March: Clocks, Cougars, Potting Soil and Bats

Spring has Sprung!

Last week, the geese were back, honking and the next day the black starlings, sure signs that winter is about to flee. The days have been cool with bright sunshine, followed by nighttime temperatures in the teens, a sign the time has arrived to practice the ancient art of maple syrup making. Buckets were hung in many woodlands this past weekend.
If your in the northwest Pennsylvania region on March 20th and 21st, be sure to check out the Taste and Tour open house at dozens of maple sugar shacks throughout the region. It is fascinating - and lot of history; watch some amazing old-time skills and enjoy good tasting natural products. It is free and the price of products usually very inexpensive compared even to large discount chains. For more info on the Taste and Tour Open House, click here.

A few other dates to keep in mind:
1.Johnny Appleseed Day is March 11
2.March 14 -Daylight Savings Time begins! Established originally during World War I and then again re-established during World War ll to conserve energy and it has been observed ever since. Longer hours of daylight at the end of the day are sort of nice but not too sure how much “energy” is actually saved.
3.March 20th First Day of Spring.
4.March 29th – Full Worm Moon also called the Full Sap Moon.


Potting Soil and Seedlings


With sunny days and warmer than zero wind chill factors, a lot of people are thinking veggie gardens and starting their own plants. The biggest expense is potting soil, hands down. However, there have been generations of gardeners who never had the expensive convenience and who grew some pretty darn nice gardens.
There is no secret to making your own potting soil with most of the material readily available. Spring is a good time to start for next year if you don't already have a compost pile. Good mature compost is essential as is well rotten sawdust or leaves and a handful or two of sand.
It does help to pasteurize your homemade potting soil to kill bad bacteria which can harm tender seedlings. This can be done easily by placing the homemade potting soil in a black plastic bag in the sun or under glass (as in a cold frame or primitive solar panel). The soil mixture should be heated, according to many garden writers, to about 160 degrees for a half hour or so.
This piece on “How to Make Your Own Potting Soil”, is a good start but there are others as well. The advantages of making your own potting soil are numerous. It is by far more eco-friendly than using commercial mixes and some mixes do contain harmful chemicals. If the compost and the soil used in the mixture are also from the veggie garden, the plants right from the get go are adjusted to the soil and nutrients available. For those who have container gardens or houseplants, the homemade mix saves considerable amounts of money and ensures some pretty healthy plants.
Potting soil was made for hundreds of years before the packaged mixes. It takes a little time, perhaps some experimentation, but the end result will be more success and makes for a great family project.

The Bats

Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, is a mysterious and serious problem with honey bee colonies throughout North America. Currently, another mysterious disease is impacting the bats particularly in eastern sections of North America. The disease, an unknown white fungus, has killed thousands of bats during hibernation.
Bats are really very beneficial and eat literally thousands of bugs during the night. Without the large colonies of bats, a buggy year can be expected; many of the insects are not only common pests and disease carriers, they can damage our forests and woodlands if left unchecked.
Halloween and vampire stuff aside, the bats are needed in the environment. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette had a good run down on the problem this past Sunday.

Cougars

Maybe it is the end of the winter blues but there have been some rumors about cougar sightings in this neighborhood in the last several weeks. Naturally, according to the rumors, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is stocking the animals to control the coyote population, which they also introduced to control the deer herds.
Good Grief! There was once a rumor the Game Commission stocked rattle snakes to control the turkey population!
The latest sightings have ZERO evidence to back up the claims despite the heavy snow cover and despite the fact that even a 1 pound squirrel leaves tracks in the snow.
Now, there are likely some animals out there that few people have seen or heard, and yes, there might even be a cougar or two – somewhere. But 99.9 percent of these stories don't hold water.
Certainly, there are coyotes. They were howling last night for the first time in quite a few months. If the truth be known, it is doubtful they do as much damage as some say.
There is a lot of complete nonsense every now. Thanks BW for the nice photo of the house cat getting ready for a free meal.

Good Blogs to Read

On Your Way to the Top

Urban Veggie Garden

New York's Southern Tier

Simply Snickers

Vincent di Fondi

Weather Myths: Jack Wax and Dandelions

Global Warming and Snowstorm Myths

January is doing what January is suppose to do – snow, cold, wind, dead batteries, frozen water pipes, shoveling sidewalks, driveways and roofs. And it doesn't look like it's going to ease up anytime soon, if the forecasts are on target.
There's been a lot of comments about the cold and global warming. A comment heard frequently all week goes like: “What happened to global warming?” or a similar version of the question with some added political comments included.
The cold weather doesn't mean global warming is some sort of giant trick or a myth being played on the world community. Quite the opposite; the cold weather is an indicator that our weather is changing. The hard facts of science are real, our climates are changing; the myth is actually trying to debunk global warming, or pretending it doesn't exist.
Perhaps, a better phrase instead of global warming, would be “freaky weather changes”. Overall though, the changes are getting more and more dramatic if one looks at the long term instead of a particular cold frontal system.
A good article from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Co. has an interesting perspective on what appears to be contradictions in the weather. Basically, according to the report, the record high temperatures are far out pacing the recorded low temperatures throughout the US. Facts are facts; myths remain myths.
Sure, we have occasional bouts with cold weather, but one has to look a little beyond the present, and delve into our ancient past. Besides, winters use to be a lot more ferocious than they seem to be now. That is no myth.

Jack Wax and the Groundhog


Groundhog Day is Tuesday, February 2nd, something of a sign of approaching spring. But the real indicators are when the sap begins to flow in the sugar maples trees and the fires are lit in sugar shacks all across the north.
Jack Wax is rustic maple sugar candy and one of the best candies ever made. It's pretty simple to do and can even be made at home. Basically, boiling the sap until it is close to being syrup, is poured on the clean snow or in a hole in the snow. It quickly hardens like a taffy. Nothing better on a chilly winter day and much better tasting than some other spring related celebrations.
Maple producers work hard and are generally family owned and operated. In northwestern PA, the big event of the year is a “Taste and Tour” weekend. It is an open house where everyone is invited to dozens of participating sugar shacks to learn about maple syrup, how it is made (pictured above) and to taste free samples of maple products.
If you get a chance to talk to a producer or two, the conversation will likely lead to the subject of the earlier and earlier runs of the sap. For the sap to run, the trees need warm days above freezing, and cold nights when the thermometer dips below freezing. It use to be the run happened in mid-March, nowadays it's more like mid-February. Someone say “global warming”?
The weekend for the event is March 20 and 21st, and there will be the first ever Maple Festival organized by the association at the Edinboro Fire Hall the same weekend. For more information, Northwest Pennsylvania Maple Association.
If you can't make it, or are looking for unique gifts, there are links in the Web site with listing of sugar shacks and products available.

Wild Horses


Thanks to Linda Nickerson for the information and the protest regarding the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) round-up of wild horses in Nevada. The government sponsored helicopter round-up began on December 28th and is expected to continue for the next two months during the harsh winter weather (no, I won't mention global warming).
Protests over the cruel winter round-up and the use of helicopters are beginning to spread across the nation and Linda has an article with some more information, click here.
If your concerned about our wild horses, or interested in the BLM adopt a horse program, Linda is a great resource. For her article Linda used the photograph above which is from the BLM. It's a nice photograph, wish the round-up was a little nicer.
One of Linda's blogs, “Simply Snickers”, is posted below in “Good Blogs”. Thanks, Linda for sharing. Maybe we can get you some, Jack Wax.

Dandelions:


We are all familiar with these early spring bloomers. Kathleen Richardson, who is also listed in “Good Blogs” below, contributed these photographs, after reading a Helium article “Defending Dandelions”.
Kathleen's son took these photo's while he was stationed in Alaska. Dandelions are a global plant and are good eating and considered an herb. A friend from Portugal says they call them dentes de leano (thinking means tooth of the lion). Read Kathleen's blog, “On Your Way to the Top” listed below about how she remembers them.
Dandelions don't make Jack Wax, but they can be used to make wines, jellies and tea.
Many times, the dandelion is considered a weed, another myth, and is sprayed with deadly chemicals. The flowers, however, are an important food source for our native bees, and the gentle honeybee and their populations are in serious decline. For more information read, Defending Dandelions.
A special thanks to Kathleen for contributing the photographs, bet a piece or two of Jack Wax won't tip any scales.

Good Blogs

Vincent di Fondi – Vincent is retired, enjoying the good life in Costa Rica and has just published his first novel. Lucky, Vincent, doesn't have to shovel.

On Your Way to the Top – Kathleen's homespun insights and adventures.

Veggie Garden – Dan is a backyard gardener in nearby Ontario. He is listing some insights about seed companies and getting his spring garden ordered.

Simply Snickers – This is a great blog with a lot of fun things, insights and projects by Linda

Travel Destination – Kathleen also writes a Helium Zone blog about New York's Southern Tier.

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You may also be interested in some of these links at Associated Content. Thanks.

Gasps of a Dying Culture as Storm Clouds Gather.

No more snow? You gotta be kidding! Well, that is one of the conclusion of a July 15th report completed by Penn State. The study was mandated by the PA Climate Change Act 70 of 2008.

Basically, no matter what we do today is not going to matter for the next half century. What's done is done. It is going to take the next fifty years or so of environmentally good practices and efforts against global warming, to undo the damage.

The study predicts shortened, rainy winters with little or no snowfall. (did I hear clapping and screaming?) A longer and hotter growing season (temperatures will rise 3 to 7 degrees F) with more extreme weather conditions. Did I hear culture shock?

The report is not very good news for northwestern Pennsylvania and the small towns. It's not a very good report for nearby states as well since global warming doesn't give a hoot about artificial political boundaries.

Many rural economies depend on winter recreation: ice fishing, snowmobiles, skiing, hunting and trapping. The forest is important and many species will not tolerate the upcoming changes. The report could signal some major lumbering changes in the next two or three decades. Trout fishing depends on cold waters and the closest anyone will come to one will be mounted on a wall. And I have to wonder about the impact on the whitetail deer and other species. What are your thoughts?

Sure a longer growing season sounds fine. But the reverse is a problem. Warmer weather and more moist conditions will lead to new and more aggressive pests and other diseases in the woodlands and on the farm. What about maple syrup production?

Yup, agreed, it is hard to peer into next week, let alone, the next century. But there are some disturbing indicators. So I figured this post will be accompanied by two winter scenes for posterity, friend Mike checking out a buck rub and the snow covered trail. The sooner we start changing some things, the better. But it is going to take a long time. As it stands now, global warming will wipe out a culture for the next generation or so. What we know and do today is changing, the culture of today will no longer exist.

Update: On the subject of diseases and pests, Late Tomato Blight continues to spread and has been discovered in at least 17 Pennsylvania counties, along the east coast as far north as Montreal and as far west as Ohio. For more information click here and here. Take action now to help manage and control it's spread.

Blueberries are in season and there are many places to pick your own or locally produced berries can be found at a number of locations and farm markets. Blueberry are excellent for health.

Blogs which I am following, are good reading and informative are:

On Your Way to the Top

New York's Southern Tier

Urban Veggie Garden

Solokoyote is my pen name at another writing site,Hubpages. Check out some of the articles I have done there if you want. Thanks.

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