From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 22, 2009
Jefferson County leads Missouri in meth lab incidents
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says Missouri had more than 20 percent of all meth lab incidents nationwide in fiscal year 2008. Jefferson County also had the most methamphetamine lab incidents in Missouri during the reported time, with about 200 reported. Jefferson County relied on figures from the El Paso Intelligence Center, which gathers narcotics statistics. While the majority of states contribute information, the figures may not include all seizures nationwide. Authorities record an incident when they bust a lab or find a dump site of chemicals and equipment used for making meth. Jefferson County's rural location make it a popular spot for meth making. The county is also known for its aggressive enforcement against meth, which allows the department to record such a high number of incidents.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Things that Grow
Mike and I have begun planning our vegetable garden for this year. We've ordered our seeds and designed the layout for the planting. Last year was our first year ever trying out our green thumbs. Overall we were really pleased with how things went, but we've got some new ideas on things we'd like to try this year. For the most part, we are planning to grow the same vegetables as last year, but with some different varieties this time around. My mouth is already watering at the thought of those tasty tomatoes! On the books, we've got tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, corn, zucchini, herbs, and of course watermelon. We'll also try to pick strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, and apples from local farms.
Speaking of local farms...I recently read an article about CSA farms. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. They are sort of like a private farmers' market where an individual can make a financial contribution to a local farm (like a shareholder), and receive a weekly basket of fresh produce from the farm. This website allows you to find local farms (CSAs or otherwise) dealing in all things imaginable...veggies, eggs, beef, goat milk, chicken, herbs, etc. I was surprised how many farms deal in my tiny community. Perhaps we will check a few out this year in case we decide to buy into a CSA farm next year.
Apples are probably my absolute favorite fruit. I love apples and literally eat an apple a day. It's a bit of an obsession really. I even eat an apple the same exact way every time. Am I alone in this? I'm very particular about the kind of apples I eat. They must be crisp with a good snap in every bite. I'm partial to tart apples but other varieties are good too. My mission is to try as many varieties as possible. It may be a lifetime before that happens as there are hundreds of different kinds of apples. My favorites are Honey Crisps, Jonathans, McIntosh, and of course Grannies. While I buy my apples at the grocery store, in the fall I love to get apples from local farms...something about the flavor makes these apples the BEST. Great for snacking but also good for applesauce.
One of the local conservation areas holds an annual Maple Sugar Festival in February. Mike and I attended last year, and seeing how easy it was to make maple syrup, we wanted to give it a go. Sugar maple trees are the best for making the syrup. We have two in our front yard but unfortunately they are just shy of the recommended diameter for trees that a safe to tap. That hasn't stopped the neighborhood yellow-belly sapsucker though. This woodpecker has drilled dozens of holes in our trees to get the sap flowing. And boy does it flow! The past few days have dropped below freezing and so the sap has formed huge "icicles" that hang from the tree branches. Hopefully next year we can try collecting it to make some syrup.
Speaking of local farms...I recently read an article about CSA farms. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. They are sort of like a private farmers' market where an individual can make a financial contribution to a local farm (like a shareholder), and receive a weekly basket of fresh produce from the farm. This website allows you to find local farms (CSAs or otherwise) dealing in all things imaginable...veggies, eggs, beef, goat milk, chicken, herbs, etc. I was surprised how many farms deal in my tiny community. Perhaps we will check a few out this year in case we decide to buy into a CSA farm next year.
Apples are probably my absolute favorite fruit. I love apples and literally eat an apple a day. It's a bit of an obsession really. I even eat an apple the same exact way every time. Am I alone in this? I'm very particular about the kind of apples I eat. They must be crisp with a good snap in every bite. I'm partial to tart apples but other varieties are good too. My mission is to try as many varieties as possible. It may be a lifetime before that happens as there are hundreds of different kinds of apples. My favorites are Honey Crisps, Jonathans, McIntosh, and of course Grannies. While I buy my apples at the grocery store, in the fall I love to get apples from local farms...something about the flavor makes these apples the BEST. Great for snacking but also good for applesauce.
One of the local conservation areas holds an annual Maple Sugar Festival in February. Mike and I attended last year, and seeing how easy it was to make maple syrup, we wanted to give it a go. Sugar maple trees are the best for making the syrup. We have two in our front yard but unfortunately they are just shy of the recommended diameter for trees that a safe to tap. That hasn't stopped the neighborhood yellow-belly sapsucker though. This woodpecker has drilled dozens of holes in our trees to get the sap flowing. And boy does it flow! The past few days have dropped below freezing and so the sap has formed huge "icicles" that hang from the tree branches. Hopefully next year we can try collecting it to make some syrup.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Out and About
Today I saw a 2-month-old baby and I couldn't believe that Carter used to be that small. He's growing so fast!
Solid foods have been a big hit. So far he eats rice cereal, bananas, apples, pears, peas, and sweet potatoes. He wasn't a fan of the zucchini. Happily, he's a natural at eating solids. He sees a spoon and his mouth opens wide. Hardly any escapes his mouth once it's in. We're making the baby food ourselves...surprisingly simple and cheap! If you have suggestions, please share!
Carter and I have been out and about a lot lately. We've had a few warmer days so we went to the park and rode in the swings. We've also taken a dip in the indoor pool at the rec center, which he really likes. This week I am picking up a backpack baby carrier. Strollers are kind of limiting for nature walks. With all the great trails around us, I'm eager to take him out hiking when the weather allows.
Solid foods have been a big hit. So far he eats rice cereal, bananas, apples, pears, peas, and sweet potatoes. He wasn't a fan of the zucchini. Happily, he's a natural at eating solids. He sees a spoon and his mouth opens wide. Hardly any escapes his mouth once it's in. We're making the baby food ourselves...surprisingly simple and cheap! If you have suggestions, please share!
Carter and I have been out and about a lot lately. We've had a few warmer days so we went to the park and rode in the swings. We've also taken a dip in the indoor pool at the rec center, which he really likes. This week I am picking up a backpack baby carrier. Strollers are kind of limiting for nature walks. With all the great trails around us, I'm eager to take him out hiking when the weather allows.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Hello February!
This past week has brought on a bout of cabin fever. We got just enough snow to make me think twice about driving anywhere with Carter. The snow also prevented us from taking our regular stroller walks around the neighborhood. Eventually I broke down, rigged Carter up in a baby carrier, bundled us both us in one of Mike's coats and headed outside for a walk in the snowy yard. It was so worth it! The snow was perfectly untouched in most places. Our neighbors were sledding with their kids in their yards and building snowmen (snow = no school in Missouri). Carter and I looked like a circus sideshow, but we enjoyed it.
Other news...we started solid food last week. First rice cereal and today bananas. He seemed to really like the bananas but they didn't stay down so well. Good thing all I wear these days are old t-shirts.
New pics on Flickr!
Other news...we started solid food last week. First rice cereal and today bananas. He seemed to really like the bananas but they didn't stay down so well. Good thing all I wear these days are old t-shirts.
New pics on Flickr!
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