A “Seedy” Operation

By on Jul 30, 2020 in Opinion |

In the midst of the 2020 pandemic we now receive unsolicited nondescript packages of seeds showing up in the mailboxes of homes across the United States. It only makes sense in the year of “sow what’s next?” My seeds were in a nondescript black and white package containing seeds sent from Suzhou JiangSu China. The seeds inside my package looked like tiny mustard seeds. Not everyone received the same seed. The news spread faster than a bindweed vine with some theorizing it was an act of agricultural bio-terrorism. A “seedy” operation. Government officials lack concrete leads to explain the seed distribution freebies, they suspect a scam that “may involve some shadowy seed agent leaving enthusiastic “reviews” on some e-commerce website in your name. Ugh. Do NOT plant them and do NOT to dump them in the trash or flush them so they have an opportunity to...

Incoming

By on Jul 27, 2020 in Lake Michigan |

Living along the West Michigan Lake Michigan shoreline I tend to watch the weather for changes. Something like a sailor, just with both feet firmly planted on the shoreline. When storms are in the forecast I keep an eye on radar throughout the day in the event something crops up. On Sunday evening July 26, 2020 that’s just what happened. Shelf clouds are fun to watch form on the horizon and they develop a menacing look as they approach and draw closer.  My experience has been most of the shelf clouds I have captured on Pere Marquette beach in Muskegon Michigan will develop and move in from either the North or the West. A ridge of menacing clouds starts to form on the horizon and as it approaches the air temperature changes. The cloud morphs from a grey line on the horizon to a “monster” white on the top and dark on the bottom as it “rolls” in. A shelf...

The end of the line. The buck stops here.

By on Jul 23, 2020 in Deer resistant plants |

The topic came up on my radio show that deer pressure is a real problem for many who find themselves suddenly growing a plot of vegetables. The spirit is willing but the fence is weak. You may have ray, a drop of golden sun, but doe, a deer, a female deer wants to eat the fruits of your labors. A barrier to thwart rabbits is much easier to establish than one that will deter a deer. The barrier would have to be substantial resulting in a sizable investment and effort. An 8 foot tall barrier is not practical or acceptable in many neighborhoods and deer repellents can become expensive and annoying to continually apply. If you do apply just make sure the breeze is not blowing in your direction or you will smell like garlic and putrescent egg solids all day. Putrescent is a nice and important sounding way of saying rotting and decay. You can try noise cannons intermittently fired or play...

Eye of the Storm

By on Jul 20, 2020 in Lake Michigan |

Went for a walk along the Lake Michigan shoreline as the sun was coming up in the east. I like Sunday mornings. To my west however were the gathering clouds of an impending storm. Visual acuity is needed during times of crisis. 20/20 vision is your ability to at a distance of 20 feet see clearly what should normally be seen at that distance. “2020 vision” is our ability to maintain perspective, reasoning and balance when we couldn’t see what was coming next. 2020 vision became the search for pellucid thought in a year when events were far from normal. Instead of running I firmly planted my feet in the sand and absorbed the moment. I stood there as the storm swept over me capturing its anger with my camera. Don’t waste a crisis. Learn from it.   So to those who are disenchanted The noise can be somewhat slanted Seek out your roots And harvest the fruits When your feet are...

The Green Green Grass of Home

By on Jul 2, 2020 in lawn |

Summer in the city and the back of my neck is getting dirty and gritty. Your lawn is getting brown or shall we say has a summer tan? Heat and drought can move your lawn to a dormant condition. Here are some things NOT to do aside from the obvious don’t park your car on the lawn (heat tracks) or leave the kiddie pool in one place for a week rule (big dead circles). Camping tents or a bounce house can have the same effect. It is however a good time of year if you have decided to convert some turf area to a garden bed. Pinned black plastic will use the power of the sun to kill the grass over the next couple months without you having to dig it up. In September you will have an outlined bed with a lot less work to plant the garden of your dreams. With stay at home orders I’m sure the home lawn is getting more traffic than usual. With that in mind now that the heat of summer has arrived here...