the to-do list

things i want to do this year:

get the freaking chickens out of my bathroom - holy mother of dirty words! they were cute when they were peeping around and tumbling over each other in their brooder box this winter but great googly moogly now they're 3 months old and well... they're not cute any more. unfortunately we haven't come up with a dog-proof housing design and so the dog made off with 2 of the four chicks one overcast day. until we can keep the mutt away, "the girls" (as they're called to avoid drawing the attention of my civic association) have the run of the bathroom.


add more rabbits to the household - captain lucky bun needs a friend or two. at this point i don't have the stomach for killing but the manure is good for the garden.

keep quail for meat and eggs - i don't have a problem killing the birds. a quick twist of the neck and you're done. then it's off to freezer camp.

there's plenty of space in the garage for both the rabbits and the quail.

beekeeping - i want to, at least, learn what's involved in backyard beekeeping. honestly, it's probably not that difficult but i'm (irrationally) afraid of being stung.

i have a nice side yard that's undisturbed and could be planted with all manner of wildflowers. it's far enough from the neighbors homes that i don't imagine the bees would bother them and my fence is high enough to raise the bee's flight path above their heads. then there's the honey... mmmm honey.

solar shower - again, how hard could this be? i have very fond memories of using the outdoor shower at my grandparent's house. keeping sweaty, muddy kids out of my bathroom would only be a plus.

cooking from scratch - while i've come a long way since last year, there's still so much more i could be doing. cheese, yogurt, breads, crackers, and the list could go on and on.

expanding the garden - well on the way here. right now we have
broccoli
cabbage
swiss chard
basil (thai, spicy globe, "plain" - dunno what type it is)
cilantro
italian parsley
sage
rosemary
thyme
spearmint
brussel sprouts
tomatoes (3 types)
taiwan long beans
cow peas
an apple tree
a pear tree
cayenne peppers
bell peppers
all in the ground. we've harvested broccoli twice, cooked with the herbs and enjoyed tomatoes fresh, fried, pickled and stewed

currently sprouting in my former formal dining room are
malabar spinach
new zealand spinach
ground cherries
passion vine
okra (2 types)
tomatoes (3 types)
artichoke (if these make it this year i'll do the happy dance)

yet to make an appearance are the broccoli sprouts. they didn't show up last spring either so i ended up buying starts from wal-mart (now and forever off my shopping list)

i may have over done it but heck... i can always turn over more of the lawn, use pots or give them away to neighbors. in fact, we have soooo many tomato seedlings that's exactly what we plan to do. it will be one way for us to contribute to community food security as suggested by sharon (www.sharonastyk.com) and besides, i hate the idea of thinning the seedlings just to toss them out because i don't have enough room.

lest you think i'm working with a vast expanse of farm land here, let me just say that i live in a 4 bedroom, 2&1/2 bath home located just 15 miles from the heart of houston. we're within walking distance of a middle school, high school, multiple strip centers and (if you're crazy enough to brave the traffic) a major mall. i've just gotten tired of living someone else's life.