Dragonwood Chronicles

January 2012

2012-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd put up a recent photo. As I stated in an earlier post we are out the net for a while so posts will be few and far between.

The US Debt and Deficit Problem in Simple Terms

2011-08-16T06:10:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Congress sets a federal budget every year in the trillions of dollars. Few people know how much money that is so we created a breakdown of federal spending in simple terms. Let's put the 2011 federal budget into perspective:

* U.S. income: $2,170,000,000,000
* Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000
* New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
* National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
* Recent budget cut: $ 38,500,000,000 (about 1 percent of the budget)

It helps to think about these numbers in terms that we can relate to. Therefore, let's remove eight zeros from these numbers and pretend this is the household budget for the fictitious Smith family:

* Total annual income for the Smith family: $21,700
* Amount of money the Smith family spent: $38,200
* Amount of new debt added to the credit card: $16,500
* Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
* Amount cut from the budget: $385

Does the US have a spending problem? It appears we do!

Garden Photos - Summer 2011

2011-08-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Thought I post a few photos of this summers gardens. It's been a hectic summer with selling the business and getting ready for our move to Florida (winters) so the garden has been put on the back burner. Despite the neglect it's doing quite well. We have perhaps the best tomato crop in recent years. We tried a new variety of pole beans that are excellent. Our garlic harvest was good as it always seems to be.

The weeding has gotten away from me a bit more than is typical.

In these photos you see my grand daughter Kaitlyn (4) looking for "Jack in the Bean Stock", also our outstanding horse radish, and my cucumbers that I grew on a trellis for the first time. So far so good.

Field Testing Bobbex Deer Repellent

2011-07-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Like most rural locations across the northeastern part of North America we have a huge white tail deer population. Seems deer love to eat Hosta. We now have hundreds of Hostas and well over forty different varieties.

In past years the deer didn't bother with our Hosta collection until fall when they were about to go dormant anyway, so we didn't care much when they browsed off the foliage. Last year they decided about the end of June to devour our collection. Luckily Hosta are very resilient and come back with out any problem the next spring. We set out to try a host of different tricks to try to keep the deer from feasting on Deb's babies. Nothing really seemed to work and this year by the middle of July half of our collection has been wiped out by these hungry critters.

On the reccomendation of a local nursery we have purchased and applied Bobbex Deer Repellent to the ones that remain untouched. The nursery claims this is a good product and I hope it is.

We will let you all know how this works and what we think of it.

We would also like to hear about any other ideas you may have. Please feel free to share your experiences good and bad with deer repellent, tricks or products.

One Democrat's Advice: Raising Taxes Doesn't Add Revenue

2011-07-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

“In short, it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now”: President John F. Kennedy

The Baby Boomer Retirement Train Wreck is Upon Us

2011-06-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Do you hear that rumble in the distance? That is the Baby Boomers - they are getting ready to retire. On January 1st, 2011 the very first Baby Boomers turn 65. Millions upon millions of them are rushing towards retirement age and they have been promised that the rest of us are going to take care of them. Only there is a huge problem. We don't have the money. It simply isn't there. But the millions of Baby Boomers getting ready to retire are counting on that money to be there. This all comes at a really bad time for a federal government that is already flat broke and for a national economy that is already teetering on the brink of disaster.

So just who are the Baby Boomers? Well, they are the most famous generation in American history. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Baby Boomers as those born between January 1st, 1946 and December 31st, 1964. You see, after U.S. troops returned from World War II, they quickly settled down and everyone started having lots and lots of babies. This gigantic generation has transformed America as they have passed through every stage of life. Now they are getting ready to retire.

If you add 65 years to January 1st, 1946 you get January 1st, 2011.

The moment when the first Baby Boomers reach retirement age has arrived.

The day of reckoning that so many have talked about for so many years is here.

Today, America's elderly are living longer and the cost of health care is rising dramatically. Those two factors are going to make it incredibly expensive to take care of all of these retiring Baby Boomers.

Meanwhile, the sad truth is that the vast majority of Baby Boomers have not adequately saved for retirement. For many of them, their home equity was destroyed by the recent financial crisis. For others, their 401ks were devastated when the stock market tanked.

Meanwhile, company pension plans across America are woefully underfunded. Many state and local government pension programs are absolute disasters. The federal government has already begun to pay out more in Social Security benefits than they are taking in, and the years ahead look downright apocalyptic for the Social Security program.

If we are not careful all of these Baby Boomers are going to push us into national bankruptcy. We simply cannot afford all of the promises that we have made to them. The following are 16 statistics about the coming retirement crisis that will drop your jaw.....

#1 Beginning January 1st, 2011 every single day more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65. That is going to keep happening every single day for the next 19 years.

#2 According to one recent survey, 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything at all to retirement savings.

#3 Most Baby Boomers do not have a traditional pension plan because they have been going out of style over the past 30 years. Just consider the following quote from Time Magazine: The traditional pension plan is disappearing. In 1980, some 39 percent of private-sector workers had a pension that guaranteed a steady payout during retirement. Today that number stands closer to 15 percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C.

#4 Over 30 percent of U.S. investors currently in their sixties have more than 80 percent of their 401k invested in equities. So what happens if the stock market crashes again?

#5 35% of Americans already over the age of 65 rely almost entirely on Social Security payments alone.

#6 According to another recent survey, 24% of U.S. workers admit that they have postponed their planned retirement age at least once during the past year.

#7 Approximately 3 out of 4 Americans start claiming Social Security benefits the moment they are eligible at age 62. Most are doing this out of necessity. However, by claiming Social Security early they get locked in at a much lower amount than if they would have waited.

#8 Pension consultant Girard Miller recently told California's Little Hoover Commission that state and local government bodies in the state of California have $325 billion in combined unfunded pension liabilities. When you break that down, it comes to $22,000 for every single working adult in California.

#9 According to a recent report from Stanford University, California's three biggest pension funds are as much as $500 billion short of meeting future retiree benefit obligations.

#10 It has been reported that the $33.7 billion Illinois Teachers Retirement System is 61% underfunded and is on the verge of complete collapse.

#11 Robert Novy-Marx of the University of Chicago and Joshua D. Rauh of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management recently calculated the combined pension liability for all 50 U.S. states. What they found was that the 50 states are collectively facing $5.17 trillion in pension obligations, but they only have $1.94 trillion set aside in state pension funds. That is a difference of 3.2 trillion dollars. So where in the world is all of that extra money going to come from? Most of the states are already completely broke and on the verge of bankruptcy.

#12 According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes in 2010. That was not supposed to happen until at least 2016. Sadly, in the years ahead these "Social Security deficits" are scheduled to become absolutely horrific as hordes of Baby Boomers start to retire.

#13 In 1950, each retiree's Social Security benefit was paid for by 16 U.S. workers. In 2010, each retiree's Social Security benefit is paid for by approximately 3.3 U.S. workers. By 2025, it is projected that there will be approximately two U.S. workers for each retiree. How in the world can the system possibly continue to function properly with numbers like that?

#14 According to a recent U.S. government report, soaring interest costs on the U.S. national debt plus rapidly escalating spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare will absorb approximately 92 cents of every single dollar of federal revenue by the year 2019. That is before a single dollar is spent on anything else.

#15 After analyzing Congressional Budget Office data, Boston University economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff concluded that the U.S. government is facing a "fiscal gap" of $202 trillion dollars. A big chunk of that is made up of future obligations to Social Security and Medicare recipients.

#16 According to a recent AARP survey of Baby Boomers, 40 percent of them plan to work "until they drop".

Companies all over America have been dropping their pension plans in anticipation of the time when the Baby Boomers would retire. 401k programs were supposed to be part of the answer, but if the stock market crashes again, it is absolutely going to devastate the Baby Boomers.

State and local governments are scrambling to find ways to pay out all the benefits that they have been promising. Many state and local governments will be forced into some very hard choices by the hordes of Baby Boomers that will now be retiring.

Of course whenever a big financial crisis comes along these days everyone looks to the federal government to fix the problem. But the truth is that after fixing crisis after crisis the federal government is flat broke.

At our current pace, the Congressional Budget Office is projecting that U.S. government public debt will hit 716 percent of GDP by the year 2080.

But our politicians just keep spending money. In order to pay the Baby Boomers what they are owed the federal government may indeed go into even more debt and have the Federal Reserve print up a bunch more money.

So in the end, Baby Boomers may get most of what they are owed. Of course it may be with radically devalued dollars. Already we are watching those on fixed incomes being devastated by the rising cost of food, gas, heat and health care.

What is going to happen one day when prices have risen so much that the checks that our seniors are getting are not enough to heat their homes?

What are we going to do when those on fixed incomes are buying dog food because it is all that they can afford?

We are rapidly reaching a tipping point. As the first Baby Boomers retire the system is going to do okay. But as millions start pouring into the system it is going to start breaking down.

No, there is not much that we can do about it now. We should have been planning for all of this all along. Americans should have been saving for retirement and governments should have been setting money aside.

But it didn't happen.

Now we pay the price.

Orange Marmalade Hosta

2011-06-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite Hosta plants. Orange Marmalade. It seems to be doing well in it's second summer at Dragonwood.

Orange Marmalade is a mutation of Paul's Glory and is a medium size Hosta. The golden yellow/orange center turns to white later in the season. These Hosta produce a lavender flower in mid summer.

End The War On Drugs

2011-06-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Libertarian Party: 40 years is enough - end the Drug War

WASHINGTON - June 17, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of America's War on Drugs. Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:

"On June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a 'War on Drugs,' which has become a relentless violation of the lives and property of Americans, including many who have never taken illegal drugs. These violations continue under President Barack Obama, an admitted former cocaine user who has shown no hesitation in throwing people into prison -- a punishment he might have suffered had he been caught. Moreover, although promising to respect medical marijuana use in states where voters have approved it, the Obama administration has already conducted close to 100 raids on patients, growers, and compassion centers in those states.

"America's first experiment in prohibition involved alcohol, and is widely recognized as a failure. Approved in 1919, Prohibition I led to a steady rise in both alcohol usage and violent crime. The murder rate rose 50% between 1919 and 1933, peaking at 9.7 murders per 100,000 population in 1933, when the country finally decided enough was enough. Immediately after the repeal of Prohibition I, gangsterism went into a swift decline, with all of the major gangs disappearing within 18 months, and the murder rate dropping every single year for more than a decade.

"Prohibition II -- the War on Drugs -- has been another tragedy. We applaud the efforts of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization of current and former police, prosecutors, judges, DEA agents, and others, which issued a 20-page report this month detailing the tragic results of this misguided crusade, entitled 'Ending the Drug War: a Dream Deferred.'

"In their report, LEAP documented some of the measurable costs: over a million people arrested each year, a trillion dollars spent, and drug gangsterism at a level that dwarfs its alcohol equivalent and which has led to a bloodbath in Mexico that is spilling over into the United States. Not because of drugs, but because of drug laws. And over 120 million Americans have used illicit drugs: only the most deluded observer believes the laws have curbed drug abuse, and only the cruelest believes that 40% of the American population belongs in prison. No wonder 67% of police chiefs say the War on Drugs is a failure.

"Ultimately, of course, this tragedy is the result of our government's refusal to allow people to engage in peaceful choices as to what they consume. Even if drug use were to rise upon a return to the American tradition of tolerance that existed before the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act, our streets would be safer, innocent people would not have their homes raided and pets killed by narcotics agents entering the wrong house, victims of asset forfeiture laws wouldn't have their houses and other assets seized without due process, and resources would be freed to spend on improving peoples' lives instead of destroying them.

"Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drug use, including substances classified as hard drugs. As a Cato Report entitled 'Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies' showed, drug use dropped over the next several years and the Portuguese now use marijuana at lower levels than Americans use cocaine.

"It only took Americans 14 years to realize the insanity of Prohibition I. Both practical considerations and simple human decency demand that our government end Prohibition II now."

The Libertarian Party platform includes the following:

1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.

1.2 Personal Privacy
Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating "crimes" without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website. www.lp.org

Tara Nevins - Wood and Stone

2011-06-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ok music fans trust me on this one. This is a must have.

Review of 'Wood and Stone' in Driftwood Music Magazine: “Those who are familiar with Nevins’s work with Donna the Buffalo will be immediately struck by how at home she sounds, her voice sits astride these arrangements with all the comfort, grace and confidence of a veteran rider on well-trained mount.”

2011-06-13T07:29:00.001-07:00

As a libertarian I seldom am against free enterprise, but I make an exception when it comes to polluting ground water. You can't convince me that pumping chemicals including cancer causing benzene into the ground isn't going to be a dangerous thing. Pennsylvania is already experiencing problems with hydro fracking. Not good!

Dragonwood Chronicles - Hiatus

2011-01-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

I will be out of the loop for an indefinate period. Blog posts will be limited during this period. I expect to resume regular posts sometime during late winter or early spring.

Keep your powder dry and be of good spirit!

Root Cellaring

2010-12-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well,.... being that it is winter and all, I tend to do a lot more reading. One of my next projects at Dragonwood is a multi purpose underground building. The primary function will be that of a root cellar, so my latest read was Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel. This book is an excellent read, well written and interesting but also full of specific detailed information on planting and growing root cellar crops, to harvesting and winter storage. The book also informs of the history of root cellaring and covers a variety of designs and suggestions on building your own root cellar and then how best to use it. I took this book out from our local library but have decided it is a must for my own library and will refer to it as a point of reference in my own root cellaring endeavors.

I happen to have an ideal spot picked out where I will have to do minimal excavating for a 10' X 12' earthship/cordwood root cellar. My intention is to divide this into two small rooms. One that will have a dirt floor and the other a concrete floor. There are advantages to doing this for different types of storage. The back wall and two side walls will be earthship style in that I intend to recycle tires rammed with dirt. The living roof will be supported by hemlock beams from some trees I need to clear for garden expansion and the front, northeast facing wall will be cordwood masonry. This design should not only function well, but have some aesthetic appeal and the side benefit of allowing me to try out three alternative construction techniques. Earthship construction, living roof and cordwood masonry, all of which I hope to include to varying degrees in other future projects.

The root cellar will a labor intensive project but will also be a good classroom as I get first hand experience in these alternative building methods. As in all of my projects everything is subject to change and the cordwood could easily be interchanged with slip form masonry once I am to that stage of the project.

I am looking forward to this project and Root Cellaring is an invaluable guide for me in this project. If you have any interest in putting food by without the use of electricity this book is for you! Highly recommended!

Mortgage Free

2010-12-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

I am constantly hearing from people looking to go off-grid. Everyone wants to do it, but few seem to have a plan. This book in my opinion is a must read for anyone wanting to buy property on or off grid and not be shackeled by a monthly mortgage payment.

Trust me this is for real! We did it.

Click on the image of earthwood in the sidebar to be redirected to their web site where you will find this book and many others by Mr. Roy!

Happy Reading and Good Luck!

The latest on S-510 - MUST READ!!!!!!

2010-12-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.prisonplanet.com/s-510-fake-food-safety-bill-passed-by-senate-in-late-night-sneak-attack-on-small-farmers-and-food-freedom.html

Hyper link functionality still not working copy and paste to read this important article.

THE GOOD LIFE by Helen and Scott Nearing

2010-12-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

You've no doubt heard of this classic, first published in 1954 and then re-published with Continuing the Good Life in 1979. This is the ultimate back to the land bible that chronicles 60 years of self sufficient living.

The story of the Nearing's "Forest Farm" in Vermont and then their move to rural Maine has been and remains an inspiration for homesteaders of multiple generations. The book covers their search for rural land and then carving out an organic, off-grid life, long before anyone even used those terms.

The Nearing's political views were very controversial and therefore some folks are put off. Being a libertarian myself, my politics run counter to their ideas on collectivism, yet I can still admire them for the pioneers that they were. They held stead fast to their beliefs and lived it everyday in their lives.
I first read this book almost 30 years ago and have read it again and again since. It is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. If you are interested in self sufficiency this is a must read in my opinion!

Property Rights Issue In Indiana

2010-12-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

Story link: wishtv.com

2010-12-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

Tug Hill

2010-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

This short video gives you a glimpse of the region. In talking with people from different parts of the country I often sense that many people picture New York City when they think of New York. It is difficult for some folks to imagine vast wilderness areas and pristine forests with clean rivers and lakes.

The Tug Hill region is about the size of the state of Rhode Island and lays between Lake Ontario and the Adirondacks.

In addition to the core forest area there are many family farms, great cross country skiing and snowmobiling. The Salmon River and it's tributaries as well our many lakes and ponds make for great sport fishing. We also have a growing Amish population. Oswego county aloan now has over 300 Amish families that have moved here over the last five or six years. Wide open spaces, cheap land and an abundance of fertile soil and fresh water make this area very attractive for those who wish to live off the land.

It does take a strong spirit to endure our harsh winters. Lake effect snow piles up on average between 200" - 300" every year.

The Madness of a Lost Society

2010-11-30T11:47:00.001-08:00

Act Now - Call Your Senator - Stop S510

2010-11-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Senate Bill 510, The Food Safety and Modernization Act is scheduled to go to vote this evening. Like many bills it is well intended, but like most bills there are unintended consequences and this is no exception. Do your own research. This bill sounds good to most, after all who doesn't want food safety?

"Agri biz" giants like Monsanto and others have been behind this bill for the last couple of years and it is now finally up for a vote. The bill is expected to pass. We must act now before it is too late. Do your own research.

This bill could harm if not bring about the end of small farms, especially small organic farms and farmers markets. Seed saving will no longer be legal. The Government wants to control food production and marketing at every level, but it's all in the name of safety.

I first blogged about this in May of 2009 when the bill was in committee in the House. It was known then as HR 875. I can't believe it has actually gotten this far. Then again most of Congress (both parties) receive huge contributions from the "Agri Biz" giants.

The scariest thing about this, is once open pollination seeds become illegal and are eliminated there is no turning back. We as a human race will be owned by Multi-National Corporations.

I for one will be hoarding my seeds no matter what. I guess I will be an outlaw, but I'll be damned if the government is going to tell me I can't grow food on my own property from my own seeds!

http://www.prisonplanet.com/urgent-call-for-action-last-chance-to-defeat-s-510-food-safety-modernization-act.html

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978721405

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/paintsville-ky/TU04QDO2GRRBGG3DT

A Sign Of Things To Come

2010-11-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

"It's beginning to look a lot like......." Well you know the rest. Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's that time of year and the lake effect machine will begin to crank up. The cold winds coming down from Canada over Lake Ontario will begin to dump prodigious amounts of snow on our side of the lake. Time to dust off the snow shoes and cross country skis. This morning we only had an inch or two but soon we will measure it in feet.

Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago?

2010-11-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rep/are-you-better-off.html

Can't post the hyper link so copy and paste. Very interesting read.

Keith Thompson: Totally Off The Grid

2010-11-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Pentagon, Military Actively War Gaming ‘Large Scale Economic Breakdown’ and ‘Civil Unrest’

2010-11-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

Read the story. http://www.lewrockwell.com/slavo/slavo23.1.html

Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out

2010-11-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

Great article on the Federal Reserve and fractional reserve banking and the lies that are foisted on us everyday by the Oligarchy.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/watson-t1.1.1.html

Mortgage Free by Rob Roy

2010-11-17T14:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a must read for anyone who is looking to simplify their life, find that piece of land and build your own place without the burden of a large mortgage. Rob Roy is an outstanding author on a variety of "back to the land" type books. I get a lot people asking about Dragonwood and how we did it. How did we find our land? How can you own something without a mortgage unless you have a lot of money? Trust me it can be done. Until I write my book I recommend this one.

Rob Roy is the author of several excellent books and videos including Cordwood Masonry, The Cordwood Sauna,and his latest book Stoneview: How to Build an Eco- Friendly Little Guest House. Mr. Roy also runs Earthwood Buillding School near Plattsburgh, New York.

http://www.cordwoodmasonry.com/

2010-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

Putting Up Wood

2010-11-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

We heat with wood and split most of it by hand. Yesterday my buddy "Timber" Dick Dupre spent a couple of hours at Dragonwood with his splitter. Sure made easy work of a good five face cords. It would have taken us many hours of hard labor to split by hand what we were able to do in less than three hours with the machine.

Photos, Top to bottom: "Timber" Dick Dupre running the splitter, KII rolling a log for me to "buck up" with the chain saw, and the bottom photo shows me gathering kindling.

The Cabin at Dragonwood

2010-11-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Simple Life: A Value Liberals Share with Libertarians

2010-11-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on this article by Everett Sizemore. It ran in, of all places, the Huffington Post. A good read. I can't seem to post this as a hyper link so copy and paste, Sorry!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/everett-sizemore/the-simple-life-a-value-l_b_290660.html

Fall 2010

2010-10-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

The last week of October we enjoyed three days of "Indian Summer" with temps in the 70's and a lot of sunshine. Here are a few shots taken at Dragonwood over the last couple of days. A look up the driveway with all the autumn leaves. Also a couple of fall garden shots including our fall crop of leaf lettuce, leeks and one of our just planted garlic beds. This year we planted over 150 garlic cloves of six different varieties.

One photo is of a small lake just down the road. Deb has painted this scene a couple of times and sold both originals. She also did a print from one of the paintings that has since sold out.

Will be up this weekend to cut and split more firewood. We will also begin putting things away for winter. Next week will be the beginning of November. Here in the Tug Hill region that means snow will be on the way soon. I will box up the solar panels and put away a lot of the garden tools etc. . I have seen things crushed by the weight of the snow. One year a garden cart was left out. The weight of the snow that winter all but destroyed it.

"Rock Run"

2010-10-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

A Good Haul! KII and I never pass an opportunity to grab some good field stones when we have the chance. We have numerous ongoing stone walls and other stone projects as well as some Andy Goldsworthy style sculptures planned for the gardens. You can't have too many rocks. We have several piles in various places around the property. These get sorted every now and then into "rounds",corners,flats, uglies, etc.. This makes it easier to find the right stone for a given need.

We plan to clear about an acre for additional gardens and some fruit trees. Pulling stumps and bulldozing should produce a bounty of choice specimens next spring.

Stone Wall Detail

2010-09-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post this close up of one of the many stone walls that I have put up at Dragonwood over the years. This one is a little over 10 years old and look at the moss and lichen. It looks as though it has been there much longer. The stone work at Dragonwood is a never ending project. I hope to do some stone spirals and towers in time.

Summer at Dragonwood

2010-07-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

One of the many butterflies and moths that we see daily during the summer. The second photo is a hummingbird moth that likes the Bee Balm or "Oswego Tea" and at the bottom is a Lobelia Cardinalis, a.k.a. Cardinal Flower that grow wild around the pond. This year we have had a real problem with Deer eating our prized Hosta collection. In the past they have browsed the Hosta in the fall at the end of the season, so we really didn't mind, but this year for some reason they started munching in June. Not good. Deb is trying a variety of concoctions to dissuade them from eating our babies. "Senator Muskie" our new resident in the pond this year is a young male muskrat. He ate all of our pickerell and I think most of the arrowhead as we have hardly any this year.

New Tax Laws Coming in 2012 - Buckle Your Seat Belts

2010-06-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

The following article is from CNNMoney.com, hardly a "right wing" voice. If you own a small business, are self employed or even make a few extra dollars a year doing craft fairs or farmer's markets this effects you so I recommend reading this then talking with your accountant or tax advisor.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- An all-but-overlooked provision of the health reform law is threatening to swamp U.S. businesses with a flood of new tax paperwork.

Section 9006 of the health care bill -- just a few lines buried in the 2,409-page document -- mandates that beginning in 2012 all companies will have to issue 1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or corporation from which they buy more than $600 in goods or services in a tax year.

The stealth change radically alters the nature of 1099s and means businesses will have to issue millions of new tax documents each year.

Right now, the IRS Form 1099 is used to document income for individual workers other than wages and salaries. Freelancers receive them each year from their clients, and businesses issue them to the independent contractors they hire.

But under the new rules, if a freelance designer buys a new iMac from the Apple Store, they'll have to send Apple a 1099. A laundromat that buys soap each week from a local distributor will have to send the supplier a 1099 at the end of the year tallying up their purchases.

The bill makes two key changes to how 1099s are used. First, it expands their scope by using them to track payments not only for services but also for tangible goods. Plus, it requires that 1099s be issued not just to individuals, but also to corporations.

Taken together, the two seemingly small changes will require millions of additional forms to be sent out.

"It's a pretty heavy administrative burden," particularly for small businesses without large in-house accounting staffs, says Bill Rys, tax counsel for the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Eliminating the goods exemption could launch an avalanche of paperwork, he says: "If you cater a lunch for other businesses every Wednesday, say, that's a lot of information to keep track of throughout the year."

The paper trail
Why did these tax code revisions get included in a health-care reform bill? Welcome to Washington. The idea seems to be that using 1099 forms to capture unreported income will generate more government revenue and help offset the cost of the health bill.

A Democratic aide for the Senate Finance Committee, which authored the changes, defended the move.

"Information reporting improves tax compliance without raising taxes on small businesses," the aide said. "Health care reform includes more than $35 billion in tax cuts for small businesses ... indicating that during these tough economic times, Congress is delivering the tax breaks small businesses need to thrive."

The new rules could drastically alter the tax-reporting landscape by spotlighting payments that previously went unreported. Freelancers and other independent operators typically write off stacks of business expenses; having to issue tax paperwork documenting each of them could cut down on fraudulent deductions.

More significantly, the 1099 trail would expose payments to small operators that might now be going unreported. If you buy a computer for your business from a major chain retailer, the seller almost certainly documents the revenue. But if you buy it from Tim's Computer Shack down the street, Tim might not report and pay taxes on his income from the sale.

The IRS estimates that the federal government loses more than $300 billion each year in tax revenue on income that goes unreported. Using 1099s to document millions of transactions that now go untracked is one way to begin to close the gap.

While all but unnoticed at the time -- a Pennsylvania business group issued the first warning last October as the idea emerged in draft Senate legislation -- the 1099 rule changes began sparking attention in the blogosphere in the last week. The libertarian Cato Institute called it a "costly, anti-business nightmare"; Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., introduced legislation last week that would repeal the new 1099 requirements.

The notion of mailing a tax form to Costco or Staples each year to document purchases may seem absurd to small business owners, but that's not the worst of it, tax experts say.

Marianne Couch, a principal with the Cokala Tax Group in Michigan and former chair of a citizen advisory group to the IRS on small business and self-employed tax issues, thinks the bigger headache will be data collection: gathering names and taxpayer identification numbers for every payee and vendor that you do business with.

But she also sees a silver lining in the new law.

Her firm already recommends collecting tax data on all vendors, since the IRS requires that you have it on hand at the time of the transaction, not just at tax-filing time. And eliminating the corporate and goods exemptions at least means that businesses will no longer have to pour over every transaction to determine if it needs a 1099. The new rule is simpler: If it crosses the $600 threshold, it's in.

"There are probably going to be some hiccups along the way, because systems will need to be redesigned," says Couch. "But overall I believe it will make compliance on the payor end a lot more streamlined and easier."

In any case, the final impact of the law won't be known until the IRS issues its regulations on the new law, which aren't expected to arrive until sometime next year. The IRS has not yet commented on when it will release regulations or schedule public hearings, and an agency spokesman was unsure when it will do so. The new requirements kick in January 1, 2012.

2010-06-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

President Obama and The Jones Act

2010-06-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

President Obama and the Jones Act
By Roland de Beque on Jun 14, 2010 in American History, Disaster Management, Economics, Energy, Environment, Land use, Property Rights, Trade, free market

Any vestiges of goodwill and support for President Obama that I hold are vanishing faster than the Gulf Coast wetlands. Our “green” president is directly responsible for the escalation of the worst man-made environmental disaster in American history.

The catastrophic explosion of Deepwater Horizon on April 20 was not directly caused by Obama, obviously. Does any rational person believe that Obama stands to gain by the situation in the gulf, either by causing it or by standing idly on the sidelines while oil continues to pour into the gulf? But standing idly by is precisely what this administration has done, when getting out of the way is what it needed to do.

According to ForeignPolicy.com, within two weeks of the rig explosion the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and even the United Nations offered assistance. The response of the Obama State Department:

“While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future.”

Similarly, De Standaard, a Dutch news site, reports that Belgian and Dutch dredgers possess technology to combat the gigantic spill in the Gulf. Two Belgian companies, DEME and De Nul, and their Dutch competitors are set up to handle the task in part because construction of ships required to undertake a large-scale cleanup would cost twice as much to build in the U.S.

Why would the Obama administration refuse the help of foreign entities? Because of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. Also known as the Jones Act, the federal legislation is a protectionist measure designed to support the U.S. merchant marine industry. It requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried by ships flying the U.S. flag, constructed in the United States, and owned and crewed by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Written into the Jones Act are provisions that allow for waivers in cases of national emergency or strategic interest. Even President Bush, in his less-than-stellar response to Hurricane Katrina, did not hesitate to waive the Jones Act in order speed up the distribution of oil and gasoline to areas where pipeline transmission systems were damaged or destroyed.

Although I expect President Obama to waive the Jones Act eventually, why did he not act to do so when offers of assistance started coming in? Some have suggested it was a sense of pride, but I believe it stems from Obama’s belief that his administration—the federal government—is and should be the solver of all problems.

There will no doubt be plenty of blame for this catastrophe, but if there is anything that Obama could have done to forestall or lessen the amount of damage to the Gulf Coast he should have done it. His continuing failure to do so is contributing to an environmental nightmare beyond belief. This is an epic failure by the Obama Administration.

This is the time to waive the Jones Act. This is the time to issue a plea to anyone in private industry—foreign or domestic—who has a potential, even unproven, method to clean up afflicted coastline or to protect threatened areas to get to the Gulf as soon as possible and put it to work in a coordinated effort. This is the time to throw out the rulebook. This is the time for Obama to remove the roadblocks that keep Gulf Coast localities from receiving the supplies they have requested. This is the time to let local and state governments to do whatever they need to do and to do it right now.

The ecosystem of the Gulf Coast is going to be altered. Wetlands will disappear, likely to be replaced with open water. Life up and down the food chain will suffer and die. In some instances whole species face the possibility of extinction. How we respond will define us as a nation and, ultimately as a species.

Gov't Shares Blame for Oil Spill

2010-06-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Libertarians say government shares blame with BP for oil spill

WASHINGTON - Wes Benedict, executive director of the Libertarian Party, issued the following statement today:

"The federal government and BP share the blame for the large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"When the CEO of BP appeared at a Congressional hearing yesterday, Republicans and Democrats predictably engaged in finger-pointing and blame-ducking, trying to score political points. Their fingers should have been pointed at themselves.

"When President Obama gave his Oval Office speech on Tuesday, there was one important word missing: the word 'liability.' The president never mentioned that, thanks to liability caps provided by the federal government, BP was able to engage in riskier activities than it would have otherwise. If BP had known in advance that it would be fully liable for all damages related to an oil spill, it probably would have taken greater safeguards. When you know that your liability will be strictly limited, cutting corners becomes a lot more attractive.

"The spill will cause a lot of damage to the property and livelihood of people living along the Gulf. We have a well-developed system of civil courts to help people obtain compensation. Unfortunately, the legislative and executive branches have inappropriately trampled on this territory, and they seem to be trying to take the place of the courts.

"The president has apparently convinced BP to put $20 billion in some kind of compensation account. He said in his speech that it will be 'administered by an independent third party.' Will this third party be able to decide what 'legitimate claims' are, and how much they should receive? Assessing damages should be done by courts, not by political bureaucrats appointed in backroom deals between the president and a large corporation.

"The president could have taken the opportunity to talk about getting government out of the energy industry, and allowing the free market to guide the future of energy production. Unfortunately, he instead blamed the free market for government failures, and discussed his hopes of increasing government interference in the energy industry.

"For decades, Libertarians have warned against putting trust in government regulatory bureaucracies like the Minerals Management Service (MMS). While costing the taxpayers a lot of money, these agencies generally fail to deliver the kind of protections they promise, they tend to become corrupt, and they discourage vigilance on the part of citizens by lulling them into a false sense of security.

"When large companies and the government start working together, the results can be disastrous. Congressional liability caps, the MMS bureaucracy, and BP have all cooperated to create a costly disaster that should never have happened."

For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets and civil liberties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website. http://www.lp.org/

2010-06-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Blue Angel Hosta

2010-06-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

Our Hosta collection is ever growing. We now have well over 30 different varieties and Deb is always looking for more. She has become obsessed, a real "Hosta Freak". I even see a series of paintings in the near future.

This Blue Angel above is one of my favorites. I especially like the blue foliage. Other favorites include Orange Marmalade, Yellow River, Dream Weaver, Sum and Substance, Katie Q, June, as well as some of the variegated varieties like Patriot, Minuteman, Whirlwind, Wide Brim and Francis William.

At some point I will photograph and document them all.

The Consumer Price Index is a Lie

2010-06-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Jim Rogers by Ron Hera.

HRN: You mentioned that the US is the largest debtor nation in the history of the world. Do you think that will lead to high inflation or hyperinflation in the US?

Jim Rogers: Well, there will be inflation. First, you have to have inflation before you can have hyperinflation. I mean, we have inflation now. If you go to the shop, whether it's groceries, or education or insurance or health care, prices are going up for everything. The government lies about it in the US. Some countries lie, many countries don't: Australia, China, India and Norway. Many countries don't lie about it and acknowledge that we have inflation. Others lie about it, the UK and the US, but if you go shopping you know prices are up.

HRN: Are you saying that the American Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is a lie?

Jim Rogers: In my opinion, yes, of course it is. Have you looked at it? They've changed their accounting several times in the past few decades. When housing was 20% to 25% of the CPI and housing was going up, they didn't count it, saying rents weren't going up, and then when home prices started going down, they counted it. It's the same with many things. It's staggering some of the tortuous reasoning that the BLS has used over the past 25 or 30 years. When the price of gasoline goes up, they say it's not really going up because it's better gasoline, better quality, therefore you're getting more for your money. I mean, it's endless, the stuff that they say and for some reason people sit there, although more and more people are catching on, and accept what the government says. As I said, in other countries, they acknowledge that there's inflation. I don't know how there could be inflation in Australia and not in the US; how you can have inflation in Norway or India and not in the US, but the US says there's no inflation.

To read the entire inerview go to
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rogers-j/rogers-j99.1.html or click on the link below for Lew Rockwell

Jim Rogers' English language books include Investment Biker: On the Road with Jim Rogers (1994), Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip (2003), Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market (2007), A Bull in China (2008), and A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons for Life and Investing (2009).

Some Photos from this Spring

2010-06-04T07:30:00.001-07:00

A Luna Moth paid a visit and hung out clinging to the cabin one day. They are common visitors this time of year.

The second photo is our granddaughter helping water the garden. The garlic is taller than she is.

Double Dip Recession?

2010-02-25T07:20:00.000-08:00

Double Dip Recession Risk Is Near: CIO
Published: Wednesday, 24 Feb 2010 | 8:07 AM ET Text Size By: Robin Knight
CNBC Assistant Web Producer

The global economy looks set to plunge back into recession as the sovereign debt pressure currently rocking Europe intensifies, Ashok Shah, CIO of London & Capital, told CNBC Wednesday.

"There's a risk of a double dip recession round the corner," Shah said. "Given the sovereign debt crisis that is going around the Mediterranean countries, this is going to put a lot of pressure on Europe."

The economic outlook for Europe is deteriorating very rapidly and that is adding to the factors dragging on the economic recovery, Shah told CNBC.

Concerns over the strength of Europe's power-house economy, Germany, deepened Wednesday after its gross domestic product growth was shown to have stagnated in the fourth quarter. German private consumption fell in the quarter, official data showed, suggesting the country's economic recovery may not be assured.

Germany's Economic Recovery StallsGreek Strike Grounds FlightsItaly Masked Finances Worse than Greece: Pangalos
Shah also pointed out that other major European economies such as Italy have still not escaped the recession.

If the economy does slip back into recession, governments won't be able to tackle the problem with more stimulus measures because they are already doing everything they can in that direction, Shah said.

"Everything that the authorities can do is on the table right now. The key question is can they keep it going rather than increasing it because the room to increase is very limited," he said.

CNBC.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's too early for debt-laden governments to start cutting their public deficits because the recovery is so fragile, he told CNBC as Greece was gripped by protests against planned cuts to its public spending.

Meanwhile the cost for countries tapping fresh capital is rising, which could be a sign that the stock market is about to stall, he said.

"The credit default swaps on the sovereigns have been rising quite rapidly. This is telling you that the cost of capital is rising and when the cost of capital is rising in essence equity markets really can't make any progress," he said.

"After the huge rallies of last year I think it's time for the markets to consolidate," he added.

Investors need to see firm plans from governments to reduce their budget deficits, Shah said.

Tim Harris, CEO of Harris Capital, told CNBC that further weakness in the economic outlook could spark a flurry of selling in the stock market.

"People are the conservative side of neutral right now and it's going to take a macro sign, a crack in growth more so than inflation, which is going to get people to run for the hills," Harris said.

© 2010 CNBC.com
Topics:Central Banks | Interest Rates | Greece | Credit | Recession | Politics & Government

Getting Off the Grid by Gwen Caldwell

2010-02-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

Getting off the grid and other solutions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our country is bankrupt, untold thousands have lost their homes, food and gas prices continue to rise and the good news is?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Gwen Caldwell
(libertarian)

My energy feels depleted every time I read the news. I am more thankful than ever that I used the television for target practice...I'd probably be suicidal if I had to actually watch the news!

We live in times unlike this country has ever seen. Hope is dwindling in many areas of the country of ever recovering from the inevitable financial and credit collapse. It's not even a matter of if it will happen, in my humble opinion. It's a matter of when. I struggle to get my arms around what that will really mean to us in our day to day lives. Certainly, it will not afford us the current freedoms we enjoy. I see tell tale signs of martial law knocking on our doors. Chaos at best.

Like many other people I am very concerned, because I have a young child at home. I already struggle to keep food on the table and a roof over head. I know with certainty that it's going to get worse before it gets better. How do we adress cost reduction without compromising standard of living? How do we insure a food source? How do we cut safe on energy, heating and cooling bills.

Sustainable communities have sucessfully been transforming lives for decades. They create community, a food source and good health with organic gardening, small animal husbandry, cost effective, alternative, off the grid, alternative energy living environments. It's about making a committment to participate in your living enviroment. To merge into a total living system for sustainability.

There is just that kind of community currently forming on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It will serve as a model community and education center that can be duplicated anywhere, with very little money, a bit of hard work, committment to live a life that is not plugged into corporate America to maintain your standard of living.

People call and ask me about debt, the car they're still making payments on, etc. Get out from underneath your debt! Drive an older model car to reduce cost, insurance, etc. Cut up your credit cards. Consolidate them if possible on a zero percent interest rate. Move into a smaller house to reduce cost. Install a wood or pellet stove. Sell your excess. Use it to stock pile esstential food and living items, especially canned and dried meats, staples, dried fruits, nuts, pastas, beans, etc. I don't really recommend stockpiling canned foods, because they have no nutritional value, with the exception of canned tomatoes and beans. Guns, ammo, water and filters. Convert to solar or wind...make your own it's much cheaper. Make sure you have fishing and hunting supplies. If you're in the country get a few chickens, rabbits and goats. Buy heritage or non-hybrid seeds to grow your own food. Food will be your greatest asset! If you have a guns...get ammo..a lot of it, while you still can. If you don't have a gun., get one and a lot of ammo, while you still can. A bow and arrows, and traps will be useful. Learn to dry and can meat in the event that the grids are shut down, so it doesn't spoil.Canning supplies will be helpful.

Make a mental note of the day to day items you and your family currently use. Do an inventory of what you have for storage and canning supplies. What you don't have and will need buy first, then fill in the other non-essential and creature comforts. I would definitely advise you get a lot of hydrogen perioxide, apple cider and regular vinegar, lemon juice, honey, cayenne pepper, olive oil and cinnamon. All of these can be used medicinally for just about anything that ails you and then some!Aslo non-perfumed bleach to purify water. Vitamin, medicines, herbals and a good first aid kit.

Sh*t is going to hit the fan! Get ready! Your beautiful furniture and decor will not feed you, house you, nor will it keep you warm for the winter. Get rid of it! Buy vegetables when they are on sale and dehydrate them. Buy in bulk. Start a food co-op with your neighbors and share in the cost of buying bulk. Buy a book to learn about local edible plants and medicinal herbs that grow in your area. Learn them and use them for better health and to reduce food costs.

For more information visit www.freewebs.com/voiceofwomensustainabiltyproject

2010-02-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

Few of us can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. The thought that the state has lost its mind and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable. And so the evidence has to be internally denied.

~ Arthur Miller

Logging Off Black Cherry

2009-12-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

My buddy Vince is culling about 40 Black Cherry trees for us this week. The market is not optimal by any means but if Kevin II is going put up a yurt in the spring we needed to clear some out anyway.

Easy Rider (1969)

2009-11-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

As long as I'm posting about favorite movies, here's one of my all time favorites.

Libertarian biker types in New Mexico...hmmmmm. I'm picking up on a trend here.

Easy Rider 1969

Wyatt and Billy are two motorcycle riders (bikers) on their way to Mardis Gras, and encounter hitchhikers, a drunken lawyer, a jail cell, a whorehouse and the death of a friend. Written by Aaron Horne

Two young "hippie" bikers, Wyatt and Billy sell some dope in Southern California, stash their money away in their gas-tank and set off for a trip across America, on their own personal odyssey looking for a way to lead their lives. On the journey they encounter bigotry and hatred from small-town communities who despise and fear their non-conformism. However Wyatt and Billy also discover people attempting 'alternative lifestyles' who are resisting this narrow-mindedness, there is always a question mark over the future survival of these drop-out groups. The gentle hippie community who thank God for 'a place to stand' are living their own unreal dream. The rancher they encounter and his Mexican wife are hard-pushed to make ends meet. Even LSD turns sour when the trip is a bad one. Death comes to seem the only freedom. When they arrive at a diner in a small town, they are insulted by the local rednecks as weirdo degenerates. They are arrested on some minor pretext by the local sheriff and thrown in jail where they meet George Hanson, a liberal alcoholic lawyer. He gets them out and decides to join them on their trip to New Orleans in time for Mardi Gras.

Written by alfiehitchie

Off The Map

2009-11-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm not a film critic and this is a little out of the norm for this site, but............. A movie about a family living off the grid? They just don't make'em like this.

Set in the stunning landscape of rural New Mexico near Taos, this movie is worth a look just for the visuals. Art, sustainable living and great acting make this movie a real gem for folks with these interests.

Movie Overview - Holedigger Studios

It's 1974 and the harshly beautiful wilds of Taos are home to 11-year-old Bo Groden (Valentina de Angelis) and her free-thinking family. While constantly yearning for escape from her sparse environment, Bo passes the time with flair and imagination. She's a crack shot with a rifle and a bow and arrow, an artful plunderer of wallets and briefcases, and the compelling mistress of ceremonies for a moonlit three-ring circus of her own invention. Bo's home is an entrancing, challenging place that she will one day transcend to become the woman she was destined to be. Arlene (Joan Allen), Bo's warm, earthy, and eccentric mother, raises most of the family's food in her vegetable garden -- which she prefers to tend in the nude. Meanwhile, Bo's father, Charley (Sam Elliott), the embodiment of Old West masculinity, is losing the battle with his inner demons. When William Gibbs (Jim True-Frost) arrives, a hapless IRS agent with demons of his own, he soon proves to be a catalyst in the lives of the family during this watershed summer. Embraced by the Grodens' idyllic, peculiar world, Gibbs eventually abandons an investigation into the Groden's tax history and realizes he has fallen in love with both the place and its people. In a surge of creative energy, Gibbs dips a brush in paint and pours his feelings out on canvas, discovering a long hidden talent for artistic expression. The Grodens, too, make their own discoveries over the course of this memorable season -- the mysteries of love and loss, the power of family unity, and the eternal truth that in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, anything is possible.

Lloyd's Prayer

2009-11-12T05:02:00.000-08:00

I received this in an e-mail. I'm not sure who penned it

In honor of Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman at Government Sachs:

Our Chairman
Who Art At Goldman
Be They Name

The Rally's Come, God's Work Be Done
We Have No Fear Of Correction.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Gain
And Bankrupt Our Nearest Competitors,
Leaving No One Left Standing Against Us.
And Bring Us Not Under Indictment.

For Thine Is The Treasury
And The House And The Senate
Forever and Ever,
Goldman.

Honoring Our Veterans

2009-11-11T04:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images that I have taken in the past year in my other job as a photojournalist for the New York Army National Guard.

God Bless our Veterans!

New York State Is So Broke - Tyler Durden

2009-11-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

New York State Is So Broke It Steals From Itself To Pay Off Unapproved Debt
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/29/2009 15:50 -0500

The surrealities of a "healthy" economy never end. The latest indication of the new banrkupt normal is New York State itself. A new report by NY state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli entitled "Highway Robbery: State's ailing road and bridges robbed; State siphoned money to pay for operations and debt service" tells you all you need to know about just how prosperous the ailing economy really is. According to DiNapoli, "only one-third of the money in the Highway and Bridge Trust Fund has actually been used to pay for highways and bridges. The rest has been siphoned off to pay for debt service on back-door borrowing and to fund operational costs for the DMV and the state Department of Transportation." Is that lack of stolen pocket change Mr. DiNapoli can believe in? Apparently not - Mr. DiNapoli's words: "I think outrage and anger is certainly appropriate; we need to channel that into thoughtful public policy." Yet anger is so September 2008. Welcome to the Xanax highs of the new credit bubble.

“This money should be going toward keeping our roads and bridges safe, not to fund state agency operations. The bridge closing in Crown Point is just one more example of why this is so important. If this trend continues, the state will have to transfer nearly $4 billion into the Trust Fund over the next five years. Using this dedicated capital money to pay for operations and debt service is just one more gimmick on the list of New York’s bad fiscal choices.”

Should one cry or laugh here? New York State is stealing from itself, and its own comptroller is bitching against this practice, seemingly powerless to do anything to prevent it in the first place. Perhaps the state's transportation trust fund should put all its stimulus money in CIT stock or whatever the HFT megavol stock de jour is and hope and pray. These days the market has odds that are just a little better than Craps (although the likelihood of being comped by your broker when the ponzi market loses all your money, are still slim to none).

Only The Government

2009-10-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Jon Alvarez Radio Show on WFBL 1390

2009-10-27T09:17:00.001-07:00

Just back from a tour in Iraq with the US Army Reserve, activist Jon Alvarez is hosting a new local talk show at noon on WFBL 1390 on your AM dial. I encourage everyone in the Central New York area to check out Jon's new show! Topics will include pretty much anything and everything from local to National and even International issues. Jon's show airs daily from noon to 1:00pm.

UPDATE - JON'S RADIO SHOW IS NO LONGER ON THE AIR.

We are disappointed to see Jon go, but he has real estate to sell and his farm will take up whatever time and energy he has left.

Libertarian Gary Nolan is on 105.9 FM from 4-7pm, Monday thru Friday. Sad to lose Jon but Gary has a great program for us liberty minded folks. I encourage everyone to check it out!

Autumn Colors

2009-10-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day at Dragonwood.

Huge Sale at our Gallery

2009-10-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

HUGE RECESSION SALE! This downturn in the economy has really put a pinch on our business. In order to try to get things going we are marking down all prints 50% - 75% and are willing to negotiate on our originals. Take advantage of this opportunity to buy that painting you have been wanting or get a jump on your Christmas shopping! http://www.abbottsstudio.com/

Abbott's Studio, 624 So. Main St., Central Square, NY 13036 315-668-9459 HoursMon - Fri 10 -6 and Saturday 10 -3 or by appointment.

Used Bricks

2009-10-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

We all hear the phrase, "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle", and I think most of us try to put this principle into practice to some degree. We definitely are trying to practice what we preach at Dragonwood.

Gleaning, scrounging, dumpster diving is an art form for us. You would be amazed at the things we have picked up over the years. Our cabin is built largely from "recycled" or "salvaged materials. My son and I picked up two mini van loads of red cedar shakes from a building being razed back in 90's. These shakes are very expensive to purchase and last a long, long time. They now are on our cabin. We also used doors and windows picked up on the side of the road.

Palettes picked up for free have made great compost bins. We have developed a nice system that is easy and free. These bins are ideal, the cost is right and they are easily expandable should your needs grow. I expect at some point I will take photos and post a quick piece on here about these easy to build compost bins.

Pictured above is our most recent find. A house burned in our village and before rebuilding, the contractor completely gutted the building to include the old brick chimneys.

Old bricks used to be easy to come by, but as demand has grown they have become hard to come by and actually cost more to purchase than new bricks.

This particular contractor apparently had no use for them or didn't want to bother. He was about to put them in a dumpster and have them hauled off to the landfill. Given that he has to pay by the ton to get rid of the construction/demolition debris he was all too happy to let us take them away.

So far we have filled our truck three times and I estimate there are two to three more loads. Many are broken but a lot of them are whole. We are taking even the rubble as we intend to put that down as hard fill where my son is putting in his driveway.

Nothing goes to waste! Finds like this are out there, you just have to keep your eyes open and not be afraid to ask. You will get turned down sometimes but the times you get a yes make it worth the trouble.

Happy scrounging!

Garlic Planting Time Again

2009-10-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Seems like I just posted a little piece on here about planting garlic, but another year has passed already. Mid October is about the right time to plant garlic in this part of the world, (central New York state) and this past Sunday we set in 106 cloves of six different varieties.

Last year (2008) we only planted one variety. We waited a little too late and ended up buying our seed garlic from a nice old guy at the regional market. He didn't know for sure what variety he had, but it looked good so we went with it. It was a white hard neck variety that for lack of certainty we called it a New York White Hard Neck. After harvesting this past summer we have determined that it is most likely Music, a fairly common, easy to grow hard neck.

We have been growing garlic for well over a decade now and normally grow several varieties. Last year was an off year for us, procrastination I guess.

In the early years of our garlic cultivating we purchased our seed garlic from a garlic farm in Fulton, New York. This place was great! They grew dozens of varieties and were very helpful. We even took a garlic growing seminar there. Sadly they are no longer in business.

This year not wanting to wait too late and fall back into a repeat of last year we (Debe) got right after it and found a good source *on-line and ordered our seed garlic well enough in advance so as to be ready at planting time.

We have planted nearly double what we set in last year and will plant a couple dozen more before we are done. You can never have too much garlic.

Pictured above, Debe is setting in cloves into one of our raised beds. We have the varieties sectioned off and labeled with our signs for easy identification at harvest time.

*Buying seed garlic on-line: A quick search will bring up many sources of seed garlic. Be sure to locate one near you or at least one that shares your climate as much as possible. California may grow wonderful garlic but those varieties may not fare as well in New York for example.

Quote from Ayn Rand

2009-10-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion–when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing–when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors–when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you–when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice–you may know that your society is doomed. Money is so noble a medium that is does not compete with guns and it does not make terms with brutality. It will not permit a country to survive as half-property, half-loot.”– Ayn Rand

To Yurt Or Not To Yurt

2009-09-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Photos - Pacific Yurt Inc. http://www.yurts.com/

Yurts have always intriqued me ever since I first learned of them back in the early 1970's. You see there was this hippy fellow who erected this round insulated tent thingy and he actually lived in it year round. Even through Vermont's cold and snowy winters. In fact he actually lived in that Yurt for the better part of a decade.

I later helped erect several Yurts at the Salmon Hills Cross Country Ski Center in New York's Tug Hill. The Tug Hill gets more snow each winter than any place east of the Rockies. The lake effect snow off the eastern edge of Lake Ontario averages around 300" annually. How can anyone live comfortable in a tent in that kind of weather? How can a tent withstand that kind of snowfall?

Trust me you can and they do.

The first thing most people have to overcome is, that although Yurts have some things in common with tents they are not tents, far from it. They are structurally very strong. They can be insulted, heated, plumbed, wired etc.. They can be made very cozy in even the most extreme weather.

My son Kevin II or K2 as we call him is now planning to put one up on Dragonwood next summer. I will document his progress on the project here and explain the wonders of the Yurt as we go.

Stay tuned!

Burning Brush

2009-09-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

Owning rural property is a lot of work if you want to take care of it and keep it nice. Even suburban property owners know the amount of work it takes to keep lawns and gardens looking good.

Dragonwood is essentially a woodlot with a pond and a one acre clearing. It is a constant battle to keep the forest from trying to reclaim the clearing. Small trees and brush have to be cut back from the edge of the clearing and from around the pond every year.

We pile the brush in the clearing and burn it when conditions are safe and the risk of the fire getting out of control are minimal. Here in the northeast we are essentially in a northern rain forest so growth is fast, but most years we have adequate rainfall to make burning safe.

Larger trees, anything about 2 inches in diameter or bigger are cut up for firewood. Junk species (Poplar, Hemlock, etc) we use for campfires, but the hardwoods (Maple, Black Cherry and Beech) are saved for the wood stove.

Each weekend I try to bring some wood home for heating during the winter. Today I have two spindly standing dead Black Cherry trees. These trees have no value as timber but will make excellent firewood. They are a good 40 feet tall but not very big around or straight. Disease or shade out killed them and they have now dried completely out and await the chain saw. I love these finds as the wood needs no drying time and clearing them is all part of good wood lot management. Free heat is a beautiful thing!

Carolyn and Mike Chute

2009-09-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Novelist Carolyn Chute and husband Mike at their Maine Homestead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/books/04chut.html

I thought those of you who follow Dragonwood Chronicles might enjoy this article from the NY TIMES.

*I am experiencing difficulty with my hyperlink functionality so you will have to copy and paste the link. Sorry!

2009-09-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

Whenever any form of government is destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness]

it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it,

and to institute new government in such form

as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

Declaration of Independence, 1776

The Second Vermont Republic

2009-09-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Second Vermont Republic is a nonviolent citizens' network and think tank opposed to the tyranny of Corporate America and the U.S. government, and committed to the return of Vermont to its status as an independent republic and more broadly to the dissolution of the Union. Members of the Second Vermont Republic subscribe to the following set of principles:

1.Political Independence. Our primary objectives are political independence for Vermont and the peaceful dissolution of the Union.
2.Human Scale. We believe life should be lived on a human scale. Small is still beautiful.
3.Sustainability. We celebrate and support Vermont's small, clean, green, sustainable, socially responsible towns, farms, businesses, schools, and churches. We encourage family-owned farms and businesses to produce innovative, premium-quality, healthy products. We also believe that energy independence is an essential goal towards which to strive.
4.Economic Solidarity. We encourage Vermonters to buy locally produced products from small local merchants rather than purchase from giant, out-of-state megastores. We support trade with nearby states and provinces.
5.Power Sharing. Vermont's strong democratic tradition is grounded in its town meetings . We favor devolution of political power from the state back to local communities, making the governing structure for towns, schools, hospitals, and social services much like that of Switzerland. Shared power also underlies our approach to international relations.
6.Equal Opportunity. We support equal access for all Vermont citizens to quality education, health care, housing, and employment.
7.Tension Reduction. Consistent with Vermont's long tradition of "live and let live" and nonviolence, we do not condone state-sponsored violence inflicted either by the military or law enforcement officials. We support a voluntary citizens' brigade to reduce tension and restore order in the event of civil unrest and to provide assistance when natural disasters occur. We are opposed to any form of military conscription. Tension reduction is the bedrock principle on which all international conflicts are to be resolved.
8.Mutuality. Both our citizens and our neighbors should be treated with mutual
respect.

To learn more click on the Second Vermont Republic Flag in the side bar.

American Goldfinch

2009-08-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

We have a variety of birds and other critters that visit Dragonwood on a regular basis. These Goldfinches are among our favorites.

Solar Panels

2009-08-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well we finally took the plunge and I don't know why we waited so long. This 45 Watt system is basically a solar battery charger. I had to purchase a 12 Volt deep cycle battery to go with the system. Basically a marine or RV battery. This system came with a regulator and two DC 5 Watt compact fluorescent light fixtures.

One of the biggest challenges of being off the grid is lighting. As soon as the sun goes down things become difficult especially if it is overcast and no moonlight. We have used propane lanterns, tiki torches and rechargeable lights as well as oil lamps.

I was somewhat skeptical, but I have to tell you it works great. This system is an inexpensive set up made for campers or a remote cabin like ours and clearly has limitations. We will eventually have to purchase an inverter if we wish to operate AC appliances, but for now I am just happy to have the lighting.

As an experiment I ran both lights all night long, which normally I wouldn't do. The two lights only drew down the battery to 12.3 from 12.8 on the regulator.

The solar panels connected brought the battery back to a 13 on the regulator in just a little over a half hour. I am impressed.

Garlic - Harvest Time

2009-08-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last week we harvested the garlic planted last fall. The tops of the plants began to turn yellow and brown and dry out. This is a signal that the plants are done and it's time to pull the plants and let them dry out. Leaving them in the ground too long invites rotting or fungus especially in a wet year like this has been.

Once the plants are pulled we bundle them together in bunches of 8-10 bulbs and hang them in a dry place out of direct sunlight. They will hang for about two weeks roughly and then they will be brushed off and trimmed.

Washing the bulbs is not recommended. In the interest of a long shelf life they need to dry. Just brush off any dirt. You will peel them anyway before using.

This year we harvested around 50 bulbs of New York White, a hard neck variety. Most years we grow several varieties. This fall we plan to plant three to four varieties and closer to 100 seeds.

Kaitlyn Marie

2009-08-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Our two year old grand daughter is learning organic gardening at an early age. Someday Dragonwood will be hers.

Cabin

2009-07-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

People are always curious about the cabin. Here is a shot I took yesterday from the bridge.

Weeding the Lavender

2009-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

We have several garden areas with Lavender that normally does quite well. This year it seems to be having an off year. Perhaps it's all the rain we have had or maybe it's just time to ammend the soil.

All of our gardens are essentially raised beds as we must add top soil, humus, compost and mulch on top of the hard pan. Some of the beds are defined by stone or wood but most are just mounded on top of the ground.

Growing Garlic - Continued

2009-07-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last fall we posted an article about growing garlic. We planted in the fall a couple of weeks before any danger of the ground freezing.

I stated at that time, that the garlic would come up in the spring and then we fertilize with fish emulsion fertilizer a couple of times. As the plants grow they send out "scapes" toward the end of June or early July. These will flower if not cut off, and thus reduce the size of the bulbs at harvest time. The "scapes" will loop back onto themselves before flowering. This is when you cut them off.

Here is a photograph to illustrate.

By the end of July or early August it will be time to harvest. I'll post on that when the time comes.

Happy Gardening!

2009-07-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

What a profound short little paragraph

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." ~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

March On Albany June 16th

2009-06-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from yesterdays March on Albany.

2009-06-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

"There will never be a free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly."

--Henry David Thoreau, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" (1849)

March On Albany June 16th

2009-06-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

Photo from the Tax Day Tea Party, Federal Building, Syracuse, NY April 15, 2009.

I will be joining the Central New York Patriots on a bus trip to Albany to protest high taxes and our disfunctional state government. The June 16 protest is a follow on to the April 15 Tax Day Tea Parties and should draw thousands of New Yorkers from around the state who are fed up with out of control spending and ridiculous taxes.

Cabin

2009-06-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Light conditions were getting low when I took this shot and I did not have a tripod so this image is not real sharp, but I thought I'd share it anyway. Hosta and forget-me-knots in the foreground.

Nation Trending Libertarian

2009-05-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Re-posted from the Daily Paul

National Polls Confirm Growing Libertarian Trend

Posted May 27th, 2009 by WhitfieldGeorge

AUSTIN, TEXAS - May 26, 2009 - Three highly-regarded national polls have confirmed a growing Libertarian trend in U.S. politics. The Pew Research Center, the Washington Post with ABC News, and Rasmussen Reports have published their findings on American political attitudes in 2009.

"Across the board, these polls tell us that most Americans believe in the free market economy, are skeptical of big government, and take a moral stand against government intolerance and bigotry," said Patrick Dixon, chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas. "This is the essence of Libertarian thought, and we welcome the results of these national polls."

The Pew Research Center published its annual report on political values and trends last week entitled Independents Take Center Stage in Obama Era. This report concludes that
"the proportion of independents now equals its highest level in 70 years" and that these independents are more likey to be economically conservative and socially tolerant.

The Washington Post/ABC poll released in April shows yet again that 5% of Americans identify with a party other than Republican or Democrat. Despite the personal popularity of President Obama, this same poll indicates that 87% of Americans are concerned by the growing federal deficit, and 53% were not confident in the government's ability to cut wasteful spending in the President's economic recovery package.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released on May 11 asked 1,007 adults "which of the following will be the biggest threat to the country in the future -"big business", big labor or "big government?" Fifty-nine percent (59%) of politically independent Americans viewed "big government" as the greatest threat, virtually unchanged from the 60 percent measured the last time the question was asked in 2006 - before the financial crisis and election of Barack Obama.

"Despite the two-party and two-philosophy slant in these polls, Libertarian trendlines are emerging," notes LPT Executive Director Robert Butler. "I look forward to the day when these organizations acknowledge us for who we are: a truly distinct philosophy, and not a mish-mash of the Republicans and Democrats. There has never been a better time to be a Libertarian."

Food Safety Act of 2009?

2009-05-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you have heard of HR 875 "The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009" and have joined the fight against this sweeping piece of legislation that will forever change farming and gardening as we know it.

Ever wonder how "Pork Barrel" spending gets approved? Most often it is tacked on to an otherwise decent bill. Buried somewhere at the end of lengthy legislation and either goes unnoticed until after it has passed or in many cases is accepted as just part of the price of doing business in Washington.

Who doesn't want a safer food supply? We have all heard about the peanut scare and other food safety concerns of late, so it stands to reason that most Americans will simply assume this is a good bill without any knowledge of what is in it. Members of Congress seldom ever read entirely through every bill they vote on. The bills are lengthy on purpose so it is too time consuming for every one to be read and dissected. Most in Congress rely on staffers to skim bills and then get briefed and weigh opinion voiced by constituents and peers to determine how they vote

HR 875 is currently in committee and is moving along "under the radar" of the media and therefore most Americans are unaware of the broad implications of this bill.

HR 875 is driven by lobbyists from "Agri Biz" giants ADM, Cargill, Monsanto and others. The bill was introduced by Rosa L. Delauro (D- CT) whose husband Stan Greenberg's firm has Monsanto as a client and who has recieved over $180,000 in campaign contributions from "Agri Biz" political action committees (PACS).

In a nut shell, this bill will change agricultural laws and regulation to the point that small farms, organic growers, farmers markets and road side stands will be all but put out of business. Open pollination seeds will no longer be legal and food grown in your own back yard for your own consumption would actually violate some provisions of this legislation.

DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! LOOK IT UP YOURSELF. GOOGLE HR875 AND READ THE BILL YOURSELF.

Some Recent Photos

2009-05-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots I took a week or two back. Anyone who may have read the post on planting garlic last fall here is a shot of the plants this spring. They are doing well and we have applied some fish emulsion fertilizer. The Rhubarb is also looking good. Deb dicourages any mowing until the forget-me-nots have gone to seed ensuring an ever more plentiful bloom every year.

2009-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

“It is well that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.” Henry Ford

America "Freedom to Fascism"

2009-05-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

http://freedomtofascism.com/

This is a must see. A real eye opener.

Senator Durbin, D- Ill.

2009-05-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

"And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place,"

I'm glad to see there are some who are willing to call a spade a spade.

HR1207

2009-05-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ok I know some of you have noticed more politics on here all of a sudden. Hey I have to go where my passion takes me. I guess that's the artist in me.

Anyway I'll be posting some planting pictures soon. The garlic we planted last fall is doing marvelous and the rhubarb is up. My blueberry bushes are not doing well and we will have to address that. Also on my to do list is a new bed for the asparagus. I have a raised bed idea that I intend to make mole proof. I had a real decent asparagus bed going but each year the moles end up eating more and more of the roots. I have tried several things but to no avail. I have a plan - stay tuned.

Anyway back to the politics. I am now actively working for the Libertarian party and the Campaign for Liberty. One of our current initiatives is to generate support for House Resolution 1207. HR 1207 is legislation introduced by Congressman Ron Paul to Audit the Federal Reserve. As of today there are now 143 bi-partisan co-sponsors. I urge everyone to write, call or e-mail their representatives and urge them to support HR 1207.

I could go into some detail here but for more information I suggest you vist ronpaul.com or just google HR1207 and a ton of information will come up.

To be honest at the out set I was doubtful that this thing would get anywhere. Now with almost one third of the house already signed on this thing actually has a chance. We need to really push now and if we can get it through the house it's on to the Senate where the effort begins anew. In fact many of us are already contacting our Senators to lay the ground work.

The Obama administration promised transparency. Let's see if they meant it!

Join us and contact your representative today!

2009-05-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

"A constitution of governement, once changed from freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost, is lost forever." - John Adams

Dragonwood Creek

2009-03-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday March 29th. Most of the snow is gone although there is still a fair amount in shaded areas.

April 15 - TAX DAY TEA PARTY

2009-03-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

We will attend the April 15 tax day Tea Party at Clinton Square in front of the Federal Building in Syracuse. The Tea Party is scheduled to take place from 11:30 - 1:30. Join Us! Stand up and be counted! NO MORE TAXES! NO MORE BAILOUTS!

These events are non-partisan. The conservative talk show hosts may be promoting them but citizens of all potical persuasions are welcome. If you care about our country and are tired of your taxes going up while spending by the politicians spirals out of control - Speak Out! We need to make a bold statement - numbers matter! It is our civic responsibility to voice our concerns!

To learn about a Tea Party in your area, visit - http://www.912project.com/

2009-02-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

I was going through some photographs and came across this one I took about this time last winter. This field is aound the corner, less than a mile from Dragonwood.

Stained Glass Window

2009-02-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

This window was custom made for the cabin by an artist friend. We really enjoy it and I plan to try my hand at making a window or two some day.

Location - Southern Tug Hill Region

2009-02-11T14:38:00.001-08:00

As I build this blog I'm getting a lot of readers asking where we are located. We are located in the Tug Hill region of New York State, USA. The Tug Hill region is famous for it's Lake effect snow as we lie directly east of Lake Ontario.

Dragonwood is at the southern edge of the Tug Hill region. Most locals wouldn't even consider it Tug Hill, but technically it falls into that region. The Tug Hill is a large very rural area between Lake Ontario and the Adirondack Mountains.

I have posted a couple of maps to help illustrate.

It's funny how many people around the country hear New York and immediately conjure up pictures of New York City. Well I gotta tell ya. This ain't New York City. This is about as rural as it gets.

I was born and raised in the mountains of Vermont and have lived in North Carolina and California with stops in Alaska and other places thanks to the U.S. Army. The Tug Hill is certainly not as vast an area as some, but trust me it's rural and with an annual snow fall that averages between 200" - 300" it's going to stay that way.

The upside to all the snow fall is there is no shortage of good water.

Cross country skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing reign supreme as winter activities. When summer comes we have excellent fishing in our rivers and lakes and of course boating and pretty much anything else one might enjoy out doors.

Shoveling the roof

2009-02-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Every year about this time we have to think about how much snow weight we have on the roofs of our buildings. It can really add up and sadly we lose a few more old barns every year. Porch roofs, garages, and out buildings often collapse under the weight of the accumulated lake effect snow. Sometimes even houses and commercial buildings come down and mobile homes seem to be especially vulnerable.

The cabin at Dragonwood is one that I make sure we shovel at least once every year about mid-winter. The weatherman is calling for a warm up and the chance for rain. Although I have seen deeper snow on the cabin roof, if it rains, we would be flirting with disaster. The cabin is over built in many respects, but when you take 2 - 3 feet of densely compacted snow and add a couple of inches of rain into the mix, that adds up to a tremendous amount of weight.

I'm glad to have my son home to help this year!

A Winter Afternoon

2009-01-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

The sun came out for a while today. A fairly rare occurrence in these parts in January. That being the case we strapped on the snowshoes and ventured in to check on the place.

Evidence of a lot of deer activity as always but otherwise things seemed to be fine.

The picture on the bottom shows Deb making her way up the driveway. We don't plow it for two reasons. Number one my snow plow bill is plenty high enough as it is. Also we don't use the place much during the winter and keeping it somewhat inaccessible helps keep unwanted visitors away. We are also fortunate to be well away from any major snowmobile trails.

The top photo shows Deb walking along the north side of the pond. The bench in the foreground faces the pond and almost due south. This is a good illustration of solar radiation. The small hill there and the area where the bench sits are open and face south. That hillside will be bare in early spring when there is still several feet of snow in other spots. That bench would not have been visible today, but for maybe the top railing if it were on the other side of the pond.

Even in this area solar gain is a very tangible asset.

Shop Abbott's Studio On-Line for the Holidays!

2008-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

This image is part of my Nova Scotia in sepia tone series. Prints available framed and unframed. KV Abbott

Visit Abbott's Fine Art & Framing for the Holidays or shop us us on-line at http://www.abbottsstudio.com/

TUG HILL, A Four Season Guide - Robert McNamara Book Signing Nov. 15th

2008-11-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

TUG HILL FIELD GUIDE BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

Tug Hill: A Four Season Guide to The Natural Side, illustrated and edited by local naturalist and wildlife artist Robert McNamara, is again available for use in learning and navigating the Tug Hill Region. Contributing writers include John Cecil, the late Lee B. Chamberlaine, Peter Gaskin, Glenn Johnson, Donald E. Moore, III, and Lisa St. Hilaire. The guide features a sampling of the plants and animals of ten of the major habitat types that make up the Tug Hill, and includes a narrative of natural events, organized by season. An easy-to-use source for the identification of a variety of species, the 288 pages include 64 beautifully illustrated full-color plates by McNamara.

Perfect for the student and experienced naturalist alike, the book uses a Quick Habitat Finder Guide, a color-coded edge symbol system, for quick and easy reference. This book is a must-have for every nature library, and a gift which will provide hours of enjoyment both at home and in the field.

Get your books in time for holiday gift-giving, and meet it’s creators at our area book signings, scheduled for:

Saturday, November 15 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Abbott’s Fine Arts & Framing Studio

628 S. Main St.

Central Square, NY 13036

Planting Garlic

2008-11-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

Fall is Garlic planting time. This year we were a little later than we like. Columbus day or thereabout is optimal time, but as long as the ground is still workable you can plant. This year we planted about 50 German White Hard Neck cloves which should yield about 50 nice large bulbs late next July or early August. The cloves were soaked in fish emulsion fertilizer and water before planting. A little smelly but an extra boost for the garlic.

Two tricks to growing garlic are to clip them before they flower. The plant will send out a flowering shoot called a scape. The scape will make a loop and then a second loop. Once the second loop is visable it's time to clip them off before they go to flower. This results in bigger bulbs. These scapes are also edible and provide excellent garlic flavor in cooking, though less pungent than an actual clove. We just chop them up and use as you would use garlic in cooking.

The second point to remember, garlic prefers fairly arid conditions. Do not over water them. In fact in this area we don't water them at all. The rainfall we get in the course of a normal growing season is more than enough. Garlic prefers soil with good drainage and organic matter. A little sand mixed into a good compost mix is an ideal amendment to your soil. A little fish emulsion fertilizer a couple of times during the growing season is all you need to produce fantastic results.

Spider Web

2008-09-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

This image is a manipulated digital photograph of a spider web at Dragonwood. To view other images visit abbottsstudio.com and our art blogs.

Artisit's Retreat

2008-07-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Deb and I are both artists, so essentially Dragonwood serves as our retreat. A getaway if you will. We have been getting a lot of e-mail asking questions about the place, to include the availability of it as a rental. At this time Dragonwood is for our personal use only, however we may consider short term rentals in the future. Ideally we would like to have something similar in Nova Scotia that would be a rental. A place we could vacation/work that would also be available for other artists to rent.

Dragonwood, The Name?

2008-05-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

People are always curious why we call our place in the woods Dragonwood. No we are not big into the mythical fantasy realm of Dragons and the dark side.

The simple fact is, during the summer months we have an abundance of dragonflies around the pond. Dragonflies, in the woods, just seemed to work and it appealed to our sense of poetic humor.

Early on, we began to collect dragonfly nic nacs and such. Soon it seemed that the whole dragonfly motif thing had become very trendy. Too trendy for our taste. Always wanting to buck trends and walk our own path, we shifted over more to the actual dragon motif. So now we have a Renaissance Festival, meets Adirondack thing going on.

Kids love it! We do to!

OFF THE GRID

2008-05-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Dragonwood is completely off the electrical grid and I expect to keep it that way. We enjoy Dragonwood as an escape from the rat race, so why run up more electric bills and higher taxes for an improved lot, not to mention further contributing to the degradation of our planets resources.

We do have a gasoline generator, although it is seldom used. When it is, we usually use it to run power tools. This is a fairly recent addition and in fact most everything at Dragonwood was built with a chain saw and hand tools. My friend J can attest to that. Debe and I, along with our son Kevin II and our friends Dick and J built everything. Our pal Jeremy is helping wire the cabin so that we can tie into the generator, a bank of batteries, an inverter and the solar panels we hope to add this summer. Most that have helped have done so out of friendship a few cold beers and some burgers on the grill.

Dragonwood does have a decent propane grill that serves as our kitchen, along with a couple of five day coolers and a large table made from recycled materials. We have propane lanterns and a rechargeable electric lantern. Additionally we have several old fashioned oil lamps and numerous Tiki torches. The Tiki torches not only provide light but make for a festive atmosphere and the citronella oil helps battle the mosquitos.

Dragonwood has a dug well, however we bring our drinking water with us or visit a nearby public spring with our one and five gallon containers.

A pit privy also known as an out house behind the shed serves us well for our requirements in the sanitation department. The out house is always stocked with lime, TP and baby wipes. The lime helps compost the waste while virtually eliminating any odor issues.

We have a shower stall built for outside use during the summer. We heat water on the grill and you'd think you were staying at the Ritz.

Life is Good at Dragonwood!