Archive for June, 2019
Designated Gardner Notes June 2019
June has been good to gardeners in the Minnesota Twin Cities area. Relatively mild weather, ample moisture. As the designated gardener for Braewood Condominiums, the gardens have kept me busy this spring and I have had little time to work on putting together a collection of short stories, my next author project. This is due in part to age, which increases every year whether you need it or not. What I once did in a day may now that me a week to accomplish. Not complaining, better to take week verses not being able to do it at all. Below is a recent selfy:
That is a new hat I wear gardening when the sun is shining. I have always been sensitive to sun and ignored the prob;em until recently when it has become more of a problem. I could have bought a hat for a fraction of what I paid for this one. I bought the hat in the South Dakota State University gift shop. Note the decal of the the SDSU mascot, a jackrabbit, on the front of the hat. That made it worth what ever I paid for it.
Pictured below are pictures of some of the gardens stars during June:
Salvia puts on its best display in June. Salvia can be cut back after completing its early bloom and it will bloom again but not with the vigor it displays in its first bloom.
Catmint and more salvia dominate the parking lot circle during June,.
Salvia again reigns at the 98th street sign during June
Hardy roses begin their annual bloom in June which will last until late fall if maintained regularly during the summer. This includes deadheading, fertilizing and controlling Japanese Beatles and other pests..
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )For The Cause; Free ebook
I have not been very successful in marketing the books I have written. I know I am not good at marketing and maybe the books aren’t that good either. However I have been quite successful in giving books away free so to that end:
The ebook For the Cause will be available at Amazon for free download starting on July 4 and continuing through July 8.
Synopsis:
Two South Dakota farm boys decide to join the marines for a number of reasons, none of which include patriotism or love of country. It is 1950 and they complete boot camp just as the Korean War suddenly erupts. Chris finds himself assigned to the First Provisional Marine Brigade being hurriedly put together to be deployed to Korea. Pete is assigned to a marine unit providing base security for the Sangley Point Naval Air Station in the Philippines. The story follows the lives of the two young men during the last six months of 1950 while Chris in Korea is involved in the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir battles and Pete spends his time as a security guard in the Philippines. Over a short period of time Chris goes from a green farm boy to a seasoned warrior and Pete’s world expands quickly as he encounters unfamiliar moral standards and first love. The story alternates between Chris in Korea and Pete in the Philippines until the story comes to a surprising conclusion
Authors Note; In writing For the Cause
My first plan had been to write a short novel which would concentrate on the part of the For the Cause story that took place in the Philippines. The two main characters, Pete and Chris, would appear in the story with Pete in the Philippines and Chris in Korea but the Korean War would be in the background. However, as I researched the Korean War I began to better understand the epic role played by the marines in the early months of that war. I had been in the Navy during the Korean War and spent two years during that time in the Far East as a crewman on navy reconnaissance planes that patrolled the Korean coastline and adjacent areas in the region. As involved as I had been in the Korean conflict I found I didn’t have an appreciation of the role played by the marines during that war. For example, I believed the Chosin Reservoir battle had been an embarrassing defeat for the marines. I learned during researching the subject that the Chosin Reservoir battle is considered to be one of the Marine Corps finest hours. I hadn’t understood the tremendous odds the marines had to overcome in the successful withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir nor the background and politics that had put the marines in the exposed position they were in at the time. It occurred to me that if I, as involved as I was in the conflict, did not appreciate the pluck and skill shown by the marines during the conflict, most other people would have little or no knowledge of the role the US Marines played in the Korean War. The Korean War has been called the Forgotten War and I realized For the Cause could be a means of revealing some of its history so others could become more aware of what had occurred during the Korean war. As a result the book For the Cause became a full length novel with an expanded purpose.
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Alfred Wellnitz Books 