First Ear !

Recently harvest and consumed my first ear of corn from the plants in the five gallon buckets. Very gratifying!

I noticed these amazing structures at the bottom of each corn stalk. They appeared as the plant began to grow taller. I am going to guess that they act as pilings to stabilize the plant. God is an amazing designer and His work is impressive even after the negative effects the curse of sin has visited on creation.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
(Romans 1:16-32)

Hamilton Beach Counter Top Oven Pizza

Recently started using the Hamilton Beach Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie Model# 31103. It works fantastic! Two gripes are as follow: The housing gets very hot and the oven rattles occasionally when in convection mode. Even so these are minor issues in comparison to it’s excellent performance!

I use it to make pizza from scratch and it melts the cheese and crisps the crust very well!

Good product for good food!

Corn in the Garden

The corn has ears.

The ears have silk which collects the pollen from the tassel at the upper most part of the corn plant!

Each silk hair is connected to a future kernel of corn that will grow on the cob.

The silk is covered with fine hairs to capture the pollen.

Unlike all other major grain crops, the corn plant has separate male and female flowering parts. The tassel and ear shoot are the male and female flowering structures, respectively, of the plant. The flowering stage in corn, which involves pollen shed and silking, is the most critical period in the development of a corn plant from the standpoint of grain yield determination. Drought, high temperature stress, as well as hail damage and insect feeding have the greatest impact on yield potential during the reproductive stage. The following is an overview of some of the key steps and phases of the corn pollination process.

• Pollen shed usually begins two to three days prior to silk emergence and continues for five to eight days with peak shed on the third day. On a typical midsummer day, the shedding of pollen is in the morning between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
• The tassel is usually fully emerged and stretched out before any pollen is shed. Pollen shed begins at the middle of the central spike of the tassel and spreads out later over the whole tassel with the lower branches last to shed pollen.
• Pollen grains are borne in anthers, each of which contains a large number of pollen grains. The anthers open and the pollen grains pour out in early to mid morning after dew has dried off the tassels. Pollen is light and is often carried considerable distances by the wind. However, most of it settles within 20 to 50 feet.
• Pollen shed is not a continuous process. It stops when the tassel is too wet or too dry and begins again when temperature conditions are favorable. Pollen stands little chance of being washed off the silks during a rain storm as little to none is shed when the tassel is wet. Also, silks are covered with fine, sticky hairs which serve to catch and anchor pollen grains.
• Under favorable conditions, pollen grain remains viable for only 18 to 24 hours. However, the pollen grain starts growth of the pollen tube down the silk channel within minutes of coming in contact with a silk and the pollen tube grows the length of the silk and enters the female flower (ovule) in 12 to 28 hours.
• A well developed ear shoot should have 750 to 1,000 ovules (potential kernels) each producing a silk. The silks from near the base of the ear emerge first and those from the tip appear last. Under good conditions, all silks will emerge and be ready for pollination within 3 to 5 days and this usually provides adequate time for all silks to be pollinated before pollen shed ceases.
• Pollen of a given plant rarely fertilizes the silks of the same plant. Under field conditions 97% or more of the kernels produced by each plant are pollinated by other plants in the field.
• The amount of pollen is rarely a cause of poor kernel set. Each tassel contains from 2 to 5 million pollen grains which translates to 2,000 to 5,000 pollen grains produced for each silk of the ear shoot. Shortages of pollen are usually only a problem under conditions of extreme heat and drought. Poor seed set is more often associated with poor timing of pollen shed with silk emergence (silks emerging after pollen shed).

Source: Aldrich, S. R., W. O. Scott, and R. G. Hoeft. 1986. Modern Corn Production. 3rd edition. A&L Publications (Chapter 1 - "How the Corn Plant Grows"). Prepared by: Peter Thomison Extension Agronomist

Amazing!

Last night I went on a little photo expedition. There was a Cuban Tree Frog on the Burgundy Beans!

The bees were guarding the entrance to the Top Bar Hive as they do every night, rain or no rain!

And Pot Pie was snuggled up with Itty Bitty the 2nd in Ye Old Hen Coop!

It only takes a teachable moment

        Moments are all we have, everything else is just routine. Serving in a church preschool is much more about who you are, than what you say. The kids have already been trained to answer Jesus or God to every question. Knowing about, is a far different situation than belonging.

        Today we witnessed a moment hearing. When a child asks a question they are looking for an answer. Today’s lesson was about Christ’s having gone to prepare a place for His disciples. The children were all gathered in one class to hear what the leaders had to say. Midway through the lesson a boy in the center of the room asks a question. I am paraphrasing here but this is what he said, “Will those who follow allah go to heaven?”

        There are well over 20 of our dear children sitting on the floor silently awaiting the answer. The answer they heard was from the Word of God.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments.

(John 14:3-15)

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

(Acts 4:10-12)

        I experience this at church maybe once every six months. The privilege of seeing the precious Truth shine directly into the hearts and minds of the greatest among us. I long for it to happen all the time but that is not how it works in a nation so blinded by plenty. The spiritual is obscured by the abundance of our material, but today those who had ears to hear were changed forever. God is the all in all.

Life Impact Network Walk for Life 2012

The most powerful time at these events it the testimonial!

One of this years Walk For Life events was at Picnic Island Park. I was there once again to support the Life Impact Network in their life saving work!

It was nice to have the walk on the beach!

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It was a privilege to be a part!