This is the kind of speech we need to stir the political pot.

[Ted[_2_]]

And what do we get; a mulatto, a middle-aged lady, and an old
scrotbag.

ted

[Billy[_4_]]

In article om>,
Steve > wrote:

> On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:40:51 -0800 (PST), Ted >
> wrote:
>
> >And what do we get; a mulatto, a middle-aged lady, and an old
> >scrotbag.
> >
> >ted

And I would prefer to have a beer with any of them more than with Ted.
'Course he'd fall off his stool when I told him that I was voting for
Cynthia McKinny. Hopefully she will have an ol' scrotbag as a running
mate;-)

Go Greens
--

Billy

Impeach Pelosi,
Bush & Cheney to the Hague
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_George_W._Bush

[Frank]

Billy wrote:
> In article om>,
> Steve > wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:40:51 -0800 (PST), Ted >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> And what do we get; a mulatto, a middle-aged lady, and an old
>>> scrotbag.
>>>
>>> ted
>
> And I would prefer to have a beer with any of them more than with Ted.
> 'Course he'd fall off his stool when I told him that I was voting for
> Cynthia McKinny. Hopefully she will have an ol' scrotbag as a running
> mate;-)
>
> Go Greens

Old Scrotbag, is Ralph Nader, right? Heard he's holding his convention
in his garage ;)

[J. Clarke]

Frank wrote:
> Billy wrote:
>> In article om>,
>> Steve > wrote:
>>
>>> On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:40:51 -0800 (PST), Ted
>>> >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> And what do we get; a mulatto, a middle-aged lady, and an old
>>>> scrotbag.
>>>>
>>>> ted
>>
>> And I would prefer to have a beer with any of them more than with
>> Ted. 'Course he'd fall off his stool when I told him that I was
>> voting for Cynthia McKinny. Hopefully she will have an ol' scrotbag
>> as a running mate;-)
>>
>> Go Greens
>
> Old Scrotbag, is Ralph Nader, right? Heard he's holding his
> convention in his garage ;)

Garage? Ralphie finally broke down and learned to drive?

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

[Billy[_4_]]

In article >,
Frank <frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet> wrote:

> Billy wrote:
> > In article om>,
> > Steve > wrote:
> >
> >> On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:40:51 -0800 (PST), Ted >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> And what do we get; a mulatto, a middle-aged lady, and an old
> >>> scrotbag.
> >>>
> >>> ted
> >
> > And I would prefer to have a beer with any of them more than with Ted.
> > 'Course he'd fall off his stool when I told him that I was voting for
> > Cynthia McKinny. Hopefully she will have an ol' scrotbag as a running
> > mate;-)
> >
> > Go Greens
>
> Old Scrotbag, is Ralph Nader, right? Heard he's holding his convention
> in his garage ;)

Yeah, and taking votes away from the Green who could become a real
alternative to the corporate Republicrates that run the country now. I
would encourage anyone from a state that is strongly Republican or
Democrat to vote for the Greens to maintain their electoral funding.
--

Billy

Impeach Pelosi,
Bush & Cheney to the Hague
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_George_W._Bush

[enigma]

Billy > wrote in

ct.net.au:

> Yeah, and taking votes away from the Green who could become
> a real alternative to the corporate Republicrates that run
> the country now. I would encourage anyone from a state that
> is strongly Republican or Democrat to vote for the Greens
> to maintain their electoral funding.

but most states don't even recognise the Green party, so we
couldn't vote for them as an alternative. NH *used* to have
the Libertarian party on the ballot, but they were removed
about 12 years ago (& haven't returned yet, despite the Free
Staters)
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

[Billy[_4_]]

In article >,
enigma > wrote:

> Billy > wrote in
>
> ct.net.au:
>
> > Yeah, and taking votes away from the Green who could become
> > a real alternative to the corporate Republicrates that run
> > the country now. I would encourage anyone from a state that
> > is strongly Republican or Democrat to vote for the Greens
> > to maintain their electoral funding.
>
> but most states don't even recognise the Green party, so we
> couldn't vote for them as an alternative. NH *used* to have
> the Libertarian party on the ballot, but they were removed
> about 12 years ago (& haven't returned yet, despite the Free
> Staters)
> lee

While the sitting president and the potential Presidential candidates
are good sources for garden fertilizer, if you have you can vote for a
third party candidate without scaring yourself, I would strongly
recommend it. The Democrats will win in California, so I can safely vote
for anyone else. I truly can only see a nickel's worth of difference in
the candidates. All of them would keep us mired in, what I see as, a
phony "war on terrorism", keep troops in the middle east, and leave is
with this abortion of a farm bill.

Speaking of agriculture, my two dwarf peach trees are flowering and I
have some wild onions that need a reapplication of newsprint and mulch.
Bought an artichoke yesterday and now need to put it in the ground with
another one that I have in a pot (It was in the ground but was being
pillaged by rampaging gastropods. Speaking of gastropods, while your
garden is still damp is the time to get out there and give them a good
dose of iron phosphate.). I plan to separate them (the artichokes, not
the gastropods) by five to six feet. Think that's enough? I hope to get
some echinacea and a half dozen or so mammoth sunflowers to grow around
them. This will be in front (south side) of a trellis for bitter melons.

I tried some fancy mesculim salad mixes last year. All were disasters
that only left me with arugula, which grows like a weed here, and which
I can't stand the taste of. This year it is back to romaine, lolo rosso,
and the basics. I was told that my purslane (omega-3 rich) would become
an invasive weed but so far, no sign of its' return.

Most of my herbs, known and unknown, made it through the winter although
the local gray squirrels pawed through them looking for something to
eat. I was surprised to see the bird feeder down in sunflower seed.
I've heard birds, including our blue colored jays (happy?) but I haven't
seen any at the feeder which is mostly for wrens and bushtits.

Sunday, looks like a barbecue day here (full Sun and temps in the high
60Fs. I'll carp my diem while I can. Who knows how long it will last?
--

Billy

Impeach Pelosi,
Bush & Cheney to the Hague
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/site/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_George_W._Bush

[enigma]

Billy > wrote in

ct.net.au:

> While the sitting president and the potential Presidential
> candidates are good sources for garden fertilizer, if you
> have you can vote for a third party candidate without
> scaring yourself, I would strongly recommend it. The
> Democrats will win in California, so I can safely vote for
> anyone else. I truly can only see a nickel's worth of
> difference in the candidates. All of them would keep us
> mired in, what I see as, a phony "war on terrorism", keep
> troops in the middle east, and leave is with this abortion
> of a farm bill.

fortunately that bit of stupidity seems to be hung up in the
"system"... indeed fortunate, because it makes NAIS mandatory.
perhaps i could farm without livestock, but i don't want to.
i also don't want to register my premises with the Feds for
the "privilege" of owning a horse, goat, sheep, llama, cow,
pig or a few chickens. not their business & not in any way
going to "protect the National Herd" :p

> Speaking of agriculture, my two dwarf peach trees are
> flowering and I have some wild onions that need a
> reapplication of newsprint and mulch. Bought an artichoke
> yesterday and now need to put it in the ground with another
> one that I have in a pot (It was in the ground but was
> being pillaged by rampaging gastropods. Speaking of
> gastropods, while your garden is still damp is the time to
> get out there and give them a good dose of iron
> phosphate.). I plan to separate them (the artichokes, not
> the gastropods) by five to six feet. Think that's enough? I
> hope to get some echinacea and a half dozen or so mammoth
> sunflowers to grow around them. This will be in front
> (south side) of a trellis for bitter melons.

i think you should separate the gastropods by at least 6 feet
too...
i'd love to grow artichokes (my kid's favorite veggie!) but
they don't like my climate. i really need a greenhouse.
i have some old type echinacea (purplish pink). are any of
the newer colored cultivars non-patented & suitable for
medicinals? i won't plant anything with a patent if i can
avoid it. i think plant patents are one of the modern evils.

> I tried some fancy mesculim salad mixes last year. All were
> disasters that only left me with arugula, which grows like
> a weed here, and which I can't stand the taste of.

my tortoises love arugala & it's very good for them. is your
area too warm for mesculin mix? how does mustard do there, or
don't you like that either?

>This
> year it is back to romaine, lolo rosso, and the basics. I
> was told that my purslane (omega-3 rich) would become an
> invasive weed but so far, no sign of its' return.

you want purslane? i have that *everywhere* in my garden. it's
invasive here, but the chickens do keep it in check (& i get
omega-3 rich eggs)

> Most of my herbs, known and unknown, made it through the
> winter although the local gray squirrels pawed through them
> looking for something to eat. I was surprised to see the
> bird feeder down in sunflower seed. I've heard birds,
> including our blue colored jays (happy?) but I haven't seen
> any at the feeder which is mostly for wrens and bushtits.

wrens like smaller seeds, or shelled sunflower seed, or at
least east coast wrens do. i mix smaller seed, like millet, in
with rendered beef suet so as not to attract English sparrows.

> Sunday, looks like a barbecue day here (full Sun and temps
> in the high 60Fs. I'll carp my diem while I can. Who knows
> how long it will last?

my weather says Sunny, high around 37 for Sunday. good. i'll
get some sap :) we've got about 10 gallons in the freezer, but
we're really pushing the season still. another 5 gallons &
we'll boil it down with the 10 (15 gal) to 5 gallons & brew a
nice maple beer with it.

lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

[Billy[_4_]]

In article >,
enigma > wrote:

> Billy > wrote in
>
> ct.net.au:
>
> > While the sitting president and the potential Presidential
> > candidates are good sources for garden fertilizer, if you
> > have you can vote for a third party candidate without
> > scaring yourself, I would strongly recommend it. The
> > Democrats will win in California, so I can safely vote for
> > anyone else. I truly can only see a nickel's worth of
> > difference in the candidates. All of them would keep us
> > mired in, what I see as, a phony "war on terrorism", keep
> > troops in the middle east, and leave us with this abortion
> > of a farm bill.
>
> fortunately that bit of stupidity seems to be hung up in the
> "system"... indeed fortunate, because it makes NAIS
<<National Animal Identification System>>
>mandatory.
> perhaps i could farm without livestock, but i don't want to.
> i also don't want to register my premises with the Feds for
> the "privilege" of owning a horse, goat, sheep, llama, cow,
> pig or a few chickens. not their business & not in any way
> going to "protect the National Herd" :p
If you were raising steers for commercial consumption, there could be
some sense to it but the rest of it just seems like meddling intrusion.
>
> > Speaking of agriculture, my two dwarf peach trees are
> > flowering and I have some wild onions that need a
> > reapplication of newsprint and mulch. Bought an artichoke
> > yesterday and now need to put it in the ground with another
> > one that I have in a pot (It was in the ground but was
> > being pillaged by rampaging gastropods. Speaking of
> > gastropods, while your garden is still damp is the time to
> > get out there and give them a good dose of iron
> > phosphate.). I plan to separate them (the artichokes, not
> > the gastropods) by five to six feet. Think that's enough? I
> > hope to get some echinacea and a half dozen or so mammoth
> > sunflowers to grow around them. This will be in front
> > (south side) of a trellis for bitter melons.
>
> i think you should separate the gastropods by at least 6 feet
> too...

With the iron phosphate, it seems I've done better than that.

> i'd love to grow artichokes (my kid's favorite veggie!) but
> they don't like my climate. i really need a greenhouse.
> i have some old type echinacea (purplish pink). are any of
> the newer colored cultivars non-patented & suitable for
> medicinals?

I haven't got that far yet, Echinacea purpurea is all I've played with
to date.

>i won't plant anything with a patent if i can
> avoid it. i think plant patents are one of the modern evils.
>
> > I tried some fancy mesculim salad mixes last year. All were
> > disasters that only left me with arugula, which grows like
> > a weed here, and which I can't stand the taste of.
>
> my tortoises love arugala & it's very good for them. is your
> area too warm for mesculin mix? how does mustard do there, or
> don't you like that either?

Animal fodder, that sounds about right. Right in there with eating seal.

I think it was the earwigs and the rolly-pollys that did me in on my
mesculin mixes. Goin' back to the tried and true.

Mustard? Hoo-ha, do we have mustard. About the middle of january, the
vineyards around here turn a light mustard yellow from the blooms of
wild mustard and we got a lot of vineyards. I got some chinese mustard
that sorta floats around the garden, although it may have gotten buried
under the mulch this year. I like a little mustard in my salads but I
don't want to swamp out the flavor of the lettuce. Slow growing, home
grown lettuce has flavor and crunch that is missing in store bought
lettuce.
>
> >This
> > year it is back to romaine, lolo rosso, and the basics. I
> > was told that my purslane (omega-3 rich) would become an
> > invasive weed but so far, no sign of its' return.
>
> you want purslane? i have that *everywhere* in my garden. it's
> invasive here, but the chickens do keep it in check (& i get
> omega-3 rich eggs)

I was just starting to get a couple of purslane a week from my garden
when it went dormant (I hope that is what it is.) Doesn't have an
interesting flavor but I will eat it with a garlic-herb vinaigrette in
hopes of being healthier.

>
> > Most of my herbs, known and unknown, made it through the
> > winter although the local gray squirrels pawed through them
> > looking for something to eat. I was surprised to see the
> > bird feeder down in sunflower seed. I've heard birds,
> > including our blue colored jays (happy?) but I haven't seen
> > any at the feeder which is mostly for wrens and bushtits.
>
> wrens like smaller seeds, or shelled sunflower seed, or at
> least east coast wrens do. i mix smaller seed, like millet, in
> with rendered beef suet so as not to attract English sparrows.

My Bay Area bird book identifies them as house wrens. They are about the
size of my thumb and when they get goin' I have to fill the feeder two
or three times a week. I have a hanging pot of cascading geraniums to
which I have attached a flat bottomed, plastic, plant holder underneath
of it, so that the birds can do one stop shopping, food and water. I
have to keep it elevated because our daughters have left us with five
cats.

>
> > Sunday, looks like a barbecue day here (full Sun and temps
> > in the high 60Fs. I'll carp my diem while I can. Who knows
> > how long it will last?
>
> my weather says Sunny, high around 37 for Sunday. good. i'll
> get some sap :) we've got about 10 gallons in the freezer, but
> we're really pushing the season still. another 5 gallons &
> we'll boil it down with the 10 (15 gal) to 5 gallons & brew a
> nice maple beer with it.

What makes it beer instead of maple wine? With beer you have to
germinate the barley, then bake it, and then brew at varying temps to
get the right mix of dextrins (if I remember correctly) for mouth feel.
To make wine, you would add water to bring the solution to 21% to 25%
sugar, add 7 - 10 grams of tartaric acid/liter, a handfull of raisins
for nutrient, and a kilo of yeast/1000 gallons. See instructions for
making mead. With wine the sanitation is crucial. With wine the acidity
keeps the micros under control although a little potassium metabisulfite
at the end of fermentation is called for.

>
> lee

Later.
--

Billy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages
/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?
in_article_id=522837&in_page_id=1811

[enigma]

Billy > wrote in

ct.net.au:

> If you were raising steers for commercial consumption,
> there could be some sense to it but the rest of it just
> seems like meddling intrusion.

if i was raising steers, they would be grass fed & humanely
slaughtered (yes, PETA folks, that *is* possible). it is
getting very hard to find abbatoirs that are not huge meat
factories though, & it's already illegal to eat farm
slaughtered livestock.
i did have a steer that was being trained as an ox, but it
turned out he hadn't been properly neutered & when the
testosterone kicked in at 10 months old, he picked me up on
his horns & tossed me across the pen. i had my vet finish the
job, but that one time clouded his judgement as to who was the
boss... he was delicious.

>> i think you should separate the gastropods by at least 6
>> feet too...
>
> With the iron phosphate, it seems I've done better than
> that.

i'll have to look up the toxicity of that. i want to kill
slugs in my pastures. they're the alternate host for meningeal
worm (primary host is deer), which are fatal when the llamas
pick them up. if i can safely spread that in the pastures
(maybe when the llamas are in a different one? rotational
grazing is good stuff), that would be great.

>> i have some old type echinacea (purplish pink). are any
>> of
>> the newer colored cultivars non-patented & suitable for
>> medicinals?
>
> I haven't got that far yet, Echinacea purpurea is all I've
> played with to date.

hummingbirds on the east coast love them.

> I was just starting to get a couple of purslane a week from
> my garden when it went dormant (I hope that is what it is.)
> Doesn't have an interesting flavor but I will eat it with a
> garlic-herb vinaigrette in hopes of being healthier.

seems to me that the purslane is not one of the early
starters here. i seem to notice it once the soil warms up &
then it's everywhere. i pulled 3 wheelbarrow loads of it out
of 3 row paths last summer... & it was back within 2 weeks.
it really doesn't taste like much. i nibble on it while
weeding sometimes. a vinegrette could only improve it.

> What makes it beer instead of maple wine? With beer you
> have to germinate the barley, then bake it, and then brew
> at varying temps to get the right mix of dextrins (if I
> remember correctly) for mouth feel.

i buy my grains still. i do grind them though.

> To make wine, you would
> add water to bring the solution to 21% to 25% sugar, add 7
> - 10 grams of tartaric acid/liter, a handfull of raisins
> for nutrient, and a kilo of yeast/1000 gallons. See
> instructions for making mead. With wine the sanitation is
> crucial. With wine the acidity keeps the micros under
> control although a little potassium metabisulfite at the
> end of fermentation is called for.

i don't much care for wine (but then, i don't drink beer
either...). i suppose i *might* find winemaking as interesting
as brewing, but maybe not. cider sounds interesting, or
distilling...
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

[Billy[_4_]]

In article >,
enigma > wrote:

> Billy > wrote in
>
> ct.net.au:
>
> (whack)
>
> i'll have to look up the toxicity of that. i want to kill
> slugs in my pastures. they're the alternate host for meningeal
> worm (primary host is deer), which are fatal when the llamas
> pick them up. if i can safely spread that in the pastures
> (maybe when the llamas are in a different one? rotational
> grazing is good stuff), that would be great.

Try http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html and scrool down
to "Baits" or go to www.recyclenow.org/less-toxic/SnailsSlugs.PDF

(snip)
> hummingbirds on the east coast love them.
I haven't seem the hummers around it. They usually work our Chinese
lanterns.

(clip - clip)
> seems to me that the purslane is not one of the early
> starters here. i seem to notice it once the soil warms up &
> then it's everywhere. i pulled 3 wheelbarrow loads of it out
> of 3 row paths last summer... & it was back within 2 weeks.
> it really doesn't taste like much. i nibble on it while
> weeding sometimes. a vinegrette could only improve it.

Thanks for the advice. I'll stop wringing my hands now.

>
> > What makes it beer instead of maple wine? With beer you
> > have to germinate the barley, then bake it, and then brew
> > at varying temps to get the right mix of dextrins (if I
> > remember correctly) for mouth feel.
>
> i buy my grains still. i do grind them though.

So it's maple flavored beer? Belgians do a lot of flavored alembic beer
but that's only fruit, I think.

(snippety - snippety - snip)

> i don't much care for wine (but then, i don't drink beer
> either...). i suppose i *might* find winemaking as interesting
> as brewing, but maybe not. cider sounds interesting, or
> distilling...

If you don't drink beer, then what is maple beer? A near beer?

Believe it or not but I understand that some people have led long
productive lives without ever taking a single drink.

I always thought that "Work was the curse of the drinking class" (Oscar
Wilde).
> lee
--

Billy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages
/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?
in_article_id=522837&in_page_id=1811

[mleblanca]

On Mar 1, 11:04 am, Billy > wrote:
> In article >,
> enigma > wrote:
> > Billy > wrote in
>
> \snipped the political stuff

> Speaking of agriculture, my two dwarf peach trees are flowering

My Babcock peach and the apricot tree are flowering. The almond
orchards are a sea of pink. It was 76 here Thurs and everything just
burst into bloom.

and I
> have some wild onions that need a reapplication of newsprint and mulch.

I have those but I leave them to feed the gophers!

> Bought an artichoke yesterday and now need to put it in the ground with
> another one that I have in a pot (It was in the ground but was being
> pillaged by rampaging gastropods. Speaking of gastropods, while your
> garden is still damp is the time to get out there and give them a good
> dose of iron phosphate.). I plan to separate them (the artichokes, not
> the gastropods) by five to six feet. Think that's enough? I hope to get
> some echinacea and a half dozen or so mammoth sunflowers to grow around
> them. This will be in front (south side) of a trellis for bitter melons.
>
> I tried some fancy mesculim salad mixes last year. All were disasters
> that only left me with arugula, which grows like a weed here, and which
> I can't stand the taste of. This year it is back to romaine, lolo rosso,
> and the basics.

I had the same experience with Mesclun. mix.....All I got was arugula.
I'm
leaving it to bloom and the birds can have the seeds. Didnt like the
taste either.
It's back to the lovely little lettuces.

I was told that my purslane (omega-3 rich) would become
> an invasive weed but so far, no sign of its' return.

Yes, Lee is right Purslane is a warm weather guy and it isn't in
evidence
here yet either. Wait awhile.............
>
> Most of my herbs, known and unknown, made it through the winter although
> the local gray squirrels pawed through them looking for something to
> eat. I was surprised to see the bird feeder down in sunflower seed.
> I've heard birds, including our blue colored jays (happy?) but I haven't
> seen any at the feeder which is mostly for wrens and bushtits

Oh Billy I am ecstatic! When I go to the big garden in the sky, I will
have
at least one accomplishment to my credit LOL
We don't get many wrens on this side of the valley, but I LOVE those
little
Bushtits, and Kinglets and small Warblers...
>
> Sunday, looks like a barbecue day here (full Sun and temps in the high
> 60Fs. I'll carp my diem while I can. Who knows how long it will last?
> --
>
> Billy
>
Emilie

[enigma]

Billy > wrote in

ct.net.au:

> If you don't drink beer, then what is maple beer? A near
> beer?

no, it has a pretty high gravity. i taste it, but i don't ever
just sit & drink a beer. Tom drinks some & some goes to home
brew competitions & friends. we made quite a few batches of
Chocolate Mint stout before we realized no one here even
*likes* it & it was almost all going to one particular
friend... :)
another good spring beer is Spruce beer. i have blue spruce &
white spruce. the blue tastes better.
i'm putting in a brewer's garden starting this year, along
with my dyer's garden.

> Believe it or not but I understand that some people have
> led long productive lives without ever taking a single
> drink.

but alcohol in moderation is very good for you. the only
alcoholic stuff i like at all is cider & then only in small
amounts.

lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

[Billy[_4_]]

In article >,
enigma > wrote:

> Billy > wrote in
>
> ct.net.au:
>
> > If you don't drink beer, then what is maple beer? A near
> > beer?
>
> no, it has a pretty high gravity. i taste it, but i don't ever
> just sit & drink a beer. Tom drinks some & some goes to home
> brew competitions & friends. we made quite a few batches of
> Chocolate Mint stout before we realized no one here even
> *likes* it & it was almost all going to one particular
> friend... :)
> another good spring beer is Spruce beer. i have blue spruce &
> white spruce. the blue tastes better.
> i'm putting in a brewer's garden starting this year, along
> with my dyer's garden.
>
> > Believe it or not but I understand that some people have
> > led long productive lives without ever taking a single
> > drink.
>
> but alcohol in moderation is very good for you. the only
> alcoholic stuff i like at all is cider & then only in small
> amounts.
>
> lee

Define moderation.

Unfortunately, I like Calvados, in large quantities. A ta santé.
--

Billy

Impeach Pelosi
Bush & Cheney to the Hague
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1248.shtml