Coop! There It Is!

I finished the coop last weekend.  It turned out really well I think.  We used pretty cheap materials so I don't think it will really stand the test of time but should last us a couple of years.  The cost breakdown comes to $2/2x4 (x11) and $6/sheet of plywood (x6).  Also had to buy thinks like wood screws, a new drill (yay me!), hinges and other things to finish.  We had the paint so that didn't cost.  Over all I really like how it came out, especially since I've never attempted anything like this before and didn't have any real plans besides what was in my head.

Xander's testing it out for the chickens.

Backyard Chickens

First off, I should mention that I’m home enjoying some R&R for a couple more days. I’ll post more on that later. Anyway, Holly and I have got it in our minds to try and have some chickens. Friends of ours have some and that just encouraged us to go ahead with it and do it ourselves. So we’re going to buy 3 chickens from our “egg lady” that a full grown and ready to lay. And since we already have a run set up, I just need to build a coop for them. After looking online and in books for easy step-by-step instructions, I just decided to take what others had done and make my own design.

It’s simple and not pretty but it should meet our needs. If anyone has suggestions please let me know. I should be going to get materials in the next day or so and I’ll post again when things are up and running.

I've Got a Secret

In my line of work I come across the occasional bit of privileged information, like where the Star Gate is buried, and if I told you… well you know.  However I’ve come across a particular secret that is so vital to our way of life, I feel compelled to share with you all regardless of the consequences.

What I’ve discovered is a Government sanctioned program that, if fully implemented, will save you money, help you lose weight, and greatly improve your diet.  When used as a recreational activity it can provide you with unique quality time with you family while enabling you to get outdoors.  Also, partaking will help protect the environment and promote diversity.  It can be used as a backup plan in these economically unstable times and this program supports personal spirituality as well.

So here is the vital secret (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY): Start a garden!

Governments have been promoting Victory Gardens since WWI in the US and elsewhere.  If you grow a majority of your own food, you will easily save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars a year, especially considering what it costs for organic produce.  Digging in your garden, watering, weeding, and walking it 30 minutes a day, a couple of times a week will burn more calories than most of the Oprah-recommended exercise routines not to mention save you that $50 a month in gym membership.  You’ll have fresh, organic, whole fruits, vegetables and herbs at your beckon call most of the year (and if you’re canning, even longer).

Gardening allows one to get outside in the sunshine (getting some vitamin D in the process) and enjoying the fresh air.  It can be a family affair with each person helping to the level their age, ability and know-how dictates.  By getting your veggies locally, you cut down on the need for consumption of fuel by the machines used to harvest it as well as the trucks that move it from far away to your doorstep.  When you choose what to plant you can diversify the types of varieties of food you eat (there are around 7500 different kinds of tomatoes for instance) which helps stave off pests and parasites that can threaten an entire species.

Knowing that you have a readily available supply of food, even if it’s in small quantities, out your backdoor or tucked away in cans in your pantry can give you a little bit of comfort when that paycheck doesn’t seem like it’s ever enough.  And, possibly the most important lesson I’ve learned, gardening gives a very real since of accomplishment out of life and an improved appreciation of how great God is and how awesome it is to watch His miracles at work.

So if you haven’t already, start a garden today, thank me later.  Even if you have nothing but a window sill that gets a little sun, do something.  For those with a yard of some sort I would actually recommend digging up a small section, 5x5 or even 3x3, something, and start growing dinner.  I think nearly everyone who puts the time in will be really impressed with the results, both in food and personal betterment.  For information on getting started look for a community garden in your area, or just poke around the Internet, it can be useful sometimes too.

The Passing of a National Hero

I found out recently that a hero of mine passed away.  For anyone who’s ever watched an episode of Band of Brothers, you should have heard the name of Maj Richard "Dick" Winters.  After I first watched it I instantly respected the man (who usually himself gave personal accounts of events at the beginning of each episode) and all of the men and women who fought in WWII.  Since first watching the series I’ve watched it again at least a half dozen times (I now own a copy), bought and read the book by Steven Ambrose that inspired the series, as well as the accompanying book by Dick Winters himself.  I’m actually reading the Band of Brothers again while I’m deployed.  The words of Maj Winters’ men exalting his leadership and the words of Winters himself on the subject have shown me what leadership is and how I can learn to exude those qualities of the Greatest Generation.

I’ve never met the man but he has my respect and honor.  Never before or since had our nation faced such a threat as these men and they risked everything to defend it.  Rest in Peace Maj Winters.  “Currahee”!

You can read Maj Winters’ Wikipedia page HERE and his obituary HERE.

Confessions of a Drug User

I have a confession.  I’ve started using a new drug.  And I’m not just talking about my long standing addiction to caffeine; no I mean the real hard stuff.  That’s right folks—Tobacco.  I’ll wait for your condemnation and damnation to subside.

As I’ve hinted at before in my blog and have mused about in person, I’ve thought about picking up pipe smoking for several years now.  I realized it’s an odd aspiration, sucking in the fumes of burning dead plant matter, but for some reason the thought of it had taken a hold of me.  There was some romanticism in the idea of leaning back in an easy chair next to the fire or rocking out on my front porch on a nice night, slowly sipping a bowl while my children, or grandchildren, scurry around.  As far as I can remember I’ve never had anyone in my life that smoked the pipe but when I first got the tobacco, the smell triggered nostalgic memories of hardwood and leather.

                                      Mark Twain

Health Effect

 “But Chris” you say, “what about the health risks associated with smoking?”.  It’s true that the Surgeon General warns that tobacco use of any kind poses significant health risks over time.  However those studies lump chewing, cigarettes, pipes, and cigars all in the same category and thus apply the same level of risk.  But studies that have examined pipe smoking specifically have found that pipe smokers, especially those who do not inhale, actually live longer than their NON-SMOKING counterparts.  I tend to believe it’s similar to the effect of owning a cat.  It’s relaxing and thus the body experiences less stress.

                                                                               Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Hobby vs. Habit

“But Chris, but Chris, aren’t you a hypocrite for criticizing cigarette smoking for so long?”.  Pipe smoking is not an addiction for me, I’ve never had a craving to light up, and it definitely wasn’t because the “cool” kids were doing it.  Going to smoke is a deliberate act that takes a bit of planning to make happen as I don’t walk around with all of my pipe paraphernalia.  Most cigarette smokers require several 15 minute breaks throughout the day, going through a pack or two in the process, otherwise they get quite unbearable.  Smoking a good bowl take about 30-45 minutes so imagine I left work for that long on my break.  I can purchase a bag of my preferred blend for about $20 and have it last a month or more because I only go out once or twice a week where as a cigarette addict spends $40 on a carton that’ll last a week if they’re casual smokers.

                               Clark Gable 

My Conclusion

I’ve been using a pipe now for about two months and I really enjoy it.  I don’t know if it’s something in the tobacco or if the sheer act of reclining with my feet up in the open air, listening to some light jazz under the stars, but the whole process is very relaxing.  I’ll get strange looks from passersby but more often than not it’s not a look of ridicule but more of curiosity and even at times of admiration.  It’s a little unusual.

I didn’t pick up pipe smoking because it was manly, but because it was something I wanted to do.  While I have a somewhat regular routine here that will obviously be changing when I go home.  Holly and I will have to sit down and discuss when, where, and around whom I will be smoking.  I obviously don’t see anything wrong with an adult smoking the pipe but as I’d mentioned previously I have little eyes watching all that I do.  I don’t know how I feel about my little one’s imitating Dad’s smoking (or drinking a beer for that matter) although I do remember having a bubble pipe when I was a wee lad so I guess it’s not that weird.  It’s something we’ll have to sort out later I guess.  I leave you with this:

"I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs. "

–Albert Einstein, upon joining the Montreal Pipe Smokers Club. (1950)

Quote of the Week

‎”The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
–G. K. Chesterton

Deployment Dialog – Day 133

We sometimes play the game “What Do You Miss” when we need a good topic to mull over.  The most common answer among the guys (well second I suppose to the obvious one, sex) is food.  I can’t wait to get back and get my hands on some real Mexican food, or some sushi, or Jason’s Deli.  Mmmmmmmm…………..  Anyway, there are many things I miss in addition to my wonderful family and the afore mentioned items.  Here’s just a few in no particular order:

·         Fire.  Making one, sitting by it, having the weather outside be cold enough to warrant one.  A fire sounds nice.

·         Coming home to little cries of “DADDY!” from the other end of the house.

·         The commute to work.  Drinking my coffee and rocking out, laughing, praising, arguing, or just relaxing to the radio.

·         The smell of Holly’s homemade bread engulfing the house.

·         Gardening.  I know I’ll make it home just in time to get our garden going for this year but I miss the planning and preparing part that we would have begun already.  Holly’s making me jealous because she’s helping her mother start their garden now in New Mexico.  I had a random desire the other day for the smell of the gardening store.

·         Cooking.  Making a meal from scratch and all the work and care that go into it.  Picking the right ingredients (especially from our garden) and chopping, stirring, tasting, and enjoying.  Along the same lines—

·         Grilling.  This never used to hold that much appeal for me.  It seemed like too much work to get the grill going, prep the food, take it outside, stand in the heat, etc, etc.  However, after getting a grill and using it for a while, really like the distinct flavors and dishes I’m able to make.

·         The farmers market.  Again, I’ll be able to participate in the one this coming summer but I missed out on the fall one so it’ll be a whole year since the wonders of the market.

·         Garage saleing.  I rarely find something for myself when we go but occasionally I find that one thing that makes it all worthwhile.  Plus, quality time with the fam.

·         My Church.  I told Holly soon after I got here that I realized we’d been spoiled for the last few years by Church at Red River.  The chapel doesn’t hold a candle to what we have there, neither Pastor Troy’s engaging lessons nor the warm faces every Friday night and Sunday morning.

I could go on but you get the idea.  I’m ready to go home.  I have roughly 49 days left and counting.