The dangers of texting while driving

[Dan Chisolm]

Statistics can only drive a point home so far.  So, try your hand at a game created by the New York Times.   It will challenge you to drive while answering simple text messages.   It will calculate how distracted you become.   You’ll be surprised how hard it is.

Consider sharing this with the youngsters in your family.
 
~ Dan

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[Maya]

I'm wondering how everyone did with their gardens or plant growing this year.  I had the upside down hanging tomato plant which did finally hang down and produced some pretty good tomatoes. It was up too high to feed it liquid food, so I used some bead fertilizer which didn't do as well.  I'll get it moved and try again next year. I only had a few peppers, onions, and basil plants this year.

 

I read an interesting article about tomatoes. The writer says that if you are over 40 you realize that tomatoes taste nothing like they used to... not even those you grow from seeds or buy at the farmers market.  I don't think I thought about it really... but I think it's true. Many years ago, my tomatoes were so good I would eat one just off the vine!  I also noticed the tomatoes seem harder to grow the last few years.  Maybe I'm just not doing it right. What say you all?

 

Maya

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Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.
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[Sandi Beach]

Maya, I too have found tomatoes harder to grow for about the past 10 years.  First they developed white spots just under the skin.  I was told I needed to change the location of my garden as it was not good to plant tomatoes in the same place year after year.  We did that and had better luck.  No more white spots (or very few) but production has really tapered off.  The past two years I had just enough to have slicers and a few to put in the freezer but not enough to can.  We have had a scourge of grasshoppers the past two years so that accounted for some of the loss of production.  Nothing seems to phase the hoppers very much either (in the way pesticides like Sevin).  I really had not noticed that they were not as tasty but I sure can tell the difference from those we get in the store through the winter. Hardly worth the money or the trouble. I did have a couple of bell pepper plants that the hoppers did not bother and we had plenty of peppers just off of those two plants.  We were also successful in growing kohlrabi but the hoppers decided they were pretty good after they finished off the tomatoes.

Better luck next year?

Sandi

P.S.  By the way, I saw Stevia advertised on TV a week or so ago.  I remember you mentioned it as a good sugar substitute and G agreed with you.  Do not see it in our store though.    

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[Maya]

Hey Sandi,

 

Wow... I forgot about the hoppers you have!!!! SIGH!!!! That's discouraging! I've never experienced anything like that. I mostly have snails, slugs, earwigs... and of course the worms. SIGH.  

 

Well I do agree... home grown and farmers markets tomatoes are certainly better than the market ones.  I've talked to a couple of other people who didn't have good production with their tomatoes too. One of them gave me a tree tomato. He told me to save the seeds and go ahead and plant them. I was surprised, but he says it will grow in the house like a house plant. I'm guessing he means to plant it outside next summer. I haven't planted any of the seeds yet, but I will soon. I don't think I've ever grown tomatoes from seed either.

 

I haven't been using the Stevia... I'm not sure why... I'll bet I still have some. I bought it for my husband who was on a church fast and couldn't have sugar... or so we thought. Then they told them they could have sugar. I don't think he used it all either. I'll have to check. I have a cup of green tea in the mornings, and I like honey in it.

 

I've heard there is going to be a sugar shortage because Brazil or somewhere is using more of it for fuel instead of exporting it.   I stock piled a little of it thinking I might need it for holiday baking. hahaha.  But actually... I got sick of the slow down in the kitchen, and I'm halfway on strike now. It's been a year... and still no backsplash in the kitchen.  I also have trouble getting stuff from the lower cabinets... so I'd like to have some of them fitted with those sliders. At first, I was willing to do the tile and grout. I told my husband he only needed to do the cutting.  Well never mind all that....

 

Here in CA the weather is still very beautiful... in fact, I'm hoping for the fall rains to really get going. I have flowers blooming and peppers still growing. I'm going to plant some garlic, onions, and just a couple collard green plants. They do good in the winter here.

 

Maya

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Angels help you laugh at life even when you don't think it's funny.
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