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Roger’s view from the hills

By
Roger Ringer
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ATTENTION ALL POLITICIANS!!!!!!!

“WE HANG PETTY THIEVES AND
APPOINT THE GREAT ONES
TO PUBLIC OFFICE”
                                                                                                                                                                       Aesop
     Now pay attention all politicians.  Whether I support you or not, stop with all the half truth, pompous, gutter sniping, mud slinging, advertisements, phone calls, and mailings.  Stop trying to spin where you stand and start answering questions honestly, straight forward, and courageously!
     Any one running for office should be able to answer all questions with a YES OR NO!  I have had it and if I had hair I would pull it out.
     If you are running for office as a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Prohibitionist, or any other label, if you cannot answer these questions and quit bothering us.
ARE YOU?
  1. PRO LIFE?
  2. PRO ABORTION?
  3. FOR GUN CONTROL?
  4. SUPPORT SECOND AMENDMENT?
  5. FOR CONTROL OF THE BORDERS?
  6. FOR AMNESTY?
  7. SUPPORT OUR MILITARY?
  8. FOR THE FAIR TAX?
  9. FOR CLOSING THE IRS?
  10. FOR FREE MARKET HEALTH INSURANCE?
  11. AGAINST REGULATORY AGENCIES MAINTAINING SWAT TEAMS?
  12. FOR A RESTORATION OF FUNDS USED BY OTHER AGENCIES BACK TO SOCIAL SECURITY?
  13. DRUG TESTS FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS?
  14. AGAINST GATHERING ALL DATA ON CITIZENS WITHOUT LEGAL WARRANT?
  15. AGAINST ACTIVIST JUDGES OVERRIDING THE WILL OF THE VOTER?
  16. FOR FREEDOM OF RELIGION NOT FROM IT?
  17. OPENING NUCLEAR WASTE FACILITY IN NEVADA THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILT FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS?
  18. RESTORE THE CONCEPT OF MULTIPLE USE TO FEDERAL LANDS?
  19. REMOVE THE ABILITY FOR ‘GREEN’ GROUPS TO SUE AND HAVE ALL LEGAL FEES PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT OVER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES?
  20. STOP THE DISMANTLING OF THE COUNTRY BY USING ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’ AS A REASON?
  21. FOR BREAKING UP THE EPA?
  22. SUPPORT THAT NO MILITARY ACTION BE TAKEN ANYWHERE WITHOUT CLEAR INTENT TO WIN?
  23. FOR FUNDING ALREADY APPROVED IMPROVEMENT OF RIVER LOCK SYSTEM?
  24. NO AGENCY OVERRIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ON AGRICULTURAL ISSUES?
  25. STOP ALL FOREIGN AID EXCEPT FOR HUMANITARIAN?
  26. STOP FUNDING THE UNITED NATIONS?
  27. BUILD THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE?
  28. STREAMLINE ALL LICENSING PROCEDURES FOR POWER PLANTS AND REFINERIES?
     It is not hard at all to answer these YES OR NO.  Quit bothering us with the rest and quit asking me to give you money.

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural – Carl Reed – Tallgrass Express

By
Editor
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kksu
K-State Research and Extension, Candice Shoemaker

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

From bluegrass to tallgrass. No, I’m not talking about converting your lawn. I’m referring to the progression of a singer, songwriter and musician who is part of an effort that is celebrating the Kansas Flint Hills.

Last week we learned about Annie Wilson of Tallgrass Express String Band. Today we’ll meet her fellow lead vocalist in the band, the talented Carl Reed of Manhattan.

 

Carl grew up in Michigan and studied agriculture at Michigan State. His family was musical.  “We did music all the time,” Carl said.

 

After college, Carl volunteered for the Peace Corps and was assigned to a grain laboratory in Costa Rica. While working there, two things happened: One, he met a visiting delegation of grain science specialists from Kansas State University, and two, he bought a guitar. The guitar was for his own pleasure and enjoyment. But when his two-year assignment was up and he was looking for a job, he thought of Kansas State.

 

Dr. Charles Deyoe was the head of K-State’s Grain Science Department, which was ramping up its international work at the time and which had sent the delegation to Costa Rica. Carl wrote to Dr. Deyoe to express interest in a job, and he was ultimately hired onto the K-State Grain Science faculty where he worked in international grain programs for nearly 30 years.

 

After retiring, he launched a grain scouting business in the rural community of Buhler, population 1,344 people. That’s rural – but there’s more.

 

Meanwhile, Carl continued to play the guitar. He got into bluegrass music, bought a stand-up bass, and started writing songs.

 

“I had tunes buzzing around in my head,” Carl said. “I got involved with a songwriters’ association out of Nashville which helps writers get started.” His songs have now been performed by such groups as Continental Divide and Special Consensus.

 

Carl enjoyed the music, but when he saw Annie Wilson perform, he saw something more. It wasn’t so much a love of being on stage as much as it was a love of the Kansas Flint Hills which she was promoting through her music.

 

“When I saw what Annie was doing, I knew I really wanted to support this,” Carl said. “She’s trying to promote the authentic Flint Hills experience.”

 

In 2009, Carl joined Annie’s band, the Tallgrass Express String Band, doing lead vocals and harmony.

 

“He is an amazing songwriter,” Annie Wilson said. “In addition to being a great musician, he is our Kansas historian.”

 

In 2010, with Carl Reed as one of its members, the Tallgrass Express String Band produced a CD of 16 original Flint Hills songs.

 

In 2014, the band produced a two-CD set featuring 30 songs, including five by Carl. These include Kansas Song about the state’s culture and climate; Song of Samuel Wood, a Kansas leader of the Underground Railroad and father of Chase County; Little Ol’ Life, a song about the simple joys; and Freedom Must Prevail, a spirited ballad about the abolitionist movement in Kansas. It describes the history and construction of the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church in Wabaunsee.

 

His fifth song is the one he calls his favourite. It is a haunting tune based on a true story about long-lost love letters which were found when an elderly lady passed away. The song is titled Letters of Long Ago. The lady lived in Paxico, population 210 people.  Now, that’s rural.

 

In September 2013 at Cottonwood Falls, the band held a debut party to celebrate the new two-CD set which is titled Sky & Water, Wind & Grass. “It was a smashing success,” Carl said. “The place was jam-packed.”

 

For more information, go to www.tallgrassexpress.com.

 

From bluegrass to tallgrass. No, this doesn’t refer to your lawn. It describes the progression of this musician from playing bluegrass to being part of a band which promotes the tallgrass prairie of the Kansas Flint Hills. We salute Carl Reed, Annie Wilson, and the other members of the Tallgrass Express String Band for making a difference with their talents. Whether bluegrass or tallgrass, they are making beautiful music together.

Work garden soil in the fall

By
K-State
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0

Fall is the preferred time to prepare garden soil for next spring’s vegetable garden. Spring is often wet making it difficult to work soil without forming clods that remain the rest of the season. Fall usually is drier allowing more time to work the soil when it is at the correct soil moisture content. Even if you work soil wet in the fall and form clods, the freezing and thawing

that takes place in the winter will break them down, leaving a mellow soil the following spring.

Insects often hide in garden debris. If that debris is worked into the soil, insects will be less likely to survive the winter. Diseases are also less likely to overwinter if old plants are worked under. Also, garden debris will increase the organic matter content of the soil. Working the debris into the soil is easier if you mow the old vegetable plants several times to reduce the size of the debris.

Fall is an excellent time to add organic matter. Not only are organic materials usually more available in the fall )leaves, rotten hay or silage, grass clippings( but fresher materials can be added in the fall than in the spring because there is more time for them to break down before

planting. As a general rule, add 2 inches of organic material to the surface of the soil and till it in. Be careful not to over till. You should end up with particles the size of grape nuts or larger. If

you work garden soil into the consistency of flour, you have destroyed the soil structure.

 

By: Ward Upham

 

Winter storage of summer bulbs

By
K-State
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As winter approaches, we need to start thinking about storage of the bulbs that will not survive Kansas winters. The bulbs of gladiolus, caladium, dahlia, tuberous begonia, calla lily, and canna lily need to be dug and stored so they can be planted next year. Actually, the storage organ of the above plants is not a true bulb. Canna and calla lilies are rhizomes, caladium, and tuberous begonias are tubers, gladiolus is a corm, and dahlia is a tuberous rooted plant. All of these plants should be dug after frost has browned the foliage. Then, allow them to dry for about a week in a shady, well-ventilated site such as a garage or tool shed. Remove any excess soil and pack them in peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite. Make sure the bulbs don’t touch so that if one decays, the rot doesn’t spread. Dusting them with fungicide before storage will help prevent them from rotting.

Caladium should be stored between 50 and 60 degrees F. The other bulbs mentioned should be stored near 40 degrees F. Finding a good spot to store the bulbs may be difficult. Some people place them against a basement wall farthest from the furnace and insulate them so the wall keeps them cool.

 

By: Ward Upham

Horticulture news

By
K-State
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0
Terrie Schweitzer
Terrie Schweitzer

By: Scott Eckert, County Extension Agent, Horticulture

I learned many things from my dad growing up.  How to plant potatoes, how to drive a stick shift,  how to shoot a gun.  Most of these things I still know how to do.  There is, however, a chore he was good at that did not stick with me too well.  Putting garden tools away and keeping them in good condition for a long time.

Hoes, shovels and other common garden tools often have wooden handles that can deteriorate over time. Storing tools in a protected location can slow that process, but normal use will still expose the tools to the elements. The end of the season is a good time to clean up and protect the handles so they will last for many years. Weathering can raise
the grain of wood, resulting in splinters. A light sanding can smooth the handle. Follow that with a light application of wood preservative, linseed oil or polyurethane to protect the wood. Wipe off any excess after a few minutes as oil-based products can attract dirt.

Cleaning any dirt off metal parts and coating with a light application of oil can prevent rust. Good tools are expensive. A few minutes of care after the season is over can help preserve them for many years to come.

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