ROBIN HOBB

Yesterday, Feb 1, six writers gathered at the 35617 S R 507 S in McKenna WA.  We were a diverse group, with backgroiunds in film, theater, gaming, mainstream and fantasy writing.  But it was a very congenial group, and I was pleased at how quickly lap tops were opened and the writing commensed.

As mentioned before, the idea is to provide a space where writers of any ilk can find a couple of distraction free hours to work.  Today I was down there by myself from 1-4, and I was very pleased at how much work I got done on my edits of a first draft.  Coffee, tea and cookies were available, but I could not suddenly decide to run the vacuum or do a load of laundry, or any of hte other tasks I give myself when I get stuck on a project.  I made a great deal of forward progress.

If you live in the vicinity of McKenna (Or don't mind a long drive!) and would like to know when the room is open, please send me an email at Robinhobb@robinhobb.com and I will add you to the mailing address.  At this time, it looks as if Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the best times for people to gather.  But there will also be hours when I am just there working alone, and if anyone wants to come and silently work at the same table, that would be fine.  

The space there continues to evolve and I hope it will become more pleasant as time goes by.

My other projects this week are to learn more about beekeeping.  I have a hive box now, and extra boxes to add on top as the hive prospers. (I hope!)  My next step is to order bees.  I can just order a box of bees to put in the hive, and give them food and so on until they establish themselves.  Or I can order a nuc.  That is where I buy several frames that have some honey and brood in them already, and some bees and a queen that has already made a mating flight.  Tomorrow there is another meeting of the Pierce County Beekeeping Association and I hope to attend and learn enough to make a valid decision.

If feels odd to be ordering flower seeds and thinking of bees when she just had our first snowfall.  It wasn't deep, and it melted off the roads almost immediately.  But I do think we are going to have a prolonged winter this year.  The weather man says that the nights are going to continue to drop down below freezing.  I'm goimg throug a lot of birdeseed and chicken feed keeping my birdfeeders and chicken troughs full.  

Currently, my evenings entertainment is writing to my congressional senators and representatives, and any other politician that I think is doing a good job.  I like to send real letters, but I encourage anyone who wants to share thoughts with any government official to send a letter or an email.  It's very satisfying to think that my lone voice might be heard, and in some way encourage people who are working long hours for their constituency.  

And I've nothing else to share.  So it's time to shut the laptop and plan tomorrow.  I hope you all had good days today!

Well, this should not sound like Doom and Gloom and Portents of Calamity.  But I'd like to tell you a bit about how Fred and I maintain a lot of self-sufficiency.

First, the Chickens.  When we bought this place years ago, it came with a flock of chickens we named the Motley Crew, as they were all sorts.  We named the two roosters Chicky Noodle and Pacho Villa.  And there were 25 Buff Orpington chicks in a brooder in the bathroom.  Yes, it was that kind of a house.  

So in a short time we had excess of 40 chickens and a very steep learning curve.  

Eggs and Meat (as in chicken) is not going to get any cheaper any time soon.  And it will never be as cheap as it once was.  That's how things work.  They never go back to being the price they once were. Avian Influenza is not going to vanish.  It's a fact of our lives now.

  Now, if you take the path I've chosen, eggs will be cheaper than what you will pay at the store. But not free.  And your meat supply will be cleaner because you will keep it that way, every day of the animal's life. I do no hormones, no pesticides or herbicides anywhere near the chickens, and everything as clean and natural as I can keep it.   

 We have a flock of 9 hens and a rooster named Red.  Some of the hens are a bit old but we get from four to 9 eggs a day.  We supply ourselves, our extended familiy and some of our neighbors. They have a nice, tight chicken house, with clean litter.  They come and go outside as they please, in a very large open pen.   

Our favorite source for chicks is Murray McMurray hatchery.  We have used them for years.  I order chicks in batches of 25, some for eggs and some for meat.  They come to the post office ina box, we bring them home and put them in a brooder.  We always order them vaccinated against pullorum.  A brooder can be as simple as a box or tub, and a heat-producing bulb in a clamp on fixture. Clean water, chick-starter from the local hardware or farm store, and you are off.  They CAN be kept in your bathroom, but I don't recommend it.  A garage or outbuilding that is safe from mice, rats, cats etc and in a few weeks, they will have feathers and be too big for the brooder.  That is when you will need a tightly built chicken house and a generous pen.  Don't go too small with either of those.  More room means you can keep them cleaner and safer.  I feed mine a mixture of cracked corn and pellet. Any vegetable waste from the household goes to them as well. 

This is obviously a very short summary and if you are thinking about it, it's best to go to the library and check out a few books on chicken keeping.  Some cities say you can keep chickens in your back yard, usually four, but no rooster.  Check your local regulations before you get in too deep.  Remember that cats, dogs and curious kids can be a hazard to them.

I'm not going to talk about turning birds into meat here, except to say that we get much better meat than any I could buy at the store.

Vegetables.  They are going to cost more, too.  If you have any dirt of your own, you should, in my opinion, buy garden seeds now and plan your garden.  Seeds are going to be in more demand as people realize that food prices are not going to come down. Vegetable starts from the nursery are also going to cost more as demand goes up. A lawn is something you water, feed and cut, and then do it again.  If you devote a portion of what was lawn to vegetables, you will water, feed and harvest and eat.  If you don't have a yard, but have a balcony, a lanai or a sunny windowsill, you can still grow a few things.  In some places, you can apply for an allottment or a garden plot.    

I am making my garden 1/3 larger this year.  I will be making some of my acreage available to extended family if they want to tend a garden plot of their own.   

It's a lot of work.  The food you will grow is far from free, but it will be clean and taste better than anything you can buy in the store.  As you get good at it, your plants will produce more and the cost per tomato or bean will go down.

The library is your friend for learning about growing your own food.  I recommend a TV show called Gardeners World. A big book called Organic Gardening is very good.  I am sure there is stuff on YouTube but that isn't my cup of tea.  

But for now: If you are going to try growing food, buy your seeds now.  If you are considering chickens for eggs or meat, begin your research now.  

I fear that food prices are going to soar and that there are hard times ahead.  I sincerely hope I am wrong.

Another cold day in the Pacific Northwest!  My dogs like to get me up early.  Being poked with a nose at 5 AM is not unusual.  But more often they allow me to sleep until 6.  I've found I don't mind getting up so early.  The night sky is still full of stars, the house is quiet and it's a nice time for a hot cup of coffee and planning out the day.

The usual chores: Fill the bird feeders, feed the chickens, ducks and geese.  A walk down to the river.  

Than, a drive up to Seattle and University Book Store. Traffic was bad, as always.  It was so good to see Duane back in the store!  He has been gone for weeks due to a foot injury.

I was startled by the transformation of the basement.  The store is 're-expanding' into it's old space, and the lower level is now full of all the addictive things that writers lover:  Fancy pens.  Markers.  Sharpies in all colors. Notebooks.  Cute notebooks, serious notebooks.  Write In The Rain notebooks. Moleskines.   Paper.  Lots of kinds of paper!  And art supplies of all kinds.  Brushes, paints, stuff I don't know the names of.  In short, a wonderland. A visit is recommended if you are in Seattle.

Not to mention all the books on the main floor!

Then we went to the new book signing room, and I tried not to be cowed by the immense supply of Bridgerton books just waiting for Julia Quinn to come in and sign.  But there were also two rolling carts full of books for me to sign and personalize, so my ego was restored.

I will probably make the trek again in March.  As mentioned earlier, if you desire an autographed book, you can order one from University Book Store and request a signature in the comments section.  They will hold it until I can do a signing, and then mail it on to you.  No extra charge for the signing, but sometimes you do have to wait a bit to receive it.

We fought traffic all the way home.  So, that was my day.

Tomorrow?  More work on my Writers' Refuge.  It's coming along nicely, I think.