As more and more people are beginning to realize the fun and economic savings one may obtain by growing their own vegetables and using this experience to create more family time, I have seen a growing interest in organics. So, let us start from the beginning.

Reasons to Go Organic

Health: Many people suffer symptoms caused by chemicals in their systems and become highly allergic to the chemicals used on a daily basis; detergents, deodorizers, and of course insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. Sensitive people can find these products so toxic that even the smell of them prompts violent illness, even though the chemical may be 100’s of yards away.

Safety: Don’t use toxic chemicals! You won’t need to keep them in your garage, pantry or anywhere near your kids, grandchildren or pets. You won’t worry about accidental spills, digestion or other harm from these products to you or the ones you love. Everyone should be able to play outdoors without concern of chemical poisoning.

Environment: Every divided plot of land, every state, every city, every farm, every residential home, has its’ own environment. It may be clean or it may be contaminated. When you have several uncontaminated plots in a specific area it increases the health of the total environment around you. When the government, the neighborhood committees or the individual residents become environmentally concerned, things start to change for the better. Our water and our air will become safe again. Another benefit is that you will have more birds, lizards, toads and other wildlife visit your landscape, a sign of nature in balance.

Economics: Though initial start up cost may be more, it won’t be necessary to fertilize as frequently or as heavily as the soil becomes healthier and accumulates more nutrients and organic matter. As the ecosystem becomes self-sustaining, the cost goes down. Have you ever seen anybody fertilize a forest? The forest is self-sustaining because it gives back what it takes. So will an organically maintained lawn when you use a mulching mower and compost your waste, place it in your garden or on the lawn. The risk of accidental poisoning is reduced; therefore emergency medical treatment also is reduced.

Know that healthy soils are the key to healthy plants. Healthy plants do not easily get diseased or attacked by insects.

Compost: If you are planning a bed or have an existing bed that has become compacted, add compost before adding anything else. In new beds add up to three inches of compost. In existing beds add at least one inch. I prefer cotton bur compost, specifically Back To Nature products. Add amendments as your budget allows and plants requirements become visible.

YES! Inspect plants foliage, stems and fruit production and you will be able to notice color changes, foliage deformities and stem weakness. In many instances entering a short description of the colors or symptoms of that specified plant on a search engine will bring up correct mineral deficiencies or disease symptoms. Take samples of your problematic plants to your local nursery.

Mulch: To help prevent compaction, weeds, evaporation and damage due to excess heat or freezing temperatures add at least three inches of a good mulch as a topdressing to all beds. Reapply as needed. I prefer pine straw or cedar mulch. I hate and do not sell pine bark mulch. Pine bark mulch is cheap but it breaks down quickly and can easily wash away.

When remulching, leave the existing mulch. Add an inch of compost and finish off with as much mulch as needed for a three-inch layer. In other words layer the ingredients as if you were making lasagna.

How to Go Organic

Become Educated

In Dallas we are lucky to have Howard Garrett. Mr. Garrett has written several books about organic gardening and has the top rated gardening program on the radio in the metroplex. Mr. Garrett also has a weekly column in the Dallas Morning News Garden Section on Fridays. North Texas and Dallas have the largest amount of all organic nurseries in the United States, because of this you should be able to get answers to all of your questions and the proper product for each situation from a knowledgeable source near you.

Reading Material to Consider

Plants for Texas by Howard Garrett
Plants of The Metroplex by Howard Garrett
Native Plants for Texas by Sally Wasowski
Organic Encyclopedia by Rodale
Common Sense Pest Control by Olkowski
Organic Gardening by Howard Garrett
Texas Bug Book by Howard Garrett
Rohde’s Monthly Newsletter

Start with Observation of What You Now Have

• Make a plan of your property.
• Identify wind directions.
• Learn light patterns from the sun’s movements.
• Observe water movement away from the house and through the landscape.
• Identify existing plants and ensure proper location and soil conditions.
• Identify pests and beneficial insects.

Make Changes

• Develop a plan.
• Re-vitalize poor soils.
• Re-grade poorly drained areas.
• Replace or transplant problem plants.
• Plant well adapted species.
• Use beneficial insects and organisms.
• Feed plants and soil regularly.
• Use natural weed, pest and disease controls.

The Role of Plant Nutrients

Nitrogen: general plant functions, growth.

Phosphorus: transfer of energy, color, vitality, flower size and seeding.

Potash: metabolism, temperature hardiness, balance between roots and shoots and movement of plant nutrients.

Boron: disease resistance, quality & taste in food crops.

Calcium: food for microorganisms, cell wall permeability and pH.

Iron: metabolic activities, green color.

Magnesium: component of chlorophyll, soil adhesion, phosphate metabolism and pH.

Sulfur: taste, protein content and seed production.

Zinc: sweetness of vegetables and fruit.

Organic Products

Green Sense Lawn & Garden Fertilizer 6-2-4

A superior pelletized organic fertilizer from all natural ingredients: Alternate with our 5-2-4 Lawn & Garden Fertilizer for optimum results. LOW ODOR & PATHOGEN FREE.

Green Sense Lawn & Garden Fertilizer 5-2-4

A superior pelletized organic fertilizer from all natural ingredients: Alternate with our 6-2-4 fertilizers to provide all the elements for maximum vitality. LOW ODOR & PATHOGEN FREE.

Apply both Green Sense fertilizers at a rate 20 pounds per 1000 square feet, four times annually. It may be used with standard fertilizer spreaders. Both fertilizers have different ingredients that are used in the blending of animal feeds and are safe to use in lawns where children and pets run around. 40 pound bag.

Both Green Sense fertilizers contain molasses making them a better and more economical choice of food to apply on to lawns, landscaped areas or vegetable gardens.

Green Sense Vegetable & Flower Food 5-5-5

A blend of ingredients used in the manufacturing of animal and pet feeds to help grow healthy mineral and nutrient rich home grown veggies.

Since veggies are heavy feeders continuous feeding is suggested. Side dress veggies with a cup of Vegetable & Flower Food every other week. Supplement the feedings with foliar applications of Green Sense Foliar Juice.

Green Sense Humate

Between 45 and 56 percent of plant compounds contain carbon. Humate is a natural source of carbon, trace minerals, and humic acid that acts as an organic chelator and microbial stimulator. Carbon, which is the main energy source in the soil, is essential for the availability of nitrogen and phosphate, and is critical for healthy microorganisms. This should be applied at a rate of 20 pounds per 1000 square feet at least once a year, preferably during the first feeding of the year. 50 pound bag.

Green Sense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment

A complete ecosystem of indigenous microbes enhanced with humate materials, which enhance the growth and vigor of all types of plants. Excessive use of lawn & garden chemicals and the reduction of organic matter in the soil can reduce the populations of soil organisms to levels that can eventually lead to soil sterility. In time, with the addition of organic matter as a food source, these organisms will recover. Green Sense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment provides a proven blend of beneficial organisms to give the soil a jump-start on the road to recovery.

• Application Rates
  General: Mix 3 to 6 ounces (6 to 12 tablespoons) to a gallon of water. May be used alone or mixed with a water-soluble fertilizer. If Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment is to be mixed with a liquid fertilizer, dilute with an equal amount of water prior to mixing. For optimum results we recommend you use our Microbial Treatment hose end sprayer and follow application rates listed below. If other sprayers are used, set dial to 3 to 6 ounces per gallon or a minimum of a 20:1 ratio. Spray over entire area. Do not apply in direct sun or during the heat of the day.
• Specific Application Rates
  Flowers: 1 to 4 ounces per gallon of water. Apply evenly.
  Vegetables: 1 ounce per gallon of water. Apply evenly.
  Indoor plants: 1 to 2 ounces per gallon of water. Apply to soil with watering pail.
  Outdoor plants: 2 to 4 ounces per gallon of water. Apply to soil with watering pail.
  Newly seeded lawns: 3 to 6 ounces per gallon of water.
  Pre-planting, repotting and transplanting: 2 to 4 ounces per gallon of water. Moisten roots and/or root ball and surrounding soil.
• Coverage
  Lawns: A one quart bottle of product covers 4,000 square feet. The 2.5 gallon size container will cover one acre.
  Trees and shrubs: A one quart bottle of product covers 6,000 square feet.

For Improved Results: the application of Green Sense Humate along with a food source, such as Green Sense Lawn & Garden Fertilizer, Dry Molasses or a quality compost will dramatically improve the results obtained from this product. Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment is a complete liquid soil inoculant consisting of a comprehensive blend of beneficial microorganisms, genera, species, and strains that work together to improve the overall soil health. The misuse of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides has resulted in soils that are nearly lifeless. Green Sense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment re-introduces the microorganisms that are the key to soil health. When used in combination with a food source such as Green Sense Lawn & Garden Fertilizer, dry molasses or compost and Humate, your soil will be on its way to a full recovery.

Green Sense Foliar Juice (compare to ‘Garrett Juice’)

A pre-mixed concentrate that provides the ideal blend of nutrients, minerals and trace elements plants need. Contains apple cider vinegar, Epsom salts, kelp, manure tea and molasses. At an application rate of only 3 tablespoons per gallon of water, Green Sense Foliar Spray is economical to use. Apply every two to three weeks during the growing season. Do not spray in direct sunlight or during the heat of the day.

This product is great for newly planted material. Liberal applications onto the foliage will allow plants to faster establish themselves since the leaves will be able to intake nutrients that the roots may not yet be able to absorb.

Green Sense Fish Solubles

Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons per gallon of water for foliar feeding. To aid in the repression of fungus, add 1/2 ounce of apple cider vinegar to the above mixture. 1 ounce of Green Sense Blackstrap Molasses may be added as an aid to adhesion. Apply every two to three weeks during the growing season. Do not apply in direct sunlight or during the heat of the day. Concentrated fish emulsion with trace elements. Note: This product is a concentrate. A little goes a long way. Quarts and gallons.

Green Sense Kelp

Harvested from the cold Northern Atlantic waters this extract is processed to retain valuable nutrients and growth hormones. Green Sense Kelp contains Ascophyllum Nodosum, which is known to increase flowering and fruit production, protect against extreme cold and heat stress, accelerate growth and intensify coloration.

Mix 1 tablespoon of kelp to a gallon of water and apply to any plant. Foliar feeding is recommended throughout the plant’s life.

Green Sense Lava Sand

A paramagnetic by-product of volcanic eruption, lava sand helps to loosen tight clay soils and is an excellent source of minerals and trace elements with excellent moisture retention properties. 40 pound bag.

Green Sense Texas Green Sand

A mineral supplement that is also a good source of iron (20%) and other trace elements. Use as a soil additive on lawns, beds and potted plants at the rate of 40 pounds per 1000 square feet. 40 pound bag.

Alkaline soils: 40 pounds per 1000 square feet of bed area annually.
Neutral pH to acid soils: 10-20 pounds per 1000 square feet annually.
Potting soil: Add 5% to 10% Greensand in potting soil mixes.

Directions for Use
New beds: Apply to the surface of the soil at above rate with a spreader or by hand. If possible, work into the soil to a depth of 3 to six inches.

Individual plants: dust lightly out to the drip line of existing plants.

Green Sense Earthworm Castings

Earthworm castings, the excreta of earthworms are an excellent organic fertilizer. It contains beneficial microorganisms, macro and micronutrients, many trace elements and the eggs of earthworms. 15 and 30 pound bags.

New beds: Apply to the surface of the soil at above rate with a spreader or by hand. If possible, work into the soil to a depth of 3 to 6 inches. Water in thoroughly.

Houseplants: Work a small amount into the surface of the potting soil under the plant. Water in thoroughly.

Transplants: With smaller transplants, place the worm castings in the bottom of the planting hole. Work into backfill material in larger transplants. Water in thoroughly.

Green Sense Cottonseed Meal

Azaleas and Camellias particularly benefit from the application of cottonseed meal. It is a balanced fertilizer with an acid pH and is a good source of nitrogen.

Existing plants: Apply to surface of soil from the stem to just beyond the drip line of the plant at the above rate. Water in thoroughly. Apply monthly during growing season.

New beds: Apply to soil surface at above rate with a spreader or by hand. Work into the soil to a depth of 3 to 6 inches. Re-apply as a surface application once or twice during the growing season. Water in thoroughly. 20-30 pounds per 1000 square feet. 5 and 50 pound bags.

Green Sense Potting Soil

Use straight as a planting mix for potted plants. A complete potting mix, formulated to provide superior drainage and the living environment required to sustain healthy plants. A blend of peat moss, pecan shells, cottonseed meal, earthworm castings, dry molasses, lava sand, rock phosphate and vermiculite. 20 and 40 pound bags.

Green Sense White Vinegar – 8%

In 20% strength, white vinegar applied liberally to both sides of the leaves of undesirable plants causes them to wither and die. Household white vinegars are usually in a 3% to 5% solution, not strong enough to use in weed control. A very effective herbicide when used straight. Saturate the leaves of individual plants, on both sides if possible. Vinegar will be more effective if applied on a warm, sunny day. Unlike 20% vinegar, which burns the foliage, 8% vinegar translocates to the roots killing the entire plant. It does take more time to see the results. 1 tablespoon of liquid molasses can be added as an adhesion agent. 2 ounces of citrus oil can be added as an additional killing agent.

Green Sense Diatomaceous Earth

These are the fossilized skeletons of tiny aquatic organisms. When untreated, the razor sharp edges of this mined product scratch the exoskeletons of hard bodied insects, making them susceptible to fatal attack from natural organisms in the soil. DE is a mined product, which is the fossilized skeletons of diatoms; tiny aquatic organisms. Unlike the DE used in swimming pool filters, horticultural DE is untreated, preserving the razor sharp edges that lacerate the exoskeletons of insects, exposing them to attack from predatory microorganisms. DE is particularly effective on fleas, ticks, pill bugs and ants. DE is non-selective so use sparingly. It is most effective when applied over lawn and/or bed areas with a manual or electrostatic dusting machine. It can cause lung problems if inhaled, so use a dust mask. Apply at the rate of 1 pound per 500 square feet. As an additive in animal food add 1% to 2% of food volume or sprinkle over food like heavy salt. 1, 5, 10 and 50 pound bags.

When using outdoors make sure that the D.E. stays dry for as long as possible. If it does become wet, it will become effective once it dries.

Hints for a Successful Vegetable Garden

I am by no means an expert in anything, much less vegetable gardens. Being around Karen, Sally and Kathy has helped increase my knowledge. However, I still refer many questions to these more knowledgeable coworkers. Learning through osmosis, just absorbing their answers has given me hope that the following may help you become better growers than I.

SELECT A SUNNY, WELL-DRAINED LOCATION

This may mean that you have to grow your vegetables in pots and move them around as the sun moves towards the north. This also helps control diseases by allowing better air circulation and visual plant inspection for insect damage.

Selecting a sunny, well-drained location may result in spot planting in between your landscape such as perennials or annual flowers. Peppers, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, bush zucchini and bush cucumber work well as do many herbs.

IMPROVE THE SOIL ENVIRONMENT

Adding compost to any soil will help. In sandy soils compost will help retain moisture. In clay soils compost will allow for water displacement and root growth. In some case raised rows may be necessary to allow root growth above a shallow water table. It is very important to help establish healthy roots to support the plants growth.

SPACE PLANTS TO ALLOW AIR CIRCULATION

Potted plants should be spaced far enough away from each other or from structures that may block wind flow to minimize diseases such as powdery mildew by allowing plants leaves to dry faster. Area of high humidity will benefit from fewer plants and more air. This leads to plant thinning. Many times customers will empty a seed pack that contains 100 seeds on to a 100 inch row. Peppers for example: One of our best selling seeds and vegetables seem to be peppers. Is it because of the attractive colors that result from theses capsicums or is it because we are learning the dietary benefits these plants offer as well as the way they spice up our foods? At any rate most peppers should be planted 24 to 30 inches apart. Thinning or removing the weakest plants will allow better results from the strongest plants.

CONTROL FOR INSECTS

Proper spacing allows for visual inspection and early detection of pests that attack our vegetables. There are great organic controls such as insect predators as well as products that contain oils extracted from neem, sesame, cottonseed, pyrethrin rosemary, garlic and other botanicals as well as insecticidal soaps, and B.T products. These can be used up to the day of harvest.

CONTROL FOR DISEASE

Almost all vegetables are prone to leaf spot and mildew. Proper air circulation is the best preventative. If you can, pick and discard diseased foliage. If the disease takes over the plant discard the plant before it spreads to others. Mulching will also help discourage some insects from moving into and around the garden since it creates an uneven terrain that is difficult to traverse.

CONTROL WEEDS

Mulching will help prevent weeds, but do not allow weeds to flower. Remember that you have invested a lot of money in preparing the beds to allow seed germination and good root growth. WHAT do you think is going to happen with the weed seeds in that rich soil?

Hoeing, pulling, vinegar treatments or whatever method you choose will be better achieved if started early on.

On a Personal Note

I appreciate the emails, phone calls and questions from my customers and friends concerned about my recent absence from the store.

At the beginning of the last article that you read, yep the one just above this, I confessed that I was not an expert at anything. Marriage is another one of those anything’s.

After twenty-four years of marriage, Sandra and I decided that we should go our separate ways. On October 4^th, our divorce was finalized. On October 31^st, we closed on our house. On that same day I thought that I was having a heart attack. I could barely breathe; my chest felt tight and was getting tighter by the minute. After several hours of repose and realizing that I was not getting any better I decided to consult with my physician.

After arriving at the doctor’s office and explaining my symptoms, I was escorted into a room where a nurse quickly took my blood pressure and measured my heart rate. She quickly left the office and came back with my doctor.

After he took my vitals he recommended that I go to the ER. I refused. I was at the doctor’s office because I do not like the long waits in the ER. He told me that the ER had the necessary equipment to rule out a heart attack and to help me if I had one while there.

After a few minutes of back and forth questions and answers, I told the doctor about my divorce and the pending closing on our house scheduled for later that afternoon. I told the doctor that during the last week we had an estate sale and the furniture in the room that I was staying in had sold. I had finally been forced to leave the house and my family.

The doctor determined that more than likely I was having an anxiety attack, but he warned me that anxiety attacks could lead to heart attacks. He left the room to make some calls. Even though it was a Friday afternoon, he was able to find a cardiologist in the same building who was able to see me immediately. After some tests on the treadmill, it was determined that I was not having a heart attack and that with time my heart pains would disappear.

One of the kindest acts of friendship and love that anyone has ever demonstrated towards me came from a friend who I have known for almost 50 years. Jim Hutcheson and his wife, Sarah, invited me to move in with them. They have a spacious home and an extra room to offer me. Having a place to come home to every day, with friends to help me through the sad transition of family man to single guy soothed my feelings. Invitations to join them in family dinners and outings made me feel comfortable and at ease.

At this writing it has been almost six months since my divorce and separation from my kids. The first two weeks were the hardest and even though my daughter still does not return my calls or text messages, I have felt some great changes in my life.

The best for now is that my son, Victor, is working with me and seems to like what he is doing and the responsibilities that I have entrusted him with. I get to see him almost every day and lunch with him at least twice a week.

As a lot of you know I have always had a passion for travel. With the slowdown in business due to winter cycles, the slowdown in our economy and following my doctor’s orders to take some time off from work to concentrate on things that will keep me from thinking about my family, things that will make me feel good about myself, I decided to travel.

And I did. I have been on a total of six trips between November and March. My first trip was back to Peru where I attended my high school class reunion. After thirty-five years I reunited with classmates, some of whom I had lost contact with and some of the teachers that helped me get ready for adulthood, all now friends who I hoped would help keep me busy during the first few weeks after my divorce.

While in Lima I met Jose Antonio Rohde, my brother Fernando’s oldest son. He is a charming young man who has recently married and is now the proud father of my first grand-niece. We spent several evenings together with him asking me questions about the father he never knew. His mother and Fernando divorced when he was only six months old. Fernando left Peru for other destinations, including a short stay in the US.

Jose Luis is a producer of a weekly series of documentaries. Many of my class mates asked if I was related to Jose Antonio and commented favorably on his program.

In December I went to Telluride for the Christmas holiday. Jim, Sarah and their son Nathan invited me to stay with them in their beautiful house with views of the Rocky Mountains. It would be my first Christmas without my family and their first Christmas since the death of their second son Warren. Warren died on New Years day 2008 as he and two friends were on their way to Telluride.

They tried their hardest to continue their family Holiday traditions and in a way I was able to help. Every Christmas Eve the family would play Scrabble and as a new member of the family we played for hours. I had a great time despite all the cheating that went on. Words were invented to help win points. It was no wonder that I lost. I would never cheat.

I also visited L.A. where I met Rosemary, Fernando’s daughter. When Fernando lived in the US he was married for a short while to a girl from Lima that he met while in Miami. The results from their brief marriage was a beautiful daughter. Rosemary knew her father for the first two years of her life. Fernando, the wanderlust that he was, went back to Peru. We both had so many questions about our lives that we did not talk that much about Fernando. We promised to spend time dedicated to Fernando’s life upon our next visit.

Rosemary has a very strong, hard working mother who single handedly raised her. Making sure that education was a high priority on her list of achievements. Rosemary will graduate from Cal Tech with a Masters degree in In vitro Chemistry this spring she has two promising job offers that will allow her to continue research as well as becoming a partner for an up and coming business venture. I hope to go back to L.A. to attend her graduation ceremony.

In March I went with the Hutcheson’s to Palm Beach, where Jim was asked to speak at a fundraiser for Caron Treatment Centers. Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, at his Mar A Lago property, hosted this function.

We went in a private jet and were met at the airport by a limousine service. Nathan and I shared a room at The Colony Hotel located in downtown Palm Beach. There was nothing really spectacular about our first night in Palm Beach, so I won’t bore you with details about nothing.

Early on Friday morning Nathan and I went to Mar A Lago. WOW!!!

To enter the estate you drive down a long palm tree covered driveway. Looking out the left side of the car you see a beautifully manicured croquet field surrounded by a beautiful landscape, full of vibrant colors that one does not see during the cold Dallas winters.

As we approach the entrance you wonder at the beautiful palace in front of you and how one woman, Marjorie Merriweather Post, dedicated much of her time to create such a place. The amount of money that it would cost today to replicate such a structure is unimaginable.

I dragged Sarah with me to discover the nooks and crannies, the long corridors that led to guest rooms. We saw oil paintings, statues, candelabras, wood etchings, carved stone walls, mosaics, tapestries and so many details that were detailed in so many ways that I would have to go into great detail to explain the details. So much to detail so little time.

And then we saw a tree growing out of a gutter. Ha! With all the beauty, with all the staff available, I felt vindicated for not making my bed every morning.

As we walked around the lower level inspecting the landscape and the passageways that led between buildings we let our eyes follow the landscape. One particular plant made us look upward. And then we saw a tree growing out of the gutter. Proof that nobody or no property is manicured to perfection.

Despite the tree I was not about to end my tour or let one blight ruin my one-day stay at such a magnificent location. As I walked around the estate I questioned my good fortune.

I did not ask for the luxuries I have received since my divorce. A large room to call my own, in a large beautiful home, in one the most prestigious neighborhoods in Dallas. Trips on private jets, three total since my divorce, chauffeured rides to and from airports. Stays in beautiful hotels, dinners in 5 star restaurants… Why?

I will never know.

Later that night Jim’s brother Henry (some of you may remember him from my South Africa trip in November of 2007) and I sat at a table listening as Jim gave a speech that caught the attention of the more then 500 guests in attendance at the fundraiser. Jim spoke about the death of his youngest son in a tragic car accident and the care and response given to the remaining son Nathan by the counselors and staff at Caron and his yearlong sobriety. During pauses in his speech, pauses to catch his breath, to hold back tears not a sound was heard. Several times I looked around and saw 1000 eyes directed at the podium. And then, at the end as people started to clap you could hear the chairs being pushed backwards as Mr. Trump and then his wife stood up clapping, followed quickly by all present.

After all Sarah and Jim have done for me, I too raised to clap to help Jim enjoy the moment. And while we all stood he motioned his son to the podium. The proud father beamed with pride as his young son, who has now dedicated his life to helping others through the debilitating effects of substance abuse, made his way to his side. The applause got louder. The smile on Jim’s face got larger.

A few minutes passed and all sat down to wait for dessert to be served. From my vantage point at the end of the table I saw Mr. Trump get up from his table, he pulled his wife’s chair slightly backward and offered her his arm. They both walked towards our table.

Sitting next to Nathan I was surprised when he stopped next to me. I quickly rose. Nathan followed. “Nathan, would you introduce me to your father?”

Together they walked to where Jim and Sarah sat at the middle of the table. Nathan tapped the shoulder of his mother who turned around greeting her son with the always-large smile. “Mom, Dad, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Trump.”

I could not hear everything that was said, but being who I am, very curious, I sneaked my way closer to the group in time to hear Mr. Trump offer a $25,000 dollar donation in Nathan and Warren’s name to Caron Treatment Centers. They then hurded me backwards as they walked towards a clearing for a family photo with Mr. and Mrs. Trump was to be taken.

At the end of Jim’s speech he gave thanks to several of the attending guest for the help that they had offered to Nathan, Sarah and himself during the first year after the tragic death of his son. “I would also like to give a special thanks to my brothers Henry and Greg for all the support and love given during the most difficult time of my life.”

Wellllll! How about that! I was honored. I had never in my life been given what I consider a tribute for whatever little bit I do. I know that I am not an expert in anything, much less helping friends through grief, but somehow it seems that I have and I am very proud of the acknowledgement that I received.

So proud to be called a brother that I took that title over to Mr. Trump. “Excuse me sir, you just had a photo taken with my brother, could I have my photo taken too?

A big smile came across his face. “Sure. I would be honored.”

“Can I stand next to your wife?”

The smile disappeared. “No! You will stand right here,” he said as he gestured with his right hand, his left arm pulling his beautiful wife nearer to him, protecting her. From me?

As the photo was taken, I wondered why is it me that is receiving the charmed life?

I will never know.