Tragedies both near and far, a good reason not to put things away for good!

My heart goes out to those people in California who are dealing with the horrendous fires, and their aftermath.  It beggers belief that someone can deliberately begin fires as it seems may have happened in California, and often here.  It is devastating as we in Australia know and can share.

Closer to our home in the winds I mentioned (Sunday our time) a little home a way up the road (9kms) was demolished by a gum(eucalyptus) tree falling on it.  Fortunately the lady who only built her home 3 years ago was not there at the time, she is away and the police are trying to find her to let her know what has happened.  Not only her home demolished but one would imagine many of her possessions, her treasures are destroyed also by the damage and the rain.

When I was young my family lost both business and the home we lived in (a flat above the business) in a fire, very little was salvagable.  My teddybear was saved but had a very smokey smell for many months no matter how often he had a bath.  My mother had all her treasures you know the things we put aside for good, or for later on.  Some of her treasures were from my parents wedding and she had not used them, they were gone.
For me the lesson I have learnt is to not have things put up and only used occasionally.  I try to enjoy and appreciate the things I have not store them away for best or later.   I have too much as my DH would nod in agreement.  We use things as much as possible.  If something gets cracked or was broken, it may be sad, and we might feel a bit bad for a little while, but then we know we have used it and enjoyed using it.

I was out weeding my vegie garden beds today.  There has been no rain for two days now.  This opportunity was too good to miss.  Whilst the ground is still very wet, it makes pulling deep rooted weeds out easy, the onion grass, and general weeds are also coming out with very little effort. Only problem is that these clumping styles of weeds pull out quite a lot of soil too.  My vegie garden has been so weedy, I am almost positive it is from the sheep and horse manure I have been using as fertilliser.  Plus we have onion weed(at least that is what I call it, has bulbs growing and these spread and form more clumping grass.  I hate the thought of ever using some of the weed killers out there particularly around my vegie beds.  I would love any suggestions on how to get rid of this one.  Though I feel that pulling it is the only way.

I also discovered that I have been picking beetroot leaves, which I thought were coloured silver beet leaves.  I discovered this as I was clearing an area, that I must have just popped seed in. Again no labels..I have to be so much better organised, anyways these beetroots were the bullring kind and they sadly due to my ignorance have gone woody, or have I picked them too early.  I am not the best gardener and just put things in in the hope they will grow, at least that has been my past ways. I am working on changing this.  They were quite large, several weighing in at over 300gms each.  They have very little colour on the inside, but you can make out the rings.  I have decided not to do anything with them as I have obviously left them in the ground too long which is a shame.

Well I am looking at the garden and working out where to plant the spring plantings and summer crops also those that take along time to grow so my plan of action book is getting a bit of a workout.  I must say it did feel great to be in the garden.  Even if I was covered from head to toe almost in mud.  The wonderdog has decided he must jump the fences and join me in the vegie garden bed.  So re-fencing the vegie plot is second to the chook run.  Oh yes what has happened to the chookie tajmahal?  It is there waiting for the girls to arrive!  Well I have read the article below, and for me it has been of great interest.
http://www.aussieslivingsimply.com.au/articles/theethicsbehindpoultry.pdf

I do not buy hybrid seeds so am not really wanting to buy hybrid chooks that tend to have unhappy lives as they are generally bred to go into intensive chook farming/egg production.  I know many people have happy free range isa browns. This is just my preference and I am growing to like the idea  of having pure bred chooks as I grow pure seeds.  I did consider buying some from a poultry farm, they wanted $25ea and they had, had their beaks cut.  Whilst on one hand  I felt this was a positive step to save some of these poor battery hens, on the other buy buying them I am actually supporting an industry that I do not support.  I dont buy battery eggs, I buy free range chickens for meat.  So for me it is about my personal opinions and the treatment of animals in humane manner. Okay off my soap box.
Oh and I was amazed to see some chooks being sold as pullets whose legs were so thick they must have been at least 12 months old if not older.  Hmmmm.  I am thinking about New Hampshires and maybe another breed.   Anyone with any suggestions please share.