Time to get ready.

It is hard to imagine with the heat of the summer outside, but fall garden planting is just two weeks away. Here is the schedule.

Making a new life just like the old life

I wanted to share this article with everyone. For those of you who has shopped at the Nam Hai you can relate to the part about the market. I go into the Nam Hai and I look at the produce and wonder what all the stuff is and how do you cook it. The Nam Hai has a lot of root crops. I wonder if they are different kind of potatoes?

There is a movie called The scent of green papaya. I could not find a link to watch it online, but I would recommend watching it if you see it at the rental place or in a bargain bin. The story is rather boring but the food and garden scenes are my inspiration. As I create my outdoor living space I want to replicate the house in the movie.

A quote from the article; "Without stringent regulations or organic certifications, the Saturday open-air farmers market still welcomes all comers." Here in Tulsa these families selling their surpluses would be considered criminals. As I was driving down Charles Page Blvd, I saw a hand written sign nailed to a telephone pole. The sign advertised Home Grown Veggies for sale straight from the garden. I didn't pursue the location of the garden to see if it was in the city limits (illegal) or in the County (might be illegal). But I could not help thinking, how have we gotten to the point that hard work, skills, and entrepreneurship are considered criminal activities in the City of Tulsa. Is it just to limit competition with the big box corporate stores? Or are there previous produce illness outbreaks that have prompted draco

Times are changing and we need to change our 1950's suburban sprawl zoning. We have to be able to be more local with our food. And if someone has a "Green Thumb" they should be able to sell their surplus with no interferences or burdens placed apon them.

Fourth Year - too much rain

I planted over 80 tomato plants in the lower garden - there's over 80 in another location too - they look ok - in the goose pen - but the lower garden - so sad. I even transplanted a flat of 16 plants that looked good - healthy Lemon Boy yellow tomatoes - they look like sticks and 2 good weeks ago they were healthy plants. I have not been able to get to other parts of the garden successfully to clean up weeds - what didnt' get mulched is about to be tilled under - I am heart sick over the devastation my gardens have incurred with torrential spring rains for 4 years - summer begins tomorrow.

I've given up taking food to downtown Tulsa - I spend my gas, go and sit - find out that the downtown market is now on chopping block if the garage below insists on our $1M insurance policy that I have no idea will come from. DTU used to carry that - they were dissolved last year. I have to have an answer in the morning regarding this issue - will the MayFest group carry a policy on is - I offered to call the mayor's office and the lady from the garage got a bit upset - I didn't mean anything by it - they have a right to ask for insurance but don't they already cover any accidents that might occur on their own behalf? Why duplicate the premiums? Insurance companies are killing us as it is - but then every time a person gets hurt someone has to pay right???

The bungie cord slipped out of my hand the first day of market and slapped me soundly upside my right cheek and then flipped with less force and clipped the other side of my head. I went to my knees and then to my butt - it hurt so bad. I don't know if I had a dimple there before but appears to be one now. Maybe I should sue someone - nah - I caused my own injury. Humans trip and fall. Things happen - I have insurance and a doctor but it wasn't called for. We all carry car insurance - I think we all do.

I expect everyone to care for their tents properly - now we won't be able to tie them to our cars - if we get to continue the market that is. If we close - I won't fight to keep it open - but I have a feeling that all will go ok - someone should have contacted me by now if it wasn't.

Cars and me

I went to town to get paint brushes so I can paint my sink for the farm building. I then went to Subway for a seafood sandwich and as I drove out of the parking lot - my car tried to die. I was so afraid of it stalling that I turned right instead of left and headed into the parking lot of a car parts store. I pulled into a slot and pulled out the owners manual - first time I have looked at it since we bought the car seven years ago - its a Subaru. It's supposed to last a lot of miles - owners in Tulsa have 700,000 + miles on their cars.

David just sold his Harley to a friend at work so he can trade it up to a Goldwing - they have airbags and David rides so faithfully and carefully but so many others don't. I was really thinking - isn't this the way it goes - he gets us deeper in debt and my car breaks down.

I sit in the heat rolling windows down and start looking up what Check Engine means - I am worried - big time. I find the info and it says - to the shop NOW no extra driving. So far to Ferguson in Broken Arrow - I don't think I can handle it. David's at work. Then I keep reading and it says that if we had just put gas in it recently it may be a loose gas cap - OMG - I go around to the other side of the car and open the gas tank and whirl it closed. Then just in case I open it again and close it again. I start the car and angels sing. It is running so smooth and just fine and the light does not come on again.

I drive home and look skyward - a quick 'thank you' is said. And I am a little happy that instead of panicking or freaking out I read the manual, found the problem, put it in order and got to go home. I am grateful.

Farm Building Almost Done

I bought a building almost exactly 1 1/2 yrs ago - my goal was to turn it into an air conditioned, room that customers could use without speaking to me - smiles. Yes, I am not getting much done when I am talking to a customer and I also have faith in humans to actually pick up and pay for vegetables cuz so far humans who leave the garden festivals always send me a check when they find they have run out of money. So far I have not been stiffed.

I am hanging the wallpaper - I finished the floor at least 2 weeks ago - seem longer than that to be frank - offered to pay a friend to do it cuz said friend likes to paper - but yesterday was supposed to be the day and it was just a matter of David helping her put a couple of tables and a container of water - and it didn't work out. I have three more lengths of paper to hang - it looks very nice and I am surprised that it doesn't look worse - I am no papering fool - she would have done a much better job I am sure - but the walls aren't exactly straight. I like the idea of things being perfect at times - but mostly I just want to get by - I am leaning toward Atomic Living. Get close - make do - eliminate waste. I don't care if the vendors at the markets pay me an exactly 10% of profit - just knock off a full 10% to bring your total down - that's set aside for your taxes and market purposes - then figure 10% again with a top of $15 and if there's pennies - oh please!

I keep looking at my 80 tomato plants dying in the lower garden and the clouds getting ready to let go again - they aren't dying from the heat but the lack of air in the soil - fourth year. 13 years we used that lower garden - I cannot remember once the garden dying from rain. Last four scares me to death. Oil spills in the gulf - we are gonna eliminate ourselves. Garrison Keillor's article today in the Sunday Tulsa World was pretty much - "Might as well kiss our behinds," cuz it is all but over.

The young girl at Ace who waited on me was sick to her stomach - ulcers. Ulcers are curable I said. She knows but she is losing her job soon - she's a baby - must be her first out there - bless her heart. I got to leave home and go to DC and had a job that could have been a lifelong career. I came home instead and got married and moved to Minnesota for a couple of years and back here - he's the freak who got me into gardens - into the great outdoors - man am I tanned right now.

Well, the building will house the maters and peppers and whatever I get into it - as much as we go - I feel guilty cuz I don't go enough. Felt guilty at the market for using it to run for office - Rex said that was foolish - since that is what I do. OK - so if I get to shouldn't other candidates - no - he said - they don't do that for a living - hmmmm.

I wish my onions were weeded - paper first - squash into ground next - growling at the rain for a while - please - Dude - I know it is our fault but we have had enough here - but if I pray it away, it may stay away and that doesn't work either. So maybe He will work on the ones of us who don't believe its real or has power to fix it - boy that would be nice.

Ag and Politics

Wow - I did something that I never considered yesterday before in my life - I paid the state of Oklahoma $200 for the privilege of running against Mark McCollough in District 30 in Sapulpa/Kiefer/Mounds/Glenpool yesterday.

Today we raked up our pile of old wood to take to the dump - what a way to start a campaign.

The Republican was running unopposed - seemed just wrong to let him have the job. Shame is that someone asked me if I had to know law to do this - the requirements - be 21 yrs old, registered in the party of choice and resident for 6 months. How many of you are under or unemployed? If you fit that criteria and had an extra bit of cash you could have run for these offices or spend a bit more for senator or governor - what does it pay - I've heard $38,000. That's less than I was making 10 yrs ago when I went to work for Williams Communications - so that's not a lot of incentive. Do I want the job - only if I can really make a difference - cuz I am not happy with how either party is running it today. I am reluctant - oh man I am not into politics - these guys - and they are mostly guys - where is the logic? I am paying taxes on seeds with a Farm Exemption card in my purse but let me buy bags of dog food and those same taxes are exempt - this was the number one reason that set me off this year for being angry over our state laws.

Beekeepers can't extract and bottle honey for public sales without jumping thru hoops, cost $350 dollars this year for a meat producer to use a trailer and sell their beef at the market - it is already USDA inspected - this isn't to look at the meat - it's to look at the trailer. This is outragious but it is the law - rule of health dept - code - whatever - it is too much. Egg license is $50 for small producers - that can mean many dozen eggs to break even.

Familes are hungry, programs are being cut, teachers laid off, we passed tax cuts for the weathiest a few years back - ain't that a hoot. And our healthcare is in the toilet. Our roads - oh man - I drove from the airport to Casa Bonita to eat while waiting on my husband and went down Memorial and over on 21st St - man Tulsa looks bad - worse than Sapulpa. I guess most of you know that Sapulpa's income is a lot lower than say Jenks - overall - been doing a lot less with a lot less so actually Sapulpa looks better than Tulsa. But businesses come and go. The last candidate was the just retired Superintendent of Sapulpa School District - said he was asking Mark for votes on bills for the schools and that Mark voted against them - I have to check the records on this stuff - this is heresay - and inadmissable in court - he's an attorney. And his father was a teacher - and he went to college himself - why vote against education when you have one???

But I am a concerned citizen. I run a mom and pop greenhouse/market garden and have been in business for 17 yrs. I worked the first 10 fulltime and completed college at Bartlesville Weslyan cum laud - I run two farmers markets and draw no salary at this time. One of these was just tied to the Jenks School District and we pay them for that privilege adding 5% of our profit to their coffers for the kids.

My lower garden is drowning for the 4th year in a row. The weather is changing and it isn't for the better. The environmental issues concern me, a year ago I even got my act together to change my health issues and that's another concern. And I did it with more help from taking vitamins and educating myself than I did with traditional medicine but doesn't that just mean we need to educate our doctors better on nutrition. Heaven help us we need to leave this planet cleaner - I have a grandson who's 10 years old.

I am not a politician - I am just a ordinary citizen.

I have worked for a trucking firm, manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare. I spent most of my time in education at the votech, at the electric company in Tulsa and my first job out of high school I worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington DC -back in the 70s - maybe that makes me a Washington insider - NOT!!! I was a file clerk and I met my husband who was in the US Navy back then. I am an Air Force brat and I produced an Air Force veteran and SHE used to load bombs on F16s. I've traveled outside of the US twice - I lived in Great Britain for 3 years as a child - and went to see my Military daughter and son-in-law in Japan about 10 years ago. But I was born at Tinker Air Force base a long time ago - and I graduated in Bristow after Dad's retirement. So I served in the military as dependent for 16 years.

Hope I can count on some help - cuz I am sure running out of time.