Come tour Athens with guides Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland of the B-52’s, courtesy of the Washington Post.

“Birds of a Feather…” This week’s Photo Friday topic is solitude.

[Listening to: Anytime - [Arlo Guthrie](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22Arlo Guthrie%22) - One Night]

Is the key to peace in the Middle East for Israelis to pay rent to the Palestinians for land in the West Bank?

[Listening to: Baby Wanna Go Round With Me - [The Pooh Sticks](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22The Pooh Sticks%22) - Million Seller]

Sumac “lemonade” can be made by soaking a stalk of tightly-packed red sumac berries in a pitcher of cold water overnight. If you use hot water, you’ll get more tannin in your drink. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth to remove the berries and their hairs. Sweeten and drink. One source says to drink the sumac lemonade right after making it as the flavor changes rapidly. You can also make a hot drink with the berries and flavor it with maple syrup.

CU Herb Society Herb of the Month - February 2002

[Listening to: Car Jamming - [The Clash](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22The Clash%22) - Combat Rock]

There are some who feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can drive slow in front of us there. My answer is bring them on. We got the force necessary to deal with the slow driver situation.

“Conch Shell” The aliens must recognize now that we have a real farm, as some wee ones came by the other night and made crop circles. They were small, about 10 feet across, and there were five of them. Amazingly, none of the crops were harmed during the making of the circles. Those wacky aliens!

[Listening to: Yallah - [Page & Plant](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22Page & Plant%22) - No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded]

Following the nifty new “what I’m listening to” link on my post below, I found this little anecdote about Jon Little, (former?) lead singer for the Ant Farmers.

[Listening to: Nowhere Fast - [The Smiths](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22The Smiths%22) - Meat Is Murder]

Sunday was my eldest sister’s birthday. I hope it was a happy one, A! You’re not as old as I yet, but you’re getting there…

[Listening to: Brown Tablet - Ant Farmers - New Mexico Music Showcase 1993]

July 1st seems like a good time to end my “sabbatical” from this page. Thanks to those who wrote to me about my unannounced leave of absence! The weather dried up for much of those two weeks, so pretty much every moment I wasn’t in the office was spent out in the fields. Planting is done, except for successive plantings of beans and an attempted late planting of melons and okra. It’s been a very frustrating year thus far at the farm. We’re still doing better than we did last year, but not nearly as well as I’d hoped. The play I found myself directing made me miss an early planting window that was followed by two months of continuous rain that kept the spring harvest low and pushed the summer crops way back. One consolation is that most of the other farmers missed the early window too, or only got a few things in. No one has more than a handful of tomatoes, for example, when normally there would be plenty. I’ve not even got a handful yet – only a few plants have made it to the first support wire on the trellising system. We have very few items to take to market right now, but it is the height of blackberry season so we’ve still managed to do all right. Even with a downpour that began right when I got home to harvest Friday and ended right as market closed Saturday afternoon, we sold out of everything we had. The weather combined with the loss of several dear friendships over an egotistical fit really managed to damage my psyche. Normally, when I get to feeling low, I turn to two things to bring me around. Theater and gardening. [Don’t let the fact that I am prolific with both make you think I’m one depressed soul!] This time, both were denied me. Or at least robbed of their therapeutic qualities. Six weeks ago, I was in a deep dark funk – but I’m much better now. I’ve spent the last few weeks healing from the inside out. Part of that process included announcing that I wouldn’t accept a second term as theater president, and that surprised a few people. We are celebrating fifty years of operation this upcoming season, and many people had assumed I would continue to serve through next year. Of course dealing with events this spring took a lot out of me (I’ve now been on the board five consecutive years), but the real reason is timing. The main celebrations occur next April, and I’m not about to let the theater interfere with another year of gardening. April is when the farm keeps me the busiest, and that is what I’ll be doing. So anyway, here I am!

[Listening to: God’s Cop - Happy Mondays - Live]

I know you didn’t come here to hear me griping about the weather, but maybe you’d be interested to see how much things have changed from a week ago…