A SUMMER WITH 26 CHIRPING BARRED ROCKS

In June, Hatchet would take an evening walk with us, after clawing her way up the screen door to let us know it's time to feed her (when she grows tired of hunting mice and lizards). She's always loved "chikeee" which is the reason she's climbing the screen-walls seeking to sink her claws into some chicken flesh while the birds are still alive.

But the dogs seem to have more self-control.




In July, Daniel & Dee came to visit for a day. He's a strict vegan for sure, she's vegetarian, and we all know how wonderfully healthy we'd be if we stuck to raw veggies AsMuchAsPossible. Dee works with Jesuit students in musical ways. Below is a shot of Daniel, Dee, Chelsea & me, followed by the montage of chicken growth...At the Catholic Worker Farm we like to grow what we eat, and since some OTHER people here eat animal flesh, we started growing some chickens.
.

They are a breed known as "barred rock" which i think is a colloquial naming of the distinctly American "plymouth rock" chickens who are like jail birds behind bars. I like to eat a few eggs each month (i'm only a wanna-be vegan, yet a strict vegetarian) so i'm helping raise the chicks into full-grown chickens too, and assuming they won't eat any toxic waste along the way, making good eggs for us from organic NON-GMO chicken starter feed. We've had them since June, and they'll be putting out their daily eggs in January, Love willing. This blog page was updated on August 25th (just 4 months 'til Xmas!) when the chickens met the NEW dogs, and the birds seem to be "pullet" age now, so their sex-linked characteristics are barely showing.


They grow, jump, and run quickly--seemingly healthy for now, keeping Hatchet & me guessing...




Meanwhile, we keep harvesting good stuff, as you can see here with Chelsea's daily basil, parsley and onion leaves harvest...


Just prior to the Red Dress Party in June, Tom & I worked on the creation of healthy soil, through COMPOST, (barred rock n roll style)!


Two months later, Kari the WWOOFer was in this same garden when the forest fires were at their height (see the smoky skies?) to help with the first LARGE tomato harvest on her anniversary of birth...


And she found that two birds in the hand are worth all the joy that happy chickens naturally bring to farmers.



Here you see me doing the MardiGras kinda thing, since Tom makes GREAT calzones with our beets and beet greens, and at the time (Trinity Bomb Day) i was prepping for a 14-day fast for peace starting on the 120th birth anniversary of that infamous Catholic Worker, Ammon Hennacy.

Also in June i went to the local AIDS fundraiser--the Red Dress Party...

SUMMER VACATION: Fasting And Picketing For Peace

You can see what Pegasus is doing for the 14-Day Peace Fast Elsewhere

After my courtroom squabble was solved, Bix put me to work painting the trim of Jean's House (above).


After Bix, James, and I were done painting Jose Mercado was ready to install his new mural...

After Jose installed the image of Jean at Jean's House, i was free to begin my fasting and public witness...

After the public witness at Bangor, Bro. Fred SJ drove me to the bus stop, so that the CraigsListers could meet me in Oly...

After leaving Oly with Zan i got to play with Asha in Portland...

After staying at Chisao's in Portland, i was free to join the Interfaith Peace Walk...

... and then returned safely to Earth Abides Farm in time for an AIDS Board retreat ...

MYSTERIOUS INVADERS: A PigDog & A LlamaHog

Chelsea has been seeking relationships with chickens, dogs, goats and kids for a few years, which led to our current situation with mixed-breeds [ Bleu (sp?) the pigdog who can be bribed with food and Deun (sp?) the LLamahog who's as adorably long-necked and spiky-haired as a pig ]. She will be foster-caring for these two critters during the next two months. I will continue to live with Chelsea during this time of care for non-humans.

Because of my opposition to dogdom, this is the first and last photo of the Chearcus & these charges EVER:

Hopefully there'll be a third dog (if the fostering goes more than two months) as an
insurance policy (for when the local bear chooses one of these super-sweet doggies after so many disappointing nights of finding our trash can to be unsatisfying in the belly-department).