get another rain like we did this
weekend and have to see all those tanks run over because they
will be full when we get another 2 inches of rain
thats always so hard to watch
if you collect rainwater at all you know what im talking about

you just want to go and get more rainwater tanks

the lakes here have risen some in the last few weeks instead of
dropping so much
maybe more rain will come and land on all their tributaries so they will
fill up for the summer
and fill up all those coves that are empty so peoples boats and docks
can now float on water

in this summers drought didnt ever think these tanks of ours would
ever fill up

i will never ever complain though if we get too much rain
just hate to see all that water run off on the ground
but my wife she says no more tanks
you got too many now

LESLIE
well leslie says hes moving back to colorado
whos leslie
if youve lived in austin for awhile you know who he is
he is austins most famous street person
you might see him down town in his high heels and thong
on his bike

heck he even ran for mayor once and got 30% of the vote
wont tell if i voted for him
might if he ran for president

hope he doesnt leave though
hes part of what makes austin weird

the organicgreen doctor

rain and rain water collection

RAIN AND RAIN WATER COLLECTION
i have these goals for the future
encourage people to live an organic green life
growing organic vegetables, do solar if possible,
control electricity use, recycle the recyclable , eat correctly
but well, and to exercise regularly

educate people about alzheimers disease and what they
can do to slow their risk down for the disease

and to conserve water and collect rain water
a facebook friends child collects water off their house
with five gallon buckets-good job bg

we decided several years ago to go to a 100% rain water
system without well water or a water system as a backup
source

that decision was questioned this summer during this drought
we went almost 4 months without any rain and
had to actually buy water this summer at $0.10 a gallon
we had only 8 inches of rain this last year (average is 32+
inches a year)
during the large 10 inch rain last year several of my tanks were
unplugged and i missed out on a lot of the rain and later in may
i was redoing my gutters and drain pipes when we got 6 inches
of rain in two weeks so i missed much of that rain

so possibly if i had caught all that missed rain i would not have
had to buy water even in the worse and hottest drought ever here

so this summer i redid my underground pipes and gutters and
down spouts so that they would maximize my rain water collection

before when it would rain i would usually lose water for various
reasons
i did use this dry season to fix those water collection problems
then it wouldnt ever rain for me to see if it would work

so saturday night it started raining
when it rains you need to go check everything while its raining to
see if its leaking or overflowing or stopped up
so at 200 am my wife she (per my instructions earlier) poked me
in the back-its raining

so i got up and got all my rain gear and flash light and took my
inspection tour of the gutters, down spouts, underground
connections, and rainwater tanks to make sure we were not losing
any water
thankfully there was not evidence anywhere that i was losing water
but i did have to clean out one of my gutters that had collected
leaves and was slowing down the water flow down the down spout

yes there is a water god
we got 4 inches of rain here

no leaks were found throughout the night and the next day
since i know my square footage of collection area i know
exactly how much water i should collect for each inch of
rain and i got the correct amount that day
and no leaks have occurred in my system since

we have enough water now to last 4-5 months without any
more rain
my wife she is very happy now that she can wash her hair and
clothes in pure rain water again

we did have to utilize some water conservation methods to keep
our usage down this summer
we will probably continue those
we had to limit what got water outside so we ended up having to
sacrifice some of landscaping as it was all on its own
will post later what survived here in this long drought

am afraid that some of the lessons we learned this summer
need to be used by many people in this area to conserve
water for home use
the water reserves are extremely low and if this drought
continues here many of the cities here will have to do what
we have had to do

not a bad thing though
adversity makes you appreciate things more

the organicgreen doctor

bye bye bank, bye ags, we got rain, the boys

BYE BYE BANK
am saying goodbye to my megabank that ive been with for
over 15 years
dang that feels so good to be rid of them

first they bundled all our mortgages and sold them off
this is one of the reasons we are in this financial mess
then we the government bailed them out

then
they have made huge profits over the last 2 years
then
they started charging for everything
$5 for checking account (ive got 2 accounts)
$3 for debit card
$12 for online banking
charge for checks
0% interest rate on accounts
potential charge for use of debit card
stopped rewards program for debit card

so i pay them at least $300 a year to use their bank
now that aint right
plus the megabanks helped get us in this mess and they seem
to be profiting off us

so
i switched to a credit union
found one next door to the two branches of the megabank we use
every day
dang that felt so good to do that

$0 for checking account
$0 for savings account
$0 for money market account
$0 for checks ordered online
they pay for each use of the debit card
$0 for debit card
they actually pay interest on my checking, savings and money
market accounts
$0 for use of debit card
%1 on all credit card purchases
$0 for online bill pay

total amount they will be paying me to bank with them next
year is well over $300 a year
will make over $100 just from buying groceries with the credit card
the interest rate on my money market is 20 x the rate on my
mutual fund money market

this was all a tough decision
it easily offsets the extra im paying every month for my smart phone

i feel refreshed like i did when i quit smoking
like ive got rid of this long time addiction to megabanking

just wonder if somehow this is all not right and somehow they will
take it all away

BYE AGS
d gigem ags
they are gone for sure now
think they made the right decision
now they are out of the shadow and control of the horns
sure will miss those rivalry games though
dont think they will continue the football games as ags will be
in a tough schedule every year
maybe in softball, basketball and baseball

even with them gone the rivalry feel will not ever go away
ags horns
it is sad to see it go
good luck

WE GOT RAIN
we got our first measurable rain last night in over 3 months
we got 1/4 inch of rain
if you bought the water i collected off it it would be $70
the ground is actually wet looking
hopefully it soaked better in the garden if not will have to
water it well today
just need more rain please
we are still 24 inches behind over the last year

my nephew he is here starting to work on a new movie
he was ousted from his chair by the lightning and thunder
just need to drop him in that rainwater tank and get that
limestone rock out of my tank #5

THE BOYS
roma survived
thank goodness for the kicker
they injected him before the game and once during the game
let see they take a needle of numbing medicine
probably marcaine or some other long acting anesthetic and
inject it around the site of the fracture
think broken wrist and they inject the fracture site so you can
use the wrist so it wont hurt

know that must really hurt bad when the numbing medicine
wears off
bet he sleeps in a chair tonight
hopes he doesnt have a night time cough-ouch
hydrocodone (vicodin) to the rescue

the organicgreen doctor