The other day DH Matt and I went to buy my first gun ever. I was bouncing in my seat as we drove to Big 5 (my son wonders why it's called that...Yeah, why?) I felt just the way you do when you're strapping in for a roller coaster ride. My stomach was jumping in excitement. My husband, having bought his own shotgun weeks before, was playing it cool and was very amused at my excitement. Yeah, the week he bought his, and for the next three weeks after, I must have heard the word "shotgun" ten times every day.
We were looking for a "critter rifle", something light enough for a petite woman to handle yet that would let a bear know that I am not someone to mess with. Our property is on the "bear trail", a shortcut to a campground on our side of the lake where they can often raid the tents, garbage, and cars of naive campers. Once we have a house there, the bears will check to see how naive we are.
We were interested in a Mossberg .330 rifle, on sale for under $400. It's not one of the new pieces that are semi-automatic (I was disappointed...Charlie's angels had cool guns, I always kind of pictured my self as a potential 4th angel when I was growing up). I handled the rifle, and immediately had bluing all over myself even though DH and the gun salesman had been handling the same rifle for many minutes before me. This was a real confidence builder. It was the only gun that fit our profile on offer, so we said "yes". I was a bit, as I said before, let down that it wasn't something BAD , but none of my female friends have their own gun, so anything is cool. Yes, that does sound juvenile, but we are talking about guns here. This is not a Ghandi moment.
I had to fill out the forms, because DH had an old address on his driver's license and he'd had to jump through hoops when he bought his gun. I had a bad moment right at the start. It asked for my weight. I told DH that the forms were, indeed, his to fill out. He grinned, and told me to put down the same weight as my driver's license says it is. He knew that he was on firm ground there, as I have a coffee cup that says, "My dream is to actually be the weight that my driver's license says that it is". Okay, that crisis was over. Now the salesman wants to see and copy my drivers license. Understand, I never in all of my life had a driver's license which was less than flattering. I would have loved to have taken any one of those, blown it up, and put it on the wall. This drivers license, though, is as if all of my picture karma caught up with me in one fell picture. Wincing, I dug the loathsome thing out and handed it over. He did a double take, I swear. "It's not me, it's my evil twin", I assured him.
The forms I had to fill out were otherwise hysterically funny. The kind of forms that only a very earnest committee could create. I had to answer many questions "yes" or "no". Have I committed a crime? Do I use illegal drugs? Am I purchasing this gun for illicit reasons? No wonder the bears think we're naive. Then I had to answer four similar questions verbally. I guess that the intent behind these questions is that hardened criminals, faced with these tough questions, will immediately break down and confess to their illicit actions. I, being a soft, blond innocent type, kept my cool (thinking firmly of bears) and passed this verbal test with flying colors. It did help that the salesman looked bored. We paid, and now we wait two weeks.
Then, hoo-boy, I get to sight in my new weapon. Let's hope I look really cool...and the bluing stays where it belongs.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Madness and the Summer Equinox
The summer equinox seems to bring it's own form of insanity to our town. I've nearly been hit 3 times in the last week as drivers run red lights and take their share of the road up the middle.The total prize goes to the driver of the red truck who made a right turn...from the left lane beside me. I have great reflexes or you wouldn't be reading this. That driver may claim his prize in person...I guarantee he'll find it interesting.
Everyone is seemingly going solar. One of my clients gave me an intriguing link to solar panels. I had been certain that he'd go for one of the over-priced packages from Real Goods, but he pleasantly surprised me with a link to the lowest solar prices that I've seen yet. Pardon me for a minute while I rummage among my bookmarks. Yes, here it is, http://sunelec.com/, with many panels for less than $3 a watt. Now, I know that the manufacturer's El Dorado is to achieve solar panels for $1 a watt. In the real world, however, that dollar is a slippery fellow who keeps changing value. Consumers at this point are extremely happy to see panels under $3/watt. That's our golden goal.
We have rich, loamy garden soil which turns to rich, reddish brown dust, inches of it, in the summer. DH Matt is busy trenching for water and for moving solar generated electricity around the property. I am busily watering and fertilizing my ginormous (I was furious when that word was added to Webster's, I use it as an act of defiance) garden. Which makes us both entirely dusty and muddy
and grime-covered, and disreputably dirty. I stopped for gas this evening on my way home from the property and an afternoon's adventure in gardening. It is amazing the reactions people give to a bit of dirt. Other gardeners smile and wave, recognizing a kindred soul. People without a tan, with manicured nails and clean clothes, are entirely condescending. When clean, I fall into the generic category of "cute"; also the first person people approach to beg money or favors from. I've actually ducked down into my car seat in a large parking lot as a panhandler scanned the lot for me, no doubt thinking, "Now where was that easy mark?" Apparently, dirty, I now resemble someone who ought to be washing their car windows for them. Now I ask you, would people behave that way in winter? Winter people are polite and reasonable. Spring people are optimistic and kind. Fall people are rushed and motivated (we won't dwell on the pre-Christmas grouchiness). But, Summer people are stark, raving, mad.
Everyone is seemingly going solar. One of my clients gave me an intriguing link to solar panels. I had been certain that he'd go for one of the over-priced packages from Real Goods, but he pleasantly surprised me with a link to the lowest solar prices that I've seen yet. Pardon me for a minute while I rummage among my bookmarks. Yes, here it is, http://sunelec.com/, with many panels for less than $3 a watt. Now, I know that the manufacturer's El Dorado is to achieve solar panels for $1 a watt. In the real world, however, that dollar is a slippery fellow who keeps changing value. Consumers at this point are extremely happy to see panels under $3/watt. That's our golden goal.
We have rich, loamy garden soil which turns to rich, reddish brown dust, inches of it, in the summer. DH Matt is busy trenching for water and for moving solar generated electricity around the property. I am busily watering and fertilizing my ginormous (I was furious when that word was added to Webster's, I use it as an act of defiance) garden. Which makes us both entirely dusty and muddy
and grime-covered, and disreputably dirty. I stopped for gas this evening on my way home from the property and an afternoon's adventure in gardening. It is amazing the reactions people give to a bit of dirt. Other gardeners smile and wave, recognizing a kindred soul. People without a tan, with manicured nails and clean clothes, are entirely condescending. When clean, I fall into the generic category of "cute"; also the first person people approach to beg money or favors from. I've actually ducked down into my car seat in a large parking lot as a panhandler scanned the lot for me, no doubt thinking, "Now where was that easy mark?" Apparently, dirty, I now resemble someone who ought to be washing their car windows for them. Now I ask you, would people behave that way in winter? Winter people are polite and reasonable. Spring people are optimistic and kind. Fall people are rushed and motivated (we won't dwell on the pre-Christmas grouchiness). But, Summer people are stark, raving, mad.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
An Eggplant in June
I was recently bemoaning the fact that my tomatoes and peppers and eggplants weren't growing due to our unusually cold June. This seems not to matter. We will harvest our first eggplant tomorrow, or the next day. In June. The hot-weather loving plants are unusually stunted this year, but already producing fruits. Perhaps they feel that their survival is threatened so they'd better make offspring while they can.
It's an axiom that everything grows larger here in the Sierra Foothills. Roses which are typically 4' tall for their type will reach for 6' here. Floribundas such as Queen Elizabeth or Tournament of Roses become majestic 12 foot wonders. Cherry tomatoes stretch themselves to 5 feet, regular tomatoes seem to feel that the sky is the limit. Even the children are taller; 14 year old DS looms over both of his short parents. He enjoys that. I swear, I think that he has practiced "looming" in the mirror, accompanied by a condescending little smile. He assures me that he wouldn't waste his time that way; that the condescension comes naturally to teenagers. I get even; the sign on his bedroom door today reads, "Future Waste Disposal site; Model Site Plan Within". Har, har. Suggestions for future signs regarding a messy room are welcome.
I am enjoying this summer. We're not traveling, we have too many projects and the garden constantly needs attention. This, by the way, is amusing. DH Matt's objection to livestock, even chickens, over the years is that they limit travel. And yet, this man has big plans next year to expand the garden. That would make the garden, um, 2.5 acres? Mostly vegetables, mind you, although I'm going to start sliding my roses in. They've been waiting patiently in pots for their new home. I wonder if roses like cabbages as planting companions?
The main reason I'm enjoying this summer is that there is no school. Home schooling a teenage boy through eighth grade and beyond is sheer hard work. As a comparison, try pulling a large fluffy bath towel through a wedding ring. Conceivably it can be done, but there is effort involved. I envy the parents of girls. The girls who are home schooled are organized (or at least can be organized). I have thrown more day planners to my son than I can describe...I've thrown even more at him. His concept of studying for a final exam is 30 minutes. We're working on that one.
I should mention here that California has no "official" home school program. All kids attend a school. It's just that some schools are more off campus. Anyone can file an R-4 as a small school, even with a student population of one. I use the public school system's home school programs for my son's education. Most of his work takes place at home, but he answers to a teacher for his grades. I used to grade him, and teach his English...his current teachers are a lot easier. I also have to say that he has perfect attendence, ;) .
This has worked well for us; our early mornings are all about feeding critters (really lazy cats and a small hyper dog) and watering plants. DS averages ten hours of sleep a night, which is crucial for a teenager. They really do need more sleep. The more he sleeps the more he grows. It's summer, so he's increased his sleep periods to 13 hours. I just bought thus 14 year old kid new shoes: size 12. Must be that Sierra soil. DS wrote a short story recently. In this story (which was awesome, BTW) his protagonist was a fussy person who rose at the unusually early hour of 9 a.m. (?!) This kid is in for some rude awakenings later in life, y'think?
I should mention that DS's life is not a bed of roses. His classes are college level, honors at the lowest; that's my standard. He also has his own web design business, and is taking classes even in the summer to improve his professional skill set. I think he's realized that web designers don't have to get up in the morning.
So, the June score so far is; short eggplants producing...tall DS producing. Mom taking a well earned rest from prodding both to produce. DS Matt...always productive.
It's an axiom that everything grows larger here in the Sierra Foothills. Roses which are typically 4' tall for their type will reach for 6' here. Floribundas such as Queen Elizabeth or Tournament of Roses become majestic 12 foot wonders. Cherry tomatoes stretch themselves to 5 feet, regular tomatoes seem to feel that the sky is the limit. Even the children are taller; 14 year old DS looms over both of his short parents. He enjoys that. I swear, I think that he has practiced "looming" in the mirror, accompanied by a condescending little smile. He assures me that he wouldn't waste his time that way; that the condescension comes naturally to teenagers. I get even; the sign on his bedroom door today reads, "Future Waste Disposal site; Model Site Plan Within". Har, har. Suggestions for future signs regarding a messy room are welcome.
I am enjoying this summer. We're not traveling, we have too many projects and the garden constantly needs attention. This, by the way, is amusing. DH Matt's objection to livestock, even chickens, over the years is that they limit travel. And yet, this man has big plans next year to expand the garden. That would make the garden, um, 2.5 acres? Mostly vegetables, mind you, although I'm going to start sliding my roses in. They've been waiting patiently in pots for their new home. I wonder if roses like cabbages as planting companions?
The main reason I'm enjoying this summer is that there is no school. Home schooling a teenage boy through eighth grade and beyond is sheer hard work. As a comparison, try pulling a large fluffy bath towel through a wedding ring. Conceivably it can be done, but there is effort involved. I envy the parents of girls. The girls who are home schooled are organized (or at least can be organized). I have thrown more day planners to my son than I can describe...I've thrown even more at him. His concept of studying for a final exam is 30 minutes. We're working on that one.
I should mention here that California has no "official" home school program. All kids attend a school. It's just that some schools are more off campus. Anyone can file an R-4 as a small school, even with a student population of one. I use the public school system's home school programs for my son's education. Most of his work takes place at home, but he answers to a teacher for his grades. I used to grade him, and teach his English...his current teachers are a lot easier. I also have to say that he has perfect attendence, ;) .
This has worked well for us; our early mornings are all about feeding critters (really lazy cats and a small hyper dog) and watering plants. DS averages ten hours of sleep a night, which is crucial for a teenager. They really do need more sleep. The more he sleeps the more he grows. It's summer, so he's increased his sleep periods to 13 hours. I just bought thus 14 year old kid new shoes: size 12. Must be that Sierra soil. DS wrote a short story recently. In this story (which was awesome, BTW) his protagonist was a fussy person who rose at the unusually early hour of 9 a.m. (?!) This kid is in for some rude awakenings later in life, y'think?
I should mention that DS's life is not a bed of roses. His classes are college level, honors at the lowest; that's my standard. He also has his own web design business, and is taking classes even in the summer to improve his professional skill set. I think he's realized that web designers don't have to get up in the morning.
So, the June score so far is; short eggplants producing...tall DS producing. Mom taking a well earned rest from prodding both to produce. DS Matt...always productive.
Root Cellaring
Dear Friend saw my garden today, for the first time. We gardened up here last year (now called the "small" garden) but also had a garden at our residence. Obviously one is not enough. DF was very kind about not commenting on the excessiveness of the garden. I walked her around the top part of the property (160 acres, it's a timber farm) and I think she sees that the garden is actually proportionate. Or she sees that we see big spaces so often that 40 tomato plants becomes quite normal.
We were discussing what we would/could do with all of our garden produce. She's mentioned to her husband a desire,a wish, a longing for a root cellar. Or perhaps something built of concrete blocks. Dug into the ground.
He wasn't cottoning much to the idea; it sounded like a lot of work and some expense. I grinned, as I'd already been there with DH Matt with similar results. I took her down a road to show her my "root cellar". She did complain mildly that I was being very mysterious about it. I explained that I simply couldn't tell; seeing was believing. I showed her; two large, slightly rusted metal cases, on wheels, about 8' wide by 8' tall...each weighing 500 pounds. "What are they?", she gasped. I replied, "I have no idea, maybe old transport cases for a meat packing plant, or perhaps they came from a ship or a railroad car. We found them in an old shed at the last property. They're insulated and we'll also stack hay bales around them." This had required a lot of negotiation with DH Matt. I can't imagine why he was reluctant to haul a thousand pounds of metal for a harvest five months away.
We discussed how she could use old refrigerators to do the same thing. Burying them in the ground with the door side up, then finishing with hay bales and a tarp. This had been my original concept with DH Matt. He wasn't enthused about running around the countryside pulling out old fridges, then digging large holes in the ground for them. I'm not certain why he didn't warm to the idea, but I have my cold storage now.
Neither of us have tried this before (root cellaring that is, we're old hands about negotiating with husbands). Independently of each other DF and I each purchased the book, "Root Cellaring: Natural cold storage of fruits and vegetables", by Mike and Nancy Bubel. I'm not certain why the title says "fruits" in the plural. We're not talking strawberries and mangoes here, this refers to apples. DF and I plan to "root cellar" carrots, turnips, parsnips, and cabbage. I have a few more dreams; celery, which hasn't sprouted for me in 3 tries. Cauliflower, which I sincerely dislike but figure it might taste better when homegrown. Also not sprouting. Perhaps my non-sprouting broccoli would root cellar well, if it ever germinates and produces. I have never had trouble starting plants from seed before, but the cole crops are frustrating. Advice and sympathy are welcome.
We were discussing what we would/could do with all of our garden produce. She's mentioned to her husband a desire,a wish, a longing for a root cellar. Or perhaps something built of concrete blocks. Dug into the ground.
He wasn't cottoning much to the idea; it sounded like a lot of work and some expense. I grinned, as I'd already been there with DH Matt with similar results. I took her down a road to show her my "root cellar". She did complain mildly that I was being very mysterious about it. I explained that I simply couldn't tell; seeing was believing. I showed her; two large, slightly rusted metal cases, on wheels, about 8' wide by 8' tall...each weighing 500 pounds. "What are they?", she gasped. I replied, "I have no idea, maybe old transport cases for a meat packing plant, or perhaps they came from a ship or a railroad car. We found them in an old shed at the last property. They're insulated and we'll also stack hay bales around them." This had required a lot of negotiation with DH Matt. I can't imagine why he was reluctant to haul a thousand pounds of metal for a harvest five months away.
We discussed how she could use old refrigerators to do the same thing. Burying them in the ground with the door side up, then finishing with hay bales and a tarp. This had been my original concept with DH Matt. He wasn't enthused about running around the countryside pulling out old fridges, then digging large holes in the ground for them. I'm not certain why he didn't warm to the idea, but I have my cold storage now.
Neither of us have tried this before (root cellaring that is, we're old hands about negotiating with husbands). Independently of each other DF and I each purchased the book, "Root Cellaring: Natural cold storage of fruits and vegetables", by Mike and Nancy Bubel. I'm not certain why the title says "fruits" in the plural. We're not talking strawberries and mangoes here, this refers to apples. DF and I plan to "root cellar" carrots, turnips, parsnips, and cabbage. I have a few more dreams; celery, which hasn't sprouted for me in 3 tries. Cauliflower, which I sincerely dislike but figure it might taste better when homegrown. Also not sprouting. Perhaps my non-sprouting broccoli would root cellar well, if it ever germinates and produces. I have never had trouble starting plants from seed before, but the cole crops are frustrating. Advice and sympathy are welcome.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Food Safety
We will get to the topic of food safety, please be patient.
I subscribe to (too) many financial newsletters. Partly because I'm compulsive about keeping my finger on the economic pulse, partly because I love the BS the marketing guys throw, and partly (mostly) because I love economist's humor."Rude Awakening" from Agora Financial is an example.
I want to stress that this article is from their public information and not subscription/subscriber based. I hope that if I plug them here they'll allow me to spread their wit and wisdom . That site would be http://www.agorafinancial.com . Check out this hilarious article:
__________________________________________________________________
Joel Bowman, reporting from Taipei, Taiwan...
“That’s what I love about Americans,” declared a Polish businessman, seated to our immediate left. “They have an amazing capacity for optimism, no matter how bad things get.”
In Poland, the young man informed us, people don’t celebrate good news until after the event has been and gone, lest it be snatched from them at the crucial moment.
“You see this all the time,” chorused the Frenchman, seated directly across from us. “Even now, when the U.S. economy is going up in flames, the Americans still believe they can turn it around.”
“Well,” countered the only American at the table, “Call it a ‘Santa Clause’ viewpoint if you like, but maybe that’s what we need right now; a renewal of faith in our market; a resurgence of confidence.”
“Faith in the economy only counts if the numbers back it up,” a Taiwanese businessman added, reading your Australian editor’s mind.
This amusing geopolitical microcosm played out during a schmooze and booze event here in Taipei earlier this week. The hopeful American...the cynical Frenchman...the cautious eastern European...the calculating Asian...it might have been a United Nations gathering, except that this event was about building businesses, not obstructing them, and, as far as we know, no attendee’s ticket price found its way onto a taxpayer tab.
Perhaps the views expressed were a little generalized but, nevertheless, this international bevy of opinion provided us some welcome relief after the previous week’s green-shoots overload. The background to this friendly kerfuffle, of course, was that most major indexes suffered a mini-selloff during the week. On Wall Street the Dow slipped almost 3%, with the S&P 500 not far behind. Both measures sit more or less breakeven for the year.
(For those keeping score at home, the performance of the native measures of our other debate participants, are as follows: France’s CAC is about where it started 2009, following a similar trajectory as their “overly optimistic” American brethren; Warsaw’s WIG index is the second best of the selected bunch, up about 10% YTD after hitting its low a few weeks before the Americans; Taiwan’s Taiex, despite suffering a horrendous month of June after an overbought rally following the Chinese/Taiwan trade agreement, is up over 25% YTD; and finally, the Aussie All Ordinaries is higher by a modest 7% for the year.)
After imbibing a few more glasses of wine and exchanging a few more business cards, members of the micro-UN group found themselves back in approximately the same seating arrangement as earlier in the evening. The debate quickly rekindled.
“So are you saying my opinion is stupid because I choose to believe a recovery is possible?” the American woman resumed, baiting the Taiwanese fellow into battle.
“He didn’t say stupid,” the Pole intervened, saving the blushing Asian man, “he said premature.”
“No he didn’t,” the Frenchman protested, “You said premature...he said factually baseless. I said it was stupid.”
“And what do you think,” asked one of the debaters, addressing the Australian seat.
Sensing that things were heading into emotional waters, we decided to change tack. “Economics is such a stuffy subject,” we suggested. “Who votes we discuss religion instead?”
___________________________________________________________________
Funny, huh? The point is, economists are always that funny, intentionally or not. Bernake cracks
me up, he doesn't even have to open his mouth. The minute he puts on that earnest, salesman's face I start giggling. Geithner, same thing. I think those guys have special training on saying absolute whoppers with a straight face. Or, perhaps that's their special talent, discovered early in life...the ability to deceive and have people swallow, even applaud the deception.
Here's another killer economist quote (I tell you, these guys are funny, almost as amusing as politicians..and when you mix the two it's a clown fest). This piece is also pulled from Agora Financial.
__________________________________________________________________
By Dan Denning, editor of the Australian Daily Reckoning
Which finally brings us to our topic, "food safety". I saw an article in "The Washington Post",
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061402741.html?hpid=topnew, which concerns the absolute tsunami of seed sales.
The article concludes that the public is buying extra seeds due to the economy and "food safety".
This kind of thing always sets my gears spinning. Ten years ago, did you ever hear this terminology, "food safety"? And what does that relatively new terminology mean to you, personally? The usage in the article seems to be that "food safety" is protection from recent infectious agents discovered in foods such as spinach. Okay, I'll buy that...people were plenty scared when that outbreak concerning spinach happened...and before that strawberries, and peanuts.
"Food safety" means something more to me though, and I think to a lot of the new gardeners out there. It's partly about E. coli outbreaks, partly about the FDA's jones to irradiate our food supply. But, referencing our previous topic of amusing international conversations, amusing politicians, amusing salespeople for investments....we, the people, are ultimately not that confident, and when it comes to our personal safety we are not that amused. "Food Safety" takes on a new meaning when we filter it through the political assurances that our money is good. If our money was good then they wouldn't need to tell us. If they spend a lot of time grinning and shucking on the national and international stage to tell us that our money is good...then it's not. And we'd better look to safety.
I subscribe to (too) many financial newsletters. Partly because I'm compulsive about keeping my finger on the economic pulse, partly because I love the BS the marketing guys throw, and partly (mostly) because I love economist's humor."Rude Awakening" from Agora Financial is an example.
I want to stress that this article is from their public information and not subscription/subscriber based. I hope that if I plug them here they'll allow me to spread their wit and wisdom . That site would be http://www.agorafinancial.com . Check out this hilarious article:
__________________________________________________________________
Joel Bowman, reporting from Taipei, Taiwan...
“That’s what I love about Americans,” declared a Polish businessman, seated to our immediate left. “They have an amazing capacity for optimism, no matter how bad things get.”
In Poland, the young man informed us, people don’t celebrate good news until after the event has been and gone, lest it be snatched from them at the crucial moment.
“You see this all the time,” chorused the Frenchman, seated directly across from us. “Even now, when the U.S. economy is going up in flames, the Americans still believe they can turn it around.”
“Well,” countered the only American at the table, “Call it a ‘Santa Clause’ viewpoint if you like, but maybe that’s what we need right now; a renewal of faith in our market; a resurgence of confidence.”
“Faith in the economy only counts if the numbers back it up,” a Taiwanese businessman added, reading your Australian editor’s mind.
This amusing geopolitical microcosm played out during a schmooze and booze event here in Taipei earlier this week. The hopeful American...the cynical Frenchman...the cautious eastern European...the calculating Asian...it might have been a United Nations gathering, except that this event was about building businesses, not obstructing them, and, as far as we know, no attendee’s ticket price found its way onto a taxpayer tab.
Perhaps the views expressed were a little generalized but, nevertheless, this international bevy of opinion provided us some welcome relief after the previous week’s green-shoots overload. The background to this friendly kerfuffle, of course, was that most major indexes suffered a mini-selloff during the week. On Wall Street the Dow slipped almost 3%, with the S&P 500 not far behind. Both measures sit more or less breakeven for the year.
(For those keeping score at home, the performance of the native measures of our other debate participants, are as follows: France’s CAC is about where it started 2009, following a similar trajectory as their “overly optimistic” American brethren; Warsaw’s WIG index is the second best of the selected bunch, up about 10% YTD after hitting its low a few weeks before the Americans; Taiwan’s Taiex, despite suffering a horrendous month of June after an overbought rally following the Chinese/Taiwan trade agreement, is up over 25% YTD; and finally, the Aussie All Ordinaries is higher by a modest 7% for the year.)
After imbibing a few more glasses of wine and exchanging a few more business cards, members of the micro-UN group found themselves back in approximately the same seating arrangement as earlier in the evening. The debate quickly rekindled.
“So are you saying my opinion is stupid because I choose to believe a recovery is possible?” the American woman resumed, baiting the Taiwanese fellow into battle.
“He didn’t say stupid,” the Pole intervened, saving the blushing Asian man, “he said premature.”
“No he didn’t,” the Frenchman protested, “You said premature...he said factually baseless. I said it was stupid.”
“And what do you think,” asked one of the debaters, addressing the Australian seat.
Sensing that things were heading into emotional waters, we decided to change tack. “Economics is such a stuffy subject,” we suggested. “Who votes we discuss religion instead?”
___________________________________________________________________
Funny, huh? The point is, economists are always that funny, intentionally or not. Bernake cracks
me up, he doesn't even have to open his mouth. The minute he puts on that earnest, salesman's face I start giggling. Geithner, same thing. I think those guys have special training on saying absolute whoppers with a straight face. Or, perhaps that's their special talent, discovered early in life...the ability to deceive and have people swallow, even applaud the deception.
Here's another killer economist quote (I tell you, these guys are funny, almost as amusing as politicians..and when you mix the two it's a clown fest). This piece is also pulled from Agora Financial.
__________________________________________________________________
By Dan Denning, editor of the Australian Daily Reckoning
When a large holder of U.S. dollars declares that the dollar is in “great shape,” should we believe him? My answer is, “Probably not.”
Russia’s Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told journalists this week that the U.S. dollar is in “good shape.” He added that, “It’s too early to speak of an alternative [to the U.S. dollar].” These remarks came after Chinese and Russian officials have quite publicly suggested that the world’s financial system would benefit from using a currency that wasn’t being run by a bunch of inflationistas in America.
_________________________________________________________________
Isn't that great? Inflationista. This Kudrin is the same guy who recently, and pointedly, authorized the exchange of American treasury Bonds to the IMF in exchange for a basket of global currencies. You have to love the sheer nerve.
Which finally brings us to our topic, "food safety". I saw an article in "The Washington Post",
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/14/AR2009061402741.html?hpid=topnew, which concerns the absolute tsunami of seed sales.
The article concludes that the public is buying extra seeds due to the economy and "food safety".
This kind of thing always sets my gears spinning. Ten years ago, did you ever hear this terminology, "food safety"? And what does that relatively new terminology mean to you, personally? The usage in the article seems to be that "food safety" is protection from recent infectious agents discovered in foods such as spinach. Okay, I'll buy that...people were plenty scared when that outbreak concerning spinach happened...and before that strawberries, and peanuts.
"Food safety" means something more to me though, and I think to a lot of the new gardeners out there. It's partly about E. coli outbreaks, partly about the FDA's jones to irradiate our food supply. But, referencing our previous topic of amusing international conversations, amusing politicians, amusing salespeople for investments....we, the people, are ultimately not that confident, and when it comes to our personal safety we are not that amused. "Food Safety" takes on a new meaning when we filter it through the political assurances that our money is good. If our money was good then they wouldn't need to tell us. If they spend a lot of time grinning and shucking on the national and international stage to tell us that our money is good...then it's not. And we'd better look to safety.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Unusually Cold June Weather
My tomatoes are not growing. They have fruit, but day to day the fruit does not ripen. Peppers and eggplant; the same. I'll grant, this is my first experience trying to garden at a higher altitude, 3500' elevation. But it's now Mid-June and I'm still using the fireplace most evenings. The summer garden does not like the nightly chill. My vegetables are responding to the low average temperature.
.
I was speaking with an elderly local gardener yesterday. She's grown a garden on the same land every year for the last 50 years; her mother grew vegetable gardens on the same parcel for the 50 years previous. This gardener stated that she's seen the seasons shift dramatically in the last decade. "We used to have the last big rain storm in April...then it began coming in May. Now, this year it came in early June. I used to have my garden finish by early October. Now, I still harvest a bit at Thanksgiving."
The local gold "miners" are disgruntled. They are used to being able to dredge for gold in the Yuba River as the roaring river waters decline to a safe margin in June. This year the few who thought to try have lost expensive equipment as the river floods with rainstorms up in the high country. Historically, the Yuba River systems have been safe for recreational swimming after the 4th of July.
This year I can look up to the mountain tops and see the heads of rain-filled thunderclouds. This is not a year like other years.
The people in town are speaking of the weather daily. What used to be a trivial conversational topic is now as much a concern as the economic "weather". The general consensus is that this is uncomfortable, uneasy weather; cool and wet. "Foothill" gardeners, as we are known by, are used to odd weather events; hail storms in June, even a freak late snowstorm several years ago. We sometimes (rarely) receive rain in our dry summer season. When we do it is always a cause for rejoicing because it lessens the danger of fire season. This year feels different. We don't know what the weather will bring. We do have an uneasy sense that it's a bit different, that something is out of pattern. An essential weave that we have depended upon and taken for granted has shifted.
.
I was speaking with an elderly local gardener yesterday. She's grown a garden on the same land every year for the last 50 years; her mother grew vegetable gardens on the same parcel for the 50 years previous. This gardener stated that she's seen the seasons shift dramatically in the last decade. "We used to have the last big rain storm in April...then it began coming in May. Now, this year it came in early June. I used to have my garden finish by early October. Now, I still harvest a bit at Thanksgiving."
The local gold "miners" are disgruntled. They are used to being able to dredge for gold in the Yuba River as the roaring river waters decline to a safe margin in June. This year the few who thought to try have lost expensive equipment as the river floods with rainstorms up in the high country. Historically, the Yuba River systems have been safe for recreational swimming after the 4th of July.
This year I can look up to the mountain tops and see the heads of rain-filled thunderclouds. This is not a year like other years.
The people in town are speaking of the weather daily. What used to be a trivial conversational topic is now as much a concern as the economic "weather". The general consensus is that this is uncomfortable, uneasy weather; cool and wet. "Foothill" gardeners, as we are known by, are used to odd weather events; hail storms in June, even a freak late snowstorm several years ago. We sometimes (rarely) receive rain in our dry summer season. When we do it is always a cause for rejoicing because it lessens the danger of fire season. This year feels different. We don't know what the weather will bring. We do have an uneasy sense that it's a bit different, that something is out of pattern. An essential weave that we have depended upon and taken for granted has shifted.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Victorian Money Pit
You may have noticed during the Great Sink Negotiation that DH Matt and I are temperamentally prepared to build a house without straining our marriage. This is because we have already been to Hades and back with our own Victorian Money Pit when we first married.
We had moved to the mountains to take care of his aging parents, who both lived here but not together (never divorced, but had been legally separated for over 30 years). They were both in their individual ways completely impossible for anyone to live with, so I could see their point. Our real estate agent was a great guy, but he hadn't a clue that we were completely eclectic people who wanted something different. He could have sold us a Dome home if he'd paid attention, or even a tree house if it was cunningly built. I'm certain, too, that we presented completely conflicting pictures to him. DH Matt would warm to anything 1970's, particularly if it came with hideous orange shag carpeting and flocked wallpaper.I was leaning towards a Victorian hung around with roses and a white picket fence.Poor, poor real estate agent. We ended up gifting him with a case of whiskey, because we found our house ourselves.
We'd been spinning around with the RE guy for 3 months. This woman was fed up...I made a list of our requirements. Something elegantly Victorian, something 70's. Some rug that most people would roll their eyes at but that we would think was cool. White picket fence and roses. On, for DH, at least an acre of land outside of town. And for me, as a bonus, a sauna and a jacuzzi tub (DH laughed). On a tiny little budget because even though we had more money DH wanted to conserve resources. We made our list and then we each signed it. Secretly, I had another line item. DH Matt had sold a business before we moved up here. He was "resting" now, which to me seemed to comprise of spending hours playing video games. So, to this wife, it was quite apparent that he needed a project. Yes, I can feel male readers wincing at those words.
One Sunday morning we were debating mildly once again over if spending yet another day with RE agent would be productive. We eventually scheduled with him for that afternoon. Later, I was idly leafing through the newspaper when an advertisement for an antique auction caught my eye. I knew that we absolutely had to be at that auction. Quickly, I called the RE agent and canceled...and whirled DH Matt out of the house we were renting, to catch the end of the auction. He was mildly protesting the necessity of looking at furniture when we didn't even have a house, but DH has always been a good sport.
The house where the auction was held was a Victorian, a gorgeous big old Estate House in an improbable country location, on 1.3 acres. It was in poor shape, with sagging porches and peeling paint. As I stepped through the back door to register us for the auction, I felt an electric tingle run down my spine. I called over my shoulder to DH, "Matt, we've found our house. This is it". DH Matt looked around at the state of disrepair and shuddered. Silently we explored the house, which would also be up for auction in another 3 weeks. The elegant triple parlors in front were carpeted in a large red and pink and black swirling cabbage rose print. I knew that this was a wildly expensive wool carpet. The back was a 70's add-on. The entire addition was carpeted in shag. The kitchen was a disaster, but large. DH Matt shook his head when he saw the sauna and hot tub in the addition's bathroom. We loved it.
We did buy that house. It needed everything; roofing, foundation, electrical, plumbing. It had never had central heating. We almost entirely remade the addition. We landscaped, built porches, made gardens. Everyone who saw it or who worked on it (DH did almost everything himself) commented to me that the house "had potential". What I didn't see was the shaking of their heads in wonder as they walked away (as in, "I wonder why these people are so crazy). I didn't know that "everyone" also commented to DH Matt, "It's quite a project you have here." We laughed when we eventually compared notes on people's comments. Friends of ours were taking bets over whether our marriage would make it through this house. Truth is, it really was a trial by fire. The house was a bit haunted. And Matt's parents were needing more time and energy in those days, too. But the house also had great energy. And when we were finished with it, it was drop-dead gorgeous. It also used great energy to heat through the winter, which is why we added solar panels. We eventually grew tired of drafty winters, and sold the house for a beautiful price. I still miss that house, in a way. It was so lovely...and it gave us the gift of a strong marriage, hardened in the furnace of bringing order to chaos. Hades indeed.
We had moved to the mountains to take care of his aging parents, who both lived here but not together (never divorced, but had been legally separated for over 30 years). They were both in their individual ways completely impossible for anyone to live with, so I could see their point. Our real estate agent was a great guy, but he hadn't a clue that we were completely eclectic people who wanted something different. He could have sold us a Dome home if he'd paid attention, or even a tree house if it was cunningly built. I'm certain, too, that we presented completely conflicting pictures to him. DH Matt would warm to anything 1970's, particularly if it came with hideous orange shag carpeting and flocked wallpaper.I was leaning towards a Victorian hung around with roses and a white picket fence.Poor, poor real estate agent. We ended up gifting him with a case of whiskey, because we found our house ourselves.
We'd been spinning around with the RE guy for 3 months. This woman was fed up...I made a list of our requirements. Something elegantly Victorian, something 70's. Some rug that most people would roll their eyes at but that we would think was cool. White picket fence and roses. On, for DH, at least an acre of land outside of town. And for me, as a bonus, a sauna and a jacuzzi tub (DH laughed). On a tiny little budget because even though we had more money DH wanted to conserve resources. We made our list and then we each signed it. Secretly, I had another line item. DH Matt had sold a business before we moved up here. He was "resting" now, which to me seemed to comprise of spending hours playing video games. So, to this wife, it was quite apparent that he needed a project. Yes, I can feel male readers wincing at those words.
One Sunday morning we were debating mildly once again over if spending yet another day with RE agent would be productive. We eventually scheduled with him for that afternoon. Later, I was idly leafing through the newspaper when an advertisement for an antique auction caught my eye. I knew that we absolutely had to be at that auction. Quickly, I called the RE agent and canceled...and whirled DH Matt out of the house we were renting, to catch the end of the auction. He was mildly protesting the necessity of looking at furniture when we didn't even have a house, but DH has always been a good sport.
The house where the auction was held was a Victorian, a gorgeous big old Estate House in an improbable country location, on 1.3 acres. It was in poor shape, with sagging porches and peeling paint. As I stepped through the back door to register us for the auction, I felt an electric tingle run down my spine. I called over my shoulder to DH, "Matt, we've found our house. This is it". DH Matt looked around at the state of disrepair and shuddered. Silently we explored the house, which would also be up for auction in another 3 weeks. The elegant triple parlors in front were carpeted in a large red and pink and black swirling cabbage rose print. I knew that this was a wildly expensive wool carpet. The back was a 70's add-on. The entire addition was carpeted in shag. The kitchen was a disaster, but large. DH Matt shook his head when he saw the sauna and hot tub in the addition's bathroom. We loved it.
We did buy that house. It needed everything; roofing, foundation, electrical, plumbing. It had never had central heating. We almost entirely remade the addition. We landscaped, built porches, made gardens. Everyone who saw it or who worked on it (DH did almost everything himself) commented to me that the house "had potential". What I didn't see was the shaking of their heads in wonder as they walked away (as in, "I wonder why these people are so crazy). I didn't know that "everyone" also commented to DH Matt, "It's quite a project you have here." We laughed when we eventually compared notes on people's comments. Friends of ours were taking bets over whether our marriage would make it through this house. Truth is, it really was a trial by fire. The house was a bit haunted. And Matt's parents were needing more time and energy in those days, too. But the house also had great energy. And when we were finished with it, it was drop-dead gorgeous. It also used great energy to heat through the winter, which is why we added solar panels. We eventually grew tired of drafty winters, and sold the house for a beautiful price. I still miss that house, in a way. It was so lovely...and it gave us the gift of a strong marriage, hardened in the furnace of bringing order to chaos. Hades indeed.
Revisiting The Sink
You may recall the stainless steel kitchen sink saga. We are not into the purchasing phase yet of appliances and fixtures. We have remodeled so many houses that now we begin at the budget stage and make choices before they're needed. That way we can swoop in on any great deals and it mitigates the decision fatigue which enters any project like this. So, to recap, we are going to be over-budget on power...DH Matt decided to make cuts in an area less (to him) important; the kitchen. Which, conveniently enough, comes at the end of the project when the budget is always tight.
Once I had move past all of the stages of grief (whining, denial, anger, blame) and into calm acceptance, I sat down and said, "No, this cannot be !" So I sharpened my pencil and began making deals with DH Matt. I found the vent hood for $100 less...that didn't count though, because it was already a trade-off for a style DH and I both loathed. The fridge couldn't go any lower, ditto the range. The washer and dryer, though, I discovered did have a lower model with fewer cycles. Since we tend to use only 3 cycles of any washer, what would it matter if it had 10 cycles instead of 12? And I can live without the luscious red color in laundry appliances that I've been eying for years. I'm actually not certain that I'd still love red in the laundry room in several years. So, $350 saved there. I was on my way.
Next I focused on the sink itself...$40 less on a website which sells only stainless steel sinks. I had to stop and think about that as a business model. Personally I'd be selling at least matching faucets and accessories. That would allow greater customer capture...and I digress. I looked elsewhere for the faucet, and saved $100 there. I was in! Even DH Matt couldn't find a stainless kitchen sink for the remainder. He gracefully conceded the apron stainless steel sink. Yesss!!!
There is an area of the budget which is ominously blank. This is lighting. Frankly, neither DH Matt nor I are emotionally ready to venture into that territory. Because we love lights. We have boxes and boxes of wonderful old chandeliers that we've found over the years. I coo over darling pendant lights with hand blown glass shades the way some women coo in a baby shop over tiny little outfits. We have more unusual table lamps than tables; I'm surrounded by 5 of those lamps right now as I blog. We also live in California, with Title 24 requirements (it must be fluorescent pin, ugly, or not manufactured) regarding lights and lighting. We must do some things to pass code inspection. We cannot do others. This is not fun. We're not feeling the love here.
I suspect that we'll make a last minute run to the big box store, snatch up any fluorescent lighting that's cheap, hang it and smile for the building inspector. And save the receipts. Because, oddly enough, we are making our own power. All of our own power. Running electricity to the property is not an option now or in the future, as there are no power easements. And yet, there is no exception to Title 24 for people who are off-grid. Because some day, so goes the thinking, despite falling prices for off-grid systems and rising prices for power company installation of lines plus the sheer insanity of wishing to pay for power...someday we might be idiots enough to put in electric power connection to the grid. Should that day come, the building inspectors of California shall sleep snugly, secure in the knowledge that they required fluorescent pin fixtures when a CF light bulb would do the same job. Despite already knowing that incandescent light bulbs are being phased out and will some day in our near future be rarely manufactured. This is why California is a leader in this great Nation; as evidenced by its' brilliant business model and the excellent handling of the State budget.
Once I had move past all of the stages of grief (whining, denial, anger, blame) and into calm acceptance, I sat down and said, "No, this cannot be !" So I sharpened my pencil and began making deals with DH Matt. I found the vent hood for $100 less...that didn't count though, because it was already a trade-off for a style DH and I both loathed. The fridge couldn't go any lower, ditto the range. The washer and dryer, though, I discovered did have a lower model with fewer cycles. Since we tend to use only 3 cycles of any washer, what would it matter if it had 10 cycles instead of 12? And I can live without the luscious red color in laundry appliances that I've been eying for years. I'm actually not certain that I'd still love red in the laundry room in several years. So, $350 saved there. I was on my way.
Next I focused on the sink itself...$40 less on a website which sells only stainless steel sinks. I had to stop and think about that as a business model. Personally I'd be selling at least matching faucets and accessories. That would allow greater customer capture...and I digress. I looked elsewhere for the faucet, and saved $100 there. I was in! Even DH Matt couldn't find a stainless kitchen sink for the remainder. He gracefully conceded the apron stainless steel sink. Yesss!!!
There is an area of the budget which is ominously blank. This is lighting. Frankly, neither DH Matt nor I are emotionally ready to venture into that territory. Because we love lights. We have boxes and boxes of wonderful old chandeliers that we've found over the years. I coo over darling pendant lights with hand blown glass shades the way some women coo in a baby shop over tiny little outfits. We have more unusual table lamps than tables; I'm surrounded by 5 of those lamps right now as I blog. We also live in California, with Title 24 requirements (it must be fluorescent pin, ugly, or not manufactured) regarding lights and lighting. We must do some things to pass code inspection. We cannot do others. This is not fun. We're not feeling the love here.
I suspect that we'll make a last minute run to the big box store, snatch up any fluorescent lighting that's cheap, hang it and smile for the building inspector. And save the receipts. Because, oddly enough, we are making our own power. All of our own power. Running electricity to the property is not an option now or in the future, as there are no power easements. And yet, there is no exception to Title 24 for people who are off-grid. Because some day, so goes the thinking, despite falling prices for off-grid systems and rising prices for power company installation of lines plus the sheer insanity of wishing to pay for power...someday we might be idiots enough to put in electric power connection to the grid. Should that day come, the building inspectors of California shall sleep snugly, secure in the knowledge that they required fluorescent pin fixtures when a CF light bulb would do the same job. Despite already knowing that incandescent light bulbs are being phased out and will some day in our near future be rarely manufactured. This is why California is a leader in this great Nation; as evidenced by its' brilliant business model and the excellent handling of the State budget.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Whoo Hoo! Child Labor
I actually had child labor in the garden today. Which is completely different than laboring with child, I'll hasten to point out, and infinitely more pleasant. Three days, I tell my kid, three days and no painkiller [allergic] laboring to bring you into this world; ecetera. ecetera. (He always says; "Thanks, Mom)
Today I interrupted his challenging summer program (which, come to think of it looked far more like Xbox than foreign language study) to announce that at 2 pm I would pick him up and that he would travailler in the garden. I've always found that it helps to make firm announcements (as if this were scheduled for days; what, you didn't get the memo?) It also helps to throw in a few foreign words (especially if it was Xbox and not foreign language study.) I used to use fake Latin on him (not PIG Latin, I did study Latin in high school but forgot most of it) until he studied enough real Latin to catch me out on it. Non composis mentis.
And DS was actually quite helpful. And he said that he enjoyed it, which bodes well for the future. Not that people actually mean what they say all of the time. Today I learned that the all-purpose file which DS bought DH Matt last Father's Day was perhaps the all time blooper of presents. Which is puzzling, because the helpful man at the hardware store said that it was his best-selling item and also what HE would be thrilled to receive. DH Matt said that the hardware store man must have been yanking my chain. He did seem so sincere, but it was awfully strange to have a helpful hardware store clerk.
Today I interrupted his challenging summer program (which, come to think of it looked far more like Xbox than foreign language study) to announce that at 2 pm I would pick him up and that he would travailler in the garden. I've always found that it helps to make firm announcements (as if this were scheduled for days; what, you didn't get the memo?) It also helps to throw in a few foreign words (especially if it was Xbox and not foreign language study.) I used to use fake Latin on him (not PIG Latin, I did study Latin in high school but forgot most of it) until he studied enough real Latin to catch me out on it. Non composis mentis.
And DS was actually quite helpful. And he said that he enjoyed it, which bodes well for the future. Not that people actually mean what they say all of the time. Today I learned that the all-purpose file which DS bought DH Matt last Father's Day was perhaps the all time blooper of presents. Which is puzzling, because the helpful man at the hardware store said that it was his best-selling item and also what HE would be thrilled to receive. DH Matt said that the hardware store man must have been yanking my chain. He did seem so sincere, but it was awfully strange to have a helpful hardware store clerk.
We're already projected to be over budget
Scary news today. The power system is costing more than we had anticipated. Of course, like most people approaching a large project, our budget is very optimistic. This is why people always go over budget when they build. We haven't broken ground yet and already we see a $35K shortfall. This might be okay (god willing and the creek don't rise). We're carrying paper on the sale of a small parcel of land and their part of the deal is interest free if they pay it off in the first year. That will/would cover our shortfall. The buyer is motivated, can they cover it ? (ticking, chiming song from popular game show)
The news from DH Matt is that I probably won't have the stainless steel farmhouse sink that I crave. He also says that we're over budget on cabinets (?? at 5K for the entire kitchen??) I was obviously asleep at the wheel when this budget was being drawn up. I compromised on the range in the last house and was stuck cooking on a lousy piece of equipment for two long years. I'm a "from scratch" cook, so I spend more time at the stove than I do driving. (Wail) The kitchen is always the last item on a building list and the compromises and budget cuts always happen there. That's okay, really, I can honestly live with this (straightening shoulders). (Wobbly voice, determined chin) I just won't purchase a certain person's goodies like chips and ice cream until the budget shortfall is made up. That's good for $80 savings a month. I'm not heartless. I'll buy him popping corn, and he can use it on whatever range we have. That shredding sound is me tearing out my hair. No problem, really, I have lots of hair. I also have a headache.
The news from DH Matt is that I probably won't have the stainless steel farmhouse sink that I crave. He also says that we're over budget on cabinets (?? at 5K for the entire kitchen??) I was obviously asleep at the wheel when this budget was being drawn up. I compromised on the range in the last house and was stuck cooking on a lousy piece of equipment for two long years. I'm a "from scratch" cook, so I spend more time at the stove than I do driving. (Wail) The kitchen is always the last item on a building list and the compromises and budget cuts always happen there. That's okay, really, I can honestly live with this (straightening shoulders). (Wobbly voice, determined chin) I just won't purchase a certain person's goodies like chips and ice cream until the budget shortfall is made up. That's good for $80 savings a month. I'm not heartless. I'll buy him popping corn, and he can use it on whatever range we have. That shredding sound is me tearing out my hair. No problem, really, I have lots of hair. I also have a headache.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Advice For the Four Season Garden
I've been on the phone daily, calling everyone and anyone who gardens locally. No one I've talked to, including Master Gardeners, has had experience or success (beyond kale and chard ) at spring and fall gardening. I guess that makes sense with our local severe weather swings. We're happy usually to have a good tomato season, and fruit trees are unpredictable from year to year as the spring frosts may kill blooms and buds. It's actually getting kind of embarrassing to ask about a gardener's habits. I'm finding that it's a bit like prying into someone's financial habits. No one is as organized as they'd like you to believe. I'll quickly state here that my garden has a few weeds. I had planned to remedy that this summer, but DS has a summer volunteer project and craftily decided to study a new language in a nice cool house instead of actively pulling weeds.
I had to gently tell a friend that eggplant seeds tossed into the ground in June are a lost cause. I barely get eggplant when I start seeds inside in February. It's just as well, DS could live on eggplant fritters and I RUIN a nice top every time I fry on the stove top. Better to have a short and glorious eggplant season. Yes, I've heard of aprons...I'm a working Mom, everything in my life happens at full speed and on the fly.
My friends have had success with lettuce and peas, which if you've read the earlier posts you know that I have not. Blame the rabbits. And the rain. And that rascally Sun. This year I'm seeding the lettuce in my new greenhouse. I had done that at the last house and it was working beautifully at first. Then the cats discovered warm potting soil in a sunny window with tender greens to munch if they grew bored. I put sharp little bamboo stakes (feeling a little guilty) in the soil to discourage feline lounging and preserve the remaining greens. They considered this a challenge and artfully arranged themselves around the stakes. I added more stakes...now their feline honor and sunny window rights were on the line and the cats declared war. Over the next two weeks they sat, nibbled, trod, or sat upon every square inch of edible green. This year (Morgana's Revenge) they will find themselves on the exterior of the warm, sunny green-filled greenhouse. I will not hear their piteous cries for sunny warmth, will not listen their impassioned pleas as they twine around my legs, will not open the door for their little furry butts.
I had to gently tell a friend that eggplant seeds tossed into the ground in June are a lost cause. I barely get eggplant when I start seeds inside in February. It's just as well, DS could live on eggplant fritters and I RUIN a nice top every time I fry on the stove top. Better to have a short and glorious eggplant season. Yes, I've heard of aprons...I'm a working Mom, everything in my life happens at full speed and on the fly.
My friends have had success with lettuce and peas, which if you've read the earlier posts you know that I have not. Blame the rabbits. And the rain. And that rascally Sun. This year I'm seeding the lettuce in my new greenhouse. I had done that at the last house and it was working beautifully at first. Then the cats discovered warm potting soil in a sunny window with tender greens to munch if they grew bored. I put sharp little bamboo stakes (feeling a little guilty) in the soil to discourage feline lounging and preserve the remaining greens. They considered this a challenge and artfully arranged themselves around the stakes. I added more stakes...now their feline honor and sunny window rights were on the line and the cats declared war. Over the next two weeks they sat, nibbled, trod, or sat upon every square inch of edible green. This year (Morgana's Revenge) they will find themselves on the exterior of the warm, sunny green-filled greenhouse. I will not hear their piteous cries for sunny warmth, will not listen their impassioned pleas as they twine around my legs, will not open the door for their little furry butts.
Exciting news on solar panels
I had some exciting news today as I was pricing solar panels. We've had solar, mostly off-grid (2 different houses) since at least 2002,and it's always been frustrating that we don't receive the same tax breaks as grid-tied houses. We are, after all, part of a growing trend who save the State of California the cost of several new power plants. Anyway, the news is that even off-grid we can receive a federal solar tax credit of 30% with no cap. That "no cap" part is important. We have industrial batteries from our last set-up (the battery is everything when it involves solar power) so that our total outlay is less than it would be for an entire new solar system. The total cost is still up there, at about twenty thousand (that's crossing my fingers and hoping that DH takes advantage of the newer more powerful panels and over-sizing the system a bit), so a 30% tax credit is $6K. That is so much better than the $2K cap they had before.
I do hope that we have a bit more power. I was reading an article that said that average American power consumption was 1000KW/monthly. Could that figure be correct? It must have been a typo. Who are these people? I really want to meet them, because we've lived on 10KW/day consumption for quite a while. I think that they must have electric heat. Perhaps an electric water heater. We're renting a house right now; our previous house sold and we haven't built the new one yet. This house has an electric water heater and I flinch every time I receive the power bill. I think that I'd flinch anyway, no matter what, after years of not having a monthly electric bill. The other thing about this rental house is that it has can lights simply everywhere. When we moved in they were all incandescent lights. We changed that in a hurry, but we were very puzzled as to why a comparatively new house would use them.
We had CF light bulbs before most people knew they existed (and paid large money for them then, too). We use laptop computers exclusively because they use less power, and forget about a plasma TV, that won't happen off-grid. LCD TV's use a lot less power.The refrigerator is the heaviest draw, because it's 24/7. We looked at propane fridges, long ago, but they were so expensive that it cost less to purchase extra solar panels. We've used Bosch dishwashers for 3 houses now. The reason they're energy efficient is that they have an in-line heater for raising water temperature instead of heating the entire tank. They don't have a dry cycle, the hot dishes convect dry.You would think that hand washing would be the way to go, but it actually is less energy efficient. If you doubt that, come watch my 14 yr old DS leisurely wash pots and pans. Bosch D/W's have a timer so that we can set it to run at the peak energy production. My point to all of this is that although a family can live a life with modern conveniences with 10K per day of power, it is a challenge. Extra power would be the most luxurious addition I can imagine.
With this new house build we've decided to use a propane 40 gallon tank heater instead of the tankless on-demand heater. The issue is that the tankless heater delivers a hefty slug of cold water every time it's turned on. It takes a while to heat up, so water and propane are wasted while waiting for sink or shower water to heat. So although it sounds like a great idea you either need a hybrid system or to go with a tank.
My request for this house is that one of our two toilets is a toto washing toilet. DH Matt is agreed if it's the lower level toilet without the water warmer or nice shot of warm drying air, because they use electricity. he thinks I'm crazy to want it because any user is going to get an unpleasant shot of cold water, followed by a gust of cold air to sear the experience into memory. He may be correct, but he doesn't purchase TP, I do, and I can't think of a more constant waste of money.
Speaking of a waste of money, we are utilizing kill switches in this house to eliminate phantom loads. We'll have a power strip set into a shelf for all of the chargeable batteries and cell phones, etc. We've noticed a distinct tendency on everyone's part to leave the charger plugged in. We learned long ago that it was easier to adapt the physical plant to bad habits than to try to retrain everyone around those habits. The TV and music system will have a kill switch by the bedrooms...all those blinking lights mean that a system is running.
I always hang LED lights in DS's room, he has a tendency to partially wake in the night and trip over things on his way to the bathroom. the LED light strips look cool and use a minuscule amount of power. I'm hoping that in this next house he actually keeps his room clean. My room was neat as a pin when I was a child. DS and DH both scoff at the very notion of his having a clean or even only partially deconstructed environment. I can dream, right? In the mean while I've been stealthily taping signs to his bedroom door on a daily basis. yesterday's was "Warning, deconstruction area". Today's is "Stay Out. Birthing area for Alien Life Forms." I've also used the symbol for nuclear waste and the word below, "hazard". Suggestions for new signs are welcome. Do you think he knows it's me putting them up?
I do hope that we have a bit more power. I was reading an article that said that average American power consumption was 1000KW/monthly. Could that figure be correct? It must have been a typo. Who are these people? I really want to meet them, because we've lived on 10KW/day consumption for quite a while. I think that they must have electric heat. Perhaps an electric water heater. We're renting a house right now; our previous house sold and we haven't built the new one yet. This house has an electric water heater and I flinch every time I receive the power bill. I think that I'd flinch anyway, no matter what, after years of not having a monthly electric bill. The other thing about this rental house is that it has can lights simply everywhere. When we moved in they were all incandescent lights. We changed that in a hurry, but we were very puzzled as to why a comparatively new house would use them.
We had CF light bulbs before most people knew they existed (and paid large money for them then, too). We use laptop computers exclusively because they use less power, and forget about a plasma TV, that won't happen off-grid. LCD TV's use a lot less power.The refrigerator is the heaviest draw, because it's 24/7. We looked at propane fridges, long ago, but they were so expensive that it cost less to purchase extra solar panels. We've used Bosch dishwashers for 3 houses now. The reason they're energy efficient is that they have an in-line heater for raising water temperature instead of heating the entire tank. They don't have a dry cycle, the hot dishes convect dry.You would think that hand washing would be the way to go, but it actually is less energy efficient. If you doubt that, come watch my 14 yr old DS leisurely wash pots and pans. Bosch D/W's have a timer so that we can set it to run at the peak energy production. My point to all of this is that although a family can live a life with modern conveniences with 10K per day of power, it is a challenge. Extra power would be the most luxurious addition I can imagine.
With this new house build we've decided to use a propane 40 gallon tank heater instead of the tankless on-demand heater. The issue is that the tankless heater delivers a hefty slug of cold water every time it's turned on. It takes a while to heat up, so water and propane are wasted while waiting for sink or shower water to heat. So although it sounds like a great idea you either need a hybrid system or to go with a tank.
My request for this house is that one of our two toilets is a toto washing toilet. DH Matt is agreed if it's the lower level toilet without the water warmer or nice shot of warm drying air, because they use electricity. he thinks I'm crazy to want it because any user is going to get an unpleasant shot of cold water, followed by a gust of cold air to sear the experience into memory. He may be correct, but he doesn't purchase TP, I do, and I can't think of a more constant waste of money.
Speaking of a waste of money, we are utilizing kill switches in this house to eliminate phantom loads. We'll have a power strip set into a shelf for all of the chargeable batteries and cell phones, etc. We've noticed a distinct tendency on everyone's part to leave the charger plugged in. We learned long ago that it was easier to adapt the physical plant to bad habits than to try to retrain everyone around those habits. The TV and music system will have a kill switch by the bedrooms...all those blinking lights mean that a system is running.
I always hang LED lights in DS's room, he has a tendency to partially wake in the night and trip over things on his way to the bathroom. the LED light strips look cool and use a minuscule amount of power. I'm hoping that in this next house he actually keeps his room clean. My room was neat as a pin when I was a child. DS and DH both scoff at the very notion of his having a clean or even only partially deconstructed environment. I can dream, right? In the mean while I've been stealthily taping signs to his bedroom door on a daily basis. yesterday's was "Warning, deconstruction area". Today's is "Stay Out. Birthing area for Alien Life Forms." I've also used the symbol for nuclear waste and the word below, "hazard". Suggestions for new signs are welcome. Do you think he knows it's me putting them up?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Why it is, Part II
In our area of the Mountains (perhaps Mountain People everywhere?) people are here because they have issues. DH Matt, for example, is a graduate of Duke U, in only 3 years, who eschews his white-collar roots and prefers to work with his hands. In this area they call men like him Cousin Jacks. It's not a derogatory term. Men who chose to stay in the mountain are, by necessity, Jacks-of-All-Trades. They are uniformly , as I have met them, bright, versatile, and unconventional. It also implies a man who mines gold, which DH does if you call, as they do here, dredging for gold (in water with air lines and wet suits, brrrr) "mining". Most Cousin Jacks don't make good husbands; they drink or gamble or otherwise carry on as if it's still 1849. I'm very fortunate in my DH, he's terrific. Now, gold mining, as I have experienced it as the wife who stays home, involves a lot of hiking, manly stuff like camping, time in the water moving rocks, and only pays for beer and gas. Do you know, fellow female humans, that men DO talk about sex if they're away from civilization? I hear it stays really polite for at least a week (snort). DH has also renovated Victorians,poured concrete foundations, and very successfully bought and sold property. He's still weird, although in a buffed, cute, manly sort of way that's often covered with dirt.
I also have issues. Some people say that DH's main issue is that he's married to me. I'm not weird in an awful way..no drugs, I care for my family, I'm fiscally and socially responsible. But, I see things other people don't see. NO, I don't see dead people....well, only once and that was 30 of them and more like a party. Maybe I'll tell you the story one day. You can ask me about the dragon I met in China, too. Maybe (coy smile) I'll tell you about it. For the record, I've lived in 3 haunted houses (we live in the paranormal capital of the U.S., of course) and other people have seen the ghosts, not me.
No, I see other things, and in their own way they're pretty haunting. For instance, years ago before I met DH I had a sudden STRONG yen to buy renter's insurance...I'd rented for years and never had insurance. The day after the insurance kicked in my place caught fire while I was gone...a faulty antiquated floor heater. The insurance was just enough to see me through while repairs were made. Another funny thing, my insurance company couldn't find me a place to stay, all of their usual contract hotels were booked up. I walked, as if in a dream state, made one phone call, and had the best place they'd ever seen for their insurance rate for the entire 45 days I needed it. Another strange thing...I'd been accumulating cash...never had it before or after. It was just enough to pay the 45 days hotel rental until the insurance company could reimburse me.So, once doesn't make me too weird, just maybe lucky.
We're not survivalists... I don't know how to fire a gun, or even own one yet. All that noise and potential violence does not appeal. I do know that it would be good to learn how to use at least an air rifle; the bears and the mountain lions here can be something. I've already faced down a mountain lion, and I've seen what a bear can do to a place. We had one knock a huge cedar pole down to get into the garden last year because I had a smelly manure type fertilizer. I can't use bone meal or blood meal fertilizer for the same reason. We're considering a concrete bunker for our potential chickens because the bears like to rip out the wall and eat the chickens like popcorn. Yeah, gross blog, but if you minded gross you wouldn't still be reading. We have a campground right below us, and the bears saunter through on their way to raid the campground. Bears love smelly diapers, he/she was disappointed that it was dry manure. That's why we don't dare grow corn here. A bear will travel a hundred miles for corn. People here also don't put those darling lever style handles on their doors. The bears walk right in.
So, confession time. I grow terrific tomatoes. Prize winning roses. Okay for eggplant and peppers, and if you know me at all you'll find a bag of zucchini and green beans on your doorstep every week in summer. But, I have never successfully grown spring or fall/winter crops. Even my fava beans were only a partial success, and anyone can grow those. Lettuce? Has never happened. I slink into the grocery in summer and stealthily purchase lettuce, while everyone else I know grows it by the ton. Peas? Same story. Never, after (mumble, mumble) years of trying. So last night I placed my first order for winter seeds. Who knew that there was even a category for that?
I think that a little background info is necessary here, before I continue. My grandparents on both sides lived on farms. They were terrible farmers. This is understandable when you realize that they were trust fund studs and melting debutantes before the Great Depression. When the dust cleared they had a little land left and no skills. The next generation, my parents, dusted off the farm as soon as they could and found refuge in college. My mother reluctantly raised a few tomato plants in my childhood. I have a few books; Four Season Gardening, Root Cellaring, and Seed Savers. I have a few fuzzy memories of feeding chickens at my grandmother's house...being chased by roosters and geese...and shelling peas with grandma, which she then boiled to mush.
DH Matt and I are also not Back to Earthers. We know a bunch of them, children of the 60's and 70's who came up here to make communes and grow dope and kids. They are a hoot, but not great gardeners either. Some of them can make marijuana do things that my high school friends and I never dreamed of. Not that our little WASP petrie dish had big designs or dreams in any direction.
DH Matt and I eventually found ourselves in the crowded expensive Bay Area. Where we individually dreamed of Getting Out and eventually met each other. So, our collective goal is the pursuit of happiness through meaningful living. Which brings us to beets.
There are certain winter vegetables which I have tried on my family at dinner (purchased vegetables,of course). Certain vegetables, as a consequence, are grounds for divorce. For the record, I believe that beets and brussel sprouts are the only grounds for divorce that my DH has ever stated. Now, I love brussel sprouts. Other women sneak ice cream or chocolate. Me, brussel sprouts because DH and DS don't even want to smell them cooking. But, I Have never successfully grown them. Broccoli once, but then it brought every bad bug in from miles around, served up one little bunch and went to seed.
So, seed order is in. Lots of people giving me advice, and all of it different. Understand, I didn't undertake this venture only on my own; a dear friend and I vowed to do this at the same time, and even swapped seeds. I saw her garden today. I think I'm over-doing things; my garden is three times the size of hers. All those seeds we swapped, I planted and she didn't. I feel over-something,
over compensating for a faded debutante background perhaps? Over-committed? Over-whelmed? I should have known, actually. I've seen perennial gardening at her house in past years but not even a tomato. This year she had a least a dozen tomatoes (you do not want to know my tomato count. let's just say that I'll be freezing and canning still in October) which is a huge leap forward for her. I do feel somehow cheated, though. Dear friend has 3 kids and I expected her to lead (by example) through utilizing those kids as farm labor. Then I could send my own hothouse flower out to harvest beans with a cheerful conscience and countenance. My DS hothouse flower has deviously volunteered to learn Farsi this summer and to take 2 computer courses. Have I been outflanked?
I also have issues. Some people say that DH's main issue is that he's married to me. I'm not weird in an awful way..no drugs, I care for my family, I'm fiscally and socially responsible. But, I see things other people don't see. NO, I don't see dead people....well, only once and that was 30 of them and more like a party. Maybe I'll tell you the story one day. You can ask me about the dragon I met in China, too. Maybe (coy smile) I'll tell you about it. For the record, I've lived in 3 haunted houses (we live in the paranormal capital of the U.S., of course) and other people have seen the ghosts, not me.
No, I see other things, and in their own way they're pretty haunting. For instance, years ago before I met DH I had a sudden STRONG yen to buy renter's insurance...I'd rented for years and never had insurance. The day after the insurance kicked in my place caught fire while I was gone...a faulty antiquated floor heater. The insurance was just enough to see me through while repairs were made. Another funny thing, my insurance company couldn't find me a place to stay, all of their usual contract hotels were booked up. I walked, as if in a dream state, made one phone call, and had the best place they'd ever seen for their insurance rate for the entire 45 days I needed it. Another strange thing...I'd been accumulating cash...never had it before or after. It was just enough to pay the 45 days hotel rental until the insurance company could reimburse me.So, once doesn't make me too weird, just maybe lucky.
We're not survivalists... I don't know how to fire a gun, or even own one yet. All that noise and potential violence does not appeal. I do know that it would be good to learn how to use at least an air rifle; the bears and the mountain lions here can be something. I've already faced down a mountain lion, and I've seen what a bear can do to a place. We had one knock a huge cedar pole down to get into the garden last year because I had a smelly manure type fertilizer. I can't use bone meal or blood meal fertilizer for the same reason. We're considering a concrete bunker for our potential chickens because the bears like to rip out the wall and eat the chickens like popcorn. Yeah, gross blog, but if you minded gross you wouldn't still be reading. We have a campground right below us, and the bears saunter through on their way to raid the campground. Bears love smelly diapers, he/she was disappointed that it was dry manure. That's why we don't dare grow corn here. A bear will travel a hundred miles for corn. People here also don't put those darling lever style handles on their doors. The bears walk right in.
So, confession time. I grow terrific tomatoes. Prize winning roses. Okay for eggplant and peppers, and if you know me at all you'll find a bag of zucchini and green beans on your doorstep every week in summer. But, I have never successfully grown spring or fall/winter crops. Even my fava beans were only a partial success, and anyone can grow those. Lettuce? Has never happened. I slink into the grocery in summer and stealthily purchase lettuce, while everyone else I know grows it by the ton. Peas? Same story. Never, after (mumble, mumble) years of trying. So last night I placed my first order for winter seeds. Who knew that there was even a category for that?
I think that a little background info is necessary here, before I continue. My grandparents on both sides lived on farms. They were terrible farmers. This is understandable when you realize that they were trust fund studs and melting debutantes before the Great Depression. When the dust cleared they had a little land left and no skills. The next generation, my parents, dusted off the farm as soon as they could and found refuge in college. My mother reluctantly raised a few tomato plants in my childhood. I have a few books; Four Season Gardening, Root Cellaring, and Seed Savers. I have a few fuzzy memories of feeding chickens at my grandmother's house...being chased by roosters and geese...and shelling peas with grandma, which she then boiled to mush.
DH Matt and I are also not Back to Earthers. We know a bunch of them, children of the 60's and 70's who came up here to make communes and grow dope and kids. They are a hoot, but not great gardeners either. Some of them can make marijuana do things that my high school friends and I never dreamed of. Not that our little WASP petrie dish had big designs or dreams in any direction.
DH Matt and I eventually found ourselves in the crowded expensive Bay Area. Where we individually dreamed of Getting Out and eventually met each other. So, our collective goal is the pursuit of happiness through meaningful living. Which brings us to beets.
There are certain winter vegetables which I have tried on my family at dinner (purchased vegetables,of course). Certain vegetables, as a consequence, are grounds for divorce. For the record, I believe that beets and brussel sprouts are the only grounds for divorce that my DH has ever stated. Now, I love brussel sprouts. Other women sneak ice cream or chocolate. Me, brussel sprouts because DH and DS don't even want to smell them cooking. But, I Have never successfully grown them. Broccoli once, but then it brought every bad bug in from miles around, served up one little bunch and went to seed.
So, seed order is in. Lots of people giving me advice, and all of it different. Understand, I didn't undertake this venture only on my own; a dear friend and I vowed to do this at the same time, and even swapped seeds. I saw her garden today. I think I'm over-doing things; my garden is three times the size of hers. All those seeds we swapped, I planted and she didn't. I feel over-something,
over compensating for a faded debutante background perhaps? Over-committed? Over-whelmed? I should have known, actually. I've seen perennial gardening at her house in past years but not even a tomato. This year she had a least a dozen tomatoes (you do not want to know my tomato count. let's just say that I'll be freezing and canning still in October) which is a huge leap forward for her. I do feel somehow cheated, though. Dear friend has 3 kids and I expected her to lead (by example) through utilizing those kids as farm labor. Then I could send my own hothouse flower out to harvest beans with a cheerful conscience and countenance. My DS hothouse flower has deviously volunteered to learn Farsi this summer and to take 2 computer courses. Have I been outflanked?
Why It Is
Okay, I'm new at this blogging content. So, when I saw that my blog had been flagged for inappropriate content I thought, "I have less unsavory content in this blog so far than any TV show after 10PM and less than the late news program. Their AI must have the sensitivities of a prissy 9-year-old." No, actually. The AI thinks this is a spam blog because I can not interpret those wavy squiggly letters that they use to detect spam. I used to think that it was me, some defect in my vision or processing that rendered me unable to read those letters. So I asked for help, first from my husband (nope), then from 14 yr old computer savvy DS. Nope. Neither of those two characters could read the squiggles either. Oooh, it may not be me. Being the compulsive, extroverted questioner type, I took this show on the road and took an informal poll of friends and complete strangers. Not one of them regularly deciphered squiggles enough that the AI thought that they were real people. All of them were suspected spammers once or more a month. So if anyone reading this has a tendency to correctly interpret the wavy squiggles the first time they see them, please share your technique.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What it is
6/7/2009
Project: a paid-for, small footprint sustainable lifestyle. We have the land (oh, and what it took to pay for that land. I have moved every 2 years of my marriage to capture capital gains.) Our goal is to build a small sustainable house and grow some of our own food while practising permaculture and living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle than the usual suburban model. Well, that's my goal. My husband's goal is similar but includes a large shop and several pickup trucks lying around the yard waiting to be projects.
We've already lived in a solar powered house (only solar power) and grown summer crops in an organic garden. Now (deep breath) on a new property we're aiming for a solar- powered house and growing organic food (because who knows where it's been before we saw it). Four season growing. I wince just writing about it because every single day we have no idea what we're doing. It's all a learning curve. A steep curve, the kind I'd loathe to be graded on. We've planted. Rabbits have feasted. Enough said.
This project has been a long time in the making. My husband, Matt, and I (friends call us M&M) have a goal to live a small carbon footprint lifestyle. We are joined in this venture with a somewhat willing (must I eat Beans? :0 ) fourteen year old son. He has a fall back position in his Dad, my ex, a "groovy" conga drum playing yoga instructor who eats (and more importantly to my son, cooks and serves) red meat. I have today suggested to my son-who-would-not-eat-his-dinner that he would be welcome to purchase, feed, and butcher (and store) his own meat; a nice cow (or whatever they call them when they're meat animals) or lamb, and that his father would probably participate in certain aspects (certainly the cooking and eating, although I fear he's on his own when it comes to manure).
He's thinking it over.
I must impress upon you that we are not righteous vegans or vegetarians. I have been both in my chequered past, and I had to be very righteous,and anemic, to stay that path. I may return to that path in the future; it is the most sustainable. So please, no indignant noises from almost fellow vegans/vegetarians...at this point in my life I crave, and carve, roast chicken once a week. People change. It's just that I have always been reluctant to kill what I eat. I can manage a chicken (well, a noisy rooster and a turkey that got into my garden and ate all of my salad greens...it's amazing how much garden produce one turkey can eat, and so quickly) and fish. I have killed a rabbit, and couldn't eat it afterwards. I don't listen to beans when I harvest them . Well, I do, but I always make a bargain to save some seed and give them immortaility in return for their young. A Faustian bargain, but luckily for me beans are not philosophers. My husband cheerfully goes along with this (note; he has never killed or plucked a chicken) as long as he can buy cheese and doesn't have to own or milk cows or goats. I would be up to owning and milking goats, maybe cows, if they just gave milk year-round. But, they have to have young ( and thery don't even do pathenogenesis, it somehow always involves a male goat or frozen bull sperm, at which point I check out). These young have to be managed (somehow?) and at that point for me the entire system breaks down and buying cheese looks like a bargain.
I crave chickens. To raise, for eggs, not to eat...though if you've ever lived with 2 roosters your ideas about eating chickens change. One rooster is charming. Two roosters are competing to see who can crow first, loudest, and most often. Hint; kill the one who spurs you. Now that we've settled that I really am bloodthirsty...chickens are feathered characters who don't mind (or for the most part notice) if you eat their unborn young. And, you can't/don't feel the least bit guilty about it because everything else in nature is also trying to eat the chickens or their unborn young. In fact, by the time you bring a few eggs out, or genteely sacrifice a non-laying chicken, you feel victorious because you GOT THERE FIRST. Before the weasels, mountain lions, bears, rats, and racoons who all had the same game plan. Did I mention we live in a very wild area? Suits us, but every meal is wrestled for with nature red of tooth and claw.
We have moved so often, working our own way up the food chain, that I have not had my chickens in seven years. DH and I were speaking on this subject. Me: I'm buying chicks this next March. They can live in the bathtub until you can build a chicken coop. (I know two women who finally got their chickens by raising them in the bathroom). DH: I see a problem- we don't have a bathtub in the next house. Me: Yes, I've sacrificed the bathtub for space and money (this is a big sacrifice for me, usually I insist that a jacuzzi tub is essential to my mental health and well-being). DH- Yes, so the chicks will be in the only bathroom. Me: Yes, we are agreed, the chicks will be in the only bathroom. DH: You know, this is not the most productive way of expressing your wish for chickens. It is detrimental to the relationship to assert that you will purchase them. Me: Yes, but I notice that when I've been mentioning for seven years that I wanted chickens you never heard me. Today, you heard me. So next March... DH: (sigh) let's see the plan for a chicken coop Me: I have it right here, but don't you think it should be twice as large? DH: (expletive deleted)
Today I wove chicken wire around the bottom of my deer-proofed shade garden. The rabbits ate everything I planted for spring, except leeks,mustard and radishes. They ate peas; many, many peas. They ate broccoli...even artichokes. Who knew rabbits would eat artichokes? DH had successfully fenced for deer, 8 feet high because we have seen them jump 6 feet fencing. I put rubber snakes down, and hung wind chimes. This worked until the next lettuce crop was ready. Then the wabbits struck again. Any of you who have ever done any fencing...any at all, even once in your life, know what fencing is like. Unmitigated HARD work. DH Matt tells me that there is such a thing as wife points (he knows ALL about husband points )and I am earning them now. As I work HARD at fencing the rabbits out of my lettuce, I meditate on wife points. How are they spent? What is the exchange rate? My credit card has World Points, every dollar I spend is worth a penny. This had better be a better exchange rate. I have brief visions of my husband swinging upon a trapeze while performing some athletic sexual feat which I will find utimately satisfying. This reward should be something like that; by the time I finish the fencing I smell so bad (sweat) that the dog refused to ride shotgun. First time he ever volunteered for the back seat. I smell decidedly unfeminine. In the interests of self-esteem I refuse to check out my interesting look in the rear-view mirror.
DH Matt is building our house. The house looks like a barn. Or, a shop. A large shop. DH has hopes that this house will someday be his, exclusively, large shop. My kitchen cabinets must be something that DH will like when one day that are part of his large shop. The cabinet maker, LLoyd, finds this amusing. I do not. DH hopes that when the economy is back we will build a larger house. (This is not a luxury item; we each have self-employment. Including my teenage son. Businesses are just like children and they each need a private room. We won't have that for this house, but picture a family of six in 1700 s.f. and you have a better idea of real spacial needs). :0
But, it will be paid for-no mortgage. Which is the whole point, because I get chills when polticians feel the need to tell us that our economic system is sound. And, we are soon to put a kid through college. This house is bare bones. Concrete floors. I'm asking for a farm house sink for my Christmas present, because there's no room in the budget. I have a greenhouse, DH built that first. ;)
Our house will be built in the mountains of Northern California. We have wildfires and temperature extremes, so we're building with areated autoclaved concrete (say that three times real fast) which means that we've been in the planning department for a long time and our engineering still needs tweaks. Think about it; people building in forests always build with wood. We have wood, 160 acres of TPZ, timber production zone (picture a farm which harvests it's crop once every 20 years). But, wood burns. So the ideal home would be concrete block. But, concrete block is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. And when you're off-grid there is NO slack for air conditioning. Aerated autoclaved concrete is concrete block made with aluminum. Somehow, when heated (that's the autoclave part) the aluminum makes air bubbles in the concrete. That makes the block self-insulating, about R-2 per inch. We're building with 8" block, so that's R-16, perfect for our zone 6-7 climate (not certain of the zone, we're at 3500' elevation, with about 4 feet of snow in winter).
So now you're asking...why is this blog fun? She's throwing numbers at us. It's a bare bones house, we don't even get to oooh and aww over coffered ceilings. Why read this?
Well, here's the thing...can we do this? Could you build a house in California for $125K? That includes power ( solar panels and converter). Septic ( as I said to my husband today as I drove 40 minutes round trip to the nearest bathroom; bears may [and do] s**t in the woods, but Morgana doesn't). Planning fees, school mitigation fees, and all materials. Lunches for DH. It does get hungry out in the woods. And the four season gardening. (Blush) we are newbies at that. Heck, WE don't know if we can do this on budget.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)