Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 11th thru January 18th Promotions
New Item to Shop:
Ring You will Receive:
Hey Everyone!!!
So I am making a push! I really need and want to grow my Etsy Shop:
www.Blueskyedesign.etsy.com
So here comes the goodies :-)
With the first 5 purchases of $20 or more in my shop you will receive a brand new Aventurine Wire Wrapped ring in the size of your choices (Like one shown above.)Just place the size in the notes to seller when checking out!!!!
Like this one:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37509325
On top of that any purchase during this week will receive a gift with purchase!!!! I have already sent out brand new earrings, water colored magnets, and bracelets. What you get will be a cool surprise.
So Buy Buy Buy!! Help me stay home with my wonderful kid's!!! Thanks for looking and check back often as new items are being posted all the time and their will be more goodies sent out daily!!!
Start shopping!!! www.Blueskyedesign.etsy.com
Ring You will Receive:
Hey Everyone!!!
So I am making a push! I really need and want to grow my Etsy Shop:
www.Blueskyedesign.etsy.com
So here comes the goodies :-)
With the first 5 purchases of $20 or more in my shop you will receive a brand new Aventurine Wire Wrapped ring in the size of your choices (Like one shown above.)Just place the size in the notes to seller when checking out!!!!
Like this one:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37509325
On top of that any purchase during this week will receive a gift with purchase!!!! I have already sent out brand new earrings, water colored magnets, and bracelets. What you get will be a cool surprise.
So Buy Buy Buy!! Help me stay home with my wonderful kid's!!! Thanks for looking and check back often as new items are being posted all the time and their will be more goodies sent out daily!!!
Start shopping!!! www.Blueskyedesign.etsy.com
Monday, January 4, 2010
2009- A Year in Passing
How a year could have changed so much seems impossible. Not long ago I was working full time managing the Maintenance Department at a local Landscaping Company. Seeing my two kids and husband rarely in passing. Life was about money. How much we had, and how much we could spend. Simple things were taken for granted because we could just buy more. How naive we were.
Then things turned. It was brought to my attention that the women I trusted with my babies was a little off. She was treating them poorly and feeding them junk food. She became weird with me and my kids. I made a big decision. I chose to leave my good job to for the best and hardest job. Being a full time Mom. It was the right thing but still a hard decision.
Not long after that my husband lost his job. So we had no income, gigantic bills, and we just found out we were pregnant with another babie. This was very overwhelming!!!!
This was a time to go back to old ways. I began making everything from scratch. bread, juice, hot sauce, and simply all food we ate I made or canned. With no gas to leave the house I walked to school, park, pool, and everywhere. Eventually I stopped crying about the hard times. I started feeling powerful and motivated to do this right. On top of doing all things motherly. I found I wanted my own income so I began doing my crafts again. I started making my jewelry. Then I taught myself to sew clothing, pillows, and wallets. I began bending wire, knitting, painting, and taking photo's. I began propagation everything I could and gathering any food others wouldn't to preserve it.
For awhile I thought why am I being punished. Then it occurred to me that I'm not. God is giving me a chance to prove my worth and that it all can be done. I don't need to eat out, a fancy work title, or all the junk the media says I need. I can make what my family needs and sell what I make to others. All of these things I make can help my family to be better off.
I have managed to acquire new skills and sharpen old ones and become really comfortable with my own skin. I don't need anything to make me happy. I have it all!!! My three babies my best friend and everything else seems to fall into place. I can only imagine what next year has in store for me if I have accomplished so much in 2009.
Then things turned. It was brought to my attention that the women I trusted with my babies was a little off. She was treating them poorly and feeding them junk food. She became weird with me and my kids. I made a big decision. I chose to leave my good job to for the best and hardest job. Being a full time Mom. It was the right thing but still a hard decision.
Not long after that my husband lost his job. So we had no income, gigantic bills, and we just found out we were pregnant with another babie. This was very overwhelming!!!!
This was a time to go back to old ways. I began making everything from scratch. bread, juice, hot sauce, and simply all food we ate I made or canned. With no gas to leave the house I walked to school, park, pool, and everywhere. Eventually I stopped crying about the hard times. I started feeling powerful and motivated to do this right. On top of doing all things motherly. I found I wanted my own income so I began doing my crafts again. I started making my jewelry. Then I taught myself to sew clothing, pillows, and wallets. I began bending wire, knitting, painting, and taking photo's. I began propagation everything I could and gathering any food others wouldn't to preserve it.
For awhile I thought why am I being punished. Then it occurred to me that I'm not. God is giving me a chance to prove my worth and that it all can be done. I don't need to eat out, a fancy work title, or all the junk the media says I need. I can make what my family needs and sell what I make to others. All of these things I make can help my family to be better off.
I have managed to acquire new skills and sharpen old ones and become really comfortable with my own skin. I don't need anything to make me happy. I have it all!!! My three babies my best friend and everything else seems to fall into place. I can only imagine what next year has in store for me if I have accomplished so much in 2009.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Natural Weed and Insect Controls
Natural Weed and Insect Controls
By Blue Skye
I decided to find out a little about the history of weed and insect controls in the U.S. I also wanted to investigate some more about what kinds of natural weed and insect controls we can use, and how we can get away from using so many synthetic controls.
I discovered that Natural controls date back to the 1880’s when we imported the Vedalia Ladybug in mass to eradicate scale and mealy bugs in California. By 1950 we embraced synthetic chemical pesticides. Many reliable natural controls were dropped for this new found way of killing pests. By this time even research into natural controls halted at Universities across the country. In 1944 herbicides became an option with the introduction of 2, 4-D around the same time chemicals like chlorinated hydrocarbons DDT, aldrin, and dieldrin were taking over agricultural practices. The use of predators and parasites slowed down to almost nothing, because the new broad spectrum pesticides killed off everything including beneficial insects. Between 1945 to 1989 the pesticide use increased tenfold. This chemical use didn’t help win the war against pests. In fact during that time the populations actually grew from 7 to 13 percent. Over 500 species have developed resistances to pesticide. Now there are more than 600 active pesticide ingredients registered in the U.S. And 10% of them are know or suspected Carcinogens. Because of the awareness of these dangerous chemicals the Environmental Protection Agency was created in December of 1970. The registration of pesticides was then handed over to the EPA. The new awareness of pesticide poisoning our food and Environment triggered Integrated Pest Management.
Integrated Pest Management or IPM is an approach to pest management that helps prevent pest resistance of chemicals and helps reduce the killing of beneficial insects. Also by using IPM we can reduce our chemical use and the impact to our environment and health while restoring a balanced ecosystem. The basic components of IPM are first to ID the pest or disease as well as the host. Then you must monitor the activity and populations of the pest. Then determine the action threshold to decide if controls are necessary. You can then decide the methods of controls you are going to use whether it is a cultural, physical/mechanical, biological, genetics, chemicals, and finally regulations. A cultural control is to apply mulch, mow at the proper height cutting no more than 1/3 of the blade, pruning and crown thinning, seeding, fertilizing correctly. A Physical/Mechanical would be hand pulling or picking off insects and improving drainage. If you use a biological control you would use organisms to prey on or parasitize a pest using pheromones, nematodes, oil. When using genetics you might breed a plant to be resistant to pest or disease. The last is to us a natural or chemical control whether it is an organic or synthetic control like Iron or Sevin for Turf. Then if all others aren’t working a government agency may have to quarantine or make a plant a noxious weed to regulate it. After you have used a method or methods of control then you will need to evaluate your results. Recording and reviewing what worked and didn’t work so you can modify your IPM approach in the future.
Here are some good natural weed and pest controls. One form of natural pest control is; biological microbe’s bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that cause diseases that kill or cripple insect’s pests that are called microbial pesticides. The microbe most commonly used is the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt. To be effective the pest must eat the Bt and it works by destroying the lining of their guts killing them within a few days. One of the benefits of Bt is it’s a very selective action it will only kill the caterpillars that eat it. There are different strains of Bt, that only certain pests are susceptible to it. For example, Btk kills gypsy moth, hornworms, and cabbage worms so most of the beneficial insects are spared from its effects.
Combining natural products like vegetable oils with an alkaline substance like potassium hydroxide make an insecticidal soap used for controlling mites and insects. Vegetable or refined petroleum can be a very effective treatment for pest. These horticultural oils smother insects by plugging the orifices, called spiracles, through which they breathe. The problem with oils is they can cause plant injury or phytotoxicity white flies, young scales, mites and some plants disease.
Insecticidal soaps work primarily by damaging the cell membranes of insects and mites. They affect aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, and Japanese Beetles.
Nature has a way of controlling pest and disease on it own. For example, some plants have been proven to produce a chemical defense that is naturally resistant to the attack from many pests. Some plants like Ryania speciosa a native to South America which is extracted and used for insect control for codling moths and are called botanicals.
Ladybug adults and larvae increase in numbers to attack big aphid infestations. Other important predators include soldier bugs, spiders, damsel bugs, big eyed bugs, pirate bugs, assassin bugs, and syrphid flies, lacewings, and gall midges.
Using natural barriers act like barbed wire which keeps crawling pests, such as ants off plants. These barriers include garlic grinded up with water, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, powdered charcoal, bone meal, talcum powder or chalk. Each different kind of material will work best for different pests. One of the benefits of using these natural sources of weed and pest control is they have a wide range of effects and most do less ecological damage because they break down rapidly when exposed to heat, light, and water.
If your lawn and garden are healthy to start with then they will be more resistant to the effects of pests and disease. To keep your lawn in good shape you need to provide proper light, air, moisture, and nutrients. Provide good surface and subsurface drainage aerating and dethatching if necessary. Provide good air circulation and allow sunlight to penetrate. You want to make sure to choose the grass that is adapted to our area. You also want to not mow to short and only 1/3 of blade at a time so as not to stress the grass. If you remove too much of the food manufacture is drastically reduced resulting in poor root development. If possible when you do mow if you let the clipping say on the lawn it will provide more nitrogen improving the soil. When fertilizing using an organic fertilizer will prevent salt build up and allow for soil microbes to remain. Also when you irrigate you need to water in longer few intervals instead of everyday for a short time.
In conclusion, there are many ways to treat pests and diseases and if we use Integrated Pest Management, common sense, good routine landscape maintenance, and particular applications we can keep a good handle on pests without harming ourselves and our environment to so much. Sometimes all it takes is to learn what the best approach is and to teach it to others to make a change in common practices for the better like using more natural or organic materials with less ill effects.
Bibliography
Vinie, Erin “Natural Born Pest Killer: Home Remedies for Pest Control” Visited 6-1-07
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/natural-pest-controls.html 2006
Yepsen, Roger Editor “The Encyclopedia of Natural Insect and Disease Control 1976.
Schultz, Warren Editor “Brooklyn Botanic Garden Natural Insect Control: The Ecological Gardener’s Guide to Foiling Pests” 1994.
Pleasant, Barbara “The Gardener’s Weed Book: Earth-Safe Controls” 1996.
Lecture by Steven Price at Portland Community College Spring 2007
Lecture by Marilyn Alexander at Portland Community College Spring 2007
By Blue Skye
I decided to find out a little about the history of weed and insect controls in the U.S. I also wanted to investigate some more about what kinds of natural weed and insect controls we can use, and how we can get away from using so many synthetic controls.
I discovered that Natural controls date back to the 1880’s when we imported the Vedalia Ladybug in mass to eradicate scale and mealy bugs in California. By 1950 we embraced synthetic chemical pesticides. Many reliable natural controls were dropped for this new found way of killing pests. By this time even research into natural controls halted at Universities across the country. In 1944 herbicides became an option with the introduction of 2, 4-D around the same time chemicals like chlorinated hydrocarbons DDT, aldrin, and dieldrin were taking over agricultural practices. The use of predators and parasites slowed down to almost nothing, because the new broad spectrum pesticides killed off everything including beneficial insects. Between 1945 to 1989 the pesticide use increased tenfold. This chemical use didn’t help win the war against pests. In fact during that time the populations actually grew from 7 to 13 percent. Over 500 species have developed resistances to pesticide. Now there are more than 600 active pesticide ingredients registered in the U.S. And 10% of them are know or suspected Carcinogens. Because of the awareness of these dangerous chemicals the Environmental Protection Agency was created in December of 1970. The registration of pesticides was then handed over to the EPA. The new awareness of pesticide poisoning our food and Environment triggered Integrated Pest Management.
Integrated Pest Management or IPM is an approach to pest management that helps prevent pest resistance of chemicals and helps reduce the killing of beneficial insects. Also by using IPM we can reduce our chemical use and the impact to our environment and health while restoring a balanced ecosystem. The basic components of IPM are first to ID the pest or disease as well as the host. Then you must monitor the activity and populations of the pest. Then determine the action threshold to decide if controls are necessary. You can then decide the methods of controls you are going to use whether it is a cultural, physical/mechanical, biological, genetics, chemicals, and finally regulations. A cultural control is to apply mulch, mow at the proper height cutting no more than 1/3 of the blade, pruning and crown thinning, seeding, fertilizing correctly. A Physical/Mechanical would be hand pulling or picking off insects and improving drainage. If you use a biological control you would use organisms to prey on or parasitize a pest using pheromones, nematodes, oil. When using genetics you might breed a plant to be resistant to pest or disease. The last is to us a natural or chemical control whether it is an organic or synthetic control like Iron or Sevin for Turf. Then if all others aren’t working a government agency may have to quarantine or make a plant a noxious weed to regulate it. After you have used a method or methods of control then you will need to evaluate your results. Recording and reviewing what worked and didn’t work so you can modify your IPM approach in the future.
Here are some good natural weed and pest controls. One form of natural pest control is; biological microbe’s bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that cause diseases that kill or cripple insect’s pests that are called microbial pesticides. The microbe most commonly used is the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt. To be effective the pest must eat the Bt and it works by destroying the lining of their guts killing them within a few days. One of the benefits of Bt is it’s a very selective action it will only kill the caterpillars that eat it. There are different strains of Bt, that only certain pests are susceptible to it. For example, Btk kills gypsy moth, hornworms, and cabbage worms so most of the beneficial insects are spared from its effects.
Combining natural products like vegetable oils with an alkaline substance like potassium hydroxide make an insecticidal soap used for controlling mites and insects. Vegetable or refined petroleum can be a very effective treatment for pest. These horticultural oils smother insects by plugging the orifices, called spiracles, through which they breathe. The problem with oils is they can cause plant injury or phytotoxicity white flies, young scales, mites and some plants disease.
Insecticidal soaps work primarily by damaging the cell membranes of insects and mites. They affect aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, and Japanese Beetles.
Nature has a way of controlling pest and disease on it own. For example, some plants have been proven to produce a chemical defense that is naturally resistant to the attack from many pests. Some plants like Ryania speciosa a native to South America which is extracted and used for insect control for codling moths and are called botanicals.
Ladybug adults and larvae increase in numbers to attack big aphid infestations. Other important predators include soldier bugs, spiders, damsel bugs, big eyed bugs, pirate bugs, assassin bugs, and syrphid flies, lacewings, and gall midges.
Using natural barriers act like barbed wire which keeps crawling pests, such as ants off plants. These barriers include garlic grinded up with water, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, powdered charcoal, bone meal, talcum powder or chalk. Each different kind of material will work best for different pests. One of the benefits of using these natural sources of weed and pest control is they have a wide range of effects and most do less ecological damage because they break down rapidly when exposed to heat, light, and water.
If your lawn and garden are healthy to start with then they will be more resistant to the effects of pests and disease. To keep your lawn in good shape you need to provide proper light, air, moisture, and nutrients. Provide good surface and subsurface drainage aerating and dethatching if necessary. Provide good air circulation and allow sunlight to penetrate. You want to make sure to choose the grass that is adapted to our area. You also want to not mow to short and only 1/3 of blade at a time so as not to stress the grass. If you remove too much of the food manufacture is drastically reduced resulting in poor root development. If possible when you do mow if you let the clipping say on the lawn it will provide more nitrogen improving the soil. When fertilizing using an organic fertilizer will prevent salt build up and allow for soil microbes to remain. Also when you irrigate you need to water in longer few intervals instead of everyday for a short time.
In conclusion, there are many ways to treat pests and diseases and if we use Integrated Pest Management, common sense, good routine landscape maintenance, and particular applications we can keep a good handle on pests without harming ourselves and our environment to so much. Sometimes all it takes is to learn what the best approach is and to teach it to others to make a change in common practices for the better like using more natural or organic materials with less ill effects.
Bibliography
Vinie, Erin “Natural Born Pest Killer: Home Remedies for Pest Control” Visited 6-1-07
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/natural-pest-controls.html 2006
Yepsen, Roger Editor “The Encyclopedia of Natural Insect and Disease Control 1976.
Schultz, Warren Editor “Brooklyn Botanic Garden Natural Insect Control: The Ecological Gardener’s Guide to Foiling Pests” 1994.
Pleasant, Barbara “The Gardener’s Weed Book: Earth-Safe Controls” 1996.
Lecture by Steven Price at Portland Community College Spring 2007
Lecture by Marilyn Alexander at Portland Community College Spring 2007
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Being Resourceful in Hard Times
I know with these rough economic times people are stressed. Lost your job, less money, foreclosure of a home, and many versions of the story. People are so lost in what to do so they have starting freaking out. I wanted to share a bit about what I think could help.
Now I must say that my life has been much different from the average persons, so perhaps my way of dealing with it goes with that. But I did grow up in Bisbee, AZ in a mining shack. Where my favorite thing was when we went venturing out to a cabin where I caught fish with my bare hands and went riding horseback. My parents were hippies and we lived a much more simple existence. Our idea of a vacation was heading to the redwoods or to Northwest to camp on the Oregon Coast. Their was no fancy restaurants, Disney trips, name brands clothes, and worries about what new gadget we just had to have. For me it was where I saw that Leopard Frog, whether we would hike up to the spring to get water, or go for a night walk. Simple joys which didn't cost much if any money.
People today are lost when they don't have a Macy's to use there credit card at or a McDonald's to eat at. I am not putting people down. It is what is normal. For a long time I was teased for not owning a microwave or baking bread and not in a bread machine. Those same people who gave me guff for being old fashioned now struggle because they don't have even basic life skills like canning, sewing, and cooking.
It's time to get back to basics! Take your skills and use them. Instead paying someone to do something. Do it yourself. If you can't afford to buy diapers use cloth ones. Don't eat out. Buy a basic cook book and learn to love making food from scratch. Grow your food. Even a small container can produce some food. If you don't have money for something you need. Ask for it. You know sometimes people really care and will help you. Keep positive. I know it's hard. But feeling sorry for yourself won't help. Just keep saying everything happens for a reason. It will work out.
In the last year my husband was laid off for the third time. Which just happened to occur within a month of finding out we were expecting our third child. That was an oh shit moment for sure. Now our lives had changed. We got accustom to having more money. We had built a house with a big house payment. And many other things that suddenly we couldn't afford. Well that changed my focus. I listed everything on ebay that I didn't need. I started making everything from scratch even more than I had. I planted every seed I had and canned as much as I could. I accepted help. I am not good at that, so that was a big step. I started a shop on etsy www.Blueskyedesign.etsy.com . I shut off cable or anything we didn't need. Now times are still tough. Thankfully my husband is back at work and were going to be fine because I won't give up or back down. If I don't know how to do something I will learn how. I think the biggest lesson of these times are not to get too comfortable because things will change that is for certain. Keep trucking your life is art make it beautiful!
Now I must say that my life has been much different from the average persons, so perhaps my way of dealing with it goes with that. But I did grow up in Bisbee, AZ in a mining shack. Where my favorite thing was when we went venturing out to a cabin where I caught fish with my bare hands and went riding horseback. My parents were hippies and we lived a much more simple existence. Our idea of a vacation was heading to the redwoods or to Northwest to camp on the Oregon Coast. Their was no fancy restaurants, Disney trips, name brands clothes, and worries about what new gadget we just had to have. For me it was where I saw that Leopard Frog, whether we would hike up to the spring to get water, or go for a night walk. Simple joys which didn't cost much if any money.
People today are lost when they don't have a Macy's to use there credit card at or a McDonald's to eat at. I am not putting people down. It is what is normal. For a long time I was teased for not owning a microwave or baking bread and not in a bread machine. Those same people who gave me guff for being old fashioned now struggle because they don't have even basic life skills like canning, sewing, and cooking.
It's time to get back to basics! Take your skills and use them. Instead paying someone to do something. Do it yourself. If you can't afford to buy diapers use cloth ones. Don't eat out. Buy a basic cook book and learn to love making food from scratch. Grow your food. Even a small container can produce some food. If you don't have money for something you need. Ask for it. You know sometimes people really care and will help you. Keep positive. I know it's hard. But feeling sorry for yourself won't help. Just keep saying everything happens for a reason. It will work out.
In the last year my husband was laid off for the third time. Which just happened to occur within a month of finding out we were expecting our third child. That was an oh shit moment for sure. Now our lives had changed. We got accustom to having more money. We had built a house with a big house payment. And many other things that suddenly we couldn't afford. Well that changed my focus. I listed everything on ebay that I didn't need. I started making everything from scratch even more than I had. I planted every seed I had and canned as much as I could. I accepted help. I am not good at that, so that was a big step. I started a shop on etsy www.Blueskyedesign.etsy.com . I shut off cable or anything we didn't need. Now times are still tough. Thankfully my husband is back at work and were going to be fine because I won't give up or back down. If I don't know how to do something I will learn how. I think the biggest lesson of these times are not to get too comfortable because things will change that is for certain. Keep trucking your life is art make it beautiful!
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