Castor bean scare: I could not believe what I saw on Nancy Grace's show Saturday. Ricin, a deadly substance found in a Las Vegas Hotel room that made several people sick, is made from the pulp of castor beans. Well, I've been growing "green" and "red" castor bean plants for years. They keep ground moles out of my yard. The Farmer's Market paper I receive every two weeks advertises this plant. The seeds look like a "tick." The plants can reach up to 25 feet tall and are just an awesome, tropical plant. I handle this plant, picking the seedpods, which are prickly, putting the seeds in a container to plant later. The "red" ones grow smaller but produce beautiful red seedpods. No animal would even think about eating the leaves, stalk or seedpods, because of the odor they emit. This is why ground moles are repelled by them. Yet when you stand within one foot of this plant, you cannot smell anything.Sorry folks. I use my own good judgment in what I plant in my yard. My boys never ate plants in my yard. My animals have never chewed on leaves of my plants. I have all sorts of wildlife in my yard and they thrive, not die. I think TV sometimes exaggerates so many issues. Go on line and look these things up. You'll find most times, the issues are blown out of proportion. When I offer partridge berries or beautyberries to friends to eat, they look at me funny. I go strictly by my Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants and A North American Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Things like chickweed, cattail tubers, day lilies, nasturtium, rose hips, pickerel weed, miner's lettuce, dandelions, elderberries are all edible. Did you know you can eat the orange fruit on a pindo palm? It is delicious. My granddaddy used to dig up the roots of sassafras and brew a tea from it. It's just so much fun being able to eat things in the wild. Hey you Survivor people. Read before you go on that show.
Meeting with out commissioner: Remember to mark your calendar for March 13. Pat Bowen will be at our community center in Lake George to address more requests for speed humps. The meeting will probably be at 6 p.m. Haven't gotten that info yet.It will be posted on the community sign board.
What defines blight? According to Chatham County, your property could be considered "blight" if these violations exist: inoperable vehicles or ones with expired tags; vehicles parked on lawns; weeds that are 10 inches tall or more; garbage in the yard; structures that harbor rodents; structures that are not maintained in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition; vacant houses unfit for human habitation. Look around. Does your property meet these "qualifications?"
Paving project: We are grateful that the county is paving 5th Street in Lake George, but what's up with the curbing? No other street in Lake George has curbing. It just looks out of place. When is River Road going to get OKed for paving? The people at Twin Rivers pay the highest taxes around here, thousands, and yet you should see their road. It looks like someone has bombed it, holes everywhere. If I lived there, I'd be knocking on the commissioners door or I'd demand that my taxes be lowered.
Just for information: I found out recently, that if you are a senior and don't make over $9,800 a year income, you don't have to file income taxes.
Dog needs TLC: I have a neighbor whose son has been overseas with the National Guard and now is home, working a full-time job and going to Guard meetings on the weekends. He no longer can take care of his female, black lab, Grace. She is about 2 years old, weighs approximately 70 pounds. She just needs some love, attention and a fenced yard. She has already been spayed. Call me at 884-7555 if you think you would make a good owner.
Meeting with out commissioner: Remember to mark your calendar for March 13. Pat Bowen will be at our community center in Lake George to address more requests for speed humps. The meeting will probably be at 6 p.m. Haven't gotten that info yet.It will be posted on the community sign board.
What defines blight? According to Chatham County, your property could be considered "blight" if these violations exist: inoperable vehicles or ones with expired tags; vehicles parked on lawns; weeds that are 10 inches tall or more; garbage in the yard; structures that harbor rodents; structures that are not maintained in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition; vacant houses unfit for human habitation. Look around. Does your property meet these "qualifications?"
Paving project: We are grateful that the county is paving 5th Street in Lake George, but what's up with the curbing? No other street in Lake George has curbing. It just looks out of place. When is River Road going to get OKed for paving? The people at Twin Rivers pay the highest taxes around here, thousands, and yet you should see their road. It looks like someone has bombed it, holes everywhere. If I lived there, I'd be knocking on the commissioners door or I'd demand that my taxes be lowered.
Just for information: I found out recently, that if you are a senior and don't make over $9,800 a year income, you don't have to file income taxes.
Dog needs TLC: I have a neighbor whose son has been overseas with the National Guard and now is home, working a full-time job and going to Guard meetings on the weekends. He no longer can take care of his female, black lab, Grace. She is about 2 years old, weighs approximately 70 pounds. She just needs some love, attention and a fenced yard. She has already been spayed. Call me at 884-7555 if you think you would make a good owner.