Winter Wake Up

What a winter! Waking up to the gorgeous results of snow or freezing fog is wonderful when hitting the roads is optional. Am still looking forward to spring, though ...

Eating Animals

I'm in the middle of Jonathan Safran Foer's book, "Eating Animals," about the prevalence of factory farming. Very sad. I can't help but be especially affected by the information about the poultry farms, where the birds are given, on average, 67 square inches of space (that's smaller than a piece of typing paper). I've looked at our coop and wondered how many birds (or pages of my last unpublished novel) would fit inside with 67 square inches to each ... 50? 100? I'm sure there's a mathematical solution, but it's more interesting to just try to visualize them. Then to be glad there are, in reality, only eight feathered bodies wandering around.

I'm reminded of some of the reasons I chose to become vegetarian over twenty years ago, though I think it's gotten worse during that time. It's a good book, though. Well worth the read for anyone concerned about animal welfare or the quality of their food.

Meet Red

This is Candy (or Corn, I'm not sure which). We used to be able to tell them apart, but not anymore. Now I usually just call both of them Red. Candy/Corn is a Rhode Island Red hen. I figured since I was posting several egg pictures, I ought to feature some of the "ladies" who are responsible for them.

To do this girl justice, you really ought to click on her and view this picture full size. Look at that eye!

No, I'm not crazy ... just infatuated. Just wait until we get our baby goats!

Eeya begins to lay!

I couldn't resist adding this picture. I never thought I'd see so much beauty in eggs! But I promise I won't limit myself to posting pictures of eggs! This picture is special because it features one of the first "Eeya" eggs (our Easter Egger hen so named because that's the sound she used to make when we picked her up ...)

Leggo my eggo

J made this Lego chicken today. Think we'll get some lego eggs?

A Pile of Memories

I've been meaning to take a picture of these all winter long. Faded now, they're the fruit of many walks and explorations with my sons. All of these items were precious gifts clutched and delivered by sweet fingers. This is just the latest of the fall batch ... the ones I put in a pile because I began to realize that winter was on its way.

I kept them in this pile on the table of the sun porch all winter. Though the colors have faded somewhat, they've been a bright spot physically and emotionally. As spring approaches, they'll be replaced. Their time with us is coming to an end. But they have served me well, providing more pleasure than their bearers even intended.

Finding Phi in Life

When I was in college, I tried to figure out why we perceived beauty in so many of the ojects around us. What created or defined that beauty? Why did we see beauty in a path that curved through the woods but not a road in a city? Since then, I've come to believe that part of our perception of beauty lies in our recognition of phi, the golden ratio. Read more about phi here.

In this blog, I challenge myself to find phi in everyday life (note to scientists and other literal-minded individuals: this is an analogy!). What is the phi of living? Where is the beauty in our everyday existence? I believe it's all around us waiting to be recognized and discovered. Sometimes it's a flower or another visual scene: sometimes it exists within an exchange with a stranger or the touch of a child's hand. There are enough people pointing out what's wrong with this world. My task for myself is to point out what's right with it. I invite you to join me, to share your phi findings with me.

Daily Easter

It's Easter every day! After six months of raising chicks, we're receiving treasure in return.