Merla: Sounds like you're winning to me, if old Randy is getting upset then he probably feels threatened. One thing that always impresses onlookers in organic / conventional debates is the fact that mostly the organic people stay calm and rational and the conventional people get angry. David C
----- Original Message ----- From: "Merla Barberie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "BD Now" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, 18 October 2002 2:30 AM Subject: Thanks to everyone > I got home from my east coast trip at midnight on Monday, October 14, > after my Spokane Symphony Chorale rehearsal. > > Mary Portera at River Gallery in Chattanooga took all the ceramic > animals I had and even bought a large frog with an injured eye with her > personal check. > > With an Anthroposophic Chattanooga friend, I visited Union Agricultural > Institute when Hugh was speaking in Michigan and Lorraine was at market > in Atlanta. Their apprentice, Sylvia, showed us around. I loved their > cows. I wish we could have cows, but it's not possible. > > When I got home, I found a root cellar full of apples, peppers, some > tomatoes and the tomato coldframes full of brown tomato plants. We > ended up with 25 cases of salsa. Herb and Ed had brought in the manure > for our compost pile and I got three sets compost preps and a cow horn > from Hugh Courtney at the conference. I am also going to make BC. > > On Wednesday, I attended a meeting of the new Selkirk Weed Management > Area Board which includes people from four counties, the Forest Service > and the Nature Conservancy. These are the people who will read my > report on the Rapid Lightning Weed Control Project and who decide what > projects from our area will be presented to the state for funding. I > had a chance to tell them what we had done on our road project. As soon > as I mentioned Bio-Dynamics, though, Randy, the Bonner County (my > county) Weed Committee Chair, the one who blocked my using Pfeiffer > Field Spray by inquiring whether it was registered as a soil amendment > in Idaho, started in on me in front of everyone--declaring that Pfeiffer > Field Spray was full of bad nematodes. Of course, I countered that this > was not true. When I explained that BD Preps have a spiritual component > and that this is why we don't want to subject them to the state > registration process, he said something about the separation of church > and state. He raised his voice and succeeded in taking the whole floor > and stopped my presentation. > > Even though the man is raving, he still managed to control what happened > in the meeting. What I did was close my eyes, meditate right there for > a few seconds and put myself in the most positive attitude I could > muster. When I left the meeting, I felt a lot of good vibrations, > especially from the women on the Board. I think I handled myself all > right. Time will tell. The worst possible scenario, I hope, is that > Iwill just have to demonstrate Bio-Dynamic weed control on our own > place, our private road and contiguous neighbor's properties. Randy > will probably do everything he can to block any future state grants for > our project. It will be interesting to see what the SCWMA Board does > with our report and future funding. They have to deal with many people > whose livelihood is based on the use of pesticides. Before he spoke, > there was interest in combining our work with Bio-controls. The > strategic plan of the group that was presented had all kinds of > objectives such as "Restoration of the land - keep as close to the > natural state as possible." Can you all visualize them supporting our > work and Randy having a change of heart and becoming less threatened by > people who work with natural processes? > > Thanks to everyone at the conference in Lovettsville for your presence > there. I certainly was delighted with what I learned. > > Best, > > Merla > >
