It's Finals Week.....

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     I haven't been posting lately, but I promise, I have a good excuse. Its finals week. I know it has been a long time since I was in college, but I don't remember it being like this. Finals week is more like finals month. As of right now I only have one more test to take though, and then I am done.....until summer starts!
     Even though it is finals week (month) life goes on. The chickens are getting big, still not full size though.
They are, however, big enough to have attracted a hawk. I consulted everyone I could think of, I went to every website.....all the answers said that I basically couldn't do anything about it except shoot the hawk. I am not going to shoot a hawk. I also am not going to let the hawk eat my chickens, one by one. My solution was to go down to the local sporting goods store and pick up a BB gun. Unfourtunatly all fake guns now look like real guns, and I am not going to sit in my back yard with something that looks like a hand gun, and shoot at something that my neighbors probably can not see. My only option was to get a neon green "Zombie Purge" air-soft gun. It is about the stupidest looking thing I have ever seen, but it works great!

It makes a nice loud POP when fired and shoots little plastic hollow beads that really don't hurt much. The chickens will be safe!

Chicken Waterers and Seed Starters, Oh My!

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Today it was in the 60's. It was so beautiful. We spent most of the day outside with the chickens and the dogs. I got the chicken waterer rigged up, and it is fantastic. Definitely makes my life easier. I drilled some holes in a 3 gallon bucket, put some nipples through the holes (which I got at QC Supply for $1.89/each) and hung it from the ceiling of the chicken coop. Here is exactly how I made it (but I didn't buy from FarmTek, they were $1.00 more/each). This was so easy to do!

Since that is done and out of the way, time to get some more seeds going. This is what my dining room table looks like right now....I am about half done. 

So far I have planted seeds for:

Basil (7 different kinds including cinnimon), thyme, dill, rosemary, cilantro, marjoram, sage, spearmint, lemon balm, parsley, oeregeno, sweet mace, feverfew

Bell peppers (4 different kinds), hot peppers (a mix), sweet peas, garden peas, yard beans, green beans, sunflowers, cucumber, snake cucumber, black zucchini, green zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon (tons), cantaloupe (tons), pumpkins (2 different kinds), spinach, lettuce

Thus far I have over 1000 seeds started. Around 1000 more to go. That will happen this week!

The Vegetable Garden.....A Plan Still in the Works

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     The goal here is to be able to grow as much food as possible in as small a space as possible. I am going mainly for things that can be canned, frozen, dehydrated, or stored over the winter. I have just moved into this house, so I have to deal with an existing garden (all flowers) and I will have to wait a few years for some things to come in, like the fruit trees. The end goal, the ultimate goal, of course is to be self sustained, or at least to be able to supply for a year what I CAN grow in my back yard. 

How it all began....

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  "The world is fucked, and I am part of it. I am doing nothing to make it better, and I sure as hell am not doing anything to make myself better. I am eating processed shit, I am working myself to death, and my idea of exercise is stretching on the couch after a nap." 
     That thought went through my head one day after seeing a Monsanto commercial. I bitch and I complain and I hate it all but what am I doing? Nothing. Nothing except buying in to what I claim to hate and waiting for everyone else to take action. Who is going to take action for me? Our wonderful politicians? That's not happening. 
     That was the beginning. That was all it took. A bit of a realization. I started reflecting on my life and realized that I have gotten so far away from who I once was, who I want to be, that I don't even recognize myself anymore. I hate who I have become. I used to make fun of people like me. How did this happen? I moved out of the small towns and into a city. I got sucked into the ease and convince of everything being right here for me. Whenever I want anything I can call someone and they will bring it to my door. Sure I was still able to avoid Walmart and tried to buy local and organic as much as possible, but that wasn't enough. I was getting fat. I was getting lazy. I was going to the grocery store instead of growing a few plants on my balcony. I was buying my food in boxes and letting other people do my cooking for me in the form of fast food. I was going days without leaving my apartment. I was eating Mac and Cheese out of a box filled with chemicals and dyes. Who was I? What did I stand for? What did I want for my future?
     I started on a path. A path that involved quitting my soul sucking job and going back to school full time. Eliminating processed foods from my diet completely. Quitting smoking. Buying a house with a nice sized back yard so that I can grow my own food. I even got chickens. 
     I vowed to never again eat meat if I didn't know exactly where it came from. This led to me becoming a vegetarian. I would never again eat food out of a box. I would never again consume something I couldn't pronounce. I would plan a garden and try to only eat my own vegetables for a year. I would make sure that I know where all my seeds come from and that they are not GMO.  I would remove all chemicals from my house starting with cleaning products. I would make sure that my animals were eating as good as I was. 
     I cant change the world but I can change my household. I have big plans for the future but for now, this is what I can do and what I can handle. This is a lot of change at once and I am trying to do it in a reasonable fashion. Thankfully I have a great foundation to pull from. I know what it is to eat from the land and know your farmer. I know what it is to drink from a well on the property and live off solar energy. I know what it is to conserve. I haven't forgotten, I just strayed away as an adult. I will go back. I will live the way that we are meant to live, eat the food we are meant to eat, and I will do my best to respect the world around me. I will stop supporting multinationals who do no good. I know that I will not be perfect in my endeavor, but I will try my hardest. 
     I know that a lot of people out there are going through the same thing right now, so I decided to chronicle my journey back to normal. I will let you know my plans, what I am eating, where I am getting it, what it is costing me, and how I am doing it all. 
     I am hoping for some great tips and tricks from readers as well as a lot of great discussion!