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Climate Change is Here!

Golden Gate

Everyone can break out the shorts and t-shirts:  climate change has arrived.  “Ha ha,” snort the East Coasters who are still entombed in gray snow.  But it’s true, the “norm” of weather doesn’t exist any more.  If change is the

Posted in Gardening, Travel Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Unexpected Visitors

FordTrimotorBanking11oClock

Two visits this weekend I wasn’t expecting:  animal and machine.  Let’s start with the four-legged variety first.  I’ll say this wasn’t totally unexpected. I know our chicken yard is enticing to all sorts of semi-wild animals in the neighborhood.  If I

Posted in Gardening, San Diego Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Chickens are Baffling

Medusa the chicken

I don’t know why chickens do the things they do.  And with their tiny pea-sized brains, I doubt they do either.  For the last few weeks the chickens have been shunning their coop and roosting on top of it, crammed

Posted in Gardening Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Your Reality, My Reality, Her Reality

Fairy house roof

Do you remember your dreams?  I do, in resonant detail.  I can remember dreams from childhood, and a strong or disturbing dream can echo throughout my day, which begs the question:  where in “reality” do they exist?  My reality is

Posted in Gardening, Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged with:

Nothing is Too Slimey

CH holding snails

I’ve always encouraged Child Harbat to pick up bugs and be not be squeamish or cruel about the smaller creatures of the world.  So I’m pleased that she not only likes to pick up snails but wants them to crawl

Posted in Gardening, Parenting Tagged with: , , , , ,

Plus One Beer, Minus One Chicken

Smoked wheat in glass

Life’s about balance, right?  Yesterday I got to bring the beer I’d brought to life a little over a month ago.  I was so excited to taste it that I forgot to refrigerate it, something I only noticed halfway through.

Posted in Gardening, Parenting Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

You Can Lead a Chicken to Water…

Chicken watering system

…but you can’t make her drink.  Oh my Lord, chickens are not smart.  These are animals that once survived in the wild, yes?  I know domestication is the opiate of the masses but really how hard is it to provide yourself

Posted in Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged with: , , , ,

Why Yes, That is a “Huevo”

Five points for the first reader who can place that quote.  Now then, where was I?  Yes, we were talking about chickens some days ago and how we’d yet to see an egg.  This weekend we got one, precious as

Posted in Baking, Gardening Tagged with: , , , , , ,

The Great Chicken Adventure

Ducky and Claire

First there was one chicken, Ducky.  She was given to us by a friend who’s chickens were pecking poor Ducky to bits while she molted and recovered from a possum bite.  The life of a chicken isn’t kind, my friends.

Posted in Gardening Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Unstructured Time

N2 playing with a dump truck

What was my favorite part about last weekend?  It was the unstructured time I spent in the garden with Number Two as he found Items of Interest and explored.  Once you get in the habit of “things to be done”

Posted in Gardening, Parenting, Writing Tagged with: , , , , , ,
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