Friday

Monsoon Season

Inclement weather and urgent home improvement projects have kept us off the bike this past week, and technical difficulties have kept me off line. I have managed to knock back the encroaching clutter in my home, some what, in preparation for an energy audit, appraisal, and the arrival of appliance repair people to work on the furnace and clothes washer. I was aided by the enthusiastic assistance of The Boy, who was eager to impress upon me how mature and responsible he is, so that I would agree to let him go to an event on the weekend. I didn't mind the ulterior motives one bit, when motivated he makes an excellent assistant!

The chickens are here!!
Ruby and Ester are settling into the chicken yard, which I am told is much swankyer than their previous digs. The two are sisters, born under the same mama at the same time, and they are so sweet together. Their arrival was delaid while I completed work on a bi-level hen house with individual reclaimed cedar nest-boxes and the works; and after all that they are nesting together in the old duck house, barely a glorified crate, that has been rotting in a corner of the yard the past few years. Go figure!

We opted for adopting adult chickens so we could start getting eggs right away, though we were warned that, with all the excitment of the move, they might lay off laying for a few days. But I guess all the human grade organic grains and produce, as well as the sweet crib, are paying off
because they havn't missed a morning. The aviary at the East end of the garden allows them to fly, and gives them access to sun, soil and bugs --they love the bugs. They are great company while I work in the garden, and they latest step in our journey towards sustainability.

The monsoons brought work on the garden to a stand still earlier in the week, and the weather report has the rains lasting into the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, the veggie starts in the kitchen window continue to grow! The plan is to have over 200 sqare feet of garden, from which we hope to get most of our produce --if it doesnt all flaot away!

I know that my ancestors, and the other farmers of yore, had to contend with unending rains and other adverse conditions, but I imagine they had some better idea what to do in this kinda situation. I have managed to play catch-up, to a certain extent guess thats all anyone can do.


Bike Miles This Week: 7 miles
Cumulative Bike Miles Since Febuary 1st: 160
Cumulative Cycling Expenses: $40
Cumulative Cost per Mile: $0.25

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