Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 133, Number 22, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 29 May 2014 — Page 4

Page A4

• Advance News • Thursday, May 29, 2014

Earlier today, as 1 was driving through miles and miles of farmland, deep within my soul something seemed amiss, life suddenly had "halted with a jerk" and 1 needed to sort things out a bit Not long after this sense of emptiness overwhelmed me, I came upon a farm where "Oreo cows" were grazing near the road. That's it Today would have been my dad's 86th birthday. And though he died more than 6 years ago, I chuckled to myself while watching these cows - just remembering how much he enjoyed milking. And so, on my journey north, I decided to take time to ponder a few of the special ways I appreciated MY DAD the most Dad loved the freshly turned earth. Though he'd always hoped to be a farmer, that possibility never worked out for him. So instead, he spent as much time as he

Hoosier Security System

I didn't know it when we bought our new home, but it comes with an unexpected security system, free of charge! The trouble (or the blessing) is that it only works part of the time. Just so you know, we have the usual sets of lodes, bolts, and keys. There are times I twist and struggle to get the doors unbolted, because I've learned brute force doesn't work too well. First of all, I'm not much of a brute. Nor, as I get older, do I have

that much force. And it is very embarrassing to have the head of the key break off in your hand, leaving the rest of it jammed firmly inside the slot without any way to remove it short of hiring a professional who has every right to laugh along with your wife about what a dweeb you are. We also got dogs. Dogs bark. They bark at the buggies that go by because they've never seen horses before, and they're wondering how the rats got so big in this neighborhood. They bark at the motorcycles that go by. They stare out the front window and bark at the tractors and the trucks. So they make a lot of noise if anyone approaches the house. That's a pretty good alarm too. But I found out about our unexpected third line of defense when I came home the other day and it was ninety degrees and muggy. Really muggy. I stuck the key in the lock, turned it, then twisted the doorknob and pulled. Nothing. I pulled again, this time leaning back as 1 did so, a little body English, if you will. Still nothing. I then gripped the doorknob with both hands, placed a foot alongside on the wall and tugged with all my might,

Dear Editor, I would like to thank Pastor Tom Shiefer of the First Brethren Church in Nappanee and members of his congregation who served cookies coffee and water to all who came to vote in the Primary Election. Voters were welcomed as they arrived at 5 a.m. through 6 pan. with a greeting and a smile. Your kindness was very much appreciated by voters and poll workers. I would also like to extend my thanks to the following poll workers: Supervisor Keith Knepp; Clerks Karen Klipp, Sharon Me Millian, Phil Berkey and Lora Harp; and Sheriffs Phil Jenkins, Sandra Walters, Ernie Livengood and Betty Ward. Your commitment to helping with one of our most precious freedoms was very much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing all registered voters this coming November at Nappanee’s one and only place to vote. The Vote Center at file First Brethren Church, located at 1600 North Main Si, Nappanee. , Bobbie Wilson Vote Center Director

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Emptiness leads to rejoicing

could in the country. As kids, we learned to expect Dad to be working the soil in the spring - and of course we were expected to help plant and weed the garden as well. Further down the road today, I passed a somewhat well-used red tractor and

recalled how much Dad enjoyed telling us about using one like this when he quite young. Somehow the years seemed to melt away whenever hed begin a tractor-related story. But one of the things I recall most was my father's faith. As a young man, his plans for life were altered greatly when his father died unexpectedly. However, he didn't live with a chip on his shoulder. Instead he

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County Road Seven By Frank Ramirez

Community

grunting and groaning. And sweating. A lot of sweating. That's when I realized my house came with Hoosier Home Summer Security. Here's how it works. The doors expand in the extreme humidity, and the door jams do the same. The paint softens just a bit until the pain on the door and the jams sort of melts together. There's no wiggle room, no wriggle room, no helping the folks who had

been driving by but have pulled over to giggle at me. Because Hoosier Home Security works because humidity expands door and door jambs, melting the paint on both together, and also making it clear that I should always visit the restroom at work before I go home for lunch because I may be outside for a while. Perhaps you think we should have known this, we bought this house in the dead of winter when the keys turned easily and the doors opened magically. Besides, we're originally from the west coast. There's no humidity there. It's so dry where I was raised that there's an eighth of an inch gap between the eyeballs and the sockets. That's why we Westerners look so fungy. We're twenty percent dryer than anyone else. There's an upside to all this. Hoosier humidity means we not only have an extra layer of security, but we also have an extra exercise machine. Gripping and groaning and tugging on the door knobs, mostly to no avail, helps develop stronger muscles on my arms, and rock hard abs from busting a gut trying to break into my own house.

Michelle ' k Rhymes and Reasons By Henri L Richards Sr. My little Michelle is right in heaven, every since sne met tms ntue ooy named Keven. My sweet little baby, cute as a dove, What a wonderful thine, this puppy love I know there will b$ oh so many more, But iwffliwrer t^smart, ■

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Discovery and Discussion By Yvonne Riege

of storms had occurred. Though a man of few words, many respected him for the wisdom he shared whenever he did choose to speak from his heart. Members of his Sunday school class once remarked that whenever Floyd shared, it was truly worth listening to —and I would add an Amen to that idea! I recall his encouragement when I was considering heading to college, and again

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when I wasn't sure where to look for openings into options for full-time ministry. When I decided to move five hours away from home, he was listening and waiting for the right opportunity to give some words of guidance. He would pause and ponder before sharing specific suggestions. But I knew he was very happy about what was ahead for my future. Yes, today has been a time to reflect and remember. I grinned at the Belted Galloway cows with the contrast of their black front and back, layering around tire white swath down the middle which is why our family gave them the name of OREO! I paused to simply take a few moments to savor memories of the good times we had together on life's journey. Thanks again Dad, for these special memories.

enjoyed teaching us through ordinary things like walks in the woods and invitations to come quickly outside to view the gorgeous rainbow after an afternoon

Think twice before you use lime

I don't know how many times I have heard people say that their garden or lawn looked bad, so they

applied some lime. In almost every case in Elkhart County, that will not help the garden and it might make things look worse. Lime is simply ground up limestone, which is high in calcium and is used to correct the soil pH when it has become too acidic for the plants. Most of our vegetables and turf grasses prefer a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.8. The opposite condition of acidic is alkaline. That refers to apH above 7.0. My experience has been that most Elkhart County lawn and garden soils are alkaline rather than acidic. For example, our 2013 Master Gardener class took soil samples last fall, and every one of those tests was alkaline rather than acidic. And that means applying lime would not be beneficial for those gardens. The importance of keeping pH in that 6.0 to 6.8 range is that soils that are too alkaline or too acidic have issues with nutrient availability. For instance, above a pH of 7.0, the available iron in the soil drops off dramatically. If an add preferring plant such as a pin oak, or potato** or blueberry plants are limed, and the pH is pushed over 7.0, you most likely would see symptoms of iron defiriency, and the plant may struggle along. On soils where the pH is too alkaline, agricultural sulfur can be used to lower pH, making soil more acidic. The precise amount of sulfur or lime that needs to be applied can be determined by doing a soil test, and can vary as much as a factor of 3 depending on the amount of sand and clay and organic matter in your soil. For instance, if a soil test shows your garden has a pH of 7.5, the amount of sulfur to change the pH to 6.5 is about 1 pound per 100 square feet on sandy soil, and 2 pounds on a clay soil. While 1 pound per 100 square feet does not seem like much of a difference, that extra pound of sulfur, if applied on the sandy soil, would swing the pH well past 6.5, probably close to 5.5. That is a huge change in pH, one that many plants could not thrive under. Changing the pH of a soil also takes time. Lime or sulfur applied on a garden may not be fully activated for 6 months or more after the application. In most cases, vegetable growers should wait until fall, when they can apply the lime or sulfur, and till it into the soil. Changing the pH on established turf or around a tree is more difficult. Tilling the area to mix the lime or sulfur with the top fevy inches of topsoil would only destroy or injure the plant you are trying to protect. Applying lime or sulfur to the surface tends to change pH in the upper portion of the topsoil, but it dqesn’t change much below an inch or so. For that reason, selecting trees that prefer the soil type you have is the preferred approach. For instance, you wouldn't want to plant a pin oak on a soil with a pH in the mid 7's. On turf, the preferred pH range is between 6.0 to 7.5. The best time to correct the pH is just before the area is seeded or sodded. On established grass, if pH is low, lime can be applied and the turf will see some benefits. However, when the pH is too high, it is not practical to adjust pH with sulfur once turf is established. Purdue has a publication called the Home Gardeners Guide with charts for lime and sulfur applications for vegetable gardens at www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-32.pdf. For information about adjusting pH in lawns, check out \yww. extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-18-W.pdf

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