SpenerQuest Is Back, Bringing You the Finest in Pietistic Rationalism - Plus Plagiarized Romanism from McCain. Did McCain or Cascione Ever Apologize for the Roman Catholic Drivel?

Luther Quest Webmaster (Lqwebmaster) Member Username: Lqwebmaster Post Number: 146 Registered: 11-2001

Posted on Friday, May 01, 2015 - 6:09 pm:       Thank you for your patience through our outage the last 24 hours. The site had some file corruption so the hosting company closed it as a precaution. That's fine, better safe than sorry. We came up within the last hour. If Luther were alive today, he'd use the Internet.

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Avoid the Monoculture - God Will Bless the Mess with Predators for the Pests

"Isotoma Habitus" by U. Burkhardt -  Springtail...
as many as 100,000 per square meter of ground.

The trouble with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides is their overall killing effect - indiscriminate. To wipe out one pest, which is unlikely anyway, one must kill all the beneficial creatures (like spiders) while removing the food from their mouths. Why would beneficial creatures move into one's garden when their food is gone?

The Mole
An interesting case is the mole. The short answer is - there is no solution short of killing all the life in the soil, which will defiitely drive the moles away. The lawn poison advises on the package - "Do not let your children play in the grass afterwards."

Moles do make the soil uneven - scandal! - but they do so while eating lots of insect grubs and mixing the soil. They eat earthworms too, but the earthworm population will fix itself - based on the food and water made available. Moles cannot eat all the earthworms but man can kill all the earthworms temporarily while getting rid of moles.

Let's say you have killed all the moles - temporarily - they always come back. What will the robins eat? I always see them eating earthworms. One hid behind a rose bush and peeked out, because he wanted to keep foraging. Another was gathering dead grass for the nest and looked at me - his beak packed with the material -  as if to say,"What concern is this of yours?"

By Norma Boeckler

Robins eat -

1. Chokecherries, 
2. Grapes, 
3. Cherries, 
4. Blueberries, 
5. Poison Ivy, 
6. Hawthorn fruits, 
7. Grasshoppers, 
8. Earthworms, 
9. Beetle grubs, 
10. Caterpillars, 
11. Cutworms, 
12. Small snakes, 
13. Mollusks, 
14. Fish fry (baby fish), and various insects.

I see a lot of creatures no one likes in the garden. I do have grasshopper damage, but that is always short-lived and minor. The grasshoppers attract grasshopper eaters, and soon the damage stops.

The sunny garden is packed with decomposing straw, leaves, and shredded wood. Birds always eat there, all day long.

Insecticides are very effective against bees, so do not use them outside.

My Guide for Beneficial Insects Says - 

You may have noticed that I mentioned cutting down and cleaning up the border each spring. This is something most folks tend to do in the fall, but it’s far better for your bugs to hold off on this duty until late the following spring. Remember, an insectary border doesn’t serve just as a nutritional source for beneficials; it also provides greatly needed overwintering habitat. When we cover our yards with a monoculture of grass and just a smattering of evergreens and flowering shrubs, and collect every fallen leaf and twig, we essentially eliminate the sheltered sites that insects of all sorts rely on to see themselves safely through the winter months.

Maintaining your insectary garden requires as much, or as little, work as you desire. Just don’t cut down your insectary plantings in the fall, as they provide much-needed overwintering habitat to many beneficials. Though I probably can’t convince you to return your yard to its prehuman native state (nor do I think it’s even feasible), I do encourage you to allow your insectary border to stand as is through the winter. The leaves and dead stems collected there serve as critical good bug habitat. In my opinion, they also add texture and interest to what may otherwise be a very bland winter landscape.

Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 3238-3243). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Honeysuckle vine - it draws insects that hummingbirds love.
Hummingbirds eat more than cola from plastic feeders.
They love insects and need insects to live.

Tree Branches Left a Mess in the Front Yard
The pruned branches left a mess in the front yard - dried leaves and twigs. We will rake the debris under the front yard maple tree to feed the tree, flowers, and garlic.

Jessica Walliser and Sharon Lovejoy are saying, "Let the insects do their work, and give them all the food, water, and shelter possible."

I simply keep all organic matter in the yard, in place wherever possible.

• The lawnmower mulches grass and weeds into the soil to add food rather than take it away.
• Weeds grow as groundcover and shoot up as mineral miners. At their worst, they are trimmed to be mulch. Many tall weeds are handy as insect havens and food for the compost (comfrey, pigweed) or food for me (goosefoot). Insects like Queen Ann's Lace (wild carrot).
• Leaves remain to decompose into the soil and harbor such beneficial creatures as rove beetles.
• A tangle of branches is left near the Jackson Bird Spa to help birds feel at home, a safe perch close to their food, but also a place where food can be found in the bark.
• Extensive mulching is the best bird feeder of all, large, varied, and full of life below.
• No pesticides - but almost no pests). 
• No herbicides - but no weed problem. Crabgrass (a grain that escaped) is an opportunity for mulching into fertilizer, not a plant to hate and destroy with chemical warfare.
• No fungicides - but a fungal jungle, fed by wood products and left to serve its Creator's purpose in decomposing organics and delivering food to the roots of plants.
• A compost pile awaits its distribution this year, so the chicken wire can receive new batches or organic material to improve the soil. If you doubt the power of decomposition, create a pile and watch it shrink while building up an army group of earthworms. Our blue jay in Midland sat on the chicken wire waiting for his next meal to wiggle near the top of the compost.

A garden spider is a beautiful site.

Handsome guy - does anyone wonder how he spots his food?
His legs feel the motion and his eyes are more effective than a mother's.

When I put down mulch I see spider webs appear at once.
Dinner is served, and my problems are digested.
Aphid spray is very effective against spiders.
I have no spray and no aphids.

Bishop Cook Resigns as Priest and Bishop, Due To Fatal DUI Charges. She Posted Bail. What about Ski's Bond in Milwaukee?

This is the hilarity pose favored by the Left and by Church Shrinkers:
Bishosp Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dumb, and Tweedle-Dumpster -
for putting the entire Episcopal Church in the dumpster.

Episcopal bishop accused in drunken-driving death resigns

1 of 1© Juliet Linderman/AP Photo

Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook leaves Baltimore City Circuit Court after her arraignmrny Thursday, April 2, 2015 in Baltimore. Cook faces vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and distracted driving charges stemming from a Dec. 27 accident when she fatally struck 41-year-old Tom Palermo on his bicycle. Cook entered a not-guilty plea, and a June 4th trial date has been set.

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland announced Friday that it accepted the resignation of Heather Cook, who was bishop suffragan. Separately, the Episcopal Church announced it has revoked Cook's clergy credentials, under an agreement with Cook. She is now considered a layperson.

BALTIMORE — A Maryland bishop accused of fatally striking a bicyclist while driving drunk in Baltimore has resigned, and her credentials have been revoked, according to officials with the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland announced Friday that it accepted the resignation of Heather Cook, who was bishop suffragan. Separately, the Episcopal Church announced it has revoked Cook's clergy credentials, under an agreement with Cook. She is now considered a layperson.

Cook had been the second-highest ranking Episcopal leader in Maryland. The revocation of her credentials resolves any disciplinary matters with the church, officials said.

Cook faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and distracted driving stemming from a Dec. 27 accident. Prosecutors say Cook was drunk and texting when she fatally struck 41-year-old Tom Palermo on his bicycle. Cook is free on a $2.5 million bail.

A June 4 trial date has been set in the case. Cook pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in April.

Cook's attorney David Irwin confirmed that Cook had resigned.

"She will no longer function as an ordained person in the Episcopal Church," Irwin said. "More importantly on behalf of Ms. Cook, we continue to express our deepest sympathy and regret to the Palermo family for their tragic loss."

WELS District President DUI? - No problem.
WELS Worship Professor DUI - No problem.
WELS Shrinker DUI - Give him a fake church to play and drink in.
Fat, drunk, and stupid is a positive role model in WELS.

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Dual actions end Heather Cook’s ordained ministry, employment

By ENS staff | May 1, 2015 4 Comments |

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced May 1 that she and Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook have reached an agreement that deprives her of her status as an ordained person in The Episcopal Church; moreover, that announcement came on the same day that Cook resigned her diocesan post.

Cook is scheduled to go on trial in June for allegedly causing the Dec. 27 car-bicycle accident in Baltimore that killed bicyclist Thomas Palermo. The simultaneous May 1 announcements do not involve the legal proceedings against Cook, but they do end all ecclesiastical disciplinary matters pending against her.

Maryland Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton had placed Cook on administrative leave shortly after the accident. Jefferts Schori restricted her ministry on Feb. 10

The statement from the Office of the Presiding Bishop is here and below.

“Pursuant to Title IV of the Canons of The Episcopal Church, the Presiding Bishop and Bishop Cook have reached an Accord. Under the terms of the Accord, Bishop Cook will receive a Sentence of Deposition, pursuant to which she shall be ‘deprived of the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority of God’s word and sacraments conferred at ordination.’

“As such, Cook will no longer function as an ordained person in The Episcopal Church.

“The Accord resolves all ecclesiastical disciplinary matters involving Cook.

“This Accord is separate from any resolution of employment matters involving Cook and the Diocese of Maryland as well as from criminal matters pending in the secular courts.”

The statement from the Diocese of Maryland is here and below.

“The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland today announced the acceptance of the resignation of Heather E. Cook as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. This means that Cook is no longer employed by the diocese. The acceptance of Cook’s resignation is independent of any Title IV disciplinary action taken by the Episcopal Church.”

In late January, the Maryland Standing Committee and Sutton asked Cook to resign as an employee of the diocese.

A Baltimore grand jury indicted Cook Feb. 4 on 13 counts for allegedly causing the Dec. 27 car-bicycle accident.

Five of the charges listed in the indictment by a Baltimore City grand jury come in addition to those Cook has faced since being charged Jan. 9 with four criminal offenses and four traffic violations.

The grand jury had added charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol per se (a “per se” DUI charge involves drivers whose blood alcohol limit is above the .08% legal limit and can be charged with drunk driving even if their ability to drive does not appear to be impaired), driving under the impairment of alcohol, texting while driving, reckless driving and negligent driving.

The original Jan. 9 criminal charges included manslaughter by vehicle, criminal negligent manslaughter by vehicle, homicide by driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol per se and homicide by driving a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol.

The traffic charges filed on Jan. 9 included failing to remain at an accident resulting in death, failing to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, using a text messaging device while driving causing an accident with death or serious injury, and driving under the influence of alcohol. The grand jury added to the two failure-to-stop offenses a charge of failure to stop the vehicle as close as possible to the scene of an accident.

The failing to remain at an accident resulting in serious bodily injury and the failing to remain at an accident resulting in death are both felony charges.

Cook appeared in court on the charges for the first time April 2 during an arraignment in Baltimore Circuit Court, according to court records. Because she accepted a trial date (June 4) “there’s an inferential plea of not guilty to all the charges,” David Irwin, one of Cook’s attorneys,told reporters outside the courthouse after the arraignment.

Irwin told Episcopal News Service on May 1 that there was been no resolution to the legal charges against Cook. “We hope to make progress in resolving the case, but we’re still involved in the discovery process and in the evaluation process,” he said, referring to the pre-trial process

Diocese of Maryland Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook, who remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into her involvement in a fatal accident, has been as by the diocesan standing committee to resign. Photo: Diocese of Maryland

in which both sides exchange information about the witnesses and evidence they’ll present at trial.

Cook faces a combined maximum penalty of at least 39 years in prison and a $39,000 fine, depending on whether her 2010 arrest and subsequent “probation before judgment” sentence is considered a first offense for any sentence she might receive if she were convicted of the charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or driving while under the influence of alcohol per se.

Cook, who is free on $2.5 million bail, “is still in treatment,” according to Irwin. She has been living in a drug and alcohol treatment facility since shortly after the accident.

Mountain of Brush Cleared - Sweet Corn Planted

Red KnockOut Roses are joining their white rose siblings in blooming.

Springdale sent the truck to pick up our brush, but I had enough to fill the entire truck bed, so they stopped in front of the house. I went out to talk to them, anxious to have the jumbled mountain of limbs taken away. They laughed and said, "We will be back today when we are empty."

Sassy and I watched later as the claw truck came back and began loading. When I thought they were almost done, they made five more grabs with the claw. They raked up debris and took every last branch away. I walked outside and thanked them. They grinned and said, "We are proud of our work."

The red KnockOut roses began opening up, and most new roses are leafing out well. Tomorrow will be another round from the Intensive Creation Unit - barrel water and pruning shears.

I saw some ugly weeds growing in the back. Several were Queen Ann's Lace that I inserted by leaving seedheads in the back area. Once I recognized their carroty nature, I was happy to see them. Another ugly one had a reddish bottom part. Red root pigweed? I like that one too. I would like more goosefoot, which is wild spinach, good to eat.

Earlier I planted "spinach strawberries," a type of goosefoot that grows berries enjoyed by birds.

Parsley seems to be growing in the vegetable garden, although I remembered planting it early in the corn patch. Everything in the corn patch failed - it was too early during a volatile snow and sun spring.

Three Sisters Garden

I hope this guy is happy with his birdfood and does not covet my sweet corn seeds.

Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is the star of the Three Sisters Garden, and Silver Queen is the regent of all classic sweet corn. Some claim better versions with more sweetness.

Corn demands:

1. Warm soil, so early planting is foolish. Treat sweet corn like tomatoes.
2. Full sun. Six hours of sun is needed, so the sunniest patch is best for corn.
3. Rich soil. Corn is a heavy feeder.
4. Water. Corn grows fast and is thirsty.
5. Nitrogen. Nitrogen is green, growth compound.
6. Close quarters for wind pollination.

Seed sellers disagree about how far apart to plant the corn. The plants can be 6 to 12 inches apart. The rows can be close, 12 inches apart, or several feet across. The answer is - closer is better. I work on 12 inches for both, but I plant rapidly and somewhat haphazardly.

I bought 400 seeds and dropped in two seeds to a hole. Some gardeners put in three seeds. The idea is that the corn plants support each other, or gardener can thin them out later. 

Paul did say, "Sow abundantly, reap abundantly." I cannot tell which seeds will survive the squirrels, the crows, the weather, and my own mistakes in planting them too deep or two shallow. I do know they are almost 100% alive and ready to grow.

God's Word is not almost 100% alive, but completely alive, powerful, and effective. No one who looks across the landscape can figure out how God's Word will take root. I have seen many clergy blinded, hardened, and deafened by God's Word. They are like the hollow geodes that float in water, surrounded by water, with no water penetrating the inside.

That does not argue against the efficacy of the Word. Just the opposite is true. When people scorn the plain meaning of the Word and solemnly declare their sect has all the answers, they are hardening and blinding and deafening themselves by playing games with the Almighty God and His Word.

When thieves break into a power station and melt themselves by trying to steal live, thick powerlines because of the copper, they are doing that to themselves, no matter how clever, strong, and daring they imagine themselves to be. Electricity is powerful, far more than copper thieves realize, but God's Word is even more powerful, able even to "save souls." 

When I am planting seed, the doubts arise, and yet what I see around me chases the doubts away. Some great plans, like the Creature Convention Center, lasted a few hours at first. But the overall effect of applying the principles of Creation is impressive. I am doing very little work, a bit each day, to allow God's creatures to do the work for me. 

The corn patch, as a lawn area, was difficult to dig, so we covered it with newspapers and shredded cyprus. When we had too much mulch, we begged for more newspapers. When we had too many newspapers, I bought more mulch. For seven months the creatures worked on the grass and weeds that died under the shade of Jackson Mulch.

My wife said, "I thought you just were going to sow the corn, toss it on the ground." I answered calmly, "That is called - Feeding the birds."

The soil was soft and easy to dig with the small trowel. Assuming the corn germinates and rises above the mulch, there are almost no weeds to face. Worst case - I have an area for pumpkins and beans. In all that time, almost no weeds had grown in the entire corn patch, more than 120 square feet.

Some gourds are already planted.
Pumpkins are good for covering the floor of the Three Sisters garden.

LutherQuest (sic) Has Been Down for Several Days. No Te Deum Masses, Please. LQ Is a Clever Satire of the Synodical Conference

Reclaiming Walther is a better name for the franchise,
because the websty has nothing to do with Luther, except rejecting his doctrine.

Someone else noticed that the entire LutherQuest website has been down for several days. I needed some laughs, so I looked it up a few days ago. I thought it was just routine maintenance, but that is usually for part of a day.

Here is a ringing endorsement -

I always enjoy looking at LutherQuest -- simply because no one has any inhibitions about making the craziest comments under the sun (e.g., to vote Democrat is to sin).  But for the past few days the site has been down.  I haven't a clue as to why and know no one whom I could contact.  Thought you should know.

 Update - I did not check before, but today I saw that other parts were functioning. The discussion area is still down as of May 2, 8 AM Central Daylight Time.

Plant Food Falls Free for the Taking - Creature Convention Center

A crepe myrtle bush, like all plants, creates its own free mulch,
which most people rake away so they can add the damaging fertilizer
they just bought at the gardening center.

Early spring means the trees are shedding pollen, maple tree seeds, various bud coverings, and the normal debris one expects, from twigs to large branches.

Those cleaning out their gutters are thinking, "This is disgusting. Maple trees are growing up there." In fact, that was an annual site at our home in Moline. A giant maple tree showered its leaves into the gutters in the fall, rained down its helicopter seeds in the spring. The kids loved catching the maple seeds and enjoyed the next sght. We saw rows of perky maple trees in our gutters, in neat rows -healthy, green, and growing.

The slimy dark mass in the gutters should give people pause before they despise it, scoop it out, and throw it away. How does the dark slime manage to create a nursery for so many trees?

Answer - rotting leaves absorb moisture easily, and hold it well. Dust and pollen add to the mix.  The leaves never dry out in the spring as the rain falls. The maple seeds flat spin into their compost, which is ideal to hold and nurture the little trees.

I pruned the crepe myrtle bush with my finters alone, taking twigs away from the branches, to give the bush the Lyle Lovett look. The bark is attractive, so I can understand the reason for this treatment, leaving the lower part free of growth. All the trimmings landed on the wood mulch, adding to the food supply for the roots, as the pile decayed into the soil. I have been adding grass clippings, mushroom compost, bush trimmings, and wood mulch to the base for a year, and the pile continues to be worked into the soil by God's soil creatures - earthworms, springtails, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes.

Creature Convention Center
The Jackson Bird Spa has been a bit success with birds and squirrels. I mulched an area under the trees for baths and feeders. Birds like to search for food in dry mulch rather than soggy soil, and our soil was muddy for a long time. Besides that, wood mulch is a natural environment for enticing more soil creatures to breed and come to the surface as food for birds and spiders.


All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one;

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows for our play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day;

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Mrs. Wright had concrete blocks only a few feet across the fence from the spa, so I asked to use them. They were once a way to keep her dogs from going under the fence, but both dogs passed away  recently.

Our helper came by to help move the blocks (toss over the fence) and build the Creature Convention Center. A few hours later, it tumbled into a heap.

Like the founders of Notre Dame, when the school burned to the ground, I said, "We dreamed too small."  I put together a new version with the blocks, more stable and closer to the house - too close. The third version will move out from the house so we can look down on the birds and squirrels enjoying food and water there.

The idea is to have nooks and crannies for food and shelter, various levels for food, a screen layer to keep food dry, and space for baths.

Logs for Food and Shelter
Our landscaper neighbor, a former Army Ranger, cut an enormous number of excess branches from five of our trees. That left several large logs and quite a few small ones.

Creation and nature lovers know that a log is food and shelter for many creatures. One will go near the Spa as a convention perch. Birds love to have a place two or three feet off the ground to use for safety and critter spotting. One log is has an upward sweeping branch, and I saw a bird using it already.

Smaller logs will go around bushes. As the logs rot into the soil, the wood will host more food for the bushes.

Don't plant sweet corn in kale weather.
Funny - people are afraid to plant peas in the cold, ideal weather for peas.

Sweet Corn Days
A butcher and I agreed that tomatoes and corn do nothing when planted early. They need warm, sunny days or they just sit there, refusing to grow. That makes tomatoes more vulnerable to cold temperatures and corn more likely to rot in the soil or be harvested by critters.

I have seen wild strawberries with lots of flowers, but no fruit so far. I suspect the fruit does not form so easily in the cold

Meanwhile the roses, far more cold hardy than people suspect, are bursting with buds and blooming, about 10 flowers so far among the KnockOuts.

Some sunshine will help wild strawberies fruit.
The bees are already working the rose blooms.

Garden Centers Love Early Buyers of Tomato Plants. Sunshine Plants

Pumpkin sprouting.

Soil Temperatures Matter To Plants
Long ago I bought tomato plants and installed them in two places, the sunny garden and the vegetable garden. The tomato plants, like their cousins the potatoes, simply sat there and did nothing for weeks. No growth and the tomatoes were close to freezing. The cold, cloudy, rainy weather is not what the nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, egg plants) want.

One reader says the garden centers love those customers who buy their tomato plants early. They come back again to replace the dead frozen ones.

We had one truly warm day of sunshine, and the first tomato plant bloomed. That is always a good sign. Wild strawberries have been blooming but not producing strawberries so far.

The potatoes in the straw garden burst into growth once the sun came out last week. Before the sunshine, I looked at them squatting in the straw, turning green (potato tan?) and not growing. Grass grew well on the bales. I have at least one pumpkin vine sprouting on the side of the bales. Some other seeds sown on top were growing, but not the potatoes.

If we watch carefully, the timing of plants can be determined. The roses were doing well long before the crepe myrtle began to leaf out. The roses from last year are all budding, but the crepe myrtle is far behind them.

Edible pod peas are flowering. They love cold weather. Sunflowers were tentative in the cold rainy weather, and are not hitting a growth spurt. Like corn, sunflowers love heat, sun, water, and rich soil.

The pole bean tepee is fun to grow.

Time To Plant Sweet Corn - Three Sisters Garden
I wait until the soil is reflecting back some genuine warmth before planting sweet corn.

I kept singing "One Day More" from Le Miz as I stepped out into the morning weather, day after day, waiting for sweet corn weather, daily wearing a coat for Sassy's morning walk.

Every website has different directions for planting corn. I will plant the seeds about 12 inches apart. The key to corn is bunching them tight for wind pollination.  I also want to get the maximum production from the Three Sisters Garden, because friends increase when the silk turns brown.

Later I will plant Blue Lake pole beans and pumpkins. The pole beans help fix nitrogen in the soil, and the pumpkins provide shade along the soil, which reduces weeds (though I have mulch) and inhibits predators human and squirreline.

Am I able to plant corn in the same place next year? I will leave the garden remains there, the greenery creating compost on top and the roots decomposing  in the soil. That would be the best place to spread the finished compost from the leaves decomposing in the chicken wire cage. Putting comost on top of the Three Sisters Garden will increase soil activity over the winter.

There is no need for rototilling compost or mulch into the soil. Those who want a rich, smooth, brown surface should stick to cake mixes. Nothing is worse for microbe activity than modern garden practices:

• Herbicides
• Pesticides
• Rototilling
• Inorganic fertilizers. Walk through that aisle if you think manure smells bad.

Weeds Are Mulch and Fertilizer Rolled into One
Lots of spring weeds are bursting through the soil - green, leafy, and loaded with moisture. I follow Ruth Stout in using weeds as mulch. I may pull some and leave them on top, or I trim them and let the plant material serve as mulch.

Greens are more like candy for the soil - instant energy. 
They are easily broken down and offer nitrogen to plants. Some escapes but nitrogen compounds form in layers of green plant material. A thick layer will warm up. Dug up sod will shrink and turn into perfect soil when turn upside-down. The same effect can be achieved by covered lawn grass with newspapers or cardboard and mulched on top to keep the lower layer in place. Green equals nitrogen.

Tree products are long-term investments in soil quality.
Wood mulch, cardboard, and newspapers are fungus foods, loved by fungi and adored by earthworms. Wood products absorb nitrogen to some extent, but they release it later as they decompose. This adsorption is good in Jackson Mulch, because the newspaper layer puts an instant kibosh on the weeds and grass. If you want to turn a patch of crabgrass (or lawn) into great soil, cover it with newspapers and weigh the papers down with shredded wood mulch.

I asked for six bags of cyprus mulch at Lowe's and the Hispanic clerk sold me sixteen. I ended up loading them, too. Cyprus smells and looks great.

Cellulose is far more complex than plant greens, so it needs the powerful decomposing mechanism of fungi. Queen Elizabeth's private gardens promote as much fungus growth as possible and toxins are banned. Plant and animal life flourishes.

Roses for Mother's Day
The KnockOut roses will be blooming this Sunday, but the hybrid teas from last year may also bloom for Mother's Day.

The new roses should be blooming by the end of May. Yes, I will be photographing them for the blog and future gardening book.

Church Mouse Names the City Where I Vicared

Kitchener won fame in 1898 for winning the Battle of Omdurman and securing control of the Sudan, after which he was given the title "Lord Kitchener of Khartoum" - Wikipedia
Churchill took part in that battle, the very last cavalry charge.

Towns that have changed name — and one that hasn’t

https://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/towns-that-have-changed-name/ - more at the link.

– Kitchener, Ontario, was called Berlin until the Great War. As the war generated much understandable anti-German sentiment, the townspeople were able to vote on a selection of new names. In 1916, the town was renamed after Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War.

***

Canadian parks are especially well maintained.
The Royal Rose Garden in Hamilton is worth a trip.
I took notes.

GJ - I think the main park had a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm, replaced by one of Queen Victoria - now Queen Victoria Park. No one wanted to buy goods stamped Made in Berlin during WWI.

The Golds of Spring

Daffodil - Ceylon

The daffodils bloom first among the popular fall bulbs, but before that golden crocus come up, if people dare to plant them. I used to, but squirrels dug them up and replanted them, making it look like I installed them in my sleep.

Forsythia - Lynwood Gold

Forsythia bushes turn gold next. I think of them as being rather fan-like, but one neighbor had the ultimate forsythia bush, about 20 feet in circumference, more like an ancient nature token that beckons pagans once a year for moonlight celebrations.

But the best gold of all the is the sudden change of the drab male goldfinch, when he puts on new livery to mate. Today we had two males enjoying their finch food at the window. The window was open so we could hear them and see them. When I changed over to hulled sunflower seeds and thistle (nyjer), the finches came often and the starlings ate the suet hanging below.



Why spend time and money feeding birds? When they sit in the swing and feed inches from the window. there is no wondering why. As the sun sets in the West, the light casts shadows on them, so I see moving silhouettes on the wall near my computer screen.

I have to grade a lot today, but tomorrow it should be perfect to start the corn and a few other items.

UOJ Fanaticism from the Newly Minted WELS Pastors

LCMS DP Herbert Mueller, WELS DP Jon Buchholz, ELS Pastor Jay Webber

They may come in different sizes, but the UOJ Stormtroopers
are otherwise exactly alike.

From a WELS member:
Recent WLS graduates have been taught that it is up to them to tell people that they are saved (UOJ), and that nobody else will, so if they don't, they're condemning them to hell.

According to the myth UOJ, it's all about what Christ did for us. Finished. Done. Forgiven. SAVED. All you've got to do is point people to Christ so that they can see that they have already been made righteous and forgiven "in Christ." There is no need to bring Christ and his forgiveness, life, and salvation to us now in Word and Sacrament because it's already been done then at the cross and/or tomb.

For the WELS cultists, forgiveness is not here and now in Word and Sacrament, it's there and then "in Christ" on the cross.

***

GJ - That is an excellent summary from someone who knows. Of course, the WELS approach is full of lies, apart from the false doctrine. They--and the LCMS, ELS, and various shards and splinters of the Synodical Conference--agree with ELCA, give or take a little language variation.

I recall an LCA tape where they said angrily that the Evangelicals "did not teach grace." The man's voice cracked with emotion. He meant, "They do not teach universal salvation." That is grace to the mainlines, and WELS/ELS/LCMS are modern, rationalistic mainline groups.

Here is an official verson of WELS dogma, from their little periodical, The Popes Speak, aka WELS Meditations -

March-May 2014, for Monday, 17 March 2014.  The howler is in the second column which reads:  

"No matter what you did yesterday -- or failed to do -- and no matter what you will do tomorrow, God has forgiven you."

Fun with Compost and Straw Bales. Flowers and Vines Sprout from Compost and Straw Bales

Let me guess -
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Above is one of those ideal compost piles, with layers of soil, grass or greens, and straw or dried leaves. Why is it in the bright sunlight? Compost belongs in the shadiest spot, but this one may have been posed for a gardening article.

All those ingredients are fine to use. Various manures are good in for introducing moisture, organic matter, and bacteria. However,  dog and cat manure are avoided because they may carry pathogens that hop into the human system. Raise some rabbits and you will never lack for Rabbit-Gro.

The fertilizer salesmen and their puppets warn that the NPK rating is low for manure and compost, but NPK is misleading. Dow Chemists used to laugh at how little the ingredients cost and how much they could get for them in the right packages. Besides, inorganic fertilizers are not good for the very creatures that make soil productive and healthy.

To show that the layer cake is not required, some of us plant on damp straw bales. The are Lego blocks for gardeners. Now that the potatoes are growing, I am fond of the homely lumps.

Flowers and Vines Sprout from Compost and Straw Bales
Last year I planted a pumpkin vine, rather late, in the compost. The vine grew slowly at first and really took off after establishing its roots.

This year I have already planted strawberries on top. My contributors (Mr. Gardener and our helper) know I do this, so they add their contributions around the newest plant.

When it warms up I will plant pumpkin or gourd vines in the compost, since little will be added on top for a period of time.

I have already planted flowers in the straw bale sides. Some things are sprouting already.

The fun comes from seeing how well the plants do in compost and straw. That can only happen because the soil creatures - fungi, bacteria, nematodes, protozoa, earthworms, slugs, springtails, and many more - work together to decompose the material and swap soluble elements.

The plant roots do far more than grow and absorb moisture. They attract this Vanity Fair of microbes with stuff they exude from the root hairs. In return for the carbon and materials offered by the roots, fungi draws the needed compounds from its decomposing mechanism. Fungi do not tear and chew and rasp, the way earthworms and slugs and springtails do. Instead, fungi dissolve into the food and take what they want. They can trap nematodes and pull out the high nitrogen insides. Bacteria help in all this, but fungi are the giant digesters needed to make it happen.




Earthworms mix and tunnel and sweeten the last stage of decomposition.

A gardener can get seeds to sprout in wet paper towels, but it takes a growing medium for the plant to be established and productive. Compost and the straw bale are two ways to create that medium.

Apart from getting straw wet and starting to decompose for a few weeks, I truly doubt the bales need any more "conditioning" - as various people suggest. They sit on soil and get the creatures they need from the soil. They do not need soil added on top. Nor is a nitrogen product needed. Soil can be put on the top, but why? Adding inorganic fertilizers? That is really crazy. "Let's get all the creatures going in this ideal growing medium and then stun and kill them with inorganic salts."

Rove beetles eat the creatures living on decay.

FAMILY Staphylinidae NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES 3000+ 
This family has the honor of being one of the largest families of beetles in North America. A distinctive feature of most rove beetles is the short wing covers that leave their segmented abdomens exposed. When threatened, many species of rove beetles curl their abdomens upward in scorpion fashion. No need to worry, though, as these beetles have no stinger. They are generally brown to black and measure 0.08–0.78 inch (2–20 mm) in length (though some species can reach much larger). 

Rove beetles are predators of insects that feed on decaying organic matter (a handful of parasitic species exist as well). They commonly consume bark beetles, slugs, snails, ants, termites, root maggots, and many others and are found in plant debris, in manure and compost piles, under stones, and in woodlands. Their fast-moving larvae feed on the same prey species by capturing them with sickle-shaped jaws. A few species can produce skin-blistering chemicals or defensive odors when attacked.


Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 1035-1043). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

I suggest using straw alone to grasp the concept
of decomposition as designed by the Creating Word, the Son of God.

Birds Eye View

"I am not black," says the grackle.
"I have metallic colors. If you feed me often,
you might catch the display. Don't be lazy."

Our Perspective
"Birds are really smart and easily trained."
"True. I give them food whenever I go outside. Now they clamor and chirp for me."
"Our hummingbirds are so smart. One went to where the feeder was last year and hovered there, looking for his food."
"I have learned to put a lot of different foods out there. I am seeing many more species than I did before. Some like nuts, some like fruits. They like various seeds, too. Some leave corn and eat the rest. Then grackles come and eat the corn."

"If you are this beautiful, don't give it away.
Make your human fill the feeders and plant your favorite flowers and vines."

Birds' Perspective
"Humans are fairly smart. They can be trained."
"How so?"
"All my pals wait for ours to come out. We cheer, flutter, chirp, and tweet. He looks up at the trees, smiles, and feeds us."
Hummingbird - "All I had to do was hover around the place where the feeder was last summer. My human ran inside, filled the feeder, and put it where was before. Naturally, I waited. I want that full each day."
"I am tired of black oil sunflower seeds. They are good, but pluck my tailfeathers, I can only eat so many."
"Bring a new friend every so often, especially if something new is out, like some strawberries. Eventually he will learn that we want a lot of variety."
"Good call."
"We will sing Matins every morning for fresh food, and Vespers at night, so it is all refilled."

"Don't just bathe. Splash and fuss with your friends.
Make a lot of noise and we will get fresh water each day."