FROG HOSPITAL -- December 29, 2015 -- unsubscribe anytime
What About Bernie?
By Fred Owens
Bernie Sanders has a wife, Jane Sanders, and the NYTimes has a story about her . She seems like a good sort. Makes me want to vote for Bernie.
Hillary Clinton is going to bring out her husband Bill as her not-so-secret weapon. Bill Clinton is a major liability to her campaign -- he has so much baggage and he supplies major insult material for Donald Trump. Trump versus Clinton will get nasty. Cover your ears.
I support Bernie on the basis of character and decency. He's a pretty square guy, and not mega-rich like the Clintons. But I don't endorse Bernie's socialist agenda, and I end up back in Hillary's camp because her middle of the road position is similar to my own view.
Bernie Sanders, if elected, will be the President of the Way It's Supposed To Be. Hillary Clinton, if elected, will be the President of the Way It Is.
Let me explain that. Americans are supposed to love trains and use public transportation, and that will wean us from fossil fuels and reduce congestion. That's the way it's supposed to be. But Americans don't love trains, they love cars. That's the way it is. Look out the window -- this isn't Europe. Let's make America a better country, and let's start by loving it the way it is.
Enough of that.
Cold and Dry in Santa Barbara and Still No Rain. I planted garlic on Saturday. I should have planted the garlic in October when the soil was still warm. That's what the book says, and the book is right. There is nothing more discouraging and defeating then gardening advice from the experts who write these books. Screw 'em.
Or these lame-brain tightly-scheduled pruning manuals. Oh no, you're not supposed to trim your forsythia until AFTER it blooms. And if you have no life, you can follow that schedule. But if you do have a life, then you trim the damn forsythia when you get around to it, and you will have my complete support in doing so..
The good books and the good garden masters encourage you to learn by making mistakes. Prune! Plant! Dig! Sow! Rake! Fertilize! All that. It won't always work, but so what!
The very best gardeners and farmers are not really smarter than you are, but they have that one supreme quality -- they never give up, they just keep going. And this coming year of 2016 could be the best year ever.
The Bus Book. It will not take me very long to re-write this novel, called the Bus Book. I threw out Chapter 2 and that was the only big problem. Now I need to re-write the beginning of the book -- the first few pages. This is key. I was browsing the fiction section of the bookstore last week, viewing the opening paragraphs of authors I admire, looking for an idea to steal.
I have no title for this book. I am unable to do that. I will ask my First Readers to suggest something.
Anyway, all this will not take a huge amount of time. Estimating to finish the work in mid-January.
I Only Work for Nice People. I have a part-time business doing gardening work for people in Santa Barbara. Here the ad I run in Craigs List to drum up business:
I only work for nice people and I give them excellent service. I will be kind to your small children and your pets. I will respect your property and your privacy.
In January we prune the roses. I have some experience in rose work.
January is also a good time to plant bare-root roses and fruit trees. La Sumida Nursery has a good stock of those plants.
Any potted plants can go in the ground now, and transplanting also works best this time of year -- when the weather is cold and the plants are dormant.
This is a good time of year for me to spread mulch on your garden. I can arrange to have it delivered or you can do that yourself. Mulch slows evaporation, smothers weeds, softens the soil, and adds organic matter as it breaks down. Adding mulch is a no-brainer. And new mulch makes your garden look beautiful.
I bring my own hand tools and prefer organic methods. I have local references, and I will give you an honest deal.
I don't mow lawns as a regular service, but if you are in a pinch and if you have a working lawn mower, then I can do that too. I am also glad to help you clean out your garage and do basic chores, as needed.
I do volunteer work at the Mission rose garden and at the Mesa Harmony Garden.
Give me a call if you are interested. I will come and see your garden and we can make a plan.
Happy New Year. I am so grateful to have friends and family -- some close by, some out there in the world. I am so thankful to have such a lovely girl friend -- Laurie Moon is the very best of the best of the best, and her two lively daughters Mariah and Shannon are extra good. My two wonderful children Eugene and Eva are all grown up and doing well. My siblings Tom, Carolyn and Katy are so kind and careful.
Special Thanks to all Faithful Frog Hospital Readers and Subscribers. You are the best, and you make every news letter a love letter as well.
Be well. Take Care. All my best to you and yours.
Fred
Go to the Frog Hospital blog and hit the PayPal button for $25,
or
Send a check for $25 to
Fred Owens
1105 Veronica Springs RD
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
--
What About Bernie?
By Fred Owens
Bernie Sanders has a wife, Jane Sanders, and the NYTimes has a story about her . She seems like a good sort. Makes me want to vote for Bernie.
Hillary Clinton is going to bring out her husband Bill as her not-so-secret weapon. Bill Clinton is a major liability to her campaign -- he has so much baggage and he supplies major insult material for Donald Trump. Trump versus Clinton will get nasty. Cover your ears.
I support Bernie on the basis of character and decency. He's a pretty square guy, and not mega-rich like the Clintons. But I don't endorse Bernie's socialist agenda, and I end up back in Hillary's camp because her middle of the road position is similar to my own view.
Bernie Sanders, if elected, will be the President of the Way It's Supposed To Be. Hillary Clinton, if elected, will be the President of the Way It Is.
Let me explain that. Americans are supposed to love trains and use public transportation, and that will wean us from fossil fuels and reduce congestion. That's the way it's supposed to be. But Americans don't love trains, they love cars. That's the way it is. Look out the window -- this isn't Europe. Let's make America a better country, and let's start by loving it the way it is.
Enough of that.
Cold and Dry in Santa Barbara and Still No Rain. I planted garlic on Saturday. I should have planted the garlic in October when the soil was still warm. That's what the book says, and the book is right. There is nothing more discouraging and defeating then gardening advice from the experts who write these books. Screw 'em.
Or these lame-brain tightly-scheduled pruning manuals. Oh no, you're not supposed to trim your forsythia until AFTER it blooms. And if you have no life, you can follow that schedule. But if you do have a life, then you trim the damn forsythia when you get around to it, and you will have my complete support in doing so..
The good books and the good garden masters encourage you to learn by making mistakes. Prune! Plant! Dig! Sow! Rake! Fertilize! All that. It won't always work, but so what!
The very best gardeners and farmers are not really smarter than you are, but they have that one supreme quality -- they never give up, they just keep going. And this coming year of 2016 could be the best year ever.
The Bus Book. It will not take me very long to re-write this novel, called the Bus Book. I threw out Chapter 2 and that was the only big problem. Now I need to re-write the beginning of the book -- the first few pages. This is key. I was browsing the fiction section of the bookstore last week, viewing the opening paragraphs of authors I admire, looking for an idea to steal.
I have no title for this book. I am unable to do that. I will ask my First Readers to suggest something.
Anyway, all this will not take a huge amount of time. Estimating to finish the work in mid-January.
I Only Work for Nice People. I have a part-time business doing gardening work for people in Santa Barbara. Here the ad I run in Craigs List to drum up business:
I only work for nice people and I give them excellent service. I will be kind to your small children and your pets. I will respect your property and your privacy.
In January we prune the roses. I have some experience in rose work.
January is also a good time to plant bare-root roses and fruit trees. La Sumida Nursery has a good stock of those plants.
Any potted plants can go in the ground now, and transplanting also works best this time of year -- when the weather is cold and the plants are dormant.
This is a good time of year for me to spread mulch on your garden. I can arrange to have it delivered or you can do that yourself. Mulch slows evaporation, smothers weeds, softens the soil, and adds organic matter as it breaks down. Adding mulch is a no-brainer. And new mulch makes your garden look beautiful.
I bring my own hand tools and prefer organic methods. I have local references, and I will give you an honest deal.
I don't mow lawns as a regular service, but if you are in a pinch and if you have a working lawn mower, then I can do that too. I am also glad to help you clean out your garage and do basic chores, as needed.
I do volunteer work at the Mission rose garden and at the Mesa Harmony Garden.
Give me a call if you are interested. I will come and see your garden and we can make a plan.
Happy New Year. I am so grateful to have friends and family -- some close by, some out there in the world. I am so thankful to have such a lovely girl friend -- Laurie Moon is the very best of the best of the best, and her two lively daughters Mariah and Shannon are extra good. My two wonderful children Eugene and Eva are all grown up and doing well. My siblings Tom, Carolyn and Katy are so kind and careful.
Special Thanks to all Faithful Frog Hospital Readers and Subscribers. You are the best, and you make every news letter a love letter as well.
Be well. Take Care. All my best to you and yours.
Fred
Frog Hospital
Subscription Drive. Your contribution of $25 is greatly
appreciated. The Frog Hospital newsletter has been cruising down the Internet
for 16 years now. I have tried to kill this newsletter several times – tried to
stomp it out like the ember from an old campfire, or dig it up like a
pestiferous weed, but it won’t die – Frog Hospital just keeps on going.
So please send a check. Your contribution keeps me from getting cranky. It
helps me to maintain a detached attitude. Let’s keep it going….Go to the Frog Hospital blog and hit the PayPal button for $25,
or
Send a check for $25 to
Fred Owens
1105 Veronica Springs RD
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
--
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