errantember

I actually got what was probably the 4th egg from my three chickens all winter today *despite* the fact that Louie, one day after I fixed a large hole in the front of the coop, not only dug a second hole in the back of the coop, but actually broke the wooden frame in the process. Rather than trying to bail a sinking boat, I've been concentrating on finishing the Puggle Fence, which will prevent both Coop Infiltration and Extraneous Barking at People on the Sidewalk upon completion. I was resigned to be pretty fucking hungry on the 1st, but somehow fate intervened and I was able to get one egg from the coop today before Louie, which means I'll actually get to eat non-nut protein on the 1st of February.

As a reminder, I am only eating food grown at my own home on the 1st of every month in 2011.
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Every time I use Advantage on Louie, I always get a little sick for a few days. I originally assumed it was something in the chemical itself that might be causing it, which is reasonable since it's designed to infiltrate the target's system and stick around for a month. As much as it would be helpful to not touch him for a few days after administration, anyone who's met him knows that one's level of exposure to Louie Love is not always up to the receiver. However, another thought occurred to me. I'm *definitely* allergic to flea bites, and it could be that when I treated Louie, the existing crop of tiny vampires may have abandoned Puggle and may be biting *me* instead! I've got several welt-like things on my body now that could well be flea bites.

Time to wash the the sheets...

For reasons that are still unclear, my Italian Greyhound, Loki, is seen as more of a individual, and is therefore referred to almost exclusively by name or pet name, whereas Louie, my Puggle, is treated more like the official local representative of the lugubrious Puggle Race. He is much more often referenced as "The Puggle," "My Puggle", "The Puggle-mutt", and only occasionally by his actual name.

Speculations on the reason for this would be welcome.

I've been both hermetic and semi-nomadic since right after Halloween, so I haven't posted much. I slowly re-connecting with the rest of reality.

I'm currently taking a Permculture certification course with the Austin Progressive Calender people. So far we've done a two-day hands-on overview, and I have 8 more classes to go. We've built an herb spiral and set up a compost heap, as well as done observational exercises. While I was already interested in several of the sub-disciplines, I'm already thinking more holistically. I realize how much water I waste while washing my hands and doing dishes. I see in my yard a space that could be used to provide a lot of my food easily. I hit a local construction site to pick up rocks with my new CR-V twice. I'm not sure I have enough for an herb spiral yet, but I'm getting there.

I'm also proceeding with plan to re-model and rent my house while moving into my garage. I've purchased bamboo flooring for the central part of the house, made my first of many shoji screens, and re-done part of the floor in the guest wing. It's a lot of work, but I'm really happy to see things moving forward.

Between these two things I should be much more independent of my corporate job and "The Grid" in general. Eventually I'll likely buy property and build a straw-bale or cob house on it and rent out my entire current house, probably for positive cash flow.

I also have a new puppy, with all the joys and heart/house-breaks included therein.