cover me up

COVER ME UP
usually around here we get a freeze about this time
sometimes though its been way into december
however
this year its coming early
probably if you are reading this blog in the us
then you are feeling the effects of that first
polar vortex they call it hitting all of us everywhere

it looks like it will be around here for 2 weeks
so
since we mainly heat our house with wood heat
i gathered all my wood in to my woodbox inside
and
loaded up my woodburning stove
we purchase a cord of wood each year
sometimes we need more and sometimes we have
some left over at the end of winter

so this morning i loaded up the wood stove after
running it at a low burn overnight
sturred the coals up real good
and this above is what i am looking at
as i write this blog

yesterday outside since i knew we would be getting
freezes i harvested all of my fall stuff that i could

most of these are pabloma peppers
for some reason they liked the weather this year
and went crazy growing
mixed it with this are
okra green tomatoes bell peppers jalepeno peppers
and banana peppers

fyi i will wash the bell the pablaoma and the jalepeno
peppers off well
put them in labeled ziplock bags
suck out all the air with a straw then seal them up

are you reading this my wife she
properly labeled and DATED

taking them out over the next year as i need
we just finished last years crop last month
i just take out the pepper i want
and
chop it up its so easy since its frozen

then out to the garden where we have a bed of
winter stuff
garlic arugulas kales asian greens broccoli brussel sprouts
the bed is 14 ft long and 4 feet wide

this stuff is cold hardy but a deep freeze can destroy them
so
i take floating row cover
i use the thick version in the winter
it allows light through
and
allows rain to go through
it povides about 8 degrees of frost protection
these plants will like this cozy environment and
seem to just grow faster

on a sunny cold day it feels warm in there
if it gets warm the row cover needs to be opened up

i start with the grey 10 ft electrical pvc
it seems to weather better
i cut off the ends at a sharp angle
then shove the ends down into the ground
some folks just use 18 inch rbar and slip the
pvc over it
i also run a pvc down the middle and tie it up
with zip ties
this seems to hold it all together better when the
heavy winds hit

i then slip the row cover i get at a local nursery
its 12 ft wide and longer than the bed

i them clamp the base of each pvc pipe with
these clamps i get at home depot for a dollar

so now i have a toasty environment for these plants to
grow

i also have this salad garden which has beets carrots
lettuces spinach peas swiss chard cabbage asian greens
cilantro in it

i made hoops like that above and covered it with row cover
fyi that spray bottle on the little windmill is bt spray i use on
my plants that have holes eaten in them
it kills the insects that do that

last weekend the cental texas gardener on klru the austin
pbs station had a section that lasts about 5 minutes
done by the guru organic gardener john dromgoole
on how they do this at the natural gardener
one of the top rated nurseries in the us

if you click here
then go to about the 21:55 minute
you will see an excellent video on how to do this
by the expert

bon appetit

the organicgreen doctor

its their day, links

ITS THEIR DAY

today is veterans day
to honor those who have fought in wars for our country
and have served in the military
my view is whether you agree with a particular war doesnt
matter
when it comes to supporting the veterans who fought those wars

they signed up to protect us and some make the ultimate
sacrifice
they die

i always thought that veterans day should be a national holiday
lets get rid of say columbus day
make it a true holiday where all things are closed
a true memorial day
and
i think during election years that elections should be on
veterans day
maybe we could get more folks out to vote
as
the more folks who vote the better our democracy is
and
maybe we wont fight so many wars
and
maybe we can support our veterans better after they
come home
thats when they really need our support
as
it lasts their lifetime
those effects of fighting in wars

we havent always done a good job of that

so today im thinking of
ancestors in the past who fought in the war of 1812
the civil war on both sides
spanish war
ww1 the war to end all wars but it didnt
ww2
korea
vietnam
middle east wars dont think we will ever get out of there

most recent times
my three brothers
my oldest in the army
my historian brother in the air force
my rainwater brother in the air force
my judge brotherinlaw in the air force
my nephew in the marines and my nephew in the navy
my uncle who was shot in the pacific in ww2
my wifes dad in the air force

thank all of you for your service

links

neurosciencestuff.tumblr.com

for those of you at the alzheimers session yesterday
here are the links i promised i would post here

one of the links is to the 21 question questionnaire to fill
out on your loved one that needs an evaluation
fill it out score it and copy it
take it with you to the doctors office

click on this link that will take you to a blog i wrote
that has all the online links you will need

click on this blog on the reversal of cognitive decline 
from a ucla study

feel free to contact me via email if you have questions
the email address is on my card that i gave you
or
post a comment on this blog

the organicgreen doctor

here comes the judge

HERE COMES THE JUDGE
this weekend
amongst other things we did

like the walk to end alzheimers in little rock arkansas
to honor my brothers fight with alzheimers disease
and
my moms and my fathers
and

we even did the cornmeal festival there
tasted a lot of cornbread for an hour
still full is what i am
then
we went back in time like a time machine we did
to the late 1800s
we drifted there after eating a home style meal at the
old tavern
at old washington park in arkansas
near hope
thats where bill grew up

when i say home style i mean home style
getting a history lesson from the waitress as we ate
she was good a real good one
a 30% tip type of waitress

the old tavern is where people stopped when they traveled
from the east to texas to seek their fortunes

after we ate that home cooked meal full like a tick i was
we took the stroll over to the courthouse the old one
from the early 1800s

when we walked into the door into the courtroom
we suddenly drifted back in time 100 then 200+ years
there was the sheriff showing us where to sit
back where all the observers sit
just like in a trial on tv
except
we all got a ticket which was later drawn from a hat
the winner got to be on the jury all 10 of them
to decide if the guy was guilty

at the beginning the lawyer stood up out of character
gave us the historical perspective that lead up to the
trial
the guy on trial killed his best friend over an argument
over the mans wife

in the 1830s in old washington this trial took place
called
trial by jury

it seemed like a switch got turned on
all the actors went into character

then all stand please is what the sheriff sat
we all stood and looked towards the back
down the steps from upstairs came the judge
first his legs and cane then his full self

dang he sure looked familiar didnt he
ok hes my judge brotherinlaw in character
but
dang he looked like the real thing as he walked in
sat down at the judge seat
hit the gavel
heck he scared us all when someone in the audience
was talking
he abnoshed those in the audience to be quiet
or get outta my court
he was about to send the sheriff over there to
escort them out

the jury was selected
5 of the 60 folks there selected were my relatives
my 9 year old great nephew was selected
was he so ever thrilled

the jury trial then went on for an hour
we heard all the evidence
the jury then broke away into a recess
and deliberated

the judge said
do you foreman have a verdict
yes your honor

not guilty
the audience clapped and seemed to agree

then the actors broke character
and
discussed the trial

the real trial jury said he was guilty
he was hung until he was dead in the courtyard later

trial by jury
times have changed havent they

here comes the judge
ment

the organicgreen doctor