Welcome, cooler weather!

While several parts of the country have received huge amounts of rain all summer, we at this property have only received small amounts.  It rained for three days this time, and I believe Cliff said it finally did get above half-an-inch for the first time this year.  I'm so glad I downsized the garden, since it hasn't been a great year for anything I planted.  My peach tree yielded a small crop, enough to freeze about 13 pints; and one of my little three-year-old pear trees had ten pears for me, so I look forward to lots of pears in a couple more years.

We have only used our camper one time.  Why?  Because it's been miserably hot, and Cliff and I can't stand the heat well these days.  We'd talk about going, then realize that the only way we'd keep cool would be to stay cooped up in the little camper.  The only really big rainstorm we've seen this year was on that single camping trip at Truman Lake, when we were stuck in the camper reading  on our tablets for a day and two nights while the heavens opened up:  Pouring down rain, hail, thunder and lightening.  Here at home, I don't think we got a drop.  

We'll be at a state park not too far from home when we go again:  Watkins Mill, Knob Noster, Weston Bend, maybe, or Wallace State Park.  We used to have family campouts sometimes at Watkins Mill.  It's a lovely little state park with a fishing lake and great walking paths.  Unfortunately, it's populated by kleptomaniac raccoons, so you'd better plan on putting all coolers and food under lock and key.  Check out this review someone wrote from 2012:  

"raccoons abound: I love the lake, and visit often, but will not even try to sleep there again. I spent the entire night fighting off raccoons...DOZENS of them. They were NOT wary of people, and the camp-hosts were not the least bit concerned by this. By morning, I had myself holed-up in my car, any camp-gear left out had been clawed and gnawed, ane there were footprints and scratches ALL over my vehicle from them climbing on it. I just wanted to spend a quiet night by the lake. I didn't even bring food with me...or the kids, thank goodness!"

Also, you don't plan on swimming in the lake, because unless things have changed, geese ruin the swimming beach with their liberal pooping, so it's often closed due to the presence of e-coli.  Since we'll be able to enclose ourselves within actual walls in our camper, they won't be able to join us.  One year the grandson and I were in the popup camper, sound asleep.  Grandson woke me up telling me to shine the flashlight his way.  There was a raccoon in the camper with us, helping himself to our loaf of bread.  He'd found a snap that was undone and sneaked through the opening.  

I think I'm about ready to take on some raccoons.  I'm now sitting here imagining Gabe's reaction when he's awakened in a camper in a strange place and those raccoons are outside fighting and growling at one another, trying to get to our foodstuffs.  Cliff and I would sleep through it, but I'm not sure Gabe will let us.  Oh well, who needs sleep?  

I had an interesting screaming session with a younger relative yesterday.  This is someone who listens to podcasts for entertainment.  He's always telling us about some doctor that says science is all wrong about the ways to make people healthy.  I ignore these radical ideas and keep my mouth shut, but this weekend he went a little too far.  He had learned that GMO's have been with us since man first started domesticating corn, wheat, and other grains... in other words, since the dawn of time.  

Wait, what????  Cliff and I remember when GMO seeds first came into being for farm crops, and it wasn't that long ago.  Trouble is, I couldn't get this person to shut up long enough to tell him about it.  I'd start to refute him, he'd just yell louder.  He wouldn't let me talk!  Finally I yelled at the top of my lungs, "You're talking over me!  Let me talk!"

If someone had been nearby, they'd probably have called the cops.  

When he finally stopped talking (looking a little shocked), I asked Alexa, "When did GMO's start?"  

She answered, "1994."

At this point, we were able to discuss things, and since I had sufficient time and silence, I explained to him the difference between selective breeding and genetically modified foods:  One is done in the fields and on the farms by putting a superior bull, boar, ram, etc., in the pasture with the females of the species and allowing him to impregnate them (or else bringing semen in and artificially breeding them); many of the offspring will be improved in some way over the mother, because they also have the superior genetics of the father.  Plants (or animals) that have been genetically altered in a lab are NOT the same thing.  I don't know what genomes are, but I do know the bull only has one thing in mind, and he doesn't waste time taking it to the lab to get it modified.

By the way, as far as I know there were no hard feelings from our shouting match.  I know there are none on my end.  

Most of us have been eating GMO's, then, since 1994.  Corn, soybeans, wheat crops are mostly grown from GMO seeds.  Given a choice, I would rather there were no GMO crops grown.  GMO's are outlawed in several countries, and those countries can't buy grains from the USA.  Surely there is some reason they've outlawed them.  And yet, I don't obsess about it.  I don't try to buy non-GMO foods, or organic foods.  I won't argue about it at all, unless somebody is yelling at me.  As in any situation, I realize I could be wrong.  

In case you're wondering, the only animal that's been modified that will soon be available for food is genetically modified salmon.  Other animals are modified for bio-production of pharmaceuticals and laboratory research, but aren't used as food.  I got this information HERE.  There's a lot of GMO info on that website, much more than I intend to read, believe me.   

I shall return.