Tha Baron Says..

Check out this new music from the Art Punk Band.

NOW DAMNIT

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2009

Happy Earth Day Everyone.

Today I helped to plant 6 disease resistant apple trees and several blueberry plants. I also had to go into town to buy a new belt, cause I am on the thinnest hole on the belt I brought with me.

One last quick thing... another farming wisdom to share.

A small hole is often harder to dig than a large hole. (I learnt this planting dem trees)

PEACE

10 Quick Farming Wisdoms

1) Everything makes sense -- it either makes good sense or bad sense.

2) Alfalfa is a superhero among plants. Use it as a cover crop and it will but nitrates back in the soil, airate it too, and pull minerals up to the top soil with its deep deep roots. Cattle love to eat it and it prevents soil erosion.

3) Like Quantum Physics... farming is all about Percents and Probabilities.

4) Happy Animals make for Happy Meat make for Happy Tummies

5) Roosters don't only cocadoodledoo in the morning... they do it all the time.

6) Everything tastes better when you add a little elbow grease.

7) Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, and BURN the rest!

8) Similar to Astronomers, good Farmers know a little bit of every type of Science.

9) Plan on nothing going according to plan.

10) Cows only MOOOOO when they are curious or complaining.

White Nosed Bats

I hadn't heard of this before... there was a special emergency bat lecture at the Crumps Cave thing I went to. Apparently, 90% of the cave dwelling bats in North York are dead, and the entire Northeast is afflicted.

2006: Discovered there was a white fungus discovered growing on some batty's in one cave in central NY.

2007: It had spread across the northeast... Massachusetts... Vermont.

2008: Found in certain locations as far south as West Virginia.

This is spreading like wild fire. There is a special emergency, no cave exploring mandate in Kentucky, cause we are next in line.

The bats are coming out of their hibernation cycles too early -- as early as February in some cases. They promptly starve or freeze to death. Scientists are not sure if the white fungus is the cause of this or another symptom of some unknown bat disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_nose_syndrome

Now, wikipedia doesn't mention this, but the large distances this disease is traversing does not match up with bat migratory patterns (although the wiki claims it does). A more likely cause for the afflicted caves down south is active cavers, who don't wash their gear... hence the caving advisory in Kentucky.

Is there anything a liquified fish can't do?

So I don't even take vitamins anymore... it's Fish Oil all the way, gotta have those Omega 3's. It's supposedly helps with concentration and it strengths your heart.

But the nail in the fishhead for me was when I read a story about 7 miners trapped in a mine.
When they dug 'em out, 6 were dead and 1 was in a coma. His family was told that he might never recover and even if he did there would be brain damage. Well, he woke up a week later and was fine -- perfectly normal.

The only notable difference between him and the other miners was he regularly takes Fish Oil pills. Somehow it protected his brain from the lack of oxygen.

Well, as it turns out, fish is also very good for plants. We wanted to give a little boost to some of the tomatoes. The key to the boost, a half and half mixture of liquid fish and kelp.

Good for plants... good for humans...

That's some Good Fish.

Orion The Hunter

My early memory may be clouded by my more recent experiences, but as recall, Orion was my favorite constellation as a child. Everyone seems to look for one of the dippers (usually the big one) right off the bat. I always search for The Hunter.



These days -- especially because NYC has messed with my star gazing for nearly two years -- I search for him frantically, almost as if my eyes expect him not to be there. But he is always there... unless it is a cloudy night. It does seem to thunder storm about once every three days or so. I can almost tell these days when the rain will start by the feel of the wind.



At U of R I lived for 2 years facing Mt Hope Cemetery, on the back of the Chambers building. We had a small patch of sky available for viewing, but it was ours. We could see bits and pieces of several things, but always Orion was there. And as the seasons progressed Orion would move across our slit of the sky, seemingly watching over us.

Now I know which patch of the Kentucky sky is his. When I am laying in my bed.. all I have to do is look out my window... it's like he's following me around or something.

Thank you Orion, for keeping me and my loved ones safe.

PEACE

I may be as dumb as a chicken...

A couple days ago I forgot to turn off the electric fence when I went to go gather eggs.

Fine, I thought, I will just step it down with the heel of my boot, then I am over... no problem.

Well, it didn't work that way. You see it was raining -- drizzling really -- and my boot, sock, and pant-leg were wet. To make matters worse, part of the fence somehow got wrapped around the teeth on the heel of my shoe. I was shocked when I started getting shocked... one jolt per second. I reached down to try and untangle myself, only to shock my hand as well.

HMMMPPPPHH I thought as I stood there, unable to free myself... What am I going to do?

In my pocket I located a pen (made of plastic WOO!) which I used to free myself from that dastardly devious fence. And oooohhhh did the chickens laugh at my a$$. The chicken fence is probably running 2000-3000 Volts per jolt... and I was hit 20 to 25 times (ouch!).

Well, yesterday, I saw a chicken get tangled, and I freed it, but I couldn't help but draw a comparison.

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Some Sizzzongs I'm Working On

I saw the house today and it made me sad,
I found its picture on the web,
Looks like the rains have hit it bad.

If I were rich I'd by a car.
But as it is I can hardly save up,
a single cup of gasoline.

All my tattoos are turning green,
I can't believe you haven't seen them.
And my face is turning red,
I'm embarrassed cause I said...

Corn whiskey... Corn whiskey...
Corn whiskey is better than bread

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Stay away partner,
these hours are mine.

Why are you stealing my time?

The man at the crossroads,
round the bend.

Makes my hair stand on end.

I've got to pass him,
on this dusty road.

We're both after... Sweet Kentucky Gold.
Sweet... Kentucky... Gold...

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Been out mending fences most of the day.
I wish I could fence all my troubles away.
Feed the cattle all my future battles.
I wish I could fence my troubles away.