Drivel - Make Hay While The Sun Shines

Finally, finally I'm getting some sunny days, well at least the mornings. But the rain isn't starting until late afternoon which means that I'm getting a chance to get things done. High priority has been getting the mowing done. This summer has been unusually warm and wet. The grass is growing at an amazing pace. So all my extra time is being spent mowing and chopping with the machete. By evening I'm far too tired to kick my brain into gear for blogging. Give me a few more days and I'll have the majority of the grass temporarily under control. 

Drivel - Relaxation

I sometimes have a hard time getting to my relaxation time. Sure, I'm busy. Sure, unexpected things come up that can take up time that I haven't budgeted. But the downright truth is that I get myself so involved with some current project that I don't want to let it go. And worse yet, something else comes along that grabs my interest and I add it to my project list. Before I know it, I have 30 hours of things to do during a 24 hour day. Happens all the time. 

I've chatted with other people, not just farming types, that really like their jobs and enjoy working at them for hours and hours every day. Back in the 70's, I knew several people who worked 12-15 hour days at their jobs, people who really got into their work. Yes, they weren't married. Or should we say, they were married to their work. I'm guilty too though I wasn't that bad. 12 hour days for me were not rare. I had a husband who was very, very unhappy when those days happened, so I kept them from being the routine. But if I hadn't been married, I too would have routinely worked 12 hour days. I loved what I was doing for a living. 

Now that I'm getting the opportunity to explore different aspects of homestead farming, I'm finding that I love doing this too. Without some sort of outside controls, I'd be at it from sunrise to sunset. Hubby is not my only moderator. Happily I also have friends who get me to take breaks. Friends like the one pictured below......

Yup, it's break time. Time for relaxation and socialization. A visit to a common friend's house to celebrate a birthday, share food and conversation, and a nice soak in the hottub. 

Rabbit Wives Tales & Myths

..."the rabbit died" 

Before pregnancy tests could be purchased at the drugstore, determining if a woman was pregnant involved injecting a female rabbit with the woman's urine, then several days later killing the rabbit to look for changes in its ovaries. The rabbit ALWAYS died, but somewhere along the line the idea of the rabbit dying became synonymous with pregnancy, not just the test. Thus if a woman was pregnant, one would say, "The rabbit died." 

...lucky rabbit foot

Carrying a rabbit foot in one's pocket was thought to ward off evil spirits and thus bring luck. Not so lucky for the hapless rabbit. 

...rabbit, rabbit, rabbit

Said three times upon wakening on the first of each month, it was suppose to give you luck. I think I got this from my grandfather who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and lived part of his childhood in England. While my great aunts said "rabbit", grandpop said it should be "white rabbit" because it was the rare white rabbit that was lucky. 

...only eat rabbit in the months with an R in it. 

This most likely applied to wild caught rabbit and probably had something to do with parasites being most prevalent during the summertime. Our ancestors had to deal with parasites and diseases without the benefit of modern medicine, so anything they could learn about keeping healthy could be important. But alas they lived with many misconceptions too. Today's domestic rabbits are fine to eat anytime of the year. 

...white rabbits are deaf

Not true. I've overheard people say that the pink eyed white rabbits are blind. Also not true. 

...cabbits are a cross between a cat and a rabbit

There is no such thing as a cabbit.  Cats and rabbits cannot breed together and produce any offspring. If you see a hopping tailless cat, it has a deformity, most likely spinal bifida. 

...rabbits live off eating carrots

"What's up, Doc." Sadly, many baby pet bunnies have died because of this myth. Rabbits are primarily grass and herb eaters. Roots, veggies, and fruits make up a small potion of their diet. 

...domestic rabbits can breed and produce babies with cottontails and jackrabbits (a hare). 

False. While they might mate, they cannot produce offspring. I've had people swear that they breed domestic rabbits and cottontails together, but it's simply impossible to get baby rabbits from such matings. 

...A female rabbit has two uteruses so she can be pregnant with two litters at the same time. She will give birth to one litter but hold off on the second until the first is weaned. Thus she can produce multiple litters from one mating. 

Partially true. The female has two uterine horns, each with its own cervix that joins the vaginal body. The organ looks like the letter Y. A pregnant rabbit usually has fetuses present in each horn. ALL the fetuses are born at the same time. None are held in reserve. Therefore the doe doesn't produce multiple litters from one mating. But add to that the fact that she can get pregnant again if mated right after giving birth, it just seems like she has a second litter ready to go inside her already. 

...pick up a rabbit by its ears

Ouch! No way! While gently holding their ears might help calm some rabbits while being held, absolutely no way should they be picked up or restrained by their ears. 

There's probably plenty of other myths and misconceptions about rabbits out there, but these are the ones I've heard most often. 

Chickens, a Gateway "Drug"

Chickens are a gateway animal. I'm convinced of that. I've been watching people who get one or two chickens...just for fresh breakfast eggs they say...and before long things get dirty. Dirty like in compost, gardens, livestock and manure. 

--Kris got two banties for eggs. Now he's growing beans, lettuce, tomatoes. 

--Patrick bought two red sex link pullets from me. Now he's built a small raised bed for veggies and a pen for raising a piglet. 

--Herb bought a few chicks two years ago. Now he's got a beehive, more chickens, and a fledgling vegetable garden. He's also put in some fruit trees. 

--Mitch started out with 6 pullets and now raises his own lamb. He just planted a small orchard of bananas and papayas. 

--Judy started out with a few chickens then planted some banana trees. Now she's got a 2 acre orchard of assorted fruits plus a couple of raised beds for veggies. 

--Liz moved into a place that had a couple hens running around. The farming bug bite her hard. She now has fruit trees, gardens, coffee, sheep, turkeys, and farm dogs.

See what happens if you let a few chickens hang around. It must be some sort of virus that those dang chickens are carrying. Before long you go a bit crazy and start adding other farmy stuff. It gets to be addictive. 

Yup, for sure ....they're a gateway drug, oops I mean, gateway livestock. Get a few chickens and you don't know where your life will be heading next. It will be out of your control. Before long you'll be lusting after seed catalogs, buying rolls of livestock wire for making pens, comparing the ingredients lists of feed bags. You're ruined for life. You'll never be content to live in the city ever again. 

Feeding the Rabbits, Homestead Style

I've been working out a diet list for the rabbits, trying to figure out what and how much of the local feed stuffs they will eat. So not to have raging hunger interfere with the results (heck, I think I'd eat cardboard if I was really hungry), I've been making sure that they have constant access to hay cubes. 

Items offered so far that they will eat.....

...cucumbers & the leaves 

...bananas, leaves, and cut up trunk

...strawberries & the leaves

...papaya

...apples

...tomatoes, ripe or green

...carrot tops & roots

...anything in cabbage family (cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, etc)

...any of the bok choy types

...celery, stalks & leaves

...oranges & tangerines (I remove the rind) 

...sugar cane, cut up and split

...radish & daikon, leaves & roots

...turnips, leaves & roots 

...mango fruit

...lettuces

...seeds and pulp from pumpkins and winter squash

...flesh of pumpkins and winter squash, but they are not crazy about it

...zucchini squash

...fresh corn on the cob, they will eat the cob too

...beets & the leaves

...chard

...sweet potatoes & the leaves

...pipinola leaves and fruits

...thimbleberry leaves

...young leaves of pumpkin and squashes

...false staghorn fern, young leaves- not crazy about it but they will eat a bit

...ginger leaves, they will eat some but not a lot. They like the white ginger flowers. 

...dill

...parsley

...various basils

...mint

...cilantro

...green bean leaves

.. honohono grass 

...greenleaf desmodium 

...mamaki leaves

...plantain (the weed)

...ti leaves

...guava fruit

...oregano

...yacon leaves

...rose bush trimmings

I'm still in the process of trying foods. So the list will grow.

Next on the list to offer: 

...cooked taro corm

...star fruit

...papaya leaves

...string beans

...peas

...pea vines

Things they've rejected or barely nibble include:

...molasses grass

...kikuyu grass

...guava leaves

...mango leaves

...guinea grass

Bummer. I've got a LOT of that stuff growing around here. 

Some of the things on the "will eat" list they really like, such as cucumbers, apples, parsley, cabbage.   Other things they just eat a little at a time, such as ginger, ti leaves, banana trucks. And I've noticed individual preferences. While some of the rabbits will eat every bit of honohono offered, others will only eat a couple tips. Since I've just started this, I don't know if there are any seasonal differences. I'm aware that some plants are more preferred at different times of the year. So that will be something I will discover in time. 

Walking Stick Insect

Here in Hawaii I've seen one variety of the walking stick insect. 

With the advent of plenty of rain this year, I've been seeing more of them on the farm than usual. But the only place I regularly find them is in the unmowed grass. 

Walking sticks are herbivores. That means, they eat plants. I don't know exactly which plant these particular guys prefer, but it's something in the meadows. I haven't found them in any of my flower beds or veggies so far. Technically I guess they would be classified as a pest, though I don't believe they are causing me any problem. But I'm sure some grass or weed isn't too happy getting munched on. 

I know that some species of walking sticks will eat plants that people deem valuable, but I suspect that the type we have in Hawaii prefers grass or a weed of some sort. They seem harmless to me, and I find them to be rather interesting. In fact, I think they're pretty cool. Their fragile thin legs are amazing. When these insects are disturbed they will often fold up, looking all the world like a dried bit of dead grass. When push comes to shove, they will fly off. They are not the best fliers, but they can manage to flutter several feet away. The approach of my lawnmower prompts them to take wing. 

Walking sticks are one of the multitude of things that make my homestead fun. I smile every time I see one. 

Being Prepared on a Homestead?

I find myself living at a time of uncertainty. Will life remain stable? Or will our government or society collapse? Reading the news I see where there have been places around the world where daily life quite rapidly deteriorated, going down the tubes practically overnight. Surely within the span of a month or so. Not just financial collapse, loss of savings and pensions, but real chaos. It's astounding how quickly lawlessness develops. Looting. Riots. Rapes. Genocide. Young men quickly form roving gangs of marauding thugs. This not only happens where governments collapse or civil wars break out, but also where climatic disasters occur (ex. Hurricane Katrina). Just recently a section of our island was hit by Hurricane Iselle. Those people had an up front education about being cut off from help, being isolated, and having to fend off looters. Aahh, doom & gloom. 

I see that one of the main reasons people cite for being interested in self sufficiency is a fear or expectation of society collapse. They figure that they will simply grow their own food, then all will be well and they will survive. People email me to assure me that I will survive whatever the future dishes out. Seldom do they consider those other aspects of collapse...the roving lawless gangs who will attempt to steal one's equipment, livestock, and crops. Who will gleefully kick you off your farm, rape, torture and kill for the fun of it. Gosh, more in your face doom & gloom. 

Sounds like fun, eh? So you don't think it could happen? Think Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambawie, Iraq, etc. Collapse and vicious aggression happens quickly. Think government sponsored aggression - Syria, Tibet, Palestine.  Think what happened in the aftermath of Katrina. 

Doom and gloom. Doom and gloom! 

Rather than hiding my head in the sand, saying it couldn't happen here......or going the opposite route by stockpiling an arsenal, there are a few things I can do. Prepare to some degree. Have some food, water, cash, and supplies stockpiled. Arms and ammo too, for sure. Perhaps have a hidden cellar for storage or for short term hiding. If not a separate cellar, then perhaps a hidden room or attic. Have firearms and be willing to use them. Learn how to use them before you need them. Know how to make basic defense weapons from scratch. Keep a bug out kit. Have an evacuation plan. Keep some big watchdogs. Dogs aren't a fail safe, but they help. Keep a nice assortment of basic tools and general supplies. Keep cash accessible. Banks will shutdown as soon as chaos breaks out. 

I know a person who survived the Khmer Rouge by having the skill of farming. Knowing how to grow food for the enemy saved her family's lives although life was decidedly unpleasant until they were able to escape. Even after escape, life was terrible until they could immigrate. Being persistent eventually paid off. 

Other factors I think that can help survive a collapse:

...having basic survival knowledge and skills.

...have a warning system. Barking dogs. Something that makes noise if triggered -- a driveway alarm, or even a simple string strung and attached to tin cans, etc. Boobytraps. 

...paying attention to what is developing around you. Trying to evacuate too late traps many people. 

...be persistent and don't give up. Some people have survived horrible situations by being ready when an opportunity came along. 

...stay optimistic. Keep a good attitude and sense of humor. Real hard to do when chaos ensues, but survivors tend to have these qualities. 

...don't panic. It kills. Try to keep your emotions detached if possible. 

...be willing to defend yourself. Otherwise guaranteed you WILL be the victim. 

Nothing will completely protect you other than luck. But luck's not something one can buy or store. Oh here I go again....doom & gloom. 

As I've said, I don't see myself as a prepper or survivalist. But it surely doesn't hurt to be prepared. As the people who lived in the aftermath of Hurricane Iselle learned, having two weeks worth of drinking water, food that doesn't require cooking, medical supplies, pet food, and basic living supplies is a real good idea. Having cash hidden someplace at home is very beneficial. Some people wisely choose to load up on gasoline which came in real handy for generators and chainsaws. Being prepared got many people through this crisis. 

So you say, "Ok Su, how is this about your homesteading experience." Lets say that the whole idea of homesteading has made me prepared. No, I don't have a year's worth of food, but I have enough for a month plus the means to grow more. I can produce much of my own seed stock. I can produce meat and eggs. I can cook and heat water using resources on the farm. I'm learning to use local medicinal plants to supplement my medical supplies. Plus I'm starting to cultivate them. I'm on solar to generate my own power. If gasoline becomes scarce or unavailable I can continue to garden using hand tools, plus having developed methods to create my own fertilizers. I have the means to collect rainwater for the garden and the house. I have the knowledge to build pedal powered tools. I am part of a community and trading network. I have chosen an area where I can survive without having to deal with climate extremes. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, so I've got a giant volcano in my backyard. That's easier to deal with than a crazy government or war. 

Nothing will protect me if total chaos breaks out. But having access to enough cash will at least give me the opportunity to buy transportation away. 

What I am prepared for is local temporary problems. Like the hurricane that just hit. Like Mauna Loa erupting. Like serious inflation / depression.