I was trying for a better shot of the bagpipes but the model was not cooperating.

Today I planted from seed 54 Yellow Pear tomatoes and 26 Tequila Sunrise sweet bell peppers. I became alarmed at wasting some of the nearly $6 that I spent on those seeds 3 years ago, because I am made of crazy. I planted only one of 9 other types of tomatoes, 6 cauliflowers, and two flats of pansies before quiting to make East African Groundnut Stew. Now I’m going to drink a Guinness and clean a tiny bit of chicken poo up.

A possible campaign to save the apple tree is underway. Overnight it seems to have sprouted camellia blossoms. My heart remains cold, however, because I just spent a very long time scooping moldy goopy old apples out of the strawberry bed. I had assumed they would decompose over the winter, adding important nutrients to the soil. I do a lot of composting in place because I don’t like the hard labor of walking to the bins in the backyard but those stupid mealy apples have quite a shelf life.

Speaking of the backyard, I’m about to do the unthinkable. I’m going to plant something back there, a Daphne actually, and this will spur me to reclaim it from the dog poop, chickens, and old plumbing fixtures. Improvements will radiate from this one shrub and soon it will be a wonderland of foliage with hidden pathways, a guest cottage, a fire pit, and one of those really big chess sets made out of mossy stone. And to think, it all began with one Daphne.

I’ve put the Great Peep Tragedy of July 2009 behind me. These replacements are cheaping away in my dining room and they are loud little buggers. Lately they’ve been staging mock battles and getting all up in each others beaks when they aren’t sleeping or pooping in their water dish. I got them at The Urban Farm Store which is on Belmont now in a bigger space. I love this store with its racks of heirloom seeds and weird crunchy cocoa shell mulch strewn all over the outdoor area. I want to go back and buy seed potatoes but I can’t trust myself not to get more chicks. I’ve got a mad powerful urge to “collect them all” and so far I only have an Orpington, a Welsummer, a Speckled Sussex, and a Hamburg. I’ll need to stay away until my latent animal hoarder is sublimated by the manic survivalist who stays up all night starting 19 different kinds of tomatoes while plotting a closed loop off the grid system and drinking all the wine in the house. I expect her any time.

The Hamburg chick was a mistake. I brought them all home and then researched their respective breeds because I’m ass backwards like that. This is what Wikipedia had to say, “Hamburgs are hardy, active birds who are capable of flight and often jumpy around humans". Capable of flight? I might as well just feed her to Nina now. Apparently the hens only grow to about 4 pounds (which would explain why she’s half the size of the others) so are light enough for lift off. I have a few months to install an aviary in the backyard I suppose. Maybe I can give her to someone who keeps their hens in a coop with a top. She is super cute.

Here she is taking a walk underneath the table.

Here is a closeup.

Damn, I think she is my favorite. Damn.