May 13, 2006 - Saturday | 2:56 AM, CST

Last Sunday, Nathan, Kelly, and I visited Stelle for the Earth Day celebration. Apparantly they decided to hold it a little bit late this year, which was fine since it was a beautiful day. I always enjoy viewing the solar energy displays, but my main focus this year was the alternative gardening techniques. Although I didn't believe the garden tour guide was as good as the one Andy, Russell, and I had on a previous year, I still gleaned some useful information.

It was on the previous tour that I learned of mulching a garden with grass clipings and other organic matter. I am attempting to do this on my garden this year, assuming it ever sprouts. I believe that I planted some of my seeds too deep in the soil, and it is taking a little longer for them to break the surface. Also, it had not rained in the week since planting, so that may be a factor in the delay. I have noticed some weeds coming through after tilling, but I don't want to mulch yet until I have clearly defined vegetable rows - I don't want to mulch over the good plants. I also need to mow my yard in order to harvest the nearly knee-high grass that I've let grow for gardening purposes. Unfortunately this is quite impossible with the near constant rain and forty degree temperatures we've had for the past three days.

Another thing I learned at Stelle this year was how to build a "toadhouse." Apparantly toads are excellent methods of pest control, and I learned from the tour guide how to construct a toadhouse out of broken bowls and the like. She told me you take a bowl or an old planter, turn it upside down to create a domed surface and bury it slightly in the dirt. You must create a small opening in the side for the toads to gain entrance, and spread mulch along the inside on the ground. I indend to give this a try when I have finished mulching.

One thing I've had some time to think about since the garden tour was the lecture against current farm practices of pesticides and herbicides. While I believe there can probably be a better way of controlling pests and weeds than with chemicals (since I'm trying to eat more organic foods lately), I don't exactly believe the information provided on the tour was completely accurate. For instance, the tour guide pointed to a nearby farmer's field and called it a "desert." She had us note the cornstalks from the previous year's harvest still sitting atop the soil, and used this as evidence that the chemicals applied to the field had killed the beneficial bacteria that would have helped decompose the dead plant matter. This does make sense, in theory, but then I got to thinking about my yard... I have absolutely never used any type of lawn fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides around my house, and yet if you go out into my yard, you can still find leaves left over from last fall. So whats the problem? You might think my yard has been stripped of beneficial organisms that would break down and decompose this plant matter, but anyone who has taken a walk in my yard knows the various insect and plant life is rather abundant. Within a few weeks, as the temperature warms more and the organisms which have been inactive during the winter months come out of their hibernation, I know that the dead leaves will disappear. This made me lose some of tour guide's credibility regarding current farming practices.

I discussed this with the future father-in-law, who said he remembered about ten years ago when chemicals were more common on the farm. He said "I remember when the ground was so hot with chemicals, anything that walked into the field was dead pretty quick." (In fact, I remember when I was about eight years old, visiting a friend who lived on a farm. We were outside after a recent application of chemicals to the freshly plowed field, and I noticed steam rising from the ground. "Hey, your field is on fire!" I said to him, but he informed me this was merely the chemicals used that caused the entire ground to steam as if it were burning underneath.) In recent years, he told me he has been using more Earth-friendly farm practices, and he's noticed a return in earthworms and other insects, and also better soil quality because of these practices.

It was actually a long discussion regarding farming, and I gained a lot of insight. Truth be told, I've always had kind of a thing for farmers since they do a lot of bitching about how they have no money, but yet they all drive nicer vehicles than I do and live in much nicer homes than I can afford. Not to mention the government subsidies. But even with that, there is another side of the story that I sometimes forget to check. George told me that the government won't allow farmers to set their own prices for crops, nor will they let them unionize to try to gain better conditions. As far as I'm concerned, if a farmer wants to charge ten dollars for a bushel of corn, let him. He'll probably go out of business pretty quickly. Usually when the government gets their sticky hands out of private business affairs, things settle down pretty quickly and adjust to more natural (and fair) levels of trade. Not that I'm getting ready for a huge government and farming debate, but I've become at least a little less biased lately in learning more about organic farming related to my own quest for gardening knowledge, as well as conversations with some farmers themselves and by reading agricultural-related magazines. Its a topic that I would enjoy learning more.

We ended our Stelle visit with a tour of a solar-powered telephone company (as far as I know the only one in the nation), as well as a private tour of a home completely run by solar energy. I'm glad Nathan was able to come because I believe with his electronics background it was information he probably found interesting and on topic with his studies. I wish Nickler could have come. I kind of felt bad that I was unable to go to Kentucky with him for the machine gun show after I stated that I would, so I figured it might interest him to come along. Maybe something else in the near future will present itself.

I almost forgot, while we were taking the garden tour, the guide pointed to a small chicken-wire fence around a tomato patch and said they had it erected to control damage from the rabbits. I heard Nathan utter under his breath "You could've used a .22..." Unfortunately the guide didn't hear him, because I think it would have garnered an interesting reaction.

I reported some of the recent spam I've received to their server administrators. Hopefully this will rectify the action of any repeat offenders without me creating some sort of password system that users would need to post comments. I really don't want to take the time to do this, so lets all keep our fingers crossed that the three spam messages in a week is a fluke.

Congratulations to Zach and Jodie, both of whom graduated from college this week. And thank you to everyone who congratulated Kelly and I on our engagement.

I read the following letter to the editor in the Lafayette paper the other day. I thought it was one of the best letters I've ever read, and certainly one of the most poingnant regarding my feelings of government. I've listed the author's name, but I stopped short of looking him up on the internet for official permission since I think it'd be kind of creepy to get a phone call from a stranger. If you are the author of this letter and would like it removed, please e-mail me.

Big government threatens freedom

Until the 1930s, the United States was a constitutional republic. The Roosevelt administration, supported by a Democratic Congress and liberal Supreme Court, began moving our country from a constitutional republic to a democracy.

The 1937-38 Supreme Court changes to the "general welfare" and "commerce" clauses of the Constitution decided that property could be taken from one individual for the benefit of another. By what right?

Today, politicians of both parties are driven to vote by polling (the majority) rather than their oath to protect the Constitution. Democracy is prevailing. Fascist control of private property is prevailing.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, followed always by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years." - Alexander Fraser Tytler.

With an estimated 32.4 percent of tax filers in 2004 paying no income taxes, yet voting for more benefits, there is little hope for the future of freedom other than a return to the text of the Constitution which limits government.

As one who believes that as government grows, individual liberty diminishes, I want a federal government that will again respect private property rights and limit its activities to those specific items enumerated in the Constitution.

John Becker
Lafayette, IN

Like I said, an excellent letter. I've found that as of late my views of government are changing to a more traditional approach regarding strict interpretation of the constitution. While I do believe that social programs such as medicare and welfare are worthwhile, I think they could be much more beneficial and efficient in private hands. I read the other day that of every dollar in taxes we give to the government, sixty-four cents of it goes to tax administration purposes alone! Now, I haven't checked on that fact, but even if it was an exaggerated figure, surely a private company could do better. I'm especially irked by people who blame the current president for not "creating jobs." Or for those who espouse him for creating jobs. I don't see how the president can create jobs short of starting his own business. But I'm not about to get into a political essay at this late an hour, its almost four in the morning! I think its time for bed, no more misspellings and grammar usage errors for me tonight.

grokkings

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