CCD

I am not sure what happened, but I went to check on my beehive today and found that all the bees were dead. The famed colony collapse disorder probably wasn't the cause. I think they struggled the whole summer to get themselves estabished and from what I found it looked like they were trying to get a new queen going. So my 1st attempt at beekeeping didn't go so well.

I have to investigate exactly what happened to them so that I don't have the same problem next year. It's sort of dissappointing that my 50,000 little buddies are dead. I will try again this spring - probably get another hive as well. It was fun keeping them this year, I had a feeling for most of the summer that they weren't doing really well. I guess I was right.

My eyes are burning

I've sat here for a while trying to think of what to write for this blog, I decided to stop doing that and just start writing and see what happens. Lately I've been overly busy with things in my life. I sort of wonder if things will ever go back to a time where I could have 'free time'. Then I think I've never had free time in my life - I always have to be doing something just for the sake of doing something.

Like writing this blog, why do I feel the need to have this - I had all the grand ideas I thought the world should know about, but after thinking about them they really are not that grand - they are just observations on what I see around me or things I read somewhere that I think are interesting. They aren't really my own ideas.

It's been interesting watching all the financial problems this country seems to be having. Even the people in charge are confounded by all of it and the solution to the problems don't seem to be obvious.

One of the things that got us into the trouble was the ease of which credit was given to everyone and their brother - the solution of the people in charge - lets make more money and credit and give it to the people who made the mistake of giving out too much credit. Where does the reasoning go wrong? For a capitalist country - we cringe when institutions fail. Why?

In 1913 the Federal Reserve was created to handle a similar situation that we face today. The institution itself is technically illegal - since that time our money has been devalued by 95%.

To me it would go a whole lot easier in the grand picture of things if for example the US auto industry would go bankrupt. Everyone would loose their job - which in and of itself is a bad thing. The good thing is that all the smart people who were sitting working on new cars, ideas that got squashed like a rotten pumpkin because someone higher up didn't think it would make money will be free to take their ideas - meet someone else from another company who went out of business and start a new company that makes this car that will change everything. Keep these slow moving massive companies alive and it will never happen.

Change is the only constant thing in this world - sometimes it happens rapidly other times not. Fighting it is only going to make the change painful. It's been true in my life and everyone who lives in this world today. I think it's human nature to resist change - to fight it. I know that I do, but to pretend that you know what you are doing in such a situation is foolishness.

I'll give you the fact that government is supposed to protect the public - but if you look at what they've done it's been nothing short of criminal. I was reading something that all people should have humiliating punishments. So if a rich person commits a financial crime - make him live under a bridge and be homeless for a while. I don't think a rich person would learn much from a fine or jail. They still have home and if they are in jail only the people in jail get to see them and they still have food, shelter, all the needs of life met. Maybe it wouldn't work with some of the nasty crimes like murder - but I think humiliating crimes would work better because no one ever sees a jail.

I struggle to find a place for me in a group - republicans, Christians, sinners, toxicologists, none of them seem to feel like home. I think if there were a group for compassionate cynics I would fit right in.

Backwards

I read something earlier this evening about how many things in science are backwards. The example given was that the flow of blood actually causes the heart to beat. The blood is pushed out from small capilaries, etc and the heart merely starts beating because of the flow. Think of a water turbine that generates electricity. The turbine doesn't move the water - it t'other way around. I think it's a pretty common thing and there are many examples of what people once thought to be true but was proven otherwise later on. Now it's almost the opposite - things are proven wrong that were always thought to be true. The point of perception is the key to this, but anyway I can't think enough right now to give more examples.

That got me thinking and now I can seem to sleep. Which is ok I guess, I got a nice nap in today and in about 2 hours one of the best things of the whole year happens - Daylight savings time. Why there ever was such a silly thing invented is really beyond me and if it weren't for the other day that happens in the spring to suddenly have it be an hour earlier - what an invention.

Tomorrow I have to continue picking popcorn, it's supposed to turn nasty later in the week and I don't like spending time out in the rain. It's been such a beautiful fall - I just have a feeling that winter is going to come with a vengance soon.

One of the funniest things I have ever seen!

Happy Halloween

One of the best days of the years is only a few hours away - the time for smashing pumpkins and fresh popcorn is upon us. One of the problems that comes up every year is the raccoons. Their appetite for pumpkin is almost insatiable. On top of all this they can sense that there may be upheaval in their world with the impending election.

Who do the raccoons want for a president - their preference is likely to side with the Democrats - why Democrats you might ask? They are typically not card carrying members of the NRA. Who is more likely to kill a raccoon - probably a republican. You don't see democratic politicians going on all expense paid hunting trips. Who better for them to support. It's just a shame that we don't let the raccoon's vote.

Enough raccoons and their political views and onto a farm update - the popcorn harvest continues. It's been a good year despite the cool summer the crop is in excellent condition and in another week or two it will all be safely harvested. The pumpkin crop was slightly disappointing, but I planted mainly larger size pumpkins which tend not to produce the numbers. Next year there will be less pumpkins - I felt I need to focus on the quality and not so much the quantity. The popcorn crop will increase however and I have some new equipment to help me do it.

That's enough for my 1st attempt at blogging, perhaps I should not write about such odd subjects like raccoons, but if you come back and read more you will learn about the cultural significance of raccoons and the impact they have on society. You may not think it is an important topic, but they are clever animals.