Dappled Air

This video explains quite nicely how you can feel lonely surrounded by people and why. I would like to hear from you and look forward to reading your comments.

Do you know that your subconscious mind runs your life? It is time to take control back. “It is not a disruption in your energy system but a creation of the mind. It's about subconscious imprints stored within the brain, accumulated from birth, emotional conditioning that built perception and the body gives it reality. You are a creator, this physical reaction is an expression of the your inner world.”                                                            ~Robert G. Smith creator of FasterEFT This post is based on a two part article I found here called "Toxic Thinking Patterns" Part 1 Part 2 Subconscious Mind The subconscious mind does no original thinking. It is the "operating system" in charge of all autonomic processes of the body. If you would have to tell your body to pump the blood, breathe and digest, you would...

What on earth is a Scanner? I came across this cool website that gives book summaries. It is called Actionable Books  and you can join for free and you will receive weekly book summaries. The book I found this idea from is called Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams I am a person like it is described in the book . “Use ALL of your interests, passions, and hobbies to create the life and career of your dreams.” ~ Refuse to Choose! , Book jacket My interests are all over the place and I am drawn to many diverse interests?  When I read the questions the book asks below, I saw myself reflected in the them. "Do you love starting projects, but find you lose interest when the novelty wears off? Have you ever thought following just one career path is a recipe for total boredom?  If so, you may be a Scanner. The book suggests that some people aren’t meant to follow just one path. I have alway...

Is there a trick to figuring out how many plants to plant per square foot? Alphabetical Order Basil: 1/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)  Beans: bush-type 9/sqft; pole-type 8/sqft Beets: 16/sqft  Broccoli: 1/sqft  Cabbage: 1/sqft  Carrots: 16/sqft  Cauliflower: 1/sqft  Celery: 4/sqft (6") (according to sqft reader Doreen Howard)  Chard(Swiss): 4/sqft  Corn: 1/sqft (revised in  2/96 OG  to 4/sqft)  Cucumbers: 2/sqft in a row of 4 sqft (6" apart along middle of sqft row)  Daffodils: 36/sqft  Eggplant: 1/sqft  Garlic: 4/sqft (6") (according to several sqft readers. Some say 9/sqft (4"))  Leeks: 9/sqft (see special technique in  2/96 OG )  Lettuce: 4/sqft  Marjoram: 4/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)  Muskmelons: 1/sqft (grow in row of 4 squares, on trellis)  Okra: 1-2/sqft (according to reader Sandra Walters)  Onions: 16/sqft  ...

backside of template with holes drilled I am just about ready to start planting my square foot garden . Until now I have used string and sticks to mark things, but then I got an idea of how I could easily make some templates from old plastic election signs. The material was easy to cut with a knife and a permanent marker would help with the design. At first I thought that I would need a whole bunch of templates, but as I got going I realized that I could actually get away with only 2 templates. First cut 2 12x12 inch pieces from the plastic signs Draw a grid:  template 1: 3 rows and 3 columns template 2: 4 rows and 4 columns Mark the center of each square of the grid by drawing diagonal lines Use the electric drill and a ½" drill bit and drill a hole at each center point. Template 1 Template 1 Grid of 3 row and 3 columns (9 plants - holes circled in blue) This can also be used for 1 plant per square foot (hole circled in black and then blue) ...

The knobs on my dryer started to break shortly after I got it. I was not very impressed to say the least. The bigger problem was that I could not find any replacement knobs. The first thing I did is move a good knob to the broken place which, of course, was the on off switch. knob missing and mismatched knob Now where you go looking for appliance replacement parts? I tried a local store and even they did not have the exact one. I got one that fit on the piece sticking out of the dryer console. Who knew that not all knobs are identical. As you can see in the picture above a second knob failed and that function is now permanently set to the on position. Last weekend while looking for something else at Home Depot, I asked about knobs and a very helpful gentleman told me that I should try their Parts & Accessories department and handed me a business card with toll-free phone number. This is the phone number for Canada, I don't know if it will work in the US. I ...

Why would you practice crop rotation for your vegetables? This is what Wikipedia says about it: Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar/different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. Crop rotation gives various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals and other crops. Crop rotation also mitigates the build-up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped, and can also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants. I came across this image at a New Zealand site that explains it quite well. Every year you rotate between root and bulb, fruit and seed and leaf and stem vegetables. Here is a list of which vegetables belong to each group. Root & Bulb  carrots parsnip potatoes beetroot kohl rabi radishes onions leek garlic Fru...

Why would you want to do raised bed gardening ? The main advantage I found is that the earth in the raised beds warms up earlier in the year. So earlier planting leads to an earlier harvest. There are a number of ways to create raised beds. I have used both wood and cinder blocks. The cinder blocks take up a bit more space, but also give you little cubby holes to plant small plants. The other advantage of cinder blocks is that they absorb heat during the day and then release it over night, so keeping your plants in a warmer climate. Raised bed gardens also lend themselves well to square foot gardening.

When you're tight for space and still want to have a garden, that's when Square foot gardening comes into play. Wikipedia explains it this way: Square foot gardening is the practice of planning and creating small but intensively planted gardens. The practice combines concepts from other organic gardening methods, including a strong focus on compost, densely planted raised beds and biointensive attention to a small, clearly defined area. This method is particularly well-suited for areas with poor soil, beginner gardeners or as adaptive recreation for those with disabilities (Bartholomew, 2005). The phrase "square foot gardening" was popularized by Mel Bartholomew in a 1981 Rodale Press book and subsequent PBS television series. This is a chart that shows the basics - how many plants to plant in one square foot. 20161130 Update I just came across a fantastic free online resource about square foot gardening that I just had to share ► Square Foot Gardening: ...

Have you ever heard of companion planting ? Wikipedia explains it very nicely: Companion planting is the planting of different crops in proximity (in gardening and agriculture), on the theory that they assist each other in nutrient uptake, pest control, pollination, and other factors necessary to increasing crop productivity. Companion planting is a form of polyculture. Companion planting is used by farmers and gardeners in both industrialized and developing countries for many reasons. Many of the modern principles of companion planting were present many centuries ago in cottage gardens in England and home gardens in Asia. Check out this helpful chart to find the benefits of companion planting: Let me know if you found this information helpful and write a comment.

Are you looking for a simple homemade weed killer that's safe for the environment, but also tough on weeds? Give this recipe a try. Recipe 1 gallon (4.5 liters) of white vinegar 1/2 cup salt 1/2 cup liquid dish soap (any brand) Funnel Pour 1 cup of vinegar from gallon bottle, set aside to use in other things. Put salt in the gallon jug (funnel works great) and shake until all salt is dissolved, fill it with the dish soap simply shake up jug to mix well. Set aside and mark jug as weed killer.  How to Use Pour in spray bottles and use as needed.  This solution works best if you use it on a hot day.  Spray it on the weeds in the morning , and as it heats up it will do its work. Let me know if you found this information helpful and write a comment.

When do you start planting your seeds ? Some seeds germinate well in cooler temperatures and others need it warmer. Check out this handy list below. For the full size chart head to Roots Nursery. Let me know if you found this information helpful and write a comment.

This simple graphic helps you figure out if your veggies need full sun or if they can do well in the shade. If you are looking for more gardening tips I have put together a page that should be helpful. Full Sun Plants grown in full sun need to be watered regularly or they will be parched. Fruit and roots:  tomato, peppers and squash Partial Shade Plants grown in partial shade don't need that much water and will die if they get too much water. Leaves, stems or sprouts: salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, radishes, Swiss chard, spinach, mustard green, kale, collards. Let me know if you found this information helpful and write a comment.

Gardening season is just around the corner and your garden will grow much better if the soil has the correct PH level. Here is a simple test you can do yourself: Take two containers and put your garden soil in it to test Add ½ cup of vinegar to one container and stir If it fizzes our soil is alkaline Add ½ cup plain water to the second container and stir Next add ½ cup baking soda and stir If it fizzes you have acidic soil If neither of the containers has a reaction you soil is somewhat PH balanced. Now that you have determined if your soil is acidic or alkaline, you can slowly make the necessary adjustments to the soil PH level. It takes time to change the soil PH levels so it is best to make gradual adjustments. If your soil is acidic you can use wood ash or lime to make it more alkaline. If your soil is alkaline you can use pine needles to make it more acidic. Let me know if you found this information helpful and write a comment.

This article  just arrived in my inbox and boy, do I agree with it. I haven't watched any news since the turn of the century and tell my husband that I am not interested in watching bad news and propaganda. Quote from the article: "News media have become a competitive blood sport for our attention,” I said. “Their focus is on finding the half-dozen most violent, tragic, scandalous and ugly things that happened in a day and parade them morning and night. Their goal is to trigger our fear, worry, threat and distress responses so we keep tuning in." “This barrage of negative input devastates our productive potential and creative capacity. What we see and hear is what we think about. Our thoughts become our expectations. Expectation leads to manifestation. It’s a dangerous and damaging downward spiral.” Sadly positive news is much less attractive than scandalous news. People have been turned in to "sheople" and follow blindly what they see on the TV. If the...

Country singer Stompin Tom Connors died on March 6, 2013. Why would I want to write about this? Well, my first introduction to him was his song "Bud the Spud", when I got married in the mid seventies. I found his songs corny, but also folksy. To learn more about Stompin Tom listen to the tribute show that aired on CBC's Q program . Listening to the show, I learned how prolific a song writer Tom Connors was and how each song was a little story about life in Canada. What could be more Canadian that "Hockey Night" and Stompin Tom's "Hockey Song" captures it perfectly. After almost 40 years in Canada, I have become a Canadian and am proud of it.

How do you react when things don't go the way you had planned? Do you freak out, lash out and get upset or do you take it as a hint from the Universe that it had something better, different in store? I just spent some time in Europe with my mom to celebrate her 86th birthday. We made a rough plan for each day and now looking back, only about one or two of those plans became reality, the others had various changes from minor to total. On my mom's birthday we had planned to go out for a meal at a certain restaurant, but we missed the bus by just one minute. So there we stood watching the bus disappear and then our eyes were drawn to the sign next to the door of the restaurant by the bus stop. We looked at each other and said "why don't we eat here?" It turned out to be a delightful meal and we timed it so that we could get on the next bus to follow the rest of our plan for the day. On my way back from Europe, I was so pleased to have finally gotten on a plane ...