The Chicks are Here!

Saturday Mr. Man and I drove to Jasper, Georgia to pick up the girls at Hinton Milling Company. Jasper is about an hour and a half north of Atlanta, with a population of about 2,600. They sell rabbits, ducks and chickens of every size and breed. Mr. Man and I were looking for a couple different breeds (so that we can easily tell them apart) and wanted chicks old enough to go straight outside. We were helped by Robert, who plucked the chicks up with relative ease.













“Letty,” White Leghorn













“Henny Penny”, Rhode Island Red













“Buffy,” Buff Orpington













“Matilda” (aka Tilly), Ameraucana

We got them home and into the coop safely, and they seem to be settling in well. Letty is more confident and assertive than the others and they look to her for security. Buffy is the youngest and therefore smaller than the others but she holds her own and they seem to have bonded together over the stress of moving to a new home. They can be found together pretty much all the time; especially when one of us enters the coop. Penny is especially timid and tries to hide under Letty when we enter the coop. I go inside a couple times each day so that they get used to me and am picking each of them up at least once a day to get them used to being touched/held.

Marley and the cats seem to have taken their appearance in stride and after realizing that Stella can’t get into the coop they have taken to ignoring her sitting outside staring in.

The Coop is Finished!

Finally! We spent the weekend finishing the coop, and again, it took longer than expected. I tried to get Mr. Man to take a day off on Saturday so that we could go to the Dogwood Festival, but he was intent on getting this monkey off his back. We spent Saturday building the nesting boxes, very cool, and then the screen door. Seemed simple enough; I thought for sure we’d be done on Saturday and could spend Sunday, barring rain, actually doing something fun—not that building the coop isn’t fun and an opportunity to spend time together, blah, blah, blah... but it was the Dogwood Festival!

Anyway, we built the frame of the door and went to put it in and... it didn’t fit. So, we took it apart, re-measured, and re-cut the wood and put it back together. We went to check the fit... still no love. Even though we’ve worked really, really well together thus far, frustrations (mine) were beginning to surface—I like to blame this on the fact that it was a gorgeous day and I wanted to be doing something else.

So, Mr. Man spent a lot of time planing each side and finally, finally we were able to get it hung. Next we put linoleum down on the floor—not for aesthetics, linoleum is easier to clean than plywood, and since we’ll (tranlation, “me”) be cleaning the hen house every week, the easier the better.

And so, it was mid-afternoon Sunday and we were done.

Next weekend we get the chickens!!!

The Omnivore's Dilemma

If I could encourage everyone to read one book this year it would be The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Nature History of Four Meals. It is thought provoking, scary as hell, but not in a psychopathic serial killer kind of way, and very, very readable. The author, Michael Pollan, manages to bring the horrors of industrial agriculture/farming and CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) to our attention in a straightforward, non-preachy way. He convincingly conveys the dire consequences of these industries on the planet, our country, people, and the animals that have been reduced to numbers; those with dollar signs in front of them.

We have lost touch with our food; we have no idea where it comes from let alone how it gets to our table. Pollan manages to convey the horrific conditions that animals on these “farms” live under without going into unnecessarily gory details. You don’t have to be a radical animal activist or become a vegetarian to care about the lives of the animals we eat. I have toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian over the years, but the bottom line is, I like meat. But, I will never again eat meat without thinking about where it comes from or the intolerable conditions that cattle live under, like being fed corn—they are fed hard and fast in order to put on weight quickly, so quickly that they sometimes can’t even support themselves. They are fed animal byproducts (disgusting but true) and hormones, again to put weight on quickly. They are kept in confinement and spend their days standing in their own urine and manure—something Pollan refers to as “manure ponds”—and because these conditions are detrimental to the health of the animal (really?) they are fed antibiotics. Did you know the majority of antibiotics made in the United States are fed to cattle? Healthy cattle don’t need antibiotics.

Cattle are not the only animals that receive such treatment from the “corporations” that—huh, raise is not quite the right word… process?—chickens and pigs are also kept in CAFOs.

The book isn’t all doom and gloom; Pollan introduces us to Joel Salatin and Polyface Farm. Mr. Salatin raises all his cattle, pigs and chickens the old fashion way, and at the same time is innovative in the science he applies to rotating these animals around the farm so that while they consume the grass, they also fertilize it, again, the old fashion way. There is, of course, much more to the book than this. Read it, perhaps it’ll open your eyes as well.

What’s the alternative? For us it means buying humanely raised, pasture fed beef—no corn, meat byproducts, hormones, or antibiotics—from a farm within an hour’s drive from our home and growing our own vegetables, supplementing through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). There are lots of CSAs and humane farms out there; I bet there’s even one located near to you.

Coop Update

Despite working two twelve-hour days this past weekend, we were unable to finish the coop. On the up side, Mr. Man and I work really well together, and for those of you who may doubt that I pull my own weight...



































I actually like using power tools (except the circular saw—that still kinda scares me so I leave sawing to Mr. Man). We added a window to the hen house door so that we can look in and check out the hens without disturbing them (it was my job to drill the holes in the plexiglas—fun!)

































































and added ventilation holes with hardware cloth between the siding and interior walls (I got to drill all those holes as well, but this time using a round blade on the end of the drill normally used for cutting holes for doorknobs in doors).

All that’s left to do is build the nesting boxes where the hens will, hopefully, lay eggs one day and the screen door into the coop.

We think with one more long, sunny day we can finish it and then we’ll pick up the chicks—got’a do some research to see who has some for sale now. We are hoping to get four, one Buff Orpington, one Rhode Island Red, one Barred Rock, and one White Leghorn. Regardless of what we end up with, hopefully we get them before we head off to California for a little rest and relaxation, and some wine touring, kayaking and hiking. Our friends Donna and Mary may join us for a couple days—which will be great as I’ll probably need Donna’s influence to get Mr. Man into a kayak.

We also harveted our first raddishes this weekend and the rest of the garden is looking great. The lettuces are growing bigger by the day, and the broccoli has tiny little flowerettes on them. I had to get the beans I started from seed indoors into the ground, well, actually into pots, as they were starting to sprout.

My daughter wrote a speech for class that it is apropos to the recent legislative ruling in Vermont, and I asked her if I could post it. She received a standing ovation from her class when she was finished.

Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

in the United States

In the United States completely committed homosexual couples have none of the legal rights that protect heterosexual married couples. If one partner becomes ill, the other is not guaranteed the right to be with him or her in the hospital. If one partner dies, distant nieces and nephews have more of a claim to the dead partner’s belongings than the living partner does. They file “single” on their tax returns and, in most cases, are not allowed to be on each other’s health plans. If two people love each other, shouldn’t they be allowed the same rights, privileges and responsibilities, no matter their genders? Apparently not.

The institution of marriage that some Americans are working so hard to protect from the invading homosexuals is supposed to be a sacred union. It is hard not to think that this sacred institution is in crisis considering the fact that shows like “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and “How to Marry a Millionaire” top the charts and seem to be throwing the privilege of marriage in the face of homosexuals that would kill for the opportunity to marry their partners. Today I would like to discuss the outrageous injustice that is occuring in this country, the ban on Gay Marriage.

A few states are legalizing same-sex marriage, although those legalizations are constantly being challenged and overturned. Currently in the United States, marriage laws are determined on a state-by-state basis. The U.S. Government has yet to legalize gay marriage or any other kind of civil union for homosexuals. Allowing gay marriage would strengthen the institution of marriage, not hurt it. Only marriage provides a legal safety net protecting the emotional bonds and economic security of couples. Not only would allowing gay marriage in the U.S. strengthen the weakening institution of marriage in this country, but it would also show those who say that marriage is for the purpose of raising children and that two parents of the same sex are not adequately equipped to raise children that there is no basis for this opinion. First of all, children do well in homes where they are nurtured and loved, regardless of the parents’ genders. Secondly, many heterosexual couples choose not to, or are unable to, have children. Yet, their marriages are consired valid. Why should this be the case in a country where “all men are created equal?” Does this mean all straight men? Without the inclusion of homosexuals in the definition of legal marriage, the United States will continue to display its bigoted and discriminatory side to the rest of the world. It is about time that we, as Americans, begin to look at people as just that—people. All people deserve the right to love whomever they choose and shouldn’t be penalized based upon their sexual orientation. Not allowing same-sex marriages is just that, a penalty placed on gays by the “straights” in power...but why? Let’s explore that questions a little further, shall we?

I am going to begin by quoting Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court who stated that “We cannot accept the view that Amendment Two’s prohibition on specific legal protections does no more than deprive homosexuals of special rights. To the contrary, the amendment imposes a special disability on these persons alone. Homosexuals are forbidden the safeguards that others enjoy or may seek without constraint.” Clearly there is a problem.

There are many arugments for, and against, the legalization of same-sex marriage, but for the most part, all of these arugments seem to relate to the four most common beliefs or arguments regarding gay marriage. The first of the two most common arguments supporting same-sex marriage is that homosexual couples deserve the same legal protections that heterosexual couples do. They deserve to file taxes together, have joint health insurance, and have all the other perks associated with having a legal marriage. Is there any good reason to deprive these couples the rights of all other couples? Seeing your loved one in the hospital and getting status updates on him or her may seem like a basic right, but to homosexuals it is a privilege that they are working toward earning. The second major argument for the legalization of same-sex marriage is taht it would strengthen the failing institution that marriage has become in today’s society. Divorce rates continue to rise and television shows like “The Bachelor” poke fun at the so-called sacred institution of marriage by having the contestants play a game of real-life love BINGO. Jonathan Rauch, a same-sex marriage advocate, aruges that “same-sex marriage will signal Government’s, and therefore society’s, preference for marriage over other family arrangements” reinforcing marriage’s status at a time when that status is under extreme strain. According to a paper written by Rauch and Meezan, if same-sex marriage encourages marriage over non-marriage, then both adults and children will benefit.

One of the two key arguments against the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States is that marriage is a heterosexual institution made up exclusively of one man and one woman. This argument is not only the most common, but it is also, by far, the weakest. Who says what marriage is and by whom it is to be defined? Freedom of religion implies the right to freedom from religion as well. The Bible has absolutely no standing in American law, as was made clear by the intent of the First Amendment, and because if doesn’t, no one has the right to impose rules simply because of something they preceive to be mandated by the Bible. Not all world religions have a problem with homosexuality. Several sects of Buddhism, for example, celebrate gay relationships freely and would like to have the authority to make them legal marriages. In that sense, religious freedom is being infringed. The Bible or any other religious document cannot be used to define marriage. Separation of Church and State negates any religious aspect of this argument. It only seems logical that if the straight community, or any other community for that matter, cannot give an acceptable reason to deny homosexuals the right to legally marry, then it shouldn’t be denied. Declaration concerning their own definitions of marriage made by conserviate straights are more like expression of prejudice rather than true arguments.

The second argument most commonly used against same-sex marriage in this country is that the main purpose of marriage is for reproductive purposes and not only can gay couples not reproduce, but the immorality of gay couples does not allow them to provide an optimum environment in which to raise children. Well, considering that society allows murderers, convicted felons, and known child molesters to get married and bring children into their marriage, I believe this argument to be completely without merit. If children are truly the priority here, why are criminals allowed to care for children? The fact is that many gay couples raise children, adopted and biological. Many scientific studies have shown that the outcomes of the children raised in the homes of gay and lesbian couples are just as good as those of straight couples. Any differences noted in these studes where found to be insignificant. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a a technical report, children who grow up with on or two gay parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual. A child’s optimal development depends more on the nature of his or her relationships within the family than on the particular structure that it takes. The bottom line is that gay people are as capable of loving children as completely as anyone else.

As long as the U.S. continues to ban gay marriage, it will continue to send the message to Americans that homosexuals are second-class citizens. How can we expect society’s viewpoint to change without the change in Government’s viewpoint? The answer is, we can’t. I believe that if everyone sat down and thought of what it would feel like to know that you may not be allowed to see your spouse when they are dying, or to know that you may have to go to typically unfriendly in-laws to get any status updates on your spouse’s condition, or even just knowing that uninformed and perhaps uneducated people look at you and your children and believe in their hearts that you are putting the children in an unsafe or immoral environment not fit for their proper development, would have many people only beginning to see what gays go through in order to have a family in the United States in 2009. We have come a long way, but we still have much further to go. Give us the right to marry our loved ones, to adopt children that are rightfully ours, and to live our lives free from persecution. We, as homosexuals, want what most people want, a family that is taken care of and protected the best that it can be, and to do that we need to be able to marry our partner in the eyes of U.S. Law.

The Coop: Part 3

We worked really hard on the coop this past weekend, hoping that we might complete it, but building things takes a lot longer than you’d imagine (especially when you are both novices). Of course, we had to make the ritual weekend trip to Home
Depot—we tried to keep it short, but there's something about building supply stores that turns men into shoppers that rival any woman in a shoe store.

Mr. Man did get the roof finished. We used a solar gray polycarbonate, which will allow light through, but shade the coop somewhat at the same time. It seems chickens are much better at tolerating cold than heat.

We also managed to get the hen house framed and the hardward cloth up on the ceiling and on the front and sides of the coop. There is enough open space between the roofing and the ceiling for ventilation and can also be used to dry herbs.



















Mr. Man had to dig a trench a foot deep around the perimeter of the coop so that we could bury the hardward cloth to keep out
predators and pests (e.g., rats), we are hoping that the cats will help with this potential problem as well.



















After we got the bottom and top pieces of hardware clothup, I had to sew them together with wire so that there will be no openings.



















It was fairly cool while we were working on Sunday with occasional light rain. Marley, wanting to hang with us, but feeling cold and not liking getting wet, finally made a nest in some hay under a piece of plywood leaning up against the fence.



We still have to take down the fence panels to get the hardware cloth up in the back of the coop, but Mr. Man started putting up the siding. We’ll finished this up this weekend too.

Last night we had an unexpected cold snap and we had to rush home to cover the garden. Luckily, all seem to have fared well.

For Zoe

Zoe, here are some pictures of Marley just for you. I can't wait for you to meet him. Love you Sweetie!

The Environmental Protection Agency

Just who is the EPA supposed to “protect”? The environment, and therefore the health and best interests of the American people, or the profits of corporate industries?

According to the EPA website, their mission is to “protect human health and the environment...working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.” Sounds good doesn’t it? But, a look at their record under the Bush Administration and one might surmise they are here to ensure that corporations make profits regardless of the consequences to people or the planet.

In 2003, the EPA ruled that carbon dioxide was not a pollutant and therefore couldn’t be regulated under the Clean Air Act; chalk one up for corporate industry.

In 2008, after agreeing to seek a 50% reduction of Green House Gases by 2050 at the G-8 summit, Bush changed his mind, and surprise, surprise, the EPA reports no findings that green house gases and global warming pose a threat to our health.

The impetus for this blog is an article I read in Organic Gardening about honeybees (Unfortunately, this article is not available on their website). You may have heard about the collapse of honeybee colonies due to bees abandoning their hives and then dying. It seems there may be a connection between the phenomenon—called Colony Collapse Disorder—and a class of pesticides that have been banned in other countries. (If you are a pesticide user these pesticides are sold under the names Titan and Poncho). These pesticides known as neonicotinoids are “non-toxic to humans but act as a deadly nerve poison for insects, causing symptoms such as loss of memory and/or appetite, disorientation, paralysis and eventually death.”

In 2003, the EPA approved the pesticide but stipulated that Bayer Crop Science, the makers of neonicotinoid pesticides, must submit studies on the impact to honeybees… there’s been no release of results to date and the EPA is being sued by the National Resources Defense Council for withholding information. Of course, the EPA says it needs more time. One more for the corporate industries.

Here’s an interesting read from 60 minutes on the CCD phenomenon.

Check out this articile about Bayer: Bayer: A History of Profit from Suffering.