Don't Mess With Mother Nature

The Perfect Design

Whether you believe in God or evolution, you likely believe in the miracle of life and that the body is perfectly created or evolved.  Unfortunately, many people in this country do not realize the male foreskin is not the exception to this perfection and mistakenly think it is better to have the most sensitive part of their son's body painfully ripped and sliced away.  However, it is not "just a useless flap of skin," which is why all mammals have a prepuce.  As with any perfect design, you cannot change form without altering function.

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."  -- Genesis 1:27, 31

"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." -- Psalm 139:13-14

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased." -- 1 Corinthians 12:18 

"Natural selection will never produce in a being anything injurious to itself, for natural selection acts solely by and for the good of each.  No organ will be formed, as Paley has remarked, for the purpose of causing pain or for doing an injury to its possessor." -- Charles Darwin

What does this have to do with gardening?  Mother Nature repeats Herself, and as I work in the garden, I see many ways in which She similarly creates and protects Her creation and interference destroys Her perfect design.  Even most non-gardeners realize natural and organic products are superior to those altered or polluted by man (in reality, natural is the standard and less is inferior). To believe in the wonders of the Universe or the miracle of life, yet at the same time think every human male is born "defective" or that the foreskin is "useless" does not make sense.  To think that the foreskin can be amputated without negative consequences is ignorant.

The Beautiful Rosebud

I have read of circumcisers comparing the freshly circumcised infant penis to a "beautiful little rosebud."  I have made a similar comparison myself of the natural penis, but there is none of a rose's beauty in a raw, wounded organ.  We have all admired a beautiful, perfectly formed rose bud.  Never would we rush to open the calyx of a rose in order to expose the bud.  We know the calyx protects the developing rose, so we allow the bud to gently unfold and mature in its own due time.  To cut or forcefully open the rose would destroy its beauty.  It still would mature, be able to pollinate and form a hip, which to the rose bush itself, is the only goal.  In fact, breeders who are not concerned with the beauty of the individual flower do a form of this, but most people would agree that to do so routinely would be mutilation.  A mutilated penis (NSFW) is also usually able to gain some enjoyment and procreate, but like seeing in black and white, the full spectrum of beauty that Nature intended is lost.

The same perfect design on a daffodil.

The flower buds of Canadian ginger and rhubarb.

Nature reveals Its creation only when the time is right.
(Click images to enlarge and reveal detail.)

The Protective Seed Hull

Having grown many plants from seed, I have observed that on seedlings, some hulls take longer to drop away than others.  Trying to help the seedlings, a number of times I tried to remove the hull.  The lesson learned?  Some seedlings take a little longer to develop and need the hull to provide protection and perhaps further nutrients, but they are still perfectly normal.  If I do not remove the hull, occasionally the seedling never advances and eventually wilts away.  If I do remove the hull, even if it is still barely attached, the seedling is damaged and usually does not survive.  Even if a baby boy does not die from circumcision (in the U.S., over 117 boys a year die from circumcision), when a functioning part is amputated, the body is damaged.  In early life, the foreskin is fused to the glans (head of the penis) in the same way a fingernail is fused to the finger, and forcefully retracting it causes damage.  This is why some natural ("uncircumcised") males have problems and are circumcised later in life.  In other cultures (the majority of the world does not circumcise), the foreskin is left alone, and problems are virtually unheard of even in old age.  Like the seedling, the boy himself knows when the time is right to retract his own foreskin.  (There are rare cases of phimosis, but this can only be diagnosed after puberty and can be treated without cutting.)

The Emerging Hosta

Walking through the yard, I noticed that hostas emerge very phallic like.  As I looked closer, I realized the comparison was even more than I first observed. To protect the hosta as it pushes through the soil, it is covered in a sort of protective sheath.  As the hosta grows out of the sheath, the more mature outer leaves continue to encapsulate and protect the delicate, still forming inner leaves from a late frost or a few nibbles from a hungry critter.  As the outer, sometimes slightly damaged leaves unfold, the fresh inner leaves reveal their beauty.  It would not make sense to remove the sheath or outer leaves early to "protect" the plant.  Just like those outer leaves, the foreskin protects the penis from frostbite, zippers and even the wear and tear of daily life which causes desensitizing keratinization (NSFW) on an unprotected glans.  As the foreskin is studied, even more ways in which it protects and serves are being discovered.  The major difference between the foreskin and those outer leaves on the hosta is well stated in this quote, "The foreskin is not the wrapper, it's the candy."

More hostas emerging.

A peony emerging from the soil, then from the protection of its sheath.

The protective sheaths of emerging lily of the valley, baptisia and Solomon's seal.  One can observe this again and again throughout Nature.  If plants and animals are designed or evolved so perfectly, why would the human male be any less?

Nature and Hygiene

One of the most often used excuses for amputating the foreskin is hygiene. While soap and running water are no doubt a benefit to humanity, there are still valuable lessons to be learned about hygiene from Nature.  Animals do not use soap and water to bath as humans do, yet I have never heard of one getting an infection of the foreskin or needing to be circumcised.  But then, people do not tend to tamper with animal foreskins to create those problems.

Females produce smegma, too, yet despite all the products sold to "prevent odor," few advocate genital cutting to promote female hygiene.  Though it is more difficult for a female to get to all of her folds and crevices than a male to retract his foreskin, she is entrusted to do so.  People should not insult their sons by assuming they will grow up to be incompetent slobs.  Of course, any part from teeth to toes are "easier to clean" if removed, but to quote Craig Ferguson, who is intact, "You can have this chopped off or you can wash it ... That's a tough choice there, doctor." Amputation is not hygiene and everyone needs to wash, cut or not.

Natural vs. Circumcised

I ask that you view the comparative photos in the following links ... Keratinization and Circumcision Status (NSFW) and Introduction to the natural, intact penis (NSFW).  If you hear the thousands of words these pictures speak, you will agree there is good reason intactivists consider circumcision genital mutilation.  Perhaps in the natural, you will even see the similarity of a rose bud in its perfect form.

Planting the Seeds of Change

I was about ten years old when I first learned of circumcision.  The first thought to come into my non-indoctrinated mind and out of my mouth was, "What if he doesn't want to be circumcised?  It's his body and it can't be undone."  I knew nothing of the pain or loss, only that it was not necessary and that it was wrong to cut other people's body parts off.  That was enough for me to decide then and there that if I ever had sons, they would not be circumcised.

It is only through questioning that we can see where there is fallacy in long held beliefs and create change.  When it comes to circumcision, frequently questions and change are met by mockery and anger.  The person who says, "Baby boys are born perfect.  Love them enough to keep them that way." is considered crazy, penis obsessed, and even perverted while the person who says, "Baby boys are born ugly, dirty and unhealthy.  You should amputate the most sensitive part of their manhood before they can refuse." is considered normal, sane and their motives are never questioned.  How backwards is that?!  Our boys and men deserve better!  I ask that you challenge any beliefs you may hold regarding circumcision with the following questions.

• The same "health benefits" and ridiculous excuses are given to promote both male and female circumcision.  Insurance companies even covered female circumcision in the U.S. until the 1970s.  Since 1997, all forms of female circumcision performed on a minor have been banned by U.S. law; this includes even a symbolic pinprick of the clitoral hood (female foreskin) for religious reasons.  The 14th Amendment grants equal protection, so why do males not receive it?
• For what other normal, healthy body part would we think amputation was a parental right for any reason?
• What other unnecessary cosmetic surgery, trauma or abuse would we allow upon a child because he could not say "no" and "won't remember" the event?
• Would we consider it acceptable to amputate the foreskin of an adult without his consent?
• Why does the adult that the circumcised child will grow into not deserve the same right to his foreskin?
• Why do anatomy books and charts in the U.S. show the penis sans foreskin as though that is the natural state?
• Why are U.S. doctors and nurses taught to amputate the foreskin rather than of its functions and how to preserve it?
• For what other body part is amputation promoted as "cleaner," "preventative medicine" or a "cure" rather than washing and treating as needed?
• We do not refer to other body parts as "unamputated" (e.g. unmastectomized, undecapitated), so why is a man with his whole penis referred to as "uncircumcised," as though a surgically altered penis is natural?
• What other amputation, especially upon a helpless child, are "jokes" not only acceptable, but common about?
• What other body part would it be acceptable to ridicule or scorn a person for having?
• Why are the feelings of men who feel violated by circumcision swept aside rather than acknowledged as they would be for any other amputation, especially if performed needlessly without the owner's permission?
• If a society has a perverted view of a normal, healthy body part, is it not the society that needs to be changed rather than forcibly amputating the body part from the society's most vulnerable members?
• Why so many double standards, all against the human male foreskin?

Basic Human Rights

This is about human rights.  No medical organization in the world recommends routine infant circumcision; it is medically unnecessary.  Circumcision is a personal choice.  Sadly, some confuse a personal choice with a parental decision, which is not the same thing.  When the parental decision is to circumcise, the right of personal choice is stolen from the only person whose opinion matters, the person who has to live with the decision, the person himself.  This violation is something that even the most violent criminal is protected from.  His body, his choice.

"When You Know Better, You Do Better."

-- Maya Angelou

I am not judging anyone who had their son(s) circumcised because they did not know any better. Since the late 1800's when it was promoted in the U.S. to prevent masturbation, circumcision has been a "cure" searching for a disease, and whatever the scare of the era, it was said to prevent.  There is still a lot of misinformation promoting circumcision that is spread as fact, even by those who should know better.  It takes a very strong person to admit they have made a mistake and a very strong man to admit he has been harmed.  I have the utmost respect for those who have done just that and have chosen to protect their sons rather than continue a painful cycle.

Circumcision ...

The more you know, the more you're against it!

Resource links ...

Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
Beyond the Bris
Bonobo3D
Boys Deserve Better
Catholics Against Circumcision
CIRCINFO
CircLeaks
Circumcision Harm
Circumcision Information and Resource Pages
Circumcision Resource Center
Circumcision Wisdom
Circumstitions
Doctors Opposing Circumcision
DrMomma - Peaceful Parenting
End Routine Infant Circumcision
Global Survey of Circumcision Harm
In Memory of the Sexually Mutilated Child
Intact America
Intact Network
Intact News
Intactivist Pages
Internation Coalition for Genital Integrity
Involuntary Foreskinectomy Awareness
Jewish Circumcision Resource Center
Jews Against Circumcision
Lucky Stiff
Men Do Complain
Mothers Against Circumcision
MGM Bill
Moralogous
New Foreskin (foreskin restoration)
National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers
NOCIRC-PA
National Organization of Restoring Men
NORM: New England (NSFW)
National Organization to Halt Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males
Not Just Skin
Nurses for the Rights of the Child
Question Circumcision
Rape of Innocence
Restoring Foreskin
Restoring Tally
Saving Babies
Saving Sons
Secret Penis
Sex As Nature Intended It
SICSOCIETY
TLC Tugger (foreskin restoration)
The Whole Network

Oh, Those Mums

They are a staple of the fall garden, but given the opportunity, Chrysanthemums would bloom earlier in the garden. Some gardeners religiously pinch them back, removing all buds through the early summer in order to keep them from blooming before the desired time. Another advantage of pinching them back is to control their size and prevent them from flopping under their own weight later in the season.

As many garden tasks as I have, I do not have time for pinching them back. Towards the end of June or first of July, I cut them back to about six inches. They look a bit sad for awhile and other garden plants are useful in camouflaging that, but soon they grow out of it.  By the time they are intended to bloom, you would never know they had been so "abused" just a few months earlier.

Mums are one of the easiest plants to propagate, too.  If you want more plants, when you cut them back, simply stick the cuttings in soil and keep them watered.  Soon you will have a whole crop of them.  I learned this by accident a few years ago when I was potting some up and tossed the scraps aside. Even in poor soil and a fair amount of shade, they quickly began to grow!

Some have the problem of mums dying over the winter.  Typically the problem is that mums planted in the fall do not have a chance to get established before winter.  Ideally mums should be planted much earlier in the season, but usually they are more available in the fall. Marketers know that pots full of blooming flowers so late in the year are irresistible to someone looking for quick fall decorations.  If they are planted this late, mulching may help. They are also more apt to survive the winter if not cut back until spring.

I have rescued mums and successfully overwintered them in the garage or a sheltered area until I could plant them in the spring.  I do water them if they are not getting rain and snow for moisture.  I recently noticed that though I have only bought a couple of mums in my life, I have gathered quite a collection of them this way.  One benefit of various mums is an extended bloom time, as they bloom at different times.

Insects of all sorts are attracted to mums.  Jim said amber is especially attractive to bees and wasps and that they would swarm around the lights on the utility vehicles he worked on.  That seems to be the case with mums, too.  There have been a lot of honey bees visiting this one for sure.  They are always a welcome sight since pesticides and disease have killed so many of them.

For those who like something a little more exotic, there are mums for you, too.  The last two mums pictured are a spider mum (I believe the cultivar is 'Lava') and a quill mum that I got at the end of a mum show at the botanical garden I used to work at.  Though not all show mums are winter hardy, these have survived for several years in my garden.

To browse mums that you will not find at your local garden store, go to www.kingsmums.com.

The Fall Pond

As with all gardens (and gardeners), my pond and surrounding garden have evolved with time.  By chance that makes perfect sense, it has become somewhat of a wildlife or native garden.  I can only do so much amending of the soil surrounding the pond before the sides or rocks lose support or excess nutrients wash in.  Obviously the plants that do the best in our native clay soil are native plants.  During my garden makeover last year, I decided the pond garden would be a good area to display my collections of such plants as Echinacea, Eupatorium, Liatris and Solidago. The combination of native plants and water attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife year round.

The sound of water falling is not only attractive to people, but also to wildlife.  For me, the waterfall has also been one of the hardest parts to get "perfect."  Therefore every couple of years I find myself tweaking it.  I always prefer to do this in the fall, after the plants are dying back, and then I do not have to worry so much about them.  It can take awhile to find areas where the water is misdirected out of the pond and can get frustrating at times.  This year I had the privilege of sitting back and watching my dearie, Jim, put his ideas into the arrangement.  He calls it "Swedish ingenuity," I call it "Scorp ingenuity."  I do not know which it is, or maybe a combination of both, but he is good and the sound has never carried so far.

Waterfall after Jim rearranged some of the rocks.

I do not generally feed my fish a lot because there are lots of insects and algae for them to eat while the weather is warm.  Between people giving me unwanted fish and them multiplying amongst themselves, I have more than I should for the size of the pond and the balance could easily get off by overfeeding.  Anyone who has a pond knows how easy it is for the balance to get off and string algae to take over.  In preparation for their winter hibernation, I do feed them more often in the fall and add extra bacteria for control of sludge and algae.

Fish enjoying a fall feast.

Most pond experts will tell you not to just add water to the pond because the waste gets condensed, but to dip some of the existing water out first.  To save time, I typically just run the pond over some when I add water to it and the surrounding plants can feed on the fish waste, nutrient rich water.  It is excellent for watering plants with.

Since this pond is as much for the wildlife as it is for me, and I do leave the fish in it, I leave it running year round.  That way, in the cold of winter, the birds can still get a drink and a bath whenever they would like to.  To make this possible, when the pond starts to freeze over, I put in a heater.  I suppose there are expensive pond heaters you can buy.  Anything specially marked "pond" is usually overpriced though, so I got a heater for horse and cattle water at a local farm supply store and it works perfectly.

As an added bonus to heating the pond, I do not have to remove my water lilies and find a place to store (aka slowly kill) them over the winter.  As the weather cools, the mature foliage dies back.  The roots and smaller, still underwater leaves live on in a dormant state.  When the weather warms in spring, they are ready to take off.

Water lilies take on their fall color.

As leaves continue to fall, they will need to be dipped out of the pond.  Through the winter the pump filter will still need to be cleaned and water added from time to time.  Otherwise it is good to go until spring.