Monday, August 1, 2011

Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt

We have a debt deal, maybe. Isn't that special, adding 2.4 trillion to the limit while possibly reducing the rate at which we go further into debt. The markets were supposed to respond positively, but, alas, manufacturing declined further, and we have a bit of a sell-off.

I feel rather like the umpire who made an atrociously bad call costing the Pirates a game a week or so ago. It was the 19th inning. Let's just get this thing over. Checks for Social Security and military retirement are already going out. No one is going to die because the limit is not raised -- unless as Iowahawk says, "Beltway policy experts begin living by own wits; after 45 minutes there are no survivors."

With the market falling and the debt increasing, Bernanke is no doubt warming up the presses for QE3.

I made trip to the store yesterday and bought some stock-up staples like sugar and flour along with more canned goods to supplement the pickles, tomatoes and beans we are canning from the garden. We even canned some cabbage. I dug my potatoes, reminded again that potatoes do better here the earlier they can be planted. I am not at all superstition, but I do note that the two or three times I planted on St. Patrick's Day, I had a larger yield and fewer rotten tubers. Once the sweet corn is harvested in the next couple of weeks, I will have space to store a ton or two of manure that can be plowed in this fall.


Every season is a learning experience. To get the most from our lessons, I recommend keeping a notebook showing how and where things were planted along with comments on how well varieties did, on weather conditions (as this year -- "hot and dry"), and other points that will make us into more productive gardeners.

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