How to Read the Classics and Keep Your Sanity

Check out the latest addition: How to Read the Classics and Keep Your Sanity.

http://worldliteratures.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-read-the-classics-and-keep-your-sanity

How's everybody's week going? It's rainy here. So glad Dad went and cut hay. 

A black thumb's guide to green thumb gardening

Starting seeds for a vegetable garden in the house in the spring shouldn’t come as a stress or a chore. It’s an exciting time of year where the gardener can dig into the growing season while it’s still white (or muddy) outside.

First, start by making a list of the species and varieties of plants to go into the garden. You can start as many plants as you want, but take space and light into consideration. A southern exposure window works best, giving plants the most light during the light-retarded March and April. Keep in mind, plants get bigger and will need more space when moved from the starting medium, such as a peat pot to a plastic or clay pot, prior to planting in the garden. Starting, say thirty tomato plants, will take up a lot of space. And that’s not even counting the eggplant, peppers, herbs… It’s easy to get overexcited. Keep space in mind.

Second, order seeds, either from a seed catalog or buy them directly from the store. The store is more convenient, but they might not offer the variety that a seed catalog will carry.

Third, gather supplies. You’ll need enough peat pots and sterile soil to start your plants. Sterile soil refers to pathogen-free soil, which basically means clean peat or starting soil, not what’s available in the yard. A sturdy tray to hold the starts and water also comes in handy. Once the starts move from starting medium to a pot, prior to finding their final home in the garden, you might need a large tray beneath all the pots to protect your flooring and furniture. Ideally, everyone could have a sealed outdoor greenhouse, but not everyone has such a luxury. Plants need a lot of water, especially if you use the Jiffy Peat Soil Starter Plugs or something similar. A half inch of standing water is normal for seed starting and you don’t want muddy water running all over the house.

Four, look at the calendar. Most plants need 4-8 weeks start prior to going in the garden. Both seed catalogs and the Farmer’s Almanac contain information specific to geographical areas. For Michigan, folklore says plant above ground plants, peppers, tomatoes, on the new moon, or as the moon is waxing, growing larger, and below ground plants, potatoes and carrots, on the full moon, or as the moon is waning, growing smaller.

Five, last but not least, have fun. It’s not about how well the garden does. If it flops, at least you got to dig in the dirt.

Further information about starting plants and gardening in general is available online:
www.dummies.com
www.gardenguides.com
gardening.about.com

How to safely work livestock

Farming, logging, and mining are the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. To work safely around livestock, especially cattle and horses, keep some safety tips in mind.

First, make sure the animal knows you’re there, especially if it’s a larger animal, such as a horse or a bull. Most prey animals, sheep, cattle, horses, etc have a field of vision almost 360 degrees around, but have a blind spot directly in between their eyes and directly behind them. Think of making a line down their spine. They can’t see straight out at the front of the line or straight out the back. Try to stay in their field of vision.

Move slowly. Don’t rush right up to an animal. If possible, let them come to you. Otherwise, hold out your hand, palm up, either with fingers open or loosely curled.

Be polite, but not submissive, be assertive, but not aggressive. It takes time to get used to how to move around livestock. Watch how they interact with one another. Squaring your posture and striding forward directly at the animal is considered aggressive. Less dominant animals will back down and shy away from you while more dominant animals may challenge back. Always be especially careful around animals with young offspring and intact males, such as rams or bulls. Males always feel the need to assert their dominance and mommas can interpret the wrong move as a threat to their offspring and take aggressive measures. Keep the offspring between you and its mother when working in these situations.

Don’t force the animal into a corner. Do you like being backed into a corner and forced to endure unwanted attentions? Didn’t think so. Most livestock doesn’t like that either. Use the animal’s natural sense of motion. Each individual animal has a natural “personal space” where they feel comfortable. Move into their personal space and they move away. Pressure and release. Use this if you need to administer health care or any time you’re working with animals. Use the proper equipment, such as sturdy gates, and be patient. It takes their eyes time to adjust going from a brightly lit outdoors to a dark barn. Let them take time to think.

Last, remember that they’re just animals. They’re perfectly suited to what they were adapted for. Horses were meant to flee from predators, surviving on their speed. Cattle were meant to either flee or fight predators, or both, and can be aggressive, not out of maliciousness, but because that’s what they’re evolved to do. Sheep are also meant to run from predators and have the strongest group-think mentality. In sum, think like a cow/sheep/horse/etc. Understanding the animal and its species history can help you understand their behaviors and adapt your own to suit. After all, humans are the ones with the big brains. We’re meant to adapt, not the animals.

Happy Farming!

A couple post-article thoughts: if moving a large animal, move toward their shoulder to get them to turn, at their hip and out of kicking distance to move them forward. Read Temple Grandin. Stay out of kicking distance when working. Don’t rush up on the animal. I know you want to pet the horsie, but the horsie thinks you’re trying to eat him. Approach him like a prey animal, not a Labrador retriever. A lab wants you climb all over him, a horse wants to be left alone. Kindness tempered by firmness and good observational skills will take you far when working with livestock.