David Nightingale

Well done indeed, Mississippi, Kansas, Texas, many many states all chose a different course forward.  Was it not for our neighbors to be elected and safe guard the interests of all of us?  In a calm, practical, equitable function the people have spoken by our choices.  Money, greed, and the power to wield those against one’s own people have clearly and soundly been defeated by ‘The People’.  Worldwide an entire generation with less choice is coming of age and they seem upset at this prospect.  And despite the lack of civics being taught in the US anymore they are learning to protest and have found the ballot box.
Cheers, and Long live the Voters.

Absolutely, T. Woolf.  12 years ago a MT, Bitteroot friend asked me for a few W.Wash native filbert/hazelnuts C. cornuta both Californian, and Beaked subspecies ssp.  I obliged.  Both native filberts thrive in terrible (rock and clay) soil without additional water once established.  Completely destroyed or as coppice cut down to the ground they return to 5’ in two years, here.  They are a rock, literally.  My Bitteroot friend chose an elevated 2800’ riparian area somewhat close to a creek, planted in September.  10 of each Filbert ssp are thriving there.  Filbert/hazelnuts have specific cross pollination needs and are anemophilous, wind pollinated.  So judge your airflow (think elevation up and downhill) a bit before planting, and you should get bountiful harvests.  My friend has since added a few commercial varieties increasing his nut yields substantially.  A few years ago he added filberts inoculated with truffles.  I would caution against this as bears are excellent mycologists and dug up 40+ inoculated filberts only!  Standard filberts were untouched.  His Filberts were all planted in wild P. p. scopulorum riparian areas on his land.
 I may add bears dislike pigs and certain dogs avoiding them even when food is present.  If you add food to the environment (esp. in the fall) you maybe increasing your bear confrontations?  GOS, old spot pigs can be raised in an area with saplings over 3-4’ without digging them up or destroying them. GOS pigs were bread as orchard pigs and serve this function very well.  Not sure which species of bear you are specifically dealing with, but might be worth an experiment… My pig friends protect us and our food sources here from resident Black bears.  Along with the dogs we are an ecological family inside nature at harmony.  Good luck, good tea, and Cheers.

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well.  If you don’t, get stuck in Iraq”,

John F Kerry
Oct, 30, 2006 Campaign speech

Navy Lieutenant, Veteran (1968-1978). Silver Star, Bronze Star, 3 Purple Hearts for combat shrapnel received Dec 3, 1968, Feb 20, 1969, Mar 13 1969.
Lieutenant Governor Massachusetts 83-85, US Senator 85-2013, US Sec, of State 2013-17

War in Iraq 8 years, 9 months: Mar 19, 2003- Dec 2011. 12th longest armed conflict in US history.

Nicola Bludau wrote: the house cow. Something small, maybe a Dexter Jersey cross.
Goats are good too, but they seem to be much more difficult to keep. Sheep just don't give that much milk, but they are easy to keep and a little bit difficult to milk.

But the cow is like no other animal; no other animal produces more manure and improves the soil in a more dramatic way.

              I fell down laughing because I have a house cow… she’s a Jersey/Dexter small frame.  Roves all over the property getting into mischief.  She lives part time in the front yard.  She’s naturally funny, aggravating, cute, all at the same time.  Practical? Depends upon food sources, and fencing techniques as cows eat a lot, and seek other cows at their own peril.  So 1 is not really that practical in my experience.  Might be true if you could get the house bovine to a large sheep size?  Cheers.  

Yes, this life its own reward.?  It is.  Have faith in yourself.  Thin line between smart and genius is people kinda get one and not at all the other, I believe this.  Just less and less places to meet similar folks, and distance, time, other commitments make things tough.  We really have become quite rare.  The younger folks may be even rarer?  There has to be a group activity or two that could get folks together?  I loved the 2024 Northwest Herbal Fair, the most spectacular event with folks to match in an ethereal setting at Lake Leland.  Cheers, and hang in there everybody life is full of possibilities.

We could look to France and a more fervent response still six months from voting, and millions are in the streets.  What if in the US we didn’t stop large scale protesting at this point.   Voting does not solve many of our problems because while it leads to a few better outcomes the structures ie. Wealth distribution remains largely intact.  I don’t care about money, but it has become THE limiting factor for living on Earth, everywhere.   The paid off piece of land far away from society is subject to increased fees, taxes, and inflation, and voting has not altered this.  Could continued protests here for billionaire taxes which did not pass in many places help?  

“Governments are instituted among ‘people’
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

Thomas Jefferson
July 4, 1776

Lord Lambourne not one I hear as often.   Liberty can be crisp but not overly acidic.  Balanced taste in apples sweet, acid, sharp, bitter is a more modern idea.  Old apple cultivars have particular flavor groupings.  I grew up with old Gravensteins, Braeburn, Transparents(Apple sauce), Thompkins King, and a few wild varieties not known in Kitsap Co. WA.  Most old farms here had dual cider and eating apples planted near the houses.  We ate apples as they ripen late summer through fall, cider apples last we pressed, as both juice and to ferment.  Time ripening to perfect freshness every few weeks for months.  Pruned to Head high you can observe apples daily to pick at the exact time, and never get a better apple.  Macintosh caries its lineage taste from 1811 Dundela Ontario, forward to Liberty, but taste side by side and you’ll notice the difference.  Sounds like you may enjoy some older varieties, but try a few newer ones to start as they’re a tad easier to grow.
Overall great balanced taste slightly acidic sweet harder crisp apples Empire, Braeburn, Pink Lady.   WSU Fruit Research Foundation, Mount Vernon WA may have many selections to your liking in many fruits and best grow practices.  I find their research spot on in many ways.  Cheers.

Plant them? Grow new food?  Local folks, even urbanities around here have taken to guerrilla Agfare, planting in some unusual places for the future.

“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”

Common Sense,
Thomas Paine, January 1776

‘Like the grasses showing tender faces to each other, thus we should do, for this was the wish of the Grandparents of the world’

Nicholas Black Elk,
Oglala Lakota 1863-1950