Beetle

October 30, 2024

Hidden in the back of the front section in yesterday’s newspaper was a USA Today article about Hawaii’s attempts to stop an invasive insect.  According to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, the invader “jeopardizes the economy, the entire ecosystem, agriculture and food security.”  This species feeds by biting and boring into emerging palm fronds, creating holes in the top of the tree.  While they prefer to feed on coconut, royal, date, and fan palms, they will also feed on hala, taro, banana, pineapple, and sugarcane if the palm trees are unavailable.  The insects are nocturnal and can fly up to two miles if they are looking for food.  The insect attacks a palm at the base of the fronds (leaves) where they are attached to the trunk, bore through the base of the fronds into the center of the crown (the palm heart), and feed on the undeveloped white fronds.  Attacks cause a reduction in leaf area on the damaged fronds and results in a reduction in the number of nuts produced.  Newly planted palms can have their growth point destroyed resulting in the palms death and even mature palms may die after extremely heavy attacks by the coconut rhinoceros beetle.

When I looked online, I found the coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros), also known as Asiatic rhinoceros beetle, is a large species of beetle belonging to the subfamily Dynastinae.  This dynastid beetle has a length of 1.4 to 2 inches (3.5 to 5 cm) and is a dark brown to black color.  The head has a horn which is more prominently developed in males and in larger specimens. The first segment of the thorax (pronotum) has a large central depression with two humps at the hind margin and the tibia of the foreleg has three large teeth.  Male beetles can be reliably distinguished from females as the tip of the abdomen is rounded, shiny, and hairless.  In females the tip is more pointed and densely covered with hair.  The larvae are C-shaped white grubs typical of other scarab beetles.  The beetle breeds in decaying palm trunks or other organic matter (sawdust or compost heaps).  The native distribution of this beetle covers most parts of tropical Asia, but human activity accidentally introduced the beetle to a large number of tropical islands throughout the Pacific.   The beetle has most recently invaded Guam, Hawaii, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

A virus disease of coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus) has turned out to be the most effective natural control agent.  This virus was discovered by Alois Huger in Malaysia in 1963 and was later found to occur naturally in other countries within the native range of the beetle.  The introduced beetle populations in the Pacific and in the Maldives were found to be virus-free.  The virus was introduced into the virus-free populations and caused a significant decline in the beetle population.  The virus mainly effects the adult population and spreads easily, reducing their life span and the fertility of females.  During replanting of palms more breeding sites become available and transmission of the virus is often interrupted, and outbreaks still occur.  There is also evidence of resistance to the virus in some coconut rhinoceros beetle populations.  A fungus (Metarhizium majus) is also effective in controlling the beetles in breeding sites, but it does not spread well by itself.  The fungus does have the advantage that it survives for some time outside its host (as conidia).

THOUGHTS: Use of a virus to control the coconut rhinoceros beetle population is common, and natural biological controls include predators, parasitoids, pathogens, and competitors.  Biological control can have side-effects on biodiversity through attacks on non-target species by any of these mechanisms, especially when a new species is introduced without an understanding of the possible consequences.  Viruses being transmitted to other species (and humans) may cause greater harm than the original problem.  Alexander Pope’s proverbial phrase in 1711 was, “To err is human”.  Even without forgiveness, this is more than an adage.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Mini Split

October 29, 2024

I have been hinting around about getting a new HVAC system for our porch in my blog for the last week.  The idea began when Melissa and I took a Maine vacation at my sister’s house in July.  They had installed a compact system in their house and had plans for the shop and the “barn” (more like guest dining hall with a two bedroom apartment upstairs).  When I was director of a conference center in Kansas, we used heat pumps for the 30 hotel rooms and found them very efficient.  These were self-contained window units.  We also had a window mounted heat pump in our shop (it was “taken”) that had worked well, and I plan to put another in “sometime”.  My sister had instead put in an outdoor compressor with a wall mounted blower unit.  The glass we installed on the porch works during the winter keeping temps above 32F (0C), but as it continues to drop it dropped to around 25F (-4C).  Many of Melissa’s succulents were not happy.  We decided it was time to get a mini split.

When I looked online, I found Mini split systems are compact heating and cooling systems with indoor and outdoor components that can be installed in the wall to control the temperature of an individual room.  They are often referred to as ductless mini splits since they do not require ductwork to disperse air throughout a home.  A mini split consists of an outdoor compressor unit and one (or more) indoor unit (air handlers) that delivers the air.  The mini split transfers heat between the indoor and outdoor units through refrigerant lines (via heat pump) to either extract or release heat and allows both heating and cooling capabilities in one system.  Ductless mini split systems are increasingly popular due to their efficiency and versatility.  Not only do they eliminate ductwork, but they also provide more efficient heating and cooling by targeting rooms where heating and cooling is needed.  A targeted system provides significant energy savings and lower utility bills verses a conventional central HVAC system.  Benefits of mini split systems are flexible placement, easy and affordable installation, energy-efficiency, and compact design.  This seemed like the way to go on our porch.

On Friday the electrician arrived and installed the connection box from our electrical panel to the outside of the house.  The HVAC person came by at the same time to get final measurements and drill holes from the garage to the porch in preparation for the mini split arrival on Monday.  We arranged to take the kids to the kennel for foot grooming rather than cooping them up franticly in the back bedroom.  The installation went smoothly, and the system was in place by 1 pm.  I picked up the kids and took them for a walk at the lake (always a treat).  When we got home, they ran outside to survey the unit placed on the ground next to the A/C.  After a good amount of sniffing and inspection, they were happy with this new feature in their yard.  When the temps drop below freezing (32F/0C) this winter the succulents will be happy as well.

THOUGHTS: Another outcome of installing the mini split was finding local HVAC and electrical techs.  We even got the two ceiling fans installed that have been sitting on our floor since January.  Both were surprised to learn we were not looking to cool the porch, but to heat it during the coldest parts of winter.  The porch windows are open most of the year to provide circulation.  The new fan and mini split make Melissa happy.  Happy succulents, happy dogs, happy wife, all makes a happy life!  Ok, it takes a little more than that, but comfortable surroundings are a good start.  A recent Pew Research Center survey found 69% of Americans were “very concerned” about the cost of housing, up from 61% in April 2023.  “Affordable” is defined as 30% of household income and 31.3% of US households were cost burdened in 2023, including 27.1% of households with a mortgage and 49.7% of households that rent.  Affordable, comfortable housing should be a right, not a luxury.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Roasted

October 28, 2024

I have continued to be amazed how productive our Kentucky pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, var.) have been this year.  They got a late start as the second sister and tarried through most of the summer, but the cooler temps have brought them on.  I gave my niece a bag of prepared beans on Thursday and picked another 3 cups of prepared beans on Sunday.  While I decided to flash freeze most of the quart bags of green beans for later use, I like the ability to go directly from garden to table.  We had decided to put a mini-split HVAC unit on the porch to protect the succulents this year and while moving the racks on Saturday to allow the technician access I noticed several of the Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) I had stored on the racks on the porch had started to rot on the stem ends (obviously too warm).  I ended up throwing two away but the other two were still good.  It seemed this might be a good time to make some roasted vegetables.

When I looked online, I found there are many benefits to making roasted vegetables.  This is not only a fairly hands-off method to prepare them, but you do not even need a recipe, just some good cooking oil and some salt.  Roasting adds a savory depth of flavor only achieved once the amino acids and reducing sugars creates melanoidins (Maillard reaction), the compounds that give browned food its distinctive flavor.  The bit of caramelization and crispy edges also add a textural delight.  Boiled vegetables tend to be mushy somewhat bland, while roasted ones are slightly charred and sweet.  Even salad greens like romaine can be roasted and transformed into more complex and intensely flavored versions of their fresh selves.  The easiest way to roast vegetables is to cut them into similar sized pieces (for uniform cooking), toss them in enough oil to completely coat them.  Lay them out on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt and pepper and cook them on the middle shelf in your oven at 400F to 450F (204C to 232C), until they are fork tender and have crisped up at the edges.  The timing varies depending on the hardiness of the vegetables and can range from 10 to 20 minutes for soft yellow squash to up to 60 minutes for carrots and winter squash.  The real length of time varies on how small you dice them.

I diced the squash into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces, cut up the last of my Yukon Gold potatoes (Solanum tuberosum, var.), peeled the smallest of my carrots (Daucus carota), and added a medium onion (Allium cepa) to round out the roasted vegetables.  We purchased several seasoning packets from a spice store in Wichita and I added a packet of Tuscan seasoning to three tablespoons of oil to coat the vegetables.  An online recipe suggested it only took 10 to 20 minutes to roast the mixture, but I was skeptical (see above).  I put them in for 15 minutes at 425F (218C) and then checked.  They were not done.  I raised the temperature to 450F (232C) and put them back for another 15 minutes.  They were perfect.  Prior to making the roasted vegetables I made a pot of green beans.  This was another simple recipe, with the beans mixed with two russet potatoes (store-bought and diced), another medium onion, crumbled bacon, and a Southwest seasoning mix.  Melissa made a small corn bread to accent the roasted vegetables.  The whole meal turned out delicious, and most of it was grown by me.

THOUGHTS: The roasted vegetables and pot of green beans were simple to make, but what made the meal truly satisfying was knowing it came (mostly) from my garden.  It was nice to have some wins out of the time and expense put into raising the crops.  Since I waffled on planting a fall crop, this is the time to start thinking about what will go into my garden next year.  Like most of life, this is a process.  Life seems to have times of frustration and times of satisfaction.  The key is to focus on the latter and let the former slide away.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Long-term

October 23, 2024

I have mentioned how most of my vegetables have matured and stopped producing.  The exceptions are the pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) representing the last of my three sisters’ harvest.  They started late but now still provide several cups of beans every few days.  The raised beds are empty except for the 5 rattlesnake watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) struggling to mature, the 2 late starting green bell peppers (Capsicum annuum), and the 2 red okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) that produce beyond their limit.  There are also 8 cabbages that are finally picking up as the temperatures cool.  I really did not expect much from my tomatoes as the heat kept them from much production during the summer (I did get 3 jars of pasta sauce).  The friend I swap gardening stories with said she tore her tomatoes and peppers out several months ago to avoid having to water them.  We are having temperature shifts as the nights get into the 40’s (4.5+C) and the days get to the high 80’s (27+C), causing a resurgence of my San Marzano and plum tomatoes, making me wonder what to expect in long-term production.

When I looked online, I found that depending on their maturation date, “indeterminate” tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) cultivars are the best long-term producers and will yield tomatoes for two to three months.  “Determinate” tomatoes, including dwarf and bush cultivars, typically only yield tomatoes for around two weeks after they blossom.  Tomatoes are grown as perennials in tropical climates and as annuals in USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 10.  Traditional and heirloom indeterminate tomato cultivars continue to grow taller throughout the growing season and will reach heights of 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 m) and typically require support with a wire tomato cage or stakes.  They grow flowers and yield tomatoes from shoots or “suckers” that grow on the sides of their main stem from the time they mature and flower until the first autumn frost.  The best long-term producing cultivars are those that mature early and grow in an area with a long growing season.

Most cultivated tomatoes in my area (zone 7) are planted soon after the last spring frost (c. April 15) and the fruit is expected sometime between 57 to 100 days after the seedling is planted.  If you plant an indeterminate tomato cultivar, you are encouraged to prune the vines regularly to maintain a long harvest of large, quality tomatoes.  I have done this in the past, but I have only done this sporadically this year.  The University of Arizona horticulturalists recommend pruning all but three or four of the shoots that grow in a tangle inside the cage and allow the foliage to protect the fruit from the sun.  If you don’t prune the suckers, these stems consume a lot of a plant’s energy and may result in smaller yields and fewer tomatoes (like I saw).  I did use 4 foot (1.2 m) cages but as the season went on the plants far exceeded that height.  I found out the San Marzano I planted for pasta sauce are a larger variety of plum tomatoes (I planted both) and are some of the better plants in long-term production.

THOUGHTS: As the temperatures dropped, I quit the daily watering I maintained throughout the summer and removed the dying vegetable plants one by one as they ceased production.  A month ago, I was tempted to tear out all of my tomatoes as they had essentially stopped producing fruit but kept them to see what the long-term might bring.  Now they are again producing blossoms and fruit.  I had little to lose when I took a long-term approach in my vegetable garden.  If the plants failed to produce, I would not have been out much in terms of time and water.  Since they did produce, I will reap the benefit of fresh tomatoes into the fall.  Corporations seem less willing to take a long-term approach toward products or employees.  If the product does not make a quick profit, it is dropped.  If the employee does not prove productive, they are let go.  While moving from one product to the next might make economic sense, employees should not be used as expendable.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Tiger Moth

October 22, 2024

Our enclosed porch serves as a greenhouse for both Melissa’s succulents and a rack during late winter for my vegetable seedlings.  The area is also used to store Melissa’s supplies and the seeds I use to feed the birds.  When I started feeding birds several years ago, I set the bags on the floor.  This worked for several months, but as the weather got colder the rodents that thrived in the tall grass of the lot behind our house were more intent on seeking food and shelter.  While I never saw a house mouse (Mus musculus) or brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), I did have several instances of “something” chewing through the seed bags and spilling the contents onto the floor.  I now have a large 20 gallon (76 l) tub for the larger bags and 3 smaller 5 gallon (15 l) buckets to hold the daily dispersal.  The containers are large enough to contain the seed and have a lid which keeps out the (hopefully) mice.  While cleaning behind the “supplies” behind the feed buckets I found more evidence of mice, but again no actual critters.  What I did find beneath several of the buckets was a brightly colored moth.  When I checked my phone identification it said this was a harnessed tiger moth.

When I looked online, I found the harnessed tiger moth (Apantesis phalerata) is a species of moth within the Erebidae family, first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841.  The harnessed tiger moth’s subfamily (Arctiinae) has about 11,000 species of tiger moths divided globally across three tribes.  The harnessed tiger moth is indigenous to North America, with a geographical distribution from Ontario, Quebec, and Maine in the north, to the west in South Dakota, and stretching south to Florida and Texas.  The adult moth has a wingspan ranging from 1.2 to 1.7 inches (30 to 42 mm), and their distinctive black and orange wing patterns earned them the name “tiger” moth.  The tiger moth has a grooved exoskeletal structure (tymbals) on the posterior three segments of the thorax (metathorax) which they use to produce high frequency cicada (superfamily, Cicadoidea) like clicks.  The clicks are a defensive mechanism against predation and for communication during mating.  The lifespan of a harnessed tiger moth ranges from 5 to 10 days after mating.  The moth’s activity period varies regionally, being active from April to September in the southern parts of its range, and from May to August in the northern areas.  My tiger moth was active (at least alive) in mid-October. 

The harnessed tiger moth uses its vibrant colors to serve as a visual deterrent, signaling to potential predators that they are distasteful.  Despite their warning colors, harnessed tiger moths are preyed upon by bats, which rely on echolocation (not sight) to hunt.  This tiger moth is not poisonous, but adults do secrete a liquid to ward off predators that can cause allergic reactions in humans.  The furry body of the caterpillar can also cause rashes and irritation if touched with bare hands.  There are many spiritual meanings attached to the various species of tiger moth and different types of tiger moths hold different gravity in various cultures worldwide.  White-colored tiger moths are seen as a sign of peace and innocence as white is often considered the color of peace. 

THOUGHTS: Two common spiritual meanings are attached to all tiger moth species around their attraction to light.  Some believe spotting a tiger moth is an indication that the person must leave the dark and start embracing the light in their soul.  For other cultures this is a warning that means not to be easily lured by charming deals or things and think rationally before making decisions.  Human decisions are fraught with a similar dichotomy of good and bad.  Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in his Meditations said, “You have power over your mind – not outside events.”  Nietzsche takes the same perspective, affirming the agency of the individual goes beyond good and evil and declares what is “good” and “bad” by what is serving and hindering their own goals.  There are not absolutes, only your reaction to events.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Amulet

October 15, 2024

I finally got around to going through the items placed in “my bag” when we were clearing out mom’s belongings last year.   These were the items that had “made the cut” when my sister helped her downsize from her two bedroom condo to the one bedroom apartment.  We did not have a lot of time to be out of the apartment, so things were not always carefully distributed.  One particular small basket contained a number of photos of me when I was a child along with something I had no idea what was.  It was an elongated cylinder about 5 inches (12.5 cm) long with three beaded chains hanging beneath it that each held several small charms.  While I did not know what it was, it had obviously held some significance to mom.  Rather than boxing it up for my son to deal with as part of my estate, I decided to post a picture on our sib feed (messenger) and see if anyone knew what it was.  My sister immediately responded this was an amulet to bring good luck to the household given to my parents by the Turkish foreign exchange student they had sponsored.

When I looked online, I found an amulet, also known as a good luck charm, is believed to confer protection upon its possessor.  The word “amulet” comes from the Latin word “amuletum”, or an object that protects a person from trouble.  While I could not find my amulet, I did find several traditional charms popular in Turkish households, including an eye bead or naẓar (Arabic, meaning ‘sight’ or ‘attention’), an eye-shaped amulet believed to protect against the evil eye.  A typical nazar is made of handmade glass featuring concentric circles or teardrop shapes in dark blue, white, light blue and black, occasionally with a yellow/gold edge.  The bead is a mixture of molten glass, iron, copper, water, and salt, all ingredients thought to shield people from evil.  According to Turkish belief, the blue acts as a shield against evil and absorbs negativity.  Blue eyed humans are relatively rare in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, so the ancients believed people with light eyes (particularly blue) could curse someone with just one look.  The Assyrians had turquoise and blue-eye amulets used during the 2nd millennium BCE.

Two years ago (almost to the day) we were in Breisach, Germany, and the Black Forrest.  I had commented at the time on how this forest (and its tales and superstitions) was popularized by the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm.  The quaint towns and villages we passed seemed to be untouched by time, with their cobblestoned streets and traditional half-timbered houses.  As we wound through the countryside, our guide explained how every farmstead carved out among the vales had its own tiny chapel, how crucifix shrines dotted the countryside, and that charms were placed above many doorsills as deterrents for the witches said to proliferate the area.  Winter isolation gave time for stories and the dark foreboding forest gave rise to the imagination.  A trusted amulet or charm was needed by people and houses alike.

THOUGHTS:  An amulet is said to derive its properties and powers from magic, whereas a religious amulet is believed to have no power of their own without faith in Jesus and being blessed by a clergyman.  Amulets are sometimes confused with pendants, or small aesthetic objects that hang from necklaces.  Any pendant may be an amulet, with the difference being that it is believed to protect its holder from danger.  The fear of the unknown is instinctual for humans as we do not possess the fangs of a lion or the claws of a bear.  Feeling safe, we can overcome more powerful things than ourselves.  A modern human amulet is often money or a weapon, but the best protection is still found within the herd.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Aurora

October 11, 2024

Both the national and local news were abuzz yesterday with predictions of the amazing light displays that were going to appear in the northern sky last night.  This dazzling display of color was the result of a powerful solar storm that slammed into Earth.  This celestial phenomenon is more often a tourist attraction for people traveling to Alaska, Iceland, and regions within the Arctic Circle, but last night’s storm triggered lights in the night sky much further south.  This is the second time a severe solar storm hit the Earth this year, with the first being in May.  My sister lives in Maine and she started the buzz for our family, posting photos on our family feed of the crimson display seen from her back yard.  It was also suggested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that the lights were going to be visible as far south as Alabama and northern California.  Reports came in from as far south as Texas and Arizona, while the southern lights were seen in parts of Australia.  As we watched the 10 pm news, there were postings of the aurora from areas of northwest Arkansas.

When I looked online, I found an aurora, commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth’s sky that is predominantly seen in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic.  Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky.  An aurora is the result of disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by the solar wind.  Major disturbances result from enhancements in the speed of the solar wind from coronal holes and from coronal mass ejections that alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma.  The particles, mainly electrons and protons, then precipitate into the Earth’s upper atmosphere (thermosphere or exosphere) and the ionization and excitation of atmospheric components emit light of varying colors and complexity.  The form of the aurora is dependent on the amount of acceleration the solar winds impart to the precipitating particles.  Most of the planets in Sol’s Solar System, some moons, brown dwarfs, and even comets can display an aurora.

Melissa and I had taken the bait in May and gone outside to look for the aurora on our back deck.  The TV news had been posting photos taken throughout our state and we wondered if we could see anything.  Our deck is mostly surrounded by trees, but there is a patch of northern sky that is visible.  At the time we had not seen anything.  This time Melissa’s friends began sending photos and we were again lured into the dark.  Melissa used her flashlight rather than the porch lights to keep the area as dark as possible.  When situated she turned off the flashlight and we scanned the horizon.  Nothing.  The night was pitch black with only the faint lights of the city to the north visible.  Then I remembered the lights could often be seen through filters such as a phone camera.  Again, I scanned and horizon.  Nothing.  However, as I looked higher in the sky, I began to see the pink glow above the blue caused by the lights of the city to the north.  We saw the aurora. 

THOUGHTS: Witnessing the aurora goes along with the total Eclipse of the sun as memorable celestial events for Melissa and me during 2024.  The contrast between the blackness seen by the naked eye and the colors seen by the camera were amazing.  While ancients watched the skies and considered such events as omens or predictors of the future, but this aurora would have gone unseen in the past.  The problem with celestial predictions, is they portend “something”, more so than “a thing”.  History predicts the coming elections in the US will bring some sort of change.  While that may be an easy prediction for modern pollsters, the last two elections have proven the “what” is far less known.  Change happens, but humans can play an active role in what that change is going to be.  Work for positive change.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Carrots

October 10, 2024

Only a few plants remain in my raised beds as we approach the end of the growing season.  I have two bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) that had been overshadowed by the cutleaf ground cherry (Physalis angulata) that had self-propagate and taken over three of my raised beds.  After I ripped the plants out of the bed these two scrawny plants were hidden underneath.  I had no idea what they were but decided to let them grow.  They are now producing fruit, while the peppers in my containers have stopped producing and the wilted stems have been removed.  The 2 red burgundy okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) are still going strong at over six feet (2 m) with new blossoms daily.  If only I liked okra.  I am thinking I might try and pickle some smaller fruits as it is the only way I can eat them.  The watermelons are still trying to produce, with five new melons on the vine.  Then there are the five cabbage plants (Brassica oleracea) struggling to survive.  I did not pay close enough attention and most of my leafy vegetables were eaten by insects.  I never saw them, but the holes in the leaves gave away their presence.  The only other crop is the carrots I had planted at the end of April.

When I looked online, I found the carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, typically orange in color and is a biennial plant in the umbellifer family (Apiaceae).  Heirloom variations can be purple, black, red, white, and yellow.  All of the subspecies are domesticated forms of the wild carrot which is native to Europe and Southwestern Asia.  The plant probably originated in Iran and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds, but the most common part of the plant now eaten is the taproot.  The domestic carrot has been selectively bred to have a larger, more palatable, and less woody-textured taproot.  Carrots are commonly consumed raw or cooked in various dishes and are a rich source of the provitamin A compound (beta-carotene), which converts to vitamin A as it is digested.  Fast-growing cultivars mature within about 90 days of sowing the seed, while slower-maturing cultivars need 120 days.  World production of carrots (combined with turnips) for 2022 was 42 million tons, with China producing 44% of the total.

I do not know if I planted a fast growing or slow growing variety of carrots, but my carrots have been in the ground for over 160 days.  When I planted them, I made a single slit in the ground and shook the tiny seeds into the ground.  I had planted them too close together and when they sprouted none of the seedlings had enough room to flourish.  I tried thinning them several times but never seemed to get them far enough away from each other to give them room to grow.  Every time I checked or thinned them, they were still needle thin.  Several of the tops had become larger recently and today I decided it was time to quit messing with them and harvested the batch.  I did have one descent sized carrot, and a lot of smaller (but passable) ones.  I tried one and gave another small one to Melissa.  While they may not have grown large, they did taste good.           

THOUGHTS: The carrots suffered the same fate as all my root vegetables.  I did not space them enough and even thinning them did not give them enough room to grow.  I watched a YouTube video suggesting I plant them in squares to make sure there was proper spacing to grow.  More knowledge to save for the future.  I did not do a second planting of any of my vegetables (in August).  I had grown weary and was not paying enough attention to the plants I already had in the ground.  I guess sustainability is still a long way off.  Overcrowding has the same effect on humans as it does carrots.  Human overpopulation suggests we may become too large to be sustained by the environment or the Earth’s resources.  Estimates of the world’s carrying capacity predict a maximum of 7.7 billion.  We now stand at over 8 billion and rising.  Unless this is addressed, like my carrots the world will self-correct itself.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Habitat

October 03, 2024

Melissa and I have been trying to revamp the furniture in our living room since the day we moved into her house in Arkansas.  Knowing we had a house full of furniture in Arkansas, we donated most of our furniture to the Conference Center where I had been working.  While our Kansas furniture was in good shape, it was the first furniture I purchased 20 years earlier and I was ready for a change.  When we moved to Arkansas the furniture was not much newer and was a style neither of us liked.  We tried buying an inexpensive living room set two years ago, but it turned out to be inexpensive.  Over the weekend Melissa visited a friend in northwest Arkansas and was impressed with the style and utility of the furniture she had.  Needless to say, we went shopping over the weekend and came away with a sofa and chair as a replacement.  That left one question, what are we going to do with the items we no longer need?  We decided on repurpose by donating to Habitat for Humanity.

When I looked online, I found Habitat for Humanity International, also referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit which seeks to build affordable housing.  It was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller.  The operational headquarters are located in Americus, Georgia, and the administrative headquarters are located in Atlanta.  In 2023, Habitat for Humanity operated in more than 70 countries and works to help build and improve homes for low-income or disadvantaged families.  Homes are built using volunteer labor, including the practice of sweat equity from the future homeowners, along with paid contractors for certain construction or infrastructure activities.  Habitat makes no profit from the home sales and instead operates with financial support from individuals, philanthropic foundations, corporations, government entities, and mass media companies.  While Melissa and I have worked on several houses, it is probably better known that President Jimmy Carter and Rosaland worked many more volunteer hours building Habitat houses.

Along with building houses, Habitat ReStores accept small and large donations of new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, and building materials.  The sale proceeds then help Habitat’s work in the local community and around the world.  Items can be donated in person, and many Habitat ReStores offer free pickup of large items.  We were able to donate 2 sofas, 1 recliner, and a love seat to our local ReStore.  I made an appointment, and they picked up the items this morning.  Unfortunately, 1 recliner did not make the cut (worn).  The EPA estimates that 9 million tons of furniture are tossed every single year, or roughly 5% of everything brought to landfills.  Most of the furniture going to the land fill was made within the last 10 to 15 years, according to Ashlee Piper, sustainability expert and author.  Part of the problem is that today’s fast furniture is more challenging to repair because of its materials.  Unlike grandma’s, these pieces are not meant to last a lifetime.

THOUGHTS:  While in Berkeley I was living across the street from the Cal dorms.  The students obviously did not know about Habitat and each spring term as they were kicked out for the summer their fast furniture ended up in my building’s dumpster, allowing me to upgrade every year.  The price or where the item of furniture was made can be a red flag for new items.  Shopping locally can increase your odds of something being made with a thoughtful production process, rather than something where the emphasis is put on producing goods as cheaply as possible.  There are often good finds in secondhand stores (like Habitat) that with some minor repairs or refurbishing will make the piece feel fresh.  We are not all blessed with an overflowing dumpster.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Sea Robins

September 30, 2024

David Kingsley, the Rudy J. and Daphne Donohue Munzer Professor in the department of developmental biology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, first came across an odd looking fish in 2016 when he stopped into a small public aquarium in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.  “The fish on display completely spun my head around because they had the body of a fish, the wings of a bird, and multiple legs like a crab,” Kingsley said.  Kingsley and his colleagues decided to study the fish in the lab and found differences between the sea robin species and the genetics responsible for their unusual traits.  The findings of the study team’s new research show how evolution leads to complex adaptations in specific environments, such as the ability of sea robins to be able to “taste” prey using their highly sensitive appendages.  According to their research, some types of the bottom-dwelling ocean fish use taste bud-covered legs to sense and dig up prey along the seafloor.  Sea robins are so adept at rooting out prey on the ocean floor with their leglike appendages that other fish follow them around hoping to snag some of the freshly uncovered prey themselves.

When I looked online, I found sea robins (order, Triglidae), commonly known as gurnards, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish.  Triglidae is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes and is divided into 3 subfamilies and 8 genera that include 125 species distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.  Most species are around 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) in length with the females typically being larger than the males.  They have an unusually solid skull, and many species possess armored plates on their bodies.  Another distinctive feature is the presence of a “drumming muscle” that makes sounds by beating against the swim bladder.  Sea robins have three “walking rays” on each side of their body that are derived from the supportive structures in the pectoral fins (fin-rays).  During development, the fin-rays separate from the rest of the pectoral fin and develop into walking rays.  These walking rays have specialized muscle divisions and unique anatomy that differ from typical fin-rays to allow them to be used as supportive structures during underwater locomotion.  The rays are used for locomotion and prey detection on the seafloor via tasting (chemoreception) and are highly sensitive to the amino acids in marine invertebrates.

While all sea robins have leglike appendages, only some have the macroscopic sensory organs that allow them to taste the environment.  Research revealed digging sea robins depend on a regulatory gene called tbx3a not only to develop their specialized fin adaptations but also to form the papillae that cause them to dig. Tbx3 also plays a role in limb development in humans, chickens, mice, and other fish species.  The fish grew legs using the same genes that contribute to the growth of our limbs and then repurposed these legs to find prey using the same genes our tongues use to taste food.  Sea robins stand out among other walking fishes because their pectoral fins (walking fin rays) are highly jointed and their skeletal and muscular anatomy showcase unique modifications that enable the sea robins to walk. 

THOUGHTS:  Sea robins have firm white flesh that holds together in cooking, making them well-suited to soups and stews such as the French bouillabaisse.  They were often caught in British waters as a bycatch and discarded, but as other species became less sustainable and more expensive, they became more popular.  Sea robins (gurnards) are used as bait by lobster fishers but are also now appearing in fish markets in the US.  As desirable species are overfished or become scarce humans turn to the “next one up” to meet our food needs.  We need to find ways to make fishing sustainable, or even the rough (trash) fish will be in short supply.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.