GARDEN SURPRISE (OR WHY TO GARDEN ORGANICALLY)

Hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend

Top Ten Garden Insect Pests

“Learn to identify the most common garden pests and what you can do to control them.

The following list of pest descriptions and control measures provides a good starting point for tackling pest control in gardens throughout the United States and Canada. Control solutions are listed in order of environmental friendliness. Botanical sprays, which can have detrimental effects on beneficial insects and other animals, should be used only as a last resort.”

To read more click, and beware of “Tomato Guy”

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, organically approved pesticide application and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests. Organic farming excludes or strictly limits the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms.

Truth be known I’m a Miracle-Gro kind of guy.

“With the brutally hot weather we’ve had lately, it seems like I’ve been constantly watering our container plants.” Read more from The Everyday Gardener's Blog ( Linda is going to water today because I’m going golfing.)

As always, “Thanks for stopping by and make sure to save some room for the peaches LOL.”

Technorati Tags: GARDEN,LANCASTER OHIO,ORGANIC,TOMATO GUY

Reflecting on Paradise in Punta Cana Dominican Republic

Well Linda and I are back in Lancaster,Ohio from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. We enjoy sharing our photos and hope you enjoy them.

A Weekend Reflections & Scenic Sunday post. From the Paradise of Punta Cana.

I found the morning to be a good time to do a little reflecting at the pool.

On the way back to the room I would pass Bird of Paradise, Crane Flower (Strelitzia reginae) which symbolizes joyfulness. It also symbolizes magnificence. It can also be used to indicate exciting and wonderful anticipation.

Back in Ohio and spending a good deal of time in the garden but sometimes my mind is still in paradise. As Always,”Thanks for Stopping By.”

Technorati Tags: PUNTA CANA,LANCASTER OHIO,WEEKEND REFLECTIONS,SCENIC SUNDAY,BIRDS OF PARADISE

BARON RAYLEIGH AND BLUE SKIES FOR SKY WATCH FRIDAY ( More Skies over Punta Cana )

BLUE SKIES OVER PUNTA CANA IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR SKYWATCH FRIDAY

John William Strutt, third Baron Rayleigh won The Nobel Prize in Physics 1904. If you are at all interested in the scientific reason for why the sky is blue click . The short answer is; the process called Rayleigh scattering.

I wonder what Baron Rayleigh would think about “SMILEY GUYS” in the sky?

  I thought Blue Sky was caused by “I’m feeling Lucky” using Picasa 3.

Landscapes, skyscapes and sun don’t forget the Polarizing Filter. So What Does It Do? First of all it can darken blue skies turning them a deep, rich blue.

If you really want to know about the color blue go see what the “kids” have to say.

Right now I’m doing a study on ( UV ) radiation or SUNBURN. Did you know: The use of sunscreen is known to prevent the direct DNA damage that causes sunburn and the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. However, if sunscreen penetrates into the skin, it promotes indirect DNA damage, which causes the most lethal form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma. This form of skin cancer is rare, but it causes 75% of all skin cancer-related deaths. Increased risk of malignant melanoma in sunscreen users has been the subject of many epidemiological studies. From WIKIPEDIA

To late for me I’m “TOAST” but thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to visit:

Technorati Tags: BARON Rayleigh,PUNTA CANA,DOMINICAN REPUBLID.SUNBURN,SKY WATCH FRIDAY

ON THE BEACH IN PUNTA CANA FOR WATERY WEDNESDAY

LINDA AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT THE BEACH IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ( PUNTA CANA ) A WATERY WEDNESDAY POST.

Sometimes the beach was quiet and I had the opportunity for those early morning walks.

The sand, sea,and sky in Punta Cana is outstanding. Now maybe do a little sailing in a catamaran

I hadn’t sailed a boat in 25 years. These sail boats are very stable and easy to sail. Jibing and Coming About was the question of the moment. I went out first just by myself to see how things went then the next day Linda went with me.

By noon “things” were in full swing.

Then in the evening the mood seemed to be more contemplative. (at least for me). “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.” John F. Kennedy

Linda,Ted R. and a  Star FRIEND reporting from the beach in Punta Cana.

As Always thanks for stopping by AND Don’t forget the Beach Games at the IberoStar.  Iberostar Punta Cana sits directly on Playa Bavaro, one of the finest beaches in the world. ( YES ) This five-mile stretch of tropical beach is protected by a coral reef with a magnificent world of wonders underwater.

Technorati Tags: BEACH VACATIONS,PUNTA CANA,WATERY WEDNESDAY,DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

BUSY BUSY BUSY IN LANCASTER,OHIO FOR My World Tuesday

A MY WORLD TUESDAY POST FROM JOE TODD’S BACKYARD IN LANCASTER,OHIO.

'Let us not get so busy or live so fast that we can't listen to the music of the meadow or the symphony that glorifies the forest. Some things in the world are far more important than wealth; one of them is the ability to enjoy simple things.- Dale Carnegie

THE SIMPLE THINGS FOR ME ARE WANDERING, GARDENING, AND GOLFING. Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in the garden.(I know I need to do more commenting)

  Last year the groundhog pretty much devastated the garden. (note the fence) so far so good. There are two peach trees at the far end of the garden and the limbs are loaded with peaches.

The strawberries are done for the season but we did manage to freeze some. Right now Red Raspberries are going strong. Pies,Cobbler,and on vanilla ice cream. OH MY Red Raspberries contain significant amounts of polyphenol antioxidants such as anthocyanin pigments linked to potential health protection against several human diseases.

No photo of the pie because it is in my stomach. Last year I did a post on the old garden shed . This spring Linda and I assembled the new shed. Without Linda reading and interpreting the directions the THOUSANDS of pieces would still be in the box.

  Tomatoes,Beans,Peppers,Squash,

Cucumbers,Onions, Corn, and Zucchini. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum),is also called the love apple

Yes,the whole backyard is a garden ( Somewhere between 90 and 100 tomato plants.) There will be a lot of canning in the near future.

  So, that is My World Tuesday 6/22/2010. Click to explore more of this wonderful world.  Sometimes Linda and I just sit on the back deck and watch everything grow.

 Linda is in the “sewing room”. She just got and order for fifteen of her handcrafted Teddy Bears. Each Teddy Bear has a zippered compartment in the back and an embroidered name on the arm. When I have a problem I just write it down on a note pad and put the note in the Teddy Bears back. A problem shared with a “Bear” is a problem solved. LOL::::: and as always, “Thanks for stopping by”

Technorati Tags: VEGETABLE GARDEN,MY WORLD TUESDAY,HAND TEDDY BEARS,LANCASTER OHIO

CASTLES IN THE SKY FOR SKY WATCH FRIDAY (ON THE WAY TO PUNTA CANA)

TO VIEW BEAUTIFUL SKIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD VISIT SKY WATCH FRIDAY

MY FAVORITE:

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."  Albert Einstein

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE A CASTLE IN THE SKY THERE IS ALWAYS THE SAND. JOE TODD REPORTING FROM THE BEACH IN PUNTA CANA SAYS, “THANKS FOR STOPPING BY.”

Technorati Tags: SKY WATCH FRIDAY,CLOUDS,SKY,DREAMS,PUNTA CANA