The late bird gets the worm

During the early evening "golden hour" a few days ago, I turned a corner in the yard and surprised a robin in the process of extracting an especially large and juicy worm from the ground. Despite how close I was standing, the robin refused to release the worm. Juuuust as I got the camera out of my pocket and focused, the robin was able to yank the worm free and fly off to the yard fence.

It perched on the fence for a few moments while doing something rather interesting: Instead of flying off with the long worm dangling from its beak, the robin actually looped the worm into a circle for more convenient transportation.

Once this task was accomplished...

...the bird gave me a saucy look and departed to bring the feast to its nestlings.

I'm not sure how the worm felt about it.

High grass

We have a two-acre portion of the pasture the cows have not yet been allowed into (we're trying to let it grow to its maximum potential).

You can see how tall the grass has grown. It's literally hiding the deer.

Within a couple of weeks, the cows will be feasting even more than they already are.

Bots answering bots

Mornings and evenings, I let Younger Daughter's parrot out of her cage for some cage-free time. She spends some of that time flying around to various landing spots in the house, but most of the time she's on my fist while I'm at my computer, preening her feathers and just being sociable.

During these times, since I can't type on the keyboard, I either read the news (morning) or scan through various stupid YouTube videos (evening) ... which is how I found myself watching a best-of-the-month version of "Incredible Moments Caught on Camera" the other day

The video snippets themselves were interesting enough ... but the voice-over narration was abysmal. That's because it was all AI.

Artificial intelligence, as I'm fond of saying, is easy to spot because it conveys a lot of blah-blah nothing. It's fond of multi-syllabic words but somehow fails to impart any real information. Consider a few narratives that accompanied some of the video clips:

• (Regarding seagulls flocking on a beach): "Birds soar in the sky like streaks of freedom carrying hope."

• (Regarding a whale being freed from debris): "The humpback whale was rescued, a moment filled with hope and touching."

• (Regarding the massive and tragic explosion in Beirut): "The entire atmosphere trembled as explosions erupted, and everyone was compelled to turn and observe, pondering the events that had transpired."

• (Regarding a security camera catching tornado damage in the lobby of a business decorated for Christmas): "The Christmas tree and the windows were both devastated by the tornado. Oh no! This holiday season is unquestionably excessively heated. The glass door is likely being refreshed in a manner that no one desires, and the stunning Christmas tree was unable to withstand the forces of nature."

• (Regarding a tornado dark with debris): "Look! a massive black tornado containing a cloud of dust. It resembles a massive vacuum cleaner from the heavens and the earth, but it does not clean. Rather, it causes destruction. Please exercise caution and refrain from approaching."

Honestly, I could have watched it without sound, but the deeper I got into the video, the more comical the AI narration became. It was like verbal diarrhea.

Periodically the AI voice would interrupt itself to urge viewers to "kindly leave a comment in the remarks section below." So, curious, I scrolled down to the comments section. And what did I see?

• "Every second of this was truly breathtaking."

• "I’m always fascinated by the majestic beauty of nature in this video."

• "Who else got goosebumps watching this? Truly incredible!"

• "Absolutely mesmerizing!"

• "Every single moment in this video amazes me."

• "Wow, these moments are truly unbelievable!"

• "Wow, some of these moments are truly unbelievable!"

• "Truly mesmerizing! Every moment captured here is a reminder of how incredible the world can be."

• "These moments make me wonder if I’m dreaming!"

Yes, AI is leaving comments to the AI narration and saying ... blah-blah nothing. Bots answering bots.

(It's also worth noting a couple of irritable comments from real live viewers, to wit: "I've started watching these on mute. The commentary is just so inane. AI voice, pretending to have emotions, telling me what emotions and thoughts I should have... ridiculous." Definitely not AI-generated.)

Artificial intelligence. The wave of the future. Please exercise caution and refrain from approaching.

Miniature chickens

I've been slowly getting garden beds planted. The early birth of little Stormy shifted our focus from the garden infrastructure to the cattle infrastructure, but I'm planting seeds, mulching, and cloching with deer netting as needed. (Currently the garden is unfenced since we were laying in more garden beds.)

Anyway, the newly planted beds were neatly mulched with straw, looking very pretty and organized.

Then yesterday I went into the garden and saw a whole bunch of straw scattered on the ground outside one of the beds. This isn't the first time this has happened.

It's not wind. We haven't had any; and besides, this disorder wasn't affecting every bed, as a high wind would.

The culprits, as it turns out, are the quail. These miniature chickens love to scratch around, looking for good things to eat, and during this industrious behavior they're scratching the straw off the beds and onto the ground.

Last year I noticed they were using one of the strawberry beds for dust baths, which also is behavior shared by chickens.

So far it hasn't been a big deal. They haven't damaged anything or prevented anything from growing. Miniature chickens are just a way of life around here.

Springtime snow

While walking the dog the other evening, Don and I saw "snow" gently wafting through the air.

It wasn't hard to trace the source back to our neighbor's cottonwood tree.

By the next morning, this springtime snow had accumulated along the roadside.

At least this snow doesn't require plowing.

Special day

This is Memorial Day. For obvious reasons, it's a day of somber reflection for those who gave their all.

However it's also a special day for Don and me: It's our 35th anniversary!

It's been three and a half decades since we stood in front of the minister in my parents' backyard and took our vows.

The result has been 35 of rock-solid love and commitment. Together, we've achieved many of the goals we wanted: Wonderful children rural living, independence. But more than that, God gave me the ultimate life-long companion. I don't know why I am so blessed, but there you go.

Ten years ago, on our 25th anniversary, Don surprised me with a love letter he posted on this blog without my knowing. Then, as now, it brings tears to my eyes. Go read it here. It remains one of my most precious gifts.

My biggest prayer is I get to spend another 35 years with this man. Happy anniversary to my dear husband.

Product Review Monday ... on Sunday

I'm pushing Product Review Monday up by a day because I have a special post planned for tomorrow (Monday).

For this week's book review, I'd like recommend "Homestead Tsunami" by the incomparable Joel Salatin.

I quote the Amazon blurb:

From his 66-year farm, food, and family experience, Joel Salatin explains why thousands of Americans are selling their urban homes, cashing out retirement funds, and heading to the country. The exodus is both a goodbye to one life and an embrace of another.

When society breaks down, people head away from the city. For food security, health, and satisfaction, homesteads offer a haven of hope and help when much seems hopeless and helpless.

While fear motivates people to change, only faith sustains. This book offers multiple reasons for modern homestead living. Some are:

• Secure, stable, safe food.
• Healthy, happy children.
• Superior immune function.
• Community and connections.
• Meaningful work.
• Creation stewardship immersion.

Salatin offers the homestead why to those contemplating the jump, those trying to dissuade their friends from jumping, and those who regret having jumped. Despite its sweat and disappointments, homesteading offers incalculable benefits that feed the soul, soil, and spirit.

Homestead Tsunami digs deep into the ethos of today’s best pension plan: living and learning proximate to people who know how to build things, repair, things and grow things. A better life awaits.

I purchased this book last year and let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint. Salatin never does. The guy is legendary in homesteading circles for a very good reason. Highly recommended.

*******

I have another book recommendation, but I hesitate to link it on Amazon because not many copies are available: "Cheaper and Better" by Nancy Birnes, published in 1988. I've owned this book for years, and recently found another copy at a thrift store which I snapped up.

(Check out that 80s hairdo!)

Dated hairstyles aside, Nancy Birnes' book is genius. It offers hundreds of homemade versions of useful things. This is the source of my Irish Cream recipe I frequently make at Christmas. The Table of Contents divides the book into twelve categories:

• Pantry stockers
• Convenience foods
• Snacks and sweets
• Gourmet and gift items
• Beverages, wines, liqueurs
• Health and personal care aids
• Clothing care and closet items
• Gardens, pets, pests
• High-tech toys
• Children's play and rainy-day items
• Craft, holiday, and decorating items 

My only gripe with this book is the Table of Contents doesn't get any more specific about what is included in each category, which is a shame because this book is an incredible resource for homemade versions of everything from copper cleaner to peanut butter to aftershave to fly repellents.

I'm supplying two Amazon links (here and here) for used copies. If you can find this book, new or used, get it.

*******

For this week's product review, I'd like to highlight something I purchased last year: A push-pull hoe.

Similar to a hula hoe, this gardening tool rips out weeds by the roots. I was using it this week and it suddenly hit me that this is a perfect tool to recommend. It's a great help in preparing raised garden beds for planting. If planting in the ground, it can rip out weeds between the rows.

An excellent addition to a homestead or backyard garden.

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)

Stop the presses!

The nearest town puts out a once-a-week newspaper covering regional stories and issues: Businesses, sports, schools, special events. We'll go in every few months and purchase bundles of older papers for $2 each for fire-starters or packing tankards.

I was helping Older Daughter pack some tankards for shipment this week...

...when the headline of a large and prominent article caught her eye: "[Name of grocery store] makes improvements."

Yes, it seems a local grocery store was undergoing renovations, including improved organization,  additional shelving units, and new refrigerator and freezer units, which gave the store the opportunity to expand its inventory (kind of a nice thing when town residents are a long way from bigger chain stores).

Well, I thought it was charming to the point of adorable that this information made the newspaper. Stop the presses! A grocery store is getting new shelving and refrigeration units! There was nothing about drug busts, or strings of murders, or terrorist attacks. Nope, one of the biggest news stories of the week was the local grocery store was making improvements.

Just a slice of life in small-town America.

Passionate about pantries

A couple weeks ago, tired of tripping over things that somehow got stored on the floor, I did a deep clean and reorganization of our pantry. It's always nice to do this, since it increases efficiency and reacquaints me with things that tend to get pushed in back and forgotten.

As always when giving attention to the pantry, I took a moment to step back and give thanks for this space. It's stocked deeply and thoroughly. It allows us to create entire meals without having to dash to the grocery store (an hour's round trip) for any particular ingredient. If we're getting low on something, it gets added to a running list for restocking at a future time.

I was asked to write a piece for Lehman's on the benefits of a well-stocked pantry, which I just sent in. I pitched a follow-up piece on pantry organization, on which I haven't heard back yet. But my enthusiasm to write on the subject made me realize just how passionate I am about pantries.

Interestingly, pantries took off in a BIG way during the COVID lockdowns (dubbed "pantry porn") as people (a) realized the benefits of having an in-home grocery store, and (b) were bored out of their gourds and decided pantry organization was the next Hot Topic. I thought it was great to see so many people get involved in pantries, although I think the trend has fizzled somewhat.

Of course, most of these pantries featured online involved a lot of beautiful organization that wasted a lot of space, at least in my opinion.

These intensely organized pantries may be Instagram perfect, but many don't reflect the reality of active usage. As meals are planned and prepared, things get raided, moved around, rummaged through, restocked, de-stocked, and otherwise used. Many pantries featured in the pantry-porn phase were more for photo ops than practical food storage.

Still, it was a trend I enthusiastically applauded. Pantries are the greatest thing since ... well, sliced bread. (The term "pantry" stems from the Latin word "panna," or bread room)

Our pantry is ugly. It will never be featured on anyone's Instagram feed. But it is perfectly suited to our family's needs, deeply stocked, and critically important, especially since my job loss. Therefore it is dazzlingly beautiful in my eyes.

Book hoarders? Oh please.

An article caught my eye the other day: "Ten Famous Book Hoarders." I mean, how could I resist an article like that?

But something mentioned in the article's intro was disturbing to a bibliophile like me: By some claims, owning as few as 1,000 books tips you over into the category of hoarder.

Further reading, of course, calmed me down. By the examples of book hoarders listed, I am firmly in the category of amateur when it comes to quantity. (I took a hasty count, by the way; currently we stand at about 1,750 volumes, not counting three hefty totes of children's books stored in the barn. I should point out this is considerably fewer than the 5,000+ volumes we used to own.)

Of the book hoarders listed in the article, Karl Lagerfeld tops the list at 300,000 books. Yowza. That's a lot.

Significantly fewer is George Lucas with a comparatively modest 27,000 volumes. Then comes Jay Walker (20,000), Michael Jackson (10,000), Ernest Hemingway (9,000+), William Randolph Hearst (7,000), Thomas Jefferson (6,487), Nigella Lawson (6,000), Harry Houdini (5,000+), and finally Hannah Arendt (4,000). These last few examples strike me as decidedly in amateur territory as far as "hoarding" goes.

Quite how this list of "hoarders" was assembled, with the possible exception of Karl Langerfeld, is anyone's guess, because by no stretch of the imagine are 4,000 volumes a "hoard." Literal book hoarders – the kind featured on reality TV shows – often have hundreds of thousands of volumes, far more than the collections of the people mentioned.

I have books on book collectors (because of course I do) listing historical figures who assembled considerably more volumes than most people on this list. Some wealthy eccentrics in centuries past filled entire mansions floor to ceiling with books (and this at a time when such volumes were comparatively more expensive and difficult to acquire), then boarded up the building and went on to fill another building, then another, then another. That is true book hoarding.

Therefore I would argue that – with the possible exception of Lagerfeld's 300,000 volumes – the rest of the people on the list are book collectors, not hoarders.

That's why I would call myself a collector, not a hoarder. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

How to make decisions?

Years ago, when my book "The Simplicity Primer" was released, I always joked that the whole simplicity movement could be reduced to three words: Make good choices. I stand by that conclusion.

I mean, think it through. How many of our regrets stem from poor choices we made at the time? We make dozens of choices every single day, ranging from the minor ("What should I have for lunch?") to the major ("I think I can make it through this intersection before the light turns red...").

With that in mind, I just read something that makes perfect sense:

"The 10-10-10 Rule can help you make tough decisions. When faced with a choice, ask: How will I feel about this in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 years? You weigh short-term stress against long-term impact. This approach helps you clarify what matters most."

Interesting approach. Very sensible.

Yet despite the benefits from making good decisions, people are in/famous for making bad ones. Why?

Scientists are examining this issue, trying to figure out why people make irrational or downright stupid decisions. At this point, the bottom line is nobody knows. There are competing factors (upbringing, environment, health, impulse control, diet, etc.) that play a part, but no one can determine anything specific.

Whatever scientists find out, it's unlikely to make a difference on individual actions.We're flawed human beings, and as such we will always make poor choices and decisions, and have lots of regrets.

Still, the 10-10-10 rule makes perfect sense. Let's all try applying it. Bottom line, Make good choices. Don't run that yellow light.

Product Review Monday

Have you ever thought what it would be like to live like the Amish? I don't mean just being off-grid or giving up a car; I mean really living like (and with) the Amish?

One man, Eric Brende, and his newlywed wife Mary, did just that ... and wrote about it. They lived for 18 months with a religious group that goes even beyond the Amish in terms of technology (or the lack thereof). Brende's story is called "Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology" and it's an extraordinary read.

I will quote the Amazon blurb:

What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate Eric Brende flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or "hooked to the grid," and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.

Better Off is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier – or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress – and waistlines – and expand happiness, health, and leisure.

This – book – is – incredible. I have read it and re-read and re-read it yet again, numerous times. If you're curious what living with an Amish-like group is like, this is the book to find out.

* * * * *

For our non-book product, I'd like to recommend something I've mentioned before: A manual hydraulic log splitter.

While we're extremely satisfied with our gas-powered log splitter, a concern we've always had at the back of our mind is how we would split wood if gas wasn't available. There seemed to be no other option except the trusty maul and wedge, a prospect that holds less and less appeal as we get older. (For those who think splitting firewood is easy, keep in mind hardwoods such as oak or maple split very easily; softwood conifers, which dominate Idaho, do not.)

So when we found this manual hydraulic log splitter, we knew we'd found the missing link between splitting by hand and splitting with a gas engine, and immediately ordered one. It has performed exceptionally well.

A manual hydraulic splitter is just a bottle jack in a horizontal position, with two levers for applying the hydraulics. Its only limitation is with very large rounds, which are beyond its capacity. Of course it's not as fast as a gas-powered splitter, but it has the compensating virtues of being much, much quieter. 

The splitter weighs about 80 lbs. and is easily transported on a hand truck.

The gas-powered log splitter is still a better choice for large quantities of wood and/or huge rounds; but having a manual hydraulic splitter is a superb backup, especially for those of us who depend on wood heat.

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)