10/20: America the Not So Beautiful

I recently read an e-mail forwarded to me about Lee Iacocca's new book. It allegedly has an excerpt where he's ranting how American people should STOP being complacent about the state our country is in. Why aren't we outraged? We should throw out everyone from their posts, and elect new people to start all over.

In our district, there are two men running for a post abandoned by Senator Wayne Allard. Democrat Mark Udall and Republican Bob Schaffer. They have both run a dirty campaign. Both seem to be liars, hypocrits and greedy. I don't want either one. And if we vote for Ralph Nader, it will divide the parties like when Ross Perot was running for President. (Where is Ross, by the way - we need him NOW!). What REAL choice do I have when I'm standing in the voting booth?

Is this the country our forefathers planned for and built? Land of the free? What a laugh. Home of the brave? We have become COWARDS!

What is the United States of American as we leave the Year 2008?

Roads and bridges are falling into disrepair. We're compelled, against our wishes, to switch to HDTV which costs us more money for less service and spotty signal. Our identities are stolen and credit ruined, turning the victims into bad guys while we work to repair the damage over the span of years and years. Donations to food banks are drying up while more families MUST get there to feed our families. Corn and other crops grow mutilated genetically but us backyard grocery gardeners have no choice but to buy seeds from them - wind pollination has wiped out purebred corn. The ice shelf is melting at a drastic rate, raising the ocean temperatures, killing precious endangered wildlife and changing our coastlines. Global warming has created intense heat waves, droughts, a plethora of hurricanes and tornadoes and overpowering snowstorms. The school system in the USA is a laugh; our children "graduate" not having a clue as to how to balance a checkbook, fill out a job application, or how our election process really works. We struggle for every penny we make and for each dollar earned, we lose about half. Inflated prices due to rising gas costs. Taxes: oh, don't get me started. We hear about "peak food" and "peak oil". We fight about whether to drill more oil, which will create more havoc on our Earth and not help our economy a bit. We talk about using solar or wind power, and have yet to make it a requirement in local governments. We bail out A.I.G. only to find them tossing our good will and hard-earned cash into high-priced retreats, spas and golf games (FIRE THE TOP 20 people in A.I.G. - NOW!!! - with NO compensation packages). We war on terror but the terrorists have been long gone. We discuss who best can run the USA while we consider the options: black young man/white older man team vs white old man/white young woman. Is there even a third or fourth choice for President/Vice President? Our children are learning from us that though we may rant and rave about the economy and politics and the war in the privacy of our homes, we step outside our safety and clam up. Bees are a dying race, which reduces pollination of our crops. A single pro football player makes enough to pay 20 teacher's annual salaries, yet who gives us more value? Who has stepped forward since 9/11 (2001) or since Katrina to become a true leader of the USA? Why is there not affordable hybrid or solar cars yet? Health care costs are completely unaffordable to middle and lower class, as are health/car/home insurance payments. And so on and so on.

Do honesty, awareness, responsibility, courage and compassion mean nothing any more?

Am I being an extremist? No, because I strongly believe our very survival as a human race is hanging in the balance.

Yes, I am ANGRY.

I am coming up with a plan to do my part. Are you?

Forward ( http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2008/10/1020-america-not-so-beautiful.html ) to everyone you know. Tell people to get involved. To do SOMETHING to make a change.

What else can you do?

Write your congressman. Write an editorial for your local paper. Vote for whoever is running against an incumbant in your local election. Pick one day a week to NOT spend money and NOT drive. Get involved in your children's school. Run for an office - ANY office. Volunteer to collect canned goods door to door for your local food bank. Tutor high school seniors for free on how to do basic life skills: banking, job hunting, budgeting, etc. Grow veggies in your front and back yard, and give extras away to food banks. Make your holiday gifts this year instead spending money on toys that break or a sweater the recipient will hate. Become an Johnny Appleseed and plant an apple tree wherever you can get permission. Say "I love you" to your family EVERY DAY. Write A.I.G. and request they fire the top 20 executives in the firm - without compensation of any kind (from their website http://www.aig.com/: Contact AIG by email or phone Call M-F 6am-8pm ET USA: 1-877-638-4244 Worldwide: +1-908-679-3150 ). Learn CPR and First Aid, then stock up on medical supplies in your home and car. Adopt an animal from your local kill-shelter. Turn off the TV and talk to your family, friends and neighbors. Teach your teenager about condoms.

Just DO SOMETHING!!

Vikki http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Intro to the fam

I started a blog on our website (www.geocities.com/thorntonwilliamsfamily) but it's just getting too difficult. If you'd like to read about us starting in May, go back there and follow the blog links.

Who are we?

We are three. On April 13 2007, Vikki and 10 yr old son (now 11) married Doug. We met through Craigslist - yes, online. Vikki (that's me!) posted an ad searching for a hubby, and after e-mailing then talking and finally meeting and dating, we decided to get married. Nice little wedding (my second, his first); Weslee was a big part of it.

While we're still working on blending this family, and preparing to adopt (hopefully a little girl!), Doug works at a company near our new house, I collect disability and help Doug try to make more money, and Weslee is learns what he needs to - at home which is suited for a young man like him.

In January, we bought this house. It was a foreclosure, and had lain empty for a long while - long enough for squirrels to set up housekeeping in our attic, foxes to be permanently fixated under our back patio, and weeds to replace any and all grass that ever existed. When we tried to do something about the lawn and to plant some berry bushes and fruit/nut trees, we discovered that our "soil" is basically a couple of inches of sand on top of clay. So, since we've planted the trees and bushes and hedges and grass seed, about only 30% has not died. And discovered that we have a cherry tree out front! Unfortunately we realized what it was AFTER the birds started their harvest. Well, maybe next year! Meanwhile, we've removed one dead fir tree, need to remove another and a dead/dying aspen. Bummer.

This house and the plot (small - .22 acres!) is weirdly configured but we have a good portion that faces south and some that faces east, so because Doug and I have always wanted to grow our own food, we got busy. I researched how to do it without digging up our yard and without spending thousands of dollars on compost and potting soil, and without waiting years.

In March, we planted 2 filbert trees (one looks great!), a self pollinating almond (looks dead), miniature fruit trees (all look dead), and 4 collonnade fruit trees (all doing great!). Blueberries, cranberries and lingonberries in the back now mostly look dead - 3 out of 6 grapes might hang on. All of the raspberries died, and 5 of 8 blackberries look ok.

We have a tri-level terrace in the front yard where, in May, I planted a couple of roses, with tomatoes and marigolds in between. I left the middle terrace alone (so I can walk along and weed but soon - will plant some swiss chard!). On the bottom one, on 1/4 I planted some gourds (that survived a fox attack), a small circle of bunching onions, 1/4 bush cukes, 1/4 soybeans and 1/4 black turtle beans.

In April we had scavenged some plastic kiddie pools, planters and tires, so we've set up quite an unusual veggie garden. In May, we planted potatoes in "tire towers", rhubarb in another tire, berries in tires, and using some wood we also scavenged, I built some frames for various beds. We have corn growing in a "Three Sisters" formation - with beans and various gourds/squash (using five 2'x4' raised beds). Our kiddie pools (holes drilled) have potting soil and cool-weather crops like broc, cauli, greens, carrots, radish, etc, and covered it with yellow tulle fabric we bought by the bolt for $5.00 last year at a yard sale (nicely shades it plus it's under a tree in the backyard).

We have about 15 tomatoes, each in it's own pot with a marigold and basil (except a critter took most of the basil). We have eggplants in a tub (holes drilled), and more with various beans. (Note: need to plant LOTS more beans - Doug picked up another 7 bags of potting soil today for more beans and for me to plant amaranth - now THERE's an experiment!). Plus lots of jalepeno peppers coming up in pots up front, and several various sweet peppers coming up out back. Planted various melon seeds the other day - haven't sprouted yet. Zukes, yellow squash and vining cukes coming along nicely - little babies now. Patience!

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm obsessed with my garden. We still have more space for me to use but I'll try to explain my obsession to you.

Peak oil (at about the halfway mark for use of total available oil) means peak food (how can we mass produce food without the industrial agricultural "farms" using machinery to plow, pick, transport, etc.)? I attended an "EarthWorks" convention this weekend in Denver, and am more obsessed than ever. I'm working up a plan on how to grow most of my family's food - which means figuring out what we need, what we can do without, and what we have to store from sales at the grocery. Especially difficult since Weslee and I are both very picky eaters and don't like cooked veggies (love them raw!). I could definitely use your input so...

Questions:
1. If you had room to grow only 10 veggies and 5 fruits (that these would be your only veggies and fruits for 6 months), what would they be?
2. If you had only a limited space to store 6 months worth of staples from the store (like flour, yeast, cinnamon, etc.) what 20 items would you store?
3. If you had room for a small windowbox (south facing for USA people), what veggie/fruit would you grow year-round? (Lettuce, carrots, etc.)

Thanks for reading! Please come back - I'll try to update this every day, and post pics whenever I can. Vikki