Homestead mailing list

[Marie McHarry <mmcharry AT gmail.com>]

On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 7:05 PM, EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Ah come on, Marie, be a sport...here's a good quote for you...
>
> Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing
> your temper or your self-confidence. Robert Frost

Either I'm educated or just getting old, but I can listen to almost
anything without losing my temper or my self-confidence. My
self-confidence is safer than my temper.

I finally couldn't take working for the government any longer, and
since I only have myself and my critters to worry about I bade
farewell to cubicle hell. This is not a good time to tell 'em to take
the job and shove it, but I've never done anything when it was a good
time, so why start now?
>
> Actually, IMO, the list has been dead for a long, long time.  In the
> winter, people say we are hibernating or planning, in the other three
> seasons, everyone is busy...I really wish someone would prove me wrong.
>  There would be nothing I would enjoy more than seeing this list come
> alive again.

I'll work on it, now that I have some time to do so.

> Speaking for myself, I have a zillion irons in the fire, the least of
> which is my job.  I just became certified as a Lead Auditor for ISO
> 14001, that is, Environmental Management Systems.  Woo hoo!  This is a
> big deal for me.

Congrats! Sounds impressive to me.

>
> So far, I have all my cole crops started, broccoli, cauliflower,
> cabbage, gailan, pakchoi, etc...they are up and growing, and I just
> sowed my tomatoes and peppers, tomatillos, etc.  I have way too many
> varieties of peppers to list.  We will be drying them and making paprika
>  and chili powder blends.  I've also started some asparagus from seed,
> but so far, nothing has germinated.  It's been 6 or 7 days.

Here in the frozen North (and it's been FROZEN this winter but,
blessedly, not too windy), I'm waiting until the end of the month to
start seeds. I'll sow peas early, but everything else can wait until
the end of March, at least.
>
> I broke down and put a light in the coop for my chickens this winter and
> we have been getting 13 or 14 eggs a day from 18 hens.  I just have
> stopped the light because I want to give the birds a hormonal break.  I
> feel guilty about inducing them to lay with light.  I don't like playing
> God, (whatever-no offense intended to anyone), but having eggs in winter
> is really nice.
I agree. I have no chickens now, but I'll be getting some soon. I have
an LGD who likes chickens (and who loves the goats) and then I have
Buddy. He's rising 3 years old, and still a handful, and is a heck of
a lot bigger than I expected. He's at least 150 lbs and probably more.
Sweet boy but rowdy and I'm not trusting him with the goats yet.

> My daughter had to move and we inherited her two cats, so now I have two
> dogs and two cats.  Bear and Bingo are Australian shepherds(I just love
> them!) and Jade and Beetle are our cats.  Jade, a gray tabby/Maine Coon,
> is inside, Beetle, a typical orange tabby tomcat, is outside.  Beetle
> became a bit aggressive with my leather sofa, so out he went.  He's a
> sweetheart, just not suited for the house.  Jade, on the other hand, is
> a fat cat who likes laying around and soaking up the heat of the woodstove.

I've got 4 dogs -- the two aging border collies (who are, alas, both
deaf) and the aforementioned Buddy (Anatolian) and Elizabeth (also
Anatolian). Elizabeth is a nearly perfect dog. Buddy's not bad, but
he's rambunctious. The cat census is down to three: Jolene, who's
always been an indoor kitty since I rescued her these many years ago
from the top of a dung heap in an ice storm where her mother had
dragged her and the two swivel-rocker babies (cause that's where they
were born when we least expected it), Jones and Claudia Jeanne.
They've been inside since temps went into the teens and twenties until
today when the thermometer climbed above freezing and Claudia made a
dash for fresh air.
>
> Beverly, who really, really wanted to make a few political jabs, but
> refrained... :)

Oh, go ahead. No politician has figured out yet that oil is limited,
and we're about to run into a wall. The first one who does will
probably be hanged by the rabble. It will be fascinating to see what
happens next, should any of us survive.

Marie, still smilin'