The Gardener

Leavenworth, Washington The Bavarian Village - Web Cam

2008-01-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

Leavenworth, Washington The Bavarian Village - Web Cam

2007-08-13T21:23:00.000-04:00

Summer '07
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Canyon North Rim
Cliff Dwellers
Navajo Suspension Bridge
Grand Canyon
South Rim
South Rim Walk
South Kiabab Trail

Train to Silverton, CO

Mesa Verde

Tag, you're it

2007-03-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

Dan tagged me. To understand more what it is to me tagged see Dan’s blog at: http://www.dpyoung.com/ when playing tag you try to keep away from whoever is “it”. I guess I am now “it” so here it goes.

The six weird things about me.

The first weird thing about me is that I am never wrong and never make mistakes. Well that’s not true. The only time I was wrong was when I thought I made a mistake but didn’t. Arrogant I am not.

The second weird thing about me is that I was never really good at math so I became an accountant.

Weird and hard to believe, but I wonse cold not speal. A long time aggo I was toald by a teatsher to keep trying and speling wood come eiszir. “The moor you work at it the beter youll get.” She was wrighte.

The fourth weird thing about me is that I always knew I was weird, but, English and grammar is my strong point, all through high school, and all my English teachers keep using my papers as examples, to the rest of the class, on writing skills, that made me proud, in a small way, where I knew I could made a difference to the rest of my class mates, making their papers better, and better, as the year went by giving them great ideas to include in their own papers. Weird, hmmm.

Number six. Another weird thing about me is that the more I read something the more it makes sense. Check this out. Wehn in the Csuroe of hamun evntes it bemoces nesecasry for one ppeloe to diosslve the paolictil bndas wihch hvae conentced them with anohetr and to asumse anmog the pwroes of the eatrh, the seaptare and eqaul stotian to whcih the Lwas of Naurte and of Naurte's God etnitle them, a deecnt repscet to the oiponins of mainnkd rqeuries that they shulod dealcre the csaues wichh imepl tehm to the seaptriaon... Thanks Tom

Number five. I may be Dyslexic.

The seventh and the last thing weird about me is that I don’t like to eat out any more. When I do eat out I find most of the food disagreeable to me. So, I’ve decided to only eat dessert from now on. Desserts agree with me.

Villafane Studios

2006-11-09T17:39:00.000-05:00

Check these out.

Go to: http://www.villafanestudios.com/pumpkins.htm

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster

2006-11-09T07:34:00.000-05:00

On November 7, 1940, at approximately 11:00 AM, the first Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge collapsed due to wind-induced vibrations. Situated on the Tacoma Narrows in Puget Sound, near the city of Tacoma, Washington, the bridge had only been open for traffic a few months.

Today's Bridge:

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY AND SNOW??

2006-06-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

Today is Father's Day and I'm talking about snow. To anyone who was following the amount of snow we received in our part of the world this past winter here is the last of the postings for the season.

The last snow fell in March which gave March just over 16 inches. This winter we received 124.5 inches of snow. It seems like a lot but when you consider that we never had over two feet at any one time it never seemed like a lot. We’re glad it is over for another year but now an even more detrimental element is with us, humidity.

Today’s sky was “blue” but when you looked at it, the sky was only bright with no real color. The countryside looked like it was covered with a thick smoke hiding the trees. Today’s temperature reached 90 degrees.

Summer is here and I’m glad for the chance to see the flowers come up with their many colors and smell the pleasant fragrance emitted from the different flowers in the yard that float across in the evening breeze meeting us as we sit on the front porch.

Happy Father’s Day

NEW PERENNIALS

2006-04-09T12:49:00.000-04:00

There are new perennials arriving in our garden this spring. Here is a list of what they will be. See the Dutch Garden web site at right.

Aztec Lilly

Crocosmia Masonorum

George Davidson Crocosmia

Lucerfer Crocosmia

Giant Bunnera

Green Goddess Calla Lily

Queen Fabiola Brodiaea

Stella d’Oro Daylily

Sidewalk Art

2006-03-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

The Picture here and what will be posted in the next few days were created by Julian Beever. Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his art on the pavement of Australia, Belgium, England, France, Germany and USA. Beever gives to his drawings an amazing 3D illusion. Thanks to Sara for bringing to my attention, Julian Beever's work.

4 Self-Portrait

Arctic

Coke

Ross

Batman

Sun

Spiderman

Globe-wrong view

Globe

SQUIRRELS

2006-03-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for these pictures.

LIME CAKE

2006-03-19T19:20:00.000-05:00

Lime Cake

This recipe is one of my own, Peter.

Cake:

1 Cup sugar

3 oz. unsalted butter (room temperature)

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 Cup milk

2 Cups flour

2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

Zest of one lime

Butter and flour an oversize bread pan. Preheat oven to 350°. Blend together sugar, butter and salt until well mixed. Combine or sift flour and baking powder together. Fold in flour and milk along with zest until the batter is creamy about two minutes.

Bake at 350 for one hour and 5 minutes until the cake is lightly browned. Remove from pan after 10 minutes. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting:

1 or 2 Cups powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

Juice of one lime

Combine the sugar, salt, egg, and juice. Beat until smooth. Frosting will be firm in an hour. Trim off excess frosting away from cake. The cake looks and tastes unbelievably good.

AGE AND YOUTH

2006-03-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

. . . Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth . . .

Albus Dumbedore to Harry Potter book six

WEATHER STATISTICS FOR FEBRUARY '06

2006-03-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

You may be tired of hearing about the amount of snow we receive here in our part of the country. Some of you have all the snow you want but some of you might not. Either way here is another update of the weather and snow of our area with the statistics for the month of February. The average snowfall and percentage of snow cover the past five years. February was fairly normal for us. The temperatures fluctuated up and down rising above and falling below the normal temperatures. We received over the average February snow fall by 1.07% with 35.30 inches. The month ended at 69% of the average seasonal snow fall at 108.2 inches. It looks like spring is on schedule.

Highest temperature: 60°

Lowest temperature: -1°

Average temperature: 27.2°

Departure from norm: 2.7°

Normal Precipitation: 2.2˝

Total Precipitation: 1.66˝

% of normal Precipitation: 75

Total Snowfall: 35.30˝

Average Snowfall: 32.8˝

% of snow for February: 1.08

Accumulative snow fall for ’05 - ‘06 season: 108.20˝

Accumulative average snow for our area: 156.73

% of accumulative average snow in February ’06: 0.69

TRANSPLANTING

2006-03-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

I must say that even today I remain quite certain that souls which take root in a particular geography cannot be successfully transplanted. I believe that these roots, these tiny fibrous filaments, will almost inevitably dry and wither in the new soil, or will send the plant into sudden and irretrievable shock.

The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
1997

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

2006-02-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

When spring is getting closer the air starts to fill with birds who have migrated south in the fall.

Yesterday I found a Pidgin-Dove eating out of our bird feeder and today a flock of thirty to 40 Geese flew over our house. The racket they made sounded like they were determined to make to Canada by noon. Keep your eyes open. Spring is in the air.

FUNNY ACCOUNTANTS

2006-02-17T07:32:00.000-05:00

Why was the accountant so excited that he completed a jigsaw puzzle in only 59 weeks?

Because on the box it said 8-12 Years.

An accountant is having a hard time sleeping and goes to see his doctor. "Doctor, I just can't get to sleep at night." "Have you tried counting sheep?"

"That's the problem - I make a mistake and then spend three hours trying to find it."

Simplify means increase when you discuss the tax code.

A man went into a CPA's office, and demanded to see the CPA. He was escorted into the office.
The man needed tax help, but he knew how expensive CPA's could be, so he inquired, "Can you tell me how much you charge?"
"Of course", the CPA replied, "I charge $500 to answer three questions."
"Don't you think that's an awful lot of money to answer three questions?"
"Yes I do. What is your third question?"

WEATHER STATISTICS FOR JANUARY '06

2006-02-15T10:22:00.000-05:00

Here is another update of the weather and snow of our area with the statistics for the month of January. The average snowfall and percentage of snow cover the past five years. January saw a warmer than usual weather pattern. We reached only 22% of the average January snow fall at 12.2 inches. The month ended at 46% of the average seasonal snow fall at 72.9 inches. We will either have a lower than normal snow fall this winter or we will have an extra long winter.

Highest temperature: 60°

Lowest temperature: 2°

Average temperature: 33.4°

Departure from norm: 10.7°

Normal Precipitation: 2.6˝

Total Precipitation: 2.96˝

% of normal Precipitation: 113.84

Total Snowfall: 12.20˝

Average Snowfall: 55.46˝

% of snow for January: 0.22

Accumulative snow fall for ’05 - ‘06 season 72.9˝

Accumulative average snow for our area 156.73

% of accumulative average snow in January ’06 0.46

IT'S TAX TIME AGAIN ... ARE YOU READY?

2006-01-11T19:28:00.000-05:00

Over worked!!

AND CAN IT BE?

2006-01-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

This hymn is one of my favorite hymns to sing and experience. The melody, cords, and layout of the meter make this hymn exciting to sign. The chorus: “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me?” will always remind me of the night I found out Jesus died for me; the night He became my Lord.

This brings me to the experience of the hymn. Not even the angels in heaven can understand the experience of finding forgiveness in the blood of Jesus. They don’t grow old, die, or sin. Yet, they have watched Jesus give up everything for us, suffer and die for creatures that don’t deserve that kind of love. So, if I were the only one on earth Jesus would have still died on the cross for me. His blood would still have been spilled for me; he would have given up his place in heaven “emptied Himself of all but love” for me. Because of His blood I too can say …my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee. No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine; alive in Him, my living head, and clothed in righteousness divine, bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17, King James Version

AND CAN IT BE?

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me?

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race!
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me.

‘Tis mystery all! Th’ Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke – the dungeon flamed with light!
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Words: Charles Wesley (1707 – 1788)
Music: Thomas Campbell (1777 – 1844)

WEATHER STATISTICS FOR DECEMBER '05

2006-01-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

For anyone who wants to know, here are the statistics on our weather, for me locally, for the month of December. The average snowfall and percentage of snow cover the past five years.

Highest temperature: 44°

Lowest temperature: -8°

Average temperature: 26.2°

Departure from norm: -2.4°

Normal Precipitation: 3.12˝

Total Precipitation: 2.57˝

% of normal Precipitation: 82

Total Snowfall: 52.30˝

Average Snowfall: 35.77˝

% of snow for December: 1.46

Accumulative snow fall ’05 62.9˝

Accumulative average snow for the month of December 156.73

% of accumulative average snow in December 0.40

Seattle House for Sale

2005-12-29T11:11:00.000-05:00

This map shows a portion of Seattle Washington, where a house is for sale in the Seattle area. A 900 square foot house in Seattle can cost between two and three hundred thousand dollars on today’s market. This house is on the auction block for much less. I will have to ask someone in the Seattle area to take a look at it to see if there is anything wrong with it. For someone who is very interested in returning to Seattle a find like this is very appealing.

Christmas snow

2005-12-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

Our weather warmed up over Christmas melting most of our snow with rain that fell all day long. Today, the 26th' we're receiving more snow falling out of the northeast ... will we get a lot of snow??

BOO!

2005-12-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

I’ve been neglecting my blog through October and November. To help catch up; here is a picture of our porch as seen on October 31. Times continues to pass by; as I’m posting this I’m listening to Gene Autry singing Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.

BIRTHDAY PICTURES

2005-12-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

Fifty's night

LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW

2005-12-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

We say this now but what will we be saying in February, March, and April? Today we cut our Christmas tree. By this evening we will have our house decorated for the season. We’re all looking forward to it.

Photo by John Berry / The Post-Standard

Snow figures for the first 2 ½ days of December: 21.3 inches.

WEATHER STATISTICS

2005-12-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

For anyone who wants to know, here are the statistics on our weather, for me locally, for the month of November. The average snowfall and percentage of snow for November cover the past five years. November 2002, saw 17.20 inches of snow and 2004, 2.6 inches. In the 2002/2003 season we receive ¼ inch short of 200 inches of snow.

Highest temperature: 74°

Lowest temperature: 18°

Average temperature: 44°

Departure from norm: 4.3°

Normal Precipitation: 3.77˝

Total Precipitation: 4.66˝

% of normal Precipitation: 124

Total Snowfall: 8.4˝

Average Snowfall: 9.675˝

% of snow for November: 0.8682

A CELEBRATION

2005-11-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

As you might know, Diane’s Parents celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary this October 29^th. All of us; their children and in-laws, and sisters spent over two years putting together a celebration to honor them and their lives together.

We gathered pictures from all of us to put together a photo album of their lives. We also put together a quilt, see picture taken by Sara. Each large square represents one of their children’s families.

There were over 50 family members there and many other friends in attendance. We all had a great time putting everything together and visiting with everyone.

The weather was very wintery; the snow was deep for this time of year, around a foot, covering the roads with deep slippery snow. The pine trees were “dripping” in white fluff.

Where has the time gone?

2005-11-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

It has been a very long time between postings; sorry about that! Soon I’ll add a real blog but for now this is just to let anyone who used to come by to read what I’ve been doing to find that I’ve posted something again. For now I’ll just say that I’m in good health and still looking for work. Peter.

Concord-Grape Pie

2005-10-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

Pie filling

4 cups Concord grapes

¾ cup sugar

3 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Slip skins from grapes by pinching each grape-pulp into medium saucepan; reserve skins. Heat grape pulps to boiling, simmer just until pulp dissolve and seeds separate from pulp; do not let juice evaporate completely from pulp. Press pulp through sieve into medium bowl to remove seeds. Add grape skins, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice; mix well; let stand while preparing pastry.

Pastry

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch chunks

3 Tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 425°F. To make the pastry, stir together the flour and salt in a bowl. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until pea-size balls form. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time while turning the dough lightly with a fork and then with your finger-tips. (Do not overwork, or it will become tough.) Gather the crumbly dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll pastry to cover 11 inch round, 1 inch high, loose bottom quiche pan. Use roller to trim off excess pastry around top of quiche pan to form a uniform edge around pan. Fill grape pie filling into prepared quiche pan and bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven. Reduce oven to 350°F.

Cheese Topping

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, eggs and ½ cup sugar until smooth. Cover baked pie with cheese topping and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes until set; cool on wire rack; chill.

The pie filling and cheese topping were found in “The Good Housekeeping Cookbook”; the pastry is a French recipe for a pizza crust found in Williams – Sonoma’s cookbook “Savoring France” by Georgeanne Brennan. Pie photos by Sara; pans and strainer by fantes.com. For cooking ware web sites see my links to Williams – Sonoma and Fantes.com.

WEEKEND IN MICHIGAN

2005-10-05T15:05:00.000-04:00

Dan Sara and I took a trip to Michigan this weekend. Dan and Sara saw the White Stripes perform at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit. This picture is where the concert was held; 500 Temple Street, Detroit, Michigan.

After I dropped them off at the theater I drove down Cass Avenue to find a Starbucks where I could spend three hours until it was time to pick up Dan and Sara. The Starbucks was not open; Detroit does not have the foot traffic to keep business open after 5:00pm.

Detroit is an interesting place. Whenever I am in the city it always looks like a gigantic modern ghost town regardless of the time of day. I ended up driving up Woodward into Ferndale, nine miles north, where Diane and I once lived and parked in a parking lot, that now belongs to a strip-mall but in 1979, it was the living-room of the house we rented. It was a strange feeling sitting in my car where once I would have sat in our house.

“Back in the day” as Dan and Sara say, we worked at a shelter in Ferndale operated by the Salvation Army. The property had a large back yard filled with old oak trees where raccoons and opossums lived, and where picnics with coworkers and family were common. The Detroit Zoo is one mile north from Ferndale. One night we were woken from our sleep by the sound of something large sounding landing on the roof of our house. It crept across our house from end to end. The sound of it left our roof and went into a nearby tree. From there we could hear animal screams; then silence. Soon it landed on our roof again and off from the same direction by which it came. We were left in silence wondering what it could have been. Our neighbor heard it too but had no idea what it was. We never found out and the zoo never claimed of any missing or escaped animal.

MYSTERY DRIP

2005-10-05T11:07:00.000-04:00

Rain?

Photo by Sara

DEER OH DEER

2005-09-28T09:59:00.000-04:00

Twenty or more adult deer live within one mile of us. When I worked at the local Agway store many customers asked how they could get rid of “those pesky deer”. Most wanted to rid of the deer without hurting them but there were a few who were impatient and were ready to use force. We sold urine from fox and coyote. It works great until rain or dew washes it away. Here are some links about and for purchasing fox and coyote urine:

1. http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/traps/page86.html

2. http://search.merrifieldgardencenter.com/search.php?keyword=coyote%20urine

3. http://www.predatorpee.com/

For information and other links on deer go to; Deer-UK at: http://www.deer-uk.com/

Here are sounds made from deer. Click on the links below to hear the sounds.

Deer roaring http://www.deer-uk.com/Red_roaring.wav

Deer screaming http://www.deer-uk.com/Sika_screaming.wav

Deer cackling http://www.deer-uk.com/Sika_cackling.wav

This could be our back yard but it is not. http://www.deer-uk.com/Moulting%20Roe%20Deer%2003.05.04.wmv

TOMATOS

2005-09-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

Save a tomato from this summer’s plant for next summer’s new tomato plant. You should be able to grow several tomato plants from one tomato kept over the winter. It is almost impossible to destroy the tomato seed. Unless you cut them or smash them, tomato seeds will survive our severe winters and bring up new plants as soon as the soil is ready to support them. Not even fire will kill the seeds. These pictures (taken by Sara) are of one cherry tomato plant growing in our garden. For more information and a good place to buy tomato seeds and more visit: Tomato Grower's Supply Company at:

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/

PIGSQUEAK

2005-09-18T17:37:00.000-04:00

Here is more than you ever wanted to know, or ask, about Bergenia Cordifolia; or commonly called Pigsqueak. I thank my Mom for sending this plant to me. These two pictures were taken by Sara and are found in our garden. It is a unique plant for the area (as far as I know) and may be the only one that grows this far north in the US. The following information was found at Dave’s Garden web site at: http://davesgarden.com/

Heartleaf Bergenia, Pigsqueak (Bergenia cordifolia)

Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Bergenia (ber-GEN-ee-uh)
Species: cordifolia (kor-di-FOH-lee-uh)

Category:
Perennials

Height:
12-18 in. (30-45 cm)

Spacing:
9-12 in. (22-30 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4° C (-30° F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6° C (-25° F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8° C (-20° F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1° C (-15° F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3° C (-10° F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5° C (-5° F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7° C (0° F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9° C (5° F)

Sun Exposure:
Light Shade

Bloom Color:
Pink

Bloom Time:
Late Winter/Early Spring

Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Evergreen
Bronze-Green
Rubbery-Textured

Other details:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not over-water
Flowers are good for drying and preserving

Soil pH requirements:
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline)

Propagation Methods:
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)

Seed Collecting:
Allow seed-heads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored

According to the Produce Manager

2005-09-13T14:05:00.000-04:00

According to the Produce Manager at Wegmans grocery store we can expect to see a cold and snowy winter before next spring. He claims that the warmth of the Great Lakes will cause the skies to fill with moisture and as it happens here in Central New York we will be the ones to see it land on our landscape. Can’t wait!

Paniculata Hydrangeas

2005-09-13T13:23:00.000-04:00

Paniculata Hydrangeas: also called PeeGee

Please see web site here (click on web address)

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/paniculata.html for more information on the PeeGee Hydrangeas. As you can see with the first two pictures (taken from the web site) the PeeGee turns pink as the summer ends and warmer fall weather lingers on.

Our PeeGee is starting to turn pink; photos taken by Sara.

NEW CAR

2005-09-13T11:34:00.000-04:00

As you may know, we now have a new '06 Toyota Corolla LE. There were a lot of memories attached to the '88 Corolla. After 162,000+ miles she was tired and started to show signs of the road (literally) where the trunk rusted away. Only in the Eastern states does one get rid of a young car with only 162,000 miles on it.

I think the new car will serve us well. Someone told us that we will pile up the memories on this car too with family road trips and the possibility of an expanding family in the future. The picture here is what our car looks like including the color. You will have to ask Sara what the color is. She picked out a name that better describes it than Toyota did.

TRAIN AND BUS STATIONS

2005-09-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

The following pictures were taken by Sara in Quebec this summer. Quebec placed their train and bus stations next to each other. At night they are lit up to show off their architecture. The fountain is located in the park out front is also lit up and reminds me of the “International Fountain” in Seattle.

The Bus Station:

The Train Station:

SUNSET

2005-09-09T21:46:00.000-04:00

The sunset as seen in our back yard.

THIS IS CORNY BUT I LIKED IT

2005-09-08T08:07:00.000-04:00

According to today's bureaucrats and regulators, those of us who were kids in the 50s, 60s and 70s probably shouldn't have survived...

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.

When we rode our bikes we wore no helmets, just flip flops, shorts and brightly colored clackers on our wheels.

As kids, if our family had a car, we would travel without seatbelts or airbags. Traveling in the front was a treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and public fountains - not from a bottle. It tasted exactly the same!

We ate dripping sandwiches, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy juice with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always playing outside.

We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or one can and nobody ever got ill as a result.

We would spend hours building go karts out of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find out we had forgotten about brakes. After running into stinging nettles and bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us all day and no one minded.

We did not have Playstations and X Boxes - no video games at all. No 99 TV channels, no videos, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no internet chat rooms. We had friends. -We went outside and found them.

We played football, elastics and street rounders - and sometimes that ball really hurt!

We fell out of trees, got cuts and grazes, broken bones and broken teeth and there were no lawsuits. They were accidents. We learned not to do the same things again.

We had fights, punched each other hard and got black and blue. We did not get assaulted -we simply lost a fight. We learned to get over it.

We walked to each others homes and school.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate live things, and although we were told it would happen, we did not have our eyes fall out and nor did live stuff grow inside us.

We rode our bike in packs of seven and wore our coats only by the hood.

Our actions were our own and the consequences were expected.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with them.

More Quebec Pictures

2005-09-07T00:05:00.000-04:00

I picked only a few pictures out of several hundred to post here. It is a lot easier to post them like this than to try to e-mail them to whomever wants to see them. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

The first picture was taken of a mural off a wall in old town Quebec. The mural is three or four stories high and covers the entire end of the building. This picture only shows part of it.

The second picture was taken under the freeway that cuts over part of the city. The supports were painted so realistically some looked like they were covered with cloth, wood, marble, or whatever the artist wanted you to see. The red grandfather clock in the picture looks like it has gold columns on each side.

The last three pictures are places we ate meals. Can you see the ghost in one of them?

An Old Friend

2005-09-06T23:38:00.000-04:00

It looks like we might have to give our 1988 Corolla a rest. It has been serving us since just before Sara was born and it will be sad to say goodbye to it. We hope to replace it with a newer version, a 2006 dark blue Corolla CE. We’ll go in tomorrow to see if we can afford the payments.

Labor Day

2005-09-05T16:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Labor Day. I worked on my accounting, entering numbers into a ledger from a general journal. I’m preparing for the day I actually have a paying job in the accounting field.

I also watered my compost, made yogurt, and drank tea. Compost, yogurt, and tea have linked properties or are similar in nature. Compost and yogurt contain live bacteria, tea is a drink made of suspended particles from a dried substance usually leaves.

My compost consists of mostly dead grass from our yard with some weeds and leaves collected throughout this summer. I know of one other person in the Syracuse area who is interested in composting and who may actually keep compost at home. It is interesting to me that he and his father grew up within five miles of the Benton Young farm in Pennsylvania; also known as the Como Farm. Today it is the site of the Tattersall Golf Club located in West Chester Pennsylvania. http://www.tattersallgolfclub.com/index.cfm?menu=742&openitem=742.

It is unfortunate more people do not use compost at their home because it is the compost in my gardens that help produce the flowers each year. It is also partly the reason my lawn is healthier (in my opinion) than my neighbors. The grass can breathe and gets more of the rain to its roots when it does rain during our hot summers. However, one drawback is I have to cut our grass more often.

I started making yogurt this past winter after I read “French Women Don’t Get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano. She recommended eating homemade yogurt using the “Donvier” yogurt maker.

My tea is from the Seattle Spice Market located in the Farmer’s Market in Seattle. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending how you look at it, I don’t have to go to Seattle to buy it. See the link to Blue Moon Tea.

Now that Labor Day is over it is time to go back to work. I have an old car to fix or replace, a stop at the post office, possible stops at car dealers, and I have to cut the lawn.

Calvatia and Lycoperdon

2005-09-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

What are Puffballs? Does anyone really know?

I looked up puffballs on-line and found that several can be cooked and are enjoyed by many across the country and around the world. I also found that one species in particular is considered poisonous. Take a look.

(The Purple Spore Puffball)

Calvatia and Lycoperdon

The inside of puffballs are filled with countless spores which is soft and white at first. As the spores mature, they become violet-black, turn to yellow-brown, and finally they turn dark purple-black. Finally, the top of the puffball erodes and a large cup remains.

It can be hard to tell the immature mushroom apart from the skull-shaped puffball, which is also a choice edible, but there are no poisonous look-alikes.

Habitat

This mushroom grows in grassy pastures and suburban lawns throughout eastern and central North America. Manlius New York is known to grow large Puffballs.

Season

The mushroom appears in the summer and early fall, and persists through late fall.

Cooking

This mushroom is a choice edible. Trim away the cuticle

Slice the puffball, sauté it, steam it, or simmer it in soups, like other mushrooms. It's also great baked or grilled. It has a sweet-savory flavor and a soft texture.

This mushroom doesn't dehydrate well. To store it long-range, cook it and freeze it.

There is also what is called the False Giant Puffball or also called Poison Goalpost Fungus. Note the cracked surface about to erupt, ejecting enough spores to victimize up to 22 people at once! Look at the sample I pulled off the internet. Photo by “Wildman”

This mushroom is so deadly, merely inhaling the spores rearranges your brain's neural synapses, making you race endlessly back and forth across a field, stopping occasionally to jump up and down and cheer or curse insanely, never resting until death from exhaustion ensues.

Poisoning is so virulent, relatives of the victim, especially the parents, have been known to succumb as well!

Except for this species, the large puffballs have no poisonous look-alikes, so they're fair game for beginners.

Habitat

Look for giant puffballs on the ground in well-fertilized fields or pastures where the underlying fungus has plenty of underground manure to decompose.

Victims of the false giant puffball in the throes of madness

All this talk about the puffball started when I found some growing in my back yard this weekend. I do not plan on eating them and do not advise anyone who is not an expert in the mushroom to eat any they find either. Enjoy the puffball for what they are. Photos by “Sara”
Disclaimer: The information I found and printed here can be found on the web in my link section.

Dan Home for Weekend

2005-09-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

Dan's coming home for the weekend :)

Garden Fountains

2005-09-01T20:18:00.000-04:00

The top two fountains are found at the Butchart Gardens in Victoria British Columbia. The second three fountains are found at the Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square PA. The last two fountains are from the Château of Vaux le Vicomte in France.

Dinner

2005-08-31T11:52:00.000-04:00

We had a great dinner last night made by Sara. We felt like we were back at one of the European restaurants we visited in June. The food was incredible. Good job to Sara for her hard work preparing everything.

The Menu:

Spring Asparagus Soup from the Pacific Northwest

Romaine and Piñon Salad from the Southwest

Paprika Schnitzel Black Forest a Texas Pork Loin Marvel

Texas Style Chocolate Cake

I wish we had everyone over to enjoy it with us.

For the recipe of the soup look at Sara's Blog in my links section.

Garden pictures

2005-08-29T13:59:00.000-04:00

I have thirteen pictures of our garden to post. This should make it easier for everyone to look at them.

The Garden

2005-08-29T13:20:00.000-04:00

I decided to post these pictures here to make it easier to look at them. The first three are in a courtyard at Boheme, a Bed and Breakfast in Quebec City. To view Boheme’s web site look at: http://www.gites-classifies.qc.ca/boheme.htm in the LINKS section.