Summer is truly here at Sandhill Cranberry Farm. The weeds have run amok over the past four weeks. Our biggest pest is Yellow Weed, sometimes called Yellow Loosestrife. Close behind are Sheep Sorrel, Bog St. John's Wort, Creeping Buttercup and that ubiquitous survivor of the age of the dinosaurs, Horsetail. The bloom is almost done and fruit set has begun, so spraying is out of the equation.

Now I wipe. And wipe. And wipe. A hollow hockey stick with about two litres of roundup/water mix in the handle and a six inch by four inch bit of carpet on the end that one lovingly brushes over the tops of the offending species, all the while taking care not to touch the vines below. It is a fine job for those with no imagination and a good tolerance of thirty-five degree weather.

Today the thermometer in the pump house topped out at thirty-three. Usually the bog thermo is two to three degrees higher. Oh well, this is the season when peeling off five pounds of water weight is the norm.

I am a third of the way through, The History of Christian Theology, which is my current acquisition from, The Teaching Company, and which is proving to be as well structured as the Professor's course entitled, Augustine, Philosopher and Saint.

I have to say that these course offerings are a great way to learn without going to school. I am certain that the level of teaching is above that given by many colleges, though the absence of extensive reading lists and testing does inhibit the process.

Phillip Cary is the instructor on the two above mentioned courses and his presentation is terrific.

Being able to access such material for about fifty bucks a course is a wonderful democratization of the learning system.

Well, enough of this...