A nicely varied day : }

Morning temp: 58F
Afternoon high: 78F
Tonight's projected low: 57F
Humidity: 77%
Moon: Waxing, 43%
Clear, with a SouthWest wind at 8 mph

1. M made some amazing Whole-Wheat Bread yesterday, and we're making more today! It's entirely Vegan (i.e., contains no animal products), and so lies within my dietary practices. The recipe comes from The Tassajara Bread Book ("Tassajara Yeasted Bread I," pp. 36, 37). M is quite an accomplished cook (I call her a chef, but she doesn't care for this title), and she's walking me through the various stages - kneading, rolling, kneading, pounding, kneading, rolling, rising, baking - so that I can take on the responsibility for the Bread making. Until now, I've only been good at the final stage, eating. She also made some equally amazing Bean Soup, and as we ate it up last night and tonight with Bread and fresh Garden Greens, M pointed out that before too long everything in that meal we would be growing ourselves, even the Wheat, which apparently can be grown in small quantities - in my mind I pictured only vast fields. She also pointed out that while our 1/3 of a Bed of Lettuce cost us about .50 cents in Lettuce seed, we have probably cut about $100-worth of organic Lettuce thus far!

2. I cut a small portion of the lawn, and I'll do a bit more tomorrow. I've noticed that on days that I'm pushing our mower around, I do not need to go to the gym and climb on the elliptical cross-county machine or jog on the treadmill. I've also noticed that our push-mower only runs for about 45 minutes, and then conks out and needs to rest for at least a few hours, if not for the remainder of the day. This of course forces me to take a break from mowing. I find this situation both ironic and helpful because, in the past, my tendency has been to take one piece of work and obsess over it, ignoring other important tasks and wearing myself out in the process. While working on my Master's Thesis, for instance, I would frequently sit at my PC for 12 or more hours a day, for days at a time. Obviously, this is a most unbalanced way of being.

3. The Sweet Potatoes arrived this afternoon, so M planted them! Interestingly, they arrived looking extremely wilted and weak. Apparently, however, they're hardy plants, and can be shipped that way, then replanted and thrive! She also planted basil(Thai, Genovese, Lime), Busho Puerto Rico Sweet Potatoes, "That's Delicious" Corn, Red Seeded Thai Longbeans, PurplePodded Pole Beans, Mexican Gerkin Cucumbers, and Celeriac. All but one of our 10 Beds is now planted!

Looking to the Future: Later this week, J is having two large pine trees taken down. While J himself is very good at felling trees (he grew up in a family of New Hampshire lumberjacks), given the considerable size and proximity to our house of these pines, he's having a professional, fully insured, tree service do the work. No doubt an excellent idea. While self-reliance is virtue, knowing your limitations, and when you need professional assistance, is vital! J suggested that the tree-service-fellows could cut the pines into 8' long sections, leaving me some excellent wood for making posts, beams, shelving and such. I've been waiting for this opportunity for quite a while! In my Homesteading research last Autumn, I discovered a kind of chainsaw attachment that allows you to cut felled trees into lumber! I looked at several models, varying greatly in price from dirt-cheap to thousands of dollars (these are basically portable saw-mills), and have settled on the Haddon Lumbermaker. It costs about $100.00, carries a 30 money-back guarantee and a lifetime warranty (http://www.haddontools.com/). This is an important aspect of our long-term Homesteading plans, so I'm grateful to have an opportunity to what challenges and difficulties are involved.