Friday - May 30,  2003                                                               posted 6:11 AM PST  

We also use this method extensively in our raised beds.  For instance, our pepper, eggplant, cucumber and corn beds are undersown with mustards, arugula and other salad greens.   So, in one bed we are able to harvest pepper and a green crop.  We also plant closer than the recommend planting  distance for plants. In nature plants aren't planted in neat little rows or so many inches apart.   So, how close do we plant the plants?   Well, it's more like trial and error....  Closer, closer, closer... whoops, too close!

On another subject, the ducks are starting to try out their vocal cords and attempt quacking, if you can call it that!  It sounds more like a foghorn that's been clogged, hopefully they'll get the loveable "quack" sound down soon.

POSTSCRIPT:  Don't forget to check out our MAY NEWSLETTER.  Enjoy!

Weather Report:  Cooler!

Thursday - May 29,  2003                                                               posted 6:08 AM PST  

One of the ducks, "Pink," we call her, is a water maniac!  She loves to swim underwater like a torpedo.  The ducks are also going through that dorky/gawky "teenage" stage - they're sprouting feathers and some of which are going every which way.

We've also been busy the past two days {Tues & Wed} showing our urban homestead to students of a local high school's biology class.  Many were surprised at all the different types of plants we are growing.  They loved smelling all the herbs, sampling the edible flowers and "sugar plant" aka stevia -- not to mention feeding and petting the animals! {We stress that we don't eat the animals, only use their manure or eggs} 

One guy suddenly exclaimed, "You don't even have to go to the store!  You can just go shopping in your yard!"  RIGHT ON! 
 

Weather Report:  A little cooler.

Wednesday - May 28,  2003                                                               posted 6:55 AM PST  

Weather Report:  Extremely hot, temps in the 100's.

Sunday - May 25,  2003                                                               posted 6:30 AM PST  

It was said that we get weekly deliveries of Tim's compost when, in fact, we have only gotten about 5 or 6 loads over the past 7 months.  The very first load that we ever had delivered was sometime last fall {I believe around October or November}.

Also, this is our very first summer using Tim's compost in our garden. This project was started in 2001 and we surprisingly harvested over 2,000 lbs.  Last year we were blessed with a harvest totaling over 3, 500 lbs.  This year with good weather, better management and now, with Tim's wonderful compost we hope, God willing, to harvest even more lbs. Tim's compost greatly enhances the soil, but as all farmers and gardeners know there other factors to consider.  Just like a slot machine, some years don't come up "all cherries."   

Since the segment was only about 5 minutes long, I know it was very hard for them to present a more precise picture.  The facts were a bit hazy, so I just thought I had to clear it up for those who watched the program.

Anyhow, we are very happy that Tim's finally getting recognition after so many years of hard work and so much opposition.  We are fortunate that we have an opportunity to have him as a friend, sharing in his passion of trying to make the world a better place.  As Jules Dervaes says, " we will use our hands as weapons of mass creation."

I also want to take the time to thank Mimi George Kent (for her persistence in bringing Tim's story to the public).

Weather Report:  Cool.

Friday - May 23,  2003                                 posted 7:01 AM PST   Edited 6:22 PM

JOKES OR JUSTICE?

If anyone happened to watch the California Connected segment about Tim last night....  {if you missed it you can now view the segment on their website and it will air again on Sunday, May 25 at 11 am}

Well, all we can say about the piece is that the selection of "lighthearted" clips didn't do Tim nor his valuable message & philosophy justice.  It was a bit disappointing that they put in so many "potty" jokes {which, I guess, some people like}, when Tim's many thought-provoking, intelligent statements probably fell on the cutting room floor.  

Were people laughing at or with Tim?  I guess we are a bit sensitive about that - we don't like seeing people made fun of.  Tim is an "unusual" person that collects manure... and there is a fine line there that needs to be respected.

Well, we just thought that his work should have been taken much more seriously as some of the selection of scenes belittle the message.  Anyhow, that's just our opinion.  We hope that the light hearted "potty" jokes and "frolicking" scenes didn't take away from the importance of his message for the viewers.

Life more abundantly... 

   "Compost is the essential foundation of natural gardening and farming, it is

the heart of the organic concept.

   The pages of history are filled with emphatic evidence that nothing is more

fundamental to mans prosperity, to civilization itself, than a lasting

productive agriculture.

   This the past proves, can stem only from heeding the most primary of

Nature's Laws, the law of return, the very cycle of life itself.

   Whenever a nation has adhered to this principal, there alone has a people

survived and land flourished. Where it has been violated and abused,

whether through ignorance or mistaken custom, there has a race perished, a

Metropolis fallen to ruins, and a countries soil wither and blown to a sterile

desert."  ~ Kraptonite.com ~

P.S.  If anyone happened to notice... Yes, our roof is in need of repair!  Hmmm, after two hours worth of taping at our place... Nice shot! ;-0 *wink*

Weather Report:  Cooler.

Wednesday - May 21,  2003                                                             posted 6:30 AM PST

DUCKY DIARIES

With the weather being warm, the ducklings spend their days outside and enjoy every minute of it!  They love bobbing for lettuce and other leafy greens that we throw in the water.  Yesterday they had their first taste of slugs which the guys have been collecting in a jar -- and they slurped the slugs down!  *wince*

Names?  No, we haven't named them yet.  They are only known by the color of yarn we have loosely tied on their legs (blue, red, pink, green, black and white)  We are only going to be keeping two -- which two we really don't know yet.  We'll have to put them through some ducky trials and pick the strongest, fastest and smartest.  ;-)  What will happen to the other fab four?  We'll find them very good homes. 

On Monday we visited Tim's jungle, picked up soil and took some photos of some of his lovely flowers. 

Weather Report:  HOT, with temps in the low 90's.

Monday - May 19,  2003                                                             posted 8:06 AM PST

Weather Report:  Warm with temps in the 80's.

Wednesday - May 14,  2003                                                             posted 7:00 AM PST

      "I'm Queen of the world!"         Splishing and splashing            All clean and sweet

LIKE A DUCK TO WATER....

As promised, here are photos of the bathing beauties!  They love playing in the shallow water and are so clean and fluffy when they dry off.

There was a posting on one of the comments boxes {we love comments /questions! *hint*} regarding duck eggs vs. chicken eggs.  The answer is duck eggs can be used just like chicken eggs in most recipes.  The difference is an extra rich taste and more protein in the slightly thicker whites.

What is good about these Khaki Campbell breed is that they NEVER go broody... Wooohoo!  When our bantam chickens go broody -- which has seemed a lot lately -- they become wide-eyed and hyper hormonal maniacs!!!  They insist on climbing into the nesting boxes to sit on phantom "eggs" that don't exist and nobody dare go near them!  Anyone {even a hen} who attempts to approach when they are in this mood is greeted with an ear-piercing screech and a "back-off-or-I'll-kill-you" look.  Hmmm sounds like me sometimes. ;-)

The KC ducks lay an average of 350 eggs a year and love to eat garden pests.  We are working on a "Duck Page" which will contain more information that should be up on the site -- hopefully soon.

Our small produce, edible flower and herb home business is beginning to pick up and keeps us busy picking and packing.  This is the busiest time for us in filling orders for local restaurants and caterers as their own business becomes full of bookings for parties, weddings and such.  Right now we're selling our "famous" salad mix {containing over 25-30 different varieties of greens}, edible flowers {pansy, petals, roses, lavender, nasturtiums, bachelor buttons, dianthus, violas and borage}, herbs for garnishing {like African blue basil, lavender, mints, lemon balm, colored sages} and much more.  Soon, we'll be adding heirloom tomatoes, French beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers and culinary herbs {basil, chives, parsley, thyme} to the list.

We harvested our first zukes {zucchini} of the season and immediately grated it and made a zuke chocolate chocolate-chip cake... Yum!

Speaking of food, there's quite an interesting CSM article today -- A Shopper's Experiment: Can She Really 'Eat Locally'?  Eating locally is harder than you think as this LA shopper found out.

I uploading some more photos of our garden-- please be patient as the pictures load!  It's pretty extensive. I also added some new photos taken from our latest visit to Tim's 30 foot horse manure heap.  Enjoy!

» Updated... Backyard Duck page is up!

Weather Report:  Cool and overcast -- 20% chance of rain.

Tuesday - May 13,  2003                                                             posted 6:37 AM PST

Yesterday I got a call from one of the producers at California Connected and she said that the segment on Tim's soil {which may include snippets of him dumping his 'royal soil' at our place and shots from our garden} will air Thursday, May 22nd at 8:00 PM on KCET, Los Angeles {Those in Calif check your local PBS stations}

Weather Report:  Cooler.

Monday - May 12,  2003                                                             posted 8:37  AM PST

Besides enjoying the ducks, yesterday we worked in the garden -- watering, planting and tidying up.  Also, I was designated to spray the tomatoes, squash and cucumbers with a milk and baking soda spray to combat black spot, blight and mildew.   On the subject of tomatoes, some plants are growing great and others are starting to show signs of black spot and early blight.  On Friday we brought out the "big guns" and sprayed the tomatoes with compost tea containing active microbes.  Hopefully, by spraying early we'll curb or stop the spread of diseases that was being brought on by the unusual cool weather we had been experiencing.

Weather Report:  Sunny and warm again with temps in the 80's 

Sunday - May 11,  2003                                                             posted 11:15  AM PST

When we read about others who are just digging out from under the snow in May, our complaints about the weather here seem trivial and it reminds us that we haven't had to go through extreme weather as a lot of the country has.  Weather, especially the destructive kind, is a hardship that can rip a previously comfortable life apart.  There exists a resilience in those who go through an experience like that and bounce right back -- rebuilding their lives back together, piece by piece.   In our lives, we really haven't been tested to see whether or not we possess that kind of resilience.  No one can truly know what strength of character he or she possesses until they are forced to dig deep and find out if they do or not.

While others are being tested by nature to develop character and will, it feels like we are living in a bubble created by So. California's moderate climate.  Those who pass nature's tests are definitely survivors. 

So, would we, in our sunny and warm part of the country, ever know if we could pass a test?  Have we ever REALLY been tested?  Yeah, I suppose sometimes when we aren't able to see the sun for a couple days, or when we get too much rain or heat, and sometimes also by punishing Santa Ana winds, but what about other than that?  Can not seeing the sun for a few days be considered 'a test'?  I can just hear the incredulous murmurings now... "and they are complaining about THAT?" Even our animals are spoiled, they don't like to go outside when the weather is below 60º!

Yes, there is such a thing as having it "too good."  We can practically garden all year 'round!  And because of this "idyllic" situation, there is a danger of not knowing our strengths and weaknesses and whether we can handle adversity through internal strength.  Additionally, there also exists a danger of becoming oblivious to what others are going through.

In the olden days farmers were really dependent on God and good weather.  Today, when we have a dry spell all we need to do is trot over to the water facet, turn on the tap and drain water from the Colorado River hundreds of miles away.  We constantly live with a safety net and it would be terribly scary if the safety net was ever taken away. Yipes!  It is frightening just to think about it.

Now, on a much lighter subject... I just got through uploading a few new photos of the yard.  Enjoy!

Weather Report:  Sunny and warm with temps in the 80's 

Friday - May 9,  2003                                                             posted 6:11  AM PST

GOING SOLAR

On Monday, we'll be going down to City Hall to obtain a permit for the solar panels we hope to be installing on our garage roof (if all goes well, God willing).  Before we can install the Sharp solar panels, we'll have to re-roof the garage and that will take some time... Thankfully, the city allows you 6 months after we pull the permit to install the solar kit and they also have a rebate/incentive program in which we will be getting back more than half the cost of the solar system... and that's a wonderful blessing, because it would have been quite awhile before we could save up enough money to purchase such a system...

Going solar is going to be one giant step towards 'the path to freedom!'  After that, we'll tackle our waste and water system.

Weather Report:  Sun, sun, sun... here it comes!  

Thursday - May 8,  2003                                                             posted 6:31 AM PST

For breakfast today, the ducks were given chopped up wheat grass and they gobbled it down like candy. YUMMY!  We threw some of the grass in their water to simulate how they eat in the wild and they loved dragging their bills in the water and scooping up the blades of grass.  It's wild to see their natural born instincts at work without a Mommy to teach them.  Amazing.

Of course in the bunch, there's always a little runt.  She's is getting pushed around and sat on by her nestmates, so she's getting extra special attention from us. 

Weather Report:  Same old, overcast, cool and downright dreary.

Wednesday - May 7,  2003                                                             posted 10:03  AM PST

  Checking out their new surroundings         Being fondled                 'Yeah, I'm cute!'

QUACKERS ARE HERE!!!  Part II...

Once again our house is full of the contented cheeps of baby birds.   The seven ducklings have happily adopted the little newspaper and paper-towel lined box as their new home.  Already they have explored every square inch of it and are now nested together under the desktop lamp that is providing warmth.  I think they exhausted themselves out in all the excitement.  They certainly are hyper little gals.  

It took a little while for them all to find the watery oatmeal for their first meal but with our help they eventually got the hang of it -- however, not without gleefully getting themselves all sticky.  Amazingly, they knew how to groom themselves and got most of it out, leaving the rest for their nestmates to pick out.

Some have already taken the plunge into the chick waterer that provides their water; I guess they thought they needed to go for a swim.  I already had planned for that and made sure the water was shallow so they will not chill themselves.  It will be awhile before we let them play in the water since they do not have their mother's oil to help waterproof their feathers.

We ordered these Khaki Campbell ducklings from Clearview Stock Farm & Hatchery located in Gratz, PA.  (PH# 717-365-3234).  They were shipped Monday and received in our local post office this morning.  They all look great, so I'm pretty happy!!!  It was great that Clearview allows a small minimum order of just six ducklings (with an extra ducky thrown in) instead of the fifteen or so that other hatcheries make you buy.   And for an extra dollar per bird, we got all females. 

Now we have to decide on names for the pair we will pick to keep!  Hmm.....  I'm sure the family will be coming up with some real whoppers!  It's going to be a lot of fun.  We are looking forward to seeing them grow up and interact with all the other animals.  Our two cats, Ringo and Cassidy have found them to be the greatest fascination and have their little faces pressed up against the mesh that protects the ducklings.  Ringo suspiciously appears a bit eager to play with them but Cassidy looks like she has found seven new friends.  She has even carefully sniffed one of the ducklings I held in my hands.  I think Cassidy has gotten used to us bringing new animals home.    To her, the ducklings are simply something else to make friends out of.

I'm sure our new "babies" will be a great joy to have around.  Stay tuned for all the pictures soon to be posted and a new page about them to be launched on our website!

Wednesday - May 7,  2003                                                             posted 6:30  AM PST

Stay tuned for more baby pictures coming soon....

The weather is still a bit kooky.  The plum tree doesn't have any leaves or buds on it yet -- sorta suspended... waiting... for the weather to warm up!

Here's an interesting article from the LA Times regarding the future of lawns in So California:  WHITHER THE LAWN -- What Southern California's booming population and looming water crisis mean for the great green carpet of suburbia.

Weather Report:  Still cool and overcast, temps in the low 60's.

Tuesday - May 6,  2003                                                             posted 8:47  AM PST

HITCH UP THE WAGON, WE'RE GOING INTO TOWN...

Whoops, actually our limey green Volkswagen Van.  Just fantasizing a Little House On The Prairie scenario... ;-)

We successfully "survived" our 6 week grocery shopping experiment... Is it possible that can we go for 8 weeks now? 

We have been buying almost everything we can in bulk (25-50lbs).  For example:

Raisins

Nuts - peanut, sunflower

Honey

Flour

Oats

Rice

Dried beans - pinto, kidney

Spices

Raw Sugar

Onions

Tomato Paste

Shredded Coconut

Olive Oil

Vinegar

These bulk items usually last us over 3-4 months.  When we usually go to the store (now, every 6 weeks) our basket usually consists of items like cheeses, bread and butter, pastas, miscellaneous items and some "goodies". 

The chickens are now supplying us with more than enough eggs so we don't have to buy eggs anymore.   Strike that item off the grocery list!!!

I'm having a hard time figuring out if this system is actually saving money.  For instance, last year I used to buy 4 (1 lb) jars of peanut butter ($1.99) at Trader Joe's for 4 weeks.  This year, I have been buying 40 lbs  ( @ $2.69 lb) of Valencia peanuts so that I can make homemade peanut butter.  When buying the pre-made jars of peanut butter, they were "rationed" to one jar per week.  Now, with the bulk peanuts in the bins, we are using the peanuts more often (not to mention sneaking handfuls from the bin)...  Oh, yeah... don't forget to include peanut oil that needs to be added to make the PB spreadable.

So, am I saving money or not?  Who wants to crunch some numbers and do the math? 

I'd like to liven up the menu a little over the summer with different dishes...  So, I may have to spend a little extra to purchase bulk items such as bulgur (for Tabouleh), garbanzo peas (for Hummus), dates and different nuts like cashews, walnuts (which are quite expensive!).  Also, I'd like to start once again in making homemade soy milk, so I'll need a bag of soybeans.... Hmmm, I'll go write my shopping list down now.

Waiting... We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the baby ducks, either today or tomorrow. 

Weather Report:  Cool and overcast.  The weather has been cooler than normal -- ever since April 11th.

Sunday - May 4,  2003                                                             posted 7:11  AM PST

 Cris and Tim, both comedians in their own style, were swapping quips... everyone was just so Dung Ho!  {Yikes, sorry about that... had to slip that in}  The show should be airing in two weeks.

Post Script on 5/12:  This segment will air Thursday, May 22nd at 8:00 PM on KCET. Check your local listings.

Weather Report:  After the rain.... lovely, crisp, fresh... ahhhhh!

Thursday - May 1,  2003                                                             posted 6:41  AM PST

We believe that the bees are being eradicated due to the African killer bee scare. Around our neighborhood this year, we've seen a couple bright yellow signs stating: "DANGER BEES!" put up by the city just before they destroy the hive... it doesn't matter if they are "good" honeybees or not! 

Take for instance the Exotic Newcastle disease affecting poultry in CA; a "Task Force" team can waltz right into your house or yard and kill all fowl (chickens, showbirds, parrots, exotic birds, pet birds) even if the birds tested negative for the virus!  If you are within the 1/2 mile radius that this "Task Force" draws around infected flocks - then it's lights out for ANY bird in that area.  And there is no use hoping they do not find you and your small flock or pet bird as they have enlisted mail carriers to "rat" on any bird owners!   Of course it has nothing to do with protecting the animals, or consumers, or small-scale home producers, or even home-based hobbies; it's all about protecting the large-scale productions. 

"Kill mindlessly" -- that should solve the problem! 

Yeah, right! 

We are reminded of this "kill everything" mindset everyday, not just because we have chickens ourselves, but also because of the silence of the bees.  A garden without bees buzzing around doing their business is like an orchestra sans violins -- something is certainly missing!  It's way too quiet...

Okay, off my soapbox now.  In PTF news, I think it might be interesting to note that our website this month had over 910,000 hits in April! 

Updated: 5/5/03...  Speaking of bees, check out this wonderful article The Hum of Bees: A civilization made of flowers, light, and wax.(memoir)  {hat tip Rebecca}

Weather Report:  Sunny and cool, highs will be in the mid 60's