Second official growing season in Full Swing

In zone 8 the weather is warm throughout most of the day and there has been no let down from the rain; although Bob has had his fair share of producing rays without being hindered by any cloud cover. The robins have figured out that there is a healthy cache of delicious worms just below the surface of our raised gardens, which causes my wife to panic when they are scurrying around the Strawberry patch. Speaking of strawberries; it is our official second season with the patch and I didn't know what to think when we planted a few plugs last year. This year they seem to have taken off and although we are having plenty of flowers that are producing strawberries, they are not sweet for some reason. Maybe they have to sit for a while but I'm afraid that if they do all the berry eating birds will gobble them up once they learn they are there. If its not bugs, dogs, and hail destroying your garden you can count on those birds eating what you enjoy. But it's a trade off. I love looking at the birds make our garden their home.

The beans have have germinated and in typical bean fashion they have pushed through the earth like line backers ready to grow. The most enjoyable part of gardening this second season is watching my plants from last year that I pulled up and place in containers respond to the season once again. Most notably my Japanese eggplant; it's almost like we have become friends. To me a plant that sets flowers is like my buddies who stop over with a case of beer and meat for the grill. They plan on staying for awhile. Watching these plants grow from one year to the next and preserving plants from one season to the next that have been pulled from the earth and cultivated in containers adds a whole new dimension of possibilities for the Urban farmer. It addresses the issue of space and time consumed with a busy schedule. Not that planting a garden is really busy work to me. I enjoy it. But either way spring has greeted us and our little urban garden is responding wonderfully. The wife is doing things her way for the first half of the year and I suspect everything will be neat and orderly. During our second half of the growing season I will commence to start my Jungle. There is just something about the jungle that I like. Things growing everywhere, dense foliage that can not be seen through appeals to me, but scares the hell out of my wife. I look forward to it:)

Over Wintered Plants looking good

A while back I posted a few blogs about my quest to overwinter some of my veggies in containers. As with everything it was all experimental and I had no idea what the results would be, with the exception of a few actual accounts posted from other bloggers about their success.

Well, spring is here and my Japanese eggplant which I love and pepper plants are doing great. They don't look like much but the fact that they are growing new foliage is a absolutely fabulous. Overwintering veggies plants is a great idea for those who want to jump start their growing season and who want to utilize their garden for veggies that don't do well in containers and need more room. As of now, sweet and hot peppers seem to do well being overwintered along with eggplant and tomatoes. I say tomatoes but I don't actually have any. That's a another bitter story that me and the lady fuss about, to this day. Anyway, moving along...... Tomatoes are a bit finicky, real cold temps put them out, so any place in the house with a good light source and temps comfortable enough for a human should suffice. I had some beautiful tomato plants growing during the winter, but a weekend away here and there and being extremely busy left them to vunerable. And I also have this amazing cat that loves to chew things on spite. I would be one of those kids that told his teacher that my cat ate my homework, because it really did. So know tomato plants. I will start again this year. As for now we are enjoying the plants unfold and sprout new growth. Spring is awesome!!

I can't wait to see what type of harvest we will have this year. speaking of which. My wife and I are splitting up our seasons for the garden. She has went from not wanting to garden to wanting to garden her way. So because GA has two growing seasons she will take the first season and I will take the next. The first step I had to take was get rid of my twig fence;( She absolutely hated that thing. She has sinced replaced it with some Martha Stewarty thing. So oh well, I guess gardening as a couple has turned into this big competition. I must admit we have different gardening styles. Hers is a bit more manucured and mine tends to look like an unkept jungle. But I really love my jungle, for me it's and adventure, but for her she feels like the plants want to eat her;)

Where are all the Lightening bugs!?!?!

Every year spring comes and is greeted by summer. During spring I love to watch the migratory birds head toward their nesting grounds. I love to see emerging butterflies flutter about soaking in the sun. I look forward to seeing those honey bees fill up with pollen. But there is nothing that represents spring and summer more than the neon glow of the lightening bug. I remember as a kid running around in the cities of New York and New Jersey catching lightening bugs and sticking them in my plastic juicy cups. We would have a mini competition to see who can catch the most. Lightening bugs were my introduction to spring and summer and also my gateway to explore the world of bugs period. There was not one place that I have not visited in the US that did not have lightening bugs. But sad to say they are just apart of my childhood memories. It's almost like "Where the wild things are." Tucked away some place and admired from a many memories ago. I can't show a lightening bug to my kids because there are not any to be found. So where did they go? or am I not just looking in the wrong place.


As I was doing research on beneficial bugs in the garden I came across the fact that lightening bugs are at the top of the list for beneficial bugs in the garden. Lightening bugs or as some may call them fire flies are predators who during there larva stage eat a whole host of bad creatures like snails and cut worms. It's a shame that in my adult life I can not give these guys the habitat they need to thrive. Somebody has an answer. I heard from a few researchers on the issue speculating everything from habitat loss to light pollution. Whatever it is, there is a serious decline in lightening bugs so much so I might have a better chance at seeing the Yeti.

Forget about it Gardening

Last growing season one of my main efforts was to grow sage and oregano. It proved more difficult than I expected. I tried everything and it seemed that the seeds just wouldn't take. Big Sigh:( Fast Forward through the winter into the beginning of this spring and my Sage that I had virtually forgotten about, are growing strong. Sometimes it just seems that little means more and I don't know what I did to make them grow but apparently ol Momma nature knew what to do. So needless to say Im happy. I love sage plants and oregano, I think they are beautiful in design and smell absolutely wonderful. My wife, saw the need to water them once a week and from her stand point they seemed to have just grown overnight. I remember just seeing one tiny plant and thought to myself that my Sage would be hopeless. I honestly forgot about them, but apparently they didn't forget about me:)

Jackson- my Little Doofus

So here is Jackson my Little Doofus. He is growing like a teenager raiding the pantry every night and is just a ball of primitive Testosterone. My wife and I have feel in love with the German Short Haired. Jackson has tons of personality and because the breed has such a strong line of hunters that are active, most puppies are born with amazing instinct. Jackson was retrieving the day I bought him home, he is turning out to be a great watch dog and all I have to do now is tighten up is pointing skills so that I can hunt him under the bird. But Mr. Dufus does has his shortcomings. Jackson is to smart for his own good and the Garden is play garden. He has chewed up my beautiful twig fence. ( My wife was soooo happy) And we had to replace it with something stronger and Dog proof. Cheeba my pitbull wont even think about going into that place. But Jackson has no boundaries and could careless if you disciplined him for doing something wrong. So I had to conform which was soooooooo hard for me to do. But being that my wife would be taking care of him while I was away, I had no other options. We have different views on training animals and right now im in no position to voice my concerns out loudly. (but im secertly waiting). so anyway Mr Doofus is growing up fine and is a pleasure to be around. I can't wait to take him out swimming and hunting later on this year it should be fun.

Work Out for Performance

So the new year has passed and pretty much most people have fell off the wagon with regards to working out. Lets face it most of us can't wake up in the morning and look like one of the Greek Gods. For many of us, just waking up is an obstacle to contend with. We get older, our joints hurt, and it's hard to loose weight.

Over the years I have gained some valuable knowledge about working out and from time to time I will start sharing what I have learned. There has been an evolution that has taken place with regards to working out that a minority of people have taken to and it's catching on like wildfire to people who have pretty much lost all interest in staying fit. I don't want to blog about working out for gardening and all that stuff. I know there are tons of stuff on the subject. I want to focus more on working out for performance. To switch away from just loosing weight and looking fit. But more towards actually being fit so that we can perform daily duties without the feelings of being exhausted. I remember when my Grandpa was alive he used to stretch every morning and do these stupid silly exercises. Grandpa has sinced passed and ironically enough the silly looking exercises that he was doing years ago form the basis for many of the workouts performance athletes, mountaineers, and speicial operators use today.

So the question is; What do you do when you work out? I see people at the gym doing the same things they have done for years and although any workout has benefits; we need to ask; What are we working out for? I feel and this is only my opinion, that if our workouts are based solely on aesthetics and appearance that we will loose focus when we come up short. The scale is the devil!! I say this because we have conditioned ourselves to believe that if we don't weigh a certain weight than we are failures. Not true. Being fit has more to do with what you can do rather than how much you weigh. Although weight is a good indicator of overall health we shouldn't focus on it.

That's why starting and sticking to a performance based workout in my opinion will get you where you want to be faster. So how do you start? First identify your problem areas, most people hate running, why, because it SUCKS!! But running gives you the best results. When setting up a performance based workout give yourself a goal. Lets say you have issues running 1 mile non-stop. When setting up your performance based workout you set benchmarks that will enable you to run that 1 mile nonstop. For instance start your one mile run and take note of when you get tired and exhausted. Take note of whats troubling you. Is it your feet, does your lower back hurt, does your legs cramp up, are you breathing heavy? Depending on your fitness level it may be as soon as you start or near the end of your run. By identifying these problems areas you can now formulate your workout based on your weaknesses. For example lets assume that during your run, your breathing was really heavy and it felt very painful to breath, lets also assume that your legs felt like steel cylinders and it seemed as though you were dragging a truck behind you, lets also assume that your lower back started to give you pain as you pushed through the mile. And finally lets assume that half way through, you had to stop running and walk the rest of the way.

A performance based workout will incorporate all the above mentioned issues in the form of scheduled workouts known as compound exercises also known as circuit training, to build upon your weaknesses which in turn will enable you to complete your One mile run. Some exercises that are simple and can be done at home are the Air Squat. This is the perfect exercises to add strength to your legs that will ultimately help you finish your run. As you advance you can hold on to weight and perform the air squat by increasing the number of air squats you do. A good number to do is 25 air squats with each set.

Another exercises to add to the circuit would be Flutter Kicks. Flutter kicks are amazing. Not only are you working your hip flexors, you will be working your lower abdomen and lower back. The Instructor has her hands underneath her butt, This is to give leverage. I recommend your hands stay on your belly, chest or folded out palms upward to the sky. My way is a bit more difficult but ensures that you are working your entire core and will prove beneficial as you progress. A good number to start with is 25 flutter kicks which in turn is a 4 count exercises.

Another exercises is the Lunge, OUCH!!!! The lunge sucks but its great for you. This excersise will give you good range of motion and challenge all the muscles in your legs. It's one of the toughest excersises to do in the circuit, but it pays big divedends in the end.

Last would be interval sprints. Interval sprints will whip your butt. Its important to do Interval workouts because it teaches your body how to adapt to stress. When interval training is incorporated into your workouts you will be able to run faster and farther and breathe better. Remember the goal is to run 1 mile non stop and if your already doing that, to drop your time by 2-5 mins By taking this all in to account a Performance based work out designed to run one mile non-stop will look something like this:

Mon-Interval sprint 25 meter
25 air squats
25 flutter kicks (4-count)
25 meter Lunge walk
4 x rounds

Tues- 2 mile walk fast paced

Weds- Interval sprints 25 meter
25 air squats
25 flutter kicks (4 count)
25 meter Lunge Walk
4 x rounds
Thurs- 2 mile walk fast paced

Fri- 1 mile run ( Take mental notes of your performance and remember even a little progress is still progress)

Repeat every week until Goal has been met/ Once goal has been met. Set a new goal and work towards improving to reach that goal.

The benefits of Performance Based workouts in my opinion outweigh working out for looks. By performing these types of workouts you ensure that you stay focused on working out and everyday you are working out for a goal. As a result you will see your body transform into what it needs to, to complete those goals. One day you will wake up and realize that you have tons of energy and can do just about anything. My wife has started to work out like this and has advanced to burpees, I hate burpees and my wife knows this, so during our workouts she adds them and it suckssssssssssss!!! A typical day for us would be to run up a flight of steps and back down, do 25 burpees, 30 air squats, 50 flutter kicks and do it 5 times for time. She has noticed that her legs have become more toned and have become extremely tight. From a year ago she couldn't do 10 air squats with out crying, now she can do 50 and has advanced to other exercises that I do which are much more challenging.

I'm sharing this post, because I believe that many people have the desire to work out but have lost the intensity and drive. I feel that by refocusing our needs and priorities everyone can do something to maintain a fit and healthy life. Theres one thing we all have in common if we follow the self-sustained blogs and that is the desire, need and want to eat healthy. Moving forward we will not only eat and live healthy but perform exceptionally well. This is my 2 cents and as I go on and experience new things I will add different, to all those interested.

If you really want to check out the world of these Hybrid Exercises visit these sites. They have a wealth of information that will help you get to where you want to be:

http://www.crossfit.com Great site ! Tons Of Info and Workouts
http://www.gymjones.com The Gospel! My Base for working out. Click on Gallery for workouts
http://www.sealfit.com Advanced Circuit training to keep you fit and stay there. Tough!!
http://www.mtnathlete.com Geared toward Adventure seekers and mountaineers.

These sites are my top pics for working out and staying fit. You will see it doesn't matter what age you are, man or women. The Philosophies guiding these workouts are geared towards improving the Performance level in each individual. I have to say this but before you start any workout program consult with your Doctor first.

Get Fit Stay Fit!!

Delta gettin Fat

So I decided to keep my hawk this year instead of returning him to the wild like I have done with past hawks. I'm taking a big gamble on Mr Delta, because I believe in his abilities. This past hunting season he got skunked. He had some great chases but he couldn't connect on anything. It was so disappointing. Some may say think that Falconry shouldn't be just about Killing and to a point they are right. But falconry in it's essence is about killing. Because that's what birds of prey do. They have amazing eyesight, speed, and strength so that they can become efficient killers. Delta has all the tools, but this past year he has had nothing to show for it. I hunted him extremely hard in the pursuit of game only to be left with talons full of fur. So I made a decision to keep Delta for one more year. Many falconers wont even think about keeping a bird of prey that didn't finish the season with several heads of game. I on the other hand can't let Delta go without knowing that he is at least capable of killing for himself. My ethos for falconry has always been to return my feathered friends back into the wild more healthier and equipped with extraordinary hunting skills from when I took them from the wild. So from where I stand Delta is not ready to fend for himself. For now he is getting fat and eating a big rat called Nutria, that has tons of protein, along with baby chicks, and chicken necks. Im preparing him for the molt and can't wait to see what feathers he produces this year. Until then Eat well, My friend, because by early fall we have alot of hunting to do.

Flies as pollinators?

Ugh!! the dreaded Fly.... It's one of those horrible set of sequences as you watch in slow motion that little black speck of bio-hazard fly off of your dog poo and land on the rim of your drink. Gross!! I have had some bad experiences with flies. Where I live in GA, it seems like ripe breeding grounds for those nasty guys. One year I put out one of those yellow fly catchers that attract flies and in one week it was full with gross flies big and small. The only idea I had about flies was the fact that they rummaged through anything rotting to include dead people; for which I have had my fair share of witnessing. So it's to no wonder why I'm confused that flies are in the beneficial bug category with regards to our gardens. The reality is, that all flies are not the same. You may say 'DUH!!" but when someone says the word *fly* I am willing to bet that the black little hairy critter with wings, that seems to enjoy grooming himself of the filth he has just lusted in, will come to mind. But imagine that, Flies as pollinators. Last growing season I would often ask my wife if she has witnessed any honey bees and as I recall it was only a few times that she would see them. But many of the plants that we grew last year like the squash and melons, needed pollinators to produce fruit. I didn't know it at the time, but my garden was flooded with all little types of helpful flying bugs which I later found out were flies that were pollinating my garden along with pollen bees and butterflies. (Click here to find What native bees are in your area).

Maintaining a garden is good busy work. Your always doing something to improve your crop, trying to identify problems if they occur; when you leave for work your wondering if your seeds are growing, if your flowers are setting and most of all, if they are being pollinated. Many of us would like to think that the busy honey bee is responsible for all this. But nature has given her a a lot of help. I don't think I will ever be an advocate of that other fly. But I will defiantely start doing what I can to set up an environment where My vegetable garden attracts all pollinators. (For more on Flies as pollinators, click here)

Norways' Dooms Day Seed Vault; Is it Zombie Proof?

Norway's Dooms Day vault has reached 500,000 seeds. There are literally seeds from all over the world that have been produced by growers who have generated seeds that are more resistant to disease. This has become a huge debate for the purist; but nonetheless this is a big accomplishment considering the magnitude of this project. The vault was built to withstand earth quakes and even a nuclear fallout. But I suspect the Norwegians have something else bigger in mind. And my suspicion is that the Norwegians want to keep out the Zombies. Why else would they have four chambers that need to be accessed before reaching the worlds last supply of seeds. The Norwegians have done there homework. After all, only zombies will be able to walk the earth after it's destroyed and the few people stuck on the side of that mountain, will have a monumental task keeping vegetables alive for all the meat eaters that will consume the earth. Instead of worrying about seeds, I think I'm going to tuck one doomsday bullet away or better yet turn into a Zombie.

Pitbulls and the struggle to keep them as pets

Ohhhhh my wonderful dog Cheeba. It seems like it was only yesterday when I walked out of my home and there she was; a beaten up puppy confused and scared, rolled over on her back looking for a belly rub. At that moment my wife and I looked at each other and knew instantly we had our first dog. Cheeba turned out to be a very well obedient dog who is a natural caretaker and protector of our home. But her wonderful life does not overshadow the stigma that Pitbulls have in our communities. With all of the bad press pitbulls receive it's to no wonder how people formulate opinions. And rightfully so, because this dog is a machine which was bred to keep going and have amazing intensity. Cheeba looks menacing but this girl jumps from crickets and will probably turn our whole family over for a slice of ham. We know this about her goofey butt. Nonetheless, it was a big surprise to me when I recieved a call from animal control telling me that my pitbull escaped the yard and was attacking people in the neighborhood. "HUH!!" My PitBull!!! CHEEBA!! ATTACKING PEOPLE!! I gave the Animal control officer a resounding "HELL NO! NOT MY DOG!! There is no way Cheeba my Pitbull will attack anybody. But as I suspect because she was a pitbull running the streets, of course she was attacking people, ripping legs off and tearing throats out. Yup, thats them pitbulls. Pleasssssse!! Responsible people who own pitbulls will tell you that pitbulls are the best dogs ever to own. As with any dog trained to do a certain things like Fighting for example, they will do what there good at. But what about when your dog is not trained to fight. What if your dog actually loves animals and people? Why have city bans been put in place with fees and fines for owning pitbulls and apartments banning any pitbulls on the premises? I understand there reasoning and fear from the bad press that pitbulls have following them. But wouldn't it be fair to institute a a test on everydog before imposing such fines and fees of ownership. I think all dogs should be put through some sort of testing phase to see how aggressive they are and if they pose threats to society. Im willing to bet most responsible pitbull owners would pass those test with flying colors. Chebba has been beaten up by huskies, labs and every other toy dog that could qualify as snake food and in every case. im left looking at an embarrassed pet owner who can't control their dog. Cheeba on the other hand, when she sees other dogs, runs towards them and rolls on her back to play. She does this to puppies all the way up to people. So it was to no wonder that when I herd my Dog Cheeba was attacking people on the streets I was furious about the accusation. But this is one struggle that will always be around as long as there are these little want-to-be-gangstas and idiots who choose to use this breed as there outlet for criminal activity. The future of pitbulls are left in the hands of people who advocate everything that is right about them and so the struggle continues

Oregano Surviving winter

I never had high hopes for any of my herbs through winter. I have a friend that covers her plants during the winter and I really want to get a bunch started in the sun room. But with all of this cold weather that befell upon all of us, I have just let nature take it's course and while doing so I have been taking note of what plants are perishable during the cold weather and what plants show some resistance. My Sugar snap peas which are by nature a cool weather crop could not take the pain of Mr. Frost when he sat his big fat butt down in my garden. The crisp cold just literally crippled everything in the garden except..... my Oregano. I remember taking tiny slips of the oregano and placing them into this jar and pretty much just forgot about them. And when I came home after freezing my butt off for approximately 2 weeks in the woods. It was a pleasant surprise to see these small oregano leaves thriving in hostile conditions. I have never moved this pot. It has received so much rain and cold weather and yet they are thriving. They are not the biggest of plants but they pack some big flavor. And it's a shame because I pretty much have forget about these guys and they are doing well. The herbs that I have put my heart and soul into have all died. Go figure................

Monkey Butt

Most people don't have to worry about Monkey Butt until they do. If your a military professional who has spent a few weeks afield, an outdoorsman who has accidently got lost, or someone who has somehow found themselves in the middle of a disaster with no way out for a few weeks. You will quickly learn the meaning of Monkey Butt. When im afield with the guys we always laugh when someone has a serious case of Monkey Butt. But Until it happens to you then you quickly realize it's no laughing matter. For 12 days I roughed it with no shower.Ugh!! Yeah it sucked but it's a small part of what I do. I have been here before, so I knew what essentials I would need while being afield. The number 1 item is baby wipes. Im writing this post in cunjuction with the terrible earthquake in Haiti and with the memory of the devasting Hurricane Katrina that struck the U.S. a few years ago. Many people don't think about prepardeness until they are forced to and by that time it's too late. So for this brief moment Im going to spotlight how important baby wipes are for any emergency plan. They provide you with a quick way to wash when water is not available and you can can hit all your hot spots, like under arms and the crotch. Because the Lord knows if you don't, what terrible afflicition is awaiting you. Which is; the undisputed Monkey Butt!! So it's something to think about, if your planning a trip or if your planning to store items for your emergency plan.

Happy New Year !!! And a toast to Failed Resolutions;)

2010 is here and I made it with all my limbs, fingers and toes. 2009 was a very good productive year. After all it was one year ago today when this blog was in it's infancy that I started to write about how I was going to change my lifestyle a bit and start gardening and transforming my new urban home into an urban homestead. Blogging has given me a way to reach out with people all over the world, people who I would probably just smile at while standing in the grocery line or shout at because I got cut off in traffic; either way, the friendships that have been established on here have served to be very valuable and I look forward to learning new things from everyone.

So starting with a recap of last year I planned my garden, I created raised beds, I started a very successful compost bin, I GREW VEGETABLES!!!!! YESSSSS!!! and lots of them for the first time!! It was amazing! But I failed at growing radishes WTF!! This should have been the easiest thing to grow ever, and I yes I sucked at it. I grew Watermelon and cantaloupe in HAY BALES!!! Yes HAY BALES!!! and they grew like wild fire. Hay bale gardening was such a success that this year it will be a major player in how we grow alot of our veggies. We grew edamame, Japanese cucumbers, Japanese eggplant, shisho, 4 different types of tomatoes, zucchini, corn, snap peas, collard greens, bib lettuce, spinach, 4 different types of Japanese leafy greens, Potatoes in a bucket, onions, garlic, and started 3 different grape vines that are trellised around the garden. We also started a small orchard by purchasing a dwarf cherry and peach tree. Ok let me take a breath. We got two chickens that gave us so many eggssssssssss, (there taking a break now) and I found a good deal on 6 rabbits that will start my breeding program to supply meat (My wife is trying to make them as pets. I think we need a rabbit dinner real soon to bring things back full circle) I trapped my new hunting buddy Delta who gave me hell and with his inital training and I have a crazy New German Shorthaired Pointer Named Jackson who is................................................................................ Simply HIGHSPEED all the time until he comes in the house lays on his bed and snores in sequence with my other dog Cheeba and my 30lb tabby hugo who like to sleep on my wifes head right next to me, yes im a bit Td but I love em all. 2009 has been great and I now that we are in 2010 I have so much more to do.

First I don't really like resolutions to myself but I will make at least one that I will stick to. This year I am going to volunteer my time to at least 3 individuals in my area and get them started on growing veggies. They can live in an apartment or have a backyard. But I figure with all the knowledge that I have gained over this past year from all the wonderful people that I have met on this blog I can help someone get started. So I know I can't change the world all at once but I can start with one container, one pot, one seed and one person at a time. So that's my realistic new years resolution everything else is just going too happen. I would like to tell myself that I won't drink as much beer as I did in 2009, But who I am I kidding. I love Beer and I love food, in fact that's why I think I was born, too drink beer and eat good food. In fact I will grow Hops this year. I can't guarantee I will make my own brew, But I will start by growing my own Hops. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm I can smell the Hops. But Ok I will say this. I will run longer this year. I put in approx 15 miles a week last year and I want to bump that up to 25 before spring. Ok that's enough of the new years resolution, Today is my off day and I am looking forward to a cold one:)

Supporting your local Farm

I have always had a fascination with home grown foods and it's no wonder with a little bit of inspiration from others I got my own hands dirty. Nevertheless farmers are struggling to keep their businesses and way of life above water. Fortunately, for them the home grown revolution and organic eating has gone viral. But their still seems to be a huge gap for revenue that could be generated coming from the local farms into our kitchens. If I had my way I would have our Public schools purchase local food from our farms and institute an intern program for aspiring chefs to provide healthy meals for our kids. Ok this is my 2 cents, probably there are many holes in this way of thinking for it to work effectively, but the good idea fairy just couldn't keep quiet. Nonetheless, I found a great website to support local farms in your area . I was surprised by the number of local establishments in my area that provided everything from honey and canned goods to free ranged birds and cattle. But with all this said, I am glad to see the increased interest of city folk wanting to eat more healthy. Hopefully, this all transforms into tangible evidence that supporting locally grown is here to stay

Over winter transplanted pepper plants Flowering

Sooooooo after filling water bottles for the rabbits, filling up there feed trays, feeding the chickens, feeding the hawk, feeding the dogs, spreading hay over the raised beds growing my onions, garlic and snap beans, watering all the plants in the sun room, I look up and see this, a flower from one of my transplanted pepper plants that I pulled out of the garden to over winter. Even though I live in the south it has been cold here lately and my sun room is not insulated. But nonetheless, it is facing south and gets sunlight from the morning to the mid afternoon. This little guy brought a smile to my face. I guess they just don't want to give up. I have high hopes for my transplants this up coming year and the best thing about all of this is the fact that I don't have to start from seed again.

Falconry Weight Management Ups and Downs; Literally

These past few days I have been getting antsy because I would rather be hunting with my hawk, instead of just waiting for his wait to drop. The key to hunting with birds of prey is proper weight management. There are several trains of thought on this idea, but everyone agrees that weight reduction is key to hunting with your bird of prey. Birds used for falconry like my Passage Red tail Hawk are motivated by food and the drive to hunt. But when they are full, they don't have much desire to do anything except sit there and look into space. When Delta was trapped he was 1020 grams, in order to get him to respond to me I had to drop his weight gradually. Everyday I would weigh him and record his behavior. He didn't respond to me until he lost 120 grams which put him at 900g. It was only then that delta accepted me as his provider and source of food and at this weight he was very keen and making unbelievable progress. This training came to a temporary halt when I had to travel to Oklahoma. I had my wife feed Delta for 3 chicken necks every other day. I figured this would be enough feeding for him to maintain his health and still keep the keen hunting spirit I desired for a hunting hawk. Ohh Boyyyyyyy to the contrary; when I got back Delta was Hog Fat, He was a whopping 1160 grams, that's right ELEVEN HUNDRED SIXTY GRAMS!!!!!!!! I just shook my head. I thought at this weight It will take forever to bring his weight down. He was trapped at 1020g and he had to go all the way down to 900g to even want to eat and now he was 1160g. This was fatter than he was trapped. But something happened over the course of several days that led me to rethink my position on weight loss. Even though Delta was Hog Fat he was still responding to the fist when bigger pieces of meat were presented. Of course I didn't give him the reward of a big hunk of meat, but I did reward him with a tidbit once he came to the fist. So over the course of several days I offered him a mix bag of small tidbits, tirings of fur and feather that can't be digested but will give him that sense of fullness as though he has eaten and washed meat; meat that has been rinsed in cold water over a period of 24 to 48 hrs in order to pull out all of the nutrients so that he can still eat and lose weight. (Maybe this can work for me too) So finally I got Delta back down to his Trap weight which is 1020g and although he is not as keen as he was at 900g he is definitely showing interest, by flying to the fist when called. This leaves me a bit perplexed about weight management because conventional thinking would suggest that he must reach the magic number of 900g in order to respond as his hunting weight. I have a feeling that Mr. Delta may start flying way before the 900g mark. But then again I really don't know, he is still truly a wild hawk I don't know if we will ever share the same relationship as I did with my other hawks. Ours may just be a mutual respect that predators share amongst one another and nothing else. If Delta could talk he would probably say to me " Hey buddy, Don't take this personal, It's just Business."

Meet the Natives

We love watching the travel channel. Im a huge follower of Bourdaine and Zimmerman. But tonight I have found a show that has them both beat and its 'Meet the Natives". Talk about refreshing. A few years back I saw an episode on the Natives of New Guinea and instantly fell in love with such a happy folk. What draws me to this show is how innocent and pure they are in there thinking. I have been laughing hysterically at their interactions with "Us normal Folk" (YAWN!!) To say the least there have been great moments of the show but when they went to NYC, I felt really embarrassed. You don't realize the depts of ignorance people have until it comes out in subtle ways. Things we take for granted and think as normal makes no sense to them. For instance, on of the men from New Guinea asked a family, why do they just have grass in the backyard. The man replied, it's because it feels soft, the man from New Guinea could not understand how anyone could have land with sun and not grow vegetables. I understand that not everyone would like to live that way but this show really brings it back full circle as they travel the U.S. Brilliantly done!!

Lamb Fries anyone!?!?

So im visiting this Extreme cold state of Oklahoma and went out to eat and there I found the Infamous Lamb Fries on the menu. I had to try it. The thought of eating lamb scrotum didn't bother me a bit. It was really good. But than again everything fried tastes good. So Im not sure if they were prepared for lets say a "Puritan" if I would have appreciated them. I don't have very good memories of Oklahoma, the last time I visited I almost died of pneumonia but I did get to see my first ever tumble weed barrel across the road I only saw those on the movies and I also saw my first ever prairie dog in a real live wild prairie town. Being from NY City I was wishing I had that huge hammer to smash each one of them as they poked there heads out. But anyways here I am again in this frigid 17 degree F whipped air battling with another cold. It sux. My wife told me it was 70 degrees yesterday back home, Bummer!!

Urban Falconry

Meet Delta he is a tiercel red tail hawk. He was trapped a couple of weeks ago and has been giving me hell ever since. This guy changed the game on me, I tried everything in my power to turning this little fella around and he still would not break. After two weeks and no progress I was faced with a decision to let my pride go and release him back into the wild. Sometimes the match between falconer and bird of prey doesnt mix. He forced me to pull out all of the stops. I had to dig deep into my bag of tricks to get this stubborn guy to respond. It was only a few days ago when I took another deep sigh and entered the dark room with my falconers glove and miners flashlight fitted on my forehead. I opened up the Giant Hood and he stared right at me. The process of breaking a falconry bird is delicate, because these are the moments in which trust is built and when dealing with wild birds of prey trust is all you have. One mistake can turn a good hunting hawk into Satan's spawn. Its important to move slow with the progress but it is also important to stimulate the hawk as much as possible in order to break his will. This may sound cruel to some but this is the process that Hawks and other Birds of Prey used for falconry must go through, because the end result is a hunting partner that has a mutual trust and is eager to hunt with you. Weight Control is the key to successful falconry. Every falconer knows that it is important to drop the weight to a point where the Hawk is responsive. In the past this has only taken from day 1 to day 3. However, with Delta it took 2 weeks. And so exhausted and frustrated I bend down looking into his Giant hood thinking that this is going to be another uneventful day and as I reach into grab him he looks at my glove, I push it up under his breast and he steps up. I think, hmmmmm, he seems quite calm today. I weigh him and he is 889 grams. I think to myself that this can not be good because that is very low. I trapped him at 1020 grams. The golden rule is to drop approx 10% of their body weight. With delta he had already exceeded that and showed no sign of breaking. But once again I would try and honestly this was the last time. Because I would rather have him flying free in the wild than starving to death, weak and nimble with me. So I would try one more time and I pulled the dead mouse out layed it on my glove in between his talons and he looked at me tilted his head and started tearing at the mouse. I wanted to jump up and shout "YES!!!!"" but I maintained my composure so that he would feel comfortable. I wanted him to know that eating from my fist is the best thing happening and he relished every bit of it. So there he was, I named him Delta after Special Force Operators who go through S.E.R.E School to endure the riggers of P.O.Ws and stay mentally tough to not break. That is the spirit of my new hawk. He is bold and although he finally broke, he pushed me to the limit of my training abilities can't wait to see with his angry ass will do on some squirrels and rabbits this hunting season.
Also in the News my buddy Jim trapped himself a "747" this girl was Big. I think she ate all her siblings and when they were all gone she probably ate her mom and dad. She is a beast. Jim trapped her today with that fancy mouse I bought from the pet store. I hear Jim has some females waiting back at the house for all of the good work he has done. But nonetheless, she is a beautiful bird and will be the envy for all falconers who aspire to hunt with a Dragon lady.
Jim Is going to have his hands full the next couple of weeks. I have to check on him regulary to make sure that girl doesn't eat him. Jim told me she wieghed in at 1462 grams. Considering Delta was 889 this girl is almost twice the size. WOW!!

Out Of Control Puppy

Jackson my new German Short Haired is on turbo all of the time. This little guy has so much energy that he leaves my wife and I whupped at the end of the day. Currently we are enforcing strict discipline with Mr. Jackson because if there is one thing that I know; cute puppies that get away with everything turn into not so cute adults who get away with everything. Not in my house. I have to put the smack down on Wacko Jacko and he is taking to it like a champ. He has learned how to sit and stay and come. He heels very well and I can place his food bowl on the ground and walk away and he wont touch it until I give him the command. All this training is so that he can eventually hunt with my hawk a year from now.

He is my first puppy with a whole lot of personality and is showing strong signs of a great hunting dog. Well, so far so good. We will just have to see how Tasmanian-Wacko-Jacko progresses;)

Make an easy trellis

Next year is literally around the corner; so we are prepping for things that we definately want to do differently and one of them is the use of a trellis. We love sugar snap peas, but I have noticed that the sugar snaps are very lethargic when trying to climb. For last years harvest I was constantly out there training the vines to climb and attach to something. It was a pain in the butt, but nevertheless, I didn't give up. I noticed that part of the problem was that the sugar snaps need to start climbing early. They always seem to protrude that one feeler that seems to guide the rest of the plant and if that guy doesn't get a hold of something it all of a sudden goes rogue. But anyway I came up with something that may work by using some left over material from the cottage. It consists of 2 stakes or poles and plastic fencing material. I cut the fencing material to the length of the stakes or a little longer and then thread the stakes in and out of the fencing material on either side until the fence is running the length of the stake and repeat the other side. I then took some twists and secured the fence to the stakes to prevent severe slippage and walla. I think this will work in theory for my small garden and best of all it is the width of the raised bed and very easy to make. I can also just pull them out role them up and store them when not in use. But this may just be my solution for weak climbers. We'll see.............

Urban Rabbit Farming

Alas, I have finally got myself a herd of rabbits. Raising rabbits in an urban environment has always been one of my aspirations. There are tons of research that support the raising of rabbits in this type of environment. The one item that draws people to raising rabbits is the ability for the rabbits to breed throughout the year. From the time of courting it will take 28 to 30 days for young to be born averaging from 5-10 a litter. The young can be slaughtered at about 2 -4 months. With the fast breeding habits of the rabbit and some good note keeping a rabbit farm for meat or anything else can be very beneficial. However, my quest to raise rabbits has more to do with understanding how it all works in an urban environment rather than producing rabbits for profit. Everyday I search craigslist looking for the *DEAL* and I finally I came across a gentleman who needed to get rid of six San Juan rabbits for $40 bucks. Well, I drove my happy self over there and picked them up. 3 bucks and 3 does. I want to include some other bucks so that way I can diversify the gene pool. But nevertheless, I finally have my rabbits. The problem was finding a place for them stay. I knew that they would go in my man garden out back but I didn't know how I was going to work them in. So with a several mins of staring at that space I realized that I would use my privacy fence as the base for my pen. When I had this privacy fence installed the fence guy asked me if I wanted the nice side facing inside of the property. I told him no, because I eventually wanted to grow veggies and the support beams could be used to construct just about anything and wadda ya know, I used them perfectly build a very strong rabbit hutch. These guys are going to be dual purpose. First I will raise them for meat and Second I will use them to train my dog and hawk. I kind of don't see the point in hunting rabbits if I am growing them. But I know that thinking will get me in trouble. Because when i need my guys to perform they need to perform. I look forward to seeing how things go in a few months. I really can't believe I have rabbits, when is it going to stop!!:)

Garlic, Onions, Cucumbers and Winter Veggies Growing Strong

These past few weeks have been extremely busy so many changes have taken place in a very short period of time some things I will post later will be my new hawk, new puppy and oh boy, my all of a sudden new rabbitry. I feel like the Swiss Family Robinson around here. But all the while as these things have been taken place my Winter veggies are really enjoying this cold crisp weather. I planted some garlic some time ago and I have some great shoots especially from this elephant garlic. Its mammoth. I also have set several Sweet onions around the garden and they are growing very strong. Zone 8 is proving to be very good for having a garden through the year. into the spring. The cucumbers have been the big hit around here. This Japanese variety does not do well in the heat. It developed all kinds of problems due to the humidity. But we didn't give up. We planted again in Sept-Oct and amazingly it took off. Today is the Saturday after thanksgiving and its 30 degrees and this beaut is still setting flowers. I recommend this variety to everyone who wants to extend there growing season. Although a little tricky at first you have to time it just right so that the temps are not high during the day and cool at night. This would easily be a Cucumber for the spring, mid to end of summer and fall in the north. Also my kale is growing beautiful leaves along with my collards and Bibb Lettuce. We are just so happy around here. Happy Holidays!!

New PCs every 2-3 years Big Sigh;(

Over the past several years My wife and I have purchased a new LapTop every two or three years. I don't know whats going on. It seems like we take turns on buying new PCs. The latest chaos came when all of a sudden my whole screen had fuzzy lines. At first I thought it was a virus but then I thought No way, because I have really good virus protection and with a little more research I found out that my video card and motherboard has gone bad. BUMMER! oh well...... this time around I didn't get all the bells and whistles. I wanted to buy a mac but I wasn't convinced that it would be an easy transition from windows. Im a bit of a hermit when it comes to my likes and dislikes. Im pretty set in my ways. But nonetheless, I really don't see all the hype with windows 7. I was expecting some sort of Star Trek experience but instead it's like blah........ All in all I am pretty tough on my PCs I put them through more than what the average person does with regards to my travels So I guess I shouldn't be such a sour puss. But anyways I guess purchasing a new PC does help in some sort of way by stimulating the economy. I just hate to spend money.

Starting Tomatoes for the Upcoming Growing Season

This past summer we grew alot of tomatoes in our garden and quickly realized that tomatoes have been the main staple to many of the dishes that we make. I absolutely love this fruit because of the many of things I can do with it and there never seems to be a dull moment when eating a tomato that is just screaming sweetness.

For our upcoming growing season we are going to do things a little different. For one thing we are starting now to grow all of our tomatoes in the sun room so that way when the spring comes we will have strong plants that will start soaking up all of that early warm Georgia Southern Weather and start producing fruits early. I followed a great recommendation from Growing Human to start pinching off the suckers early so that my plants produce really big juicy fruits and that worked very well. So by growing earlier I can get these guys started much earlier with healthier fruit.

Second, we are going to plant all of our tomatoes in containers this year because as I have learned Tomatoes are perennials if kept properly and can be overwintered. Being that I live in an urban environment I don't have much land so looking back we have identified ways to extend our growing season and free up our garden for veggies and fruit that really cannot be grown in doors. We will container garden alot of fruits and veggies this year so that we can over winter them next year and keep them for years to come to obtain a head start on every growing season. It should be alot of fun:)

I feel like pulling my stubble out.....

First, this friday was amazing; we met our new pup "Jackson" at the airport. He was everything we ever expected. Im sure there was a lot of confusion going on with him as we did our little meet and greet. My wife and I realized that we really never owned a puppy. When cheeba came to our door step she was beyond the yappy I need everything stage. So it's kind of new for us to deal with such a fragile giant. Right now crate training is going really well. We just have to fight beyond the cries of bloody murder and keep on a schedule. I realize that the best we can do for Jackson is to give him direction and stay consistent. For now we are off to a great start.

Second; Saturday started with me and petsmart having a big argument. Yesterday morning I decided to again resume trapping a passage redtail. But I first needed to get a dark colored mouse. So I walked into petsmart and I asked one of the managers if they had any feeder mice. She looked at me with certain disgust. She said, "Oh, we don't sell feeder mice! All of our animals are for pets only!" I was so friggen annoyed. so I looked around the store and snapped back by saying, " So I guess that fish tank full of FEEDER fish is not meant to FEED other fish and that cage of "Crickets" is not feed your lizards?" She had no comment as suspected. I know she was calling me everything in the book. But I was just fed up and asked her to just get me one of her fancy mice. Her eyes got soooooooooo wide and she blurted out that "WE DO NOT SELL FEEDER MICE!" I said, "Ahhh, yeah I know, you made that very clear, sooooooo, please sell me a FANCY MOUSE!" She said, "For What?!" I said, "Forrrrrrr none of your business!" I told her that it was obvious I was not going to feed a mouse that cost seven dollars. I just need it to catch a hawk. When I said that her big Jawls just started Gasping, as though she was having an asthma attack. Im in total disbelief at this point. I cut it short by telling her that my mice don't get hurt they are in a cage and the hawk can't get to them. But before I could by the FRIGGEN, FANCY MOUSE, I had to get literature on Mice care and sign some papers on some other stuff and the whole time I am screaming inside Saying, "I JUST WANT A DAMN MOUSE LADY!!!" So with a few more deep sighs I sign the papers and receive my mouse. While everybody looked at me with there little beady eyes piercing through my soul as I walked out. All I could say as I walked out was. WTF!?!?!

Trapping- I get my Fancy Mouse in the trap and within 30 mins from the time I left petsmart I had One Adult Female on the trap. I had to let her go because I was looking for a passage bird. I began my trek through the mountains and found a great spot over some farm land where I saw a huge Passage redtail and threw the trap out. The Passage Redtail Came to the Trap and I said, "YES!" I drove up to the trap and the Huge Passage Redtail was trying to foot the mouse through the cage. But I noticed something. Not one damn Noose was hooked onto her talons or leg. I shook my head in disbelief. I drove my car up to the trap approx 10 feet away and the Redtail didn't move. She just RIVER DANCED on the trap trying to catch the mouse and didn't get caught. Again, Pulling my stubble out saying WTF!?!?! And she flew off. What a day, what a day, What a day.

Our new Family Member

I have never seen my wife so excited. I'm actually kind of jealous because she has never been this happy with me. But with our new Puppy that we are picking up on Friday, she cannot even sleep. After going back and forth between 3 different breeds: the Rhodesian RidgeBack, the Dogo Argentino and the German Short haired Pointer, we finally decided that the German Shorthaired would be the best match for our family and our lifestyle. This was one of the toughest choices I had to make because I absolutely love the Rhodesian Ridgeback with a passion. However, the majority of the breeders for Ridgebacks are breeding Ridgebacks for their beauty and not for their hunting skills. This was so disappointing to find out as I fussed with many breeders about why it's necessary to breed dogs based on skill and character first and looks last. My concerns were left listening to dial tones and ultimately I was blacklisted from breeders, because I had this crazy idea of using a Rhodesian Ridgeback aka the Lion Hound who was originally bred to hunt big game, flush upland birds, protect the farmers flock and Provide safety and security for the family, to use as a Versatile hunting dog. I was told I was crazy for even suggesting such a thing. Go figure? The Dogo Argentino was my next choice, but the breeders in the US are far and few in between, nevertheless, the Dogo breeders are Defantely

in line with the skills and traits of the breed and many Dogos are still being bred and used actively for hunting and because their are not many around the cost for a Dogo is alot of money. So it balled down to what dog would be best for our family. We wanted a dog that would be considered the perfect family pet. Easy to train, great temperament and still be able to assist me in the field with Falconry, tracking, and flushing game. The German Shorthaired fit all those qualites to a 'T" and the many German Shorthaired Breeders are actively providing a steady gene pool of Hunters that have been in the Blood Line for many, many generations. We found a great breeder who specifically breeds for hunting qualities and outstanding temperament his name is Buck and he has been breeding top of the line GSPs' for 20 years. My wife new how important it was for me to find a breeder that bred for the qualities I looked for and when I gave her the "Go" she was knee deep in research and found Buck. It didn't take long for Buck to find out what Pup would make a perfect addition to our Family and our needs. Our New Puppies Name is "Jackson" I can't wait to get him started and my wife can't wait to bite his ears;)

Cool Weather Crops Growing Strong Zone 8

This fall I planted Bibb Lettuce aka (Butter Lettuce) I fell in love with this variety after eating it at one of our favorite Vietnamese joints. The texture is soft and the texture is silky and my bunch is doing very well this fall.

Earlier this spring we planted onions and garlic in containers and although they produced text book shoots they really never developed into the onions and garlic we thought they would. Could it be that there was not enough room? Maybe the temperature during the day? I don't know. But one thing is for sure they didn't develop. This fall I planted my Onions and Garlic in the raised beds and they are taking to their environment very well. But I'm a bit worried that green shoots will just be green shoots. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Hunting-the Good and the Bad

You would think that a person who wakes up at 4 o-clock everyday would relish the thought of sleeping in late on the weekends. Not this guy; during hunting season I wake up at 3. It seems like with all the preparation I do, I am so how never prepared. Im constantly thinking about everything; my scent, the time of the year, the time, the wind, how will I lure them in and it goes on and on. So when I eventually leave the house I am so exhausted from the mental mind #&^! that all I want to do when get to my stand is sleep. But who am I kidding, it's hunting season and the deer are starting there Pre-Rut. I know that as the sun rises movement will shift from the feeding grounds to the bedding grounds and Bucks young and old will begin sizing one another up for full rights to the breeding ground. It's a fantastic time of the year, until your in your tree stand at O-dark-thirty and rain clouds pull over and deliver a torrential downpour all day. All I can do is just lower my head and shake it from side to side. But luckily I came prepared. I stored my poncho in my hunting bag and as most hunters would retreat to back home, this hunter started a stalk. I know from past experience that hunting while it's raining in the dense woods can have it's advantages. First deer will have a very hard time hearing you as you walk through the woods and second, the rain keeps scent dispersal to a minimum. So as I stalked I found areas in my hunting area that I didn't know existed like a deer highway that had multiple scrapes along the path. I poured some doe urine in the fresh scrape and sat back aways. As I sat I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. It was a very young doe working her way up the path. As I shifted she caught site of me and turned around and ran the other way. But nevertheless, I turned an uneventful day into an eventful day and latter on this week I will again wait in ambush for some unwary deer to walk by. For now its deer 1- wet hunter 0.