Fertilizer Spreader

The Scott's PF-2 drop-spreader makes short work of applying fertilizer, crabgrass preventer, and weed killer to the 12,000 square feet of the LipsYard. We do this 3 or 4 times a year to ensure a beautiful deep green, weed-free carpet of grass. Our most recent use was mid-November to put down a winterizer/weed preventer.

The White House has a fertilizer spreader, too. Former Fox News ('We report, You decide') anchor Tony Snow distributes the President's positions over the media. Unlike our spreader, Tony get's a workout on a daily basis.

Snow Job

December started in a big way, over a foot of snow!
Here at LipsYard we deal with the white stuff by wheeling out the Snapper 8 horse 2 stage 5 speed forward 2 reverse snowblower.

Cleaning out for the birds is still done the old fashioned way, with a snow shovel. Meanwhile, in Washington, DC. a snowjob of a different kind continues.

It's not a 'civil war,' it's 'sectarian violence.'

Turning things over

Now that we've spread all the compost out on the garden, just as President George W. Bush has spread his compost of fear all over America, it's time to turn it into the soil. Ta Da! The Troy-bilt 'Pony' Roto tiller-power composter.

This bad boy 'rear-tiller' (as opposed to those wimpy 'front-tiller' models you rent) makes short work of things. It's self-propelled, both forward and reverse, and really prepares the ground for next spring. In Washington, DC, they'll be ready to go in January!

Do I even need to point out that in LipsYard, we've nicknamed our Troy-bilt "the Democratic party?" (Maybe I should consider painting it Blue)

Spreading compost

Here in the yard on the left, we use a 6 tine pitch fork to spread compost on the garden.

The compost is made up of leaves, grass clippings, and plant trimmings. Soon we'll turn it into the ground to fortify the soil for next season.

On the campaign trail, the Republicans use President George W. Bush to spread the compost of fear; “However they put it, the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: The terrorists win and America loses.” (Oct. 30 in a speech in Statesboro, Georgia)

Vote on November 7 and give America back to the people!

"Stay the course!"

Back in July, the garden was going great guns, headed for a great bloom. "Stay the course!" and keep these plants blooming and producing forever.

Then the daylight hours began to shrink, the temperature drop, and alas, the plants died.

"'Stay the course' means keep doing what you're doing. My attitude is, don't do what you're doing if it's not working: change." (10/25/2006 - President George W. Bush)

"Stay the course?" No, we're going to turn everything under and "cut and run" into the warmth and security of our house until next spring when we'll try again. If I were John Kerry (or any Democrat for that matter) you'd call this a 'flip-flop' and have some 'Swift-garden rototillers for truth' lining up to smear my good name and reputation.

Our date with destiny is coming November 7, 2006.

Winter is a comin' soon

An early cold spell in LipsYard made for some spectacular pictures. Here the steam rises off the Burning bush (Euonymus alata) and the Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena.)

















Our feathered friends had a heck of a time getting a drink or taking a dip in the ice covered bird bath nestled among the Evergreen Bittersweet (Euonymus Vegetus) and Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana.) You can even see the frost on the lawn (Festuca glauca.) A precursor to the Winter ahead, just as the bomb test in North Korea could be a precursor to Nuclear (not noo' cue ler!) Winter that could be facing our little planet. Keep sabre rattling and posturing instead of sitting down and talking and a sore beak and a slippery slide on the butt will be the least of our (and the bird's) worries.

Here's the beginning of a disturbing article to be published in the October 15, 2006 New York Times by David Sanger and William J. Broad.

The declaration last Monday by North Korea that it had conducted a successful atomic test brought to nine the number of nations believed to have nuclear arms. But atomic officials estimate that as many as 40 more countries have the technical skill, and in some cases the required material, to build a bomb.

That ability, coupled with new nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East, risks a second nuclear age, officials and arms control specialists say, in which nations are more likely to abandon the old restraints against atomic weapons.

The spread of nuclear technology is expected to accelerate as nations redouble their reliance on atomic power. That will give more countries the ability to make reactor fuel, or, with the same equipment and a little more effort, bomb fuel — the hardest part of the arms equation.

Signs of activity abound. Hundreds of companies are now prospecting for uranium where dozens did a few years ago. Argentina, Australia and South Africa are drawing up plans to begin enriching uranium, and other countries are considering doing the same. Egypt is reviving its program to develop nuclear power.

Concern about the situation led the International Atomic Energy Agency to summon hundreds of government officials and experts from around the world to Vienna in September to discuss tightening restrictions on who can produce nuclear fuel.

“These dangers are urgent,” Sam Nunn, an expert on nuclear proliferation and a former Democratic senator, told the group. “We are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe and, at this moment, the outcome is unclear.”

link to article

I see your True colors

As the growing and blooming season comes to a close, we are really starting to see the 'True Colors" coming through, like this Burning bush (Euonymus alata.)

The Autumn Joy (Sedum) is in it's full glory, and the heads on the ornamental fountain grass (Pennisetum villosum) sway in the cool fall breeze.

The Snowdrift Crabapple (Malus 'Snowdrift') is heavy with fruit, being eaten with delight by the flocks of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum.) How many can you spot in the picture?

Here in the LipsYard on the Left, the True Colors represent the consequences of a Republican agenda, without oversight, coming to light; especially the little crabapples, each portraying it's own scandal; 'Iraq,' 'Rep. Foley,' 'Speaker Hastert,' 'global warming,' 'skyrocketing National debt,' 'Abramoff,' 'tax cuts for the rich,' 'Gitmo,' etc... and the Cedar Waxwings? They're American's, hungry for a change in November.

Welcome Mr. Vice President

Vice President Dick Cheney's undisclosed location moves to Milwaukee on Monday, September 25, 2006 to the Pfister Hotel. He'll give a noontime address at a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green and other GOP candidates.The cost to attend the luncheon is $1,000 per person or $5,000 for two tickets and a photo with Cheney. No word on the cost involved to go hunting.

He is scheduled to leave the state immediately after the luncheon, destination: "Classified."

Fungus amungus

While mowing the lawn, I noticed between the Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) a large purple fungus

Turns out is was an outbreak of Wood Blewit (Clitocybe nuda)

This all got me to thinking, maybe our president, George W. Bush, who used to be a fun-gi (guy) in college, has had some kind of mushrooms affecting his brain, allowing him to even consider "clarifying" our interpretation of the Geneva Conventions to allow for secret CIA interogations (torture.)
Can 01-20-2009 get here soon enough?

A Whale of a Time off Old Cape Cod

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Once again we saw these giants of the sea on our annual end-of-summer outing to the liberal Massachusetts coast. Here we see a mother, her calf, and an 'escort' who watches the child while mom dives for food. Entanglements in fishing nets have long been a hazard for the Humpbacks, and Japan, Norway, and Iceland actually continue to hunt these endangered behemoths. New the list of shame, the United States Navy, George W. Bush commander in chief, who are causing untold damage on whales, dolphins, and other marine life with new high-intensity sonar. Beached whales have been found bleeding from the eyes and ears, and lesions the size of golf balls in their organ tissue. Eventually, 80 percent of the ocean will be under the sonic bombardment of the new system.

Cheers!

Forbes.com reports that Milwaukee is America's Drunkest City. I'm no cultural psychologist, but I'm the only person quoted in the article, challenging the title, and the means used to determine it. It's a bum rap for the city I love.

Now if you're buying, I'll take a Captain and Diet.

TSA flight safety tip #7

Because of the current 'threat level,' you would do well to follow the example of the Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) and tank up on fluids before you fly. Extra points for not wearing shoes at all!
hint: Don't permanently discard your liquid or gel toiletries, they'll be allowed again after the November elections.

Forget your troubles, c'mon get Happy

(Guernsey bos taurus)

The Middle-East, high gas prices, hot-button legislation, NSA domestic spying, are all put on the back burner for Dairy Day at Wisconsin State Fair. Milk as much as you can in 30 seconds. Lips gives it a go.

Fairest of the Fairs is next.

"These are bigger than bees'!" exclaims the Honey Queen.

Alice in Dairyland takes us all to school.

Earlier on Dairy Day, Alice didn't fare as well (neither did Lips) in the Creampuff eating contest.

Not in my backyard...

...but in a Fishtank in Greendale, WI, swims the Midwest Vocal Express men's a cappella chorus.

photos by Lorin May
We created quite a stir at the Barbershop Harmony Society International contest in Indianapolis, IN, July 7, 2006 with our antics. Taking on roles of fish, turtles, starfish, and coral in an aquarium, the MVE sang the story of longing to be free in the deep sea.

Upon witnessing the dangers of the open water, (sharks, eels, whales, barracuda) we decide our safe and friendly glass-walled confines aren't so bad after all.

The contest set contained parody lyrics to several songs including; “Son of the Sea,” “How Deep is the Ocean,” “Theme from Jaws,” and “Aquarius"

The audience of 10,000 gave us several standing ovations, and the judges rated us 5th in the world.
Then the Barbershoparazzi swung into high gear, taking pictures with fish and turtles, and even trying the heads on for size. The photo frenzy lasted a full hour after the contest had ended, until security at Conseco Fieldhouse had to ask fans to exit the building.

The guy in the Starfish outfit is our Director, Dr. Chris Peterson. You can see more pictures at www.mve.org

Singing with the MVE is one of my hobbies, and I am having the time of my life.

Everything's in bloom

(clockwise from upper left)

Rose Carefree Beauty (Rosa Carefree Beauty)
Purple Cone Flower (Echinacea)
Monarda (Monarda "Raspberry Wine")
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Gallairdia (Gallairdia pulchella)
Allium (Allium Brodiaea)
Day Lily (Hemerocallis Stella de Oro)

Here in the backyard, color is everywhere. Around the world, war seems to be in full bloom. I'll take flowers anyday.

Back from Ireland...

a country, that 15 years ago, faced with climbing unemployement and a sinking economy, invested in the public education of their children, including college. Fast forward to now, with virtually zero unemployment, a booming economy (2nd best in the EU) and a growth spurt that shows no sign of slowing. All for investing in education, instead of trying to dismantle it, and villify the teachers. Now there's a lesson to be learned.

We had a wonderful week on the Emerald Isle, and found their people very friendly, their countryside enchanting, and their pubs entirely smoke-free (gasp!)

By the way, they mow the grass (Festuca glauca) in their parks way before it gets to 7 inches long.

Keep those frayed edges neat...

Nothing beats the look of a fresh trim. Keeping a sharp, straight edge between the grass (Festuca glauca) and other things like posts, stone walls, and gardens really adds some class. Similar to my Black and Decker, is Patrick J. Fitzgerald, Special Counsel, moving his whirling line of questioning along the edge between truth and the White House. Karl Rove escaped indictment (there's a resume builder) by a margin narrower than the bright orange .065in plastic line spinning at my fingertips.

Time to cleanse that palate with the magnificent Alium (Allium Brodiaea.)

It's not all doom and gloom...

Once I met a happy little Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

I soon learned his smart philosophy

On my Weber Grill

He began to trill

and this is what he had to say to me:

Just let a smile be your umbrella

on a rainy, rainy day.

And if your sweetie cries

just tell her that a smile will always pay.

Let the thunder crash

Let the rain come down

You'll never need to wear a frown

Let a smile be your umbrella all the while!

(with appologies to Dan Wilson)

Mow, Mow, Mow your Yard

The lawn (Festuca glauca) looks great! It's a pride and joy of home-ownership when your yard is weed-free, well manicured, and greeny-green. Unlike Scott Walker and Milwaukee County Parks, I mow my lawn before it gets 7 inches long.


Yes, I've had to put a little more money into the LipsYard this year because of rising gas prices, and I even bought a new Gator mulching blade for the ol' Honda.





A little more spent now, beats the huge cost it would take to bring a delapidated, weed infested, pest riddled lawn back to life later.

666!!!

... brought death to our neck of the woods.
Was it the devil-spawn that drove this poor Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) to fly at break neck speed into our four season room window? Or did the PCB's in the food supply allow it's little bird brain to receive too much right-wing talk radio? Perhaps it was flushed out by clear cutting in the old growth forests it calls home? RIP little friend.

Undocumented Aliens

Every year at this time, our yard is overrun by undocumented aliens looking for a free handout. Here's one now (Oryctolagus cuniculus.)









We tire of losing valuable assets like lettuce (Lactuca sativa,) spinach (Spinacea oleracea,) radishes (Raphanus sativus,) and most of all, our beautiful perennial flowers to these unwelcome guest eaters. We have erected border fences but cannot afford to fully staff them. Letters to State Representative F. James Sennsenbrenner and President Bush have been sent, requesting the help of National Guard troops in protecting our borders.