Thursday, December 20, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Greenhouse
One endwall to place and the cover will be on. It did get done as the snow just started to fly. We now have 5 inches of snow and a small arena to play indoor soccer in, ya! Note the happy crew in the background.
Friday, December 14, 2007
A thought about babies and blogging
Three thoughts of the day:
1. I realize I should call this a photo blog as that is all I really post.
2. I spent the last hour linking through friends and then friends of friends blog sites to people I knew at one time or the other in my life and one theme emerges; everyone has a baby or two!
It was weird to have flashbacks of college days, the last time I saw and talked to most of the people's blogs I visited tonight and see them all with kids. Or should I say, the people I visited with tonight. In a way I felt like I have shared their lives for a bit and should have a kid of my own. I guess Chaco our dog will have to do for now.
3. Imagine when all our kids are grown and blogging on their own. They will be able to look back on our blogger's archives and see themselves recorded in various media formats- photo, youtube, story, poem, etc. from birth to whenever we stop blogging about them. I suppose that will be never.
4. I declare today: "Never stop blogging day"
1. I realize I should call this a photo blog as that is all I really post.
2. I spent the last hour linking through friends and then friends of friends blog sites to people I knew at one time or the other in my life and one theme emerges; everyone has a baby or two!
It was weird to have flashbacks of college days, the last time I saw and talked to most of the people's blogs I visited tonight and see them all with kids. Or should I say, the people I visited with tonight. In a way I felt like I have shared their lives for a bit and should have a kid of my own. I guess Chaco our dog will have to do for now.
3. Imagine when all our kids are grown and blogging on their own. They will be able to look back on our blogger's archives and see themselves recorded in various media formats- photo, youtube, story, poem, etc. from birth to whenever we stop blogging about them. I suppose that will be never.
4. I declare today: "Never stop blogging day"
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
NOv21 003
Before leaving for Thanksgiving I was able to put up the rest of the hoops and attach all the base and hip boards. Now the endwalls and to install the heat/cool system. Then we can actually cover it with the plastic. Ya ....
Dan P
Dan P
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Greenhouse build
It is slowly coming together. It was 65 today and I worked in a t-shirt.
Crazy weather.
Crazy weather.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
VA Dan's B Cards
Thought I would get people's opinion. Processing 100 birds tomorrow. Oh what fun!
Dan P
Dan P
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Garlic Beds
Garlic being mulched right next to a nice stand of rye and hairy vetch coming up. Note our housemate, Derek grading papers in the Fall sun.
dan
dan
Laser level for the greenhouse ground posts
Laying out the ground posts to be level. A crew from Kanas was up to help. Good ole farm boys to pound in the stakes. Thanks you to them.
dan
dan
Friday, October 05, 2007
Grandma Field pre cover 07
Our new acre just plowed and disked. Cover crop sown, but not showing yet. Click on next picture to get the full panoramic effect.
Covering the earth.
Covering the earth.
30x90 greenhouse to take down
Take down and set-up again. It is huge, but we will use 30x40 in 2008 to raise transplants, and do early tomatoes in the rest of the hoophouse, maybe some vermiculture. Who knows, all sorts of possibilities.
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Queen Lady
Hey Folks,
Check out this audio interview with yours truly on the new VICM website.
http://www.vicm.org/ministries_va.php
Check out this audio interview with yours truly on the new VICM website.
http://www.vicm.org/ministries_va.php
Friday, September 07, 2007
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Sept Panoramic of the fields
Here is a pan of the south field filled with veggies and the north field with hoophouse and cover crop of oats and peas.
Julie and Dan break down
As you scroll down is a visual story of Julie and Dan's break down adventure on a recent trip . . .
Sunday, August 26, 2007
New Hoop house for fall greens
Sam G was down from MI this past week and we almost completed this structure. 18x36 area for growing spinach and beet greens through new years! Cover coming this weekend. Click on the flickr name to see more recent view of the farm
Monday, August 13, 2007
August Farm 001
Bracoind wasp sacs hatched and the tomato hornworm as food source! All natural, nature at work. So amazing.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Asian cuke
The harvest is full swing this time of year. This week farm members recieved eggplant, 3 types of tomatoes, green beans, sweet corn, herbs, zukes, cukes, watermelon, fresh onions, swiss chard, lettuce, and carrots.
Our new child!
Julie and I have been saving for a piano for quite some time and we finally ran across a used one. It is a Baldwin from the 1960's, it sounds great, stays in tune and was well within our piano fund budget. Julie is playing and singing as I write this and now I just have to wait my turn to play!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Julie and I kayaking
We went kayaking on the Foreriver right by my rents house. It was sweet salty action!
Fly fishing success
Maine vacation involved Dan getting a fly fishing pole and going almost every morning at 4am to fish with his bro. Matt is the fly fishing pro and taught me a bunch. Oh ya, did I mention I caught four fish and he caught one. Nice striped bass!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
24 tons of pure fertilty
Preparing for next year. From dust to dust or . . from poo to poo. Vegetables to poo to Vegetables again!
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Dan a talking away
Dan on the farm with a tour group from Marion Master Gardners' Club. It was great fun! Click on picture for more scenes.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Updates
I haven't posted for a long time, but I have a moment, so here goes. Right now (literally) I'm taking graduate classes at Ball State University; I'm a fellow in something called the Indiana Writing Project, which is part of the National Writing Project. I LOVE IT! I'm in class for 4 weeks, Monday through Thursday, 9-4. My main assignments involve personal writing (in genre of my choice) and professional reading and research in the field of teaching English. The main focus is on something called writing workshop, which I hope to implement - at least parts of it - in my classroom next year.
Some sad news. Sammy died about 2 and half weeks ago, right before we got Chaco. I was at the Indiana Writing Project Pre-Institute retreat when it happened, and Dan was thoughtful and didn't tell me till I got home on Sunday. Sammy got hit by a car on Friday morning, and Dan had to put him to sleep. We cried a lot, but we're doing okay now. Chaco has been a welcome distraction, thankfully.
Time for class - more later.
Some sad news. Sammy died about 2 and half weeks ago, right before we got Chaco. I was at the Indiana Writing Project Pre-Institute retreat when it happened, and Dan was thoughtful and didn't tell me till I got home on Sunday. Sammy got hit by a car on Friday morning, and Dan had to put him to sleep. We cried a lot, but we're doing okay now. Chaco has been a welcome distraction, thankfully.
Time for class - more later.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Introducing Chaco
Chaco, no not the sandal although he does like to sleep on feet. Austrailian Sheepdog. AK certified, from a sire and dam (breeders language for mom and day) who were both working dogs on a large sheep farm. Red tri-color, which you would normally see as black and white, but this guys is the same type, just chocolate brown.
History of the Chaco from http://www.chaco.com/:
"Chaco Canyon was an important Anasazi (ancient Native American) cultural center from about 900 through 1130 AD. It was a meeting place, a market town, and the entire Anasazi empire radiated from Chaco, literally. Roads lead in straight lines out from Chaco Canyon in all directions. Chaco Canyon was the center of the world for the American Southwest. "
And now Chaco is the center of our world . . . all roads lead to Chaco . .
History of the Chaco from http://www.chaco.com/:
"Chaco Canyon was an important Anasazi (ancient Native American) cultural center from about 900 through 1130 AD. It was a meeting place, a market town, and the entire Anasazi empire radiated from Chaco, literally. Roads lead in straight lines out from Chaco Canyon in all directions. Chaco Canyon was the center of the world for the American Southwest. "
And now Chaco is the center of our world . . . all roads lead to Chaco . .
Friday, June 08, 2007
Jacob and I
Hey Friends,
Still working on getting internet at the trailer. Here is the start of grad pictures. Look for more farm pictures to come. Zukes and basil this week! Mmmm tasty.
The hat is a special gift from one of my proffs!
Still working on getting internet at the trailer. Here is the start of grad pictures. Look for more farm pictures to come. Zukes and basil this week! Mmmm tasty.
The hat is a special gift from one of my proffs!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Thesis Defense
I defend my thesis tomorrow, Tuesday, May 8 at 4pm. Here is the title and abstract if you are so interested.
City Center Street Tree Composition and Health: A Case Study of the Historical and Future Sustainability of the Urban Forest in Petrozavodsk, Russia
Abstract
Petrozavodsk is one of Russia’s loveliest cities with extensive parks and tree-lined avenues. The street tree component of the urban forest in the city center has contributed to a high quality of life in the city. However, present and future threats to the sustainability of the street tree resource exist, placing this high quality of life in jeopardy. In light of increasing urbanization trends, particularly in the Russian Federation, this paper presents the threats to this resource by focusing on three elements: 1) The results of a city center street tree composition and health inventory, which provides evidence that the street trees are aging, in poor health, and are not being replaced; 2) A review of the historical events and trends, characterized by destructive episodes, periods of limited resources, and changing political conditions that have led to the current tree composition and health; 3) The first two elements coupled with a recent city wide tree topping event and the trend of increasing automobile use are used as a framework to discuss the future sustainability of the cities urban forest resource. We conclude that the interaction of the biological characteristics such as species choice, lack of species diversity, disease susceptibility, and age structure of the population of the street trees combined with the impact of human actions such as topping and automobile use on these street trees, are and will be contributing factors in the current and future sustainability of the street tree resource. Ultimately, the politicians and citizens of Petrozavodsk are facing a decision, “pave paradise, and put up a parking lot” or act to guarantee that future generations will come to know Petrozavodsk as “one of Russia’s most beautiful cities,” a city of trees.
I am looking forward to it . . .being done that is and moving on with life. After, that it is one more exam and then full-time farming! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Dan
City Center Street Tree Composition and Health: A Case Study of the Historical and Future Sustainability of the Urban Forest in Petrozavodsk, Russia
Abstract
Petrozavodsk is one of Russia’s loveliest cities with extensive parks and tree-lined avenues. The street tree component of the urban forest in the city center has contributed to a high quality of life in the city. However, present and future threats to the sustainability of the street tree resource exist, placing this high quality of life in jeopardy. In light of increasing urbanization trends, particularly in the Russian Federation, this paper presents the threats to this resource by focusing on three elements: 1) The results of a city center street tree composition and health inventory, which provides evidence that the street trees are aging, in poor health, and are not being replaced; 2) A review of the historical events and trends, characterized by destructive episodes, periods of limited resources, and changing political conditions that have led to the current tree composition and health; 3) The first two elements coupled with a recent city wide tree topping event and the trend of increasing automobile use are used as a framework to discuss the future sustainability of the cities urban forest resource. We conclude that the interaction of the biological characteristics such as species choice, lack of species diversity, disease susceptibility, and age structure of the population of the street trees combined with the impact of human actions such as topping and automobile use on these street trees, are and will be contributing factors in the current and future sustainability of the street tree resource. Ultimately, the politicians and citizens of Petrozavodsk are facing a decision, “pave paradise, and put up a parking lot” or act to guarantee that future generations will come to know Petrozavodsk as “one of Russia’s most beautiful cities,” a city of trees.
I am looking forward to it . . .being done that is and moving on with life. After, that it is one more exam and then full-time farming! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Dan
Sunday, April 15, 2007
SOC
Sunday canoe on the Mississiniwa River in Grant County, IN. Picking up trash along the way for Adopt-A-River.
Click on photo for more pictures of event.
Click on photo for more pictures of event.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Friday, April 06, 2007
Victory Acres April 005
Victory Acres Kitchen Garden with Garlic and remay covering seeded beets, and turnips. 22 tonight. Yikes, for the garlic!
Click on picture for more Victory Acres Pictures.
Also, for you artists out there, we are looking for a design for a sign out front. Any interests, ideas, let me know!
Dan P
Click on picture for more Victory Acres Pictures.
Also, for you artists out there, we are looking for a design for a sign out front. Any interests, ideas, let me know!
Dan P
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Fire maker . . .
Check out pictures from our Spring Break in WV. Click on the set label WV Spring Break once your in flick to view as slide show.
You like vegetables, but you must like bees too.
Honeybees pollinate every third bite of food ingested by Americans, says a Cornell study. Bees help generate some $14 billion in produce.
Check out this link to learn about the latest industrial ag tragedy. An we call ourselves learned and educated, masters over creation. Ha! Honey bees??
Check out this link to learn about the latest industrial ag tragedy. An we call ourselves learned and educated, masters over creation. Ha! Honey bees??
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Victory Acres Property
Friends and Family.
Here is Victory Acres CSA. I will be working here over the summer. 114 acres of pure farming fun and land. Just planted 8 asian pear trees to start out our orchard. Julie and I are moving to the trailer in the NW corner of the property. Pictures coming soon!!
Dan P
Here is Victory Acres CSA. I will be working here over the summer. 114 acres of pure farming fun and land. Just planted 8 asian pear trees to start out our orchard. Julie and I are moving to the trailer in the NW corner of the property. Pictures coming soon!!
Dan P
Thursday, March 15, 2007
What am I doing when I am done with my Masters?
First, I will introduce myself as Master Perkins to every new person I meet.
Second, I will not sit in front of a computer for one week straight.
Third, I will spend the summer as Victory Acres CSA vegetable production manager. Wait, that reminds me I need to order some asian pear trees for the establishment of the orchard!!
Fourth, after one week of a break, I will begin research on raising earthworm's for profit, preferably integrated with rabbit raising. I heard rabbits schreech something bad when getting the knife.
Fifth, oh ya. I am going to keep doing research for Dr. Squiers. Hey he pays me, I am around, why not.
Sixth, I am going to enter the Transition to Teacher Program in the Fall and take night classes to get my teaching certificate. I already passed my state certification tests, now I just need the pedagody(and a spelling class).
Seventh, Julie and I will walk from Upland to Demotte sometime this summer. Camion de Indiana, so to speak.
Eighth, . . . . to be continued
Dan P
Second, I will not sit in front of a computer for one week straight.
Third, I will spend the summer as Victory Acres CSA vegetable production manager. Wait, that reminds me I need to order some asian pear trees for the establishment of the orchard!!
Fourth, after one week of a break, I will begin research on raising earthworm's for profit, preferably integrated with rabbit raising. I heard rabbits schreech something bad when getting the knife.
Fifth, oh ya. I am going to keep doing research for Dr. Squiers. Hey he pays me, I am around, why not.
Sixth, I am going to enter the Transition to Teacher Program in the Fall and take night classes to get my teaching certificate. I already passed my state certification tests, now I just need the pedagody(and a spelling class).
Seventh, Julie and I will walk from Upland to Demotte sometime this summer. Camion de Indiana, so to speak.
Eighth, . . . . to be continued
Dan P
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
School Cancellations
Today we had another day of school cancelled, this one for fog. That means that for the last 12 days of school we have had five 2-hour delays, five cancellations, and two regular days of school.
Actually, yesterday wasn't regular because I, along with two other teachers, took all of our English 10 students to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in Indianapolis (which was an excellent performance!).
And even though we don't have school today, I just can't bring myself to do the schoolwork I have with me: grading rough drafts of Works Cited pages and typing a post-reading activity list for Julius Caesar. So what have I been doing instead? Well, first of all, today was the first day that I didn't set my clock correctly and therefore woke up at 6:37 am, right when I was supposed to be leaving for school. Fortunately, I found a message on the answering machine declaring a 2-hour delay, so I got back into bed and cuddled with Dan, then went running, and then got ready for school. I drove to Matthews to Pam's house (Pam is a teacher I carpool with) to find out that school was cancelled. So we drank hot chocolate and talked and watched Rachael Ray. Good times!
I came home and read some of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, fell asleep, and was awoken by Dan calling me to meet him for lunch at Taylor. Now I'm blogging (obviously). This afternoon I have to clean up cat vomit and make cornbread because we're having people over dinner, and then I have a youth ministries board meeting at church at 7. Maybe I'll be motivated to do some grading after that.
Last night Dan and I and bunch of our friends went rock climbing on the rock wall at Indiana Wesleyan University - it was so fun! My arms are quite sore today, but it was worth it. I also got my hair cut short yesterday and it's really cute!
Enough with the exclamation points. I feel another nap coming on . . .
Actually, yesterday wasn't regular because I, along with two other teachers, took all of our English 10 students to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in Indianapolis (which was an excellent performance!).
And even though we don't have school today, I just can't bring myself to do the schoolwork I have with me: grading rough drafts of Works Cited pages and typing a post-reading activity list for Julius Caesar. So what have I been doing instead? Well, first of all, today was the first day that I didn't set my clock correctly and therefore woke up at 6:37 am, right when I was supposed to be leaving for school. Fortunately, I found a message on the answering machine declaring a 2-hour delay, so I got back into bed and cuddled with Dan, then went running, and then got ready for school. I drove to Matthews to Pam's house (Pam is a teacher I carpool with) to find out that school was cancelled. So we drank hot chocolate and talked and watched Rachael Ray. Good times!
I came home and read some of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, fell asleep, and was awoken by Dan calling me to meet him for lunch at Taylor. Now I'm blogging (obviously). This afternoon I have to clean up cat vomit and make cornbread because we're having people over dinner, and then I have a youth ministries board meeting at church at 7. Maybe I'll be motivated to do some grading after that.
Last night Dan and I and bunch of our friends went rock climbing on the rock wall at Indiana Wesleyan University - it was so fun! My arms are quite sore today, but it was worth it. I also got my hair cut short yesterday and it's really cute!
Enough with the exclamation points. I feel another nap coming on . . .
Monday, February 05, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Dumpster Diving Lesson
I just got done teaching labs for Intro to Environment and Society here at TU for J-term classes and I feel convicted to take living out the faith in the midst of our over-consumptive and wasteful society to the next level.
Here is a quick factoid.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 96 billion pounds of food are thrown away each year, making up 12 percent of the trash produced in the United States.
I will proceed to this new challenge by visiting my local grocery store . . . . click on links to check it out.
Some friend's in Washington DC
http://www.larynandjanel.com/blog/a_shout_out_to_eating_garbage_on_dumpster_diving.html
Other stories
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006081501248.html
Here is a quick factoid.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 96 billion pounds of food are thrown away each year, making up 12 percent of the trash produced in the United States.
I will proceed to this new challenge by visiting my local grocery store . . . . click on links to check it out.
Some friend's in Washington DC
http://www.larynandjanel.com/blog/a_shout_out_to_eating_garbage_on_dumpster_diving.html
Other stories
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006081501248.html
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Dan Neti 2
Anyone heard of a Neti pot? Here it is in action. Cleanse of the nasal and sinus passages! Great for a cold and sinus infections. Try it one and all! Click for Julie and Neti pictures.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Thoughts on Saddam
The recent events with Saddam's death really bothered me, because I honestly thought justice was served, yet the justice I was thinking- the old eye for an eye- was served, yet that is not the Biblical justice that I am called to fight for according to NT covenant theology. Shane Clairborne points this out well http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/godspolitics/2007/01/shane-claiborne-communicating-through.html
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
The Plugged Drain . . .
Well, actually the plugged drain wasn't clogged with clay and mud at all. In fact, I have been putting drain-0 about once a month for a while, yet the plumber pointed out that the tub plug was hanging by one screw thread. The internal plug was slipping down! We also had the tub spout changed since during a showering it would spray out like Nigra Falls on crack. I had bought a spout to change it myself, but with no access panel and no proper pipe wrench, I realized that break off the spout by accident may spell waterfall for our neighbors below us. I now know for sure how to change a spout, but I can't seem to get the whole plumber's crack show routine . . .
Happy New Year. Must be off to teach my first set of J-term Intro to Env Science labs. Ahhh, young shapeable minds. My labs comprise of over 80% elementary ed majors. Should be interesting . . .
Dan P
Happy New Year. Must be off to teach my first set of J-term Intro to Env Science labs. Ahhh, young shapeable minds. My labs comprise of over 80% elementary ed majors. Should be interesting . . .
Dan P
Monday, January 01, 2007
Christmas Break Highlights
Today is officially my last day of Christmas break; tomorrow I go back to school. I think the hardest part about going back to school tomorrow will be getting up at 5:55 am when we've been going to bed between 1 and 2 am and waking up (without the alarm!) around 10 am. I may have a strange sort of jet lag this week.
Anyway, here are some highlights:
Anyway, here are some highlights:
- ice skating downtown Chicago at Millenium Park with Bekah and Dan
- almost beating Megaman 4 on Nintendo (Bekah, why didn't you use the energy pellet?!) :)
- playing Loaded Questions and Dutch shuffleboard with the fam
- holding Tristan, my adorable baby nephew
- spending time with old friends: Jacque, Jeremy, Nat, Nicki
- beating everyone at Clue!!! (yes, I'm still gloating - I know it's immature) :)
- making up games with Kyle, Bekah, and Dan
- reading John Updike's Terrorist
- playing Ultimate Frisbee in the mud and getting so muddy that when we rinsed our clothes off in the tub (yeah, we know now that was NOT a good idea) that our shower clogged (this happened yesterday and the plumber is coming tomorrow - argh)
- drinking champagne, talking, laughing, and taking New Year's Eve pictures with the Bitners and Oehrigs
That's all for now! Happy New Year!
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