Posts // Kestrel's Nest

Peat

Though UK-specific, this Friends of the Earth Miracle-Gone campaign describes why buying peat or peat-derived compost for your garden is a bad idea. British peat, that is. In the US, most peat available for sale is Canadian peat (official Canadian government peat page here) is growing faster than it’s being harvested, according to the peat moss industry. Canadian peat is made from a different plant (mostly Spaghnum mosses) than the European peat bogs, and so only newly created peat, at the top of the bog, is useful for gardening and compost. When the top layers are scraped off, the bog is left to regenerate. There’s several ways to do this. In warmer climes, such as Australia, destruction of the bogs is a serious problem, indeed. The little peat pots you buy to start seeds in (such as those made by Jiffy) contain compressed Spaghnum moss and wood fiber. I’m using a few this year, though next year I’ll probably make my own out of recycled newspaper. The moral: know your peat. Some of it is very bad to use. Others, specifically Canadian Spaghnum peat, is apparently not bad at all. Hopefully, if there is an issue with Canadian peat, someone will read this and let me know.

Apr 12, 2001 - 1 min read

Yuri

Today is the fourtieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s launch that made him the first human in space. Tonight is Yuri’s Night.

Apr 12, 2001 - 1 min read

Dentistry

This morning I sat in a dentist’s chair for over two hours undergoing a Root Planing. It was uncomfortable, but necessary. Unlike the last time I underwent this procedure, the anesthetic worked. I can’t feel a thing in my lower mouth and chin, and so I’m dribbling. I just re-read that article I linked to, and then it struck me that the amount of money I made this quarter tutoring Calculus is exactly the amount I have to pay the dentist to scrape it off my teeth.

Apr 11, 2001 - 1 min read

I just listened to one

I just listened to one of the most moving things I’ve ever heard: The Thai Elephant Orchestra. These elphants were taught how to play oversided versions of traditional eastern instruments, including drums, string bass, and even harmonicas. The elephants were taught how to play them, were allowed to practice on their own on the instruments they chose, and were recorded after a few practice sessions. They were cued to start and stop, but were given no direction in between. The music is most beautiful. The page linked above has samples from the CD and a way to order. I heard them on the wonderful PRI radio program To the Best of Our Knowledge.

Apr 9, 2001 - 1 min read

Museum of Depressionist Art

“Nightmare of the Retired School Crossing Guard” and other great works of art can be found at the online Museum of Depressionist Art. Found via PeterMe.

Apr 9, 2001 - 1 min read

whim & vinegar

When I’d stopped checking, Jen Kitchen of whim & vinegar began weblogging again after a several month absence. Welcome back, Jen.

Apr 9, 2001 - 1 min read

Can I Compost It? An

Can I Compost It? An annotated list of what you can and cannot add to your compost pile. If you garden (even just a few flowers around your lawn), you ought to compost. Your plants will thank you for it.

Apr 9, 2001 - 1 min read

Wasabi

Eat more wasabi. It’s good for you.

Apr 9, 2001 - 1 min read

Search Box

Quick house-keeping note: the search box in the sidebar now searches through all of the last two years’ worth of entries, and not just the last two months’ worth, as it had. It’s taken me a while, but my Blogger-to-Greymatter conversion is nearly complete.

Apr 6, 2001 - 1 min read

Tom Baker

This link to Tom Baker’s web site is for Chris. Quiet though, it’s hush-hush.

Apr 6, 2001 - 1 min read