Winter Chickens
The hens have consistently produced an egg a day despite the darkness.
I imagine there is some discussion among them about who's turn it is to
produce that daily egg, but it occurs out of my earshot. Their house
is so darned ugly that I must come up with some kind of interesting new
hen house and coop arrangement. There is a spiffy
hen house at Ikea Hacker (I love that site ... it's so cool!) In the
Willamette Valley, my hens might be chilly but at least they're dry.
My sister was wondering if you could do hens in your back yard in Phoenix. The answer is "Yes!" It's a challenge to do a lot of ordinary middle latitude gardening in Phoenix, but there are some great resources out there like the Phoenix Permaculture Guild ... they cover hen keeping too. There is also an active forum at Backyard Chickens ... one thread of which breaks out by location. Lots of good info there regardless of where you live.
The 2009-10 Reduced-Heat Experiment
(January) Aside from finally turning on the heat for two weeks during the frigid 9 degreen temps in mid-December, I've set the thermostat at 48–50 degrees and it's kicked on a couple times but not much. It's been fairly warm outside and the house is reasonably well insulated. I might have completely dodged the furnace at all, but was concerned when pipes started bursting around town. I figured a little heat would be a good preventative.
Interestingly, my internal thermostat has adjusted and with the radiant heater, don't really need more.
Visiting friends is problematic though. Their homes are often set at 68 and feel sweltering.
(December) As the east wind whips through the Columbia Gorge, it's colliding with an Arctic cold front that is dropping down from BC. The temperatures in the Portland Metro area have plummeted.
Every year, I try to see how long I can hold out before I have to turn the heat on. Last year, I bought a small, directional heat dish that produces radiant heat for focused areas ... i.e., me. This year I've made it to December. The cost is a fraction of heating the whole house, I'm comfortable, and it's surprisingly efficient at increasing the temperature of the whole room (even though it's not designed to do that.
It's true that my family and friends think I am a part of the lunatic fringe, but here in Oregon, the low, LOW temps other people have to tolerate make this almost an indulgence. Even so, many refuse to come over because they want to be able to wander about the house in the dead of winter in their short-sleeve t-shirts and shorts. My family complains bitterly and then commandeer the "cone of warmth."
I'm looking forward to seeing the heating bill comparison with last year.
Small Planet Living is about ...
learning to live on this lovely planet with respect for all the elements that make it home. Maybe our mantra could be "Do no harm" or at least as little as possible. After all, how big a car or house do we really need?
Recent connections
Here are a couple interesting links I've found lately.
Local Harvest - Lists sources of local farmers, markets, groceries so you can eat more fresh foods in your area. When did we get away from the idea of eating seasonally?
Smart Gardening TV - Had an episode that took place at Les Jardins de Sortilege in France. The gardener, Annie-Jeanne Bertrand, demonstrated the grelinette to till under her cover crops. It's a great tool and available in the US as a U-digger or broadfork. There was also a discussion of Nettle Tea, which is used as a bioenhancement in gardens throughout France. Makes me wish I had continued my French lessons. There is a nice French gardening site with some interesting info called L'Atelier Vert.
As I mentioned, they employed the grelinette ... broadfork to us. After rummaging around online, I found a source at Johnny's Selected Seeds. They have several models in different widths. However, before I get too carried away, I'll check with Red Pig Tools here in the Portland area and see if it's possible to get a broadfork there. They are pricey for a handtool, so I want to make sure I get a good one.