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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

Now how's that for a homestead topic?

Okay, so I was feeling a bit desperate.

Long story shortened: built a thirty-foot retaining wall, imported top 
soil, filled in behind the wall, planted bougainvillea for pretty and 
squash for food; squash finished and planted one sweet potato, cut it in 
half and stuck the two pieces in the ground, watered once per week with 
soaker hose; the entire area between house and wall, about twenty feet and 
from front edge of house, where is two-foot rabbit fence to the wall near 
the back of the house, is now covered with sweet potato jungle. Perhaps all 
leaves and no potatoes. If I were home at Heartwood I would expect any day 
now the black leaves evidencing overnight frost, would then pull the 
potatoes and mow the vines. Here I will experiment with prolonged season 
and see what happens. The vines are growing over the rabbit fence and up 
the bougainvillea. Very pretty, keeps the ground cool, hopefully doing some 
good for soil microorganisms.

Neighbors and electric meter reader guy all ask what is that vine?

As you are all desperate for real homestead topics I will report the 
harvest when it happens.

And now, back to us versus them. Are you an us or a them? Anyone wanna bet 
on when we might again be a we? Divide and conquer. Congratulations, Osama. 
You done good. Whoops. Sorry about that;  lost my head. Must be this 
perfect weather which has weakened me so.