My hoe's got rhythm!

- Horton's Hoe's -

It seems that with each new day, we are introduced to yet another type of ‘hoe’, used for weeding every tangly situation imaginable. So far, I know of three; the Hula Hoe, Hand Hoe, and Ozark Hoe (left to right, featured in the picture above). In just three weeks, the beds we’ve planted have already acquired quite a covering of invasive grasses, and we’ve spent whole afternoons knocking them out. It’s a tedious task that takes focus (to not decapitate the crop) and a good amount time to complete. Fortunately, we’ve relied mostly on the Hula Hoe, which actually makes weeding enjoyable for two reasons: 1. There are countless, hilarious jokes you can crack with a name like that (which never get old and help pass the time) 2. Its hinge-like head requires relatively little effort to operate, and the rhythm you get into, I dare say, is relaxing. My Hula Hoe is named “Gnarles Barkley, a.k.a. Gnarley Broccoli”. Fun stuff like that. 

Today we had bright sun all afternoon and everyone went weeding barefoot like a bunch-a hippies. Everyone, that is, except me. I just couldn’t reconcile the idea of later putting mud crusted toes into my sleeping bag (which is designated as my one clean space). I don’t know what everyone else ended up doing for themselves but there definitely weren’t any foot baths going on...

My Kim-Chi came out strange. It’s pretty spicy and salty, which I like, but it doesn’t quite taste like it should… But, tonight, Stacey and I made mozzarella cheese that was amazing! The process takes about an hour, mostly heating and stirring milk. It’s amazing that a whole gallon of milk produces just a little ball of cheese! 

stretchin it!

This week everybody’s really been into making these hodgepodge concoctions of honey, fruit, chocolate, and nuts. Every day after lunch, and then again after dinner, people are grinding who knows what up in the food processor and pressing it all into little trays. I’ve come up with my own snack bar which consists of oats, honey, raisins, cinnamon, peanut butter, flour, and some chocolate chips for the top. It’s pretty awesome.

Rita cooks best at drill-point

Update on the bird situation: Along with the adult bird in Bobby’s room, there is now a nest of baby birds in Paul’s room. These guys are so laid back it baffles me because despite some groggier mornings, they think the whole situation is ‘cute’ and interesting and are still ‘tee-heeing’ about it. Let me tell you (again, as I believe I already have), this would not fly (no pun intended) for me and my few very special hours of rest. (So, maybe I am a little more high maintenance than I’d like to believe…).

It’s only Tuesday and I’m already whipped. I’ve been experiencing a mid-morning slump for the past two weeks, and wonder if I need to adjust my diet/water intake. I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but on some days, around 10:30 I could literally pass out standing up. And then sometimes it will last all the way through lunch, at which point I actually do pass out (properly though, on the couch). Most other days I feel pretty solid, but I think I have less stamina than most people, which really frustrates me. (Side note: That’s the one redeeming factor in having frequent, distinguishable mood swings – on an up one, stamina is never even a consideration!  Last week I had a good three days of endless energy and dug out greenhouses each morning like a MACHINE!) I guess I need to accept that my energies are going to be dynamic - an ebb and flow just like all processes in nature - and that I can’t expect my body (or nature) to produce a single, consistent ‘result’. But, ‘ebb and flow’ and ‘acceptance of limitations’ shit aside - maybe it’s time to try a lumberjack breakfast or something, because, feeling like you’re going to drop over in a thicket of blackberries (true story) doesn’t make life exactly enjoyable - and at 10:30, the morning’s work is only half done!

One of the barn cats, David Byrne, likes to ride Paul's shoulders like a pirate parrot.  The other identical looking cat, Brian Eno, recently got a scratch on his eye, and just the other day David cut his paw real bad, so we plan to fashion the cats with a peg leg and an eye patch!