This is my third season of using Dutch White Clover in my lawn in order to lessen my use of fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, water and do my part to help the local bee population (my daughter isn't so happy about the bees).

The first year was pretty easy because there just wasn't much clover or weeds, so other than the grass thinning out a little, there wasn't much change.  The second year, the clover really took off because there wasn't much competition from grass, but the dandilions, plantain, chickweed, and other lawn weeds were a continual problem.  I tried hand pulling, spot spraying with Trimec and just mowing more often, but really never got control of them.

Last spring, I started construction on a solar heated water system for my home.  The goals were simple: Keep the cost under $1000, provide at least 50% of the needed btus used to heat our water, be relatively maintenance free, reliable and finally, it couldn't be an eyesore.

I was partially successful in meeting those goals and with a little more work, all but the first one should be met.

Over the last year or so, there have been several incidents involving police officers and tazers that have turned out to be shocking demonstrations of abuse of power.  This last one involving the University of Florida campus police was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

I have all the respect in the world for the men (and women) in blue and want them to have all the tools they need to keep themselves and the public safe from harm.  When tazers were first made available to the police as an alternative to using their side arms, I was all for it.  The idea that an officer could use a non-lethal weapon to protect himself, the public and even the suspect from serious physical harm when confronted by a dangerous situation seems ideal.

That said, it has become disturbingly clear that Tazers are not always being used to subdue dangerous criminals.  More and more, we are seeing video of police officers using their Tazers as weapons of intimidation and actually using them on people whose only offense is acting unruly.  This is not what I had hoped they would be used for. 

The fact that they are using these weapons with full knowledge that they are probably on camera while doing it makes it abundanly clear they don't even know what they are doing is wrong.  I fear what they may be doing with them when they don't think they are being recorded.

I think it may be time for police chiefs across the country to re-examine their descision to provide these weapons to street cops and limit them to the most serious of situations.

Thats my take.

Don't ask me why the size and font differs within this post.  I tried to fix and couldn't figure it out.  Sorry.  If anyone has any tips on how I can avoid this annoying distraction in the future, I'd be most appreciative if you would share it with me.

Bee hives are dying in droves!

I'm okay with that :)

Well, the Clover I seeded last spring and fall is filling in nicely now.  The lawn is going through some changes (withdrawl) that I knew would be coming but it is still difficult to repress the instinct to go buy some high nitrogen fertilizer.  I keep thinking 'maybe if I just put it down at half the rate...'  Perhaps I am the one suffering from withrawl.

Weed control has become a much more time consuming task now that I have to spot spray the weeds instead of spraying the entire lawn.  I expected the Dandilions, Plantains, Chickweed, Creeping Charlie and Violets but I didn't expect the Oxalis to flourish like it has.  Oxalis and Creeping Charlie usually take several applications to kill so I'll be busy this spring.

Two good surprises have been the natural addition of Black Medic and Ladino Clover.  Black Medic is another nitrogen fixing trifolate and is difficult to distinguish from white clover when not in bloom.  My daughter found what she thought was a four leaf clover but it was really a four leaf Medic - probably more common but I'm still impressed!  Ladino Clover is a larger variety of Clover.  I welcome it but know that after a few mowings, it will probably die.

You may be wondering why I want to get rid of Creeping Charlie (another nitrogen fixing ground cover) and Oxalis (a tasty and attractive trifolate).  Creeping Charlie has a coarse look and is not something I want to walk on barefoot.  Oxalis would be a welcome addition if it were a darker shade of green.  Against the background of grass, Clover and Medic, Oxalis stands out like a....well, like a weed ;}

MR. BRANSON!  I'VE GOT IT!  I'VE GOT IT!

IT'S CALLED A TREE!

Please send the 25 million in US Dollars - I need it quick so I can buy great big airplanes and trot around the globe telling everyone how smart I am like you and your good buddy Algore.

Thanks!

Cory