Some people just don't have a clue

Today I was checking around to see if some of my local garden centers carried lady bugs. I am putting my money where my mouth is and I'm committed to attack these aphids organically instead of chemically. They have gained some ground and I see physical sign that they are winning. So today's call was to find out who in my area can help me locally. One out of four garden centers can order the Lady Bugs but will only do so well into the spring. My last resort was to call pest control companies. I mean pests and pest control go hand in hand right? Well at least I thought so. So I called the first company and I asked the guy does he have any lady bugs? He said, "Yup those lady bugs can sure be a problem." I said, "No Sir, do you have Lady Bugs?" He said, "WHAT!" I said, "Lady Bugs; do you have them sir?" He said, "What the hell do you need Lady bugs for?" I said, "Dude Really?!?! I need them to kill aphids. I have an aphid infestation and I use them to kill aphids." He said, "Nope we don't carry no lady bugs." WOW!! I can't believe I had that conversation. But than again his job is to hunt and destroy. I'm going to put this out there to any pest control company that may not know about this side of the house. It will Behoove you to get smart on the use of beneficial bugs for gardeners like myself who want to get rid of "Pests" I'm just sayin, It might be profitable.

Do our Farmers care about Quality or Quantity?

One of my favorite desserts is to eat fresh strawberries drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. Delicious!!!!!!!!!!! However, there was nothing that the sweetened condensed milk could do to make those juicy red strawberries taste any better and in an instant my dessert went from hero to zero and it just simply sucked.

What are our farmers selling to stores these days? I see a lot of fruit that looks great but taste like cardboard. Apples, Grapes, strawberries you name it. Grant it for many of these fruits they are not in season, but that leaves me to think if they are not in season and we have them available, how are they made available. Farmers, Gardeners should produce vegetables and fruits like a well seasoned Chef prepares a meal. A seasoned Chef constantly tastes his food. Unlike some who just throw whatever is ordered on the table without tasting only to realize they suck from reading bad reviews. Sadly enough I want to say that the over whelming majority of veggies and fruits that I have purchased from the super market really suck. Ok I know I am ruined because I grow alot of my own produce;  But that's my point because I know what a vegetable or fruit should taste like.

I guess as consumers we do have a choice, some of us have more choices than others. in many parts of the states people have the opportunity to purchase locally grown food. I have used a great website Local Harvest.org to find local farms in my area. That strawberry must have really been bad for me to rant this long. But I hate being tricked by good looks and bad taste. Disappointing...... Big Sigh!!

Pitbulls and the struggle to keep them as pets

Ohhhhh my wonderful dog Cheeba. It seems like it was only yesterday when I walked out of my home and there she was; a beaten up puppy confused and scared, rolled over on her back looking for a belly rub. At that moment my wife and I looked at each other and knew instantly we had our first dog. Cheeba turned out to be a very well obedient dog who is a natural caretaker and protector of our home. But her wonderful life does not overshadow the stigma that Pitbulls have in our communities. With all of the bad press pitbulls receive it's to no wonder how people formulate opinions. And rightfully so, because this dog is a machine which was bred to keep going and have amazing intensity. Cheeba looks menacing but this girl jumps from crickets and will probably turn our whole family over for a slice of ham. We know this about her goofey butt. Nonetheless, it was a big surprise to me when I recieved a call from animal control telling me that my pitbull escaped the yard and was attacking people in the neighborhood. "HUH!!" My PitBull!!! CHEEBA!! ATTACKING PEOPLE!! I gave the Animal control officer a resounding "HELL NO! NOT MY DOG!! There is no way Cheeba my Pitbull will attack anybody. But as I suspect because she was a pitbull running the streets, of course she was attacking people, ripping legs off and tearing throats out. Yup, thats them pitbulls. Pleasssssse!! Responsible people who own pitbulls will tell you that pitbulls are the best dogs ever to own. As with any dog trained to do a certain things like Fighting for example, they will do what there good at. But what about when your dog is not trained to fight. What if your dog actually loves animals and people? Why have city bans been put in place with fees and fines for owning pitbulls and apartments banning any pitbulls on the premises? I understand there reasoning and fear from the bad press that pitbulls have following them. But wouldn't it be fair to institute a a test on everydog before imposing such fines and fees of ownership. I think all dogs should be put through some sort of testing phase to see how aggressive they are and if they pose threats to society. Im willing to bet most responsible pitbull owners would pass those test with flying colors. Chebba has been beaten up by huskies, labs and every other toy dog that could qualify as snake food and in every case. im left looking at an embarrassed pet owner who can't control their dog. Cheeba on the other hand, when she sees other dogs, runs towards them and rolls on her back to play. She does this to puppies all the way up to people. So it was to no wonder that when I herd my Dog Cheeba was attacking people on the streets I was furious about the accusation. But this is one struggle that will always be around as long as there are these little want-to-be-gangstas and idiots who choose to use this breed as there outlet for criminal activity. The future of pitbulls are left in the hands of people who advocate everything that is right about them and so the struggle continues

Social Responsibility

Many popular food chains are advertising on their websites that they are socially responsible. But upon closer look, I start to question how could someone call themselves being socially responsible when they serve food that has calorie laden food that should be considered socially unethical. We scanned through many of these sites only to find food so high in calories that it would make up your one total meal requirement for the day. How is this being socially responsible? Its actually disgusting. My wife and I love to go out and eat, but honestly what can we eat that will be considered healthy from us from the major chains. Im sure I can go to these places and pick through the menu and search for a meal that could be healthy. But it would seem to me that a company that is claiming social responsibility should already consider these issues and try to do what they can to curtail the problems. I understand that eating fresh organic food can only be purchased at really nice restaurants, so I start to wonder, why in the world would I want to eat anything else and since it costs too much to eat at most of these places, I would rather cook myself. So it looks like there will be no more dinner and movie for us. We will just go to the movie. But wait, there is that Popcorn washed with fake butter and a soda Issue, that cost wayyyyyyyyyy more than the movie. I'll talk about that at another time.......

1500 Commit Suicide due to Crop Failure/ India

Please forgive me, I just have to rant for a minute or two. Yesterday I came across the caption of 1500 people in India committing Suicide because they were in so much depth and the crops they were relying on to give them income, take care of their families and pay down their depths were destroyed because of draught. I know many people who read this may not fully understand the magnitude of this situation, because lets face it, most of us don't have to worry about survival. There are the few who truly are relying on their farms to keep their families and business afloat and they can really understand how detrimental loosing everything means. I had a glimpse of what it was like to loose more than half of what I am growing and honestly it is down right depressing. I know I do not have any affiliation with the people who are thousands of miles away who are living a self-sufficient life because they have to. My heart goes out to the families that they left behind. As an American it forces me to be so thankful for everything I have and situations like this really puts things in perspective, because here I am experimenting with success and failure everyday while there are literally thousands if not millions of people who can not afford to fail.