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Author Archives: Roger Gosden
Salute to a Cup-of-Tea
Tea has become a generic name for hot beverages. Originally brewed from Camellia sinensis, “teas” have been made in the past from wild plants when the genuine article was not available, and now many tea-drinkers prefer the dried leaves or … Continue reading
Posted in Health
Tagged Camellia sinensis, Ceylon tea, Emperor Shendong, tea cereomony, Tea-time, Thomas Garraway, Thomas Lipton
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Enemy of the People
This post began as a gentle experiment at home to compare drinking water. It wasn’t a test of impurities but more like a whiskey- or tea-tasting party at which connoisseurs pronounce which sample has the best flavor. We took samples … Continue reading
Posted in Health
Tagged Clean Water Act, Potomac aquifer, water filter, water pollution, water quality
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Drain the Swamp
Drain the Swamp! It’s the refrain of a U.S. President who prefers time on the barren grass of golf courses to life’s abundance in natural wetland. Calling somewhere a swamp is never a compliment, and it’s not a pretty phrase … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Nature, Other
Tagged George Washington, Great Dismal Swamp, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Hart, Kitty Hawk, Lake Drummond, Robert Frost, Swamp, Uncle Tom's Cabin
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Tillage, Cover Crops and Soil
Every episode of an old TV series opened with people staring at an object streaking across the sky. One man called it a bird, another a plane, and finally a smart-ass proclaimed, “It’s Superman!” No one said it’s Clark Kent! … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, garden
Tagged Clark Kent, Cover crop, Dustbowl, Edward Faulkner, No-till farming, organic farming, plowing, Plowman's Folly, Superman, topsoil erosion
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Rabid Groundhog Attack
If you started to read this post because the title promised the sort of droll tale you expect from John Cleese or Stephen Fry I’m sorry to disappoint you! It’s a story about a gentle dog walk that turned into … Continue reading
