The Garden Shedde

My next-door neighbors recently got a chicken pen in their backyard. This is definitely illegal. But besides just sticking it to the man, this is really cool idea. It is an example of the self-sufficiency that we have lost. We totally rely on other people for our food, tools, and sometimes even our own entertainment.

With those chickens, my neighbors don’t have to worry about buying eggs. They can take that off their grocery list. On the other hand, they do have to worry about feeding the chickens. But if chickens are anything like pigeons then they are probably not that picky. And if things went really bad they would be able to support themselves on eggs and chicken. That has got to be a bonus.

I’m not saying that everyone should start breaking the law because it is better. I’m just saying that it might be something to think about. Becoming more self-sufficient is something that could be good for all of us. We could all stand to learn how to take care of ourselves, by ourselves.

I recently returned from a trip to Australia and was amazed at how the people lived there. For the most part in the cities it is the same as it is here in America, but in some of the more rural places, people have it tough and have to fight to survive.

These people had to work in very hot, very dry environments to survive and it is no walk in the part. They don’t get paid very much and if they’re not careful wild animals wait in the shadows and can attack them at any time. The people in these regions have really adapted well to the harsher environment that they have to deal with on a daily basis. There is a feeling of pride for these people as they feel they can survive anywhere. Many believe that is where the true strength of the human spirit comes from. Not the urge to do harm to one another or the calling for violence but the desire to survive and survive happily in the environment in which we have been placed. It makes me want to do better were I am and hopefully, will inspire you to do the same.

My whole student career the word is that every year, the administration of the school sets aside a certain amount of days in case it snows. Now I have also heard that when there is too many snow days that the school has to add how ever many days they went over to the end of the school year. This sounds like such a bummer to everyone. “They have to are add days at the end of the year? We have to wait longer for summer break? How horrible!”

I know it sounds bad, but when you think about it it’s pretty cool. First of all, it means you get plenty of snow that year. That means plenty of snowball fights, sledding, snow men, etc. You also get lots days off and that’s always nice. But the biggest thing I want to point out is if they add days to the end of the year then they would have to add them either before or after final exams. If they add them before then it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Before the exams the teachers shouldn’t be teaching anything new. They will just be reviewing for the exams.

Now if the administration decides to add the school days after exams then that is even more ridiculous. That means that teachers definitely won’t have anything more to teach and even if they did the students wouldn’t pay attention or take notes because they don’t have any upcoming tests or quizzes. So really we should keep on hoping for snow even if we are all out of school days.

Today is a dark cold day in January when it’s hard to stay warm. Soup will taste good for the evening meal. I decided to make some ham and white bean soup. Some people call it Senate Bean Soup. I think it must be real American food. I went about the task of peeling onions. Onion in English, the Spanish word for onion is cebolla. It was just a plain, ordinary yellow cooking onion. When I peeled it, that onion was purple! That sent my mind thinking.

How long have people been eating onions? Where did they come from? Well it turns out, we have been eating onions since 3500BC and onions grow wild all over ever continent. (I have eaten wild onions as a college student and willed them dead, as grounds maintenance professional.) Jewels to one are weeds to another.

The beauty of the onion is that it does not spoil in winter. It transports well and moved all over the world with humans. Onions went from Egypt to Greece, Italy, even to the New World with the Pilgrims. Onions mean that much to people. At the heart of all full- bodied recipes is the onion. They are bound to humans by flavor, texture, and tears. The dinner table would be a bland place without them.