November 18, 2012 – Sunday morning

22 degrees

Pentoga Road

I almost didn’t write this morning. There’s not that much to tell. Yesterday’s activities can be summed up in one word, popples, cutting, and chipping.

It was a gorgeous day with a high in the upper forties. At one point, I noticed the sugar maple that I’d attached the cardboard target to while sighting in the rifle had some shiny spots. Upon further examination, I discovered sap was running from the wounds made from when the bullets went through the cardboard and hit the tree. Being curious, that led to my coming into the house and doing a bit of research wondering if maple trees can be successfully tapped in the fall as well as the spring.

The answer? Yes, they can and sap will run as long as the nighttime temperatures are below freezing and the daytime temps well above causing the sap to flow up and down the tree.

The problem is that the sugar content of the sap in the fall is about a third to half of what it is in the springtime, so while it normally requires about forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, in the fall, about 90 to 120 gallons would be required. If we were desperate it would be worth the effort, but we’re not. There are still a few jars in the basement. We’ll wait until spring.

I’m feeding the deer in the backyard… and the birds. The chickadees no longer hesitate to fly to my hand looking for a free handout. The deer aren’t making an appearance during the daylight hours. They’ve been targeted from every angle and are extremely jumpy. I would be too if hunters were continually shooting at me.

I started scooping the manure the deer leave in the backyard and depositing it in the garden. Don't laugh. I'm not talking mere bunny pellets here. I'm talking mounds, piles, mountains, of deer poop. I grow deer with extremely good digestive tracts.

I’ve been wondering how best to add nutrients to the soil so it doesn’t become depleted. As long as I’m feeding the deer, I might as well take advantage of the free droppings. There are quite a few, but it only takes a few minutes in the morning. When someone asks if my garden is organic and natural, I can honestly say it is!

Speaking of that, I think I’ll attempt to plant all heirloom vegetables this next year and begin saving the seeds from those for the next season. I am hearing and reading  more and more about genetically modified plants and the harm that is resulting from GMO’s. (Genetially Modified Organisms.) They are prohibited in Europe, Russia, and other countries, but still considered safe in the US.

A measure in California was just defeated that would have required GMO labeling on all foods in the grocery stores. Unfortunately, the pro labeling people were far outspent by the big chemical companies.

The first GMO’s started with corn and soybeans and were developed by the chemical giant, Monsanto. They developed a crop that was Round Up resistant so the herbicide could be sprayed directly on the corn crop and it would kill all the weeds except the corn… or soybeans.

Monsanto (and others) have also developed crops that are bug resistant by genetically inserting pesticides in the DNA of the seed, so any mammal or creature that devours any part of the plant has pesticide in his body. There have been studies showing a higher rate of cancer, especially breast cancer, in groups that have eaten GMO food. There’s more to it, but I’ve studied and read enough to know that I’d like to begin avoiding GMO foods. Unfortunately 85% of our corn and soybean crops are from GMO seeds. Even the canola oil is from genetically modified plants. It’s almost impossible.

The farmers love GMOs because their profits are much bigger from not having to cultivate and work the fields nearly as much during the growing season. The large chemical companies love it because they have patents on the seed and chemicals.  Now, the companies are developing GMO vegetable seeds and fruit trees, all of which will contain the genetic formula for bug-free growth and it’s claimed that within a few years, it will be almost impossible to find a true, heirloom, cultivated plant that hasn’t been genetically altered.

I’ve not crossed over the Dark Side. I’m still very much pro-business and pro farming. I simply want to know what’s in the food I’m eating, including that which I raise.

I worked most of Saturday on the popples and am delighted to say there’s only about two day’s work left before the acre is completed. After I finish cutting and chipping, I’ll use the frontend loader on the tractor to remove any old trees lying on the ground, those that are too rotten for cutting and chipping. There’s about a day’s worth of work in the half acre on the other side of the garden and finishing that, I’ll be ready for a bulldozer to come in next spring to even out the yard and future garden expansion site. I’m ready for winter, but well pleased that we’ve had a perfect fall so I could get this huge project completed.

Sargie made a great chicken, rice, and mushroom, dish last night. That, along with biscuits, made for a wonderful supper.

We watched television and played rummy until bedtime. Sargie remains the Pentoga Road Rummy Queen. She claims she isn’t a very good card player, but the girl can shuffle cards, deal a hand, add points, and yell, “RUMMY!” faster than I can pick up the cards from the table. She’s good. I’ve begun thinking that if she ever grows tired of curing the eye woes of America, she can change her name to Diamond Lil and get a job dealing Black Jack at one of the Indian casinos located nearby.

Today should see me unloading a huge pile of chips from the Man Truck and hopefully, I’ll cut another load. The Packers play the Lions at noon in Detroit. It should be a great game and too close for comfort. Green Bay has some players with injuries and simply put, we’re short handed. No doubt, I’ll go for my daily walk and since it’s Sunday, Sargie and I will take our drive to observe all the deer everyone will have hanging, waiting to be cut and wrapped.

The sun is up. Time to greet the day.

So are the tales from Pentoga…