Here’s a better look at our NEW RECRUITS! Adorable!

A few minutes after taking the above pictures, I witnessed something else. Hurrah for Mrs Wasp! She just caught a horrid caterpillar off the plum tree and is devouring it with a vengeance! Good job!

I have a special place in my heart for these next beloved allies. I found an Eastern Milk Snake here about four feet long once. They are usually very tame and fun to play with, but while I’m asleep at night they are working to rid me of some of my worst enemies: meadow voles!

Speaking of fun, this little critter serves for entertainment whenever it is needed. Lay them on their back and they pop themselves up into the air in order to get them selves right side up again. Click beetles or “skipjacks” come in many sizes and colors, but by far the most common around hear are the little brown ones that are easy to find hiding near the tips of shoots. I’m not sure if they do as much practical good as some species do (like the Eyed Elater which dines on harmful pests) but they don’t do any harm either, so we get along just fine. (The damage you see on the shoot tip was done by a leaf-roller caterpillar.)

I must mention the lady bug. They are often hated for infesting houses in the fall, but if you like apples, or anything made from apples, or even wheat for that matter, don’t be too hasty in your condemnation. Aphids are very destructive pests that spread disease and stunt growth of important crops. Ladybird Beetles hunt them down and chew them up with splendid voracity!

There are many other highly beneficial friends that work along with me in the orchard that did not allow me to take their pictures that day. Wonderful birds like the Nuthatches and Brown Creepers, and countless spiders and pollinating insects and soil-dwellers, who do more than I could ever thank them for to keep things in balance. It’s an amazing place to be!

“O LORD, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.”
Psalm 104:24

Thankfully the temperature did not quite dip down to freezing, and even our hardy kiwi’s new growth was unharmed by the snow! There had been some freeze damage earlier in the year, but thankfully nothing additional due to the snow. In the afternoon the snow was gone, and the next day the hillside was sparkling with buttercups again and the bees were buzzing as if nothing had happened.

He sendeth forth His commandment upon earth:
His word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes…
He sendeth out His word, and melteth them:
He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
Psalm 147:16 and 18

“In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court last month settled the dispute over ownership of streambeds and stream banks, ruling that landowners, not government, are the rightful owners. President Bob Stallman said farmers and ranchers prevailed with the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of landowner property rights in the case PPL v. Montana. …It was further noted that this decision helps ensure farmers and ranchers will not have to pay the government for use of land or water from streambeds that run alongside or through their property. This ruling is for farmers and ranchers nationwide and all private property owners.”

Secondly, “The  court recognized that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was arbitrary in assuming that any increase above pristine nutrient levels is harmful. …To further reinforce landowner rights a U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, has ruled that the EPA-imposed numeric nutrient criteria for Florida streams and unimpaired lakes are unlawful because they are arbitrary and have no scientific basis. This good news was reported in the FBNews, March 5, 2012.”

With all freedom comes responsibility. It is farmers’ and ranchers’ job to go to any length necessary protect the quality of the water that so much depends on, both on the farm and beyond.

It could be that Europe has experienced some benefits along with their government-run health care. But that’s Europe. Americans don’t give up freedom for ease. Otherwise the United States would never have been born. Remember Patrick Henry. Remember our fathers who against all foreseeable odds set their firm reliance on divine Providence and won the liberty for good people to make their own decisions without hindrance.

And the voice of freedom will again be heard. No matter how hard the tyrants press the people to conform to their agenda, true American patriots will still say “Give me liberty or give me death.” And we praise the Lord for those patriots who make their voices heard to avoid the deadly “spiral of silence” before it is too late. Lord willing, the Supreme Court will have the wisdom to remember that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And if not, well, the fight has just begun.

There is one hurtle to jump in growing Rosemary here. Other than that, I have found our ‘Madeline Hill’ hardy Rosemary an easy-to-care-for herb. No pruning needed, or fertilizing, or watering even in drought, and no disease or insect problems. Harvest is easy, and as a seasoning, a little goes a long way. It even dries quickly for preservation and has a lot more flavor than the who-knows-how-old stuff from the store.

Winter protection is the mysterious hurtle. Protection from constant dampness may be more important than insulation from the cold and wind, at least to a degree. The tag that came with our Madeline Hill plant said it would survive –15 F, and I have seen it survive –3 F without protection. Plant it on the south side of a wall or foundation – and if the eves protect it from too much moisture, that is all the better.

If you feel you will need to insulate it, just watch the forecast for dangerous temperatures… and when they have arrived, put a support over the plant and drape something over it like several layers of burlap or blankets. I would recommend a final waterproof layer. It is nice to uncover it in warmer sunnier weather, and it is not too much work to cover it up again once or twice during the winter if needed. I would insulate any rosemary plant in its first winter if the temperature goes below +15 degrees F.

I hope you give it a try!

Yes, our original ‘Madeline Hill’ plant is still thriving, and we have a 2nd one now. If you are interested, here are some details on winter protection  and survival experiences since the last update…

In 2008 I layered three stems to create three additional plants, and as of April 2009 they had all survived their first winter (with burlap insulation). The coldest temperature was –9 F. All three remained connected to the parent plant underground even though they had developed their own roots. They were severed in April 2009 and grew well through the summer. Two of them were transplanted to new locations.

In the winter of 2009-2010 was a very wet year, which may be one of the reasons that one of the new plants died, despite being insulated from the cold. It appeared fine all winter until March, at which time it just dried up. In 2010 all three remaining rosemary plants did great.

In the winter of 2010-2011, I insulated the old established plant a little differently. It was so big that I didn’t have a way to cover it completely, so I packed burlap in and around it, leaving some of the shoot tips exposed. Interestingly, the leaves and young shoots in the center of the plant “protected” by the burlap died, while the exposed shoot tips survived! The coldest temperature that winter was –3 F. My hunch is that dampness is as bad for rosemary as cold. The burlap packed around the plant became wet from melting snow and stayed wet (and probably frozen) most of the winter. It was an odd-looking plant come spring with tufts of living shoots at the tips and a big empty middle! The shoots that survived best were those closest to the brick wall. The thicker woody branches in the center remained healthy but never sprouted new growth to fill in the center of the plant. The plant only grew at the ends where the younger shoots survived. Unfortunately, a second one of the newer plants died that winter, leaving us with the old established plant and one “new” plant. The one that died was the one that was not transplanted; it was crowded by the parent plant, hugging the ground, too wet through the winter, not enough light and air I suspect. In 2011 both surviving plants grew well.

This winter (2011-2012) has been unusually warm. I covered the younger plant once so far and have not covered the older plant at all, and they seem to be doing great, even though the weather has been very wet. We have had frequent warm days and it has not been below 10 F yet!

The Court’s Ruling

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” (Article 1 of the Bill of Rights)

“[For the government to] pick and choose who can be a minister, the court ruled, is not only to prevent the free exercise of religion, it inevitably involves the government in the establishment of religion.” (Full article)

“…the first time the high court has acknowledged a ‘ministerial exception’ to anti-discrimination laws… Notre Dame law professor Rick Garnett called the ruling "one of the court’s most important church-state decisions in decades." It "protects religious liberty by forbidding governments from second-guessing religious communities’ decisions about who should be their teachers, leaders and ministers," he said. (Full article)

“Roberts… unified the court around history, principle and the Constitution’s text to remind the nation of the special constitutional status afforded religion.” (Full article)

So, are ministers in danger of discrimination from church authorities because the federal government cannot intervene to protect them? The apostle Paul states clearly in 1 Corinthians 6 that there should never be any need for anyone in the Church to take such a case to the civil government. If any organization should know how to use freedom rightly, it should be the Church.

Another question comes to mind: To what extent did the founders of our country intend to allow the free exercise of religion? For instance, if Islam qualifies as a constitutional religion, and if Islam calls for the death penalty of a teacher who converts to another religion, is the government prohibited from interfering to protect the life of that citizen? The Bill of Rights does guarantee due process of law to all persons before they can be deprived of life, liberty, or property. (Article 5)

“Nothing about Rick Santorum’s rise to date has been expected or predictable”

“But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Psalm 75:7

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” Jeremiah 17:7

‘Twas the night before Christmas and down in the holler,
The pond was froze over, the crick soon to foller.
The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule,
And the kids were all home on vacation from school,
Sprawled out in the big room just a-watchin’ TV,
And they thought it was fine as vacation could be.

Then suddenly, some time around eight o’clock,
There came a surprise that gave them a shock!
The power went off, the TV went dead!
When Grandpa came in from out in the shed,
With an armload of wood, the house was all dark;
“Just what I expected,” they heard him remark.
“Them power line wires must be down from the snow;
Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago.”

“I’ll hunt up some candles,” said Mom, “With their light,
And the fireplace, I reckon we’ll make out all right.”
The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom,
Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,
Uncased his old fiddle & started to play
That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.
Mom started to sing, and first thing they knew
Both Pop and the kids were all singing it, too!

They sang Christmas carols, they sang “Holy Night,”
Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.
They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,
And Pop read a passage from God’s Book of Truth.
They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,
The youngsters agreed ’twas a fine Christmas Eve!

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;
And when the kids wakened, the power was on!
“Them power folks sure got the line repaired quick,”
Said Grandpa – and no one suspected his trick.
Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,
He had pulled the main switch – the old Son-of-a-Gun!

Enjoy Ronald Reagan’s Christmas address below!

Listen to this short word by expert Michael Cannon, the Director of Health Policy Studies at the CATO Institute.

http://www.cato.org/multimedia/daily-podcast/how-states-can-shut-down-obamacare

Here is a thorough article on the unconstitutionality of Obamacare, the constitutionality of Virginia’s Health Care Freedom Act, and the related court cases

http://www.calldrmatt.com/Health_Care_Law_Unconstitutional.htm