Glen Brammell

The giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has put a dent in the local economy. Thousands of people who live in the gulf area were put out of work and have been suffering financially. Now that the spill is over, there are still lingering effects. The seafood industry is having trouble rebounding.

People around the country are concerned about the safety of fish and shrimp that are caught in the gulf. Now those fishermen have been allowed to start fishing again, they are having trouble selling the catch. I will do my part and make sure that I order fish and shrimp from the gulf.

One item that is in the news around our neck of the woods is health and safety of our Chesapeake Bay waters. It seems as though two groups of people have different ideas as to how to keep it clean. One group that includes the environmental protection agency wants to enforce an even stricter ban on pollution by setting a so-called “pollution diet” standard.

Another group wants to keep things how they are. They say the bay is cleaner than ever and that new regulations will cost too many jobs. For now, the two sides are expressing their points and a resolution should soon be found. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

I have never understood why people pay for bottled water. That is of course until I learned that it is a big seller in Mexico. I have always heard that when you go to Mexico, don’t drink the water. It seems that Mexicans are taking their own advice and are buying bottled water in record numbers.

The water infrastructure in Mexico is in serious disrepair. Due to natural factors as well as a 1985 earthquake, the water system is in shambles. Mexicans believe that the water they drink is unsafe. The Mexican government disputes the charges and says that water quality has improved over the years. I guess only time will tell!

The weather has been wonderful lately and we are taking full advantage of it. We have been spending a lot of time out in the yard getting it into shape. Our garden area has received most of the attention so far, but we have also been concentrating on the recreational portion we have started. We were thinking how nice it would be to have an arbor as the centerpiece of the area.

Both my wife and I like the idea of using arbors to anchor the part of the yard we plan to spend the most time in. We want to have a place to eat as well as just relax. We were hoping to find one of those wooden arbors that vines love to climb on and cover. We think it would be so cool to eat under the protection that Mother Nature provides. I know the kids would like it too.

We first got the idea after purchasing some garden arbors for our garden plants. The plants love it and are doing well. They are producing fruit and look great. They look so happy that they are able to climb up to get the best light. We are excited about the whole idea and are planning to add more of them to our yard very soon.