Labor Day - Never Forget : Enjoy a National Treasure

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Labor Day weekend..already! It seems as if everyone has experienced “the fastest summer” ever.  What happened to summer? The schools are already open?

But it will be a weekend filled with picnics, home grilling, garden work, and “getting ready for winter” projects (getting firewood cut, split and stacked).

It should also be a great weather weekend for family fun activites of all sorts. Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

There's More to the Labor Day Holiday - Never Forget

Labor Day, has a rather amazing history, which should not forget. The holiday has its roots in the early Labor Movement in the late late 1890’s when American workers were working seven days a week for 10, 12, 14 hour shifts.

The early Unions wanted better working conditions for the American workers, less hours and more equitable benefits. As would be expected, the wealthy companies resisted and so did the US government which was heavily influenced by the wealthy class (some things never seem to change).

The workers voted to strike, the Pullman Strike was the most violent as the US government under then President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to Chicago to put an end to the striking. Riots, looting and mass civil disobedience soon followed. The troops opened fire on numerous occasions, killing dozens and wounding many more in an effort to keep the 7 day work schedule in place.

Below are several good accounts of the strife:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/01/labor-day-2014_n_5738262.h

Grover Cleveland https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/grovercleveland22

the Pullman Strike

Labor Day should also be a weekend of remembrance for those workers killed and injured so we could enjoy a long weekend ahead at the end of summer. American workers made and keep America great. It’s a history some would rather hide and revise even in the political climate today where some want to return to the days of the “medieval” past.

The Treasure We Have

French Creek is an amazing resource in northwestern Pennsylvania. The environmentally important watershed provides many opportunities to enjoy and it is the very reason many communities even were first established.

It was an important waterway long before settlement. For the early Native Americans, it was a major transportation route and a fishing and hunting destination. Some of the old villages have been identified such as the McFate site at Cochranton, Pennsylvania. In this region George Washington camped on his journey to Fort LeBoeuf (at present day Waterford). This summer the first ever Heritage Celebration in honor of Native Americans was held near the McFate site at the Cochranton Fairgrounds. Heritage Festival
Another Heritage Festival is being organized for next year.

On September 12 the French Valley Conservancy will sponsor the 23rd annual cleanup of the creek and the entire watershed area. For more information, CleanUp.. To learn more about the French Creek Valley Conservancy and how to get involved, FCVC.

Discover even more about the opportunities : French Creek, a national treasure

kayaks

Meanwhile In the Fall Garden

The weather has been hot and dry for the last several weeks. So on August 24, planted some early Italian beans and a Burgundy bean which turns green when dropped in boiling water. The plants popped up in 6 days and above are the photos taken todat, September 2.
Both varities should be ready to harvest in 53 days which should be about the middle of October. They are planted in the closer and smaller kichen garden, so in case of a visit by Jack Frost, the beans can be quickly covered. On the same day, August 24, red beets were also planted and sprouted about the same time as the beans. It was difficult to get a picture of the because of their size.

And it was difficult to get a clear photo of this fella, a Monarch butterfly caterpillar. But I discoverd the caterpillar a few days up in the milkweed patch near the big garden. Milkweed is essential to the Monarchs survival.
The seeds are information on planting and growing the important Milkweed plant is readily available from numerous sources (see the post below) or call the Crawford County Master Gardeners at (814) 333- 7421 at the Ag Extension Office.

Discover more at: Milkweed

Tyler Built

For affordable and dependable high speed internet access, check out Tyler Built. This device about the size of a small match box was invented by Jeff Tyler, a former reident of the area and a graduate of Seneca High School. If your having problems with high speed internet acess and the costs, check this option.

Pickerwell Weed

A good plant for home landscaping in very wet areas or even for the water water garden, It is carefree and attracts many pollinators. It also provides a very valuable habitat for many insects and aquatic species. Discover more about the fascinating pickerwell weed at, Pickerwell.

And Just for the Heck of It

Native Americans inhabited the French Creek Valley from Archaic to Late Woodland times, an era spanning the period from 1,000 years before the birth of Christ to 1,000 years after.  Archaeologists have excavated prehistoric village sites and burial mounds at Wilson Shutes, south of Meadville, PA, and at the McFate Farm in Cochranton, PA, the region’s most extensively investigated location.

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