Archive for May, 2008

Everything is green & growing in Alaska right now and it’s awesome. And about freaking time! I was beginning to think I would never see green grass again. I broke down and bought flowers for the railing box. I had to have them and it helped that I had a kickass $10 coupon for Lowe’s.  I just love these Viola Sorbets. They’re a hybrid of tiny violas and pretty pansies – two of my most favorite flowers.

The tomatoes are blooming, and the peppers too. We’ll have to put up lattice for the cherry tomatoes soon. Terry says they’ll get 6 to 8 feet tall, or maybe higher, and will need support. I guess! I can’t wait til I can leave them outside all night, but it still drops to the 30’s some evenings. Hauling them in and out is becoming quite the chore.

Dan Quail is growing so fast it almost defies, uh, belief. And logic. And fairness. I mean, it’s gotta hurt, right? To grow that fast? I remember laying in bed as a kid fidgeting half the night because I just hurt. I didn’t really know why and it pissed me off when I would whine to Mom and she’d say, “it’s growing pains” and send me back to bed. It’s got to be awful for Dan. Probably a good part of the reason he can’t sit still or sleep longer than a few minutes at a time.

I weighed him today, the last time being on the 22nd. He’s at 21 grams. Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. The same weight as a soul. Creepy, huh? I know.

10 grams in 5 days. That’s 2 grams a day! Wow. That’s amazing – Dan is teaching me math. What a cool bird. I am so lucky.

That’s probably the best name I can give to what my gardening has evolved into. I started in Feb wanting pretty flowers around the house this summer. But as gas and grocery prices have risen, it only made sense to grow something of real value. Problem is, we have no space or decent ground to put a “real” garden so everything has to be grown in containers. (Yes, as an Alaskan, I’m fully aware of the tragic irony in that statement.) Wes is building a platform to put in the kennel run so we can keep the plants safe from moose and off the cool, soft ground. The moose are almost prolific in this area and I’ll be mad as hell if Bullwinkle helps himself to a nice tasty buffet right off my deck. I’m so ready to move to the peninsula I could just cry. But soon, right? It will be soon? It has to be soon. But until then, micro-farming…

A strawberry box

Skwishey guards the lettuce from hungry moose.

We’ve got strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, peppers, and a nice little herb garden. We’ve also got another half dozen quail hatching eggs coming that should keep us in a good egg supply within just a few months. I think in the micro-farming, it’s helping to convince Wes of the improvement in our quality of life if we move rural. He’s even taken to hanging his clothes out to dry rather than use the brand new washer and dryer we bought, he enjoys it that much. No, seriously, he does. He’s done it more than once. I’ll try and get video next time he does laundry.

The stresses of rural living are no greater or lesser than those of making a living in the city, both can be extremely difficult and demanding, I know that. I’ve done it. But the rewards of having a more direct connection to your subsistence and, well, just life, are so much greater than simply cashing a payroll check from a job that only makes someone else wealthy. No, it isn’t for everyone but I know we would thrive in that environment – hell, we’re half way there with all the hunting and fishing we do. Wes just needs encouragement to make that break from Carr’s grocery. He’s promised for years, now is the time.

I’m not talking about complete removal from society because I really enjoy my internet connection as well as make my living from it. But I just want things to slow down, they move too fast and life is so short. I saw a video on YouTube that has inspired me and I’ve been thinking about a lot. This guy, Proteanview, he’s a smart guy. No lectures, just some very interesting questions, short and sweet. Check some of his videos out see what you think. You might learn something about yourself. Just from a simple question.

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Oh, and Dan Quail? He doubled his weight as of yesterday, crushing the scale at 11 grams. And his pin feathers are coming in on his wings. They seemed to just come in overnight at 5 days old.

Soaking up the warm after a house cleaning. 6 days old.

Dan got a new home today. He was too far removed from the family in a cardboard box in the spare bedroom and I really want him socialized and friendly. So today I took the 1 gallon fish tank I normally use as a fish nursery and turned it into a quail brooder. He now sits behind my computer desk and I can turn and talk to him throughout the day.

Some of the chick feed is too big for him to eat and we both quickly learned why they call it ’scratch’. He kicks it everywhere looking for the best and smallest pieces. It’s working, and he has gained a gram a day since he hatched and finally passed his initial egg weight of 8 grams to a hefty 9 grams. He’s gonna be huge!

I keep saying “he” when I really want it to be a her. Eggs! We need eggs! When that first egg arrives, Dan Quail will evolve into Danquail. That’s kind of feminine, isn’t it?