a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • Where the Frog Kings Rule

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    While gathering fallen leaves for the vegetable beds, I stumbled upon a multi-layered throne in the land of the frogs. It’s all quiet for now as the frogs sleep through the winter, but come this spring, millions and millions of them will crawl out of their earthen abodes to let everyone know they rule supreme. From dusk to dawn, their chorus will drown out all other voices, like trolls on the internet.

    This multi-level throne must be where the frog kings and queens proclaim their edicts, and where they discuss with their knights and lords, what to do about the marauding chickens, who devour their tadpoles and young, and how to vanquish the evil herons who hunt them mercilessly all night long. They no doubt plot how to lure snakes into the depths of the pond so they can drown them.

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  • Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses or Enjoy the Frost

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    Going out this morning to work on some vegetable beds, I had to pause to enjoy the morning frost. In the process, I discovered a pair of gloves I didn’t even realize I’d lost. At times it pays to stop and smell the roses or enjoy the frost.

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  • How Fresh Are Your Eggs? – Note

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    A few days ago, in How Fresh Are Your Eggs? I pointed out that eggs for sale can easily be 30 days old. The day the eggs are packed is stamped on egg cartons, but it’s impossible to know the day when the eggs were actually laid.

    I sent an email to Mark R. Lemon, Federal-State Supervisor of the USDA in Olympia asking about the difference between the date eggs are laid and the date eggs are packed. This is what he emailed to me today:

    Eggs of current production for USDA inspected eggs, are eggs that are no older than 21 days from day of lay. The code date on the carton represents the date the eggs were packed into the carton, but the eggs are allowed to be up to 21 days old from the day of lay. Most eggs packaged these days are from the same day of lay and maybe up to a week old. It is not very common for a plant to even push the 21 day maximum. Eggs are produced in such high volume, that eggs do not sit very long before they are packaged and sent to the stores. I hope this answers all your questions, thanks.

    In other words, egg producers have up to 21 days to pack eggs. So when you see eggs that were packed 30 days ago, there is a chance, though not likely, that they could have been laid as long as 51 days ago.

  • How the Mighty Have Fallen

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    The wind that whipped through here at the end of the week toppled the top of an alder. I didn’t notice it until this afternoon when I went into the woods. Alder trees are known as widow makers as they can rot inside and then fall or snap without warning.

    They have many good qualities. They grow very fast, fix nitrogen into the soil, and decompose quickly, making good soil. I like to use the fallen branches and logs to line the trails.

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  • Resplendent Duo

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    These are the resplendent duo at a man and his hoe®. Brothers, they spend most of the day together. They are old enough to spar with other roosters, but I’ve yet to see them spar with each other. I doubt that people imagine such resplendent birds when they think of roosters. The hens take a double look when these two come strolling by. Few birds are as fashion conscious as chickens. They go wild with colors and patterns.

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