I am smarter than my phone…

OK, probably not.  But I used to be.  I recently have graduated (back) to a smart phone...leaving the peace and tranquility of my dumb phone behind me.  I used to have a smart phone…although back than it was just called a toy.  As many of you know I used to be the Chef for Microsoft Corp, they insisted on the latest technology (I know ironic).  I started out at MS many years ago with just a regular any old phone…although the technology was so advanced that one was a flip phone.  Yup no more having to touch that pesky end call button, just flip your wrist and you were on your way to being in the ranks of Captain Kurk with his fancy flip communicator.  Since I wasn’t leading any mission to seek out new life and new civilization, I stayed with my flip phone for nearly 7 years (it worked for Captain Kirk, it will work for me).  I was taken aback when IT called and said I was getting a smart phone.  I covered the ears of my flip phone…it was the right thing to do.  It was pretty cool though- sleek, very slim, very small buttons for my gorilla hands.  After 5 hours of set-up and 6 visits to IT, my smart phone was ready for action…but only 45 minutes of action before I needed to charge it for an hour.  After installing the extra life battery, my phone was now 1-3/4” thick and weighed about 6 pounds.  I had to tighten my belt when I put it in my pocket, but having a full 65 minutes between charges was worth it.  Over the years, I got fancier and fancier phones.  I am not sure how it happened, but slowly- gradually something changed.  My phone had become smarter than I was.  It told me when to eat, when to go places, what time it was.  I couldn’t function without it.  When I dropped it down the elevator shaft (another story I can share with you latter, but it had to do with my boss insisting that I use a belt clip for my phone) I simply had to go home.  My computer didn’t talk to me and I  would look pretty stupid walking around holding it to me ear (after all, it was more about the status symbol than the ability to download text emails in lightning fast 5 minutes each). 

When I finally left Microsoft for a leap back into family life, I left behind my smarter phone, my laptop, and everything else tied with fast business.  I wanted to start fresh.  I wanted to swear off the constant bombardment of technology and information and focus on family.  I bought a very stupid phone…a flip phone.  I even went as far as buying a burn phone so I wouldn’t be caught in any contract trap.  Then, I started Shoreline Farm Supply.  I insisted that I can do this the old fashion way…with nothing more than a really expensive computer, a cell phone and a GPS thingy.  I was once again smarter than my phone…I just didn’t know when to eat, where to go and I had to push a button to find out what time it was.  It was only after I accidently connecting to the web…apparently by holding my phone wrong…and then stayed connected for a very long time while my bill grew by leaps and bounds, that I realized that my dumb phone was still too smart.  Hence how it earned the label of a stupid phone.  Regardless, that phone has done me right for the last couple of years.  Customers could call me and I could call them.  I did learn that that’s not how business is done anymore.  Most of my customers were younger than I am.  Some are MUCH younger.  I found out that anyone under 35 was never taught how to use a regular phone or in some cases have even seen a dumb phone.  So…now I have a Facebook account.  I blog…sort of.  I send out mostly texts.  I decided that I had to buy a smart phone to manage everything.  I am not sure how smart it is…it keeps yelling at me instead of calmly explaining what I am doing wrong.  I finally configured the emails and visual voicemails.  Useful since you can’t read while driving and driving is 90% of what I do.  I have a Bluetooth to talk and drive…of course every time I turn it on it goes on and on about how I am supposed to use it.  (Really, it talks to me and reads off a paragraph of instructions every time I turn it on.  I just turn it on and leave it on the counter to go through its routine.  I shudder when I think of what will happen if it figures out I am ignoring it.)  Time will tell if I made the smart purchase.  Theoretically, I will be able to stay in touch and respond faster to customers.  I hope so, I did it for them.  I personally would like to be smarter than my phone again.  Maybe latter.

How goats handle the cold and what you should know.

Wanted to share some "urban goats in the snow" wisdom from friend and local goat expert Lacia Lynn:

 

"Cashmere is the undercoat of goats, so they are plenty warm as long as they are DRY, and if they have ample hay and LIQUID WATER.  Make sure they can get to water EASILY and don't have to go thru wet spot or weather obstacle to get to their water.  It's the fermenting hay in their belly rumen that keeps them warm, and it takes more water than usual as in the cold they are eating more hay than usual.

 

If you add an extra "inside" bucket of water for them, make sure to hang it above pooping level so it stays clean.

 

Goats generally adore warm water on cold days, take some out to yours and enjoy how extra fluffy and cuddly they are on a day like today.  Mine climb into my lap, even the big ones get as much of themselves in my lap as possible, LOL, and they just the best!

 

Goat herd politics: 

Be extra aware if they are pushing any one goat out of a common shelter, even if they are normally very nice to each other.  I pulled  a significantly pregnant one of mine into my milking area, to get her out of any possible risk of nonsense.  I do also add a temporary extra tub of hay and one of water to lessen any risk of someone hogging the resources indoors.  Keep those high enough that they can't get ruined by poor or pee, otherwise it'll look full to you, but not edible for them.   As adorable and wonderful as I think goats are, without training they are not especially aware or thoughtful about where/when they poop or pee.  Many of you know I have some that are close to housebroken for short periods of time, they seem to get the concept, but that doesn't apply in their own space unless you work on training that too.  Some folks do, most find it easier to just keep food and water above rear end level.

 

Goats don't need grain for this level of cold.  Best is just hay and water that is inviting to drink (accessible without weather obstacles, and not too cold) is best.

 

This is a time to feed lower protein if they are "indoors" without great air circulation. So cut back on any grain and high protein alfalfa a bit.  Just for a couple days of this, don't change their diet drastically.  For most goats, cut grain and high protein alfalfa by 1/3 to 1/2.   If they have recently kidded (given birth) then change NOTHING except add extra accessible warm water.  If they are heavy bred (kidding the next month or so, and looking very big), cut back grain/alfalfa only 1/4 to 1/3.  

 

Its the fiber in the hay that the microbes ferment that keeps the goats warm.  Any excess protein just makes ammonia stronger in urine, and that's a respiratory risk in confined quarters.  I'll also do just a little spot cleaning or adding extra wood shavings/pellets to their bedding in any wet spots.  The  fine line between good air circulation but no drafts, is part of what makes a GREAT goat shelter.  Designs based on your microclimate, and nearby buildings and features that make wind do atypical patterns are key for moving from "having" goats to being a really good goat keeper.  

 

If you want to practice your observation skills, and improve your set up and goat keeping standards, notice where they are hanging out, and go visit the part of their shelter that they aren't hanging out in.  Most times you'll find a funny slight air movement coming around a corner etc if you wet your finger and hold it up in the air.  There's just far too many things for air to move around in weird ways in city environments especially, no one can really predict every little breeze eddy.  This is why I teach to use moveable shelters the first year with goats.  You want to observe and accept feedback from your system and make appropriate changes.  Its harder to to that if you've got a big investment in a building set up already.  Balancing refining your moveable set up with noise concerns and needing a place a door that closes for many city goat situations is a different post.  <smile>  I'll try to blog about that if I get enough folks asking and before the big rush of kids comes in spring and we have a lot of new goat keepers.

 

Goats will "survive" in far less than ideal circumstances, but to have them "thrive" and maximize their yield to you in our tight city spaces where every inch counts, the details of goat keeping and design can make a big difference in their health, yields, and your sanity and amount of work to do. 

 

Back to more direct snow topic...

 

When the active snowing stops, they usually go run and frolic and just have a great time in the snow!

 

When they are done running around in the snow, pay attention if any are limping a bit, check for snow packed into an ice ball around their toes.   Its not common, but can happen.  The shaggier ones are at more risk as the snow collects on the shaggy fur vs less snow collecting and more melting faster on goats with less fur.  In this weather, its very unlikely, but theoretically possible they could get a little frostbite spot with enough of an ice ball.  If you do want to remove and ice ball, depending on where/how its attached to the foot, sometimes it can be easily broken, or poor a bit of warm water on it but THEN make sure they go inside and not back out in the snow with a wet foot. 

 

Really, this weather is not "cold" from the average goat's ability to handle weather.   If you've got one that is old, or has bad teeth, or thin fur, then of course take extra precautions, but for most goats, just keep them in hay and warm water, and lowering their protein just a little, is plenty good.  If you do have baby kids, that's a longer topic to cover everything to make sure they are warm and getting enough extra food. "

The critters need their greens too. Green Forage for your Chickens

Happy New Year!  January is a time when most people are considering what to do to past the time.  Seed catalogs are arriving in the mail and garden planning should be in the forefront of your thinking.  Your chickens and poultry have probably stopped laying (unless you use supplemental light) and the rabbits have slowed down their natural reproduction cycles.  It is easy to forget about green forage as winter really starts to set in to the Puget Sound area.  If you were capable to plant cover crops at the time, your green manure cover crops are in their full thick glory.  Time to clip them down a bit to stimulate growth and feed the resulting greens to the chickens, ducks and other poultry. 

Even though modern feeds boast a complete diet, forage is and always will be a recommended part of a complete livestock diet.  Green forage grasses and legumes are unsurpassed at providing antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are easily processed by poultry.  It also can reduce your feed bill by as much as 15% ifyou stay on top of it.  Adult rabbits benefit as well, but only in small quantities (juniors and kits are never allowed to consume so much moisture rich greens as it can lead to moisture loss through manure and even death).  If you have rabbits, consider drying them in a sunny location in the garage or shed.  Fresh dried grass and legume hays are very good for your rabbits. 

Didn’t plant any cover crops this year?  Look for other greens; UNTREATED and UNFERTILIZED lawn grasses are fine, comfrey, dandelion greens, wilting or molting garden greens are all acceptable.  While cleaning up the garden, remember the brussel sprout stocks and winter pea vines are great for the rabbits to gnaw on.   It is a great opportunity to keep the blood flowing, get you into the yard to identify last minute forgotten products, and give your animals a nutritious boost as they adjust to the cold months ahead. 

Shoreline Farm Supply carries a large selection of pasture grazing grass seed blends and single seed cover crops starting in early summer.  You can follow us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/shorelinefarmsupply), follow this blog or sign up for alerts on the website to be reminded of what and when items are stocked.

Shoreline Farm Supply- the Back Story.

My wife gave me two bible verses one day.  I am positive her intentions were not to point out my faults, but was reminding me of God’s calling for us.  So, one night as I crawled into bed, I noticed I had a post-it note on my pillow.  Written on it were two references of bible verses from Thessalonians.  Can’t say I ever read them before, honestly I had to look up where Thessalonians was. The verses were a warning about the dangers of being idle or lazy and hanging out with those that are.

1 Thes. 4 10-12

…we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you; so that you may command the respect of outsiders, and be dependent on nobody.

2 Thes. 3 6-15

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If anyone will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living. Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing. If anyone refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Shoreline Farm Supply

About 6 months ago I was becoming frustrated with the availability of non-GMO, open source seed, good quality local feed for our animals.  It was nearly impossible to get.  What was available was filler byproduct feed from the large Agri-companies was very abundant and filled with stuff I wouldn’t dream of feeding my family.   I presented my wife with a thought.  We should open a feed store. I can’t remember what look she gave me or why she agreed.  I am sure she didn’t really know what she agreed to…although I didn’t know what I was getting into either.  About 5 months ago, we formalized the beginning of our new feed supply business- a venture my 8 year old is very proud of (she tells everyone my dad and I started a feed business).  My father joined us in this venture as well, a big step of faith for both him and me considering our challenged relationship of the past.  Staying at home with my two girls and continuing to push or responsible living series, this gave us the sort of needed flexibility in the workplace I needed.

Sourcing as much local, open seed source, sustainably farmed feeds seems like a simple good idea.  Not overcharging for it seemed like a good idea too.  The mission of Shoreline Farm Supply was hence defined.

The First Feed Run

With $500.00 and just enough gas to make a round trip my father and I made our first feed mill pick-up.  It was a grueling start, we had truck problems almost ran out of gas, and was hauling feed with my two young children and a dog on a 5 hour turned 14 hour adventure.  But we made a friend at the mill; Tom, the owner.  It wasn’t until 5 weeks later that we realized that we had a friend.  He was a hard nut to crack and eventually he came around to embrace our business model- cash up front only, we will never ask for credit…oh yeah…and we are a little bit out there.  He still probably thinks we are crazy.  After it was all said and done, we figured we made about $0.50 on the first feed run- if you don’t count the cost of the gas or vehicle repairs, don’t pay ourselves or reimburse ourselves for anything and add $400 in my dad’s money, but we did it.  Things have improved a little bit since then, although not much.

We have since cultured wonderful relationships with customers, farmers, mill operators, warehouse managers and family.  We are now talking about moving tons of feed versus bags.  We are supplying feed to hundreds of customers, helping out small struggling farms and families when we can and using good old fashion bartering and hard work where necessary.

I am not sure I am a good business owner, only time will tell.  I am sure that I couldn’t do it without my wife’s or father’s support.  Of course, when it comes down to it, we are only God’s stewards of what He has entrusted to us.  God willing, we will continue.

What we do about shopping?

Purchasing products may seem like a simple task when looking at our responsibilities as Christians trying to live more sustainable lives.  While we do look at local responsibly grown, packaged and distributed products, one thing is more important to us; and probably should be to more Christians.  Let me start by asking this simple question: Why do Christians insist on being consumers on Sundays?  I am not interested in debating which day is traditionally the Sabbath or which day should be the Lord ’s Day.  As Evangelicals, we observe Sunday as the day set aside to focus on God.  What is more important is asking ourselves what our obligations are to those in the community who have to work on Sundays because of our demand of their business.  What are we telling them about us, what we believe and how important they are to us…as Christians?  We are not talking about essential services, but think of all the coffee stands, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, department stores, real estate agents, and any and all non-essential services.  I am not advocating hurting business, but adjusting our spending habits to allow businesses to adjust theirs.  It is about wants versus needs. So what can one Christian do?  Let’s see.

What are we doing about our natural resources?

Natural Resources

§  In one of Jesus’ parables (Matt 25:14-30) three servants are entrusted with the wealth of their master, each one only received what they were capable of handling.  The first two servants worked with the resources they were given and doubled their master’s value. The last did nothing and sat on the wealth they were given.  The last servant was punished for being lazy with what they were given.  Why did Jesus tell this story?   It tells us something about how God deals with us, his servants.  The parable speaks of the Master's trust in his servants; he leaves them with his property to use as they think best.  This was a test to see if the Master's workers would be industrious and reliable in their use of the property entrusted to them.  The master rewards those who are industrious and faithful and he punishes those who sit by idly and who do nothing with what they were given.  The point of the parable seems to lie in the servants' conception of responsibility and stewardship.  The servant who hid away the master's wealth was irresponsible.  The master expected his servants to be productive in the use of his wealth.  What do the laws of economics have to do with the kingdom of God?   The Lord entrusts the subjects of his kingdom with resources and graces and he gives his subjects the freedom to use them as they think best. With each gift and talent, God gives sufficient the means (grace and wisdom) for using them in a fitting way. As the parable shows, God abhors indifference and an attitude that says it's not worth trying. God honors those who are faithful with even a little and they are entrusted with more! But those who neglect or squander what God has entrusted to them will lose what they have.  We have obligations to use what was given us in the Christian life.

We are given a command to be good stewards of what is given to us and are expected to utilize what is before us.  Trying to live a sustainable life forces us to rely on God to provide, but also helps us be good stewards of our resources, never exploiting or wasting what is given to us. 

What are we doing?

Rainwater harvesting

It may seem like a ridiculously easy thing, but we have learned that it may not be so simple.  Often we see rain barrels provided by various garden groups and counties.  Sometimes we see 4 or 5.  We recently passed a local church that was growing a large vegetable garden, I am assuming to donate to food banks.  It had three large (45 gallon) rain drums set up on risers to collect from the church gutters and water the garden.  It was very pretty looking.  Like this church we also started small.  We purchased and installed a large 100 gallon tank.  It was 7 feet tall and about 2 feet in diameter.  We set it up next to our small garden that measured about 10 feet by 10 feet.  It was very pretty and impressive; we even painted it to match the house.  In the start of the late spring / summer dry spell we were able to water for about 2 weeks, watering every three days.  Then our garden was dry for 3 weeks before any substantial rain came.  It wasn’t pretty anymore.

King County- 35 gallon barrel waters what?  It will irrigate a 4 foot x 4 foot garden for less than 2 weeks, watering every 4 days.  I know what the county pamphlet says, but we measured it.

We than thought bigger and installed a 3,500 gallon rain cistern.  Required us to be much more intentional about our decisions.  Our neighbors though I was making beer when they first saw the giant 10 feet tall, 10 feet in diameter cistern in our driveway.  I don’t drink beer, especially that much.  What do we do with that much rainwater (when it rains and fills in 8 hours of moderate rain)?  Flush all our toilets, wash all of our laundry, irrigate our entire yard, and water all our miscellaneous animals.

Note: Rainwater harvesting using existing buildings no longer is bound by natural resource depletion laws or runoff requirements under the Washington State Department of Ecology.

What it did was enabled us to use the money spent here, elsewhere.

Worm bin and composting

By utilizing our worm bin, it helped us reduce our garbage, allowing us to go to a small garbage can and save over $30.00 every bill.  It also teaches our kids how ecology works, provides us with worm tea concentrate (fertilizer), worm casings (compost) and worms for the birds (they have to eat too).  In short, we are using everything God gives us, even the waste byproduct.

Recycling and Yard waste myths- reduce, reuse, and recycle

Yard waste is a waste.  We need to use what we produce, even the byproducts. Grass / brush clippings and food scraps to worm bin or animals.  Food waste back to ground as compost (done correctly).

Recycling—why should we be concerned with reduction, reusing and recycling when the real problem is source packaging.  One of the very few good things I can say about Costco was their initiative to reduce overall packaging by changing the specs of how food and commodities were packaged.  Their incentive was to reduce the weight of packaging, thus reduce the cost of shipping. We need to push this business case to large scale producers.  Many intentional decisions we make are at least partially based on packaging.

We have a garden

What better natural resource that your own land.  We grow what we can and what we cannot grow on our property, we use local suppliers.  Apples, peaches, pears, strawberries, wild blackberries from the local green spaces.  Can and / or freeze everything for use out of season.

Why should we look at this radical change in behavior?

o   Helps us to be a good steward of what God has given us.

o   God honors those who are faithful with even a little and they are entrusted with more! But those who neglect or squander what God has entrusted to them will lose what they have. 

o   We have obligations to use what was given us in the Christian life. We are given a command to be good stewards of what is given to us and are expected to utilize what is before us. 

o   Trying to live a sustainable life forces us to rely on God to provide, but also helps us be good stewards of our resources, never exploiting or wasting what is given to us. 

Worm bin basics….

The time has come to review the use and the startup of a home worm bin. 

The first thing you need to do is get your hands on a bin. You can purchase pre-made worm bins from me directly, it’s fairly inexpensive. You can also look online or at your local nursery. Whichever type you go with, the size should be able to handle the food waste your house produces.   Generally each family member will generate about ¼# of food waste a day…on the average.  For a family of four (1# per day) you would need a 3’ by 2’ bin minimum and about 2# of worms.  The height is less important as the worms usually only live and eat in about 10” of material.  I generally recommend 12” in height.

Keep in mind that the bin does not need to be very deep. Red worms live and eat in the top six to eight inches of material.

Worms can be dug out of your garden, but there are two varieties of worms that are specifically raised for vermicomposting, composting worms do a faster job of breaking down organic matter from beginning to end. Go with red worms (AKA red wigglers) for a successful worm bin.

So, now the set up.

1.     Bedding- The most commonly used bedding material is newspaper, mostly because it is so readily available. Cardboard and peat are also good bedding materials. I prefer the shredded bill pile under your paper shredder.  Regardless tear up the paper or cardboard into fairly small pieces or strips- about 1” wide max.

2.    Moisture- Worms will not survive in a dry environment, so you need to moisten the bedding materials. Place your bedding material into a clean bucket and add some water. You want your bedding material to feel like a wrung-out sponge. A couple of drops should be released from the bedding if you squeeze a handful of it.  You may need to add more water or dry bedding to get the right level.  Break up any large clumps of bedding to allow for air to circulate…or worms. Add it to your bin…should be half full.

3.    Grit-  Add a shovelful of garden soil or finished compost to your bedding material. It will provide grit for the worms, as well as introduce microorganisms that will help the contents of your worm bin break down faster.

4.    Rest- Cover up the bin. Let it sit a few days without adding food so that the worms work their way down into the bedding.

5.    Placement- Where you place your bin is important. The bin should be kept in an area that stays between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures outside of this range can be detrimental to the worms and slow production in the bin. Location must also be convenient. Favorite locations include under the kitchen sink, mudrooms, and basements.

6.    Feed your worms.  Spread the food scraps onto the bedding and bury slightly.  Try to keep it in one area, picking a different location every time.

Remember-  worm bins need your veggie scraps, tea bags, junk mail, cardboard (unwaxy).  Never feed dairy products, meat or oils. 

Enjoy!