It seems there is wave after wave of discouraging financial news lately. And as bad as it seems, the holidays are bound to make things worse. We all know that the winter holidays are a major cause of stress for most people during prosperous times, but when a nation of spoiled consumers aren’t able to spend themselves silly, their self-inflicted pity party is bound to leave them in a stupor. If you find yourself in dire financial straits, wondering how you will afford the latest gizmo or gadget for little Johnny or Jane, take heart. You don’t have to consume to give great gifts.
At our house, Christmas is a religious holiday. We have never been extravagant in the gift department. Growing up, my children always got fewer gifts than the other kids. However, we never went into debt to buy them anything. If they wanted a big-ticket item, we waited until the late-January clearance sales.
Every year, I pick a theme for my gift-giving. I pray and meditate on what new things I’ve learned in the past year. This year, I’ve learned the value of creating memories. While others are pouting and whining about what they don’t have because of the “global economic crisis,” I was blessed with the gift of remembering the good times. So, everyone on my Christmas list will receive a memory book from me.
When my kids were little, I took copious amounts of pictures, ordering doubles when I went to have them developed. I have a huge plastic tub full of pictures. Each of my children will recieve a photo-album filled with old pictures from their childhood. My in-laws and parents will recieve one also. My youngest daughter started a scrap book in the seventh grade, and abondoned it the tenth. I’m going to finish it for her and give it to her on Christmas Eve. I’ve been picking up photo albums whenever I find them on clearance. When I add up the cost of giving seven albums complete with photos, it is under $40.00. Add in a few pounds of fudge, dried fruit, and other homemade goodies, and we will have a wonderful Christmas for next to nothing. Joy to the world.
With all the hullabaloo over health care reform and the economy, you might not have heard about H.R. 2868, the Chemical and Drinking Water Security Act of 2009. Passed in the House on November 6th, the bill now goes to the Senate. Opponents of the act, let by Republican Frank Lucas, ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, are once again using the same old tired excuse to avoid being responsible members of the sustainable agriculture community. Congressman Lucas issued this statement on the passage of H.R.
“This vote was another hit to agriculture and to the American consumer. Under this legislation, it’s going to be significantly more expensive for agricultural input producers to provide farmers with the necessary tools for agriculture production. Without inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, it will be difficult for farmers to produce the same amount of product at the same high quality we have come to expect. Ultimately, this means our food costs will dramatically increase, or we will become reliant on foreign food imports.”
Study after study has shown that farmers can raise as much, if not more, crops without the use of harmful chemicals. The Congressman, while believing he is protecting farmers, is only protecting agri-business, specifically the chemical herbicide and pesticide companies, like Monsanto, that own the exclusive rights to these chemical “inputs.” (Input sounds much better than deadly chemical fertilizer, doesn’t it?)
Now that the bill is in the Senate, it will be reworked in committee. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Let your Senator know how you feel about chemical fertilizers being pumped into the water supply in the name of cheap, abundant food. Learn more about H.R. 2868 here.
I was gazing out the dining room window the day old man winter came calling. There was nothing moving outside that afternoon. The chickens had headed for the coop earlier; the cows stayed close to the barn, and I retreated into the comforts a woodstove, an overstuffed chair and cup of hot chocolate.
The tattered scarecrows, left to weather the storm alone, twisted in the frigid onslaught. The scarecrow that was wearing my old bathrobe and holding a coffee pot in one hand succumbed to the force of the driving wind. Its feed-bag head flopped hard with every icy gust. Its coffee pot blew far into the field of dried cornstalks beyond the garden. For a moment, when the storm was at a fevered pitch, I was sure the other scarecrow, posed in mid-cartwheel all season long, would break loose from its stake and actually cartwheel across the garden. I watched with a heavy heart as the scarecrows, abandoned by beast and man alike, greeted winter head-on.
There’s no getting around it, the growing season is over. Old man winter chased it away. Oh sure, there are still a few hardy souls with hoop huts and cold frames clinging to every degree day they can get, but for most of us the only thing left to do is pick up the tools, undress the scarecrows and put the final layer of mulch on.
It was a challenging year for most growers in the Upper Midwest. The drought, high temperatures and odd weather patterns stressed plants as well as gardeners. But we did it; we persevered and met those challenges. Hurray for us!
As another growing season comes to a close, I start to contemplate the next season. Believe it or not, seed catalogs are already showing up in my mailbox. While some may think it is a little early for buying seed, gardeners know it is never too early to start thinking about next year’s garden. This is true of all gardeners in all eras. Way back in the early nineteenth century, Thomas Cooper, a professor and naturalist said, “A garden is never so good as it will be next year.” Spoken like a true gardener.
This winter I plan to re-read several books. The Merry Hall Trilogy by Mr. Beverly Nichols is at the top of my list. I like his style. His works are riotously funny and high-spirited. His gardening insight and smooth story-telling have been entertaining gardeners for years. Every book of his I have ever read has been worth a re-read.
My indoor projects include growing a couple of Venus fly traps. Supposedly they are easy to grow, but I’ve heard that before about things like roses, hollyhocks and orchids. Easy isn’t how I would describe growing any of them. The fly traps sound interesting. We’ll see how it goes.
I enjoyed hearing from readers and fellow growers this season. Thanks to everyone who shared a story or suggestion with me. You made me laugh and think. Next to gardening, these are my two favorite pastimes.
ELGIN, Minn, Nov. 3, 2009 – The USDA today announced the award of more than $17 million in grants to 29 institutions to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.
“Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability,” Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said. “The training and education provided through these grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers as they work to feed people in their local communities and throughout the world.”
Merrigan announced the funding in Elgin, Minn., at the Hidden Stream Farm and was joined by representatives from the Land Stewardship Project, the local grant recipient that provides local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives that address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers. Eric and Lisa Klein, the proprietors of Hidden Stream Farm, were some of the first graduates of the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course. Since graduating from Farm Beginnings, the Klein’s have developed a thriving pasture-based livestock operation that markets pork, chickens and beef in southeast Minnesota and the Twin Cities.
This funding announcement is part of USDA’s new ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative which was launched in September 2009 to emphasize the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ includes such major agricultural topics as supporting local farmers and community food groups; strengthening rural communities; enhancing direct marketing and farmers’ promotion programs; promoting healthy eating; protecting natural resources; and helping schools connect with locally grown foods.
The grants were awarded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA, formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). BFRDP is an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers, specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or fewer. Congress authorized the FY 2009 funding for this program in the 2008 Farm Bill, with another $19 million in mandatory funding for FY 2010. Under the program, USDA will make grants to organizations that will implement programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers.
Beginning farmers and ranchers interested in participating in any of the education, outreach, mentoring and/or internship activities are asked to contact the grantee institutions listed below.
Fiscal year 2009 recipients include:
Developing Innovations in Navajo Education, Inc., Flagstaff, Ariz., $674,507
Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation, Brinkley, Ark., $313,278
Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, Salinas, Calif., $515,862
Fort Berthold Community College, New Town, N.D., $614,356
Langston University, Langston, Okla., $525,000
Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., 572,178
Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., 733,821
South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., $701,608
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., $74,000
University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas, $665,038
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $748,651
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $524,896
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Spring Valley, Wis., $151,515
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov .
Does anyone else have a problem with the blurb below?
On October 24, 2009, the Monroe Lego Club joined millions of people around the world to bring attention to climate change. The Lego Club created an animated, stop-action-video to help world leaders understand that we need to return to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.Let’s let the Lego people, with our help, share the story of how important it is to achieve 350 ppm of carbon dioxide on Earth and reduce the impacts of climate change. From Media-Citizen Global
If this doesn’t prove that climate change is nothing more than a marketing tool, I don’t know what does. It’s mighty nice of the LEGO Group to sponsor events that could put them out of business. Think about it for just one second. What are LEGOS made from? Plastic, and it is one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, polluting our water and air, and spewing boatloads of nasty carbon into the air.
The team’s new study is the first to show that degrading plastics are leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A into the seas, possibly threatening ocean animals, and us.
A study from USC found that plastic children’s toys are among the favorites of marine life. It’s also one of the most dangerous.
So why are proponents of climate change willing to overlook the obvious? Further, why are they teaching children that some pollution is better than others? The LEGO Group is not part of the solution. They are the problem.
I suppose you really can fool some of the people all of the time. But they don’t fool me for a second. They might be singing Kumbaya on the magic green bus, but they’re really controlling the message. And that’s my problem with the whole “green” ideology. As long as you’re nice to them, then it’s okay to stink the place up. But if they don’t like a particular corporation or individual, they single them out and pummel them like bullies in a school yard.
On second thought, maybe LEGOS are the perfect symbol of global warming. Like LEGO blocks, global warming can be whatever you want it to be.
