Passings

Children should be given the chance to play instruments, to sing.

Luciano Pavarotti

Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy. His father was a baker and his mother worked in a cigar factory. As a young man, Pavarotti sold insurance to pay for voice lessons. Listen Here.

The great singer was also known as an equestrian expert, organizing one of the international show jumping circuit's most important competitions, the Pavarotti International, in Modena. Coinciding with that event, Pavarotti also staged an annual charity concert, Pavarotti and Friends. A gifted singer who shared his voice with the world, Farewell.

Passings

When Alfred Peet opened his shop in Berkeley in April, 1966 he started a coffee revolution. Nobody had ever seen top-quality coffee like this roasted in this unique style in America. The corner of Walnut and Vine quickly became a gathering place for UC Berkeley grads, undergrads, and faculty as well as local intellectuals, radicals, writers, musicians, artisans and any number of the colorful people who still make up Berkeley today. Mr. Peet was born in Alkmaar, Holland on March 10, 1920 and died in Ashland, Oregon on August 29, 2007.

Mr. Peet was the originator behind the idea of a company many may be familiar with Starbucks. In fact he sold them their first year of coffee and taught the original owners what he knew about coffee.

He scoured the West Coast from Vancouver to Palo Alto looking for a suitable location for a high-quality coffee roastery before a friend told him that she knew the right place for him, right across the Bay in Berkeley. He installed a small roaster in the shop’s back room, and the revolution began.

As Peet’s in Berkeley flourished, Mr. Peet opened additional stores in Menlo Park (1971), on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland (1978), and another in Berkeley across from the Claremont Hotel (1980). By the time he retired in 1983, Peet’s had a cult following from coast to coast, and many of his devoted fans continue to insist on Peet’s.

In his own words, when asked to recount his life’s story, Alfred Peet responded simply,

“The coffee tells my story.”

I like that quote, his passion for his product reflected in his life & culture and it worked for him. The labor of love became his life story and in so doing he affected, taught and inspired those around him.

Cow Pot

No we're not suggesting anything illegal here on the Agrarian Plowshare. This product comes from Freund's Farm an idea that much like Herrick's invention of the granola bar makes me say "Why did I think of that!". Now before you ask the myriad of questions - no they don't stink, yes you can handle them - and yes they do from a strictly non scientific testing perspective seem to work quite well. Having acquired one of these over the weekend at my fathers house, I gave it the perfunctory sniff & feel, sorry if you want to know how they taste you'll have to get your own and try.

As to their effectiveness, judging from the thick high stalks of several robust tomato plants grown side by side with tomato plants not rooted in the pots the difference is visual and obvious. Now it doesn't surprise me (and should not you) that things grown in good aged manure will grow well, that's a given. Kind of like saying a bottle of water quenches your thirst. The containment of the root base to the source of nutrients may have a more positive effect in concentrating the nutrients, uneducated application to thought here but seems plausible.

I don't think I'd be planting an entire row of these things, as the input factor would be tremendous, but for the small gardener it just might supply a backyard bonanza for next summer's harvest. Something to consider. I am going to give my own independent test here at home with the one acquired from my dad and give it a grow light application next to several test plants to see how it performs. Until next time..................Regards.