Orangeglo - Variety Show

Orangeglo, Sweet Siberian (front left), Chris Cross (back left),Moon & Stars, Mountain Yellow Sweet

It has been quite a while since I did a feature of a veggie variety on the GFF blog.  So, I said to myself, "Self, let's do a Genuine Faux Farm blog on a veggie variety."  Since I can be pretty convincing sometimes, I agreed to do just that.

It has been a few years since we have seriously grown watermelons.  Yes, it is true that we would grow a fair number of them to make sure our CSA members would each get one.  Even longer ago, we would try to grow way too many of them in hopes that we would have a bumper crop and we could try to market the excess.  The problem was twofold.  First, it was never as easy as you pretend it will be to find the unplanned market when you do have the bumper crop and second, if you secure that market it always seems like there is some sort of disaster that prevents you from having the excess you wanted to have - especially when you grow as many different crops as we did.

If you are a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share grower, there are problems with growing traditional sized (larger) watermelons.  Unless you have share pickup at your farm, you are stuck with bringing a full load of watermelons AND all of the rest of the produce at the same time.  In our case, at the point watermelons got ripe, our shares were full of all sorts of other neat things.  Our truck was full to the gills (so to speak) with everything else - there was really no place to put the watermelon.

And watermelon do not pack particularly well.

Even if we selected watermelon varieties that were smaller, we were often stuck with packing issues.  Still, if we had a good watermelon year, we worked to find solutions - and usually managed just fine.  We even arranged to have someone bring their truck to the farm and come with us to our distributions.

Now that we are not growing watermelon for anyone other than ourselves, we were left with the choice - which watermelon variety would we choose?

Sometimes it is difficult to give up the opportunity to grow a wide range of cultivars.  It was fun just trotting out five or six varieties and seeing how each of them did and how each tasted.  There was also a certain amount pleasure in describing each and their relative strengths to those who were trying to select which one to take home.

In the end, we went with the watermelon that we felt had the best combined texture and taste - probably according to Rob's taste buds more than Tammy's.  This isn't because Tammy is not allowed to have her opinion.  It's more that Rob is a bit more persnickity when it comes to watermelon in the first place.  Tammy would be fine with several varieties, and Rob might actually pass on some of them... or just eat a few chunks and leave it at that.

Orangeglo has a fruitier texture and taste unlike many of the highly marketed watermelons you can find in stores currently.  Most of those fruit are a bit grainy and more water than melon - in my opinion.  Orangeglo is a bit more 'pulpy' in texture and has a definite flavor that is clearly watermelon, but with more depth to its sweet flavor.

Yes, it does have seeds in the cavity, but unlike some heirloom varieties,the seeds are usually very well developed and pretty easy to find and remove.  I will admit that some varieties we tried had seeds EVERYWHERE and it was hard to appreciate the taste, even if it was excellent.

Vines are usually pretty reliable once you get them started.  We planted a total of six seeds and transplanted all six this Spring.  Of those, four survived the deer and rabbits.  In return, we got one full sized melon (about 20+ pounds) and four or five smaller melons (10-15 pound range).  I am not counting the fruit a deer stepped on in that count.

I can't say that we did particularly well with our cultivation and care of these plants in 2022, but we did well enough.  And, the production was in line with what we typically expect from this variety.  Unlike some of the hybrid, production melons that many commercial growers favor, these melons do have a fairly wide range of sizes.  The largest I think we have seen was approaching thirty pounds.  But, it is pretty common, in our experience to have about a quarter of the marketable fruit land in the 20 pound range and the rest landing at 10 to 15 pounds.

Orangeglo does love it when you promote visits from pollinators.  So, some variety of flowering plants in the area will increase the likelihood of fruit set. We usually plant our watermelons in the same area as our melon plants.  We like borage, calendula, zinnia, marigold, buckwheat and sunflowers in that area.  We even tried sunn hemp one year and the vines liked to crawl into the sunn hemp (but it was hard to find the fruit).

We did try watermelon next to winter squash one year, but found the watermelon vines did not compete well with the squash.  They just don't start crawling fast enough and the squash take their space before they can really get going.  We have grown watermelon with both straw and paper mulch, but our best production has been on bare soil, most of the time.  Does that mean I think that is the absolute best way to grow watermelon?  Probably not.  But, remember, watermelon never were one of our primary crops, so I didn't expend THAT much energy thinking about how we grew them.

But now that I've had a tasty Orangeglo or two this year, I might create a side project for 2023....

Faded

 

Sometimes the journey is wearing.   You just keep putting one foot in front of the other for no other reason than that is what you have been doing up to this point.... putting one foot in front of the other.  The senses are dulled from a series of disappointments that just keep rolling over your spirit.  

You got too few things done that had to be done today.  Someone you respected said something that shook your confidence in them.  Another person you know is sick and another's loved-one has died.  Something that is new is broken and something that was worn, but trustworthy, is missing.  A kind offer was rejected and a request for aid went unanswered.  Passed over once, twice and forgotten after promises were made to remember.  

The leaves on the trees look tired and the plants by the side of the path are battered, not nearly so lovely as you had hoped.  Yet you keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Until...

The path turns.  A flash of the deepest blue catches your eye. Suddenly, you don't feel quite so tired and you pick up the pace.  You turn again and there it is.  Something that takes your breath away.  Something that renews you.

And you see that what you did today was enough.  You understand a person you respected better than you did before and have a chance to grow with them.  You offer solace to the grieving and those who are ill.  You find that things that are broken or are lost might be fixed or found... or ... perhaps they weren't that important after all.  You find it in you to make more kind offers and are brave enough to ask for help again when you need it.  You figure out how to forgive perceived slights and work on how you can forgive yourself for your own faults.

And the leaves on the trees have character - because they have adorned these limbs through a hot, dry period.  The plants on the side of the trail display a resilience that you can respect, because they too are doing their equivalent to putting one foot in front of the other.  

And there is beauty in the persistence they exhibit.  And hope for the bright blue ocean just around the bend.

Casting Stones Again

Our farm has used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at least a little bit, to keep people aware of us.  The initial motivation was to communicate with current and potential customers.  When you add the increased difficulty that comes with reliably reaching people (even if they opt in to receive emails) there hasn't been much choice for getting the word out.

I have to admit that I'm not entirely dedicated to cultivating social media followings.  For example, we've got over 130 posts on Instagram and a total of seven followers.  We've been on Twitter longer and have over 700 posts and.... six followers.  We've put more effort into Facebook... mostly because we've been on it longer.  So, to be clear, we've been dedicated in producing content, but I can say with confidence, that our farm is not a social media sensation by any measure - in part because we don't push for it.

We're just not willing to spend that much of our time on these platforms and we don't care much for the games you have to play (or the money you need to spend) to actually get more exposure.  The truly frustrating things are that we can't reliably reach people who have indicated they WANT to be reached (like friends, family and our best customers using these tools AND I end up subjecting myself to so much material that I really never wanted to see in the first place.  Things that have little apparent value (in my opinion).  

For example, memes and short, badly written, articles that fail to confirm facts or are written to spread misinformation appear frequently.  If that isn't bad enough, we are then treated (?) to commentary that we all might have been better off if we had not seen it.

"People are freaking idiots."  "Really, anyone who believes this is just plain stupid."  "Well, of course the (fill in the blank) people are clueless."

It's almost as if they want to beet each other up?

It's really very easy to forget that posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites are intended to elicit response.  And, the more passionate and inflammatory the response, the more attention (and hits) it will get.  Talk about a great way to encourage people to skirt the facts - or at least come up with a title that will get us to look, even though it is inaccurate.

It becomes worse when you consider these things:

1. Internet rage IS a thing now.
2. Social media addiction is actually featured now on the Addiction Center site with things like alcohol and opiates.
3. And it has gotten to the point where we are studying anger expression when internet access is slowed or denied.
   

Here... some flowers will help to calm you.

It's not just the writing, it's the images too.  Let's just say that it is an eye opening experience if you visit a social media site and let it send you the generic content that it thinks is most popular with the "generic" person.  

I know this is partly my fault because I do not spend time on Twitter and Instagram feeding their algorithms so they can figure out what I "want" to be seeing.  But, I find it instructional to view what the initial baseline is... and it isn't pretty.  The stuff they throw my way when they have next to no data on my preferences makes me wonder if I have anything in common with the majority of people in the world anymore.

These eggs found quarters on the sidewalk.  What happens next will SHOCK you!

Anyway, some of the questionable techniques used by "influencers" on our "social media" platforms that so many of us spend WAY too much time on are annoyingly successful.  So successful, that I am considering how I could use this technique to get the materials I have produced over the years just a little bit more attention.

And before you think I am ranting about OTHER PEOPLE, I feel that I also spend way too much time on social media.  The difference is that, in my case, it often has something to do with my work, or promoting our farm, or sharing my writing.

I am just a sad example of a person who still feels as if there are opportunities to share positive, valuable and useful experiences on the internet, on a blog, or in social media.  I even saw a glimmer of hope when the pandemic forced more isolation on most of us and those who were intent on sharing real talent found it was about the only way to do so.

Eight Subtle Ways Chickens Will Tell You They Want Food (#5 is actually not all that big a deal!)

After all, it does get frustrating when you actually produce something that you think is quality writing or is a useful and positive message - and it goes nowhere.  Or maybe, your farm has a whole bunch of produce that really needs to find a home and no one sees the post that advertises it.

I think it must be my failure to fully embrace social media.  If I just spent a few more hours a day sharing, liking, and ... um... writing provocative (but misleading) titles, I bet I could do so much better.  And, yes, maybe I should consider updating my wardrobe.  What do you think?

You Won't Believe the 24 Things These People Found in Boxes (#14 will drop your jaw and it (your jaw) will bounce on the ground!)

But, seriously, what bothers me most is how willing we are to allow social media to attract us to the lowest quality materials.  Or, if not that, how quick we are to view things that are designed to promote conflict, encouraging us to assume the worst of those who have an opinion different than ours. I find myself feeling a bit down when I see someone I have had great respect for exhibit signs that they are succumbing to a possible social media addiction.

Consider this: odds are that half of the people you encounter each and every day will give a simple answer to a politically or ethically loaded question that you would strongly disagree with.  But, if you were given an opportunity to spend some time with many of these people you would disagree with, you would find that a few things (at least) are true...

1.  They are not necessarily idiots or evil or ... whatever anyone who disagrees with you might be.
2.  If given a chance, you will find some common ground  with most of these people - even potentially on the subject that might otherwise cause you to call them bad names.
3. Very few people actually do want to actually see someone they have any kind of connection come to harm and would rather seem them do well in life.
   

I don't know about you, but I'd rather collect more friends than enemies.  And, oddly enough, I'm willing to respect that my friends don't always agree with me.  After all, that's what friends do.  But, maybe that's not true if you are a "friend" on social media.

Power companies hate him for this one simple trick.

Pesticide Labels: What we ignore (but shouldn't)

 

I’ve spent more time than most reading the use labels on pesticides. I can tell you that it has nothing to do with a riveting plotline or excellent character development.  Instead, it is because of where we live (Iowa) and what we do here (small-scale, diversified farm).   

No, we have not decided to use pesticides on our farm – but that would have been a better reason for us to spend time reading these labels.  That would have meant that we were researching a tool that we thought we might use.  It would mean that we were intent on following those instructions and that we were considering the possible harm we might cause by using them.

Instead, I find myself reading the labels because our farm is susceptible to many of the chemicals that are applied to the neighboring row crop fields.  We aren't always entirely sure that applicators read these labels carefully, and if they do, it feels like too many of them seem to misunderstand or ignore whatever is inconvenient for them to follow.

These chemicals are poisons and are dangerous if not managed correctly.  For that matter, they can be dangerous even if they are managed properly.  Shouldn’t that be enough to encourage a little reading and a healthy dose of caution?

The hazards are real

Shown above is one of the chemicals that was used on a field near our farm in 2018.  It was applied with other pesticides on a day when the wind was strong and coming our direction.  Once I determined the product, I looked up the use label.  Since a big part of my job as a grower of food has me spending time outside, I think it makes sense that I want to avoid being coated with any product that has First Aid warnings if it gets in my eyes, if I breathe it in, or if it gets on my skin or clothing.

Did the applicator, on this particular day, do anything to make sure any of the workers in our fields were not exposed to this chemical?  No, they did not – but we made it our responsibility once they started spraying.  I did not have confidence that they had read the use label themselves.

And what about collateral damage?

One important responsibility that comes with any potentially dangerous tool is to use it in a way that ensures it does its job without collateral damage.  

For example, many agricultural chemicals are known to cause problems if they enter the water system.  If you don't think this matters to you, consider this tidbit about my home state: 20% of Iowa's drinking water comes from surface water.  While much of the rest comes from various aquifers, they too can be impacted by chemical run-off.  If it is not enough for you that allowing run-off harms other living (but non-human) beings, then maybe knowing it can get into our drinking water would be enough to encourage a person to be careful with pesticides.  

The label for the pesticide used on this particular day made it clear that it should not be applied prior to a rainfall within 48 hours.  It rained that night.  I don’t think they met the suggested period for dry weather.

When is it safe for me to be where pesticides were sprayed?

Most pesticides not meant for residential use have an Agricultural Use Requirements section.  This is typically where information is kept that could be important to you even if you do not use these chemicals yourself.

There is a 24-hour "do not enter" period for workers/humans for the pesticide applied on this windy day (you can find it in the middle of the text of the image above).  This is called the Restricted Entry Interval (REI).  If the chemical goes 'off-target,' that increases the "Do Not Enter" zone to the drift area.  If you find that you are in a drift zone, you need to remove yourself from that area if at all possible for this period of time.  And, yes, that could include your home.

Applicators should be aware of who may be in the drift zone and they need to:

1. Cease application if they witness people in the spray zone

2. Inform anyone who might enter the spray zone that they need to stay out and give them information about the chemicals used.

Sadly, it has been our experience that if an applicator was willing to apply a chemical in conditions that were not optimal, they were just as unwilling to let us know that we should vacate the area until the REI period was cleared.  And, we have rarely witnessed an applicator stopping once they have started if they see people nearby.

Defend yourself by knowing proper conditions for applications

Pesticide labels provide specific guidance for proper weather conditions at the point of application.  Most pesticides have limits for wind velocity and many put restrictions on temperatures at the time of application.  There is often guidance for everything from sprayer nozzle types to how long you have to wait before you harvest and consume a crop that has been sprayed with a given pesticide – this is called a setback period.

Setback periods for food products often require that you look through a multi-page document that will include the number of days after application before the food crop is deemed safe to eat.  These setbacks can be anywhere from 48 hours to a month (or more) depending on the crop.  And, if that crop is not listed, that means the pesticide shouldn’t be used on that crop at all.

We had snap beans in the drift area that were going to be ripe for harvest in seven to ten days.  If you look at the setback period shown above, we had to wait for thirty days before it was safe to harvest and provide to our customers.  That crop was a loss for us because they were going to be ripe and ready to harvest well before the setback period was completed.

There is more to this puzzle than just the current crops in the ground.  Herbicides that are applied can impact future crops because these chemicals linger in the soil (this is known as carry-over).  In our case, we knew that the products being sprayed were herbicides.  Their purpose is to kill or prevent the germination of anything except the cash crop currently in the field.  Now that our ground had chemical residue on it, we had to consider whether we would have to deal with carry-over effects in future crops.

Our green bean and pea crops were among those we lost in 2018 to this chemical trespass.  That meant we had to accept that loss and look at the possible options for our next crop in that spot.  Unfortunately for us, the remaining growing season was too short for any of the options listed.   And, if you look at the portion of the label above, you will see that we had to consider what we could plant in that area during the next growing season as well.

The perspective of a food producer

I am a grower of safe, good-tasting foods for our customers.  I read pesticide labels frequently, even though I do not intend to use them.  Pesticides are dangerous even if they are used properly.  And I do not understand why so many of us are willing to accept uses that result in what amounts to chemical trespass?

We believe part of the problem is that others do not understand exactly WHY chemical drift is a problem for farms like ours.  First and foremost, it is a FOOD SAFETY ISSUE.

Some might say, "hey, the leaves on your cucumbers had spots on them, but the fruit look fine."  The implication is that we are over-reacting and that we should just continue as if nothing happened.  That's all fine until someone gets ill, I suppose.  But, you tell me, should we ignore it and give everyone cucumbers that we know have pesticide residue on them – and that pesticide is not rated for use on cucumbers?  If someone has a reaction, who is responsible?  That would be me, the grower of the food product.

Second, and at least as important is that it is a PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE.

These chemicals were not created with the intent that workers meander around in the fog of the spray without protective equipment on.  That should also be true for the family living on the edge of town next to a soybean field, and for me and the young workers we often employ.

Third, it is an ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.

That environment includes any surrounding crops, such as our peas and cucumbers.  It includes the waterways and natural areas.  It includes your garden and your yard and the nearby stand of trees.

What makes me most upset about pesticide use is the fact that they are used nonchalantly.  Too many people seem to believe that if you didn't see anyone get violently ill immediately during/after the point of spray, it must all be ok?

Well, it is not ok.  

Change is needed and we need everyone on board.  You can start by becoming aware of what exactly is on the use label so you can talk intelligently about the risks and the responsibility that come with pesticide use.  This is one path of many toward becoming aware of the real costs of pesticides so we can move away from our unhealthy reliance on them.

----------------

This was recently published on Pesticide Action Network's Ground Truth blog.

Wasps Get a Bad Rap

Common Thread-wasted Wasp

 

Some Northern Paper Wasps built a nest in the open metal pipe that is part of the door entry to Valhalla (one of our high tunnels).  For the most part, I was able to enter and depart the high tunnel without an issue and I was hoping that we could make it through their normal cycle without my taking any actions against them. 

Northern Paper Wasps on Goldenrod

That might seem strange to many of you... In fact, it seems a little strange to me.  Why in the world would I WANT to tolerate an insect that could sting me (and others) multiple times if it felt I was threatening its nest?  I can tell you, from experience, that those stings hurt.  And, in prior years, when we had more people on the farm that could get stung, I would be more aggressive to remove a nest in a location like this.

Most of us are raised to fear (and aggressively remove) anything that is wasp-like from our surroundings.  I know my first reaction has been, for most of my life, to want to do that very same thing.  Yet, I am here to tell you that we all need to adjust that attitude.

First of all, I can tell you, also from experience, that most Paper Wasps tolerate quite a bit before they get aggressive - though some nests seem to feature more and less aggressive tendencies.  And, there are things I could have done this year to prevent them from deciding the entry way of the high tunnel was a good place to make a home.  Unfortunately, the cap I put on this particular pipe had degraded over time and the opening presented itself to them.  So, there I was - having to decide what to do about it.

I also know that many wasps are excellent beneficial predators.  In particular Northern Paper Wasps are known to predate on various caterpillars that can make growing certain crops difficult if they are not controlled.

But, did you know that the wasps, including the Northern Paper Wasp, are also beneficial pollinators in our landscape?

I didn't.  Until Tammy and I noticed them on some Goldenrod during a recent escape from the farm.  These wasps were clearly on the Goldenrod for the Goldenrod.  They were not hunting and they were very intent on the plant itself.

Another Common Thread-wasted Wasp

These were not the only wasps we saw on the Goldenrod.  We also noticed some very thin wasps that we later found to be named Common Thread-waisted Wasps.  Thread-wasted wasps (there are several types) are solitary, predators and their young are often parasitic.  A Common Thread-wasted Wasp will paralyze prey and bring it back so their larvae can feed until they mature. Adults will predate on smaller insects and they will also feed on pollen.  So, the critters we saw on the Goldenrod could possibly have the opportunity to hunt AND take a drink of pollen!

Thread-wasted wasps have stingers, so if you decided you wanted to force it to do so, it could sting you.  Step on one with bare feet, you'll get stung.  Try to hold one and prevent it from leaving, you could get stung.  But, otherwise, they aren't interested in you and they don't really see you as a threat (or food).  And that's true for most wasps (believe it or not).

Surprisingly Cool Pollinators

I have already linked an article by Hooks and Espindola titled "Wasps, Surprisingly Cool Pollinators."  But, it is an excellent article that can give you a fairly quick introduction to what wasps do in our world.  According to the authors there exist hundreds of thousands of wasp species in the world.  Of them, nearly 850 species are social wasps - meaning they form colony or family units, like the Northern Paper Wasp.  Others are classified as solitary wasps, which are featured on this University of Minnesota page (which we'll mention again later).

"[W]asps are interested in flower blossoms mostly as a nectar source, and not as a source of proteins (from pollen). Nevertheless, some wasp species are able pollen vectors, and many play a crucial role as specialist pollinators. Some may be classified as excellent pollinators and in certain systems are much more efficient at pollination than their fuzzy-haired bee cousins." from Hooks & Espindola

Wasps tend to favor white and yellow colored flowers that have shallow flowers with readily accessible nectar because they typically don't have the mouth parts to reach the nectar in deeper flowers.  That certainly describes the Goldenrod plant.  Some wasps have become specialized pollinators that are critical for the survival of certain wild plants.  In fact, some orchids mimic the scent and appearance of the female wasp of certain species, attracting the males - and thus promoting their own pollination as the male wasp visits multiple flowers.

Not Every Wasp is a Yellowjacket

I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of people are both unable and unwilling to differentiate between one wasp-like insect and another.  Most people will be exposed to the Yellowjacket simply because it is a generalist when it comes to diet.  To put it bluntly, it will eat many of the things we like to eat.  Fruit, ice cream...   And Yellowjackets, another social insect, will aggressively protect their nests and they are more likely to sting partly because they cross paths more often with humans.

Even so, Yellowjackets, being generalists, can also be useful pollinators and predators.  But, there are a few problems here.  First, most people, as I said, think every wasp is the same thing as a Yellowjacket.  In fact, many folks incorrectly identify these as bees, making it worse.  If you do a search on Yellowjackets, you will find the sites that appear first are all for pest control companies. 

It isn't easy to identify different flying insects, especially if you don't take time to learn and practice.  I am, by no means, an expert myself.  But, here is a decent resource to see the difference between Yellowjacks, Paper Wasps and Bald-faced Hornets (all social wasps).  I am a bit conflicted by this particular article because, while it tries to remind us that these are all beneficial insects, much of it spends time on how to "control" them.

Why?  Well, that's because most people are scared to death of them.  And maybe it's because the Yellowjacket hasn't exactly taken on the role of the spokeswasp that it should?

On the other hand, some recent research is showing that Paper Wasps can actually recognize the face of other Paper Wasps, differentiating members of a social group (and those that might not fall within that group).  How cool is that?

And then, there are all of the website out there that perpetuate myths and misinformation.  I found one site, that I left before I thought to collect the web address, that showed a Northern Paper Wasp and identified it as a Yellowjacket.  Even the University of Minnesota page I cited earlier shows what I think is a Northern Paper Wasp as a "typical solitary wasp."   If you were paying attention earlier, you might remember that the Northern Paper Wasp is a social wasp.

I can only hope everything I write in this blog is accurate.  If I miss on something, please let me know and I'll do my best to verify and make it right.

So, who is this? 

I am not too proud to ask for help either.  I caught this cool picture of another insect that appears (to me) to be a wasp, hovering over a leaf.  At bottom left is a bumble bee.  Can anyone help me identify who this flying insect is?  Am I correct that it is a wasp?

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed learning something new and I also hope you might consider giving our wasp friends a chance to show you that they aren't quite as scary as we've built them up to be.

The Path to You

If you could go back - if you could go back to any point of time in your life and change something that you regret.  Or if you could go back and take an opportunity that you missed.  Or if you could take a time machine and give your previous self a warning or a piece of advice.

What would you do?  When would you go?  How would you rather have things end up?

It's a common question and a common fantasy.  If I could go back and just change that, everything would be so much better.  I wouldn't have this stain on my soul.  I wouldn't have missed this chance.  I'd be richer.  I'd be more successful.  It would be better.

I was asked this question once, in a classroom in which I was the instructor.  Would you change some of the decisions you have made in your life if you could go back and make them again?

It wasn't a question I was prepared for because that wasn't exactly on topic.  And yet, it was a very good question, because it actually could be used to bring about some useful learning that was actually very much ON topic.  

I don't remember exactly what I said that day, but I do recall the basic idea of much of what I said.

Would I go back and make a change if I could? Would I if I could find an event that, for me, was so awful or an event that was pivotal, leading me to one of the darkest moments in my life - and a change by me could possibly remove the pain and maybe even make things better?

Perhaps I would be tempted.  But, then I hope I would remember.

The path I have taken to this day, has led me to this.  The path I have taken to this day has made me who I am.  The path I have taken up to this point, has led me to you.

You Can't Get There From Here - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to Postal History Sunday, featured weekly on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you take this link, you can view every edition of Postal History Sunday, starting with this one (the most recent always shows up at the top).  

Everyone is welcome here!  Are you just curious, but not really looking to become a postal historian yourself?  Grab a favorite beverage and have a seat!  Are you curious, but you are a renowned expert in some specialized area of postal history?  There's a spot for you in that chair right there.  And look!  There are some fuzzy slippers if you would like to wear them.  

The thing that brings us all together here is curiosity and an interest in learning. 

Our featured item 

My, doesn't that sound formal and everything? (Our featured item)  Well, don't let that fool you - we're pretty relaxed when it comes to Postal History Sunday.  There will NOT be a test at the end.  You will NOT be required to share your favorite part of today's post.  I, on the other hand, will do my best to make this interesting and enjoyable - so here we go!

I often find that the best way to start is to look at what the cover has to show us first.  Once we do that, we can try to figure what it all means.  Maybe there is an interesting story that goes along with the piece of paper?

This is a smaller envelope that was mailed in Louisville, Kentucky (US) on December 11, 1940 according to the round postmark.  There are no contents in the envelope.  There are two US postage stamps, each denominated as representing 15 cents in postage paid.  So, the sender must have expected the cost to send a letter to the addressee in Paris, France to be 30 cents.

There are two purple markings easily visible on the front of the cover.  One reads "Return to Sender, Service Suspended" and the other says "Retour a l'envoyeur relations postales interrompues."  Translated, this means "return to sender, interrupted postal relations."  There is also a piece of tape on the right and a very hard to see, football-shaped marking at the right as well.

The back of the cover (we call envelopes or sheets of paper that held the contents of the mail a cover), shows us a bit more about the tape, which has the word "controle" printed on it.  There are some Christmas seals from the year 1940 holding the envelope's flap down.  And there are two more markings.  One is a couple of circles with a "P" in the center.  Another is a box with a patriotic slogan at the bottom.  And the third is that football shaped marking again.

Identifying things that are different from the norm

Many of us can probably come to a few conclusions based on what we see on this envelope.  But the easiest for those of us who grew up celebrating Christian holidays is that this letter probably held a Christmas card or Christmas message.  The shape of the envelope is right for just such a card.  The postmark date of December 11 lines up pretty well for someone trying to get the card to their acquaintance in France prior to December 25.  And, the Christmas Seals tend to... um... seal the deal on that line of thinking.

As a postal historian, I am attracted to two things:

1. items that clearly show the normal, most common results for mail handling
2. items that clearly show that things didn't go the way they normally do

Ok,ok.  You got me.  You could make the argument that this means I am interested in everything.  But, bear with me for a second.  

I like to find items that very clearly show me how things would NORMALLY look and then I can compare and contrast them to things that have something different going on.  This helps me to isolate the exception and learn about what is different on a piece of postal history.

Surface mail from US to Switzerland : 5 cents first ounce from Oct 1, 1907 - Oct 31, 1953

Here is a good example of a "normal" mail item in the 1930s from the United States to Switzerland.  There is a 5 cent postage stamp to pay the postage rate for a simple letter (a letter that did not weigh more than one ounce).  There is a postmark for Jackson, Michigan showing the date and time it was mailed.  There is also a cancellation marking on the postage stamp to prevent someone from trying to reuse it on a future piece of mail.  There are no additional markings on the back.

This is my example of what would be a fairly normal piece of mail.  Now we can make some comparisons with our featured item.

Difference #1 - Surface Mail vs Air Mail

Our first difference has to do with the amount of postage.  Thirty cents is quite a bit more to be paying to send a bit of mail from the US to France.  To explain this, there are two options that are most likely.  First, this could be a heavier letter that weighed more than one ounce.  And second, the extra postage could be paying for some sort of additional service.  

Since I find it doubtful that a Christmas card and maybe a piece of paper or two with a letter would weigh more than one ounce, I'll go with the second choice.

Because I happen to know that air mail services were becoming increasingly available to the general public, that becomes my first guess.  It turns out that airmail to a European destination at the time was 30 cents per 1/2 ounce.  This rate was effective from April 28, 1939 until October 31, 1946.

I think we have a winner!

Surface mail is just what it sounds like.  The mail is carried by vehicles that travel on the surfaces of the earth (waterways, railways and roads).  These routes were already well established and the costs to the postal services around the world was much less.  Air mail, on the other hand, was still pretty new and routes were still being established.

This item is discussed in more detail in this Postal History Sunday

Case in point, here is an envelope that commemorates the first flight of Foreign Air Mail (FAM) route number 18 mailed on May 20, 1939 - just a year and a half prior to our featured envelope.  Our featured item could very well have flown this very route, but we need to remember that World War II had begun and it is possible routes were in flux at this time.

Costs for airmail services were still much higher than surface mail, and there was no way air mail service was going to carry the volume of mail that surface mail carriers could.  So, it makes sense that the postage was significantly higher.  If you wanted a plane to carry this letter from here to there (and get there faster), you had to be willing to pay for that service.

Difference #2 - Censorship of Mail

The piece of tape at the left that says "Controle" and the football shaped marking are illustrating something else that is different with our featured item.  This envelope was opened by censors to check the contents and make sure sensitive information could not be gleaned from them.  After the item was checked, the envelope was resealed with the censor tape (controle) and the football shaped marking was applied to provide tracking as to where the letter was opened.

The football shape marking, if it were clearer, would read "Ouvert par les Autorites de Controle" or "Opened by the control authorities."  This marking was applied in Marseille, France - where this letter was opened and viewed.  It was common practice to reseal the item with the censor tape first and then apply a handstamp such that it was partially on the tape and partially on the original envelope/cover.  The whole point was to show that the envelope was not searched again by someone after the censors had taken a look.

Here is another example of a World War II era envelope that was also opened by a censor.  I believe this one was processed by the British.  Once again, there is a printed tape that is used to reseal the envelope.  A handstamp marking was placed on the front so that it is both on the tape and the envelope.

I am admittedly NOT an expert in mail censorship in general or during World War II, but there are many who study these areas.  This site at postalcensorship.com includes many examples of censored mail that you can view if you would like. And, if you would like to read about the formation of the censorship services in the US during World War II, this Master's Thesis by Alvin McDaniel, Jr. might be of interest to you.

Difference #3 - this letter was returned

On June 14, 1940, Germany took control of Paris (where this letter was headed in December).  A significant part of the population evacuated the city and mail services were interrupted to occupied France.  A new, semi-autonomous government for 'unoccupied France' was established with its headquarters in Vichy in July.  Mail sent to the occupied portion of France would be directed to Vichy-France, but there was no way to exchange mail with German-occupied France.  Essentially, mail for the occupied zone simply built up in Vichy France until...

In September of 1941, by order of the occupying authorities (Germany), mails were formally suspended to occupied France.  All of the mail built up waiting for a chance to be sent forward was returned to their origins.  Estimates at the time suggested between 100,000 and 180,000 pieces of letter mail were returned to the United States between September 17 and October 1 in 1941 - of which this is one such item!

The New York Times, on September 19, 1941 printed a copy of an announcement notifying the public that this mail was being returned.  And, of course, stamp collectors paid even more attention than much of the public.

from Western Stamp Collector, Oct 1, 1941

Want to learn more?  Well, you're in luck!  There is a nice two-part article by Lawrence Sherman that can be viewed here (part I) and here (part II).  In fact, I was alerted to the snipping you see above in the Sherman piece.  You may also enjoy this article that talks about the resumption of mail service in 1944 by Louis Fiset.

Difference #4 - There are Christmas seals

The original idea of selling Christmas Seals to raise funds to deal with tuberculosis (TB) appears to have surfaced in Denmark in 1904.  In 1907, Emily Bissell (American Red Cross) designed their first Christmas seal with the intent of funding an experimental TB hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.  In the present day, the American Lung Association continues to sell these seals each year (with a different design each year).

There was a problem with some people putting these seals on the front (address) side of mail.  In fact, there were instances of persons attempting to use a seal as a substitute for postage.  This article by John Hotcher, discusses the postal rule that prohibited their use on the front (address side) in 1911 - only to have that regulation removed later on.

Didn't you miss something?

What me?  Did I miss something? 

Well, of course I did.  This is me illustrating to everyone reading this that there is always more a person can learn if they want to.  Each topic above can be explored in great depth (air mail, mail censorship, returned letters and charity seals).  In fact, there are people who have expertise and knowledge of each that far exceeds my own.  But this does not prevent me from working on my best understanding with the information and resources available to me and sharing what I have discovered with you.

So, what did I not discuss?  How about this marking?

I cannot tell you with any certainty what this marking indicates or why it was applied to the back of this cover. Of course, I can make educated guesses based on my experience looking at many other covers - including others that went to France in 1940/41.  But rather than guess, I will leave the question open.  Maybe someone who reads this week's Postal History Sunday will make me (and eventually you) that much wiser.

Have a fine remainder of your day and a good week to come!

Reserved Parking

 

Because Tammy had surgery on her Achilles tendon, she became the recipient of a temporary tag for handicapped parking.  I know she was less than thrilled to need it, but the truth is - she is in a position where it is necessary.  The good news is that all signs point to her not needing it for long at all.

Typically, the two of us - maybe me more than her - tend to select parking spots that are further away from the entrance of places we go to.  Actually, it's a running joke that I often take a spot that is exactly the furthest from the entrance as you can get.

In any event, we've started noticing things about accessibility more than we have in the past.  Though, to be fair, Tammy frequently works to advocate for issues dealing with access, so this is not entirely new.  But, when you, personally, need a little extra help, you tend to notice it even more!

So, we were down by the Mississippi River almost two weeks ago now.  There was a road to a boat ramp that we decided to explore.  And, sure enough, there was a sign pointing to handicap access parking....... sort of?

This sign must have been rotated because it was pointing right at the water.

Hey!  Hey you!  If you've got a handicap parking tag you can just drive your vehicle RIGHT INTO THE WATER.  Then you'll have the easiest access possible to the Mighty Mississippi!  

Yessir!  Pull right in and float on out.  Make sure you got your waterwings inflated and your swimsuit on.

And... oh.  Yeah.  Your vehicle should probably be disposable too.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

A Touch of QWERTY

I have had a week full of busy office days after taking a week off from my Pesticide Action Network job.  Now, don't get me wrong.  This wasn't exactly a full week long vacation because we only spent a couple of nights away from the farm.  Part of the deal was we both needed to step away from jobs so we could spend some time actually doing things on the farm.  So, yeah, it was a vacation from the salary earning jobs, if you will - and it was wonderful.

Upon returning to the PAN job, I found I had a bit more energy for it - something I had been lacking for a while.  But, I also found my email inboxes full (both for the farm and PAN) and there were a host of things I needed to do and LOTS and LOTS of correspondence that needed me to reply.

So, I've doing a significant amount of typing.  After a flurry of email responses and a stint editing someone else's document I started to realize exactly how fast I was typing.  And, I gave myself a minute to feel grateful that my Mom taught me how to be a touch typist at a young age.

We had a manual typewriter at home that also doubled as an exercise machine for your hands and fingers.  Each key would cause a metal arm to swing towards the paper.  As it approached, the typewriter would raise the ink ribbon up so that it was between the top of that arm and the paper.  The trick was to strike each key sharply enough that it would impress some ink onto the paper.

The innards of our typewriter would have looked a bit like the one shown below.
 

Of course, Mom wanted each of us to learn how to be a "touch typist."  In other words, we learned where the "home row" was and we taught our hands to know where all of the keys on the keyboard were without looking down (other than to check at the beginning that we had placed our hands correctly over that home row).

Over time, I got to be pretty good with typing.  But, our typewriter had a few issues.  One of them was the fact that we didn't get a new ribbon very often so I sometimes had to stop and wind the ribbon forward past sections that didn't have much left to them.  The other was that if you got going too fast, you could end up with a tangle of those arms all jumbled up part way between their resting place and the paper.  Then you would have to spend time UNjumbling the mess before you could start again.

And, let's not talk about what you had to do if you DID make a mistake.

But, hey!  It was motivation to get really, REALLY good at typing.

At the time I was attending junior high they were still teaching typing classes and everyone had to take it.  The typewriters were newer and were (gasp) electric.  That meant you didn't have to muscle each key to the paper.  It also meant you got fewer ...er... jumblings of the keys.  Which meant you could type faster.  And, of course, they measured your progress by giving you tests to determine the words per minute you could type.

After the teacher reminded me that I did not have to pound the daylight out of the keys as I selected them, I started hitting speeds in the 80 words per minute range and made it to the 90s before class was over.  I was curious, so I took a typing test at this site just to see where I would land now.  And, that's when I remembered that typing tests require that you translate something from another source to your brain and then to the paper (or screen) as you type.

I'm um... not used to that.  After all, most of my typing starts with stuff in my brain that I put onto the screen.

My first attempt was miserable because I didn't realize a couple things.  First, single spaces after periods (that's a case where my training failed me).  Second, once you are off by one character with this typing test, everything that follows will be an ERROR.  Ooops.

Armed with that knowledge, I gave it another try and landed at 71 words per minute and 98% accuracy.  Ok.  I can handle that.

A Dvorak typewriter keyboard layout - from this NPR page viewed 8/25/22

I remember the confusion my siblings and I had when we were introduced to the QWERTY keyboard that was the boon for all well-trained touch typists and the bane of everyone else.  Why in the world were the letters OUT OF ORDER?  Who decided that asdfghjkl; should be the "home row?"  I mean, at least the darned numbers were in order - but what was with the rest of them?  Speaking of jumbled messes!

This interesting article on the NPR website actually talks about some of the alternative keyboard layouts that some have argued would be better.  For example, the Dvorak keyboard layout shown above places the letters that comprise 70% of the most commonly used letters on that home row, rather than asdfghjkl;. 

It is clear to me that the proponents for the Dvorak keyboard have never typed on a typewriter where you had to slam each key with enough force to make the floor shake.  I gotta tell you.  If you have to use your pinky finger as often as you would on the Dvorak keyboard, you'd be crying to go back to QWERTY as soon as you possibly could.

Or you'd just join the group of people who use your two index fingers and "hunt and peck" your way through life. 

Well, all right.  I'll grant you that the "a" is in the same place.  It's that darned "s" that would have gotten me.  And, why in the world would you put the "x" where your strongest fingers would be and the "v" and "l" where the weakest ones are?  

The article shows another alternative called the Colemak design... and I might concede on that one except for one thing. I'm already a touch typist on the QWERTY keyboard, why would I even entertain the idea of a different keyboard design?  

Um.  I wouldn't.  But, I might consider celebrating National Typewriter Day - it's on June 23 next year.

And now you know.  Have a great rest of your day!

Being Positive Ain't Easy

It's easy to be angry.  It's not hard to get upset when you see people being mean, cruel and thoughtless.  It is way too simple to find fault with someone else or someone else's idea, especially when you were not inclined to think that way in the first place.  Heck, it's also pretty common to get a bit jealous when someone else either beats you to the punch with an idea you like or they actually get that project you tried years ago (and failed) to work.  

It is remarkably difficult to focus on good things when it feels like there is so much to be unhappy about.   Simply put - being positive ain't easy.

This blog opened up with a photo that I really think is pretty neat.  The skies are gorgeous.  And, the backlit sunflower plant just adds a neat contrast to the whole thing.  I've been walking past this particular sunflower (and a few others) every morning and every evening as I do the farm chores.  For good measure, I might go by it at other times of the day too.

Here is what I've caught myself thinking or feeling as I walked by this plant during the days prior to our "brief escape" from the farm and our jobs. 

• I've been sad because I see some of the flowers wilting, and I concentrate on how short the period is for these plants to look fabulous each season.
• I've been disappointed because we did not plant as many sunflowers this year as we did last year.
• I've dwelt on my own failure to identify a workable plan for the 2022 growing season and execute it sufficiently.
• I wondered when I would actually let myself stop and really admire this plant in particular, because I was just too busy.

I thought that last one during the evening chores, on a day just prior to that brief escape I mentioned.  I actually recognized at that moment what I was doing and I stopped.

I turned around.

I walked back to the house and grabbed the camera.

And I recorded a moment where I recognized beauty.   I recorded a moment where I saw things differently.  I recorded a moment - where I realized I was... kind of pleased with myself.

And with the sunflowers on the farm.

And with how well Tammy and I have been able to navigate this year's difficulties - including recognizing and acting on the need to just get away, if only briefly.

Then I took this picture of some artwork and a nice card that we have received over the last year or so from some of our young friends.  And, I realized I needed to relearn something that these neat kids seem to know better than those of us who call ourselves adults do.

So, I wrote a kind note to a person I only know in passing because I heard their father had passed away.

I wrote a note to Tammy and mailed it to her because... I wanted to.

I answered someone's question in an online group that everyone else seemed to be ignoring - and did so with kindness and respect (at least as well as I knew how).

I stopped myself from writing a blog post that focused on things that weren't going well in the world and I wrote something that promoted curiosity for nature and learning new things.

I thanked someone for holding the door open for me and then I held another door open for someone else not long after that.... and they thanked me.

Now I nod and murmur a thank you to this particular sunflower plant for its perspective against the dramatic skies that got me to adjust my thinking - every time I go by.

• We learned that someone dealing with long Covid was able to finally find a procedure that brought relief and we celebrate this healing.
• The Barn Swallows at the farm have reached numbers we have not experienced since 2007 - and we were able to watch last evening as they wheeled about the skies of the farm.  And the dragonflies darted around, hoping the Barn Swallows wouldn't try them out for tastiness.
• The small batch of watermelons we planted this year are ripening and we've already tasted one and found it quite good.  This is the first time in a few years we've had watermelon on the farm.
• We have frozen corn, beans, peas, asparagus, broccoli and blueberries so we will have them through the rest of the year and we've canned peaches too!
  
• Our pear tree finally... yes finally... produced a nice batch of fruit.  And we actually got around to harvesting before they fell and were eaten by various critters that do such things.
  

Yes.  Being positive ain't easy.  It requires work.  It's difficult.  Especially when you want the good things to have real depth and meaning, rather than a surface coating of sugar that masks the bitterness.  For that to happen, we have to accept that plans don't go as expected, people can become ill or injured, we're often too busy to see good things around us, and sunflowers fade with time.  Even while we recognize that bad things happen and even good things can make us have mixed feelings, these imperfections make these things real for us.

 

What's Next at GFF?

I was trying to find some August pictures to share in today's Genuine Faux Farm blog post and I realized something.  August is a month where we have traditionally done poorly with our photo taking.  In fact, most the years where we have some decent August pictures are the ones when we hosted some sort of event or field day and someone other than us took them.  The photo above is one of the few exceptions to that rule (from 2016).

This year's growing season at our farm has been the most inconsequential of any year we've been at the farm.  I can't even say that we've done a very good job of growing much of anything.  Yes, we've had some wonderful green beans and we're pulling in some great potatoes.  So, I suppose I shouldn't be quite so down on what we've been doing - especially when we've started to pull in some ripe tomatoes too.

But, when I see pictures like this one, I can't help having to fight all sorts of conflicting feelings.

In 2016, we had, if I recall correctly, about five or six hundred tomato plants and three or four 200-foot rows of different kinds of basil in this field.  Everything was nicely mulched, tomatoes were caged and irrigation lines were run.

Now, I remember clearly that there were plenty of issues during the 2016 growing season, so this is not one of those moments where time has erased all of the bad stuff.  What IS happening is that I am dealing with a mix of feelings that run the gamut from regret and loss to relief and gratitude.  I can't help but feel disappointed in myself that we have grown the small fraction of the produce as compared to most years on the farm. On the other hand, I am relieved that we aren't because we've had more than enough to be getting on with this year.

Neither of us could have predicted exactly how disruptive something like Achilles tendon surgery was going to be.  I think we both knew earlier in the year that there was going to be a disruption of some sort because of it.  And, I am certain we made the right choices for timing.  After all, it would have been miserable for Tammy to have to continue her work teaching while having to scoot around on one leg.  This way, we could deal with the early post-surgery recovery at home.

But, it did mean the farm took a backseat.

So, I need to get over my disappointment and/or guilt about a farm year that kind of... wasn't.  We made the right choice.  And we still had some broiler chickens, laying hens and turkeys this year (in fact we still have layers and turkeys).  There is produce - it's just not at the level we're used to.

So, we are working on accepting this year for what it was and we're starting to look forward to what's next for the farm.

What's next at that farm?

We do have some unfinished business for 2022 to deal with first.  We do have the aforementioned chickens and turkeys to continue to care for.  We will have a harvest of winter squash and we need to finish the potatoes.  The garlic needs to be cleaned (and the seed garlic planted) yet this fall.  There are a few melons and watermelons to harvest and some pumpkins.  And there will be more tomatoes, beans and peppers.

We are hopeful to plant some fall crops, like lettuce and spinach - and there is always excess beyond what we can eat there.

But, what about 2023?  What's the plan?

The answer right now is - we don't know.

We are establishing a younger hen flock this fall, so we should have eggs for the foreseeable future.  We intend on continuing to maintain and grow in and around our two high tunnel buildings (Eden and Valhalla).  But, will we back off of growing anything in larger amounts? 

Can we back off of growing anything in larger amounts?  (that may be the better question)

Would we like to take another crack at growing a couple of crops for seed production and Seed Savers?

The reality is this.  As long as we live at this location, we are going to want to do something with either food crops or poultry.  We're just having a hard time deciding two things.

1. How much is doable without getting overwhelmed with what we do here and our two jobs ... and life, in general?  How much energy can we give to this?

2. Knowing we will need to continue to step back from some of what we have done, what will be the things we will allow ourselves to focus on in 2023?   Will we decide that we might enjoy setting up to raise starter veggie plants and selling those in the spring, but back off of food crop sales?  Will we want to focus on seed production and leave food crop production to our own use (plus the normal extra that is going to happen with us)?  How much poultry are we going to raise?  Or will we back off to a small, personal laying flock and skip a year of meat bird production all together?

Regardless of what we do decide, I can tell you that there will be plenty to do.  There always is.