Monday, July 27, 2009

PBS - Nature on Colony Collapse Syndrome

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/video-full-episode/251/

Woke up this morning at 5:30 and turned the TV on - caught the last bit of this show. If we don't keep the bees safe they could be gone by 2035. If they go, food goes. Thank you NEOBA for all that you do to keep bees safe.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Good for you Mr Johnson.

I don't like to use chemicals in my Hives or Garden. Why would people put that stuff in their food.

Saturday Morning Staple

The Garden Blog is up at Dailykos. Post and Rec. Cool Bee pictures on the top page.

Those pesky Queens.

I never can seem to find the Queen either. I guess with more practice it will get easier. Take a moment to view the slide show. I love the prairie roof tops, and the classic British WBC HIves.

Close to old home.

I came across this annoucement in the Chronicle the other day. Not big news but it is one block down the street from my old flat.

Agriculture Weather for the last week in July

Here is the agriculture weather for the last week in July. Isn't this cooler weather wonderful.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

This is a good start.

I wish that this class was a little more urban oriented. But then again they are growing in a green house.

Hard Times, Seeing the Gap up Close

My husband and I just ran out for breakfast - we stopped to get gas down the road and since I didn't want to write a check for an entire tank, I grabbed a $10 out of my purse. David just finished and was screwing the top on when a very small person came up to me and was crying - she was late, could we give her a ride to WalMart at 75 and 121st - that new Glenpool WalMart. She's small built but not a child - 31 years old. Her car is broken, she has to be at WalMart by 10 and it's already almost 10 after.

Of course we can, I opened the back door of the station wagon and started throwing things off the back seat that is laying down. David runs to the other side and also begins the fast flinging of garden flags and cardboard and signage materials. We get the seat raised and she jumps in. I asked her her age - I could tell she wasn't a kid after she spoke but wasn't sure how old she really was - younger than my own daughter at 31 she is. I told her we didn't shop at WalMart anymore and if she had been late lately - No she replied hoping not to get into trouble. She lives near the high school but her three kids are staying in Tulsa. Probably can't pick them up to bring them home and her accent indicates she's not local. She's lived here a while but is from New York originally.

Times are rough and this is just a speck of what is underlying in this nation. As we drop her off, I hand her a napkin with my first name and phone number on it. I tell her I can be called here and there for rides - in case she needs further assistance. It scares me to think of my daughter walking to work.

David and I begin to talk after we head back to the house - about how the economy is affecting those in our country - the widening gap. There's the Haves and the Have Nots. David is angry and says something about the Haves not sharing and I said it is worse than that. I said that those who don't have, really don't have much at all - car broke, probably can't afford to fix it, new cars can't be fixed with duct tape and wire. Children being cared for in Tulsa while she lives in Sapulpa - that's another indication of lack of food or space. And I said gently to my husband, David we are the Haves. No we aren't rich, we live just a bit above paycheck to paycheck but the bills are paid. Our credit scores are high enough and we just refinanced our house - our payments are cheaper than buying a car now. My car is paid for - I have. We have. If David got laid off, we'd Have Not. It is a scary time - I'll teach anyone how to grow food. Anytime, anywhere I can afford to go.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Unbelievable.

Some Politicians just don't seem to have a brain. I love this quote it is right up there with Jack Henderson's Marijuana comment.

"I don't know of anybody who's against people growing their own food in the city but there are concerns that need to be addressed," said Kelly, citing issues such as making sure hoop houses are kept in good condition.

We are talking about Flint Michigan for crying out loud. A City that has 2700 or more abandoned city lots. We don't care about the blight and decaying building, but don't let that Hoophouse go into disrepair. There has to be more behind this. Nobody is this stupid. Just like Tulsa, pass zoning to prevent a better life.

Farmadelphia?

I ran across this article on the web. I had forgotten about Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City. But then I don't get reminded about it every day like some Oklahomans.

Weekly Mulch

The Weekly Mulch at Dailykos.

Saturday Morning Staple

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging at Dailykos. Post and Rec it up.

Agriculture Weather for the next week.

Here is the Mesonet Forecast for the upcoming week.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Subaru and South Jersey Food Bank

I drove Fords for years but bought a Geo Prism back in 96 and drove that car for 14 years. The engine was great but the transmission had been replaced during a vacation to Colorado. I began to research what kind of auto I needed and I began to look for station wagons. A few mechanics said the Taurus transmission would go out at about 70,000 miles - yuck. So I ended up with a Subaru Legacy in 2004 - it was brand new, standard shift and green. The grant writer at the Tulsa Indian Clinic has one just like it, same color. I've been told that there are a few drivers in the Tulsa area that have 700,000 miles on their autos - my goal is 1M.

I get the DRIVE magazine and it usually has a bit of Green information in it. In South Jersey, they have a food bank that now receives a portion of the garden plots on Subaru headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ. 10' X 10' plots are adopted by 8-12 employee teams - it doesn't say how many plots total are producing. But isn't that kind neat - http://www.foodbanksj.org/ or check out the Community: Wonderful Days Preschool at http://www.drive.subaru.com/.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Downtown Tulsa Farmers' Market

I started the farmers market in 2007 - we had road construction, barriers, dust, rain, about 4 vendors and we struggled. I dressed up like a clown one day - scared people. Passed out zinnia's. Still, we did not have crowds and I myself had very little produce - spring rains virtually drowned parts of my yard.

Last year was a second year of rough and hard going. We had a few new vendors - Ritchie's blackberries, Rex's peppers and tomatoes, Melinda, Collinsville's market manager anchored the first two years and we had a few come and go.

I drove to the market day before yesterday. OMG - must have been close to 10 tents - flowers, fruit, tomatoes, veggies galore. Plants here and there and good old Bear was with his momma - Catherine. I all but cried when I drove away from the market after meeting new vendors and asking Melinda how it was going with her acting as temporary market manager. I felt like a momma who was just seeing her child off to kindergarden. It can walk, talk, potty and manage without me.

17 years ago my dream was to farm my land, sell what I could here and not run all over but farmers markets were the only means for me to get to the public. That urge took hold again and my heart could not make me get to the market this year. 16 years I sold at markets - loaded up after picking the day before, early hours, heat, sidewalks and tables. Now the market is loaded with all the produce a person could hunt for, there's about 10 families adding precious incomes to their lives all because I wanted to put a market in the very location I used to work. Technically, I am president of the market. I still answer questions, manage the localharvest web page, field phone calls and help as I can - but from a distance.

It was a beautiful sight to behold - a market in Downtown Tulsa - at the base of the BOK between the hotel and the PAC. Thriving.