The Besttechie Cafe'

[thesidekickcat]

I am in the process of clearing off some stuff on my desk, so here are a few things I thought people might be interested in, especially Liz, as she is a gardener.

This nursery is one of my favorites. Miller Nurseries in Canandaigua, New York. They say if it grows there for them it should survive elsewhere, and their tree and plant guarantee is for 1 year.

My absolute favorite plum is from them (so that is the page I am linking to, Ha), everyone around here watches my trees with eager eyes for ripe fruit. The plums are huge (bigger even then the egg carton the paper catalog displays them in), and good fresh, frozen or dried (pitted and cut up). The trees are taller than their "no ladder" references, but with careful pruning they are ladder accessible.

Miller Nurseries Big Blue Plums

My favorite seedless grape, Glenora, is from them too.

Also my favorite dogwood tree, Cherokee Chief, a red flowering dogwood. That is only one I ever had to use guarantee on, and that was really the fault of UPS tearing the shipping bag. No hassles to get new tree.

Another good company with great products, such as "Tomatoes Alive Plus", and "Wow",a cornstarch lawn preemergent (sp?) natural weed killer, is Gardens Alive. Do order their catalogs as it shows what various pests, and diseases look like, along with organic products to solve the problems.

Gardens Alive

Next is Mother Earth News which I was talking about the other day.

The free archives of past 30 years are a great resource for anyone interested in everything from gardening organically, to small farming, to solar/wind/water energy to innovative construction of homes, to fuel cell technology etc. Just go to the left side bar, and click on Mother's Archives, do a search for whatever you want. Liz I looked up Ruth Stout, found three articles including a book excerpt. I remember her now, with the mulch/no weed gardening. I should remember, that's who I got the idea from for my place. I wonder who I was thinking of instead? Oh well, I'll probably think of it in the middle of the night some night.

Mother Earth News

Another one is a story from Parade (from Sunday papers) magazine a couple of weeks ago, called "The Monk Who Would Give Us History". It tells of a monk who is trying to put the entire monastery's ancient collection of books and manuscripts on the web for research purposes. I was hoping it would also show the pictures (and map) the paper article had of him, and what is supposedly the bush from the day of Moses and the burning bush, but alas it didn't.

The Monk in the 1700 year old Sinai Desert Monastery

The last one for now, is understanding your cat.

Are you fluent in feline

Enjoy the links, and I will enjoy a cleaner desk.

God bless everyone.

[blim]

Wow, Sidekickcat,

Thank you. Those are some great links! I never thought to look up MotherEarth on the web. Used to subsribe to it but so much didn't apply to me (don't farm, not enough sun in MI for solar--and those panels would look oh, so out of place on my old house--, can't afford a windmill, etc) that I figured that the wasted paper wasn't worth it. I now have a new online toy!!

We are having typical Memorial Weekend weather here-- cool with periods of rain--20 degrees cooler "on the lake" than inland, so Bozodog should be kinda warm. Our area gets a LOT of tourists from Chicago (that's how my family landed here, I'm an old White Castle Burger Eater. Oh, how I miss them.), and they'll be cold and wet and bellyaching. They should know that Memorial weekend and 4th of July will be cold!! In fact, I don't put away the winter coats till after the 4th. Then dig them out again right after Labor Day!

The kids and their "sweeties" are going to Les Miserables tomorrow in Grand Rapids, and are the girls ever excited (daughter is an actor and son's girlfriend is a singer) The boys are excited about going to Mongolian Barbeque beforehand....I guess it's one of those Oriental restaurants where you fill your plate at a buffet and the cook prepares it in front of you. Even though most boys could care less about Oriental food, it IS a buffet.....

AND the "hacked tornado siren" went off again tonight--which is weird, since they were supposed to turn it off for 2 weeks to "fix" it, should have another week left! Only blew for about 5 minutes this time, though--we'll see if it goes off again around midnight!

All the dogwoods are blooming--except mine (exactly 4 blossoms--going to give it the Bohemian Curse again, "you're going to get dug up and replaced", so it will bloom nicely next year!)

Liz

[Vile_DR]

How is everyone doing on this beginning of a glorious weekend ( I HOPE)? I just wanted to say a few things about the community that the forum has grown too and to continue to express it. I pulled this from something i have been writting for a few years and it seems to fight, so some of this might represent US as a forum, but all or not here is.

"It isn't everyday that you can share you life with a stranger and they look back at you and say "I know what you mean".  When one's like is either relaxing, frustration, digressed, or dismissed there is always someone there to listen.  It is human nature I suppose.  There isn't any rules that says one must listen to the other, or even have the same tastes, but there is an emotion that attraction that bonds each fellow listener.  The mind is a powerful thing, especially in expression.  There is endless thoughts, lines of ideas, and such strength in the mind that sometimes there is no where to go.  That brings about the reality of people.  The inspiration to let go of their selfishness and explain to the next person that life isn't meant to be shallow.  Life is meant for sharing, expansion, relation, and continuance.  Take a step back for a moment.  Remember the first time you didn't understand something and needed help.  It might not have been a complete stranger, but it there was someone there to help you.  You took that helping hand and continued to grow, to the point where you were standing on your own two feet, making mention of the subject to the next needy person.  To follow in line, they of course teach you something as well in yourself.  Compassion.  Although not extreme or reluctant, it isn't the mind the combines two similar individuals or completely different ones, but it is the Heart that shares the feeling.  So as examples, life is all but simple.  You develop a relationship, either instantly or long-term, you share your thoughts, views, ideas, and experience to expand your reason, and continue the course of life by telling a stranger "I know what you mean."

To clarify, stranger does mean someone you don't know, all the time...it has different meanings. Take this as you will and read it as you want. Expression is free...

"Imagination is Everything"

[macmarauder]

and once again i'm not the great writer here. Vile is did you get into that stash of cotton candy flavored nitrous oxide again or ...... just wow. "i know what you mean"

thankz Sidekickcat for the links. they were a blast to read. i'm afraid that when it comes to gardening my green thumb has gone rotten.

while the next part of my post isn't nearly as cool sounding but thanks to this place after a lot of searching and thinking i've started to come up with a plan for my life. one of the things i'm going to do is start writing two books at the same time. i've come up with two different ideas, one based on real life and the other total fiction entirely out of my head. but trust me you won't know which is which. ohhh and no it's not going to be about me and iTunes and LifeAlbum and TODD. to be honest even i'm getting sick and tied of talking about that.

i had better go now, i've got a project fora friend that i've been putting off for far too long. my work is never done.

[thesidekickcat]

DrV, Wow!!! Very well said!!!

That was in essence describing a message board family!

Also shows that all relationships, even chance short encounters, are part of the woven tapestry of our lives.

I think it was Will Rogers that said, "A stranger is just a friend I haven't met yet".

If we let down our guards and let others in, then we too can adopt that as our life slogan.

Mac, I think making a life plan is a great idea, just don't set it in concrete. Let it evolve as you go along. As for writing the books, go for it. Though how you will keep them straight while writing them simultaneously is beyond me. But then I'm not you, the writer, so go full steam ahead. Good luck with it, and enjoy the process. Keep us posted on how you are doing with it. We are behind you 100%.

God bless everyone.

[thesidekickcat]

Liz, I just wonder about your tornado sirens, and guys step in with your mechanical expertise please, but it might be a open contact, or short, that is possibly setting it off. Perhaps as the wind blows, or water seeps in, or a bug crosses its path, or bird doodoo hits it, or something gone bad back in the control panel. I think they should look at the electical part of it besides the radio frequency thing.

I know my hubby has had to solve intermittant fire alarm problems over the years, and I remember him talking that sort of lanquage as to what caused them either at the fire alarm panel, or in the smoke detectors, or alarm bells etc. Possibly in the control panel, and the irritating thing about intermittant problems, is it goes into a trouble light or alarm light, then resets itself before anyone can see what zones, or systems are triggering it. Very frustrating to solve, or to put up with the false alarms. In false fire alarms, there are embarrassing side effects, such as evacuations of buildings, and the fire department rolling its equipment etc. And then the middle of the night calls to come in to work (25 miles away on that job) to solve it, but get there to find somebody got tired of it, and hit reset, so no clues left, and they didn't write down what lights in panel were on etc. Sure am glad he's not doing that anymore.

Your midnight report is what got me to thinking this could be electrical, not radio frequency problems. Sure hope they come up with the solution soon.

Our Oregon coastal communities have tsunami sirens, or at least some of them do, but many don't work, according to a recent investigation by a tv station here in town. Yet a few weeks later some outfit gave one county high marks for its warning system which I think was one of the problem systems. Oh well. Sigh!

There was a bad tsunami after the Alaska earthquake in 1964 or whatever year it was, that killed several people on our coast and huge wave did quite a bit of damage. Scary thought to be caught in one of those. Yet we go to the beach and don't even think about it, and most of the places we go are very close to ocean and sea level. And we still want to move there when we retire, though due to that report we will look for a home in a safer town, and of course as we planned anyhow on higher more stable ground. Maybe hubby's retirement job will be maintaining those systems, though none of the communities have any money to use for fixing them, or for some towns even to put in the tsunami alarm systems.

God bless everyone.

[macmarauder]

duuuuhhhh. i just noticed that i didn't finish my last post. guess i was thinking faster than i was typing. actually i only had a few minutes to check out the forum and maybe one post. so i didn't get to post the whole point on my previous post.

the reason that i mentioned that i'm going to write two books is that being here and posting with you guys and your sharing has inspired me. also if you thought that i had an imagination before, when i'm done it might just turn the world upside down..... or bring it right side up again. not sure which yet but i'm aiming pretty high.

anyways i say thank you my friends at BestTechie.

btw thesidekitcat for the story i'm going to tell it'll take two books at the same time.

[hitest]

duuuuhhhh. i just noticed that i didn't finish my last post. guess i was thinking faster than i was typing. actually i only had a few minutes to check out the forum and maybe one post. so i didn't get to post the whole point on my previous post.

the reason that i mentioned that i'm going to write two books is that being here and posting with you guys and your sharing has inspired me. also if you thought that i had an imagination before, when i'm done it might just turn the world upside down..... or bring it right side up again. not sure which yet but i'm aiming pretty high.

anyways i say thank you my friends at BestTechie.

btw thesidekitcat for the story i'm going to tell it'll take two books at the same time.

Very cool, macmarauder!

I also like to write sometimes. I sometimes like to write short Sci/Fi stories.

Best wishes with your book, man!

[blim]

Vile, you certainly are a gifted writer, you hit it right on the head!! I sure enjoy your writing.

Macmarauder, I also am amazed that you can even think of writing 2 books at the same time, but daughter is a writer-- and she always has several projects going and chooses which project to work on, depending on her mood, or if she gets an idea, but I'm not a writer!! I do, however work on simultaneous "creative/artsy/home improvement" projects, depending on my mood, energy level and whether or not I can make a mess that day Frustrates Hubby when he sees how many "partially done projects" I have going--he says, "WHY don't you FINISH one project before starting another?!?" Nope, can't do it.....Seeing as all that "creative" stuff is in a single section of the noggin, I suppose that's just how it works! Oh, and my thumb is usually brown, especially under the nail

Sidekickcat, well the siren only went off around 8pm last night--no late night wails!! Fortunately, we live in pretty much a tornado free area (thank God), so its just an annoyance. Hopefully they'll get the durned thing fixed--your boat idea a few posts earlier got me thinking---wouldn't be surprised if a freighter was causing the malfunction (or Mac!!)

Speaking of projects, Amanda's dress is done and today I FINALLY went to the plant farm and planted tomatoes and peppers! Yea! Didn't dare earlier because I was afraid some part of my hands wouldn't clean up and I'd spot her red and WHITE dress...and I just can't wear gloves in the garden. I've never been "this far behind"--usually the garden is totally planted by now, but seeing as we had a frost warning last week, its for the best.

And speaking of vegetable gardens--to the northern gardeners out there---think banana and yellow peppers. After years of trying green peppers and feeling lucky if I got a couple, I discovered banana and yellow peppers grow nicely in the cool, short summers of Michigan. Banana peppers don't freeze well (eat them fresh!), but yellow freeze great, and you can always cheat and pick them green.

The "TV8" weatherman, Bill "Oh Stuffit", (ok, Bill Steffen, but he's such a jerk, you'll see why), said tonight that our average temps this May were colder than Moscow and....Fairbanks, Alaska. Alaska!!! Pullllleasse! Alaska? No wonder I get so mad at him and make Hubby change the channel when he starts with that stuff! Sigh, Alaska....

Kids just got home, gotta find out how they liked the play!

Liz

[tenmm]

Hi blim.

Here in southwestern Id. we grow quite a few peppers green,yellow,red (salsa )

Along with a couple of jalapeno peppers for flavor.

Weather has warmed up enough to plant now but it has been tight as time is getting short,good thing all of the plants we need for our uses, produce all season long....

[tenmm]

Forgive me if you all ready knew this,sad news travels fast.

Eddie Albert passes away.

Raises a glass in salute.

So long Eddie

[blim]

Forgive me if you all ready knew this,sad news travels fast.

Eddie Albert passes away.

Raises a glass in salute.

So long Eddie

He's on to Greener Acres!! 99 Years Old, Wow! As a kid, we watched probably every episode of that show.

Raises the coffeecup *cheers*

The vegetable garden is officially planted, Yea!! Now to get started on the posies I bought when I got the vegetables. My original "goal" was to have an all perinneal (comes up every year) garden and not buy any annuals, but I always end up buying some anyways.....besides, salvia grows really really good in my yard Tomorrow I'm planting a flowerbed for a good friend--because she "hates to get her hands dirty"--can you believe anyone could be so prissy?? (and yes, I tell her that every spring!) Funny thing is that she bought petunias, which has to be deadheaded! I told her to stick with begonias, I told her I wasn't going to deadhead her petunias, I told her she'll get her hands dirty, she bought them anyways because "they smell good". I'll get a good laugh when she calls me wailing, "I plucked the petunias and my hands are not only dirty, but sticky" Then I'll say, "I told you so"

The girls loved Les Miserables, the boys endured it--their comments were, "the girls said it had hookers in it (bait the date)---but they were skanky with missing teeth...." Those poor guys were totally dissapointed with the hookers--maybe Caberet will come to Grand Rapids someday

Liz

[rv56]

Good morning folks......coffee is on..... pour yourself a cup...

Taking a day of rest today....did yard work all day yesterday as wife and I are are revising flower beds and adding new ones. We like to walk around the neibourhood to get ideas or take a drive around the city in other areas and check on the net. Yard decor is not one of our specialities but we get by.

Vile_DR.....awesome writing and very well said. A good discription of a fine community we have here.

Mac...2 books at the same time...wow...you never cease to amaze me with all your talents.

tenmm...thanks for the link. Green Acres was a favorite years ago. A fine actor Eddie was.

Well...have a good day people. Going to finish my coffee and check out sidekickcat's gardening links. Btw....thanks sidekickcat.

[Chappy]

/me yawns...

Good Morning All!

Hiya rv56, what cruddy weather we've been having here lately eh...

You guys must be getting the same stuff as we are, this current system is covering most of the lower half of our fair province.

How's Mrs. rv56 doing?

Don't forget to email me if you plan on coming to Regina sometime, well have to hook up for a coffee or something.

Well, I haven't been in the cafe for awhile, so I've got some reading to do so I can catch up on what everyones been up to lately.

Later

[robroy]

Eveneing everyone, ribs on the grill

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend

Let us all remember those that are serving and those who have served in the past.

Freedom comes at a price and for the USA that price includes the victims of 9/11>The to should be remembered on this weekend

[lamuskrat]

Let us all remember those that are serving and those who have served in the past.

Freedom comes at a price and for the USA that price includes the victims of 9/11>The to should be remembered on this weekend

Very Well SaidRobroy

[sultan_emerr]

Hi Robroy,

Very Well Said. We usually don't realize how much we have to be thankful for untill we have a set-back. I just heard from KeithLDick who has spent this Holiday weekend in the hospital attending to his father, who had suddenly became seriouly ill, and it will probably be ai least a few more days before Keith can return ti the forum.

[tenmm]

Hi Robroy,

Very Well Said. We usually don't realize how much we have to be thankful for untill we have a set-back. I just heard from KeithLDick who has spent this Holiday weekend in the hospital attending to his father, who had suddenly became seriouly ill, and it will probably be ai least a few more days before Keith can return ti the forum.

Sultan_emerr

Thanks for the information I hope all goes well for KeithLDick,and wish a speedy recovery to his father.......

[bozodog]

Oohh my. It's been almost two weeks! Sorry folks. (*lights the Bar-B-Q for steaks, chicken, and veggies)

Our 3 days on Lake Michigan turned into 4 What a great time it was... Kinda a belated honeymoon. A nice tour of South Haven and the Maritime Museum. A couple of great sunsets and a rip snortin' T-Boomer! Snugglin' with my Brit watching videos till late at nite. Walking with the critters on the beach for miles. Climbing the dunes. Taking pictures. Ya just gotta love Mich.

Then it was home for some serious spring cleaning. (I'm going back to work Tues. after 14 weeks off for a broken wrist) Emptied out the whole shop and reorganised it completely. Cleaned out the front porch and began sorting "yard sale" stuff. Whew! Then started on the yard!

The Brit and I have both had a dose of posion ivy! Mine was pretty serious, cleared up and then *he* decided to burn the yard trash. Opps! He forgot I told him you can get posion ivy from burning it. Silly fire bug then took a bag of trash meant for the garbage collection and threw it on the fire.... WeeeHaaa! You should have heard the old airasol cans exploding! (gotta take that mans matches away)

Foods almost ready, so lets all take a moment to honor our vets and don't forget the local protectors of our communities. Their jobs are just as important and difficult as our military.

*Blim... heh heh. I'm "South" of you! And yes we had some of that wind here... It blew through 3 counties south and east of here wreaking havoc.

There I think I'm all caught up. Have a great holiday everyone!

[blim]

Welcome back Bozodog!

Gotta love those Lake Michigan Sunsets!! I'm lucky to be only 5 minutes away. We frequently drive to the lake to watch the sunsets and especially the storms rolling in. That's a beautiful photograph! On the news they frequently show sunsets--but without a cloud in the sky and call it "beautiful". I don't get it, you have to have some clouds to bring out the colors!

I have to admit, I've never been to South Haven (driven past it in the winter---right in the middle of the snow belt--ugh) but daughter's been there and loves it--its a vacation spot for her boyfriend's family. She calls it a great big Pentwater. Did you go to Clementine's Restaurant? Had I known you were going to SH, I would have recommended it beforehand--supposed to be excellent.

What is it about men and fire anyways??? Some leftover instinct from caveman days?? Heh, they're all pyros!

Well today we have no parties, no plans, yea!!! I can mess around in the garden all day. Boy is the inside getting neglected, though--and dog is shedding--I say "I'll vacuum tonight", then realize the lighting in this old Victorian is too bad to vacuum at night.....

Off to the posies!

Liz

[rv56]

For any nostalgic music lovers....late 60's early 70's rock.....this maybe something to watch for sometime.....

The Who

[bozodog]

Been to Clementines many times Blim. SH is great before the crowds take over. Did the tall ships several years back and insisted on getting there at daybreak. Had all the pics I wanted and breakfast done in town as the traffic picked up... Quickly slipped out of town as the line of cars (and people) got longer and longer.

Yardening almost done for now... Just need to get some bails of straw to mulch the veggies. BTW Blim, about your Clamatis. Did you know the rule is: "feet in the shade, head in the sun"? And they are very late starting in the spring... It's might still come up!

* Shifts into "express mode" and is off to get the package there on time!

[Vile_DR]

HEY EVERYONE...

I felt like i have been gone for days. Holiday weekends take so much out of me because i am always out and about, usually doing the hanging out thing with friends and trying to stay away from the Family...lol...j/k. I am glad everyone is up in high spirits especially after a rememberance day. Traditionally you keep your flag half-mast until about 12-1pm, but most of my neighborhood had it planned to keep it half-mast the entire day (those who had American Flags). And for those who like to keep the feeling and those spirits alive i wrote a small thank you poem.

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

No one believes,

As much as I do.

I smile without,

I laugh along,

One day soon we'll be back,

Together to sing our song.

I hear you speak,

I touch every word,

Now that i have your heart,

Your as free as a bird.

Lights in the distance,

Surprises in the dark,

Ventures of the future,

I"ll never forget your spark.

Not one day or two,

Not even soon,

We will always remember,

The way you carried your Tune." (dw '05)

To all the members of the armed forces and to the families that support them still, To the generations of past and future new, I thank you for the hearts you share and the courage you spare, for it isn't without you (ALL OF YOU, even not in my homeland of the US) that life carries its own dream. To prosper and rejoice, families and friends, may the sun show bright and futures grow big...

ENJOY!

Edited May 31, 2005 by Vile_DR

[blim]

Hi Bozodog,

Yep, I planted the clematis "feet in the shade, head in the sun" Very cute saying!!! but it may not have had enough shade. It was only 6"tall when I got it and planted White Nancy in front, which grows about 6-10"tall--probably should have put something taller in front of it last year when it reached the top of the chain link fence! But you're right, Clematis is lazy--wait and see

Another great piece of writing, Vile!! Sure hope you're keeping this stuff on paper (remember, computers can lose things if they die just right! I keep telling Daughter the writer that!!).

Took my "nut with a walker" friend out today--from 9am-4pm--and we only went to 5 places....but I suppose if I only got out once a week, I'd lollygag and "look at every little thing", too!! But boy she is mentally and now because of the walker, physically exhausting! Did manage to finally vacuum today, though--so tomorrow its back to play outside

And tomorrow is JUNE Yea!!!! Beachweather is soon to arrive.....I hope.

Liz

[bozodog]

Bleh! Back to work after 14 weeks off.... Too dang tired to even go out and look at the garden. Been clipping salad greens, and waiting for the pea pods. Had to divide a huge Hosta, thank God a friend had a home for more than a dozen large plants. Hated to just toss them.. (sucking up to the friends that own the "lake" house.)