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Monthly Archives: April 2008

eBooks: Their day has come

Today’s New York Times on my Sony Reader There were several failed attempts to introduce electronic books before Sony finally got some traction with the Sony Reader in 2006. When Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007, they sold like hotcakes, and Amazon couldn’t keep up with the demand. Only recently did Amazon announce on their […]

What's down the road from me

Home in the morning light As I mentioned in a previous post, if you go about .4 mile up the road from me, you come to the paved public road. If you go down the road from me, you go across a tractor bridge and onto a little tractor road into the woods. Let’s walk […]

Drought watch: La Niña is weakening

NOAA You’ll recall that the drought in the southeastern United States since late last summer was caused, according to climate scientists, by La Niña. La Niña is a large patch of abnormally cold water in the equatorial Pacific which alters how rainfall moves up from the south toward the southeastern United States. NOAA says that […]

Finally, a cell phone a nerd can love

Once upon a time, cell phones were great telephones. Back in the mid-1990s, when I worked for the San Francisco Examiner, the Examiner had a fantastic collection of analog cell phones that are now considered obsolete. Money was no object to the Examiner — reporters and photographers in the field had to be able to […]

Michael Pollan on having a garden

New York Times It’s always a good Sunday if Michael Pollan has a piece in the New York Times Magazine: You quickly learn that you need not be dependent on specialists to provide for yourself — that your body is still good for something and may actually be enlisted in its own support. If the […]

Gardening with raised beds

My first raised bed. This one will soon have tomatoes in it. I plan to garden using raised beds. If you do some Googling or ask someone who uses them, you’ll find they have a number of advantages. A couple of advantages that aren’t often mentioned: They make life easier for inexperienced gardeners like me. […]

What's up the road from me

I live on a private, unpaved, gravel road that provides access to six parcels of land. All the neighbors have more land than I do (I have five acres). I’m about .4 mile down this road. After the road passes my place, it leads to a neighbor’s cabin, then turns into a tractor track that […]

Moved to Stokes!

Where I live now… Where I used to live. You decide if it’s a step up or a step down… The trailer towed nicely yesterday, but it was a pain in the neck maneuvering it over the soft ground and backing it into its space between the trees. Jake, the RV maintenance man, did the […]

More what's blooming

This is in Bob and Sue’s yard (my brother and sister-in-law). Red azaleas White azaleas Tulips

What's blooming in Mama's yard

Spring in Yadkin County, where my Mama’s house is, is running about a week ahead of spring in Stokes County. Stokes has a slightly higher elevation and is closer to the mountains. Lilacs Dogwood Top of frame: tulip poplar bulb not yet open. Lower frame: a dried blossom from last year Young maple leaves and […]