Ah, Mt. Everest. The name conjures up such diverse sentiments - forlorn, chilly, lofty, majestic, grandiose, foreboding and romantic? Of course in Nepali and Tibetan (countries on the two sides of this unparalleled wonder of the world), it is know as Sagarmatha (top of the world) and Chomolongma. But, since Sir George Everest "discovered" it, his name has been synonymous with it - his eponym. So it's not strange for people from that region to be asked questions which seem quite incredulous concerning Everest.

When I came here as a student early in the 1970's and introduced myself as Nepali (yes, we are Nepali not Nepalese), I was invariably inundated with questions about Everest and marijuana. Of course, I am talking about those worldly enough to know about the mountain and also to know about the Hippie movement. (The Hippie movement will be discussed in next day or so in my next blog). Questions about Everest ranged from the sublime ("Have you seen it? Is it really that awe-inspiring?") to the ridiculous ("How many times have you climbed it?").

I used to go into a blase mode since it was not as awe-inspiring to me having seen it a few hundred times back home. I only understood the significance of the question when I visited Denver a few years later and looked at the Rockies with eyes bulging and stood there breathless. My Aunt asked me why I was so enthralled since I had been seeing the same sight (huger and closer) for almost all my life. This brought me down to earth in a hurry and I had to admit that familiarity does breed contempt. I then realized that I had not really seen the panoramic beauty of this gorgeous titan because it was an everyday sighting. Now I answer questions differently.

Yes, Mt Everest is every bit as majestic and breathtaking as reported. It is definitely nature's greatest gift to mankind. And it is something for any self-respecting poet or travel writer to know and write about. It has to be seen to be believed. To appreciate its full grandeur, one must see it live and close up. When I was home a couple of years back, I made it a point to see it again because I knew not when I might get the chance.

As for the climbing of Everest, I have not climbed it or attempted to do so. Nor do I have any ambition to do so. The best I can hope for is to have my ashes sprinkled at its base. But I am still taken aback at the thought that people believed climbing Sagarmatha was like driving up Mt. Washinton in New Hampshire and getting a bumper sticker which stated as much. I have climbed Mt. Rainier in Washington State (about 300 feet up). Does that count?

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Feeding birds can be an enjoyable, educational and entertaining year-round hobby. Depending upon the seed mix you choose and the types of birds that live in your area, bird feeding can be inexpensive and rewarding.

If you plan establish a new feeder, put it where birds can find it! Birds find new feeders by sight. Once one bird finds your feeder, other birds will take notice. A new feeder can be scary and it may take a week or more for birds to work up the courage to check it out. Once your feeder becomes active, observe it for a few weeks to gauge how often you will need to refill your feeder.

If spillage is a big problem, think about using a different type of feeder, larger seeds, or putting something beneath the feeder to make clean-up easier. Cleaning up spillage and husks will discourage volunteer germination by scattered seeds, and will also reduce the number of ground feeders (including chipmunks and squirrels) as well as the number of predatory attacks on ground-feeding birds by animals in and around your yard.

The location of your feeder is important. On the one hand, an open area can minimize incursions by squirrels. On the other hand, feeders in open areas make visiting birds vulnerable to attacks by flying predators like falcons, hawks and eagles. Keep this danger in mind when you're trying to find a location for your feeder.

Fill your feeder regularly to keep birds coming. Wintertime feeding is especially important if you live in a "four-season" area, since birds have few natural food sources during the winter months. Birds will depend upon your feeder and those of your neighbors to make it through a long, cold winter. If you plan to stop feeding birds, it's best to wait until springtime to discontinue feeding, since natural food sources will be more abundant.

In addition to food, birds need water, especially in the summer months. Many hobbyists also provide a birdbath or other source of water. Birds don't bathe in the winter and can usually find ample moisture from snow on the ground or in the trees.

Birds digest food with a special organ called a gizzard. Birds look for small pebbles or other kinds of grit to help make their gizzards work properly and to aid digestion. You can include grit, very small pebbles or sterilized eggshell fragments to provide this material in the winter. Don't mix these materials into the feed. Instead, place it in a small dish or open container near the feeder.

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Oyster is the common name for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks. Oysters are soft-bodied animals that have two hard, protective shells. They spend their entire lives underwater. The shape of the oyster's shells varies, depending mostly upon how crowded they are in the oyster bed.

There is an interesting phenomena that the oysters change their sex during their lives. Their sex starts as males and usually ending as females.

There are all kinds of oysters. Some can breed pearls. Thus, pearls are sometimes found in oysters. When a grain of sand gets stuck between the oyster's mantle and shell, the oyster will secrets nacre. This shiny substance coats the grain of sand, and over the years, forms a lustrous pearl.

However, it takes a long time for the oysters to form these pretty pearls naturally. That's the reason why so many people want to culture the pearls.

There has been a long history of oysters farming. Oysters have been cultured for more than a century. The oysters are cultivated to the size of "spat," or they may be allowed to mature further to form "seed" oysters. In either case they are then set out to mature. They may be distributed over existing oyster beds and left to mature naturally, to be collected using the methods for fishing wild oysters. Or they may be put in racks or bags and held above the bottom. The oysters are harvested by lifting the bags or rack to the surface and removing mature oysters. In these ways, people can breed a large quantity of brilliant pearls.

The pearl oysters are eaten not often, however, some other oysters are usually highly prized as food. These oysters are usually considered as delicious food to some people. They can be eaten half shelled, raw, smoked, boiled, baked, fried, roasted, stewed, canned, pickled, steamed, broiled or used in a variety of drinks. Have you ever tried before?

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Compost tea or worm tea is made by steeping vermicompost (or other compost) in water for a period of time. The resulting liquid (or compost tea) is then used as a fertilizer for plants or as a prevention against plant disease. Compost tea is just another powerful outcome from having a worm farm.

Worm castings and vermicompost are an amazing product of worms. Worms eat, then produce this vermicompost; also referred to as worm castings (worm poop!). Therefore, this is a the end product of worms breaking down organic matter which is very nutrient rich.

Compost tea is typically used as a fertilizer. The use of this fertilizer requires a great amount of knowledge and skill. If used on edible plants one should avoid spraying directly on edible parts of the plant. In fact, the US National Organic Program has very strict guidelines on the use of compost tea for USDA certified organic farming. In addition, it takes some trial and error before you are able to find the proper amounts of compost tea to use. Composting is a complex process and in particular compost tea is not fully understood by everyone.

In addition to fertilizer; compost tea has also been used as a way to prevent plant disease. The use of it to prevent disease in plants is an extremely complex biological process. Steven Scheuerell and Walter Mahaffee of the Department of Horticluture at Oregon State University have given a more detailed presentation on: Compost Tea for Plant Disease Control: Production, Application, and Results.

It is possible to build your own machine or "brewing barrel". Many "do-it-yourselfers" have taken this route. In addition, there are lots of barrels produced commercially as well.

The process of actually making this product depends on its purpose. There are several kinds of compost tea all of which are processed differently. Some of the variables are the amount of Vermicompost, amount of water, amount of time allowed to steep, amount of aeration, method of aeration, application, and other ingredients.

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