Busy!

Since the last time I posted, there have been a few changes in our regular scheduled program...

First of all, the computer, we are currently still experiencing technical difficulties due to the service company we took it to were not what they claimed. The initial quote of three to five days quickly dissolved to mean something more like over a week and while we called them repeatedly with no answer as to what was wrong. After eight frustrating days with no call back (even when we requested one) I had enough of the waiting game and went down and spoke to the manager directly. I was informed that they were so backed up that there was a wait list two weeks long just to have my computer looked at! 

Needless to say we were very disappointed with their service and lack of communication efforts. We have since brought our computer home and have made arrangements with an Apple Store to have it checked out. It's interesting to note that we found that customer service there has been much more professional and satisfying. Now we can only hope that the files and photos that we lost might still be retrievable. So, lesson learned and I don't think we will have to think twice about backing up our files in the future! We're definitely not perfect. 

Another wall we've encountered lately in the self sufficiency tail is when we discovered it was illegal to keep chickens where we live! It seems that Placer county is not concerned about the growing urban chicken movement and here at our "residentially zoned" urban lot there is a lot of discussion as to what can be done about it. We recently attended our local slow food convivium meet and potlouck and learned that there is a growing fight to change policy regarding small-scale livestock and it helped to prepare us for the day that may come if someone were to cite us for raising chickens in our yard. We know of many Auburn residents keeping "secret urban chickens" and were even let in on the "stealth" chicken coops that are becoming popular by a local farmer and friend of ours. After researching our options, it's starting to look like there may be a major uphill battle ahead of us. Still, being that we have a place to move the chickens if it were to come down to that seems not only a privilege but an obligation to raise awareness of this issue instead of hiding the fact that we are keeping chickens in the city limits. 

On a lighter note, the summer garden is in full bloom now and there's just no reason for us to go out and buy fresh vegetables these days. SWEET! Squash, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, carrots, corn, eggplant, peppers (hot and sweet), beans, and even the very first of the salad greens are keeping us in all we can eat plus more to share. The sunflowers that are heavy with big tasty seeds are tempting me to make a Nutty Taco recipe a friend shared with us. It's amazing how many dishes its possible to make with these few simple delights fresh from our front yard while the backyard is filling out with the various citrus trees we've planted throughout the year plus more eggs than we'll ever be able to eat ourselves. 

With all the recent goings on we haven't been able to put together a working solar oven yet but my Brother, George, and I are going over some plans. With luck, they'll work better than the old bbq I tried to convert on my first try. (Almost cooked a potato!) Other projects such as getting the back yard secure for the animals have taken top priority and I'm thankful that we're close to done. Also, fall garden seedlings are taking the heat better than anticipated and our shaded salad green experiment seems to be working. (actually something came through and devoured it so we're having to replant! oh well.)

With growing vegetables, construction, and preparing for harvest at the vineyard consuming so much time lately, its important to us that we take breaks to just have a little fun now and then. I recently attended a party at a friends house where they had several gorgeous yurts set up on their property and now am completely in love with them! One of our neighbors at the winery also has a yurt that his daughter lives in and it's just nice to see people who are open to new ideas of what "living" actually means and don't subject themselves to the popular notion that we need four walls in order to have a roof over our head. It's too bad there isn't more room here at our urban farm for one of these lovely creations!