Time Waits For No Man

     Maybe I was born in the wrong century. Or maybe I am lucky in the fact that I have been raised to think of picking wild food, hunting, fishing and doing things myself  as commonplace. Most of the people I come in contact with consider me a hippie and nothing could be farther from the truth.
      Foraging, permacultur, self sufficiency  and others are relatively new terms. And it is a crying shame that society has come to the point where it is uncommon for grown adults to know how and when to get something to eat without going  to the grocery store or local fast food joint.
     In the name of "the good life" we have unwittingly chained ourselves to a broken system and cut our own throats. If we could only understand that happiness is not wrapped up in the leather upholstery of a new car, maybe we could see the big picture.
   To break free from this bondage we as a people need to open our eyes to the possibilities. We live in the information age and can find a better way to be comfortable. That is the goal isn't it?  To be comfortable in our homes, our relationships, our health and our future.
     As I begin to see more of the big picture, I realize that it might not be such a bad thing to be the way I am, what ever it is called now. And, I hope I can give you some ideas for your life as I move toward my life goals.

Characteristics Of A Good Laying Hen

     The general look of a good layer will reflect health and vitality. The comb and wattles will be large, bright red, and glossy. The head will be trim and refined with large, bright eyes that reflect proper health. The eye rings will be bleached, indicating an onset of lay. The beak may either be fully bleached or becoming bleached. Bleaching is the result of yellow pigment being pulled from other parts of the body to be placed in the egg yolk.
     On the other hand, the poor layer usually has smaller, poorly colored wattles and comb as well as dull, sunken eyes which reflect low vitality. The eye rings and beak of yellow skinned breeds of chickens will be yellow tinted.

     A good layer will have a large, smooth, moist, almost white vent. The two small bones at the sides of the vent are called the pubic bones. They should be flexible and wide apart, with at least two finger widths between them. The abdomen should be deep, soft, and pliable without a lot of body fat. The depth of the abdomen is measured between the tip of the breast bone and the pubic bones. Laying hens should have a depth of three or four finger widths.
     Hens that are not laying will usually have a smaller body with a shallow, firm abdomen. Pullets and non- laying hens have a depth of about two finger widths between the pubic bones and breastbone . The pubic bones are usually stiff and close together when the hen is not laying. The distance between the pubic bones is one finger width or less. The vent of a non-layer is usually small, puckered, and round.
     When buying chickens at flea markets I always ask the vendor if I can pick the chickens up and examine them, but only if I am truly interested in buying them. It is extra work for the vendor so be polite and ask nicely. 

Square Foot Gardening ( A step by step test )

     Many of the gardening books that I have read are composed of pretty much the same stuff. You put the seed in the ground, keep it watered, weeded and sunny then reap a "bountiful harvest". But, every once in a while, you come across a book that changes the way you think about things. After reading Mel Bartholomew's book Square Foot Gardening I just had to give this method a test run.
     Some of the methods in this book I have already been doing in my big garden. Such as starting seeds indoors instead of buying transplants. I also have a compost pile for adding "free" organic matter to my soil.
     I started a small flower bed garden this year to test this method out and to be honest I am very happy with the results. I thought I was over planting big time but as the season has progressed all my little plants have done very well.
     In a 14'×3' space I have 80 onion, 3 jalapeno, 4 tomato, 2 cucumber, 20 green bean, and a salad mix. All are actually producing better  than I would have hoped.
     For the future  I will use this method  exclusively but, on a bigger scale.