[Arktwo] SOL - Find out what it means
Bruce Beach
language@webpal.org
Tue, 6 May 2008 22:23:56 -0400
Trying to think of a word
to describe the week.
Traumatic --
"No absolutely not -
nothing traumatic about it."
Stressful --
nope that doesn't fit either.
Everyone is always talking about
how stressed they are -
but I don't feel stressed at all.
Anxious --
"Well, no, -
I do trust in the Lord."
Intense --
hmmm - yes perhaps that is it.
My problems are never
what I think they are.
Thought the main generator
wasn't working.
Nope it is working fine.
Was super embarrassed -
when the generator expert
had checked out the generator
in the dark generator room -
and said -
"The problem isn't here" -
and we went out into the dark hallway -
and in the distance could see
that another hallway was lighted.
So -
that was good news.
The bad news was that
an isolation switch is broken -
and half the shelter is dark.
Anyway -
now we know what problem to work on.
Other intensities -
in that we were gifted
a trailer load of chicken manure and straw.
Now I have to get that covered
with sawdust.
Weather hasn't decided whether to rain or not,
but I think it is going to -
for the next few days.
Jema is going into heat.
Wasn't expecting this until July.
So -
six hour trip to the vet yesterday -
and a long trip a week from tomorrow (Wednesday)
to take her to the Lion's Club kennel
for dogs being trained for the blind.
They are doing a trade-off with NSD
to enlarge the gene pool.
The winter rye is coming up.
Needs plowing under in the next couple of weeks.
Talked to the beekeeper tonight
and a disaster going on there.
Down by about 45% because of the long winter.
Nothing to do with the greater bee problems
that people are experiencing elsewhere.
Cleaned up the worm farm a couple of days ago.
That takes us some hours -
but we get good output.
Figure that over winter
we have gotten enough worm droppings
to fill about 120 two quart flower pots
for tomatoes or whatever.
Jean has really gotten on to this -
and we want you all to look at her web page.
www.webpal.org/SOL/
She offers there to send
anyone who wants one -
a free sample -
but we were only thinking Canada.
Might be a bit tricky
getting it over the border -
and I expect postage would wipe us out.
We are going to have to get more organized -
on that.
One of our biggest problems -
at the moment -
is storing enough Heritage seed.
We try to store enough seed
to feed 3,000 people
and we would like to store more.
But -
about three years ago -
we had to dump a bunch of our seed -
because it had just gotten too old.
What we have now -
is again about three years old.
As a rule of thumb -
second growing season -
the seed has lost half of its vitality.
Then the following season -
half more of that again -
so it is down to one quarter yield
of what you would have gotten -
the first year.
It is different for different types of seed.
We keep the seed in a freezer at one degree above zero.
We have taken the seed savers course -
and we hear all sorts of theories.
Nitrogen packing and you name it.
Everything takes effort.
At eighty years of age -
she does all that she can do.
But some of you could be a big help.
Here is how.
The cheapest way to buy seed -
is in large bulk.
A little packet of seed can be a dollar -
but for ten dollars in bulk -
you don't get ten times as much -
you get instead 100 or a thousand times as much -
of some kinds of seed.
So -
if you buy bulk seed -
how about getting a couple of extra dollars worth.
Very little extra cost to you -
but would provide us with a lot.
Let us know -
DawnSayer@webpal.org
and I will give you a shipping address.
You can send it the cheapest way -
and mark it as a gift -
(customs can be a hassle)
and hopefully we will get it.
Ten people doing this -
with two or three kinds of seeds
that they are going to store in bulk -
would provide us
with what would cost us hundreds of dollars -
and will provide a good variety of seeds.
Now I know -
that we live a different life style -
and that we aren't going to talk everyone into
having a worm farm in their dining room -
like we do -
(well actually we have two of them -
and about ten thousand worms) -
and we aren't going to talk everyone -
into running two compost bins in the backyard -
plus ten piles out in the field.
And we aren't going to talk everyone -
into having a greenhouse -
or living inside a forest in the house -
during the winter time -
and into having a couple of dozen beehives
on their property.
And we aren't going to talk everyone -
into having a big seed freezer -
out in their garage -
with enough seed for three thousand people -
But SERIOUSLY -
it is not going to hurt you
to stock ten pounds each -
of three kinds of seeds
(and to send us a couple of pounds
of each of them).
Get whatever variety that you like -
(and we will end up with a lot of different varieties
- which is great).
But do get HERITAGE seeds and not hybrids.
Don't worry about organic.
All seeds are organic unless they are treated.
The tradition is to get
'The THREE Sisters'.
This was started by the Native Americans -
centuries ago.
It works this way:
1. You plant a stock or two of corn.
2. Around the corn you plant beans
that will climb up the corn.
3. Around the beans you plant squash -
because a lot of varmints don't like
the big squash leaves -
and this will help keep them away
from the beans and corn.
So -
those are the THREE Sisters -
that you want to buy.
Corn, Beans, Squash -
in any variety that you like -
so long as it is a HERITAGE variety
- and not a hybrid.
This is a very, very important survival program -
that I am trying to get you to implement.
It may well mean your survival -
and the survival of others -
and if you are extremely generous -
and help us with our program -
that will be greatly appreciated also.
Okay -
so we do weird stuff here.
And we have lots going on.
But we are picking up momentum -
in a lot of places.
In the larger Ark Two Community -
there are hundreds of families
who have gotten through our group buys:
Radiation Detection Equipment -
Potassium Iodide -
CDs, Manuals, -
and the Reconstruction Paper
and printing master
for distribution afterwards.
Those programs are past -
and whether you did -
or did not do -
the programs of the past -
I am hoping that you will do this one -
of storing seeds.
This is very, very important
survival prep -
and this is the time of year to do this.
RIGHT NOW -
RIGHT THIS WEEK -
while the seeds are still available.
Do NOT wait!
Do NOT put it off!
If it was something that you should do next week -
then I would have told you about it -
next week.
DO IT NOW!
----------
Survey Progress
Well, I have given up -
asking new people to help.
Now -
just waiting for those who have said
that they will do it -
to get their surveys in.
I hope all come in -
in the next couple of days.
----------
Still trying to update
the TEAM Leader list -
and I very much need to hear from you
if you live in:
Delaware
Idaho
Nebraska
Vermont - Have someone in NH.
I am missing these three states
so I hope that you can help me
find some one in them.
----------
News items that I am watching:
The Cyclone victims of course.
Native friends all saying that this -
and many other things happening in nature -
is all a part of Mother Earth being disturbed.
Georgia and Russia
are disturbed also.
And I don't understand all that either -
or how it may impact the rest of the world -
but everything is inter-related.
Some, seemingly unimportant thing,
such as PM Olmert's troubles with the police -
in Israel -
may be just the thing that will set
the whole ball rolling.
But -
it is all beyond me -
and I am just an observer.
I really don't think
that the Democratic primaries -
as big a show as they may be -
are the essential factor in world events.
Something that no one here knows about -
such as that all except one
of the Canadian Banks
are bankrupt -
and under bankruptcy protection
(judge supposed to hear the case -
starting May 13 -
but this thing has already been -
postponed, postponed, postponed -
so I think I see a pattern there.)
Anyway -
it could be something like this -
that brings it all down.
I wouldn't know.
------------
Toronto Sun planning to interview me
again tomorrow.
As you will see from the survey results
I do this with some trepidation -
because of the publics attitude
towards survival.
Still,
what if because of a newspaper article
one person were motivated to act -
and were to therefore survive -
whereas if I don't do the interview -
and they were to perish -
then I must ask -
how the Lord would look upon me for that.
I guess ridicule
is the way of life for a survivalist.
To say that someone is a survivalist -
and to say that person is ridiculous -
is redundant in most people's point of view.
People just don't understand
the survivalist concept -
especially in an old guy like me.
They can't grasp -
that I understand that I am not THAT long
for this world -
and that it is not for our survival
that we do this.
When they don't understand
the 'survival idea' -
then they certainly aren't going to understand
the 'Reconstruction idea'.
But -
we do what we have to do.
Don't forget to check Jean's page.
www.webpal.org/SOL/
Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org