Remembering Victory Gardens during World War II while fighting my own war in my backyard.

     Did you know that "Victory Gardens" during World War II produced about 40% of the nation's vegetables?  Gardens were planted in spare lots, local parks, yards-large or small and even rooftops in the cities.  The US War Department felt that if the people planted their own gardens it would lower the price of vegetables needed to feed the troops.  Another factoid from this period of time is that America experienced a food shortage because the forced interment of Japanese-Americans.  About 40% of the vegetables in California were grown by Japanese farmers.  When they were forced to leave their farms, they left about 200,000 acres and the land was transferred to European immigrants or "Oakies" coming into California from the "Dust Bowl."  Since these newcomers weren't familiar with the California climate, they couldn't match the production of the Japanese farmers, thus resulting in a food shortage.          
     I've kept all this in the back of my mind as I've tried to ready my ground for my own Victory Garden. I call it my Victory Garden because I need one--I need a victory from being in a slump, from the drain of high food prices, or just for something nice to happen.  But before I can plant, I have to go to war against the waist high weeds in my garden area.  I realize I'm a month late in getting started because of the trip to Alaska.  But instead of letting it go and fighting two years of weed growth next year, I decided to go ahead and put it together anyway. 
     Every year I come to the garden with high hopes of a great harvest.  Memories of various years come to mind.  One year, I had a bumper crop of tomatoes.  It was beautiful.  Tomatoes everywhere--what more could a gardener want.  Then our friend came by for a visit.  I'm going to call him "Tom" just for the sake of giving him a name.  Anyway, Tom came by and "dumb me" invited him to the back yard to see my bumper crop of tomatoes.  He was impressed and I was very proud.  Then Tom wanted a favor.  He asked me if he could pick a few of my tomatoes.  Since I had plenty and some to spare, I agreed--after all, sharing is a good thing.  I went in the house and about twenty minutes later, here comes Tom with bags and bags of tomatoes.  "Thanks," he said.  "I'm planning to make some salsa.  I'll be sure and bring you some."  I was taken back.  He'd picked EVERY SINGLE TOMATO.  Then he said, "Oh, by the way, I took some of your peppers too.  I left a couple since they were too small to pick."  A few days later, he came back and handed me a "pint" sized jar of salsa.  It was unbelievable.  Instead of getting to enjoy my harvest, I had a measly little jar of salsa for my efforts.  That was the last time I had a good harvest of tomatoes.  I'm hoping one day I will have another bumper crop--then maybe I can look fondly back on the summer that I had bags and bags of tomatoes instead of thinking of Tom.  I need new memories.
     My goals this year include devising a plan to take care of general weed control in the pathways and surrounding the garden without using herbicides.  It seems like if I turn my back for one minute, like errant children, it will take over and waist-high weeds are followed by copperheads.  I would like to spend time weeding my actual vegetable garden instead of the pathways into and around the garden.  So, here's to a new year, and hopefully new memories and successes.

Take care, All

By the way, our book is up and ready. 
http://www.amazon.com/UNPLUG-From-Grid-Collection-ebook/dp/B00CBWMANK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369425470&sr=8-1&keywords=Unplug+from+Grid

Back from Alaska

I'm back in Tennessee.  It was an eventful trip.  While I was in Alaska, my father passed away.  While it was expected, it was still hard.  I was grateful to be there and be able to say goodbye though.  I did get to see many friends who stopped by to pay condolences.  One friend, a chef-and quite a good one at that, stopped by for dinner.  I had marinated steaks all day from a recipe on the internet that promised the "very best steaks on the planet" and then found out when I was about to cook them, we didn't have any propane for the grill.  I ended up cooking them on a George Forman Grill.  They turned out all right, but it is very intimidating cooking for a chef.  The weather there was said to be one of the coldest springs for Alaska and I believed it.  It actually snowed the second week in May-not just a light sprinkling, but a full-blown snow storm.  It was very disheartening as I was looking forward to spring. 

The trip home was a disaster, which was also expected.  Of course, I packed too many clothes in the first place.  I didn't need quite so many since I spent the majority of my time in my pajamas--as one should.  When it came time to pack to go home, of course I came home with more than I'd left with.  I did the sitting on the suitcase as I was zipping technique, but still had to resort to a second suitcase.  Then, because the zipper broke, I ended up duck-taping around it several times.  I believe that will be the luggage's last trip.  In the end, of course I looked like a "hillbilly"--just one more humiliating experience to add to my repertoire. 

The trip home was eventful.  Halfway through the long flight from Anchorage to Minneapolis, the guy in the seat behind me kept shoving my seat forward so that it felt like we were experiencing constant turbulence.  I would've been annoyed, but since it's a given that we're all going to be shoved into the plane like over-sized sardines in a small tin, I let it go.  Now I'm glad I did.  It turned out he was having medical problems-some kind of seizure.  The flight attendants came over the intercom and called for a doctor (preferably one with a license to come to the back of the plane).  When we landed, everyone had to remain seated until the paramedics boarded and helped him off the plane.  The next flight was delayed for 2 hours because one of the flight attendants had a family emergency.  The new flight attendant suggested, over the intercom, that since we were so happy she came, we could leave her $5, or preferably diamonds if we chose as we exited the plane.  But she was so curt and bossy during the flight, I doubt anyone would've wanted to-despite being saved after a 2-hour wait.  I've come to the determination that flying is never fun.  So, in a way, I'm glad to be back--but on the other hand, I left quite a few loved ones behind and I was sad to go.

Take care, All

Back in Alaska and saying goodbye to my father.

I left a beautiful spring to head to Alaska to experience breakup.  Anyone who's been in Alaska in the spring time knows and loathes"breakup."  It's the time of year when weather vacillates between warm and freezing temperatures.  Snow melts, then freezes, then melts again, turning the yard into a giant mud puddle.  It's usually this time of year when Alaskans bet on exactly when the Nenana River ice will break.  The contest started in 1906 and is still a big deal around these parts.

However, I'm not here to enjoy the crisp, unpredictable weather.  My father passed away the week before last, so I came to help out and say goodbye.  When I think about the life of my father, I remember him as a lucky man.  He really did live a full life.  He spent a lot of time exploring the Alaskan wilderness, leading a team of pack-horses into the back country, either hunting or taking in a group of Sierra Club members to experience Alaska at its best.  He spent time teaching art at remote native Alaskan villages, as well as in Old-Believer Russian villages.  He would tell us the stories of how he'd have to get permission to enter the Russian villages from the elders who were trying to preserve their culture in an evolving world.  After growing up hearing his stories and seeing the fruits of his life through his painting and carving, I would be hard-pressed to find another individual who'd lived a more exciting life than my father.  It's my hope that I can enjoy my life as much as he did in his. 

Take care, All
P.S.  Our new book on how to build a solar home is on Amazon.  If you haven't had the chance to check it out, you may want to.  We also included a step-by-step guide on how to build a compost toilet and rainwater collection system. 
http://www.amazon.com/UNPLUG-From-Grid-Collection-ebook/dp/B00CBWMANK/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367522034&sr=1-3&keywords=hillary+bergeron