Turkey, turkey, duck. . .

Well, i don't own any llamas (yes that was indeed a reference to the Llama Song - Google it). . .

Strange days have descended on the pharm. It is as though there is a tear in the time-space continuum. Or perhaps i am just dirty waffler when it comes to ideology. . .

Yes, the ugly little red thing is in fact a cellular telephone! The boss thinks it would be a good idea for me to have in case i am off site and he needs to get a hold of me. Truth be told, he is right. Still it is weird to have it. The kids and the wife are pretty excited about it - not because they can call me, but because it represents technology in the house.

But on to pharmier things. . . James and i did a bit of mud wrestling yesterday with eight big tom turkeys. Our flock is now down to eleven - one step closer to the six that we wanted from the beginning. Those poor eight should be hanging by their feet right now. Ready to pick up tomorrow. Yum-Yum.

This last week also surprised us with some excitement that we have been anticipating all winter!! Eggs, lots of eggs!!!!! Of course the chickens have been laying all winter (good chickens!), but last weeks the ducks and the turkeys joined the club!

And so in just a few days we should start the process of incubating our own eggs. With any good fortune and God's blessing the days of purchasing chicks will be long past!

Back home and back to work. . .

We have returned. . . . finally!

All told the trip was great. Here are some of the highlights (Some of them):

. . . And there ya have it!

Ahhhhhh. . . Reliving the good ol' days

Okay. . .

To preface, i am having a GREAT time. Actually, a REALLY GREAT time.

The ride home has been very interesting. Oh, did i mention that we never made it home?? Two of my traveling companions, who must remain nameless lest they get heckled a bit, and i are worried that we have been cursed. First, the boss and i completely missed our flight out Portland. Its not like we were even close. . .we TOTALLY missed it. When we did finally get to the airport, we met "R". He tooled on us pretty hard for being twits and missing our flight.

We were supposed to leave Sunday, and be home Sunday. Because of spring break in Oregon, the next available flight (that wasn't already overbooked) was due out Thursday. After an hour of haggling the boss managed to squeeze us onto a plane out of Seattle. . . . Um. . .that's in Washington, not Oregon. So we had to hoof it to Washington. Guess what. . .The trains were all full. The buses were having problems and renting a car was just out of the question - prohibitively expensive. Not good.

But the boss with his infinite patience and charm managed to finally get us on a bus north. . . barely.

So here i sit in a hotel in Seattle watching the news about two plane crashes, and severe blizzard and tornado warnings just over our flight path and near our layover in Chicago!!

Oh and "R", the one who heckled us?? Yea, his plane had to make an emergency landing because a flight attendant found a "suspected explosive device" in the plane's bathroom. He missed his connection!!
(Laugh at us will you!)

Adaptability is crucial!

i have always prided myself on being able to mingle with pretty much any crowd (although i find that it is getting harder the older i get).

This trip has been like every schizophrenic's dream - maybe not every schizophrenic. i would hate to generalize! Yesterday i walked the city just to get out and stretch my legs a bit. Contrary to popular belief i actually do enjoy being in big cities, and even more getting lost in them (as long as i am not driving). Portland, Or is no exception. It is lovely and the developers have not neglected the need for small pockets of open space and parks. It is clear, though, that the economy has not neglected this fine place. There are buildings everywhere that are vacant, up for sale, and in many cases just battered and neglected looking.
Our hotel is at the intersection of Seedy and Froo-froo. One side of the hotel opens up to the down town and financial district. Two blocks the other way there is a large homeless colony and a Mission. In some nostalgic way Portland reminds me of a much larger version of 1990's Santa Cruz, Ca. The two have a very similar vibe and even for the difference in scale the rhythm is very much the same.

As for my traveling companions, i doubt i could ask for, or find better. Though i find myself struggling to fit in. i fit into the city, i feel it deeply in my soul. To mingle with the homeless and the beggars, and watch the financially owned scurrying about. . .
But i return to my travel mates who are very passionate about food and lifestyle, and are acclimated to living and traveling in conditions waaaaay outside anything i am accustomed to. i feel my emotions and my psyche being pulled at as though they are tied to the bumper of a tractor and a big rig that are trying to drive in opposite directions. Then throw in the conference. . . college students, post college and 30 something with a sprinkling of older hippies! Again, a place of comfort.

This whole experience has been all very surreal and while i am enjoying it i am eager to return home. i love the company that i am working for now, but i think that i am a much better fit in the dirt than at the corporate pooh-bah level!

What a long strange trip its been

We are here in Portland, Oregon. It is soooooo very nice to be back on the west coast (even if we aren't technically on the coast). i have met a ton of really groovy people who are super interested in organic farming and playing in the dirt. The cool thing is that they aren't all dirty hippies (i guess that i am still a diverse guy). The cool thing here is watching the yuppies mingling with the hippies.

One of my favorite things (at the moment) about this city is the number of pubs and the number of micro-brews!! After a hard core day of cramming my little brain with all sorts of new ideas, and new directives (thanks Stu and Ruben. . . i may hate you after this), its nice to sit down to a pint and sort it all out.

Today's objective. . . learn about grant writing!!

Two more days till i get to see my love (and offspring) again.

(Pictures to come when i get back)

Flying. . .the anti-pharm

This is the second morning that i have awoken to the sound of song birds at my window. It can only mean that either i never paid attention on my way home from work when i was waaaay too tired. OR. . . spring is here. Technically it is very close. Actually spring begins this year on March 20th. That would be Friday.

Today we are off (The boss and i) to Portland. . . .Oregon that is. i am excited to be on the west coast again. The thing that i look forward to the most is seeing the sun set on the ocean. i do miss that.

But alas, this is a business trip. We are headed out to attend the Farm to Fork conference. The idea being learning how to get healthy, locally grown foods back into the school systems. It should be an exciting time. We are going to learn a whole slew of things, get to visit some local farms and get to eat some wicked yummy foods.

Ack!! Gotta run to catch a plane - did i mention i hate flying?? Good luck to my lovely wife who is the most amazing woman in the universe!! She will be home by her onsie guarding the flock. . . of kids. . . i love her!!!!!!!!!!!

. . .and back to pharm related matters.

One shift left at the comm center, then my attentions can be wholly devoted to the growing season before us!

As i look forward to all of the fun growing that will be done, i am most newly excited about companion planting. Companion planting is the fine art of planting different crops together, or planting some flowers with some vegetable crops creating certain beneficial conditions.

A simple example that has worked well for us with controlling flea beetles (while i have heard many who say this doesn't work we have enjoyed success with it) - plant pungent marigolds! Aside from keeping the flea beetles out of our eggplants, they add a beautiful color to the vegetable garden.

For me, one of the highlights of keeping an organic garden is finding nature's creative ways of dealing with it's own little annoyances! Of course, its always much more enjoyable when it works and you can reap the benefit at harvest time!!!!!