Soil Test

Maybe I need to think about getting a soil test kit. I’ve researched it a bit and found that most commercially available kits are either really difficult to use or just not reliable. A year or so back I took some soil samples to the county extension service and I guess I could do that again. My concern is that the composition at any one location is not representative of a larger section which is further complicated by the fact that it’s a 3D world and the roots tend to grow both horizontally and vertically. Even more complicated by the fact that some plant root structures are very surface oriented whereas others grow deep. So how many samples do I need to take to have any real understanding of what’s going on. My theory has been that over time, it all basically homogenizes as I continue to load it up with compost. But my theory has also been that the compost contained all that was needed to produce bumper crops of anything. I think what I’ll do is another sample set for the extension service but do a better job of collecting the samples. That will give me a starting point going forward.

My neighbor told me that a bear had crashed through the screened porch on another house on the lake. This was the same house where the bear sightings have been fairly regular and detailed – the A-frame at the end of the cove. There was a dog on the back porch so I’m guessing there was also dog food – or maybe the dog was food. The dog was raising hell and the owner turned on the porch light to see what was going on. Reportedly, the bear boogied out the same hole in the screen he’d made on entry. Personally, we’ve seen no signs for a couple of weeks – ever since I started putting the trash can in the shed until pickup day. I keep thinking he’ll find the garden and chow down on the eggplant but so far, so good. It does make me wonder about something. There have been two fatal bear attacks in Yellowstone this summer and a kid had a run in with a polar bear in Canada recently. Do I smell trouble in Jellystone?

Well I’ve already picked the next pres, Perry, so now I have to take care of the veep. Ok, done. Guliani. Perry soaks up the south and conservatives; Rudy picks up the left side of the Republican party. Being from Florida, you might be surprised that I’m bypassing Rubio but I think his day is a few years down the road and I’m feeling another long string of Republicans is in our future. This sequence is getting familiar – we elect a near socialist and then follow with a solid conservative. Then with each following election for a few terms we go Republican but each time a more liberal one. Then the socialist comes back to restart the cycle.