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But this year was bad, because we realized that the leaves we were using to mulch into the garden were, in fact, poisonous to the plants we were growing. \u00a0The suggestion was given to use the leaves, not knowing the consequences! \u00a0So on top of everything else!! \u00a0Oh well. \u00a0Live and learn. \u00a0If gardening does anything, it teaches you how helpless we really are in the face of nature, and why so few people that live among the growing things of the world and make their living from the seasons are hardcore materialists. <\/p>\n

Still, harvests are what they are, and we\u2019ve gotten some good things (big bean harvest), and Roma tomatoes are, for some reason, growing like gangbusters. \u00a0Some peppers, but not enough. \u00a0And not enough cucumbers to pickle this year. \u00a0Even our squash did badly. \u00a0Even our radishes! \u00a0It will be more miss than hit, alas. \u00a0There\u2019s always next year! \u00a0With our oldest son\u2019s decision to stay home for a year, his leaving school doesn\u2019t pack the same punch. \u00a0I told him he must leave someday, but a year to save up for school is not bad thinking in my opinion. \u00a0Not with college loans being the trap so many fail to account for nowadays. \u00a0So he\u2019ll be around to help then.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Reed as Bill Sykes, less hair and fangs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

But with the garden struggling, and everything else, somehow we\u2019ve begun to jump ahead on the upcoming festivities. \u00a0My thirteen year old hurt his ankle and is more or less out of football this year, missing all practices going into the season, and concluding that rest it and hold till next year. \u00a0Perhaps to compensate, we\u2019ve turned to the DVD and suddenly found ourselves watching Hammer Films\u2019 Hound of the Baskervilles<\/i> a couple weeks ago. \u00a0 And last night, we caught the first few minutes of Hammer\u2019s The Curse of the Werewolf<\/i>. \u00a0An different spin, dispensing with so much of the Hollywood yarns and getting back to old world European myths regarding those rascally shapeshifters. \u00a0Staring Oliver Reed, who my boys know for his impressive take as the heartless Bill Sykes in the musical Oliver!<\/i>, it is an interesting production as only Hammer Films could muster. <\/p>\n

And it\u2019s only August<\/a>! What\u2019s wrong with us? \u00a0Oh well, don\u2019t begrudge it. \u00a0Nuns and werewolves, if that\u2019s what it takes to help my family find our way and get through the gauntlet, I\u2019ll take it. \u00a0Even if it\u2019s in the 80s in the dog days of August. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"