Grow Journal - Day 42 of Flower!

We're at day 42..in three more weeks, they should all be about done. Then the rest of the work begins with trimming, hanging, drying and processing everything into meds. The last thing anyone really needs is for Big Pharma to get involved in cannabis but it's clear that they ultimately will. Legalization will happen throughout the country when they are ready for it, and not a moment before. That's why our government has various patents on cannabis compounds. It's never about what's best or what's honest, or what's respectful. It's never about people..only profits. Now they see that legalization is happening in the states, whether medical or otherwise, they're jumping on the bandwagon. But here's the deal, we're all on to them. We've sat by, watching our friends go to prison, while they continue to lie and ruin lives with draconian laws based on profit motive instead of science. We've sat by, watching patients who follow state law to the letter be tried and convicted of doing just that. And the fact that they're patients who are following state law isn't admitted into court, so the jury may not have all the facts before them when deciding the case. 

We become patients because we either don't like the drugs our doctors give us, or we've run out of options. That's what happened in my case. I ran out of options. So I decided to become a patient and see if cannabis could help me. And it did. It did everything the drugs weren't doing. I don't blame any of my doctors..they're only doing what they're trained to do. Few think outside the box because too much is at risk. Now that the DEA is contacting doctors in one state and threatening their DEA license if they have anything to do with legal medical cannabis, maybe we've reached a breaking point. The House has passed a bill that prevents the DEA from involvement with cannabis states as long as state law is being followed. The Senate will no doubt do the same because they're tired of the DEA's antics as well. Doing at least that would take the pressure off. Maybe then we can continue the conversation that began with Sanjay Gupta's and others' documentaries. We not only CAN talk about cannabis..we MUST talk about cannabis. The truth is coming out. Better to get in front of it than to be left behind in the dust.

Sorry for the rant..and here are the ladies!

9lb Hammer

9lb Hammer - day 42

9lb Hammer - day 35

Mickey Kush

Mickey Kush - day 42

Mickey Kush - day 35

Dr. Who

Dr. Who - day 35

Dr. Who - day 42

Honeymoon Mix

Honeymoon Mix - day 35

Honeymoon Mix - day 42

Cuvee'

Cuvee' - day 35

Cuvee' - day 42

Galactic Jack

Galactic Jack - day 35

Galactic Jack - day 42

The resin production is very noticeable now. Dominator XL LED lights are the reason for that as well as the addition of Sucanat in the water. I do have to say, though, Galactic Jack looks amazing. As always, the seeds are from TGA Genetics Subcool Seeds. Subcool and MizJill have created some really nice strains for patients. Their care and attention to detail is uncompromising. For folks like me, their devotion to this craft is beyond appreciated. I wouldn't be here without them.

~Blessed Be the Garden!

Well how about that..we won!

It's through tears that I write this..the House of Representatives voted yesterday to stop federal persecution of cannabis patients and their caregivers in states where medical cannabis is legal. It's not final yet, but this is the furthest we've come yet on the federal level. Support for at least leaving patients alone is at an all time high, so this is really great news. Legalization is coming as well. Ideally, removing cannabis from the federal drug schedule would help immensely. I have to believe that this will happen soon as well.

With any luck, the folks up in Washington State due to be in federal court in July for following their state's medical cannabis laws to the letter, will see that drama end before it begins. The judge ruled that they cannot use this fact as an affirmative defense, so the trial date was set. How about they "un-set" the date and tell these nice folks that they can go back to doing what they were legally doing in the first place.

Thanks to Oregon's Representatives for their support on the amendment. But special thanks needs to be given to Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Sam Farr (D-CA) for their work on this amendment. Thank you so much. The momentum is increasing. Folks serving time for cannabis should be released. The insanity must stop so truth can prevail, and yesterday, we got a little bit closer to that happening!

Grow Journal - Day 25 of Flower

Everything is growing so well under LED lighting. I don't regret buying them. Both Honeymoon Mix and 9lb Hammer are almost as tall as I am. And we had to raise the lights again. We continue to water with Sucanat because they seem to love that. You can buy it in the sugar section of your local grocery store. I highly recommend it. We watered the vegetables out in the greenhouse with Sucanat and we could see immediate results on the tomato plants as well as the watermelon plants. Very cool indeed!

And now for the ladies:

9lb Hammer

9lb Hammer - day 15

9lb Hammer - day 25

Mickey Kush

Mickey Kush - day 15

Mickey Kush - day 25

Dr. Who

Dr. Who - day 15

Dr. Who - day 25

Honeymoon Mix

Honeymoon Mix - day 15

Honeymoon Mix - day 25

Cuvee'

Cuvee' - day 15

Cuvee - day 25

Galactic Jack

Galactic Jack - day 15

Galactic Jack - day 25

Bud structure continues to develop well under the Dominators. I couldn't be happier with the progress. We added Super Soil on top for more nutrients to finish out flowering. All we water with is Sucanat and some B-1. We make the Super Soil, and at some point, we'll start using the worm castings from our worm farm in the blend. Not to mention some worm casting tea! And as always, a shout-out of gratitude to SubCool and MizJill at TGA Genetics. Their seeds are awesome and I wouldn't be as well as I am without them!

It's a Lush life!

~Blessed Be the garden!

Grow Journal - Day 15 of Flower

Fifteen days into flower..the ladies look divine! LED lighting certainly agrees with them. , We're continuing to water with Sucanat, B1, Silica Blast, and Liquid Karma. The Sucanat is the coolest thing though..stimulates all kinds of microbial growth. Best thing we ever added. Supercharges the microbes..like giving them a big dish of ice cream! The smallest buds are on Dr. Who..maybe it's the placement in the room. I've never grown Dr. Who before, so maybe it's like Jack The Ripper, and it grows more slowly.

And now for the ladies!

9lb Hammer - day 8

9lb Hammer - day 15

Cuvee' - day 8

Cuvee' - day 15

                                               

Dr. Who - day 15

Dr. Who - day 8

Galactic Jack - day 8

Galactic Jack - day 15

Honeymoon Mix - day 8

Honeymoon Mix - day 15

                                                 

Mickey Kush - day 15

Mickey Kush - day 8

Two weeks into bud development..not bad at all. And I swear to Goddess these plants are almost as tall as me..

One more thing..the worms are doing really well. We've added all the trays now and the bottom tray is just about to be ready with worm castings. Then I can make tea!

third tray

bottom tray

~Blessed Be the Garden!

Parenting and Cannabis

If people would simply stop lying about cannabis, so much would be resolved. A parent using cannabis for recreation is no different than a parent who has a beer after work. Well, at least cannabis is healthy..not so sure about the beer. But then I'm biased..I've never liked the taste of beer. And I don't drink anymore, so there's that. It's not a hard and fast rule, but I feel better when I don't drink alcohol.

Anyway, I read that in Colorado, our legalization Mecca, a bill was introduced which, if passed, will potentially complicate everyone's lives there. It seems that some lawmakers think that if a parent uses a controlled substance (which unless I missed something, cannabis is just that), medically or otherwise, it's time to take the kids away. SB 178, a gem of a bill, defines a "drug endangered child" and imposes criminal penalties on the child's parents if manufacturing or possessing controlled substances. Cannabis is a federally controlled substance, even though it's legal in Colorado. Although the bill's author seems to suggest that this doesn't apply to cannabis, no one really believes that.

I agree that kids shouldn't be around certain drugs. You know, like heroin, cocaine, meth and drugs like those. But cannabis is not a drug. It's a plant. Yes it has psychoactive properties. It also has medicinal properties. Typically we don't see the level of spousal abuse amongst those who use cannabis that we do with those who use alcohol. Plus, there's the added benefit of no addiction. And we have cannabinoid receptors all over the place that are just waiting to connect with the various compounds found in cannabis. It's what keeps us healthy. It's so funny that since I became a patient four years ago, my health has returned, so much so that I walk eight miles every morning. Right..cannabis is a bad thing..

It seems to me that every time something positive happens with respect to cannabis, some lawmaker finds a ridiculous way to circumvent it. If cannabis is legal in Colorado, then you can't take away kids from parents who use it. You can't make it impossible for parents who are also patients to use cannabis medicinally to deal with their health issues. They shouldn't have to fear losing their kids while getting well. No other patients have to deal with these kinds of things. Cannabis patients should be no different. If SB 178 doesn't apply to anyone using cannabis, then revise the bill to include that specific language. Otherwise, Coloradoans who use cannabis are at risk. Surely there are other laws on the books that define what "drug endangered" children are along with penalties for those who disregard them. Why does it need redefinition?

Last summer, the Oregon legislature legalized dispensaries. We voted them down, but they sprung up anyway, and the legislature decided to do something positive for all of us by legalizing them. And then, just before the application process began in March, they decided to let local areas temporarily ban them for one year. Never mind that they had roughly nine months to get used to the idea. And never mind that they looked the other way as the dispensaries opened without benefit of law. Now they suddenly are so overwhelmed by the possibility of a dispensary opening (or continuing to operate) that, oh my Goddess, they have to have a moratorium on them for a while longer. Spare me.

Washington state, our legalization problem child to the north, has legal patients who are going to trial federally in July, I believe, for following state medical cannabis laws to the letter. So, if this can happen in Washington, it can happen in Colorado as well. I also read an article that suggested the Feds might not deliver water to cannabis growers up in Washington as well. In my opinion, this is chicken shit. The Federal Government is going to have to deal with legalization sooner than later. They know it's safe and they know it cures all kinds of things. People are incarcerated for nothing at all. Lives are continuing to be ruined..all to preserve a lie told long ago.

Cannabis users are not criminals, nor are we unfit parents. Isn't it time the charade stopped?

End prohibition. Live in truth and with integrity. Legalize cannabis.

Grow Journal - week 7

The ladies are almost done..another week probably..all in all, Lush Lighting makes some really great lights. LED is the way to go for sure for indoor gardens. Fuller light spectrum makes for better growth as well as increased resin production which is great when making tinctures and oil. Also, the worms are doing well, they're still working through the first section, or should I say eating through the first section. At some point, and I don't know when that is, we'll add another tray on top and begin feeding them there. We have four trays total I believe. 

And now for the ladies:

Filly Bean

day 47

day 50

Vortex

day 47

day 50

Timewreck

day 47

day 50

The Flav

day 47

day 50

Pennywise

day 47

day 50

Orange Vision

day 47

day 50

The Garden

I love growing things! We are all connected energetically..the earth, plants, the universe..all of us. Growing anything puts your energy into that life. Growing medicine that heals is the most satisfying thing I've ever done, whether it's herbs or cannabis. Cannabis has saved my life and brought my health under control. Anyone who still believes that cannabis isn't safe to use either recreationally or medicinally is buying into a lie that has destroyed lives through incarceration and ultimately death in the case of people suffering from cancer and other life threatening conditions. All those years ago, profits were preferred over people, and we haven't learned that lesson yet because prohibition is alive and well, even in states where it's either legal completely, or medically so. Laws enacted to protect patients are circumvented by local cities who continue to buy into the lie by delaying the opening of legal dispensaries and other roadblocks they put in place. Cynicism has triumphed over truth and patients suffer in the process.

Growing my own medicine has been such a blessing. I have always preferred truth over propaganda and to be able to heal myself this way when doctors were unable to do so has been so gratifying. We all possess an endocannabinoid system that has been depleted over time because we no longer consume hemp. Without replenishing the cannabinoids in our bodies, an imbalance occurs and we become ill. Not only can hemp (and cannabis) heal our bodies, but it can also save the earth. 

The insanity must stop. We must end prohibition. 

~ Blessed Be ~