Quillback

108, wow! Has to be a record for that date if it hits that mark.

A lot of folks swear by hotdogs for cats.

The authorities still have not issued a fireworks ban here in NWA. Like JD is seeing, small oaks are dying, and the underbrush is turning brown in places. With no relief is sight I can't understand why no fireworks ban. Fireworks stands are still open also so folks will be buying fireworks and once bought they're going to want to set them off.

They aren't as bad this year here in NWA, I heard a reason, something to do with last years weather but can't remember the exact reason. I didn't see any grubs this spring when I was turning over the garden, which is unusual. They do like the pole beans, but they aren't bad enough this year that I need to do anything about them.

Yep,. that's why I quit using them, just seems to bring more of them in.

One thing about shakey head fishing that is VERY important: When fishing them you have to sing that Old KC and the Sunshine band song - "Shake, Shake, Shake....Shake, Shake, Shake....shake that booty......Shake, Shake, Shake...

It does sound like a great idea, F&F you'll have to let us know if and when these solar shingles become practical, if they ever do.

I hear ya, my tomatoes aren't liking this heat.

Canned 7 pints of "Dilly Beans" Sunday, my first canning experience. Seemed to go well and it was easier than I expected. I'll have to give the beans a couple of weeks to marinate, and we'll see how it turns out.

100 predicted for NWA today, last year it didn't hit 100 until July 7. This may be an even hotter and drier summer than last year. I think I'll start cutting down the oaks and replace them with cactus.

I see, so I assume that to make this work, your local power company has to buy back excess electricity from you. The reason I ask is that my local power company, last I checked, does not have a power buy back program.

So what was the cost to you to install out of your pocket? Are they paying money to you to lease the panels? Curious how that works. How many years until you recoup your initial investment?

Forgot to add link. www.punkdomestics.com

I didn't do peppers this year, last year they didn't do too well, so I said the heck with them. Here's a link to a canning blog, lots of good recipes for canning cukes. I'm going to try and pickle some beans, but first I gotta go out and buy all the stuff.

Here's an interesting read, the experts are still struggling to create models to predict future long term weather trends. http://www.nature.com/news/climate-forecasting-a-break-in-the-clouds-1.10593 Here's an intresting excerpt, what they're saying is that aeresol pollutants could be masking the effects of global warming, and with the increased focus on limiting aeresol pollutants (coal from coal fired electrical plants is a prime factor), the atmosphere becomes clearer, and could lead to an even higher rate of global warming. Just an example of how complex this issue is, and the effects of unintended consequences. In other words, by "cleaning up" the atmosphere, we may be making global warming worse. As climate researchers test drive the new generation of models, they are particularly keen to measure the models' overall sensitivity: how strongly they warm up in response to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. The addition of indirect aerosol effects makes the new model at NCAR more sensitive to greenhouse gases, says NCAR researcher Andrew Gettelman. Simulations show that the additional cooling from aerosol pollution, as well as the direct effect of haze, masked some of the warming from greenhouse gases during the twentieth century; but the model shows enhanced warming in the twenty-first century as curbs on pollution expose the full power of greenhouse gases. In simplified runs that double greenhouse-gas concentrations — which could happen by the end of this century — the new atmospheric model projects a 4 °C rise in global temperatures, whereas the previous model showed a 3.1 °C increase

Things are coming in strong now, except for the cantalope. I am concerned that the high temps that are forecast for the forseeable future are going to slow things down.

Devils Den State Park has caves, but several of them are closed because of some fungus that could get spread to the bats. I think they do tours, but you'd have to call to see. Definitely would not be as commercialized as some of the private caves. For further information, contact: Monte Fuller, park superintendent, Devil’s Den State Park, 11333 West Arkansas Highway 74, West Fork, AR 72774; phone: 479-761-3325; e-mail: monte.fuller@arkansas.gov; or Earl Minton, park superintendent, Withrow Springs State Park, 33424 Spur 23, Huntsville, AR 72740; phone: 479-559-2593; e-mail: earl.minton@arkansas.gov.

Still for sale.

I haven't been there in years, my grandpa died in 1970, when I was 13. Used to go up to the farm when I was a kid, he had an indian mound on the farm, I'd hunt arrowheads while he was working. After he died my grnadma rented out the farm, she passed on just a few years ago, and my uncle and mom sold the farm. Grandpa always complained about the soil at his farm, he always wanted a river bottom farm with black soil instead of that rocky red soil up in Campbell. But he made a good living off that farm, back in the 60's a farmer could do well on a 200 acre farm. I remember when the St Francis west of Kennett was full of trees, they've really cleaned it up.

Short video on fishing a Shakey Head, filmed on TR. Bit of a sales pitch, but some good info also. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/vlogpage.html?ccode=VLOG199

My guess is.... big baits! LOL

Looks like it's going to be a long hot summer. My grandfather used to farm in the Bootheel, had a farm in Campbell MO. He mainly grew cotton and soybeans.

I can imagine, with 4 novice fisherfolks using nightcrawlers, and the fish biting good, that you were one very busy guide.

Glad to hear you got into them Bill, and I'm sure you had some very happy clients.

Your links are somewhat contradictory and generalized, except for the first one. A quote from link one: For example: A system that costs $18,000 has a payback period of about 20 years. The cost of a solar panel today is around $3 per watt, and the extra cost of installation brings costs up to $5- $6 per watt. Note: Installation costs for PV systems include both labor and the electronics needed to tie the solar array into your existing electrical system. Link 3 seems to contradict that: The environmental impact of using solar energy is negative at the start with the cost of the materials and the cost of production of the equipment. It balances out after a few years and the impact is then positive. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_environmental_impact_of_using_solar_energy#ixzz1yYB8j08D 20 years to get to even on a typical residential solar panel installation. Tough sell in this economy for the average homeowner. I've looked into installing them on my house, but the savings aren't there. Solar technology is certainly capable of supplementing our electrical use, and I am hoping in a few years costs will come down enough for it to make sense for the average homeowner. And if we're talking electric cars in our future we're going to need to extra electricty to charge those cars. And I'm sure you noticed in the links you provided that to replace exisiting electrical production using wind as part of the solution, they're talking about intalling 120,000 wind turbines over forty years. 120,000 wind turbines? Have you driven through Wyoming lately and seen some of those wind farms? They're a blight on the landscape - is that really a good idea to add 120,000 more? And wind farms are not without their impacts - seems to be an issue with local climate warming. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/do-wind-farms-have-a-negative-effect-on-the-environment/26086