Record grain prices? Have you looked over at the natural gas boards? If you are comparing prices, you have to compare all the prices. What is happening to the cost of synthetic fertilizers? Urea is made from natural gas. While corn has doubled in price, natural gas has quadrupled. If anything I would be looking for people to move from the expensive chemical programs to the less expensive organic. When I first learned about doing organics with grains, I learned that organic does not have to be expensive. The costly mistake is to use compost. Compost costs me $40 per cubic yard plus another $40 for delivery. That is $80 per 1,000 square feet. I can apply corn meal for more like $2.00 per 1,000 square feet. If you do not use compost, simply buying grains is cost comparable to synthetic chemicals. If you rely on Starbucks for fertilizer, then your organic program is free. When you add in the fact that you can fertilize regularly with corn meal and not have to buy separate chemical fungicides, then organic can be pretty inexpensive. I was in a feed store in California last week to check the prices. Corn meal was $8.50 for 50 pounds. I paid $6.50 for my last bag here in San Antonio. Given that prices for everything are higher in CA, I don't see a substantial price increase.

Hi Everyone, Debbie, glad to see you are still with us. I agree with you about members needing to leave. It is always sad when they need to leave us. Sounds like you have had a really "good" summer. Can't wait to hear all about it. PICS??? Cindy, Hope you are doing good. Stop by and say hi if you can. Paul, Yeah, you ARE still with us. Please do not melt. We only have you and Cody, gotta keep our guys, ya know? Carol. NICE seedling. Are you gonna name it with the AAHS? Hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to fix your car. Or, are you going to have to get another one? Jean, You are right, WOW is the word for that box of goodies. Can't help you with your daylily ID, sorry. Marea, LOVE that Magic Amethyst. Ok, please explain "rodeo". You have my curiosity piqued. Barb, Hope you adjust to your new brace quickly. Hope the drive goes quickly for you, and your time with the attorney is as easy as possible. hugs! Had to close accounts and do the attorney thing after my mom passed, not an easy thing to do. My thoughts and prayers are with you still. Gloria, THANK YOU for the prayer for the military. They so need us to be there for them. Wish I could give each and every one of them a hug, and a "thank you". Dawn, How did the shower go? And hope you had a blast on your mini vacation. Angie, Hope you are doing better after the bad storms. Keeping you in prayers. Shirley, Did you get to meet Dolly? Hope you had a ton of fun. Mary Ellen, Did you have a blast at the Waterpark? Hope so. Di, Thinking of you. Give little Benjamin a hug for me.Love ya, I went back to work yesterday. Wow, things have changed in 4 months. It is a bit of an adjustment, just being a regular associate, after 6 years of being a manager. But, I LIKE IT!!! ,No doors to unlock, and packages to sign in, no paperwork to do constantly, no decisions to be made, no deadlines to meet, no keeping an eye on all of the workers and making sure they are doing their jobs, no reprimmands to give out, no having to make grouchy customers happy. I get to turn all of that over to one of the managers. AND, no more 55-60 hours a week away from home. YIPPEE!!! So, I get to be home and work in my gardens, and do crafts. I will actually get to use the thousands of craft items and fabrics in my sewing/craft room now. I am soooo happy. It is going to be a big adjustment for all of the other managers as well. While I was working yesterday, the manager on duty was on the phone, and the back door rang for a delivery, she looked at me, and i just smiled and shrugged my shoulders, "NO KEYS". After she got off the phone and brought in the delivery, she came back out and grinned at me and said "You are really gonna be a pain in the a** aren't you?" I just grinned back and said "Who Me?" Yes, I am definitely gonna like being a part timer instead of a manager. Well, best get moving, gotta start dinner. Our turn to fix dinner for everyone(we all take turns), we are all going to SIL pool. Have to be there at 4. Hope I didn't miss anyone, hugs to all, Jo

It seems to me that cynic makes some good points. My friend has a Jack Russell, that stays in his apt. or can "run" for about 50 feet in a tiny park across the street from his place. Hardly a "run" really, on a rather short leash. She loves to come out here, for she can run from the house about 400 ft. to the barn in about 4 seconds. Runs this way and that, back and forth, chases the cats, runs and has a glorious time. When the landlord is here with his big dog, loves to tease her, running back and forth, and the big dog can not come near to catching her: like a fighter plane buzzing a big bomber. Keeping her confined in an apt. and for a 50 ft. run in a tiny park in the city is not being fair to her, it seems to me. Where does she poop here? Darned if I know: she stops when it suits her (if she can stand to stop). When the sod farmer took over beef-cattle manager uncle's land, he removed a lot of the fences that uncle had used to confine the cattle. Maybe some of you territorial folks should put a fence along your property lines. And another around your garbage can(s)? Maybe a movable chain-link one? ole joyful P.S. Maybe put a little metal box somewhere near your property, like one sees near the entrances to quite a few public buildings, with a sign for the smokers that says, "Please place your butts here". Trouble is - dogs can't read. Owners can, though. How can they train the dogs to put their butts where requested? I think that dog trainers suggest that folks give doggies a treat (usually food) when they do as requested. Part of which goes to make more poop, I guess. o j

Ho, they are discerning munchers - those fine leaved asiatics will always be overlooked if there is a chance of a lush oriental...or better still, the soft salady leafage of a crown imperial for an early snackeroo...and apparently, the fat whorls of martagons are a choice habitat. I am OK with horticultural oils...and if the choice is between late blight and no tomatoes, I will use a systemic fungicide, and even targeted herbicides for persistent weeds...but systemic pesticides, with those vile neo-nicotinoid beekillers are never going to be acceptable in ANY of my gardens. A recent report on the huge push for nurseries to sell 'bee-friendly' plants revealed 27 out of 29 plants were contaminated by long-term systemic pesticides...and far from 'friendly', were in fact, deadly. Worth a check for those of us who do fear for the future of bees (and other insect life). Gardening is usually promoted as a 'green' activity...but as the report pointed out - driving to a garden centre to buy pesticide soaked plants, in plastic pots grown in peat...is anything but ecologically aware or remotely sustainable. A shout out for seed-saving, dividing, sharing and swapping...and a level of transparency in the horticultural industry, please.