By September our south pasture is lush and needs cutting. Nothing this year. Orchard irrigation is at its lowest level in 15y. Maybe its lowest ever. Torrey, UT near Capitol Reef NP.

DOGE is clearly a hot mess. Just got a crap format SSA email (for PC only) from Choosework! (SSA’s public web) routed from .gov via the personal business email account of MAGA apologist Tanner Greer at Blue Ridge Energy. Check your routing rules kids. Amateurs. We’re doomed guys.

The Senate should retract RFK Jr’s appointment. He publicly, provably committed scientific fraud. Confessional action is needed immediately.

Where’s my 1.89 gas kids?

RFKJr shuttering world-leading STD lab at CDC. Risks entire std repository. www.reddit.com/r/ContagionC...

Today at 6 PM - The Royal Society of Torrey presents John Lee: A Level Set of the Energy Transition. Etta Place Cidery & Taproom 700 W UT 24 Torrey, UT 84775

Spring Hours at Etta Place Cider.

Scientists have just cured pancreatic cancer in some patients with personalized mRNA vaccines. Pancreatic cancer. And this Trump administration wants to throw it all away. They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.

I’m head of an NGO in Kenya. The shutoff of USAID support has been devastating www.statnews.com/2025/03/15/u... via @statnews.com

Judge Ana C. Reyes. Biology queen totally schooling Republican lawyers of the Trump administration. www.reddit.com/r/MurderedBy...

There are 63 National Parks. We should destroy 63 golf courses, one at a time, until all 63 NPs are fully funded again, including all probationary staff. This is the true value of glyphosate. Edward Abbey would approve. Republicans do not believe National Parks have value, but they believe in golf.

IMHO, @rollingstone.com (especially Michael Embrich) is better than the @nytimes.com

Last moments in Puerto Vallarta. Off to the airport. It has been amazing.

Escaped from the US for a while to clear our minds. At a beer festival in Puerto Vallarta drinking a stout I’d be proud to serve in my own bar at Etta Place Cider.

Mowing the orchard and a transverse double rotor copter flew over. Are the Ospreys flying again?

Stray Arrow Ranch orchards that supply Etta Place Cidery are alive with tanagers and orioles and (a first for us) Western Warbling Vireos.

Not only did @ups cut off the biggest economic engine in the county (Torrey Ut), including @ettaplacecider, they did it with no advance notice. Just cut us off cold. Sure would like to talk to the decision maker on this.

Well @UPS just stabbed @ettaplacecider in the heart. We depend on them for supplies and shipping our products. They decided our town with the county’s most restaurants, RV parks, & motels and the county’s only full bar isn’t worth delivering to on T & Th. They decided to stop 17 mi short of us.

We’ve been very quiet for a while. Lots of hard work. Etta Place Cidery is officially a UT licensed bar: the only bar in the county. Come visit us in Capitol Reef Country.

Still denying Paxlovid to young working folks. Frustrating. There’s not a shortage. Moreover, the state hasn’t gotten XBB vax to the rurals. A new Covid surge here. Utah, man.

Once had a super cool hi performance computational TEM. Now I have some forks for my electric tractor.

One of our best sellers right now: apricot mead. Fab with Parmesan. A high end grocer in SLC is currently “washing” a French blue cheese in our apricot mead. Release date not known yet but it is a very yummy thing.

Went back to X,FKAT to have a look around. Yikes. Glad to be here.

The Pink Pearl.

UL Opalescent, UR Wolf River (a parent of the Redfield), LL Esopus Spitzenberg, LR Pink Pearl (an Albert Etters apple).

UL Cortland, UR Chenango Strawberry, LL Tom Putt, LR Graniwinkle.

Being the last to leave work is not always tiring. Sometimes energizing. Same was true in the lab days.

I can share pix of our lovely fruit. I can record the crisp snap of stems being broken. I cannot share this perfume. You must be here to understand.

Our prize staffer at the Cidery was not happy. Someone left her a 2 star Google review. She’s a 5 star person. We talked. The customer asked her to do something illegal and she refused. That’s my girl. Bad customers can take a fucking walk as far as I’m concerned. Don’t need them.

We have an electric tractor. Just in time. Harvest is going to be big at Stray Arrow this year. Gonna have to act like adults about it.

Went back on Twitter while in line for coffee just to block some ads.

Bluesky is a sweet Easter egg hunt right now.

Speaking of apricots, it’s a gorgeous pressing day.

There are two amazing high end groceries in Salt Lake City. One of them just ordered a case of apricot mead from Etta Place Cider. I own Etta Place. 💛

On July 29th (my birthday), my mentor Harry G. Sperling passed on. A kind and decent man. We sat in his office and discussed weighty things like the Troland. I shall miss him.

Thanks to @bwjones.bsky.social for an escape from X-island.