Think before you say YES!

Sooooooo,

    If anyone ever approached you and says,"We have three days of really good weather coming up.  I think we can pull the boat out of the water, clean and anti-foul her.  What do you think?  Want to help? Shouldn't be too much work."  Ladies and gentlemen, JUST....  SAY....  NO....!!!
    That being said, I had one of the more educational experiences as far as boats are concerned about 2 weeks ago.  I was amazed at how easily a 40 tonne boat was hoisted out of the water, and how dirty you could possibly get cleaning a hull.  Plus, as soon as your boat comes out of the water, the weather no longer want to co-operate.  Here are a few pictures:

 As we approached I begin to wonder how this was going to happen...

Here she rises...  Improbability is starting to kick in

Full on the sling...

The yard boys hard at work.

Providence settled on the stands for a quick anti-foul.

The color of my hand and the paint chips on my chest are after 10 minutes.

Clean bum, anti-foul, touch-ups, and coating for the prop...  Check

Last minute coating

All said and done, we managed replacing all the batteries, sea cocks, scraping, sanding, anti-fouling, cleaning raw water intakes and having a few beers in three days.  Not including the crazy rain storms that would come through for an hour at a time every three hours.  Oh, and I got to live in a boat yard.  After all my home was on the hard....  What an adventure...  Not to be repeated till next year!!!

Still Wondering, or, What Have I Done?

This seems to be my go to when in the airport getting ready to

travel.  Good ol' messenger bag, water bottle, and a sausage,

egg, and cheese McMuffin.  Don't judge me.  I was up early as

all get out to catch a plane and all I had was a lousy cup of

coffee.

 

When I stepped off the plane in Townsville I was greeted by

33 C. (91.5 F.) temperatures and 95% humidity.  This was at

12:30 pm local time.  What am I doing?  The ferry ride is quite

short compared to what I'm used to in New Zealand.  Only

takes about 20 minutes.  As we departed the terminal I noticed
they run their Coastguard here the same way as NZ.  All
volunteer.  Familiar ground.

Providence V on my first day.

Cleaning, wiping down, and re-organizing the saloon. (2 day job)

Re-painting and texturing all the hatches

My first sight on Magnetic Island was of my home to be for the near
future.  She's a beautiful all wood schooner built as a replica 1/2 size
in 1988.  Her name is Providence.  I am also made aware of what
kind of work I have lined up for me.  No small feat.  She's in need of
some general TLC and a neat freak's eye.  (Where I come in)  The
owner works for a cruise line as an engineer and spends 49 days at
sea, then 17 days at home where he tries to balance a wife, family, and
business.  What am I doing?

One of the things I have had to get used to all over again is living in a very small, restricted space.  My kitchen is the navigation station, engine access, communications station, bar, and pantry.  All in a place just over 6 ft. x 6 ft. x 6 ft.

 Yet, I still manage to cook for myself.  And healthy even!  The people on the boat next to me were jealous of veggie stir-fry.  Lizzy, you'd be proud of me!

Just when I was really starting to despair a bit,
things started looking up.  First, I spotted the
elusive Bikini Tree.
You have to get up early in the morning and travel to the far reaches of the island to observe it in its native habitat. 

In the past two weeks we have had more and more bookings for sailing.
We are currently in the tail end of cyclone season here and the weather has
been a bit fickle.  The true end isn't until April, but may hay while the sun shines,
right?
 

One of the random perks of living on a boat in a marina is that you get to  enjoy your neighbors' toys and gadgets sometimes.  The gentleman on my right side and his wife have a 55 ft. launch with these amazing blue L.E.D. lights off the stern.  When they turn them on it illuminates over a 100 ft. semi-circle behind their boat.  Instant aquarium!  I have spent many evenings watching the tens of thousands of fish swimming around.  Mesmerizing, entertaining, and cheap!



Of all the experiences I have had in the past month, for good or bad, I still feel incomplete.
I am currently working on getting accepted to University of Tasmania or NZ Maritime
School.  I'm living on a sailboat on an even smaller island than Waiheke.  And Lizzy is not
here to share it with me.  To give me here special kind of insight and reality to decisions
I'm making.  This is the longest we have been apart in almost 2 years.  Miss you Lizard.

More to come.....

Homemade Soft Pretzels

My German grandmothers would be so proud

Soft Pretzel Recipe

2 t instant yeast
1 c milk, scalded and cooled
1 T barley malt syrup or honey
2 1/2-3 c flour 
1 t salt
2 T butter, softenened
1/4 c baking soda
egg yolk + 2 T milk
rock salt

Stir the yeast into milk till dissolved (helps if milk is still slightly warm).  Add syrup or honey, then 1 cup of flour.  Stir.  Add salt, then butter, stir.  Add 1 1/2 c four or enough to get a nice dough.  Knead 5 minutes.  Cover and let rise 90 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Form pretzels. 

Boil 3 cups of water in a pot.  Add baking soda and stir to dissolve.  Turn heat down until the water is just at a simmer.  Dip pretzels into water for 30 seconds.  Remove with slotted spatula (or whatever you have-just not your fingers). 

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.*  Brush tops with egg yolk and milk mixture.  Sprinkle with salt or other toppings.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.*

*The parts about the parchment paper and  baking sheet, as well as the oven temperature and timing were added for using a conventional oven.   I cannot vouch for these steps.  When using the earth oven, I simply stick my arm in and if I can leave it there for about 6 seconds without the hair singing off, then it is ready for pretzels.  My nose tells me when they are done.








 On a side note......I felt two earthquakes today.  That was a first.  Sort of felt like thunder was shaking the house.  But it was definitely not thunder.  Maybe his cousin. 








llll

View From Atop a Spider...or...Apples for Apples

In most of the communities where I've lived in the past few years I've found that many people are open to bartering and trading for services, food, clothes-whatever people are in need of.  In Washington, I even attended the well-known Okanogan Barter Faire, a multi-day festival devoted to the idea of sharing and trading goods.  This system is truly alive here on Waiheke Island.  Perhaps it is left over from Waiheke's counter-culture days or perhaps island lifestyle still necessitates it, but whatever the reason, it's great fun to give what we have in excess and get what we need in return with no money exchange.

My most recent "trade" has been with our neighbor and her horse.  Though he's just one horse, he produces way more manure than his owner knows what to do with.  On the other hand, because our land is solid clay and we collect any sort of organic material we can get our hands on, we fully encourage Spider to poop as much as he wants.  We come and collect heaps of poo to add to our compost and Spider the horse gets a clean paddock.  (Luckily, all of the wwoofers have been willing to help me with this job.)

Riding English style

In addition to us coming to visit Spider once a week to shovel poo and bring him tasty treats from the orchard, I've also been riding.  His owner often has to go to town all day and was worried about him getting a bit lonely.  Knowing that I would be too timid to offer to ride him, Chad made arrangements on my behalf, and now Spider and I enjoy each other's company each Wednesday for a sunset ride.  It's been a great learning experience for me, as well as a chance to overcome a fear.  I've always loved horses and riding, but I've never had the responsibility of saddling one myself and riding alone.  Even when I was little and had an absolute OBSESSION with horses (like so many little girls do) when I actually had opportunities to ride I'd become too nervous to even enjoy it.  I even remember a couple of times at 4-H camp when I faked being sick so that I didn't have to do the trail ride.  Of course, after a few minutes of being on a horse, I'd feel much better, but those initial butterflies were hard to ignore.

I still get those butterflies each time I ride after taking some time off, and I certainly had them when I first took Spider out.  Each time we go, however, I become more and more confidant.  Being able to ride the same horse regularly is not something I've ever done before, and I'm beginning to better understand the relationships that people form with their animals.  I look forward to my rides each week and his owner is happy for him to have some company.  And Spider loves the apples and carrots I bring him.  Win-win-win!

Flat Stanley has been staying with me for a few days now and was very excited to meet Spider.

Almost looks tropical....

Away From Home

    It has now been almost 10 days since I have had to depart my home for the past 9 months.  It was a very bitter-sweet departure and I still don't really know what to think about it.  My visa in New Zealand came to an end on the 24th of February, but in the interest of saving money, I departed on the 18th.  I have found myself in Sydney, Australia.
    Sydney was chosen for several reasons.  Lizzy and I have friends here, it was the least expensive to fly to, I can get back to NZ at a moments' notice, and we are still trying hard to get work visas in this part of the world.  Easier to do when you are actually there.
    When I say departure was bitter-sweet, I sincerely mean it.  Firstly, I have had to leave Lizzy back on Uma Rapiti.  Who knows what kind of trouble she's going to get into without me!  I kid!  I kid!  I have left a beautiful place I have called home for nine months, my favorite fishing spots, a great social circle with very supportive individuals, and the volunteer coastguard.  Other than certain isolated times in life, this one of the most "complete" times I have had.  Food  available any time, an amazing orchard...  This is going to be hard to top.
    The sweet portion comes into play when I have had an opportunity to set foot in a country I have wanted to visit my whole life.  Not only that, my introduction was Sydney.  Sydney harbor, Bondi Beach, Coogee Beach, snorkeling....  And now, I'm heading north to Queensland to go work on another little island working on a sail boat.  Magnetic Island to be exact, and a tall ship by the name of S.V. Providence V.  providencesailing <----  here's a link to where I am.  I just received a call from the owner of the boat and found out that I will be the only one living aboard.  And I guess the only mate.  I wonder if I know what I'm doing?

    Over the past few days I feel like I have been completely inundated in surreal setting.  As I stated above, I am visiting/staying with some friends here.  I managed to land a spare room in our friend Patrick's parents' house.  They live about a 5 minute walk from the beach.  I was amazed at the size of the swells and the amount of sandy beaches after being on Waiheke.  Our little island is surrounded by shallow water, so we do not get big waves.

On day 3 of enjoying sun and sand, a massive storm  rolled in out of the north.  I could hear the waves pounding on the rocks all night long it was seriously intense.  Still, the temprature never dropped below about 80 degrees, even at night.  Terry, Patrick's dad and I even took the family dog for a walk in shorts, sandals, and rain jackets during this storm.






People here are totally unfazed by this weather.  There are these incredible swimming pools made right on the edge of the beach or on the rock walls.  During 8 ft. waves crashing right over the edge, people just kept on swimming laps.  Thought for sure someone was going to get washed out.








This is a typical spot along the coast of Sydney where people go snorkeling.  I ended up getting a chance to go myself.  There are all kinds of amazing fish cruising around down there.  From little multi-colored angelfish to 2 ft. long grouper with beautifully colored eyes.  Even after the storm, visibility was still 10-15 ft.








In the middle of this whirlwind trip, Patrick managed to drag me away for a quick climbing trip.  Lizzy and I have only had an opportunity to go bouldering on Waiheke.  Our plans to go climbing on the South Island of New Zealand were thwarted by a terrible mountain biking incident.  We were both reminded on that trip why we hate mountain bikes so much.  Here are a few shots of the climb.

We park the car and I follow Pat into the bush...

 

After a 10 min. hike we break through an all I see is bush for MILES!

Our other 2 climbing partners.  Chris is experienced, his friend is on her first climb.

   So now here I am facing another plane flight to another strange place and I'm excited to see what the next stop brings...  But, I feel like this all a bit hollow without my traveling partner here to see what I'm seeing.

More to come at the next stop.

Poem

You knit me a sweater in my dream last night.

First it was blue.

Then it was white.

It was a pretty scalloped pattern.

It was actually crochet.

A t-shirt sweater.

And unfinished.

But you were so proud.

And I was so happy.

Journal Excerpts from the Rees Dart Track

Day 1: Bus from Queenstown to Glenorchy, bus from Glenorchy to trail head.  Dropped off with 5 other trampers.  Two Canadians, one solo Calafornian, and a father/son duo from Australia.  First half of the day was sunny.  Walked through private pasture land.  Mostly flat but parts of the trail have been washed away by the recent flooding.  Some creativity required.  Some dry trail but most of the first 4 hours were boggy.  Multiple river crossings.  Afternoon, rain.  Left flats and began ascending as we entered Mount Aspiring National Park.  9 hours to hut. 

Day 2: Cloudy, turning to snow around lunch time.  Passed over Rees Saddle.  Snow, rain, sleet, then sunshine.  Slippery decent to hut.  Arrived at Dart hut before 4pm.

"Morning Coffee-Dart Hut"

Day 3: Despite some soreness, I feel better than I have for a long time.  An hour of stretching and then a pack free day hike to the Dart Glacier and then Cascade Saddle.  A rather technical track.  Lots of water crossings, steep, and many areas have no trail.  Glad I didn't have a pack on today.  To the top and back, 10 hours (for me), shorter for Chad because he ran back to poop.  (There are no broad leafed plants on the trail.  And no one likes to wipe with scree.)

Day 4: Downpours.  Rest day at Dart hut.  Turned sunny in the afternoon.  On a recommendation from the warden, I went on a hike, off the trail through the bush, along a ridge line.  Made several mistakes here: One, I wore sandals in order to keep my boots dry for tomorrow.  Sandflies were ruthless to my ankles. Two, my thin pants do nothing to ward off attacks from the speargrass which can puncture skin with the slightest contact.  Three, should've found myself a walking stick.  Once in the low bush, the ground is irregularly covered with dense mosses, shrubs, and grasses, and it's difficult to see where solid ground is.  So with my sore legs and inadequate clothing I made my way through a foreign landscape and found myself a cozy moss cover rock to sit on and overlook the river.  Not long before the sandflies were making a feast of my feat and I resigned myself to the fact that today was not a day for adventures.  Quick dip in the river.  Breath takingly cold.

Day 5:  Fast pace.  Our companions left yesterday so just Chad and I on the trail. Chad coming down with a cold.  My mouth is breaking out in coldsores.  Getting low on fuel.

Day 6:  Final day.  I want to be done walking but I'm not ready to be out of the woods.  Save for a trail detour at a major river washout area, trail is not very technical.  Plenty of time to dwell on our imminent return to Queenstown and civilization.  Feeling like a child as I drag my feet.  In my best whine, I want to shout, "but I don't wanna go!"

Favorite part on the trip: the challenge of organizing and cooking good, nourishing (and light) food.  As we've done in the past, Chad organized the route while I planned the food.  That way are never short of an adventure and our bellies are always full.  Lessons learned regarding meal planning and cooking:
1. You only have so much fuel.  (The coal fired stoves in the huts were an added-and necessary-bonus on this trip.)
2. It's impossible to make biscuits over a stove that only has a setting for high heat.  Next time, I'm making soup and dropping in the biscuits like dumplings.  On the third night, I got so frustrated making biscuits that i went to bed hungry and let Chad eat the whole backpacker meal.
3. A two serving backpacker meal feeds one Chad
4. Chad's aluminum camp pots that he's had since he was 8 are not indestructible.  Nor are the sporks

Bragging point: Besides the 1 dehydrated backpacker meal we bought, I made all the meals from scratch, dehydrating veggies from the garden in the earth oven before we left.  I think the other folks in the huts were a little jealous!  After watching all of them choke down meals from a bag night after night, I new the extra weight was worth it. 

Pleasant surprise upon leaving the trail: Hans, the driver that picked us up at the end of the trail, was a great storyteller and full of fun facts on life and the trials of living in rural New Zealand.  Plus, he was the animal trainer for the Lord of the Rings movies.  Seems like everyone here has a connection to the films.  His other accounts were of packing coal in on horseback up to the backcountry huts with his daughters when they were little, working as a chef in Queenstown when money was tight, and most recently, how he lost his garden and his pigs in the recent flood of the Rees river.  He and "The Cook" had to climb a tree to escape the rising waters and after living on their farmlet for 30 years, for the first time are thinking about selling and moving on to a new adventure.

Why We Tramp:  Before leaving for our trip, a friend of mine (who would never dream of spending a night in the woods) asked me just why one would want to "do this."  I gave her a few reasons why I like to hike, camp, carry a 45lb. pack up mountains and across rivers, etc. but I also asked people we encountered along the way to see what they had to say.  Here are some responses I got.
"To be in nature." -Pat
"I'm inspired by the pioneersmen.  I want to be like Lewis and Clark, or Jeremiah Johnson.  To feel the high of being on a dirt path." -Andrew
"Punishment and reward." -Chad
"To get away from the office and test myself, to see beautiful scenery, and to do it while I still can." -Terry
"The scenery, the quiet, and the amazing country. (Not for the self torture.)" -Ben
"It has something to do with my relationship to the plant.  Freedom."
"For the sense of achievement and the views."
"To get away from the madness of the modern world."
"It's the closest I can get to another universe."
"To get out of cell phone range."

The common themes seem to be to either get away from something-work, society, technology, or to go to something-wildlife, stunning landscapes, nature.  Besides Chad, however, who called the labor aspect of tramping "punishment" no one seems to do it for the work and struggle required.  I find that modern technology and most areas of work, do not require much physical exertion.  It's why we need sports and gyms, and weight loss programs.  But there was a time in our collective evolution when walking with your home on your back over a mountain, across a plain, and through deserts was a part of existence.  Physical discomfort was apart of everyday life.  Bumps, bruises, a growling tummy, insect bites, and cold bath water were not out of the ordinary.   Silly as it may seem, I think I crave these things just as much as I crave that view from the top. 

Back in the Saddle

Exhibit A:  Chicken on the counter pigging out.

Lizzy has been after me for a while now to sit down and take a turn back at the ol' Blog.  Well, here I am and here it is.  Life has been an absolute whirlwind for the past few months.  I have just realized it has been over two months since I have posted....

    That being said , I do believe I shall start off with where I left off last time:  With the chickens.  These ladies have become a sore spot between my lovely Lizzy and I.  And understandably so.  They have to ability to reduce Elizabeth to near tears of both anger and frustration in mere moments.  They get into everything and are garden enemy number one.  Even more so than any cold-blooded, flying, squirming, slimy, hoppy or ravenous pest.  They are indiscriminate destroyers of plants trying to get at said bugs.  They have an overwhelming urge to scratch at any, I repeat, ANY pile of mulch in search of a tasty treat.  Mind you, these piles of mulch are usually surrounding freshly planted young veggies.  While I applaud their efforts to rid the farm of all the creepy, crawly pests, their wanton destruction of plants is going to end them up in a stock pot at Lizzy's hands.
    My frustration at the issue is that they are supposed to be free-ranging poultry.  I have finally overcome my dislike of the feathered beasts and love having them around.  I just can't watch them the whole time they are out of the coop.  This is very reminiscent of our problems with Betty Blue from earlier of this year.  Take your eyes off them for a second and they are exactly where they are NOT supposed to be.  Grrr.....  Steps are being taken and plans of action are being hatched.  Pun definitely intended!  Good news is that they are all laying eggs now!

UPDATE!!!!!  NEW TRAIN!!!!!  UPDATE!!!!  NEW TRAIN!!!! 

Well,

    This post was started quite a while ago, and Lizzy has officially shamed me into getting back on the blogger horse.

    We have been back from our trip to the South Island for 7 days now and I still don't know if I'm happy to be back, or anxious for the next step.  We have worked so hard at making Uma Rapiti our home over the past 8 months that is almost seems surreal that I have to leave in less than 20 days.  There have been comedies, tragedies, breathtaking experiences, and serious doldrums.  I keep trying to focus on all the amazing things I have seen and had a chance to participate in, but I can not help but to feel sad at the potential of losing an avenue of new and incredible adventures.  As some of you are aware, Lizzy and I have been very undecided about what comes next.  We have explored the possibilities of school, employment, more farming, traveling, and pure bohemian lifestyle.  Still no answer.  We'll  keep you posted on what happens!  So, without further ado.......   on to other things!

    New years!  Holy cow New Years!  Tana and Charles decided to have a bit of a shin-dig here at the farm and invited about 15-20 of their friends to come celebrate.  And they invited their son Zev to come play music with his band.  And 30 of his friends followed.  Hilarity and good times ensued!
    New Years' day people started showing up about noon and setting up tents in our orchard.  2 at a time, 3 at a time, 5 at a time.....  Then came the slip n' slide.  100 ft. of blue tarp doused in dish soap, then liberally sprayed with the garden hose.  Dozens of drinking 20-30 somethings charging the hill provided entertainment for us all.  Followed by more drinking till the BBQ and potluck kicke  d off at about 7pm, then on with the music.  Someone forgot to tell me they were a David Bowie cover band!!!  3 hours of kick-ass music and several beers later, life was peachy!
    At midnight a ridiculous amount of high-end champagne was consumed with hugs and congratulations going around.  Followed by even more amazing music till the wee hours.  At that point, we invited what was left of the merry makers down to our side of the property for fire and wind down.  Sometime around 4am everyone meandered to there sleeping quarters.
    The next morning Lizzy and I took what was left of the rabble-rousers down to the beach for a morning sobering/hang-over cure swim.  Followed by us cooking a large buffet-style breakfast and more lounging through the early afternoon hours.  What a way to spend New Years!

    After New Years we pretty much kept ourselves busy awaiting our next big adventure:  Vacation to the South Island!  Lizzy has already made a brief post including some pictures, but I will be adding to it as soon as I get my photos in order.

-Cheers!

South Island Trip

I've got all of my photos uploaded from our trip to the South Island!  We're back at the farm, now and getting back into our groove.  The trip was amazing and I'll write more about it, but the trip was only two weeks and I feel like I've spent just as long up loading photos, so for now the captions will have to suffice.  The link to view them is to the right.  Enjoy!

Sunshine!

So "100 Days in the Garden" only lasted 50, but I think perhaps I'll attempt the other half some time in the future.  After vacation.  Vacation!  Chad and I are going to the South Island next week!  We're going to spend a week on the trail and then another week laying low, doing some sight seeing, and hanging out with some friends.  To add to the excitement, Matt and Kelly are visiting this week, finishing off their trip in New Zealand on Waiheke with us.  They've just finished a tour of the South Island and hearing them talk and seeing pictures is making me even more anxious.  But first it's a week of laying on the beach and vineyard tours (and fishing, of course) with the not so newly wed newlyweds.

The garden changes every day.  Because of the way that I plant (quite scattered and close together) no one seems to think there is much of anything edible in there.  But if you look under here there are cucumbers.  And back here are some ripe turnips, and you can't see them but there are beans behind the raspberries.  And, Chad, how dare you tell me that we don't have any beets in the garden.  There are plenty.  It just requires some Catherine Zeta-Jones 'Entrapment' moves to reach them. 

I wonder what will happen if I ever go back to row cropping?

Thanksgiving at Uma Rapiti

"The wind is in from Africa, last night I couldn't sleep...."

After much debate about whether we should celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday or Friday (Thursday in the States) we settled on Thursday-mostly so we could rest our aching bodies for a day from the fencing job we're doing.

It's 11am.  The oven fire is going.  The three wwoofers went down to the water to catch fish for dinner.  Chad, not confident in their ability to catch us our main course, has gone into town to buy some variety of poultry.  That leaves me alone to start the breads.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I've got Joni Mitchell playing on the stereo (a staple in the kitchen from when Matt and I used to cook together in Denver), two loaves rising in the greenhouse, and I'm about to start a third.

"I remember that time you told me-you said 'love is touching souls.'  Surely you touch mine 'cause part of you pours out of me in these lines from time to time...."


9pm: Bellies are full of fish, chicken, kumara, veggies, bread and dessert (four of them).  Dishes are washed, garden is watered, and company's gone.  Time to sit around the campfire and digest, listening to guitar and watching the stars. 

TED Talks and 100 Days in the Garden

Last weekend I ventured "into town" (as Waihekians say) to attend TEDx Auckland and came away filled with awe and inspiration.  TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, started in 1984 as a platform for sharing and spreading the ideas of the "world's most fascinating thinkers and doers".  Some speakers are world famous, some are well-known in their field, and others have never spoken in public before.  All of the talks are under 20 minutes, are recorded live, and available online.  If you've never watched any TED talks, or if you're in the need of some inspiration, no matter what field you're interested in, check them out at ted.com.  

The TEDx talks in Auckland were all by people either from or living in New Zealand.  There were 19 different speakers or performers, ranging from a documentary filmmaker to a dental surgeon to a physicist to a synchronized swimmer.  The group was incredibly diverse.  A couple of the ideas talked about I had heard of before, others were completely new to me.  Some of the speeches on technology were a bit beyond me, as was the fact that everyone and their brother had their iphone out and was tweeting throughout the entire event.  At one of the intermissions, while discussing the previous talk regarding soundtracks to accompany electronic books, I made the mistake of making the comment that I'd prefer to read a paperback.  I was promptly accused of being a Luddite.  It's true that I felt a bit out place seated between someone taking notes on their ipad and someone tip-tapping away on their macbook while I spent the intermissions knitting socks, but there's something to be said about leaving the house without phone or computer or gps.  It's very freeing.  And I knew that no matter what I wore, nothing in my wardrobe could match the classiness of Aucklanders, so I just wore all black with hopes that even with the stains I'd be classified and dismissed as "one of those creative types." 

Speaking of creative types, one of my favorite talks was by Emma Rogan, a designer who founded New Zealand's 100 Days Project.  She borrowed the idea from a Yale art professor who asked students to create something everyday for 100 days within the parameters of their choosing.  It could be any medium but had to be documented.  Rogan decided to try this out for herself and open up the project to creative and non creative people of all ages who wanted a unique challenge-one that would be both fun and agonizing, but easier if done as a group.  She gave examples of someone who designed a dress every day for 100 days, someone who wrote a haiku about her family, someone who learned a new word.  As she spoke, my mind raced with ideas.  What would I, could I do for 100 days?  Crochet an afghan square, cook a new dish, draw a still life, weave a basket?  On the ferry ride home from Auckland I was thinking about writing up a blog post about the event and the thought occurred to me that I should incorporate my own 100 days project into the blog.  And where do I spend most of my time each day?  In the garden, of course.  There are so many things about the garden that I want to share on this blog but somehow lack the motivation to sit down and write.  So, as a challenge, I am going to start "100 days in the garden."  Everyday I'll post something about the garden, whether it be a picture, an observation, a drawing, or the description of a new plant.  I know it's not going to be easy but I'm going to give it a try.   The link is on the right hand side of this page.   I was going to wait until next Thursday to start it (because every endeavor such as this should begin on a Thursday if it is to have any chance of being completed) but Chad says that this sounds like an excuse to procrastinate so I guess I'll begin today.  If I don't complete it I'm blaming it on the fact that I began on a Saturday.  Who starts a project like this on Saturday?  And a windy Saturday, nonetheless.  A windy, raining sideways, Saturday.  But, really, what have I got to lose? 

Finger-lickin' Good!

Years ago, when I first set foot on an organic veggie farm, I devised a theory that the pitiful income made in this business is completely disproportionate to the extravagant meals available each day to all those who dare enter into it.  Chad and I have tested this theory day in and day out, and we find no fault in it.  Tonight's dinner cemented that theory into fact.  Our bellies have warned us that if we ever trade the amazing food we eat for a higher paying job there will be trouble.

This evening's feast that began with perfectly steamed purple artichokes dipped in garlic butter is only one example of the many dishes people pay high prices for either in the store or a restaurant that we eat regularly.  Lately, asparagus has been growing so fast that it must be picked nearly every other day.  It's so tender and sweet that I can't bare to cook it.  We eat it fresh in salads or straight from the garden.  Today Chad yelled halfway across the farm to me, "I just ate a two-foot piece of asparagus and it was delicious!"  Sugar snap peas are coming in strong, as are the heritage lettuces, Detroit dark red beets, and spicy arugula.  Combine these simple veggies with oysters from the beach or a squash leftover from last fall, some freshly baked bread, and 'voila!' a five star meal.  At least by our standards.  We'll be testing out our theory a french chef who's wwoofing with us next month.  Something tells me he'll be quite happy with how we eat here at Uma Rapiti.

We have significantly lowered our butter intake since wwoofers Christina and Zach left a couple of weeks ago.  Until this meal, that is.  (See bowl of melted butter, left, complete with roasted garlic)

The Chicken Saga and Veggie Planting

chick·en·shit/ˈCHikənˌSHit/

Adjective:	vulgar. Worthless or contemptible (used as a general term of deprecation).
Noun:	vulgar. A worthless or contemptible person.

    I have developed quite an interesting relationship with the chickens we have here on the farm.  They (we) have come a long way since their arrival here the first week of August.  If you hark back to a previous post, they originally came to us on an adventure specifically engineered to acquire said chickens.  We picked them up in a small suburb south of Auckland called Drury.  We were actually assisted by the fine fellows who run this shop in our frustrating quest to locate a camping spot that would allow us to have Betty Blue.  We tried to pick out four birds that you would be able to tell apart on sight since they were all of the same breed.  Brown Shavers.  We lovingly packed them away in a dog crate, covered them with a sheet to keep them calm since they were also riding with the four-legged, furry death machine, and made our way back to the car ferry for their trip to their new home.

    Here we are now two months later and I now have four feathery, bird-brained buddies.  The ladies and I have developed quite a routine and they are loathe to deviate from it.  Every morning I get up and before Lizzy and I eat, or Betty is fed, I'm off to feed and water the chickens.  Then breakfast for Lizzy and I, then the mutt.  Around 9:30am I wander back over to the chicken shack, "Coop de Tille", check for eggs, and let the ladies out for the day.  This in itself is comedy.  The coop is located in our orchard on one side of the farm, and as soon as the chickens see me walking back toward the sleep-out or the garden beds, they make a mad dash to follow.  We're talking sprints assisted by wing flapping!  Hilarity ensues.

    Through-out the day the girls are left to roam where they will.  They seem quite keen to try and assist you with what ever task you are trying to accomplish.be it working in tool shop trying to fabricate something with a squawking bird under your feet, or attempting to plant veggie starts and having the fool birds scratch them right out. (Note: If you are digging in the dirt or moving mulch around, the girls HAVE to be right there scratching right along side you.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it.  Much to Lizzy's, and the veggie starts' chagrin.)  At the end of the evening I usually have to uproot Pirate from her makeshift roost in the woolshed, then you can see me marching across the farm with one chicken under my arm, dutifully being followed by the other three back to the safety and warmth of the coop.  Let me introduce you to the flock...

 "Hen"rietta
The first named bird and the second-most easily recognized chicken.  She has a short-cropped upper beak giving her a severe under-bite look, and is darker in color then the rest.   She is also at the top of the pecking order.  Funny, since she is the smallest of the chickens.

 Pirate
About two weeks ago something happened to her left eye causing it to become discolored and swollen.  We believe she is now blind in it and keeps it closed most of the time.  Hence: Pirate!  She is also our only bird not laying as of yet, and might have a short stay here on the farm.  Neither Lizzy or myself has the heart to dispatch her and we are in discussion as to what to do.

"Chicken" Noodle
Noodle and Henrietta are very seldom seen apart.  She seems to be the most friendly of the girls so far and will follow me all over the place.  Mainly to see what I'm scratching up in the dirt, but she tolerates me playing with her and picking her up all the time.  You can tell her by the single black tail feather she has.

 Charlotte

This lady is the most individually-minded and strong-willed of all the chickens.  Friendly and amiable to humans, tolerant of Betty, but doesn't like to be picked up, pet, or messed with in general.  She is also the most vocal of all the birds, making a wide range of calls and sounds through-out the day.  Also named for my grandma.  I did it out of love!  I swear!

    When I was in Montana, I couldn't stand the chickens on the farm.  There were over 100 of the damnable birds everywhere, in everything, pooping on anything.  The porch, the skidsteer seat, in my shoe.  They were the epitome of my arch-nemesis.  If I could kick one firmly in her feathered backside, I felt just and righteous.  I never wanted a single bird on my future farm.  I have to say, I have changed my tune.  I can't imagine a farm without a couple of these girls running around.  I think all it took was a reduction in numbers and full injection of personality.  The funny bit is that Lizzy's patience with the birds is wearing thin since they get into everything, but she still manages to find compassion for the damn dog.  Myself, give me chickens any day and ship Betty Blue off to the nearest sheep farm. As for the chickenshit, well, we're finding out it's not so worthless or contemptible after all!

Before the "Makeover" and sans fence and grape trellis

Lizzy updating the veggie board

Finished fence, clean beds, chicken helpers, and what's "In Season"

I thought I would also include a little snippet about the veggie beds as well.  Lizzy has been working her rear off in the greenhouse and the upper beds over the past month and it is really paying off!  A few weeks ago we had couple with us from New York Wwoofing and we spent two days going to town weeding, cleaning, and rebuilding the raised beds in the upper garden.  Accompanied by a new fence to keep out the chickens, dog, and rabbits, this has rapidly become the heart of the farm.  Our greenhouse is located here as well and anytime I want to know where my better half is, I don't have far to look.  We are now eating about 2/3 or more of our veggies fresh from the garden.  Click on the picture with the chalkboard for a more detailed view of whats "In Season".  

Here's to your health and till next time!

-Chad