Coming Back

After a long while dealing with home repairs and other miscellaneous things, I am coming back to post more frequently here.

This year, the plans are starting to come together for a little rural garden.  Just a little starter, if you will.  There is a nice sunny spot to the north of our house, about 40 feet by 12 feet just waiting to be tilled up.  Didn't do it last year basically because we needed to have the house re-roofed and I had no idea where the dumpster and other roofing equipment was going.

Well, now that the house work is done, the potential garden area is all mine!

More later, I promise!

A Gardening Lesson

$50.  That is roughly how much it cost me to grow two little Roma tomatoes; the only tomatoes that came out of our garden this year.

The starter trays worked well.  Starting them in the sun room gave them plenty of opportunity for success.  Seeds from Gurneys and Seed Savers performed wonderfully in their infant stage.  Before placing them in the ground, I honestly wondered, 'what are we going to do with all these tomatoes?'

The failure was mine.  Being away from gardening for more than 25 years gave me the opportunity to forget a lot!  WOW, did I forget a lot.

Copyright, Songs and Common Sense

The concept of copyright has been around for quite some time.  However, common sense, regardless of how prevalent in society it might be, has been around a lot longer.

From NMPA Website
WASHINGTON – At a press event today the National Music Publishers’ Association announced that it has sent takedown notices to the top 50 unlicensed lyric sites in an unprecedented anti-piracy effort.  NMPA is working with songwriter and University of Georgia researcher David Lowery who published an academic study listing top unlicensed lyric websites. These lyric sites profit from advertisement-generated revenue, yet songwriters whose lyrics are available on these unlicensed sites receive no compensation.

So...  How soon will we start receiving invoices, billing us for each time we sing in the shower, recite a chorus or mention lyrics to a friend or co-worker?  Yes, this is off-topic, but is irritating to me.

Quote Of The Day

Take yourself off the back burner.

That's what I heard from my boss Monday morning.  Apparently my stress and angst was palpable over the phone line.  Telecommuting can really amplify little irritations into major head-banging mountains of stress.  Multiple projects (one being mismanaged by one of our equally stressed business analyst) and two recent mistakes in some billing research I was working on just put me on the edge.

My question to the boss was simple: "So, I have the Trouble Ticket project, Aging Reports, Phone Switch Looping research and the Intranet project.  Which should I pull off the back burner?"

She laughed... "You, sir, need to take yourself off the back burner."

iwanttofarm.com for sale

Just wanted to post a little note that I have my domain iwanttofarm.com for sale.  Looking for $500 O.B.O.

Honestly, it is nice to allow a blog provider like Blogger to provide help, spam protection and software updates.  While it is certainly within the scope of my abilities to perform these tasks, after a long day of programming, thinking about a weekend PHP update or installation of a new patch is just too much sometimes.

So, my site will soon be parked.  Anyone want to make an offer???

I'm Back!!!

It is interesting what happens withing the span of only four years.  Here is a little recap...

• My daughter moved to Iowa and earned her Associates degree from Kirkwood Community College.  She now works full time at an international hotel chain and is attending University of Iowa.
• Met a wonderful woman in 2011 on the internet.  We were married about a year later.  Life really can be better when sharing it with a person you love!
• Rode my motorcycle solo across the country for a second time.
• AND...  My wife and I moved back to the country!!!  It isn't a farm but...  The picture in the upper left of this post is from our back yard near New Boston, Illinois.

But wait, there's more.  Stay Tuned!

Building With Stone

Throughout the history of the human species, we have been building with stone. The first stone homes were not much more than piles of rubble. Today, stone buildings can be huge and grand and complex or small and comfortable and simple.

Stone buildings and houses may be the perfect construct for modern attempts at sustainable living and farming. The reasons for this include:

1. Availability of Building Materials.
2. Sturdiness and Durability.
3. Longevity.
4. Ease of Construction.
5. Low Construction and Maintenance Costs.
6. Potential for High Energy Efficiency.
7. And Many More!

For the next seven days I will cover each of these reasons why you should consider building with stone. Hopefully you will consider constructing your next building with stone.

Preserving Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to freeze. The process is as simple as removing damaged berries and stems, placing them on a large cookie sheet and then putting the whole thing in the freezer. Once they freeze, place them in a sealed bag and leave in the freezer. The natural wax on the outside of the blueberries protects the fruit while frozen. When ready to use, simply thaw, rinse and eat.

Some people switch the process and rinse first, then letting them dry before freezing. Either way is acceptable. It is reported that rinsing before freezing can lessen their lifetime in the freezer. Blueberries only last a few months in my freezer so I really couldn't tell you.

That stated, generally blueberries can last in the freezer for more than six months. Where other fruit can become quite mushy after freezing, the blueberry will still hold its shape pretty well.

Most people preserve blueberries through canning as a jelly, jam, syrup or compote. Here is a great little site with plenty of information on canning and preserving blueberries and many other fruits.

With just a little work, that wonderful summer flavor of fresh blueberries can be enjoyed throughout the year.

A Blueberry Weekend

Ah, the wonderful blueberry. With a wide variety of cultivars, this fruit bearing bush is hearty from the southern United States up through parts of southern Canada. High in vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and Manganese (from nutritiondata.com) , and easy to grow and store, the blueberry may be very near the most perfect fruit.

Growing form ranges from short, squat bushes to tall, narrow treelike constructs. Whether you have a small back yard or a few thousand acres, a few blueberry bushes are perfect additions to your garden.

Throughout this weekend I will post information and recipes about and with the fabulous blueberry. Stay tuned!

Friday News?

The UK's FSA Publishes Organic Research - from the UK's Food Standards Agency - "An independent review commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) shows that there are no important differences in the nutrition content, or any additional health benefits, of organic food when compared with conventionally produced food. The focus of the review was the nutritional content of foodstuffs. "

So, what these researchers did was review the results of other researchers from the last fifty years and arrived at the conclusion that there is little nutritional difference between organically grown food and food conventionally grown and processed. Just to make it clear, this was more of an academic mashup than real research. No original research was done. As with sustainable agriculture, one must look for more systemic results rather than simply read others' research on a narrow base of subjects.
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Rural Businesses Receive Billions in Assistance - from Farm Futures.com - "Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is accepting applications for up to $1.7 billion in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for projects to help create business activity and economic growth in rural communities. Vilsack said the funds will help businesses get access to the capital they need to launch and expand their businesses and help bring additional jobs to America's small cities and towns."

That's a step in the right direction. Hopefully the money will be well spent and big companies will not get their hands on too much of it.