Phrases I'm Thinking of Copyrighting/Trademarking

Since, apparently, anyone can copyright/trademark anything and claim it as their own, unique intellectual property, I'm considering some of the phrases that we use around my homestead.  Some interesting phrases that I think we've used in new and unique ways include:

"Mophead Barbie"...used in reference to me on those mornings that I really don't feel like straightening my hair. 

"Flood the Duck"...a phrase used in my family to tell someone they really did a great job.  As in "Wow Mara!  You really flooded the duck!"

"Gray Water"...Isaac's term for diarrhea.

"Green Apple Splatters"...more potty talk.

"Daddy/Jeff Spent Some Time At Lucasville"...used in conjunction with stories from my husband's time in the National Guard.  Also what we've taught Isaac to say to bullies.  And how I introduced my husband to my dad.  If you're not familiar with Lucasville, it's a federal penetentiary located an hour south of us, setting for the 1992 Lucasville Prison riots.  (Jeff wasn't in prison...his unit was sent in to break up the riots...but we generally let people wonder about that.)

"Set Up The Blue Barrel"...our phrase for target practice.  We set up an old blue water barrel in the lane between the fruit trees and do our target shooting during warm weather.

"Bob-Next-Door"...an attempt to keep straight all the "Bobs" in our lives...as opposed to Grandbob and Ann's Bob.

"Black Market Moo"...raw milk.

"Lose the Fluff"...friendly, non-threatening term for losing the baby/winter weight.

"Chicky-Bits"...Mara's toddler speak for baby chickens. 

"Uncle No-Neck"...term of affection for Jeff, from back in the day when he was all muscle and no neck.

"Immature Poultry-Acceleration: A Family Unit's Experiences in Agro-Intensive Personal Land Holdings on Conical Erosion Remnants"  Chicky-Bit Run; One Family's Adventures, Homesteading on the Knobs.

Care to share some of your family's unique intellectual property? 


   

Forever and a Day

Appropriate title, eh? That's about how long it's been since I've blogged. I haven't given up blogging, but my focus is changing and I needed a couple weeks off for sanity purposes. My life has turned about 180 degrees in the past month and I needed time to regroup and figure out which direction I'm being lead.

So, my biggest announcement: the chickens are gone. Jeff and I decided that they were taking up too much time and sort of distracting us from our main goals: keeping our sanity and raising children. You wouldn't think that a few layers would take THAT much time, but it seemed like our lives revolved around the chicky-bits and their schedules. Okay, that and they absolutely wouldn't stay in their pen. When one begins pondering razor wire and electric fencing to keep a couple chickens in place, it's time to rethink things. It was a fantastic experience, and the knowledge and skills we've gained has been vast, but now it's time to move on. I will miss our chickens, especially our roo but we found a great home for them this weekend, so we can end this endeavour on a happy note.

Now that that's over, we'll continue to concentrate on our usual homesteading activities...heirloom gardening, food preservation, old-fashioned skills like bread baking, yogurt culturing and knitting...but I'll be approaching it with a peace and a serenity that I didn't have before. God changes everything. Salvation changes everything. And I can't pretend that things will proceed like before. I have hope now. I don't have to know all the answers or try to cover all the bases. I don't have to be afraid anymore. God is holding things together.

God willing, tomorrow I'll be posting about food preservation through the use of Foodsavers. Now that is a fun little tool! And if I remember to get my camera out of the back of the Jeep, there may even be pictures. So until then, best wishes from the Run.

Change of Pace

It's been a quiet week or so here on the Knobs as we all worked (still working) through our grief over losing Granny Magdalene. Her family, 3 sons, 1 daughter and husband Bob are all doing well. As sad an occasion as it was, it was wonderful to get to know my cousins better and meet a few I didn't know I had! It's a great comfort to know there are so many family members living close-by, seeing familiar faces and finding out that we're kin. Bob (Grandbob) made a date with Mara for this summer; cookies and frog-feeding in the little fish pond. We're slowly settling into a new type of normalcy.

On a happier note, we're having a big 4th birthday party this weekend! My little Tink is turning 4 with a Tinkerbell-themed birthday party at Mamaw and Papaw's house. It's nothing fancy really, some food, cake and ice cream, but it's a great way to break the pervasive sadness that we've been experiencing the past couple weeks. After all, you don't turn 4 everyday, right? Mara's cousin Roni is coming in from Akron, and cousin Olivia (Weba) will also be there, so it should be a fun time for all.

Jeff has started college again. He finished his 2 year degree and is now working on a Bachelor's at Wittenberg U. It's keeping him pretty busy as it's fairly writing-intensive, but he seems to really enjoy it. I'm thinking he needs to do a guest post for me about his class 'The Problems With Democracy'. 3 weeks in and it's already quite interesting. But we'll save that for another day.

On the preparedness front, we're still busy stocking up on food, especially grains and different varieties of canned food. I hate to buy canned food, with all their can-lining issues, but one simply cannot live on home-canned green beans, applesauce and tomatoes alone. With any luck, our little trees will begin producing this summer and we'll have a larger variety of fruits to put up. And speaking of summer....summer can't get here quickly enough for me! We just opened up our last jar of strawberry jam...and it will be gone long before strawberry season begins! Note to self: can twice as much strawberry jam and preserves in 2010.

We've been busy purging the basement here at the Run. Our church is doing a relief drive for the Haitian mission it supports, so we've been digging through outgrown children's clothes and shoes to donate. We'll also be donating a bit of canned meat, peanut butter and some baby formula the Gerber people keep sending me. (Hey Gerber people...my baby is 4 and never used formula! But you can keep sending it and I'll keep donating it!)

The children are the most hurtful part of the whole Haiti cataclysm. Adults are responsible for their own lots in life, but those poor children are the real victims. Like that newborn they found laying in a ditch, thankfully found alive and well. Who the heck leaves a newborn laying in a ditch? I can't begin to say what I'd do in a similar disaster, but I can't imagine what would bring me to abandon my children. I've been busily knitting lightweight newborn caps to send along with the clothing and formula. It may be an exercise in futility, but at least I feel like I'm doing something, futile or not.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Ameraucanas are laying blue eggs like there's no tomorrow! Our egg production has really picked up in the last week or so, so in the next couple weeks, I'm anticipating canning Lemon Curd with all the extra eggs. Nothing like some homegrown sunshine in a jar, eh?

So, I think you're all caught up now. That's what's going on in our corner of the world. What's the new year been like for you?

Decidedly Blue

Just a little bit of excitement to share with you, courtesy of the chicks at Chicky-Bit Run! At long last, the Ameraucanas are starting to earn their keep. When Jeff went out to gather eggs last night, he found one perfect little blue-green egg. Yes! We knew it was only a matter of time before they'd start laying, but it's still a great surprise to find that first blue egg. And while the picture doesn't do it justice, it is one decidedly blue egg!

Late Presents!

My absolute favorite thing about the holidays...late presents! Just when you think that all the hub-bub is over, there's one last goody to unwrap! Tonight, we received our last gift of the season from our dear friends Bob and Ann. Care to guess what it was???

Chickens! A roo with a bright red bow and 2 hens. Okay, there wasn't really a bow; but not for lack of trying :)

Ann and Bob got us interested in chickens last spring and helped us to adopt our first pullets. They've also been extremely generous with their time and their livestock, sharing hens and giving helpful advice. Tonight, they brought over a Christmas gift for the whole family...an Ameracauna rooster and two 5-month old hens. Can't wait to start gathering those green eggs!

Honestly, hasn't this been the best Christmas ever?

Still Prepping

What a fabulous weekend! We're having an Indian summer here in Ohio, although it's already beginning to cool down. Saturday and Sunday, we enjoyed highs in the low 70's with mild winds and no rain...what a nice treat for mid-November! With the exception of church, we didn't leave home all weekend, which was wonderful in itself...but to be able to work in the yard in short-sleeves...that's just too much to ask for!

We're back to food preservation this week. A local grocer had pears for .77/lb, so Mara and I canned up 15 pounds of them, which added to what we have already canned, should be nearly enough to last us the winter. We dug up 15 lbs. of carrots Sunday that need to be pickled or frozen...I can't decide which. Also in the near future, applesauce and dried apples. A friend of ours who owns an orchard offered me a couple bushels of a very dry mystery apple in exchange for a few quarts of dried apples. Can't pass up a deal like that!

More fun stuff; a dear friend gave us a few pounds of homegrown meat to sample...ground beef, ground goat and a whole chicken. Can't wait to try those! I've heard homegrown tastes better than factory farmed, so we'll be finding out in the next few days. We've also made an appointment with a local butcher for our roosters...they're about to meat, er, that is, meet their maker. It's going to be a little strange eating chickens we raised from sweet little chicks, but I think we'll get over it fairly quickly! And as Jeff astutely put it: "I hate them stupid, flighty roosters! I can't wait to gnaw on their legs!" Yep. He's a caveman.

So that's my to do list for the next few days:

1) Preserve carrots - Underway
2) Sauce apples - Done!
3) Transplant strawberries - Done!
4) Plant berry vines that just shipped from Stark Bros. - Done!
5) Hang Christmas lights before it turns cold.
6) Enjoy homegrown chicken - On Hold, Temporarily
7) Pick up some more food safe buckets - Done!

What's on your To Do lists?

Gratuitous Chick Action

Thought you might enjoy these. Sniff...they're growing up so fast! The chicks are already feathering out...and it's so funny to see them flap their little wings and hop off the roost. Hard to believe they're already 2 weeks old.


Sweet little chicks!

Mommy Dominique lunching with the chicks.

Our new girls, the Ameracaunas. Jeff loves how hawk-like they appear. My mom even commented that they look like predators, not chickens. Can't wait for those blue-green eggs!

What's Normal?

The kids and I have developed a friendship with Pam, the lady behind the counter at our local Mom and Pop grocery store. Isaac is always anxious to tell her about what's going on in the garden, while Mara inundates her with poultry talk and I tell her about any 15 minutes of fame I'm enjoying.

On a recent trip, Mara was excited because we had just wrangled our new hens...a pair of beautiful Ameracaunas from dear friend Ann...and told Pam all about the green eggs they'd lay eventually. Pam got a funny look on her face..."Green eggs? White tomatoes. Purple beans! Do you guys raise anything that's normal???" That got me to thinking about what IS normal?

We raise heritage breeds of poultry and grow heirloom veggies, all of which are normal or at least were normal 100 years ago. These breeds were brought over from the old country, raised by hand on small, family farms and city lots, carefully preserved and passed down to the next generation. But then something changed the way we fed ourselves....commercial food production. Large companies began to ship food all over the country and sold it dirt cheap. They didn't want the most delicious tomatoes; they wanted the ones that traveled well. They didn't want beautiful eggs from old varieties of poultry; they wanted chickens that laid the most eggs as early as possible. So in many ways, we've been conditioned to believe that tomatoes are supposed to be red, eggs white and beans green. Anything else is abnormal.

In taking a step back, away from what our culture considers 'normal', I feel like I'm doing a great service for my children as well as my community. Whether they know it or not. My children are learning that looking different is a good thing! That black or purple tomatoes are more delicious than red! We're finding that many of the heritage breeds of poultry are extremely calm, friendly and have retained their natural instincts (broodiness, curiosity) that have been bred out of the commercial breeds. And by raising the heirloom variety veggies, we're preserving them for future generations, not allowing them to be lost to the ages.

And Then There Were 5

5 little biddies, all in a row!

1 more chick hatched overnight, and very recently as it's fluff is still damp. So far it looks like we have 2 bantams and 3 regular sized chicks...can't wait to see them with their feathers so we'll know more about what breeds we ended up with. They're all mutts, but hopefully we'll have a few green egg layers courtesy of Cockadoodle Stu I.

We had to make an emergency alteration to the nesting box yesterday as the walls were too tall for the biddies to get out. Boy, once that wall came out, there were chicks running around all over the place. I haven't seen them drinking yet, but they're pecking at the food, stretching their wings and starting to become very active. The smallest one, undoubtedly a bantam, has wings that are about 1/2 inch long, but it stretches them out as wide as it can! I have a feeling that one will end up our 'pet' chicken.

Other fabulous firsts yesterday....our first ripe tomato! A scrumptious black cherry, that we divided 3 ways. I had forgotten how incredible homegrown tomatoes taste, and that little tomato only made me more desirous of fresh tomatoes. This is going to be our year of the tomato...we planted 75 plants and have about a dozen or more volunteers, so in a few more weeks we should have fruit coming out our ears. The emphasis this year is going to be on dried tomatoes and frozen fire-roasted tomatoes...they keep that just picked taste all year long, unlike juiced/canned tomatoes. Can't wait for that!

We were also blessed with a huge amount of cabbage yesterday, so today I started my first-ever batch of sauerkraut. We won't have a lot of it, probably a dozen pints or less, but it will be a primer in lacto-fermentation. If it works well for us and we eat what we preserve, then next year we'll amp up our cabbage production. In researching a recipe, I learned all sorts of interesting information on the health benefits of eating lacto-fermented foods. Whooda thunk it? So, if you come over for a visit in the next 6 weeks and my house smells peculiar, it's not me, it's the kraut : )

My 2 Mommies

We're all pretty excited here at the Run! Last night, when Jeff went to close up the coop for the evening, who should pop up their fuzzy little face but our first hatchling! This morning, a second smaller chick was up and peeping and we have suspicions that there's at least one more hatched. We can't tell exactly what's going on in there because this clutch of eggs has not one mommy, but two.

Our little bantam frizzle was the original mommy...she went broody and we put 11 eggs under her, just hoping and praying that it would work out and we'd have some chicks. About 10 days ago, halfway through the incubation period, our full-size Dominique decided to go broody too, and climbed into the nesting box with the frizzle. 2 hens, one 15X15 nest box. We decided that it couldn't hurt anything to let her sit too...we were nervous that the tiny little frizzle wouldn't be able to cover all the babies, so what the heck???

Well, it's working, and they seem to have an interesting arrangement. The chicky-bits are hiding under the frizzle while the Dominique acts like a security guard, tuck-tuck-tucking and pecking at anyone who gets close by. We keep telling Isaac not to get too close or she'll peck his little nose, but I don't think he believes us that these sweet little chickens have become vicious (LOL).

This is such an amazing event for us:

First, just the simple act of creating life out of lifelessness. How awesome is it that you can put an inanimate object in a nest, keep it warm for 21 days and out pops a chick! Yes, I know, it's been going on since the beginning of time, but when it happens right in front of you, it's totally different!

Second, in the adventures of homesteading, so much of what we accomplish is intangible...saving money, cutting back on energy, preventing erosion, avoiding pop culture and commercial interests. All good, but all intangible. To be able to hold something in your hands that you helped to create, something that frees you from the bonds of economic thrall, that is an amazing accomplishment.

Third, hatching eggs is a step backwards. By hatching our own chicks, we're learning a lost skill. How many folks do you know who raise chicks? Now how many of those folks breed their own? You can add us to that list now. In addition to learning a new skill, we also have the opportunity to create a home-based economy. Should the economy go bad, really really bad, we have something that a lot of people may want. Protein.

Anywho, I'm hoping we may be able to get a picture or two this afternoon. We're trying not to disturb the mommies, but it's just so exciting. I'll update you later!

Fun With Big Equipment

Staycation 2009 has been, very possibly, Isaac's favorite vacation EVER. July has been a non-stop barrage of big equipment, loud motors and interesting trucks that has left Isaac gape-mouthed, glassy-eyed and on the edge of his seat. (Plus, mom and dad are getting a lot of projects done!)

Jeff has 2 weeks of vacation + 1 week of layoff this month, which is going to make for some strange finances, but also gives us plenty of time to work around the house. Would I rather be on the coast? Maybe, but I sure enjoy seeing things come together here at home too. Our biggest project so far has been a new sidewalk. The man who built this house, God love his frugal soul, poured a sidewalk just long enough to reach the porch....about 15 feet short of the front door. So it looked weird. And it was sinking. So, my darling step-dad called in a friend with a mini-excavator to save us some labor and dig a new walk. Isaac loved it! Although he did point out that A) this excavator wasn't a JD or a CAT, and B) it was very badly scratched up and needed repainted. He had a chance to sit in the cab and do some steering which he enjoyed thoroughly!

The following night, a neighbor with a tree trimming business called us with a full load of clean wood chips; and when I say full load, I mean a full load. He squeezed his truck into the backyard through the double gate with at only an inch or two to spare and dumped a pile of mulch 6-7 feet high and probably 12-15 feet wide in every direction. The kids stood on their playground and watched in amazement as this truck tilted the bed 20 feet in the air to dump the mulch. On watching him finish his job, Isaac declared that he wanted to drive a tree truck when he grows up. The driver said NO, be a doctor or a lawyer. I says I'd rather him be poor and happy than rich and tied up in litigation.

Yesterday, our concrete arrived and you can imagine their excitement upon seeing a mixer truck pull into the drive. I think Isaac has been itching to see one up close for quite a while as cement trucks aren't a regular at Ritchie Bros. auctions. It was a fascinating experience for them to listen to the engine, watch the mixer turn and see the cement come sliding down the chute. All in all, I'd have to call this one of Isaac's best weeks ever!

Still to come on the staycation agenda....finishing the chicken coop. Jeff has the floor and 3 walls framed so he's making great progress, but with little time to spare. We're hoping to get the new coop done before the chicks hatch, which could be in a matter of days. After the coop, we have a deck to disassemble and bring home; a gift from a friend who's replacing his wooden deck with a Trex deck. All we have right now is a crappy, cracked patio, so the plan is to powerwash our friends deck and reassemble it here at the Run. The final week of Staycation I DO intend to have some fun...we're tossing around the possibility of going to a waterpark, museum or zoo. Plus the kids are dying to go fishing at 'Uncle Joe's' pond. And we can't forget Poker Night At Papaw's. Isaac is the Poker Night mascot and will be there with the guys, eating deer stick, drinking soda and putting pennies in the pot.

So til next time, til our projects are finished and I can post lovely pictures, best wishes from the Run.

Onward and Upward

Well, after the tragic loss of Stu to heat this morning, we've moved on, ever on. Miss Ann was wonderful enough to share an extra rooster with us plus some fertile eggs in addition to a few of our own. Our next project/skill is egg hatchery. I think that's the phrase for it anyway. We have another broody-butt hen, the Frizzle, who is on the nest, so we've decided to let her sit. She's sitting on about 10 eggs of a wide variety....Buffs, Banties, Dominiques plus a few surprises. Egg hatching is like a box of chocolate, after all...(do I really need to finish that quote?)

We're in the middle of a heat wave here in Ohio, with highs in the low to mid 90's....which wouldn't be such a big deal if it were August; but for June, that's stinkin' hot! We've kept cool in the pool, and have had a little more Wii time than usual, but that will end with the coming rain and cooler temperatures of this weekend. The crazy-hot weather has also given me an opportunity to stay inside and reorganize my food stores...we're low on some of the basics like flour, sugar and oil...now that I'm organized I can work on restocking.

Speaking of food stores, our local grocery, Krogers, has been running some awesome stock up sales! 10 for 10$ sales on 3L bottles of water, toothpaste, toilet paper, hand soaps, etc, so I've been hitting the sales hard and filling up my closets. They've also had cheap-cheap prices on staples like Ranch dressing and pasta and fun foods like Capri Sun and Gatorade, etc. (Yes, I know. Capri Sun is the Debil, but in an emergency, a couple frozen pouches of flavored water is better than nothing, right? At least my kids think so.) In the past 3 weeks, I bet I've doubled the amount of goods in my storage just through 10 for 10$ sales at Kroger. Yeah, Kroger!

Another find this past week....the hunting/camping/survival section at Walmart. I had no idea they had so much good stuff back there in that dark, funny-smelling corner of the store. I felt like a kid in a post-peak oil candy store. Space blankets and water filters and fire starters as far as the eye could see. Plus freeze-dried food, solar showers, tents, mess kits...I was so excited! Yes, it doesn't take much to excite me, but now, at least, my Bug-Out Bag is complete! And to think, I would have never wandered into the survival section had the kids and I not been hunting a fishing pole for Jeff for Father's Day. It was fate. Pure and simple : )

Fun plans for this weekend include a few yard sales, planting some salad greens in pots, pails and troughs on the north side of the house, helping Farmer Runyan with his new fence and hopefully beginning the new chicken coop. So much to do, so few hours in the day. Til next time, best wishes from the Run.

Cockadoodle-Stu

(Stu, age 5 months)

In remembrance of Cockadoodle-Stu, who succumbed to heat this morning. We'll miss you pal.

Homestead Happenings

After a day or two of gloom and cloudy weather, this weekend was fantastic!

Firstly, Miss Mara is officially potty trained! Yes! No more diapers, no more Pull-Ups! She's dry all day, through the night and in the morning too! While I'm thrilled to be finished with it, part of me is sort of sad too...there's no denying now that my kids are getting big. No more babies in the house. Mara is so proud of herself, she's been telling everyone she's not a baby anymore. She's a "beeg gorl". Thrilling and heartbreaking at the same time.

In the garden, the veggies are loving this temperate, rainy weather we've been having. We're up to 11 pounds of veggies for the month including onions, lettuce, greens, sugar snap peas, a few beets and turnips. The runner beans are covered with red blossoms, the tomatoes are full of blooms, the sunflowers and amaranth are almost a foot tall already. Summer is definitely in full swing, regardless of what the calender says.

On the preservation front, I ordered a new dehydrator this past week and I can't wait to lay hands on it! Should be here tomorrow, and then I can start with the drying of the berries. Drying is fast becoming my favorite means of food preservation...especially the fruits and tomatoes. I can eat dried tomato slices like they're candy...very chewy, tart candy. I planted a number of tomatoes this year specifically for drying...Principe Borghese, Amish Paste and Striped Roman. Can't wait for them to start bearing.

The hens are doing great! Miss Broody-Butt Dominique is finally off the nest and has stopped growling when you open the coop door. That's always a good thing! Nothing like a growling chicken to get your day off to a bad start! We're getting, on average, 5 eggs a day, which is just enough to keep us in eggs, with extra for parents and an occasional neighbor. My dear friend Ann surprised me with a pair of Ameracaunas, which with any luck, we'll be bringing home in a couple of months. She's got them tucked away in her brooder, til they're big enough to fend for themselves in the coop. If you recall from last year, Mr. Roo was supposed to be our green egg layer, til the whole gender confusion issue came up. Ann was sweet enough to share a couple of Ameracaunas from her newest batch, as she knew I was pretty disappointed that I'd be getting no green eggs from Cockadoodle-Stu. Thanks Ann!

Domestically, we're back on track after a couple weeks of weirdness. Jeff has been working an average of 3 weeks a month with a layoff week thrown in to keep us on our toes....which an occasional week off is better than indefinite layoff, right? It makes for interesting finances to be sure, but it also does odd things to our home schedule. Our diets change, sleeping patterns change, spending patterns *definitely* change, but for the most part, we're hanging in there and doing okay. We've been hearing rumors of a new project coming to the plant...military trucks...and if that's the case, it will be a real boon to our little community.

Plans for the upcoming weeks include building a new, traditional coop (in lieu of a chicken tractor), constructing a lattice screen to provide shade for the back of the house and patio, replacing our crappy old sidewalk with a new brick sidewalk and possibly installing a whole-house fan so we won't need to run the C/A as much. I'm hoping we can squeeze in a trip to the zoo/waterpark as well, during July's extended shutdown (2 weeks vacation + 1 week layoff). We shall see. Til later, best wishes from the Run.

Daddy's Little Helper

Isaac has turned into Mr. Independent this week...helping himself, helping around the house and trying to fill Daddy's shoes. Last night after dinner, I asked him to take the scraps out to the chickens and he was thrilled to do so; but only if he could wear Daddy's chicken boots. What followed was hilarious! It took a solid 20 minutes, but he made it up the slope in the backyard and managed to feed the chickens.

That's One Mean Chicken

I never really fully understood what broodiness meant in terms of chickens....until 10 days ago. Since then I've discovered a few things;

Broody hens are best handled with leather gloves.

Broody hens sure can make some crazy-scary noises.

Broody hens are best left alone.

The word 'broody' comes from an ancient Latin term for "Crikey! That's one mean chicken!!"

Saved From The Stew Pot

There's a Frizzle out in the coop breathing a sigh of relief right about now. For the past couple of weeks, there's been some question as to whether the Frizzle was a hen or a roo. The 'twin' we lost had been an good layer, and as we were getting no more small eggs, we assumed the other was a roo. It would appear that she was just a late bloomer as we've started getting a tiny egg each day. That little puffball had no idea how close she came to becoming a chicken pot pie.

Jeff is tickled beyond words as Bantam eggs are perfect picklers! They're about as big as a golf ball, 2 bites max! And they're lovely thrown into a jar of sweet/spicy brine and allowed to set for a week or two. They're also bright, clean white so they'll be beautiful Easter eggs this weekend. I hope.

State of the 'Stead

I've noticed a number of other sites are doing an update on life on their homesteads, so I thought I'd join the trend and let you know what's going on here on our little bit of Earth.

Here on the Knobs, we're finally starting to see some signs of springs. Wait...are you wondering why it's called the "Knobs"? Our area consists of hundreds of small, conical shaped hills with low valleys in-between, probably a result of the last ice age. When I go up to our back yard, to the highest point, I can see the tree range on the next Knob 1/2 mile away, but little else...the fields roll down into a valley that all but disappears from sight. The Knobs are generally associated with an area of Kentucky, but there is such a large native-Kentucky population here in Ohio, I think the name just immigrated with the immigrants. So there you go; your useless piece of information for today.

Anyway, yes, things are starting to green up here in Pleasant Township. The kids and I spent 98% of the day outside today, hanging out laundry, watering seedlings and picking rhubarb...yay! We had our first rhubarb of the year; a very small bunch, but enough to satisfy our cravings for a rhubarb tart. And it was so delicious! I've waited 2 years for a taste of the sour stuff...last year, our local grocery store wanted 3$/lb and I just couldn't bring myself to pay that price. So I planted rhubarb instead. And it was a good decision because this year, they're asking 4$/lb. Crazy! My red raspberry transplants, a gift from a freecycler, are starting to leaf out. It looks like about 6 or 7 of the 10 survived....not bad odds for a bunch of bare root canes. The blueberry bushes are full of buds, the fruit trees are starting to leaf out and already some of the perennial herbs are starting to grow. What a great time of year!

The chickens are really hard at work; we had 77 eggs in Feb. and 89 in March, and we're already up to a dozen this month. Although I'd like another chicken or two, we're getting just enough eggs for ourselves and to share with friends and family. The only problem we're experiencing with the chickens right now are a pair of fugitives. Mr. Roo and Miss Buff routinely fly the coop. They don't get into any meanness, they just wander around together, scratching and pecking. And a little coercion is all it takes to get them back into their pens, usually in the form of pasta. Show them some pasta and they'll come running. Now that spring is here, we moved our portable coop to the back of the yard, with a smallish enclosure, to keep the chickens out of the garden and the kids out of the coop. I don't think they like to be cooped up, but it's a necessary thing until fall/winter comes around. Then they'll have free range of the yard to eat and poop anywhere they want to.

The house is starting to come together as well. We replaced our laminate hardwood in the living room with a lovely thick carpet, about the color of peanut shells. It's so nice to have a comfy soft place to roll around and wrestle with the kids. The bathroom, hallelujah, is nearly finished. Jeff made huge progress today...the floor is down, the toilet and sink are installed and the mirror is hung. We had a little snare on the light fixture, but that's an easy enough fix. With any luck, we'll be able to finish it up in the next day or two. With 2 potty trained youngsters, it's wonderful to have a second bathroom up and running again. And the new house rule regarding toilet paper; no more full rolls in the kids' bathroom. Ever. Think of it as a preemptive strike.

We're still eating on last year's harvest...we just finished up our last bag of frozen mixed veggies today, and we have just a couple bags left of strawberries, corn and snap peas. By the time harvest 2009 rolls around, last year's goodies should be gone leaving more space for this year's goodness. I was afraid I had really overdone the canned beans, but surprisingly, we're down to less than a dozen jars. Ditto for pears, frozen apples, etc. Our only disappointment this year was the canned carrots. No one seems to like canned carrots. And I'll admit, they're not nearly as tasty as fresh or frozen. Well, if that's my only error in judgement for the year, I'll call it a good year. For 2009, our goal is to cellar as much fresh produce as possible. I have about 1500 carrot seeds to sow, so hopefully we'll have a successful crop that we can cold-store during the dark days of winter. Same with leeks, celeriac, onions and potatoes.

Both children are growing like weeds. Isaac will be 5 in August and will be starting Kindergarten (weep, sob). He's so smart, it's scary sometimes. I'm amazed at how computer/electronics-savvy he is. The things he can pick up after one try, it's incredible. If you discover that someone has sneaked onto your computer and changed all your logos, icons, screen savers, wallpaper, etc., it was probably Isaac. He's good at the stuff. Mara just turned 3 and is keeping up with Isaac in every way. In the past 3 months, she's turned into a real talker. She doesn't just ask for chocolate milk now, she discusses how it looks when the chocolate starts to swirl together with the milk so it looks like a whirlpool. And she's become a 'girly-girl'. She's suddenly ALL ABOUT pink, shoes, dress up and hair 'pretties'. The mimicry is what tickles me; you don't realize how you sound until you hear it coming out of a 3 year old's mouth. I hate to brag, but my kids are amazing. We managed to get through the entire fall/winter/holiday season and all without a single cold. I tell you, my kids have immune systems of steel! If there's 2 things I've done right in raising my kids, it was nursing them and letting them eat "just enough dirt", as my mother in law would say.

Again, on a personal note, I'm feeling much much better. Much more like my 'old self'. The weird withdrawal symptoms are nearly gone with the exception of the occasional electrical 'zap'. And what's more, a large number of people have sent me private emails telling me of their own experiences with Effexor and SSRI's...apparently this is a larger problem than I ever realized. Why is it that doctors aren't telling their patients about these side effects? The only answer I can come up with is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. One very helpful phrase that I learned from this whole experience...."full disclosure". I'll know every side effect, withdrawal symptom, long term effect, etc. before I ever take another drug. My doctor is going to hate me, but he's going to be much better acquainted with that big blue drug book he keeps on his desk.

Well, tomorrow is back to the work-week, so I need to start packing lunch and folding laundry. For the past 2 days to have been such long days, it sure made for a short weekend. Hope you enjoyed the update about life here at the Run.

An Open Letter to Mr. Roo

Dear Mr. Roo,
While I'm happy for you that you've found your 'crow', it's time to cease and desist the constant crowing. Yes, you're a rooster and that's what you're supposed to do, but do you have to do it for an hour straight? And under the patio table which seems to just amplify the noise?

You're an attractive member of our flock, and I don't want that to change. However, if you feel the need to crow day in and day out, without ceasing, I may feel obligated to give you the Colonel Sanders treatment. So please, do everyone a favor and take a break.

Warmest Regards,
The Hand that Feeds You

77

That's our egg total for the month of February...77. Not too bad considering we lost a Frizzle and figured out one of our 'shes' was a 'he'. We're hoping to supplement our flock with a few new hens in the next few months...just 3 or 4...so we'll have eggs to keep and eggs to share. I have so enjoyed having our chickens around! The eggs are incredible, there's no food wasted (think in terms 'feathered composters') and the comic value is beyond words!!!