Ricky Jackson

I'm so glad you resurrected an 11 year old post; now I have this amazing recipe, and I have a bunch of cabbages and carrots growing.

I retired as the senior graphic designer for Fleet Readiness East (US Navy) and am a 45 year veteran of the sign business, having owned a Signs Now franchise for over 14 years.  I'm not going to address the content but just to add that you should go see the BEST, most reputable sign person in your area, and I don't mean a "sticker shop".  Consult with them on what they can offer and what they would recommend as far as Substrate.  It depends on your budget and how many of these you're going to want.  Laser etched would probably be amazing, as long as it is done on a substrate that will hold up to weather.  If you can afford laser etched, the overall shape of the substrate doesn't matter; it can be customized.  Ask to see their portfolio, and if you're impressed, come up with some ideas and get an estimate for the best idea.  If you're comfortable with the budget, and intend on doing business with them, ask if they would design you something.  Keep in mind that it costs the sign company money to do this, and they can't work for free.  Whatever you do, do not take their idea(s) and shop for a lower price!!  It's not only highly unethical, but it's also illegal and you can wind up paying the designer the full price of the project.  Sign companies get a ton of people with "great ideas" that turn out to be just tire kickers.  Treat them with integrity; try not to micro-manage the design; just give them freedom, and you'll be well rewarded.  Don't feel that you have to go with the first company you talk to; just find the one with the best designer.  You can always find someone to do it cheaper, but outstanding work (if that's what you want and can afford) pays off long after the sweetness of saving a few bucks wears off - and you won't have to avoid them in the stores.

Write down all the possible "copy" and maybe some ideas, but mostly give them their freedom to work out the design process; that's their specialty, and if you put too many constraints on them it cramps the creative and design process.  You'll be much more satisfied than if you went in with concrete ideas and have them try to juggle them to make it work.  You can't make chicken salad out of chicken manure!

As a former Alaskan, I can tell you the first thing you need to do is build a greenhouse.  Otherwise, you're going to find moose mowing down your cabbage, lettuce, and whatever else you grow - the day before you intend to harvest them.  Depending on exactly where you live "in the Kenai peninsula area" is important.  Seward gets really cold, as does Homer and Soldotna / Kenai.  However, not many people know that Anchor Point gets the benefit of the Japan current and seldom gets below 20 *above*.  A greenhouse would solve most of your problems.

The really good thing is that the soil in Alaska is insanely fertile; just look around at how lush everything is!  Also, 20 hours of sunlight a day is literally better than having two days of growing in the lower 48.  I see you posted this three weeks ago and this advice might be untimely so, if it were me, I'd just plan on having everything ready to get going after breakup.  Having your seeds ready is a big deal also.  You'll probably need to dig some post holes so, if you know how big you want the greenhouse, you could do that now, before freeze-up; it will be a nightmare during the spring when the ground is still frozen.  Maybe you could score some seeds of those giant veggies they grow up in the valley!

Heather Sharpe wrote:Mullein is great too. I've been working with it recently to help a friend's baby cow who has a gnarly injured knee. It pulled a huge gob of ick out and created so much relief and increased mobility. I'm still surprised. I think I'll be using mullein a lot more, since joint and muscle issues are something I'm frequently trying to address with salves and mullein works quite well for that.

I'm convinced that mullein saved my life last September.  I was in the hospital for a week with Pneumonia and the Flu.  I came within a hair of death.  I'm 70, so... I got home from the hospital, and still barely able to walk and lungs still having fluid, and had not eaten for 3 weeks (I blame that solely on Metformin!).  So I'm sitting in my recliner and I turn on YouTube.  On my recommendations bar are FIVE videos for mullein, and previously there had been none and I had not searched for anything on the subject.  I took that as a sign from God, so I watched one.  Then I went straight to my computer and ordered a lb of it off Amazon.  I made tea with it, and it helped, but it was a little slow kicking in and I was really having a hard time breathing, so I smoked some and within a minute my lungs were way better.  I had to do that several times; it was fairly harsh but the taste was not bad.  The main thing is that it helped me to breath so much better that I felt like I would not have made it without the mullein.  I stopped on the roadside and pulled about a dozen stalks late last fall.  The leaves were all dead but I just wanted the seeds.

John C Daley wrote:What is the

gnat / fall line.

please?

Is this it
The Georgia Gnat Line is an unofficial dividing line between where these gnats are more and less numerous. It generally runs from Columbus, to Macon, to Augusta. If you find yourself south of the gnat line, you are in prime gnat territory.   It turns out there is more to this gnat line than just the Central Georgia heat and humidity.
The gnat line follows Georgia's Fall Line.
The Fall Line is a true line dividing Georgia's Piedmont from the Coastal Plain.
North of this line, you'll find red clay soils and hills.
South of this line, the soil is sandy and the terrain is much flatter.
Technically speaking, the Gnat Line refers to a geographic fall line that geologists or archaeologists [or both] believe may have been a prehistoric beach or shoreline.
While the graphic map above shows the line beginning a little further north, most scientists believe it begins somewhere near the southeastern coastline of Virginia and proceeds south through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and on to the Gulf of Mexico.
The geographic region below this line is often referred to as the southeastern coastal plains region.


Several species of black flies or gnats prefer to live and reproduce in the sandy soils of central and south Georgia.
If you're finding yourself swarmed with gnats in your yard on a regular basis, there are a few things you can try;
- Eliminate sources of moisture.
- You can cut your grass more frequently to allow it to dry more efficiently, which may reduce the gnat count.
- Try to increase airflow.
- Limiting the number of tall bushes around your yard can make it a little more breezy.
- If you're on the porch and have a fan, having it on may keep the gnats away.
- If all else fails, hopefully some insect repellent can do the trick.

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Wow John, you're from Australia and you dug this gold up?  That's impressive.  We "indigenous populous" of Georgia know the line exists; but not many know exactly where the line is.  In the winter we see snow coming and it stops cold at the fall line, year after year; and we notice when we go above Forsyth, Ga. the gnats are gone.  Thanks for the research!!  

Mike Barkley wrote:Look at scorpions with UV. More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Well I don't know about the "fun" part but they sure do glow; that's mostly what I use my UV light for here in northeast Ga.

We currently live near Helen on a small 1 acre plot.  Our property has lots of trees and not much topsoil at all, just mostly clay, and the topsoil I bought has various molds and my turnips damp off every time.  We're fully retired (age 70) and we're looking to buy a few acres in a flatter area that has a lot more sun, just not in south Ga; we want to be above the gnat / fall line.