Homestead mailing list

[Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

At 9/7/2006, you wrote:
> Just one question for any and all who are responding, did you serve?

I responded to this early on and yes, I did serve in the US Navy from May 
of 1964 to May of 1968.  That included two WestPacs.  I know nothing about 
what they do now and did not like what they did then.  I do not do well 
under authority and dealing with brain dead lifers was just too much for me 
and almost every lifer I had any dealing with was worse than brain dead 
with no ambition and a power trip.  I am glad I went in and I am very glad 
I got out.



Don Bowen              Awl Knotted Up                       KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com
My travel journal
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

I am omnivagant.  
> From erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  Sat Sep  9 04:33:13 2006
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Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 04:35:09 -0400
From: "SISU!" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
Organization: EarthNSky Farm
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Subject: Re: [Homestead] AHIPA: Exploring the Potential of a
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Bill Jones wrote:
> My God, Bev, we're already guilty!  Everyone who has a Himalayan 
> blackberry in the hedgerow is a criminal.  Can skyrocketing weed 
> killer stock dividends be far behind?
>
> Thanks for alerting us to the extent of the nannies' fascism. This is
>  the vegetable kingdom's NAIS, and its insidious appearance in our 
> once-free society stems from the same nanny principle.


Sorry Bill,
I went fishing and camping for two days and came back to a firestorm of
messages!
It's late and I've driven a long way this evening, so I am tired and not
thinking clearly, but for the life of me, I am kind of lost on this
post, Bill.  I guess you were being sarcastic?  I have no idea of what a
Himalayan blackberry is...didn't know there were hedgerows in the US,
and I am totally confused by the weed killer dividends remark and I have
no idea of what you mean by "nannies' fascism or the nanny principle.
I'm blonde in case you didn't know.... :)



 Some people
> believe in banning everything which *might* cause harm for someone 
> somewhere.  I once argued with one kook on this list until she 
> admitted that she would like to see matches and lighters banned, 
> because they *might* cause harm.

Seriously, I was just trying to help...been around this list a long time
and I always see people who want to try to grow kudzu because of it's
redeeming qualities, thinking they can make it work wherever they live.

Didn't mean to stir you up or to start an argument, and I kind of
resent being put in the same category as a "kook".  I just assumed that
you would want to be environmentally responsible as well as law abiding.
 A lot of people don't realize that there are indeed laws pertaining to
invasive species, and enforced or not, they are there for a reason.


> Now for a dose of reality.  It's very unlikely that kudzu would 
> thrive here without constant watering.  This part of Oregon is 
> bone-dry in summer.  I predict it doesn't stand a chance.


You think I don't know coastal Oregon??
I was freaking conceived on a rainy afternoon in Astoria!
Coastal Oregon is zone 8 and 9....neither is a problem for kudzu
Elevation is no problem for kudzu....it will grow at sea level or a mile
high, in fact, one vine can grow a mile high....surely you have heard
about Jack and his beanstalk?  They didn't want to scare you..Beans? Ha!
it was really the leguminous kuzu. ;)
As for rainfall....
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/pcpn/or.gif
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/pcpn/ga.gif
It looks like Oregon gets more rain than most of Georgia.  Its dry here
in the summer, too.  In fact, one of the reasons that the USDA
originally recommended kudzu as a forage crop was because of it's
ability to withstand drought.
http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/exotic/vegman/fifteen.htm


  If it ever did thrive
> here, it's easily eradicated by cattle (as is Himalayan berry, after 
> a single mowing).

Ha!
Cows will eat it, and so will goats and pigs, but you will need a lot of
them and you will need to figure out a way to get the cows up into your
trees, because you see, the cows eat the leaves, not the vines or roots.
 If the cow misses a day, the vine grows 1-3 feet.  Once it's in the
tree, you're doomed.   You will need constant grazing, and I do mean
constant to keep kudzu under control, and if you ever stop, lookout, as
it will come back from the tiniest root hair.  I am not kidding.
Eradicated by cattle??  Only if you have a LOT of cows that will graze
everyday from now until eternity.  Easily eradicated?  When pigs fly.
Kudzu roots are extensive.  What happens when a new shoot appears on the
opposite side of the cow pasture fence or on the opposite side of the
road from your pasture? What happens when your cow/pig/goat craps a seed
pod and the rain washes a viable seed down a gully off your property?
What happens when the vine does take over a power pole or a nearby stand
of trees and then drops seed outside the grazing area?  Have you thought
about that?  Kudzu spreads by runners, by seed, and by rhizome/roots.

 Contrast this with Canadan thistle (or gorse, if you're
> right on the beach), our one true weed (which I'm now a criminal for 
> ignoring as I passed it in the pasture this morning).

Canada thistle grows in quite an abundance here, too.  It is also
considered a noxious weed here and also interferes with agriculture.  It
pales in comparison to kudzu, however.

> What I love is when the fantasy-land do-gooders try to tell us, for 
> instance, that it's necessary to kill all the fish in a river, so 
> that they can eradicate the "non-natives" (even if they're feeding 
> people). Then there's another set of kooks who believe that 
> pornography has to banned, because it *might* cause a rape.  Think of
>  how it could enhance one's tight-fisted control over both spouse and
>  children, to bring back the good ol' laws against fornication!


If you want to put me in the same category as your "fantasy-land
do-gooders" and other "kooks", so be it.  I guess you think I am just
some dumb Southern hillbilly who doesn't live in the "real world" since
you seem to think I am the one who needs a dose of reality. Maybe so,
but don't say you weren't warned or that you didn't know.

Tired and punchy in Georgia...
Bev


--
Bevanron in NW Georgia          EarthNSky Farm  34.498N 85.076W
SISU! (Finnish--There is no single word in English that encompasses
all that sisu means, but it combines the following ideas: guts, pep,
determination, stubbornness, perseverance, hardiness, stamina, go, do,
nerve, spunk, pluck, and grit.  It's like "Just Do It!" & "Go for It!")
                                GO NAVY!