When our son Christian started Kindergarten, the school called me up within the first two weeks to ask if they could move him to second grade. Eep! We compromised at the halfway point, and he skipped just one grade. I had no question that he could handle the academics, but I had fears for junior-high … Continue reading The Shampoo Manifesto
Tag: Backyard Homestead
Chickens & Pickles! Autumn hits Idaho…
As of last weekend, our little Idaho "homestead" is up in population by seven, thanks to the adoption of seven (long-awaited!) laying hens for the chicken-house we've been all summer building. With the kids incoming for the weekend, I contacted everyone on Craigslist who was offering chickens, and we lucked out by hooking up with … Continue reading Chickens & Pickles! Autumn hits Idaho…
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
According to my Urban Dictionary, the above phrase dates from early days in Las Vegas, when a standard gambling bet was two dollars, and most casinos offered a three-piece chicken dinner for $1.79. Anyone who won a bet would have the price of a chicken dinner (winner winner)! One of our neighboring Idaho towns has put another … Continue reading Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
Our Little Patch of Plantation
The current buzz-word for this practice is Urban Homesteading, but "urban" doesn't quite describe us. Our little place isn't within the city limits of any town (and if it were, even Idaho's capital city barely qualifies as "urban")... Perhaps in our case we should call it "backyard homesteading," or just plain "turning-a-regular-home-into-a-mini-farm." Whatever you choose … Continue reading Our Little Patch of Plantation
A Tattooed Chicken-Farmer in Heat (Wait, that didn’t come out right…)
Okay, okay: "A Tattooed Chicken-Farmer in THE Heat." That's what I meant. (Though our teenager, who has learned to approach our door warily if he arrives home unexpectedly, might vote for the original...) Point is, it's HOT in high-desert Idaho in the summer. Too hot to think. Too hot to remember all the, um... the … Continue reading A Tattooed Chicken-Farmer in Heat (Wait, that didn’t come out right…)
“Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens…” (Part 1)
Well, after tackling the political angle of backyard chickens and mustering our (mostly free) resources, we finally got our start on building the chicken house... Or, to use the Hawai'ian handle, the Hale Moa (HAH-lay MO-wah). We got through the framing today, so here's our chicken-house-building (part one)---mostly in pictures, because I'm saving up most of … Continue reading “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens…” (Part 1)
Kitchen Chemistry #3: PEOPLE-Cleaners
Well, here we are with the third installment of Kitchen-Chemistry do-it-yourself cleaners---doing positive things for both our wallet and our well-being! If you're just joining, the previous installment covered household cleaners made from kitchen ingredients... They're doing a great job of cleaning the house, they cost next-to-nothing to make, and we know they're better for … Continue reading Kitchen Chemistry #3: PEOPLE-Cleaners
Kana's Chronicles 