So, yeah, remember that cute burbling stream we have to cross to get to our house? No? Well, that there is a picture of it. You can just skippety hop over it with barely a thought. After 24+ hours of rain? Wellll, see below for what we encountered when we attempted to leave for provisions (aka wine). Errr, thank goodness we have a chest freezer?
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The Stream. Before. Aaand After.
Well said, Chipotle.
Yes, it’s a commercial. Yes, at one time Chipotle was affiliated with McDonald’s. But regardless of quibbles about the maker of this video, or even the intent (conceivably, to sell more burrito bowls), it is quite well made. And what truly matters, I think, is that it brings eating local and supporting small scale farming to the mainstream eaters. Judging from the YouTube comments, it made at least one or two people lift an eyebrow and say “hmmmm”.
Chicken Nugget Says…
Happy Labor Day! And the rest of us hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday!
PS. Yep, that’s her name…she’s just so tiny, and well, it fits her personality perfectly. 
Spoiled for Choice
Our compost pile might be suffering, but these chickens are living large. Tomatoes, fresh arugula, zucchini, eggplant, rice, oatmeal, even some seaweed sprinkles. They also went Japanese with some peanut butter whole wheat udon noodles. Those were a huge hit, I’ve never seen noodles disappear so quickly.
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Detergent Inspiration
How bout some green living (or back-to-the-land, depending on your terminology of choice) talk. Do you, or have you ever thought of making your own detergent? I have (thought of, that is). As someone with super sensitive skin, seems like a good choice. We already go with the ultra yuppie options…which by the way, highly recommend the Method pump detergent. So convenient and cleans your clothes well too!
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My New Best Friend
Apparently hanging out with the chickens for hours had an unforeseen consequence. Chigger bites. A lot of them. I’ve had my fair share of itch inducing experiences in my life – sun burns, stinging nettles, mosquitoes big enough to carry you away, etc. But this? Let’s just say I wish I had never set eyes on those chickens.
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Introducing: The Ladies
We’ve done it! We have chickens! What has been a dream for Mike for years is now a reality. Why isn’t he writing this, you ask? Well, probably because he hasn’t left their feathery little sides since we picked them up 24 hours ago. It’s pretty cute.
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An Ode to Hot Sauce
Funny thing. Being from Texas, you’d think I was downing hot sauce by the pint before I could even walk. But ya know, I was a heat wuss back in the day. Which is funny, because during that heat wuss period, I lived in Texas (home of jalapenos and salsa) and Louisiana (home of cayenne pepper on EVERYTHING). Boy, did I miss out. Somewhere along the way, my tastes changed and now I LOVE salsa.
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A Big Welcome to Madeline Audrey!
Mike and I are now officially an aunt and uncle to the cutest baby on the planet, Madeline Audrey Hook, Maddie for short. Born last week, she’s already captured quite a few hearts (ours included)!! Just wanted to share our excitement and one of her first baby photos!!
Hurricane Irene Aftermath
We had some crazy clouds and strong winds this weekend from Irene, but nothing too crazy, since we were sheltered in the deep western edges of VA. (Which meant we DID feel the earthquake earlier in the week, wild!) But all of our friends and family in NJ and NY definitely had it worse. This is a picture of our old rental house in NJ, taken by our awesome ex-neighbors who are still living there. The entire basement is flooded and they have no electricity, but they managed to get out there for a photo op!
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