July 2008
July 8, 2008
The Adventuresome Sykes Family
July 1, 2008
Is the adventurous engineer (naturalist, scientist) a lost calling? Today those types are few and far between. One such person was Godfrey Sykes, whose life story is worthy of a movie, and yes, it has been documented in a book.* Godfrey’s son, Gilbert, was the Nogales District Forest Ranger for many years, so he had a local connection to Arivaca.
Waiting for Rain
July 1, 2008
The month of June was unbelievably hot and filled with drama and excitement here on the farm. As we move into July, we are all glancing to the south and east with hope as the clouds start to build promising relief. I spent all winter complaining about being cold and pining for summer and now, here I am, complaining about the heat. Not good.
Cancer
July 1, 2008
On the year’s longest day, we enter the emotional waters of Cancer the Crab. The Crab rules until July 22. Cancer is the sign of the mother. In the beginning was the word but also the mother, the cosmic womb from which all life springs. Astrologer Stephanie Austin reminds us that the word matter comes from the same root as mother.
BIOCHAR! What’s Old Is New Again
July 1, 2008
Population growth and the ensuing worldwide decline of resources are causing the cost of everything to spiral out of sight while the value of our properties plummets. Today’s “sticker shock” has become a catalyst for many to get serious about making lifestyle changes that will not only ease financial burdens, but will aid in slowing the rapid consumption of planetary resources. In this column I will present information on ways to do both. Growing up in a farming/ranching family and working in agriculture all my life will translate into a column dealing primarily with food production. But living sustainably covers much territory so I will occasionally veer from agriculture into topics such as; the positive economic benefits of supporting locally produced goods and services, alternative transportation, natural building, nutrition, energy and clothing issues.