Month: June 2015

catch me if I let you

A senior credit manager once told me:  "Catch me once, shame on you, catch me twice, shame on me."  Which may be fine in the world of relationships but for the consumer in this  information filled internet world the maxim should be:  "Catch me once, shame on me!"  Last week 2 incidents when I was almost caught and by "caught" I mean taken advantage of. Ever since I rebuilt my Troy Bilt chipper shredder engine (model # 47330) in August 2013- see post on seized engine repair it has performed Read more [...]

simple lunch

It being Father's Day I was permitted to prepare lunch for the two of us.  A rare event - usually I gather the produce and wash the dishes.  I kept it simple.  I like onions and garlic and have a lot growing. I also gathered large chard and collard leaves.  I chopped the onions into 0.5" segments including the green stems  and also peeled and chopped the garlic.  The mound went into a pan, with olive oil to gently saute. The chard and collard I hand washed keeping a sharp lookout Read more [...]

breakfast and garlic harvest

Breakfast this morning (Father's Day) was a simple affair.  We wandered to the top of the hill and picked a couple containers of blueberries and blackberries. The other ingredients were steel cut oats (pressure cooked 7 mins), flax for omega 3 fats, soy milk and a spoon of my own honey. And it tasted good and was filling. Also this morning, early, I finished harvesting my garlic.  May have left it a bit late since some of the stalks had detached and there are now garlic cloves Read more [...]

the dna cop-out

We generally accept responsibility for our actions but not for our circumstances.  When I told a nonagenerian I was fortunate to have good health and to retire in my early 60's, I was told "that's not luck, that's decisions made". Food plays a big role in people's lives, and I don't mean survival.  To quote: "some eat to live and some live to eat".  I am (mostly) in the first category.  Folks with health problems usually resist changing their diet - food is one of their chief enjoyments.  Read more [...]

the wonderful world of free internet college courses

I didn't post this site at all in May.  Not because I had stopped my growing activities or lost interest but because I was completing 2 demanding courses on electronics and programming and am in the middle of a new course on Python programming. College education of your choosing at your convenience with the world's best colleges for free!  If you are interested and can make time available, this is a bonanza. My education in South Africa and England was in law, accounting, business and the Read more [...]

my 4 mowers, and mower deck repair

I have 4 mowers.  I use a scythe (21" blade)  to clear the growth under  fruit trees for which it is ideal.  Extend the blade to the near side of the trunk and pull sharply toward you and the weeds are leveled, all while standing a distance away without worries of snagging branches or snakes (I refer to the venomous ones - copperheads or occasional rattler).  It is also useful on a hillside where riding a mower is iffy. For how I peen my scythe and hand sickle, search "peen" on this site. Next Read more [...]

early summer activity

It's been a good April and May - frequent rain showers to minimize hose watering and keep my +6,000 gal storage tanks fully topped.  Lettuce, onions and garlic have grown well though the lettuce is now bolting.  My lettuce, kale, chard and turnip greens taste real, they have a flavor missing from store bought greens, a lot of which are raised in greenhouses or insect free conditions.   Now I am wondering if there is some advantage to eating kale, chard and turnip greens on which insects previously Read more [...]