Sisyphus

Another tiny victory in Maggy's ongoing struggle to push the Wall Street world toward the reality based community:

So my boss sent me to Duane Reade to get some things for a care package we're sending to Liz's brother's unit in Iraq. Protein bars, eyedrops, etc. etc. - I got way too much of a kick out of picking out the bars (no chocolate bc it melts, so a little challenge.) I decided to add some Luna bars to the mix because they have the best flavors without chocolate. Apparently they've changed the marketing so now they're "Nutrition for Women". Maybe you see where this is going?

Yep, someone said "Wait, these are for WOMEN! We can't send these."

To their credit, after my "Oh, really?" and a blank stare, they were like "Oh. Right."

Not to mention, if I were a man in the middle of the desert with MREs as the main food source, I probably would not turn down a delicious toasted nut and cranberry protein bar because it said it was for women.

I love it that she keeps trying.

Free Range Chicks

The gawky, adolescent chicks are coming out into the gardens with their mom these days. She still has that incredible cluck that says, "Come here this instant. Your life depends on it." And they still obey. I've always envied that cluck.


This week they started spending the night on the roost with the big chickens instead of in the old nest on the floor. It was confusing for them the first night as they tried to figure out how to get as close to the mom as they were accustomed to on the floor. After a couple of nights practice, now they're content being near her, but not actually touching.


The vegetable garden is thriving thanks to endless days of rain and Bill's diligent weeding. This 4'x24' raised bed contains chard, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, dill and carrots. Only the tomatoes have not thrived in the rainy weather.


I'm pretty proud of the onions. I started them from seed indoors and transplanted the seedlings when the soil was dry enough to cultivate. They do much better this way than sowing seed directly into the bed. And I don't have to think about thinning. I think the resulting bulbs store better than onions grown from sets.

And the flower beds near the vegetables are a riot of color. These beds have had virtually no care at all this year. They're hopelessly overgrown and weedy. But the visual impact is terrific.