New blog added - Netivat Sofrut - a woman writing a Torah - September 24, 2004

Aviel Barclay

Soferet
http://soferet.blogspot.com

Not updated on a regular basis, but an impressive journey nonetheless.

"For the first time that anyone knows, a synagogue has commissioned a woman
to write a sefer Torah (Bible scroll). The synagogue is Kadima in Seattle,
Wash., and the woman is Vancouver resident Aviel Barclay. To the best of her
knowledge, Barclay will be the first woman to be certified in this ancient
Jewish vocation.

At this moment, Barclay has yet to start the actual writing of the sefer
Torah. In fact, she is in Israel now, completing her process of becoming a
certified soferet (female scribe). She began her training five years ago but
her interest in sofrut started long before that."

http://www.jewishbulletin.ca/archives/Aug03/archives03Aug22-01.html

On the dark side of the 'net [beheading in Iraq] - September 24, 2004

[Fair Notice - No image, but graphic description of Eugene Armstrong's death in Iraq below.]



I interupt this gardening blog with news from a different reality:

We all live on a very narrow bridge. But the main thing to recall is not to fear at all.
-Rabbi Nachman

I started reading the news that appears on my Blogroll again.
Big mistake.

I found access to the video [link at end of this entry] of Eugene Armstrong's beheading at the hands of Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi's Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad. I watched it.
Bigger mistake.

To see this man, who is someone's father, brother, son,
cousin, uncle, friend and colleague being killed, struggling to
his last breath is horrifying. [At its worst, he was squealing like
a pig; his final breath sounded as if a horse snorted - once]
Then, to see his head being separated from his body and
placed on top of it is beyond words.
I didn't sleep the rest of the night.

Later, I realized again why I started my gardening projects. It
gives me the opportunity to create beauty and provide
sustenance in a world that is, at times, inhospitable.

May TheOne, Who is everywhere, comfort his family amongst the other mourners of those everywhere who experience the
loss of a loved one.

The day is short, the task is great...It is not incumbent upon
you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it.
-Pirkei Avot Ch 2, v20, 21

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/Hostages.asp

I now return you to my regular blogging about gardening [maybe].

Again! Vandalism at Science World - September 21, 2004

Again! Vandalism at Science World

The ground was dug up, coffee bags were exposed, the tansy uprooted, the bamboo "fence" was torn down.

It was a mess. As always, I feel sad for people who can only destroy what is supposed to be beautiful. [3p]

Surprisingly, the Corn Salad is still sprouting almost undisturbed. They missed the main rows.
Cleaned it up as best I could.

No matter; I'm going to put clover seeds on it tomorrow [September 23] and hope for the best.

If they take hold, I'll plant my veggies among them in the spring.

[September 23: In the end I could not put the seeds on the plot. I went to another triangle
of land a few meters south and threw them [Red clover, white dutch clover and
crimson clover] over a 2m sq area. [p]

Getting rid of bindweed [Morning Glory] September 17, 2004

Getting rid of bindweed [Morning Glory]

Update: September 23, 2004

Well, I think it is working, slowly in some spots, faster in others.

I may have to play with the formula a bit.

To get rid of it,

http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/noxiousweeds.html
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weedguid/bindweed.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Convolvulus+arvensis

I'm trying this:

"You will get suggestions that involve a ton of work and you may have to
resort to that, but what I would suggest trying first is a "trick" with
roundup. Take a container like say a plastic milk jug, fill it half way with
a strong dilution of round up concentrate and dig a hole in the ground to
set the container (so it doesn't tip over and kill your pumpkins). Grab a
piece of bindweed, but don't rip it out of the ground, put the end into the
milk jug so part of it is submerged in the roundup. Secure the weed to the
jug so it can't get out and leave it sit until the weed is dead.

"The problem with bind weed is it's extensive root system and ability to
regrow from any root left alive. Using roundup via normal applications often
isn't sufficient to kill the entire root system which is why I recommend
soaking the plant in it until it dies completely.... one Garden Webber
reported doing this and seeing bindweed dying on several lots which would
indicate one weed with an incredibly massive root system."
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg0506291210419.html

I have four containers set up around the garden and will report on the
progress.

There is a bug that may solve the problem

http://www.ag.state.co.us/DPI/insectary/BOM-Am.html


Scientific Name: Aceria malherbae
Common Name: Bindweed gall mite
Type of Agent: Mite (Acari:Eriophyidae)

A website in BC refers to the same creature as

Aceria convolvuli

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/range/manual/ch11%2Dapp%2D06.htm

Current links list - September 11, 2004

Current links list - September 11, 2004

**For current links, see Blogrolling list in the right column or here**

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanwild/links



BC Biodeversity

An excellent site explaining the plants, animals and their habitat in
British Columbia. Also includes uses.

http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/



BikeBox Trailers

A growing and innovative manufacturer located in Vancouver, British
Columbia, BikeBox began as the simple "stuff transportation" solution for
cyclists. Built around the philosophy that "small is beautiful", and a
commitment to "doing more with less" Andy Hunter started the company with
the desire to make off-the-shelf trailers that don't cost an arm and a leg.

http://bikebox.ca/index.html



Blog: AA UrbanWild's bloglines list

Mine, obviously

http://www.bloglines.com/public/urbanwild



Blog: ColdClimateGardening bloglines feed
Yet another

http://www.bloglines.com/public/ColdClimateGardening



Blog: ColdClimateGardening newsfeed list
Gardening Weblogs with XML/RSS feeds

http://server.com/WebApps/NewsApp/news-read.cgi?id=1172



Blog: List from ColdClimateGardening
"These are all the gardening blogs I know about that are being regularly
updated."

http://www.coldclimategardening.com/links/index.html#weblogs



Blog: List from The Providence Journal, RI I've been added [September 3,
2004]

http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/include.pl/blogs/shenews/gardenblogs.htm



Center for Invasive Plant Management (CIPM) Noxious Weed List - June 2004

Under the British Columbia Weed Control Act, the following weeds are
classified as noxious within all regions of the province. The BC Weed
Control Act imposes a duty on all land-occupiers to control designated
noxious plan

Science World redo - Monday, September 6, 2004

Science World redo - Monday, September 6, 2004

I decided it was time to start from scratch at the
Science World location.

I loaded up my cart and went down to the site.
On the way, I picked up some cardboard in one
of the alleys.

[p] Once there, I shovelled the soil [p] onto one of
the pieces cardboard and used Roundup [ugh!]
along the edges of the bed to remove the wild clover.
I put cardboard on the ground and cut it to fit [p].
Where there were gaps, I used foil coffee bags from
Starbucks [p]. Slowly, I put the soil back on the
cardboard and filled the bed back in keeping the soil
evenly spread. Smaller pieces of cardboard were also
used to fill in any open spaces

While putting the soil back, I removed any weeds and
moss found in the soil and added 18L of topsoil to the
orginal mix [p].

After the soil was back on the bed, I took another piece
of cardboard and compacted the soil by kneeling on it.[p]
Finally, I put a bamboo stick at the small and ran some
green garden twine to a nail in the telephone poll and back,
so the strings were at different heights. To the string, I
added orange flagging tape.[p] With luck, this will deter
people from running over the garden. Of course on the
other side of the coin, it draws attention to the garden itself.

I decided that the winter garden would be vegetable,
so I planted Corn Salad again this time in three rows
instead of broadcasting them like I did at the Car Barn.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanwild/message/32

The seeds in the north row [closest to the road] are
unevenly spaced in the row as the seeds spilled
and I had to collect them off the ground and mixed
them with some gravel.

Spoke with about ten people who stopped by -
refered them to the diary site where possible by
asking them to Google urbanwild

Watered it all with 8L of water and took lots of PICs [p].

The Zen of gardening - a nice dry day, not to hot, not in a rush.
Arrived at 930am - left at Noon.

Scavenging compostable materials - Friday, September 3, 2004

Starbucks gives away their coffee grounds.

People cut their grass and put in bags in the back lanes.

Smaller grocery stores will give you their produce that
they throw out. Some of it does go back into a compost

pile to nourish more plants.

In the fall people have to many apples and pears than
they can eat. They bag them and leave them to rot.
That is sad waste.

An alternative is the Fruit Tree Project: "The Fruit Tree Project connects people who have fruit trees, people who can help harvest fruit, and community groups that use fruit in their programs."