BellGab/bellchan Archive

Quote from: coaster on December 10, 2013, 04:59:08 PM
my mother has to go in at 6 am for a biopsy on her lungs. Evidently they found something in there. this after copd, breast cancer, and a heart scare. I'm a nervous wreck. I do not deal with stress well, and for some reason, I'm not strong enough mentally to deal with this. Its hard for me to even try to comfort my family. After all this is done, I imagine some therapy or meds will be in order. Or booze. I truly hate my brain.  I feel pretty selfish for being such a mental case in a time like this.

Hey Coaster,

I'm gonna be pulling for you and your mom tomorrow. I've been through some similar situations with my mom the past couple of years (and I'm up sweating bullets about a doctor's appointment I have myself tomorrow) and wow, it feels like time just stops and turns to ice doesn't it? I'm still trying to put the pieces back together after coming completely unglued during my Mom's first biopsy in 2004.

But you know what? Feeling concern or even angst shows how much you care about your mom. And that isn't selfish at all. I hope that you'll find little moments of joy and laughter interspersed in the upcoming days. And know that you've got a group of friends here who care about you, and will be here throughout the process.

Quote from: bateman on November 21, 2013, 03:26:12 PM
Is there any reason to continue counting beyond 25?

Colon Blow ... SILVER!

Many happy returns of the day, Bateman! May your new year be filled with as much joy as you've given we wayward souls here.

And ditto on the new favorite host business. Dark Weekend has been a brilliant silver lining.

Wow, that's the backyard stuff of dreams! Maybe you could set up a produce box subscription service for we urban Bellgabbers in the upcoming harvest? :-)

If I were a bettin' person, I'd put my money on blight. It's consistent with the color and location of the afflicted needles (usually signs of stess and malnutrition start at the top and outer leaves) and the real clue came in the rapid increase of yellowing after the rain. Blight is a fungus and spreads like wildfire when there's a storm. The good news is that it is treatable, and usually just requires an application of a fungicide. Before getting out the respirator, however, it's worth having the branches examined to make sure it isn't something like root rot or an early canker masquerading in fungal attire.

The drainage sounds good, and your soil is naturally a perfect ph match for these guys. You may want to have a soil analysis to make sure you have the necessary nutrients, but barring any glowing omissions you probably won't need to fertilize often. Personally, I'd hold back on any additional fertilizer until spring. Young trees are really susceptible to nitrogen burn.

This article gives a helpful overview of the potential culprits: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/problems-growing-leyland-cypress-47071.html

I read in another post that you're thinking about getting some chickens. What an idyllic space you're creating!

Why thank you, basswood. That puts a skip in my step. I've long been an admirer of your posts.

I wanted to take a moment to apologize to Mind Flayer Monk for the mink. Cheers all!

Greetings, area51drone,

Major props! That's an impressive DIY project.

Caution! Warning! I'm anything but a guru. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I studied landscape management with all its requisite tree courses and whistles. I doubt I could remember how to lay a sprinkler system to save my life, but what I did take away from the experience was a new sense of folks I could call when the going got weird.

A really cool source (well, not as cool as Bellgab, but that's tough competition) is your local Cooperative Extension office. (This is assuming you're in the States) Technically, each county should have one, though recent budget cuts have hit some pretty hard. If you happen to have a land grant university lying around, they're likely to have one as well.

The Cooperative Extension is a free (well, Federally funded) program to give a helping hand to local gardeners, farmers, and home economists of all shapes and sizes. They'll be able to provide you with a more complete soil analysis, and can even check damaged branches for blight/fungus/mites, etc. Because they're local, they'll also have a pretty good beat on problems affecting plants in your area. Wikipedia has a listing of locations although Googling your county might be faster.

If push comes to shove, you may want to hire a Consulting Arborist to come out and have a look at the patients. There are web directories to find one in your area.

It sounds like you are doing so many things right: mulching, ph tests ... and the ph is perfect for Leylands! Just a couple quick questions:

Did the yellowing occur before or after you fertilized the trees?
Was the ph test taken after the fertilizer?
Did the roots seem compacted (bound) when you took them out of their containers?
How would you categorize the soil type? And if clay, do the roots have several feet of mulch below?
Did the yellowing occur before or after the rain?

Mind Flayer Mink makes an excellent point about the blight. It sure has the tale-tale signs. Unfortunately, nurseries are a lot like preschools and cross country flights. It's really easy for plants to pick up a bug and still look perfectly healthy and happy when you take them home.

I really wish you all the best. You're being proactive, and it sure sounds like you'll be able to get this turned around in time.

Quote from: Catsmile on November 09, 2013, 09:41:23 PM
My bet is still on shadow people.

Move along now, shadow people. It's not a big truck.

Quote from: Art Bell on November 09, 2013, 08:40:10 PM
I am concerned there are other factors at work here, time will tell.                                                                                                               

It must be the work of Stalin!

Quote from: kingdomofsigh on November 07, 2013, 03:03:17 AM
Thanks BC! Xtreme1 was on it and I just realized the other night quicktime had a audio record feature that was super easy. Of course it had to catch me giggling, but aw well... 

Hey, that only added to the charm. It's been a bumpy ride, and it's refreshing to hear a human element. Way to be totally on the ball!

Quote from: Xtreme1 on November 07, 2013, 02:35:56 AM
You folks are welcome! I thought you would find it worth a listen.

A very much appreciated laugh and stroll down memory lane. Just when it seemed like this week was surrealled out ...

Two kudos, Xtreme1 and Kingdomofsigh!

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on November 06, 2013, 08:20:02 PM

       "Ball is in their court"

     Art, it's THEIR COURT.

I'm diggin' the avatar, Coyle.

Wowie zowie. This week has pert near been enough to make a person pine for the simpler days of Liver Cancergate.

Quote from: wenck on November 06, 2013, 08:42:56 PM
Hi all, thanks for the positive feedback on the "Hitler Discovers Art Bell's Dark Matter has been canceled. I've made another where Hitler tries to call Art during open lines. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBWEZZOnZNM&

(Sorry, I don't know how to make the video playable right from this page.)

Thanks for the levity, Wenck! It has been a very witty and welcome respite.

Heck fire, you've got my vote for chair of the Party Planning Committee.

Many happy returns and long live aldousburbank!

Quote from: popple on September 19, 2013, 10:12:10 PM
If you missed #9



"I'm grasping at pipes, Richard. PIPES!!" - art

Oh man, I haven't laughed this hard since Colon Blow. Bravo Popple, and thanks for the endorphins!

Quote from: Chine on September 19, 2013, 10:34:03 AM
Gotta ask ... Is your username a reference to Depeche Mode's album? If not, sorry. Making me want to pull out some DM. Also, late in wishing you Happy Birthday wishes. Mine's in a few days. Go Virgos!

You're spot on, Chine! It's one of my favorite albums. In the delirium between sleep and awake that I registered, the turn of phrase seemed an appropriate nod to we gathered night owls and the carpe noctem zeitgeist of Art's return as well. Upon awaking the next day, I thought, "Good grief, what have I done?! I've tipped my ever lovin' synth pop cards too soon. They'll run me outta here faster than a Gnoory!!" Thanks for being so welcoming, my birthday kindred spirit! Many happy (early) returns of the day!!

I'm loving your Vulcan tales. What a fascinating life you've got there! :-)

Oh, no worries, Coaster! I have a feeling your email is what prompted her to put the date up in the first place. Thanks for that.

Hiya friends!

I noticed that Linda just posted over on her website (everyone together now .. like a reporter who files reports on the earth!) that she will be the main guest on Dark Matters on October 3rd. There's a big smiley picture with Art as well. I have a feeling she's on our team.

www.earthfiles.com

Quote from: wotr1 on September 17, 2013, 01:32:23 AM
What a birthday gift for you to have Art return!  Happy birthday.
I never could take cigarettes.  However, I packed a century old Barling pipe with a full English mixture and puffed for a good hour while listening.  I suppose it should have been the Vesz pipe from back in the day (working in the mine I would take a beat up old Vesz with me every few weeks and listen to Bell...)  I followed a strict rule of only smoking a couple of times a month and will have to pay attention to that rule now.  I can see myself becoming an addict and puffing 4 hours a day as Art seems to bring out some strange craving.

Thank you so much, wotr1! I've long been a fan of your contemplative posts, and it really means a lot to receive your birthday wishes. I couldn't believe the amazing timing when Art announced his return! I'm totally digging the imagery of that pipe with the radio on in the background. What a way to celebrate in style!

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 17, 2013, 12:43:04 AM
      Yup, my humor may possibly qualify me for reparations. I'm afraid to say good things about anything out of some fear of being a jinx...but mock my mortality without fear. I hope DSM VI is covering that topic. Considering the miserable toad I can be...sure thing I reach 99 with ease.
     

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 16, 2013, 11:57:54 PM
       Happy Birthday, good timing! But here's what makes Art's return even better after a day like today. Art will provide/attempt a form of escapism from real world horror. Noory and Wells only serve to either dwell on it or even worse have "guests" who will tell you that this shooting was a "false flag" or staged event. Which will be coming soon on C2C. "What happened to the other shooters" being some grand theory they'll build around. Ugh.

     

Whew! Glad to hear it.

I'm pretty stoked DSM V has moved so heavily towards symptoms on spectrums instead of fancy names straight out of the consumption days. Just imagine - maybe by DSM VI, a number two pencil and series of what's-your-bag slide rules could shave off a whole year's worth of backstory!

Your treatise on the doomsayers was especially poignant. Somewhere on my chart is a thriving case of Stockholm Syndrome. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away my dad packed us all up, pulled us out of life, and we moved out to a swath of sagebrush in the Nevada desert. Because of Y2K. We had a well, like 500 pounds of cheap pasta, and a propane tank so big we had to have a certified technician on the property to operate it. Glory hallelujah! You can guess the rest. The deer ate our victory garden, the lights were still on January 1st, my mom had an affair with the pastor, my dad moved back with a blond, and well ... I found this forum. Bring on the escapism!

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 17, 2013, 12:00:04 AM
     I know the feeling. It's why I started up again last month.

     That and the terminal illness diagnosis.

I really, really want this to be some of your patented black humor, Eddie. The whole being born is a terminal illness thing? I hope. Gulp. Cuz we're gonna need you here for quite a while.

Ditto on the cigs, folks.

Quote from: lava filling on September 16, 2013, 11:35:51 PM
happy birthday!

Thank you so very much, Lava Filling! What a birthday present tonight was.

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 16, 2013, 10:04:45 PM
        I'm hoping G Noory didn't stop by briefly to put his hirsute hand in the Chex Mix bowl.

Man-O-Manischewitz! Now there's a way to bring out those anchovy undertones.

I really appreciate your empathy, Eddie. Being the eternal lurker, I closely followed your roving reportage last April. It certainly crossed my mind today. There's an almost sickly calm in the air now that it's all over, and the marauding shooters of this afternoon have faded into the rumor mill. It was a small and helpless feeling to be tucked safely away while care flights hovered overhead to assist those whose lives would never be the same. I prefer to gather perspective at the aquarium, but real life arrived in spades today.

WOTR, you described the feeling of lightness after listening to Art so well. The giddiness that I awoke with turned to a much heavier heart as the day wore on, but I am all the more grateful to be here, gathered around this campfire. Thank you for the warm welcome. I've admired so many of you for so long, and am downright tickled to hear from you. The clock just struck my birthday, and to hear Art, Ross, and Some Velvet Morning back together again ... well, I feel like I've already been granted my wildest wish! Thank you each and every one.

Dear hearts,

First time poster, long time peeping tom, East as heck of the Rockies here. (I'm in DC about a mile from the carnage, and it has been one of those surreal and perspective inducing days)

I've tuned into this forum so many times over the years for solace, wit, wisdom, and with serious props to The Eye Pad, Coaster's videos, Eddie's brand of wit, Ziznak's mad photoshopping skillz, and Bateman's calls- some downright side splitting laughs amongst this mad, mad, mad, mad world. I feel like each and every one of you is a dear friend, and yet I've been that wallflower over in the corner nervously eating the Chex mix. On this - most momentous of occasions!! - I wanted to say hello. And more importantly, thank you. You've been the Dixie cup of outstretched water in the marathon, the E-foods in the storm, the panic room with the cool records.

Is it just me or have the past two hours felt like taking shots of stem cells? (Or whatever the cool kids do to repair brain damage these days) I don 't know whether this is heaven or Las Vegas, but I'm digging the ride.

Hello new friends, and long live Art Bell!!!