Gavel Games

The best way to have everyone’s input in a meeting is actually quite parliamentary, well, parliamentary procedure that is. Parliamentary procedure is a way to insure that each person present has his or her say in the matter being discussed. Effective use of parliamentary procedure makes meetings run smoother. It is a democratic process, created originally for government meetings. However, the process is quite useful for all types of meetings.

Would you like to learn more about parliamentary procedure? Come check out par-law in action at this year’s 2010 Gavel Games Contest! Youth teams of 4 or 5 will be competing to achieve purple ribbons on their parliamentary practices. The contest will be held on Saturday, January 30 at Blue Valley High School. Teams in Junior (age 7-10); Intermediate (age 11-13) and Senior (age 14-19) will be participating. The first teams are scheduled at 8:30 a.m. The contest will conclude at noon. Come check it out!

Not to Burst Your Bubble

The temperatures have been downright frigid, even by Kansas Winter weather standards. So, I decided to try an experiment. This morning (Friday, January 08, 2010) I decided to try blowing bubbles outside – with an air temperature of 2 degrees – to see exactly what would happen. I had been told that the bubbles will shatter is extreme cold temperatures. So, I bundled up, and set off to find out.

I conducted the experiment in an area beside the county office buildings. There was a South wall and a West wall. The area was fairly sheltered from large amounts of wind. I dipped the wand in the solution, and blew bubbles ten different times. I discovered that several things happened: First, bubbles that hit hard surfaces (concrete, bricks etc.) shortly after being blown, burst quickly. Second, bubbles that were airborne for a longer period of time did shatter into a big bubble gum like consistency. Third, bubbles that landed lightly in the snow, stayed in their bubble shape and became frozen in that state.

I plan to post some follow-up photos after a couple more experiment tries!

Landscape Lighting

These aren't UFO's but the glow of landscape lighting in the snow. Lighting allows one to enjoy the outdoors for more hours during the day. It is also functional when used to light a path and can provide security. To learn more about it, click on the link.
http://www.riley.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=214

Mulching Strawberries

The weather has beat me to covering the strawberries with snow. Strawberries are hardy. Straw, hay or in my case ornamental grass is used to prevent early bloom, frost heaving and to keep the berries out of the dirt. Anytime you can get around to mulching them will be fine.

A House of Sugar

Some illustrious 2-4th graders have been creating cottages – out of graham crackers, frosting and sweet treats. The foundation begins with a small milk carton set upon a white paper plate. The frosting is concocted with powdered sugar, water and meringue powder to make it set stiff.

Students had to plan a budget for their decorating costs. Candy items ranged in price from 5¢ to 20¢. Each student had $1.50 to spend on their house decorations. The students recorded their purchase intentions on a special sheet and then brought their money with their plan to the table. Be careful though – new crackers will cost you 10¢, if yours happen to break!

I was able to decorate my house on a budget of $1.20. What do you think?

Tree Pruning

Trees pruned correctly will seal over to prevent insect and disease from having an opening. These pictures represent the process. The pruning cut is made outside the branch collar which is a swollen area where the branch and trunk meet. Now is a fine time to manage your trees and make limb removal decisions.

Removal of a limb requiring a pruning saw is removed in three steps. The first cut is made under the limb, 12 inches from the trunk. Cut a third of the way through the trunk. The second cut is made from the top down 14 inches from the trunk until the limb snaps off. The final cut removes the remaining portion of the limb. This final cut is made outside the branch collar and leaves mostly a circular wound.

For good information on pruning, go to http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruning.shtml

Tree Pruning

Lawn Fertilizing

Applying fertilizer takes some effort. The easiest way is to measure the square feet of area. This is done by multipling length times widith. Use the right amount of product to get 1 to 1.5 pounds of actual nitrogen per thousand square feet. Put the fertilizer setting low and go over the lawn in several directions until the fertilizer is used up.

This picture indicates where the fertilizer was applied and where it wasn't. To remedy this lawn, apply some more nitrogen fertilizer between the dark areas.