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[Leslie <cayadopi AT yahoo.com>]

Evelyn Browning-Garriss recent comments Iceland volcano on weather........ 
some excerpts......... This is her expert opinion, not mine.


Volcano eruption was not large enough - at this point - to affect world wide 
weather.  It was only 6 miles high, and only that high for a short period of 
time.  At that height, ash goes into the next cold front.  So far only 
affecting Europe about as far as Russia.  It's too early to have a major 
impact on crops.

This particular Iceland volanco has a history of erupting for 1-2 years at a 
time when it does erupt.  The last time was 1821, which lasted until 1823.   
If it continues to erupt until May, currently crops most affected would be 
Rape Seed/Canola Oil, that's the most vulnerable,,, but if it keeps erupting, 
wheat, potatoes, and other crops in Europe will be affected.

Correlation between Iceland volanic eruptions and others and the great potato 
famine 1800s.

But, unless this volcano gets bigger - i.e. 8 miles high - it will not be 
affecting global crop production, or even the weather across the northern 
hemisphere.


US farmers need to watch the Russian volanic eruptions because US is downwind 
from Russian volcanoes.


 Iceland located where the Atlantic is splitting in two, on one side it is 
heading east, the other west.  Split in middle volcanoes.  Volcano "Katla" 
(SP?/phoenitic) is much bigger. There are several larger volcanoes on 
Icealand.  The last time current volcano erupted, it was followed by eruption 
of Katla(sp).  

Others (not her) have described Katla's effects on glaciers --- if it erupted 
it would melt the nearby glaciers and the run-off (like the run off in 1755 
when it went off) is the equivalent of the combined flow of the Amazon 
Mississippi Nile and Yankzee rivers all together.  When it goes off it has a 
tremendous global impact.  Typically goes off 10 miles high.  The last 
eruption 1918 caused so much rain during WWI, the trenches built in WWI 
became long swimming pools.  

Biggest dangers of the current volcano, isn't the current volcano, but the 
fact that it goes off around the time that Katla(sp) erupts and that is going 
to change weather throughout the northern hemisphere.

(Comment on recent program on Discovery Channel - famines during Fr. 
Revolution related to Iceland volcanoes.)

Ben Franklin  was in European Court at the time Katla went off,,,, at the 
time the sun had to be 20 degrees above the horizon before the sunlight was 
strong enough to see the sun.  The haze was so thick, the light was filtered 
out. sun couldn't get thru to the crops.

If Katla(sp) erupts and to the same historical heights i.e.10 miles,,, that 
will affect the US, we will have cool summers and cold winters.  

Last year 2 large eruptions, 1 near Anchorage, 1 in Russia (pacific island) - 
astronauts filmed volano blasting thru the clouds, both of them  were10 miles 
high.  Kept the artic air from getting warmed up, ice expanded, followed up 
by relatively cool sumer and cold winter.

(My personal thought is Garriss wasn't talking about any specific 
neighborhood or region with those comments, but combined statistics from 
across the entire US)


This year's hurricane season - El Nino expected to continue thru spring, end 
in Jun/Jul.  El Nino's cause upper level winds to be so strong they sheer off 
the tops of developing storms so not as many hurricanes.  Unfortunatly this 
year, the El Nino is going to end in the earliest part of the hurricane 
season, when there is usually very little activity anyway.  What we can 
expect is a much busier hurricane season.  The Atlantic waters are very warm 
(not right at this moment, but overall statistically).  The wind should be 
just ideal for hurricane development.  

Last year winds from Africa blew a lot of dust, rising dust helped limit 
hurricanes somewhat.  This year, all signs indicate African winds will be 
must lighter.  We could have a very busy hurricane season.  If she were in 
the oil business, she would look to 2007 to find an equivalent year (no El 
Nino, no La Nina, right in between), hurricanes went off in a number of 
directions........... number of strikes in the Gulf.  Closed the rigs down in 
the Gulf.  She's not in the hurricane biz - but 15 name storms this year 
won't surprise her.  2-3 major hurricanes - but she has to wait for more info 
on water temperature changes.

(Hope the storms stay out of the Gulf,,,bad implications for that oil 
spill...........4 months just to plug the leak?? puts that right at the point 
where the peak part of hurricane season starts - August.... although Gulf 
storms are usually in the earlier part of hurricane season, then switch more 
towards Atlantic side)

Carribean volcano 2 eruptions this year, lots of dust in air.  If it erupts 
again, lots of dust, help keeps storm counts down in Carribean.

.

Midwest farmers impacts ------- As long as El Nino last, it tends to be very 
good for US crops.  But El Nino should only last until Jun, maybe Jul.  Lots 
of corn being planted, etc.  After El Nino - extreme heat waves - Jul Aug 
this year.   Roots will be shallow, heat waves will cause harsh conditions.  
Famers should have tranquilizers ready for late summer.  

There was a questions about Southern California - summer heat wave 
potatential 50% based on similar weather patterns statistically.   Weather 
patterns have been so weird lately, she's had to look thru tons of records to 
find anything close.  She found five similar - 3 of those 5, Aug-Sep in Cal 
real unpleasant heat. 

(then a comment about In Cal, high heat, associated with brown-outs, stresses 
the grid as people crank up the a/c).

===============

Hope everyone is well.

Still 15-20 degrees cooler than average temps for here.   Lots of plants in.  
Expanded garden size double this year.  

About 350 potato plants in.  (Read a tip that  if in a hot area to plant them 
a bit closer together so the shade from the leaves helps to keep the soil 
cooler.  I had a lot of potatoes last year, small to medium size, deep ones 
were large though.  Trying 8 different varieties.  The leftover potatoes from 
my garden last year decided to sprout, of course, so I've planted them also.  
They all came up (yahoo - success!!!).  Must have missed some last year, as I 
see 3 volunteers have come up where I planted last year.  Woke up to early 
a/m freeze though yesterday.  Potatoes are up anywhere from 2" to 8", so I 
hope the cold air didn't kill them off, guess I'll find out this a/m.

Trying sweet potatoes again, this time inside the garden fence so the 
critters won't eat the tops.  Hope the cold didn't kill of the newly planted 
slips (about 12 days ago).  I put milk jugs over them the day before because 
we had 45-60 mph winds for much of the day, and early the next a/m is when 
the temps dropped unexpectedly.

Trying all kinds of new to me heirloom varieties of squash, beans, melons to 
see which ones can adapt to desert conditions best here.    I'm looking 
forward to a lot of different varieties of dried beans this year.  All of the 
beans I dried last year as seed for this year came up (another success).  
Have too many green beans canned still, so my focus this year is more on 
dried.

Canned enuf pumpkin for just over a year if I remember to eat 1 qt a 
week,,,,, planted lots more anyway.  Found out pumpkin can be made into 
pumpkin flour.  I love the sunflower seeds I harvested, great little snack.

So far, it seems last year I grew enough veggies to last the whole year for 
myself and extras for the others here, with a few exceptions.  Ran out of 
onions a month or so ago.  Way too many pickles, and I have to remind myself 
to eat them.  

I tried to start tomatoes indoors, and still haven't got that right.  I'm 
thinking the air is so dry (10% humidity at times) that the moisture is 
getting sucked right out of the starter pots even when I'm watering twice a 
day.  I'm going to have to come up with a new plan more suitable.

The pecan trees are being stubborn this year, very slow to get leaves.  About 
4 weeks behind last year.  I probably should go out and check one of the 
native desert trees here, they will not put out buds until frost danger is 
over.

Meanwhile it is WEED season.............. LOL.  Making lots of use of a large 
"milk stool" I had my dad made me to make weeding easier.

Ate cactus for the first time- surprisingly delicious.  



Anyway, hope some find Garriss's comments on the volcanoes interesting.



>From waltonrp AT gmail.com  Sun May  2 20:24:03 2010
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From: Robert Walton <waltonrp AT gmail.com>
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Subject: [Homestead] Cedar Rail Fences
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I'd like to put in some fencing like this one:

http://www.worldprofit.com/dealers/userfiles/cm/5230/Image/4-Rail_Fence_Icon.JPG

How would you mortise the holes for the rails?

Rob - Va