Plants are about 80-95% water and need water for multiple reasons.” Carleton College Water provides: “A common trigger for seed germination. Transport nutrients from the soil into and throughout the plant. Photosynthesis, how plants make their own food. Structure, plant cells expand, which contributes to the plant's form and function, including helping the plant stand …
Tag: faith
The Farm: The Essential Role of the Sun.
On the surface the “Lessons from The Farm” reveal a simple application to life, we will always harvest what we plant. But underneath, it’s a very complex system of details, balances & synchronization. Over the next few TGN’s I will attempt to highlight each of the 5 Essentials of the Farm: The Sun, Air, Water, …
Civil Defense
Growing up in the 1960's was interesting. It was a time of potential nuclear attack. In our small town of Hamburg (population 2,500), we had two “Official” Civil Defense shelters, the Post Office and the County Courthouse, that would shelter 200 people. This was the national strategy. Every community and school had a Civil Defense …
It Sounded True But…
It was mid-August 1968 in one of my Basic Training classes. The class was composed of two training groups of 50 young men each, Flight 217 & 218. We had our next assignment and with only weeks away from graduation, we thought we knew life in the military. Then, a stone-faced Sergeant walked into the …
Puppies & People
It dawned on me as I stood in the rain with our new dachshund puppy, Lizzy-Farrar, how much I have in common with her. In short week we have had her, she is still learning to mess (pee & poop) in the yard & not in the house, that gnawing on the electrical cord cannot …
Feeling Forgotten & Alone?
It can happen in a crowd, at work, at a party or sitting alone on your couch. Being forgotten hurts. Good news, God tells us He has not, nor will He ever forget us. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she …
New Ground…The Process
Much of the beautiful farmland in Arkansas was once forest. When it was cleared, we called it “New Ground”. I remember the process. The first stage, the huge D8 Caterpillar bulldozers, came to cut & pile the trees to burn. That took a few weeks. It may have looked like the field was cleared but …
What To Do With the Elephant in the Room?
After I retired, I provided leadership training & consulting to non-profits that serve people with developmental disabilities. Before I started with a small group, I always interviewed each participant to determine the needs of the organization. Each person’s response was recorded in a spreadsheet that functioned much like an MRI highlighting the points of need. …
Who Do You Imitate?
When I was a young boy, I wanted to be like Gene Autry. I had two of his 45 rpm records I played almost every day. When I went outside, I would ride my stick horse “Champion” everywhere, singing, “Back in the saddle again.” A cowboy with a great smile that took care of the …
The Rice Shovel
There is nothing more basic to a rice farmer than his shovel. It goes where he goes. If it’s not over his shoulder as he walks across the field, it’s in his pickup. He uses it to open the levies to flood the field, to repair broken levies, to drain the field, and to kill …