Demolition Girl

Posted on May 18, 2012 by geek 1

I have a deck that sits in my back yard and attached to it was a 24″ planter that ran the length of the deck. It, unfortunately, was set right above the outside section of the plumbing running underground from the house. It makes it really tough to work on my pipes with this big monster of a planter in the way. So, it had to go! Being the eternal optimist that I am, I, naturally, thought it would be fairly easy to take apart since it was originally installed with screws. Unscrew them, move the pieces and Voila!

Yeah, that never works.

I put on my best farm wear, broke out my tools, and went ousidet to get to work. By the time I’d walked out to the planter, I realized that the 45 pounds I’ve lost over the last couple of years did not allow my farm pants to stay in place properly. So, I went back to the front porch for some twine to hold my pants up. There! No more embarrassing “dropping of trou” while doing demolition.

Back to the planter and I started unscrewing screws. Snap! The screw head broke off. I pulled out the short end of it and realize that the screws they used were not rust resistant. They have been rusting in place for the past decade and now aren’t strong enough to be twisted out of the wood. They are, however, strong enough to keep the planter from coming apart. Oh, and they are 4 inches long.

After several carefully chosen invectives, I decided to break out the crowbar and a very big hammer. It was time to use some of these muscles I’ve worked so hard to develop. The whacking and banging made the horses a bit on edge, but after about a half hour of resounding thwacks and several increasingly creative invectives, the planter laid in pieces on the deck. Yippee! Now the parts and pieces can be reused as a planter in a better place, where it won’t be in the way.

I stood there, surveying my destructive handiwork, in pants held up by jute twine, realizing that I can do big physical things, if I’m dedicated enough. Farmwork is empowering. For a computer geek like me, that’s kinda cool.

Posted in Blagging | Leave a comment

2012 SFJ Auction…

Posted on April 28, 2012 by geek 1

Harnesses and Saddles…or lessons in what not to do if you don’t want to lose your shirt. No waving. Don’t arrange your hair. Try not to scratch your nose. Otherwise, you could become the owner of a lovely chuckwagon or a full set of brass-fitted show harnesses. Not that I would mind having something like that, but the wallet would be screaming. (Not to mention the trouble I’d have getting it home. Me, with my little econo-car…) I did buy a lovely set of hip-drop bells that I adore. I believe they will be staying in the house, adorning my walls, however, rather than hanging out in the tack room.

One event I really enjoyed was the Washington Young Farmers Coalition roundtable discussion. Sixty-five people showed up for it, which was many more than was expected. The room was full of folks. I jotted down some of the questions and answers as far as I could. Here are some of the questions posed along with some potential ideas for answers:

  • What can we do to effect national legislation concerning farming? Monitor the farm bill and the two micro bills currently going through congress. Contact your congressional representatives and let them know your opinion.
  • How can we integrate other businesses on the farm? Choose complimentary businesses or ones that you might be able to do in the off season, such as tree-trimming, metal fabrication, farrier services, farming-related classes, distribution services, etc.
  • How can young farmers acquire land and deal with debt, especially student loans? That’s a good question…
  • Can farms be run as non-profits? Sure, just provide goods and services for underserved customers. Teaching self-sustainability classes or growing crops for low-income customers both would work.
  • What’s the best way to interject energy into the local granges? Get involved in the local community. Get to know the other farmers around you.

There were lots of other suggestions, as well:

  • Fight legislation that impedes your ability to farm.
  • Start seed swapping events with other farmers and market gardeners.
  • Engage older farmers in an inter-generational network. It’s great to learn from experienced folks and farmers love to talk about growing things.
  • Get involved in farmland preservation.
  • Combine resources across farms.
  • Crop mobs! They are great to have on your farm or to participate in one.
  • Look into IDA savings plans as a way to save for farms.

People brought up lots of others subjects as well, but my brain was so full of farming goodness by the end of the roundtable, I just couldn’t add anymore.

It was so great to be in a room full of such enthusiasm. I was impressed by the level of intelligence and knowledge of the participants and felt that, even with all the pressing issues farmers have to confront, the future of farming is in good hands.

 

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nerdcast

Posted on April 22, 2012 by geek 1

I’ve just returned from the Small Farmers Journal Auction in Madras, Oregon. It’s a twelve-hour drive, roundtrip, from here so I loaded the Zune (no snickering!) with every Nerdist podcast I hadn’t heard yet, all 12 glorious episodes. I’ve now listened to them all and I’m out of Nerdist goodness. What’s a geek to do?

I’ll just have to wait for the next podcast to be posted, I suppose. It’s a good thing I’ve made it all the way home already or I’d have to listen to myself think the rest of the trip. Oooo, scary!

Oh, and I learned lots and lots of stuff at the auction! I’ll tell you all about it…tomorrow. Must. Sleep. Now.

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Influenced by Ironing

Posted on April 21, 2012 by geek 1

One of my favorite childhood memories was hanging out with my mom while she was doing things around the house. When she ironed, she used to time it to do the work while watching Star Trek. (Yes, she was a fan.) We had a lot of linens. I watched a LOT of Star Trek. And I loved every minute of it.

Seeing Lt. Uhura, in a command position on the bridge of the Enterprise, working with extremely cutting-edge technology every week, was a huge influence on me. She was the lynchpin of most every episode since she controlled the ship’s connection with every lifeform they met. And she could do it with those great nails! I loved her level of confidence. When Nichelle Nichols became the spokesperson for NASA, I thought that it was the smartest thing the agency could ever do.

Thank you, thank you for showing me what I could aspire to be.

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Farmer’s Tan and Washington Broadband

Posted on April 8, 2012 by geek 1

It’s been a lovely Easter weekend, our first to hit 70 degrees this year. I managed to plant some flowers, but that is all I’ve done to prepare for spring. I do, however, have a great start on my farmer’s tan.

In the “Who Knew?” department is this tidbit of information: The Washington State Department of Commerce has a five year program, the Washington State Broadband Office. (Yes, it was news to me, and I keep track of these things.) If you click on Mapping, you can view their interactive map which will tell you if you have broadband in your area and who the providers are. There are also tools for communities who want inital or better access to broadband for their areas, including grants for training.  They even have a Twitter feed!

If you aren’t in Washington, try looking up a “broadband office” for your state. It most likely will be part of the Commerce department.

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Weird things I think about late on a Friday night…

Posted on March 2, 2012 by geek 1

…when I’m missing Galactibash at the Sci-Fi Museum. (Sigh, just too far away.) So, here goes:

  • When rural folk put up the harvest, they are preparing for a hard winter or a possible power outage. When geek rural folk put up the harvest, they are preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
  • Rural folk trim their hedges into fence lines or, sometimes, animals. Rural geeks trim their hedges into cubes or spheres and call them “the collective”.
  • Rural folk like to get together, have a BBQ and play some card games. Rural geeks like to get together, have a BBQ and play some LAN video games until they realize it’s dawn and they need to go milk the cows.

Just some food for thought…

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Winter Wonders

Posted on March 2, 2012 by geek 1

On the farm, there is never a dull season. Winter, especially, serves up unexpected delights on the dorment land. You just have to watch and wait.

Snow Geese flock to our fields by the tens of thousands, flying in strings and waves across the sky. Swans, be they tundra, mute, or the rare and impressive trumpeter, stream into the flatlands, covering the green fields in a startling white. As I work on the farm, I can look up to see these huge white birds fill the sky as they move from the Sound inland each morning and back out to sea each night. It is an amazing site every single time.

The bald eagles, on the other hand, sit in the tops of tree and squabble with each other… extremely loudly. The Sister had to go outside, one afternoon, to yell at a pair who were disturbing her work. It didn’t really help.

The eagles move south from their Alaskan home to take advantage of the leftovers from the fall salmon runs. I once counted 202 white-headed raptors on a day trip up the Skagit Valley. Yes, that’s 202 American Bald Eagles in an 8-hour time span. One 90-foot tree alone held nearly 75 of them, just hanging out.

By spring, they have almost all but disappeared. A few straggling Snow Geese flocks grace our tulip fields, showing off for the tourists, but they are soon gone, travelling back to Wrangell Island in Alaska. Next winter, they’ll be back, gracing our skies and fields once more.

…and people wonder why I live out here.

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Is it Organic?

Posted on March 2, 2012 by geek 1

I have a strange, yet severe, reaction to milk. It’s not just any milk, however, only milk produced conventionally in the United States. When I went to Australia in 2008, I ate a lot of yogurt in the mornings as that is the common type of protein they have there. No problems! I can have double cream in my coffee in London (yum!) with no affect whatsoever. Milk in the United States is a completely different experience. If I add the smallest pat of butter to a whole pot of rice and eat a few spoonfuls of it, the muscles in my hands and feet start to ossify. They turn to stone and all the tissues around them swell. It is incredibly painful and quite disabling.

After I returned from Australia, I decided to try adding yogurt to my diet here in the states, to disastrous effect. I became disabled and could not work for 6 weeks. It took my doctors and I months to figure out that milk was causing the problem. Once I removed all dairy from my diet, the swelling and pain slowly went away, leaving, unfortunately, scar tissue in the muscles.

Since that time, I’ve been trying to determine what in the milk could be causing this. I started by testing a bite of conventional cheese and noting my reaction to it over the next two weeks. (Yikes! That was all I could say.) Next, I added a raw-milk cheese to one serving of dinner and had no reaction over the next two weeks. I added an organic cheese and again nothing happened. I then repeated the organic cheese and I had a huge reaction. (What the heck?) It didn’t make any sense. Why would I react differently to the same organic cheese?

Then I read this article: http://www.dairyherd.com/dairy-news/latest/Holes-found-in-organic-milk-certification-141103203.html

According to a USDA study, organic milk can, at times, be contaminated by conventionally produced milk in transportation or processing. They are recommending better controls and more stringent inspections to assure consumers that organic really means organic. For some of us, this can’t come soon enough. One way to circumvent cross-contamination is to find an organic dairy that pasturizes their milk on the farm and sells to consumers directly.

In the meantime, I can use some raw and my organic coconut milk to ensure that I don’t get anything that can cause these problems to recur.

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A TV Star & Managing Your CSA in the Cloud

Posted on January 27, 2012 by geek 1

I have been thoroughly chastised for my delinquency in updating my blog. Mea culpa. I will try to to be better. (There’s just so much going on.)

First, Dr. Doug Hammill is going to be featured on “Rural Heritage” on RFD, the rural channel. February 3rd, they will show Part 1 of “Preventing Wrecks” with Part 2 to follow on February 17th. This is invaluable information for anyone working with horses. If you get RFD (DirecTV definitely carries it) check to see what time of the day Rural Heritage will show. 

Second, I went to Cavalia in Marymoor Park this last weekend. The show is a mixture of Cirque D’Soleil and your favorite horse show. One breed they showcased was the Comtois, a smaller French draft horse. I’ve never seen one before. He looked a lot like a tiny version of our Belgians, but with light feathering and just a star on his face. The breed is said to be very gentle in nature and perfect for small farm work. (I just have to remind myself that I don’t need another horse, no matter how cool they are.)

Third, I had a lovely chat with Miriam at Farmigo.com. This online tool streamlines CSA systems so that local, small farmers can grow from subsistence to profitability. By eliminating the paperwork of planning, marketing, collecting payment, and statistical analysis, it frees farmers to do what  they do best – grow stuff. Take a tour of the customer-facing site and see what you think. I’ve talked at length with one farmer who was able to increase the number of families his 10 acres could feed from 80 to 130. It was enough to keep him from having to work off the farm and with the statistical analysis he received, he has some great planning tools for next year.

Fourth, the FDA, in response to the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, has just restricted the use of cephalosporins in livestock, according to a New York Times article. Interesting…

Oh, and a few hundred thousand people made their voices known. It looks like SOPA and PIPA will not make it through congress.

Hey, don’t mess with our internet.

So, I’ll add more tomorrow. Time for sleep…

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This dog just won’t hunt…

Posted on November 22, 2011 by geek 1

Every time I want to sit down and write a little bit about how rural folks can better use the internet, someone in the US congress proposes a bill that just reinforces how little they understand about how the online world works. Here is the case in point: the Protect IP bill in the Senate (S968) and the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House. These two bills were introduced as methods to stop the piracy of intellectual property, mostly movies, online. Unfortunately, they are written so very broadly, that they subject casual social media users (yes, that’s your grandmother posting those baby videos) to prosecution and jail time and endanger the very stability of the internet itself.

I agree that intellectual property needs protection. Much of the value of business in the US involves IP in one way or another. However, these bills are not the way to go. Rebecca MacKinnon, writing for the New York Times, says, “While American intellectual property deserves protection, that protection must be won and defended in a manner that does not stifle innovation, erode due process under the law, and weaken the protection of political and civil rights on the Internet.”

To better understand this proposed legislation, see the video on the Fightforthefuture.org site. To see what’s happening since these bills were introduced, see Matt Cutts’ blog entry. (Scroll down past the video for more fun facts.) He has an interesting graph showing the amount and type of funding going into these bills.

For rural folks, this legislation could have some serious repercussions. I think the most serious side-effect would be the fear created. Would you post anything on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter if you could potentially be prosecuted for it? I’ve quoted lines from TV shows in previous posts, mostly as an homage to them. Would I have to pull those or risk going to jail? Would a small business, such as a farm, be willing to use these online tools with that level of risk? Censorship could happen to anyone accused, (not convicted, but only accused) of posting content that might infringe on IP rights. Something as simple as quoting a popular song or submitting an outdoor video that had a logo or background music in it could get you censored or jailed. Any social media company that didn’t actively censor every posting could be shut down.

We would, essentially, become China. I don’t know about you, but I like my hard-won civil liberties.

Okay, can I get back to talking about rural geek things now?

Posted in Blagging | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment