 is to train local anti-ISIS fights – however, some national security experts argue that the base is aimed at spying on Iran and avoiding Iranian influence on the region.
In fact, American aircrafts, especially the F-15E Strike Eagles (the same one involved in the incident), based in Jordan, routinely patrol the area for the strategic purpose of keeping away or fighting enemy foreign aircraft and require all planes, even commercials, identify themselves as they pass. What happened with the Iranian aircraft, however, does not correspond to a simple “visual inspection”, since at no time did American fighters contact the civil aircraft to request identification, on the contrary, the communication came from the Iranian aircraft itself, precisely because it was under violent interception.
Iran therefore dismissed the United States’ explanation and classified it as unjustified and unconvincing. “The harassment of a passenger plane on the territory of a third country is a clear violation of aviation security and freedom of civilian aircraft,” said Laya Joneydi, vice president of the Iranian government for legal affairs, according to Iranian media.
At no time the US government apologized or formally lamented the victims who were injured in the incident, showing that American forces in the Middle East must continue carrying out hostile maneuvers without any restrictions. We can relate this increase in aerial violence to the American naval military decay. Recently, maritime tensions between Americans and Iranians have been rising in the Persian Gulf, with an increased Iranian presence in the region through military incursions against American vessels.
Violence through the air can be understood as a strategic choice in view of the impossibility of facing Iran by sea or by land. However, it is not strategic for American interests to face Iranian forces head-on for aerial combat – instead, they invest in piracy tactics in conflict areas. The choice of the location for the maneuvers seems meticulously planned: an area where Washington will always claim “jurisdiction” because of its right to protect the military base. This will probably not be the only incident and soon new episodes will be reported.
Iran has acted correctly in submitting the case to the UN and international law must be applied promptly to punish the American attitude. The fact that American fighters did not contact the Iranian plane previously constitutes a serious violation of international aviation standards and international humanitarian law itself, since it has put the lives of innocent civilians at risk. As long as the UN response is not announced, it is up to Iran to strengthen a defense system against American air piracy, in order to avoid new incidents.
I, like many others, have an obsession...
This past summers-end was extra hard. I had grown every geranium plant either by seed or propagation in my greenhouse, and I wasn't ready to see them go. I had hundreds of them in a very select color scheme. The fall days were drifting in, and colder days were ahead.
Our first freeze of the season was coming.
From the moment I planted that first seed, I had invested so much by way of time and care. I had enjoyed them immensely. So, I decided to give overwintering a try, and it EXCEEDED all expectations.
The initial preparation was time-consuming, but it was so worth it. And the overwintering process surprised me in how much joy those blooms brought. How much color; how much life; in the dead of winter.
I had the space.
I had a protected environment.
I had the IDEAL environment.
I started with one plan, but you will see how that changed course. It was a change that I never looked back on.
There are several different methods you can use. I decided to use the container method. It made the most sense for me. I gathered my supplies: loads of 6-inch terra cotta pots (my preference), potting soil made for containers, and garden shears.
Then, I got busy. And, to be honest, this first step of preparation is by far the most time-consuming. I picked a nice warm day and collected the geraniums from my patio, porches, and garden. Some I transported in their containers, and others I dug up.
I gathered and inspected the geraniums and decided which ones to keep. If they looked the least bit diseased, I discarded them. Then, I spent time removing them from their containers. I gently removed the dirt from their roots and any damaged leaves, extra stems, leaves, or blooms. Next, any part of the stem that was going under the soil was thoroughly cleaned from leaves and buds. This would aid in not allowing any rot to occur. When you have well over a hundred, this takes a bit of time.
Although I used the container method - I did different variations within that method. I planted two large urns that were to provide continual starts throughout winter. Those were my primary mother plants.
Then, I planted a huge number of single plants that I had separated into 6-inch terra cotta pots. I wanted to test their growth in comparison to the same size pot having 2-3 plants. Remember, I removed all extra foliage and blooms (for the most part). This allowed the energy to focus on the root system.
I found a few "baby" geranium plants within the mother plants. For those, I started in smaller 3-inch pots and potted those into larger ones as winter progressed. It didn't take long; they grew like crazy.
I had some 2-3 inch branches that broke. I cleaned them well by removing leaves, blooms, etc., and planted them into the soil. I did not use any rooting hormone.
I kept some larger pots that were on my patio. I inspected well and removed the debris, and reconditioned the soil. I made sure I didn't carry in any pests inside the greenhouse.
I made sure all containers had about an inch of space at the top to allow for watering. I then watered them - thoroughly soaking them and allowing the water to run through.
The watering process throughout winter was vital. First, I watered to the top of the pot rims. Then, I allowed them to dry out completely. And repeated over and over again.
The greenhouse made overwintering easy. The light provided was perfect. I checked them often and watered as needed. I removed any dead foliage. I kept the temperature above 45 degrees. I kept air circulating by way of a fan(s). My greenhouse also has an auto vent, double doors, and windows. Those were open on the days the greenhouse heated up from the sun. I made sure good ventilation was in place. Geraniums can develop mold, and that never became an issue.
My initial plan was to keep them in a somewhat dormant state. I didn't expect big gorgeous foliage or deep green foliage. Well, these geraniums had different plans.
In a few weeks, they were growing and blooming to the point I had to take a second harvest of new cuttings for starts. This was one month later. So, I had to buy many more terra cotta pots.
On a cool morning within the first month, I walked into the greenhouse, coffee in hand, and was greeted by spring in the middle of winter. Pops of color: pink, reds, and salmon. It was then I decided to let them bloom.
And, bloom, they did. They have given me such joy this first overwintering season. I did begin a diluted half-strength fertilizer of Miracle Grow about once every 4-6 weeks. If I had tried to keep them in a more dormant state, I wouldn't have done that.
In overwintering, my ultimate goal was to get new starts for propagation in late winter for early spring. But, they gave me so much more.
This was my personal experience that I wanted to share, and I hope you enjoy your gardening journey as much I do!
This post was to explain my overwintering process. I'll make a post soon on starting new plants from cuttings.
It's been a game-changer too!
How did you keep temps above 45F? What were your outdoor temps? I live in central PA, we get weeks and weeks of below freezing weather, so I am wondering if I can do this too. I currently only have a small space heater for the greenhouse and have yet to test it for low temps. Thank you for this great post and all the beautiful pictures!!
Thank you for you kind words! I use electric heaters - one is an oil filled radiator heater and the other is a new quartz infared heater that I've tried out this winter. My greenhouse is a 12x28 - so when the temperatures get to the mid to low 20's and below, I supplement with propane heat. We had a winter blast last year and it got to -13 and everything did well. Propane heat is a game changer when it gets that low.When I define interfaces to the functions that I implement, I try to be explicit about the variables that the functions will examine and modify. From time to time, a global variable is necessary, and I typically employ intermediary functions for accessing such a variable. Avoiding the direct use of global variables within functions is a sound software implementation principle.
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