Lessons passed by

On a recent episode of Deal or No Deal (UK), the contestant mentioned being sent to the UK in 1964 by his parents to get him away from the 'troubles' in Cyprus. My first thought was 'What troubles?' All I knew of Cyprus was that it's an island near Greece and a popular holiday spot for tourists. Now, thanks to the internet I have a very basic understanding of what was happening there in the 60s and 70s.

How come this wasn't discussed in school? Isn't more recent history just as important as covering the (yawn) Civil War four years in a row? I should ask my parents if they remember this. How much is happening today that we don't hear about on the news?

A fruitful weekend

Here is the result of Saturday's labors: 9 quarts of apples. A co-worker had an abundance and gave me a box full of tart apples. After passing some on to my parents, I got busy peeling and slicing. In the middle of the winter, I now have these ready to transform into crumbles and pies.

A batch of zucchini bread is in the oven now and the house smells delicious.

Crunching numbers

Now that the mid-month bills are paid I've worked up the budget for next month. It's fairly standard except the car insurance which comes due every six months hits in December so I'll set aside the $500 in November to have that covered. Really not bad considering that's also covering a 17 year old male driver.

It's hard to stay on track when I hit these frustrating times. I'm whittling away at the debt but not getting to see any paid in full. It really is human nature to quit trying when we don't get fast results. I won't quit, of course, because the one thing debt doesn't do if ignored is go away. It may take longer than I hoped, but that's better than going further into debt.

Introducing the girls!

They aren't too interested in exploring outside yet, but seem to be settling into the barn okay. I didn't get a rooster because they'll be living in town when I move them here. (Not that it's much of a town, but I still must consider my neighbors.)

I love the colors and patterns of their feathers and, of course, those awesome chaps on their legs! My very own hens.

I knew today was the last nice day we were going to have in the near future so a quick text to my boss over the weekend got me a day off. I finished clearing off the small garden and hauling the debris to the compost heap. Some digging, generous application of compost, and I finally got my garlic planted (all taken from this year's harvest). Lastly, I sorted the carrots. This was a bit sad because it simply was an awful year for them. The only good news: there are plenty of tiny carrots and greens for the guinea pigs. I still had to sort through and remove all the black walnut leaves and stems which the pigs can't eat.

Recently I was accused of being unsophisticated. Now picture me wearing my Robot Army tshirt and a ratty old gardening jacket, liberally splattered with mud and hands black with muck as I sorted the carrots. Not exactly cocktail party standards. Still, I'd be bored stiff at a cocktail party and I quite enjoy what I do, so it must have all worked out right.

Busy in a good way

We had nice weather! Taking advantage of that, I cleared out much of my garden, set up the pallet compost bin for garden waste and (exciting stuff here) bought hens!

They are lovely girls, 5 months old and very friendly; gold-laced cochin. I've been watching craigslist for young chickens that people won't want to keep over winter and these were only a few miles away. I don't have my coop yet so they will be boarding at the farm until I get that sorted. Pictures tomorrow. :)

Our special friends

Isn't it amazing how pets know when we need support? I couldn't get to sleep last night then woke very early and had the same problem. My cat, who always sleeps by my feet, climbed on top of me and started purring. I could feel the tension melting away and finally got the rest I needed.

Unconditional love, with fur.

H1N1

There's been a confirmed case of H1N1 flu at my son's school. I hope the vaccines come here soon.