The Down Side

I was going to take Saturday off from the farm as I thought it was a light enough day that I wouldn't be missed too much. As it turned out, it was going to be better for my parents if I took Sunday off instead so I headed out for the typical routine. We got another blast of winter recently so the chores would take a bit longer than normal but I wouldn't be doing any extra tasks so it shouldn't have been a very long day anyway.

Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case.

Our very small herd of cattle has become rather spread out in terms of calving schedules but this is the period when most of them are due. Our newest calf had been born the day prior and although it was quite large it seemed very strong and energetic, even running about the barn a bit just a couple hours after being born. But when I checked in on her while doing chores on Saturday, she seemed very listless. When I let her mother back in she did not even get up to feed, but just laid there. I haven't been around the cattle again for very long but I knew this was odd. So I kept an eye on her and when she still had not got up to eat after another hour and a half, and by looking at her mom's udder I did not think she had eaten that morning either, I finally decided to call Dad. Initially he was not too concerned but as I described the situation he decided I should try to milk a bit from the mother and see if I could get the calf to eat, he and mom would head right home.

I didn't have much luck but when they got home, dad and I were able to milk the cow and got some into the calf. It seemed to regain some energy but dad was still concerned, especially as it didn't get any better over night. To make a bad story a bit shorter, when I got out there Monday morning I learned that the young thing had finally died the night before.

This is the downside of raising animals. Birthing is a traumatic process and, sadly, they do not all survive. This is always a blow, both emotionally and financially. Its an extra big blow this time since she was another heifer, so vital when one is trying to rebuild a herd.

As with most things, however, its not ALL bad. Now we have a bit of extra rich, raw milk as this cow is a particularly heavy milker. Too bad we don't have any feeder piglets now!

Licker-ish

I have never been one to name pets or farm animals, favorite or otherwise. It actually runs in the family. My sister's cat's name is Cat, if anything, for example. The only animal that always gets a name is the dog, since our dogs have always been herd dogs.

But every so often some animal comes along and, for some reason, acquires a name. This has become the case once more just recently so I figured I would introduce her.

A pretty, all-red heifer was born to our only black cow (she has a white face) about 3 months ago. As I was letting her mother out every day and putting in fresh straw and a bit of hay, we had plenty of time for her to get used to me. I usually try to take a moment when I have time with these young animals, just to make sure they are well used to my close presence and my touch. This heifer was gentle enough that I have been able to continue this practice even now that she is outside most of the time. She has become so quiet and friendly that she will stand for petting and a scratch along her head and back. Not only that but she has taken up licking anyone who gets close enough. She'll lick my pants and boots as long as I will stand there for her. She will lick the other cows and the bull, which is normal but she does it a lot!

Anyway, I have decided that this has earned her the name Licker-ish. I suspect that she will be part of our herd for several years so I am not bothered at all by giving her a name, not that I would be anyway.

So without further blabbering...world, say hello to Licker-ish:


She also wanted to say hello back, a little more intimately:


Here she is, showing how she earned her name:


Soon she will join her half-sisters in the heifer weaning corral and hopefully she will have some Blonde D'Aquitaine friends to play with before too long as well. More on that another time.

Peace and comfort, all.

Philippe Sauvage

"We are the Lymphocyte T4 of this planet...the Enlightened Guardians of this planet..."



This is a very interesting idea. I think I want to hear more of what this Philippe Sauvage has to say.

Accidental But Welcome Red Worm Propagation

Back in late November, I potted a few plants into buckets. My soil was barnyard dirt, containing LOTS of well broken down cow manure, and vermicompost from my first condo worm bin. I had tried to harvest as many worms as possible out of the VC before using it as potting soil but I knew that there might be the odd baby worm or worm cocoon remaining. I figured that these would just perish in the dirt since they are not the deep burrowing type of earthworm.

Well I was wrong. Very wrong.

Some weeks back I was watering one of the plants with a spray bottle and I noticed that as I sprayed water on the soil...the soil was moving! This kind of freaked me out until I remembered that I had used VC so perhaps these were worms wiggling under the dirt. Sure enough, moving some of the dirt around revealed a fat adult red worm, thick and juicy, obviously well nourished. Then I found another, and another and another. That day I must have dug 30 fat adult red worms from the top couple inches of soil. Since then I would say I have dug out easily another 50 adult worms. Then, for certain reasons, today was the end of the plant`s life cycle and as I was removing it from the soil and breaking up the rooting in the soil (so that it can be used again as it remains rich) I discovered another 30 or 40 adult worms AND at least 40 cocoons. There were likely still a few worms and I know I didn't get all the cocoons.

So, bearing in mind that my initial worm purchase was around 150 worms, this bucket basically returned my investment in worms, all on its own. That`s pretty cool as far as I`m concerned.

I also wanted to share a picture that I captured awhile shortly after my last worm update post:


You can see a group of worms gathered around a chunk of cow manure. The picture is from about 30 seconds to a minute after I lifted the lid. Had I had the camera ready, this picture would show the whole mass of worms that was covering this chunk of cow shite. They moved pretty fast to get away from the sudden brightness of the overhead light to which they are so sensitive. I wanted to share the picture since it shows what I had been explaining about what great bedding and food manure makes.

So I`m not totally crazy for bringing shite into the house after all.

Peak Brown

Does anyone know where to buy chicken toner? Some of our ladies seem to be running out already.

Black Spring

The title of this post might easily lead one to believe that the subject matter is going to be dark or heavy but I don't think that is the case at all. Black Spring is simply what came to mind as I was thinking about two of my favorite things...nature and the theatre. I don't think that I have ever really written anything here about my career as a theatrical technician, other than referring to it in the profile tidbit. But then something clicked in my head today, which inspires me to write about the topic now.

One of the things that, for some reason, drew me to the theatre right from the start was the feeling I got from completing the run of a show and then restoring the stage to black in preparation for the transition into a new production. It dawned on me today, very much with the feeling of a light bulb flashing on over my head, that this transitional period is rather like spring in the natural world. The stage has been cleared and cleaned and is ready for the new production to sprout forth.

In honesty, the biggest reason that they seem so similar to me is probably the fact that they inspire very similar emotions in me. Springtime always fills me with an eager calmness and inspiration; a real sense of balance. The same is true for being alone (or sometimes in a small group) in a freshly restored-to-black theatre. I doubt I can really describe the feeling...I am not much of a poet. But suffice it to say, it has been an overwhelming feeling right from the very first time I experienced it. I also came into the theatre a bit later than many do, as I didn't get involved until my 3rd year of college. Most people seem to get involved in theatre in high school or even younger so I think a slightly higher maturity level allowed for a deeper connection, or at least a deeper appreciation of the connection.

But I think, at the end of the day, this is probably in the genes of most technician-types. We all tend to take a strong feeling of ownership for our "space" (slang tech term for theatre or venue), which is probably why so many of us make good managers. I know that as much as I love almost everything about my return to the land, I do still sometimes long for the stage and the cycle of the theatre season.

Anyway, now that spring seems to be upon us here in Northern Alberta, the return of these emotions reminds me once again of a freshly black stage. I suppose Spring will always be Black to me in many ways, but that is not a bad thing at all!

If March Comes In Like A Lamb...

...it goes out like a lion.

So goes the old saying anyway.

After an atypically warm February, where I don't think I wore a winter coat all month, this first week in March is looking even more amazing. Environment Canada is telling me that Sunday could be +8 C...that's 46 degrees to some of you. Hopefully this will continue long enough for the frost to come out of the ground, that way we will not lose all the snow melt to run-off. But another week like this and I think that just might be the case.

But, if that old saying holds true...with March starting this pleasantly, I think we better be looking out come month end, not for a lion, but for a Sabre Tooth Tiger!

How Technology Almost Killed Mixed Farming

Technology has a way of changing the very fabric of our society, usually without our even noticing. Some major changes to western agricultural technology occurred in the 60's and 70's thanks to the development of two machines. As with all technological shifts, these new machines were intended to increase farm productivity and profit potential, while reducing the amount of human labor required. The two machines were the combine and (later I think) the swathing machine.

Before then, but since the industrial revolution and the proliferation of machines, grain harvesting was accomplished by an involved process. I'm proud to say that I am one of VERY few in my generation in North America who can say I know and have taken part in it. The first step in the process was using a horse (and later tractor) driven machine called a binder. This machine cut the ripe lengths of grain and tied them into simple bundles or sheaves. These bundles were piled on a small one ended rack which could be lowered to the ground. Friction would then pull the pile of bundles off, leaving them on the ground and the rack would lift back up to receive the next pile of bundles. At some point, someone would come along and rearrange all those piles of bundles into "stooks", or upright tipi-like structures which allowed the grain stalks to finish drying.

Once the stooks had enough time to dry, carts were driven through the fields and each bundle was pitched (yep, with a pitch fork) into the cart. Then the cart would be brought to the threshing machine where each bundle would be tossed into the front, to then be separated into grain and straw. In a lot of ways, this was ideal for the mixed farmer. This is why you used to see wooden granaries in groups of two or three, with some space in between each group. The grain could be funneled into a granary and the straw blown next to the granary, into a large pile. This straw would then be used as bedding for the herd through the long Northern Winter.


* Thanks to the website from whom I borrowed this picture. There are several old pictures of this process out at the farm, but I have not yet gathered them for scanning.

By the time I was a part of the process we were already switched to using a tractor instead of horses and/or steam engine, so we basically did it all ourselves. We also used an actual grain truck instead of the tiny grain wagon you can see in the picture above. We still have one of those grain wagons on the farm still though, not totally dilapidated yet (gosh I need to get at saving it somehow). Before I was old enough to help (and I admit I was not made to work until I was fairly old, compared to my dad for example) dad would hire a fellow to help him, and mom did her significant share of course. I never saw the days of the wandering harvest workers but I know the days were long and brutal and the pay was not much. I also know that even though we used machines, the days were long and hard and exhausted both of my parents. I think a lot of the reason I look back at it was such fondness, is that I was allowed to watch or play, I didn't have to start working my ass off at 8 years old like my dad did. I can understand why it is hard for my dad to look back at those days with much fondness, where I find it kind of...magical I guess.

But back to my point...

The introduction of the combine meant that all separation could be done in the field and all that "waste" straw could be chopped finely and blown back onto the field. Priority could finally shift to maximizing either grain or livestock production, and the benefits and alternate efficiencies of mixed farming were soon forgotten. Now grain farmers had to buy manure from animal farmers and animal farmers had to buy food for their animals from grain farmers. This created a market for alternate options like synthetic fertilizers and chemical herbicides which were cheaper but of which we are also now seeing the results. This allowed for the proliferation of "middle-man" enterprises which were ripe for absorption by the new large-scale industrial corporate agricultural sector.

So, the result of not truly pondering the outcome of technological advancements, the result of ignoring wisdom and avoiding forethought, is what we see now; a global choke-hold on sustainable agriculture and a massive struggle in front of those of us who recognize the real necessity of local, sustainable agriculture.

The Return of Codex Alimentarius?

When I became aware of the Codex Alimentarius concern, the biggest detail which made this seem a "conspiracy theory" to me was the very specific date of implementation offered by some of the loudest warning voices. Apparently on December 31, 2009 the full range of this global, UN-driven policy was supposed to come into effect, removing or almost totally restricting the ability for the general public to attain natural foods, dietary supplements (vitamins and minerals), and natural non-chemically derived medications. Then within the next year, and subsequent years, billions would die (I also find it hard to believe that these massive corporations would willingly and rapidly wipe out the vast majority of their customer base).

BUT, I have no difficulty at all in believing that these corporations would do whatever it takes to keep as many people as possible needing to buy their products. History has shown that morality rapidly disappears from societies of people beyond some general size in number. This doesn't mean that all individual members of the society see their morals vanish, but that of the society itself does seem to. This is especially the case in corporations, where the very basic purpose of the thing is to derive profit for the (and especially certain) members of the society.

So I went and tried to read Codex. I did read some of the documents and know that I should read more, but to focus on it too much would drive me mad. It is exceedingly long and detailed and indescribably boring. But some of it is pretty scary, such as the amount of attention paid to detailing what chemicals, toxins and otherwise, which were allowed in any specific product. Not getting rid of the toxins, but determining how much was considered safe to consume. And no discussion, that I saw, of the problems with overlapping various combinations of these "safe" amounts. From what I read, it did not seem so much a manual for wiping out huge swaths of humanity but for keeping them just going on in an increasingly toxic environment, internally and externally...and keeping them addicted to large-scale corporate goods.

It seemed to me that, as with all large scale control mechanisms, for one such as Codex Alimentarius to be implemented successfully it would mean doing so gradually, so as not to overly arouse the masses. One of the first specific concerns about Codex was the push for Bovine Growth Hormone to be used in ALL cows, thereby being introduced to all Beef and bovine dairy products. This has been, at least temporarily, avoided in most of the world.
Canada also has a bill in Parliament now, I cannot remember its "name", which speaks to this issue...apparently on the side of Codex. C-somethingorother has been talked about for a few years now. Personally, I thought it had disappeared as well. Silly human, losing focus...

But then, a week or so ago I heard about a National Post article which was supposedly about Canada banning the sale of all natural dietary and health products. I figured that I should have a look for this article, but kept getting distracted (very sore neck, Olympics, etc). Well today I found it and it looks like another quiet step towards restricting natural products.

The article is here (at least as this is being written).

What it actually says, and I find problems with both sides fo the debate, is that Canadian Pharmacy regulators are asking that Canadian Pharmacies do not sell natural remedies which have not been licensed by the Canadian government. I'm not sure exactly to what extent this means...is Vitamin C a natural health remedy? Can I not buy echinacea at Save-On anymore because it contains a pharmacy?

In some ways, I can see why such products might need to be regulated to a certain extent. It would be pretty easy to label any garbage as some kind of natural remedy or product without SOME regulation, especially as things are now when there is just no way one individual can properly investigate the origins of everything they consume. But at the same time, Big Pharma and other global corporations like to keep us needing more and more of their crap and to see their crap regulated less and less. I can't speak for everyone but I know on which side I stand. We don't get to demand to be taken care of, we have to take responsibility for ourselves or we lose our right to be....simple as that.

Anyway, I don't really have the time to go off onto a rant here, although it is tempting! I just wanted to point out that winning one battle doesn't mean we can let down our guard. Those who want control will always keep prodding to see what control can be taken. As much as I wish it were not so, some of us have to stand ready to oppose that control...and to be wary of becoming it ourselves.

Peace and comfort, brothers and sisters.

Red Worm Update

Well my little Red Wiggler breeding experiment continues to move along successfully but, as with most such ventures, there have been stumbles as well. Primarily, the opportunities for learning have come in regards to temperature, moisture...and bugs.

I believe that the temperature and moisture issues have actually been working together. My first bin often needed water added once in awhile, but the 3 main ones that I have been running lately have all become quite soggy in the bottom, despite having drain holes. One of them was actually draining some water out, including some VC and even some worms. I had to retrieve the wanderers or they'd have eventually drowned. The other two bins merely got soggy in the bottom and I have had to do plenty of stirring and adding of absorbent bedding in order to avoid smelly anaerobic activity.

I suspect moisture issue had two causes. One is simply that I have been feeding the worms things that have had a higher moisture content, like cast-off pumpkins from our fall harvest. The other factor is temperature. The one main bin that I have had here in the condo has been by far the least soggy of the three, whereas the worst of the three seems to be the bin that has been sitting on the cool floor of the basement at my parent's house out at the farm. So I think the trick is going to be keeping them off the floor and, if I can, away from the cool walls. These cooler temperatures really seem to slow down the activity of the worms, both feeding and breeding. Now that I have eased off on the feeding of water-heavy things to the condo bin, I am starting to see some very nice and nearly finished VermiCompost that should be ready for use in the greenhouse within a couple of months. Hopefully the other two bins will catch up quickly.

The more frustrating issue has been bugs.

In the last update I wrote about the fruit fly infestation that I was fighting. Well no sooner had I won that battle than I had an infestation of small manure flies which came from some dry cow patties that I brought from the farm. These little bastards are tiny things that like to come to my computer desk and fly up my nose when I am working or watching something. I don't know of any way to get rid of them other than to remove all food sources and let them die off, which is hard to do when trying to actively breed bins of worms in my condo. However soon I will be able to move the bins from here back out to the farm where bugs are much less of an issue. Let this be a lesson, however. Don't bring manure into your house unless it has been properly composted already. Its a lesson I should have known already but I am a boy after all!

But if you're wondering why I brought the cow shit into the condo, well, it makes GREAT longer term food and serves as bedding. As bedding it can come in real handy for sopping up excess moisture if the manure is very dry. And of course, plenty of bedding over top of added food that might attract bugs is always a good way to not attract them in the first place.

The Name!

One of the most important parts of doing business, be it industrial, commercial, agricultural or what-have-you, is having a good name. Even if the goal is building an intentional community, its usually important to have a good name. So one of the things in the back of my head when thinking about moving the family farmland forward, has been what name to call the thing. My own company has a relatively bland corporate name as it was never planned to be involved in marketing of any kind. But the farm project needed something good.

Well I think that mom gave it to me today.

I am not going to really get into it now, or tell the story of how SHE got the name, I just wanted to report this happy step forward. The story will be told, but I think I will save it for telling when I reveal the new Jackson's Corner website, which will happen before too very long.

Yep, it's looking like the home place (at least what we still own) will soon come to be known formally as Jackson's Corner or possibly Jackson's Corner Farm. Since my own personal goal is for it to become an intentional community (in time), and because I think adding "Farm" is kind of overdone and a bit redundant, I am tempted to leave it off. Feedback would be highly appreciated, however.

And yes, the farm website will have a blog section and that aspect of this blog will cease to be. I'm sure I will keep this blog around for its original purpose; ranting, news-sharing/discussing, and the search for balance and wisdom, but all the farm stuff will shift to the new site. Blog friends and regular readers will obviously be invited to the new site when it is up and running. But like I said, that could be a little while yet.

For now, back to more research and learning. Peace and comfort, all.

Farm Update

Other than the Great Owl Massacre I have not reported much from the farm in awhile so I thought I would remedy that now, seeing as I am not sleeping anyway.

It has actually been a rather slow winter seeing as the cattle herd is small. If it were not for the hens and their shed needing to be cleaned every 10 days to two weeks I probably would not really be a lot of help this winter. The last two winters have required quite a bit of snow blowing but this year we have not yet had to break out the blower. It has even been warm enough to use the tractor on some days. Just yesterday I spent 4 hours in the tractor doing some chores and clearing some snow. This is the first snow that has been moved so far this winter. Rather disconcerting considering the extreme droughts over the last two summers. If we do not get at least half again what we have now OR some decent spring rains (which we haven't seen as long as I have been back, at least 5 years) it could be a very bad year. I have actually started looking at farmland for sale in Ontario. If precipitation does not pick up here in the next two years, it may be time to consider relocating. I will likely be writing about this subject more soon.

For now though, my focus has been on reacquainting myself with the important details of working with animals on a daily basis. I have kind of a weakness with maintaining attention to reoccurring details over the long-term so it is important that I find ways to deal with this now. On the path I am choosing, one cannot just decide at the drop of a hat that a few days away from work is needed.

Getting back to the Great Owl Massacre for a moment, I thought I'd share a couple more pictures. Don't worry, none of them will be of the pile of carcasses that I drove over to a stand of brush for the ravens, crows and coyotes to deal with.


This is the original screen. In all honesty, I kind of see this as my fault since the screen was not able to be properly mounted in the window so it was just kind of jammed in place at the top. I didn't think of the possibility of some bird of prey tearing through the screen but a weasel could have easily climbed through so I should have just made the end fix then...and saved the slaughter. Ah well, live and learn.

This is the gate that I closed after the horse was out, so to speak:


This window should now be predator-proof. As soon as we get above freezing for a couple of days, I have to re-work the rear exit holes as they are not so secure currently. Happily, the ladies started laying again the very next day. It was a bit of a trickle for a couple of days but, to some surprise, they were pretty much back to their same rate within a week. I think they are currently giving about 5 or 6 dozen a day. Not bad for what I think is 75-85 birds.


Back in October, we added these four female weaner pigs to our menagerie. I meant to introduce them back then when I took this picture, but I did not get around to it until now. This is the first time in over 10 years that pigs have run about on our farm, and they have been missed greatly. These girls are intended to be meat but I suspect we may keep one or two to be bred. They are also the first pigs that I ever remember being fed hay in the winter. In the past I only remember feeding them "slop", a mixture of water, milk, kitchen scraps, fish oil, and a dash of apple cider vinegar (my dad's utility supplement for animals and people, long story), all mixed with ground barley. Thanks to the learning I have done recently, however, both the pigs and hens are being treated like the grazers they are and having their winter diets supplemented with hay. Both are loving it. Here is what the girls looked like as of mid-January:

They are growing quite impressively I must say. They are confined in a pen but it is of decent size and there is a thick layer of straw and hay at the "living" end (where they do all but crap) that they have taken to rooting deeply into, revealing and assisting in the compost activity happening about a foot down. Come spring I am considering setting up a temporary pen over in a spot that I would like to remake into a market garden plot. Then, when pig-breeding time comes, this will hopefully be the spot that we will use for one year. This will let the sows and their piglets work the space up for us a bit as well as add some good fertilizer.

I was going to talk about the worm bins some as well, but I think I will leave that for another post of its own. Until then...

Peace and comfort to all.

The Haitian Response

Just yesterday I made reference to peak oil, an issue which I have come to take seriously over the last couple of years, and my sense that it might soon come to affect our lives severely. Today I must say that I am no longer so sure of the immediacy of this problem. My reason for saying this is one that also helps to explain something that I have been wondering for the last couple of weeks.

It bothered me that this was the case, but I have been very curious what was inspiring the overwhelming response to the recent Haiti disaster. Now, this is not to say that I believed the human response to this disaster was unwarranted...far from it. But the truth is that this kind of thing happens fairly regularly with nothing like this kind of response. Of course people try to send money and food and such but rarely is there such a "high level" response. By "high level" I mean several thousand US troops and vocal involvement by names like Bill Clinton and George Bush. By "high level" I mean the Canadian government deciding to match all support fund-raising dollar for dollar. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was such response to all catastrophes?

So what makes this Haitian disaster particularly special?

This article by F. William Engdahl at globalresearch.ca lays out an answer that makes a great deal of sense, even though it is...well...maddening.

The Razor's Edge

I doubt I am the only one who feels a strong sense of walking a razor's edge, both personally (in my case at least) and at a global level.

On a personal level, the edge is financial. Without going into too much detail, I will just say that my and my family's financial situation is somewhat precarious. Our resources have grown very thin and the opportunity for income is still restricted until some kind of short term operating funds can be arranged. Obviously this is a sticky situation since the vultures are eyeing good farmland all around the world. I hate to think that we might have to sell more land in order to continue with what is left...just doesn't seem wise in the long term. I will do just about anything to avoid that.

But on a global level, I cannot help but feel that all this personal stuff might be moot. This is where I feel the razor's edge analogy fits best. Anyone who is looking at the world through rational and truly honest eyes knows that the economic situation is highly unlikely to be on the path to a stable recovery. Quite the opposite, we are waiting for the other shoe to drop...that shoe which threatens to crash right through the floor when it finally falls, likely taking the whole house of cards down with it.

Then there is the increasing tension between the world's powers, this tension heightened by issues such as climate change, peak resources (most importantly peak cheap energy), and understandable concern about the aforementioned economic situation which is also fueled by the first two listed issues.

And all this happens as the world's greatest power seems to be marching right toward being the most recent failed Empire. We all know these empires do not go down easily so the increased police state style measures are hardly surprising, but still terrifying. Nor is it surprising to see this crumbling Empire engaged in significant foreign military activity. Only this time, a major global conflict is likely to be like nothing we have ever seen before. Yet still swords are rattled, threats made, intrigue plotted. I can't help but feel closer to this catastrophic conflict that at any time growing up in the 70's and 80's.

All told, its a little hard to get up and get going some days. Thank goodness I am not in a city, I think I might go mad.

Thoughts From Catching Up With An Old Friend

I just got off the phone with a close friend of mine from the end of high school and the first few years of college. We haven't spoken in some time, he's been married and is now divorced with a young daughter, but his is one of those voices that I think will always make me smile and bring back fond memories. But speaking with him also reminded me of how far I have drifted from the "expected" path, from the fairly typical path taken by someone of my generation in my location in the world. And it reminded me of how crazy I think that "expected" path is making people.

The lyrics of the song "Suspicious Minds" keep coming to mind, voiced by Dwight Yoakam in my head, "Caught in a trap, Can't walk out...".

Nearly all of my closest friends have succumbed to the modern western trap. I guess it should not even be called western anymore, since our style of insider capitalism has spread throughout most of the world. But I digress.

It pains me to see so many of those who have been close to me, so deeply attached to an unnatural corporate/industrial existence. They are programmed by their televisions and the billboards that are nearly unavoidable. They are jaded parents, passing on their habits (usually concentrated) to their children, guiding them right into their own little cages (complete with exercise wheel!). They mean well for the most part, yet it is too easy to remain asleep, to ignore the fact that they are constantly driven to commodify every aspect of life, down to the very basic needs.

And then there is the fact that "the system" is set up to punish those who refuse to take the bait, who refuse to stay in their cage. Certainly anti-social behavior, especially that which is inherently harmful or destructive, should be dealt with but we have obviously reached the point of ridiculousness. Anyone following the tribulations of the Ontario farmer who makes raw milk available to those who want it must surely agree that this point has been reached.

And if we have reached that point, perhaps we have already begun the long slow swing back towards common sense and balance. People ARE returning the land, perhaps at a more sustainable pace than was seen during the 70's. It is my hope that this will continue and even increase; that we will explore ways to use permacultural type techniques in order to allow a higher density rural population all the while managing impact on nature.

I sure hope that some of these dear friends of mine are able to find the strength make some of these priority shifts. I wonder if that is overly selfish of me.

The Owl Massacre

Now that the dust has settled, so to speak, and because visitors here have been surprised at the carnage caused by one owl, I thought I should write a bit further on what may come to be remembered as the Owl Massacre of '10.

This kind of situation is rather rare for a few reasons, one of the biggest reasons being the sheer amount of deaths. Owls don't usually get much opportunity for mass kills in one location at the same time unlike, say, a weasel which might often get to corner several mice. So let's look at the thing from a few steps back, both at what has been observed and from there to what likely happened.

Our farm is out in the open, the nearest tree stands being at least a half mile off, so owls have not usually been a problem. We see them fairly often but when they are around they tend to avoid the building cluster and hunt in the fields or down on the lake. Lately, however, a small flock of pigeons (cursed rats of the sky) has taken up residence in our barnyard, often hanging out in an old barn (that is no longer used other than storing some hay) or in our "chop" bin ( an old central building used for ground or rolled feed storage). A couple months back I found one dead pigeon in the chop bin, laid out in as a fine finished feast just inside the door. At the time I marked it up to a stray cat, but I have since changed my mind.

Yesterday I noticed that I could only see one pigeon nearby. So, I am thinking that all the coyote activity nearby is starting to knock down the local mouse population and this owl has been drawn closer to the buildings, to get at these fat, dumb pigeons. Then, having decimated their population, it took notice of the loud clucking sounds and the yummy chicken smells emanating from that small window glowing bright in the darkness of winter evening.

I had been told that the owl had pulled the screen off of the window in order to get into the building, which I found somewhat amazing even though it was a tad lightly secured. But when I got there yesterday I saw that the screen was torn from its frame up in one corner...the owl had torn its way through and just knocked the frame loose as it scrambled in.


Now when I was first told that 61 hens had been killed my first thought was back to years ago when a mink got into our coop one winter, and proceeded to slaughter most of them. I knew that owls tend to be a snatch and fly off sort of predator, poorly designed for multiple kills, but I still envisioned some kind of slaughter. Then dad mention the owl's wingspan and I got to wondering how many necks might have got snapped just in a couple of blows. Sure enough, when I got to the farm, I didn't see one bird that looked to have been killed with beak or talon...although I must admit that it was a big pile and I didn't see all of the birds. What likely killed most of them was actually being smothered. The sound of the owl tearing through the screen and then suddenly scrambling through will have sent the flock into a panic, which results in crowding into corners. As a matter of fact, when dad got there the first time, the owl was actually just sitting up on one of the roosts. He hit it with something, I can't remember what he said, and went to get a shovel to finish it off. When he came back in, it was back up on the roost. So apparently it was not in any kind of killing frenzy...it just didn't know how to get out or it would have grabbed a bird and been gone.

This was a real shame but it was not as devastating as it could have been or even as it first seemed. I wonder if we shouldn't have processed another 25-30 birds for meat, as the building was filled about to the maximum, if not slightly over. It is now no longer an issue at all, and, thankfully, most of the girls have already started laying again. At this point, Mom feels she should be able to continue to service her existing client base although any real cold spells might knock their production down...since their numbers are down and the room will be slightly colder. So I guess later this year we can learn how to add pullets to a mature flock without them all getting killed. I'll have to get on adding the straw bale addition to the north end, so there is more room inside next winter.

That's about all I guess.

The Final Straw?

My family doesn't tend to fare well in the luck aspect of life. Considering the devastation in Haiti and other parts of the world we should not feel too bad for ourselves, but man oh man does that get hard sometimes.

I just got off the phone with a rather upset mother. It seems that an owl pried the precariously mounted screen off the window that I put on the chicken coop, and got in. By the time my dad went to shut them in for the night, the owl had killed 61 of our hens. Sadly, the bird lost its life instead of getting to enjoy the free buffet it thought it had found. It had to die though, or it would have been back over and over.

I'm sure as hell not looking forward to the trip out there tomorrow, and learning which of my favorite hens are gone...

So this sets the fresh egg business back by over 1/3, at least, until no sooner than next fall. It might actually put the operation back longer than that, since it is likely to mean the need for a new building and pen. Money is beginning to grow very tight, so this may not be possible. It might turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back too, if it puts my dad into a negative outlook as is very possible.

I guess we'll have to see...

First Offering of 2010

Welly, welly, well, my little droogies. Here we are 14 days into a "new" year and barely a peep from your friendly neighborhood SoapBoxTech. I hope I will be forgiven for the stolen lines but part of the reason things have been so quiet here is a bit of a lack of inspiration to write. I do feel a bit of "groove" returning however, so we'll see how things go.

I recently finished reading a book that I received for Christmas from my excellent-gifting little sister, which presented some reality which can be a tad discouraging to some of us who are trying to return to an agrarian kind of life. "The War in the Country", by Canadian author and journalism professor Thomas Pawlick (writer of "The End of Food" as well) lays out some compelling evidence of government support for large-scale industrial agriculture operations, as opposed to smaller local operations, in Ontario and by extension, the world in general. I am not interested in trying to review this book, but I do suggest that people try to give it a read and pass it along to their perhaps less aware friends.

From my perspective, I think the situation might even be worse here in Alberta. With a significantly lower population there is less opportunity for local producers to build alternative local markets, and it seems to me that agricultural evolution here has led to the development of some massive and influential industrial grain and livestock operations here yet which remain family run and "local". This means that the strong rural vote here in Alberta still tends to side with what more and more people seem to finally be recognizing as very harmful practices; morally, ecologically, and nutritionally. In these cases, the "we're just trying to feed our family" defense is repeated ad nauseam. But as long as urban consumption and political power support this situation, intentionally or otherwise, it will remain the case.

On the upside, my mother's egg business is introducing us to more and more local people who are concerned about this stuff, and who are trying to make their own change. But then you meet the sort of fellow who suggested we get into the sheep business as he felt confidant that he could offer a market of 300 or 400 lambs per year...for sacrificial purposes. I try not to judge but I'm not even fond of eating such young flesh, never mind sacrificing it. It's hard to imagine a God demanding such waste in times like this, but what do I know.

Anyway, that's all for now I guess. Ciao for now, bellas.

PS: I meant to share this on New Years Day....well, Night I guess:

Who Ees Thees Cahl-vin?

"The problem with people is that they're only human."

- Hobbes (a very wise tiger)

Somewhere around grade 8 or 9, I was introduced to something which has remained important to me ever since; the cartoon strip Calvin and Hobbes *. I devoured the few collections already published, and was lucky enough to have new releases bought for me. I still count myself lucky for that, although I doubt I recognized it at the time. At that age, something about the 6 year old reminded me of myself a few years earlier; rather imaginative and often in trouble because of it. Even at that age, I could recognize the simple wisdom in Bill Watterson's brilliant strip. And, like so many others, I was crushed when the strip was retired in '95.

When I stumbled across those old soft cover collections after I moved away from home, I would still thumb through them and giggle myself silly, once again easily pulled into the simple but enchanting world of Calvin and his best friend/tiger Hobbes, the spunky but rather lonely seeming Susie Derkins, Stupendous Man, Spaceman Spiff, various ferocious and ravenous aliens and dinosaurs and not to mention the poor, poor parents. It turns out that it's not such a big deal that the strip ended when it did. I am able to read them over and over and over again and they make me grin, laugh out loud, smile wistfully, and even tear up a little, just as with the first reading. Now I am very thankful that the author ended the strip when he did, so its real lovers (not like that, sheesh!) did not have to go through the horribly lengthy and torturous descent of so many other strips like Garfield, Charlie Brown and Archie.

A few years back, a hardcover and stunning new box set collection of the entire Calvin and Hobbes history was released. I noticed it in a mom-and-pop book store downtown and nearly dropped the $150 for it right then. Thankfully I decided not to, as I got the joyful surprise of receiving it as a Christmas present from my brother later that year. Evidently my love of the strip had not gone unnoticed. It remains one of the favorite gifts I have ever received.

Inspiring this post is the fact that I picked up the second volume of this collection recently, and am once again ensconced in wonder. I absolutely love how how much laughter and simple wisdom is contained on those pages. I really believe that they may have been a big part of developing my current consciousness, of becoming who and what I am.

I sincerely hope that parents are still sharing this strip with their children, and enjoying it themselves.

And thank you so very much, Mr. Watterson. I wish I could give you something as important in return.



*Having read through most of the wikipedia contents now, I would suggest that even those who are already fans of C and H go have a look at the link provided. I liked it anyway.

Baby, Its Cold Outside

Much of the Canadian Prairies got a good blast of winter over the last week or so, with record low temperatures being set in various places. The -45C that we hit over night a few times was unseasonal for this area at this time of year, but certainly not unheard of. It seemed to make people forget that just prior to this cold snap, many places were posting some unseasonably high temperatures as well. But most interesting to me was the fact that this was the first time I have ever heard such a cold snap cause news stories which warned of strain to the electrical grid due to such a cold spell. I wonder what this means for January and February when we often get several weeks of such low temperatures. Although, I suppose it should be noted that the cold snaps do not usually cover such large areas.

Still, it seems to me that if certain parties had their way, much of Canada would be uninhabitable for 4-6 months of the year. The only thing that makes large portions of Canada inhabitable during a typically long winter, is the consumption of energy that is primarily available only from the burning of biomass or fossil fuel. Certainly there are ways to maximize use of wind or solar energy but this would require a MASSIVE redesigning and rebuilding of our homes, food production, business and infrastructure. I certainly feel that we should be moving toward this goal with all haste, but I do not think it makes much sense to blindly limit the potential for success in the endeavor by intensely limiting the resources which may be used.

I TOTALLY sympathize with frustration towards those unwilling to budge from the status quo but to those who are crying out for someone to come along who is strong enough to MAKE people do what is necessary, I ask you:

What will you do when you're told where to live, what to do with your time at all times, how many children you may or may not have, what you may wear, etc etc, in the name of preserving the future?

That is what is being asked for when one demands the right to inflict their will on another. At that point, the only hope is that the chosen dictator is able to do the seemingly inhuman...to remain totally benevolent.

So do I then support the absolute right of the individual over the society, or the whole?
Well, of course I do not, but surely we can find a way to balance the individual and the society. That is not to deny the fact that this is an intensely complex situation. We MUST figure it out though. We're at such an important crossroad, both for Mother Earth and for humankind. I can't help but feel that simple survival just isn't enough. I can't help but feel that we must live for something.

I live for peace and comfort, for myself and for all. Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas, if I am not back before then.