A Gardener's Diary

[Monksdream]

I have spent hours in the past few days viewing video lectures by university virologists.

One lecture included a map with arrows showing the migrations of the earliest humans who left Africa 50 or 60 thousand years ago.

The map was about the kinds of viruses within humans that have been present in them up to this day. It was the same map with the same arrows that Spencer Wells included in his documentary.

[Monksdream]

Everyone's Gone to the Moon

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=everyone%27s+gone+to+the+moon+meaning&&view=detail&mid=A9973EF381DDCDF8A1EBA9973EF381DDCDF8A1EB&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Deveryone%2527s%2Bgone%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bmoon%2Bmeaning%26FORM%3DHDRSC3

[Monksdream]

Everyone's Gone to the Moon

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=everyone%27s+gone+to+the+moon+meaning&&view=detail&mid=A9973EF381DDCDF8A1EBA9973EF381DDCDF8A1EB&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Deveryone%2527s%2Bgone%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bmoon%2Bmeaning%26FORM%3DHDRSC3

[Monksdream]

SITTING beside the road, watching the wagon mount the hill toward her, Lena thinks, ‘I have come from Alabama: a fur piece. All the way from Alabama a-walking. A fur piece.’ Thinking although I have not been quite a month on the road I am already in Mississippi, further from home than I have ever been before. I am now further from Doane’s Mill than I have been since I was twelve years old.

William Faulkner
Light in August
1932

The way I will comment is not what you would expect. How we, as a species, are the way we are now is nothing more than a continuation of our cultural evolution. We're still, well, some of us, anyway, are still trying to figure out how we can somehow, some way, get along with each other without resorting to violence, for instance. We're trying to figure out ways to achieve what some of us believe are noble ideals. One might be how humans create social orders with the goal of providing the greatest good for the greatest number of its participants. Some social orders at present appear to be more successful at this achieving this goal than others.

The story of man, that is to say, modern man, isn't that old. At some point millions of years ago, hominid creatures shared, genetically speaking, a common ancestor. From this ancestor, which could be considered as the trunk of a tree, two distinct species evolved that formed two branches. One branch evolved into the apes, of which there are now many living species. The other branch evolved into hominid creatures that eventually evolved into modern humans.

The consensus view (there is always some disagreement) among paleontologists is modern humans originated in Africa. The evidence, however, is scant. The bones scientists have collected of the earliest hominid creatures would fit into the bed of a pickup truck. That is hardly enough evidence to enable the academics who study prehistoric hominids to arrive at solid conclusions about when and how modern man came to be. Advances in evolutionary biology, however, have helped academics arrive at satisfactory assumptions of how prehistoric hominids became modern humans.

Which leads me to posing a question: When did the story of modern man begin? It is a question best answered by Spencer Wells and his amazing documentary The Journey of Man.
journey of man spencer wells - Bing video

journey of man spencer wells - Bing video



What is important to understand about Wells' documentary is why a small number modern humans who were living in Africa 50,000 or so years decided to go on a journey. The causation of that collective decision, Wells postulates, was due to climate change. The geological record supports this supposition. Some 70 to 50 thousand years ago an ice age began. Water in the oceans became ice. These early humans were mostly hunters, and the pickings were easy until the onset of that ice age, when food in the region of Africa where they lived became scarce.

The fact that a small group of humans, perhaps no more than ten, decided to migrate without having a clue about what the conditions would be like elsewhere, in itself is remarkable. Wells supports his supposition based on genetic evidence. Humans spent the next 30 to 40 thousand years migrating to point they, or we, now live just about anywhere on the planet. We are, strictly by the numbers, a successful species.

[lucky, mydog]

that's very cool. congratulations. good luck and enjoy.

[lucky, mydog]

that's very cool. congratulations. good luck and enjoy.

[Homebrew]

Any wild mushroom eaters here? We've got some that really look and smell like oyster mushrooms, but chicken to try them. Can't find any poisonous types that look the same.

[Huggy Bear]

Appreciate that janice.

[Huggy Bear]

Thank you. Making yet another pot of marinara from my own urban farm...

[janice shell]

Hey! Congratulations!!

[blackcat]

Congrats! That's terrific!
Me and a group of my friends have given goats and chicks and trees and water through HI, They were "birthday gifts". (HI got the gifts, but we ate the cake!)

[janice shell]

You could make this...

Tomato-and-Cheese Cobbler



https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tomato-and-cheese-cobbler

[blackcat]

I was cleaning up the veggie garden and picking blueberries when I noticed that my cherry tomato plants are now taller than I am. (5'2") The vines are loaded and we have some very warm weather comi9ng up. Might actually start ripening!

[janice shell]

Might be good for this time of year. It's certainly unusual:

3-Ingredient Pesto-Grilled Chicken with Peaches

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/3-ingredient-pesto-grilled-chicken-with-peaches?utm_term=recipes&utm_source=nl&utm_brand=epi&utm_mailing=EPI_CTN_072120&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9e6113f92a40469fb4644&cndid=2829099&esrc=bouncexmulti_first

Naturally you can make your own pesto. I'd leave out the nuts for this preparation.

[blackcat]

My back yard had 3 visitors this morning. A doe and her 2 fawns. They were tiny! Smallest I've ever seen in the yard. Had to be less than a month old. More likely just a couple weeks. I froze where I was as soon as I saw them. But, she looked up and saw me and immediately took them back into the woods. Hope to see them again soon.

[Monksdream]

I will listen to the audio and make comments later. Even take notes.

[nowwhat2]

Indeed, there seems to be no doubt about climate change and yet there's quite a large throng of so-called climate-change deniers.....?

What's THAT all about ?.....(well, this here explains it alarmingly well !)
I suspect that if U were to listen to it (or at least some of it as I did) that U might just enjoy it ?

Link : (near top of page)
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/decoding-the-resistance-to-climate-change-are-we-doomed-1.4288483








Also (btw), I was still editing that last post when U replied (it likely reads differently now)






So nice to hear from you !.....Keep those seeds moist ! And yeah that corn looked sweet

[Monksdream]

Aside from the fact is is July in the Temperate Zone, the planet is dealing with the continually rising temperatures. Rain can be sporadic in some regions, heavy in others, where the opposite was the accepted norm.

[nowwhat2]

Boy, we're talkin' heat=wave here !.....It is almost 70 !
Not much rain though (which is weird). Just numerous cloudy days.






Headin' out now tho to get back into the sun
Landscaping the inside of this riding ring - All along its' fence :
First fluffed then blew away a lot of moss,
Now leveling it better so's a tow-behind harrow can keep it cultivated
Which involes a pitchfork, a pick, a shovel, a soil screen, a wheelbarrow to haul away 3 or four loads of rocks......
Whoever built the thing screwed up this 100 ft. stretch
I simply caretake the 12 acre place for the owner where.....
I'm winning what's now been a three year war against weeds....
I once actually had to weed-eat that whole riding ring (then blow all the seed heads off) !
Between doing that and Roundup and rounding up a great "chain" harrow (which gets towed around by just a John Deere ride on mower,
We've landscaped the thing into a maintainable status (least that's what we're workin' towards).











Can just see the north east corner of the riding ring here (so this is basically looking east towards N. America the continent).





Got stalls for 6 horses but've never had to have any



Nuff work around here as it is....

[Monksdream]

July 16--Yesterday I planted collard seeds in two 18 cell trays. I keep them in the shade.

[janice shell]

Looks delicious!

[Monksdream]

The Silver Queen is ready

[janice shell]

Looks delicious!

[blackcat]

I wish more of my salad ingredients were ripe. We have a week full of warm sun- maybe they'll get a move on it. The berries are all fine, but the cantaloupe refuses to do anything whatsoever.

[Monksdream]

You just couldn't hold back anymore, could you?

[blackcat]

Today's lunch is fresh green salad and carrot cake for dessert!

[Monksdream]

Scallions and Cherokee Purples

[Monksdream]

Another carrot cake

[Monksdream]

German Pink, allowed to ripen indoors

[Monksdream]

Cat in the basket...

[blackcat]

Been a long time since she's had a mouse.

[Monksdream]

July 11--Pumpkin caught a mouse. It was still alive when I found it on the patio. Cats play with them. Lose interest. Return. I took it to the apartment. CC the Calico Cat played with it, then ate the head. She is a happy kitty now.

[Monksdream]

July 10--I baked a pound cake

[blackcat]

jay's cat insists that he take a nap with her after lunch!

[Monksdream]

CC the Calico Cat was very active this morning. Now she is sleeping at the head of the bed, wishing I would take a nap with her.

[Monksdream]

The life cycle of the lady beetle

[Monksdream]

This group of 3 Valentine Hungarian sunflowers is next to the building. They won't get any taller.

[Monksdream]

Some of the crape myrtles are making a comeback. This one, at the corner of 36th and The Plaza is in full bloom

[janice shell]

Oh...

[Monksdream]

It is a lady beetle larva

[janice shell]

You mean the white one? It looks like some kind of caterpillar.

[Monksdream]

It is a hyperaspis larva. It will morph into a lady beetle.

[Monksdream]

I am not sure about this insect. They are all over the trunks and lower branches of the crape myrtles in the front yard.

[Monksdream]

July 8--Eric wanted eggplants and I managed to get 3 to grow. I picked 2 for him. There are more, but they will be gone before I can get to them. Whoever goes out there makes sure I'm off the campus.



The tomatoes, which are on the verge of turning red, are from a volunteer plant. They will eventually disappear, too.



These Cherokee Purples are perfectly purple. Bill got 2 of them.



I made another banana cake with Splenda this afternoon. I keep going back to the website about the vegan recipes. They're fascinating.

[janice shell]

Get 'em in different colors. It's nice to have a mix.

[Monksdream]

I just place the spent blossoms in the pot to compost. Buy more seeds next season.

[janice shell]

That would be pretty... You could also throw 'em in a salad. Or pickle the berries, like capers.

[Monksdream]

Oh, I know the blooms are edible. One could decorate a cake with them.

[janice shell]

If you have too many blooms, you can eat them, you know.

[Monksdream]

That would work. It would brown slightly. Since biscuits bake so fast the butter wouldn't burn.