The Last Entry--better late than never

There was something about being finished that prevented me from coming back and blogging the bitter end...okay, it wasn't really that bitter. But there was, no doubt, a lack of variety that made one want to hit the produce section in the dead of night.

The overall experience can best be summed up by the following telephone conversation which took place a day or two after we finished. Richard and Jonathon had been working on his Eagle project and it went later than I expected. So I called Richard's cell phone and said (drum roll please)

Me: "Do you want me to bring you some dinner?"
Richard: "I'm actually not hungry because I ate a late lunch. Let me ask Jonathon. [aside] Do you want mom to bring some dinner?"
Jonathon [heard in the background]: "Not if it has squash in it."

We had a family meeting when it was over and had a discussion (we call it a colloquium in an effort to make it seem like we're doing something more important than fighting.) We asked the kids to say what they learned and we discussed some of the lessons. Everyone was in agreement that it was not fun and they never wanted to do it again. Most felt that they learned more about what it would take to actually be prepared for a real disaster or financial setback (they totally "got" the concept that stocking up the day before was cheating in a serious way...) They said they learned something about working together. The clearing, fencing, and planting of the 100x50 foot area which was done in preparation for the simulation was probably what taught this the most. And there was even some talk of ....sigh....gratitude. They know we have been abundantly blessed.

Our chickens are now full grown and should start laying soon. Richard just built some nesting boxes for them today. So pretty soon we will be "free" in another way (I buy about 3 dozen eggs a week!) And think how totally green that is, you feed them scraps and old wheat people happily give away and they immediately make it all into fertilizer. Nothing has to be shipped anywhere, no foreign imports needed, and I have the manpower for harvesting eggs in my chubby little lovebugs. Abundantly blessed, I'm tellin' ya'......

I have continued planting new crops (though the word seems too large!) and processing tomatoes innumerable. I haven't kept up on the squash though and the guilt of it makes me want to start a new blog.....

Yeah right! Thanks for staying posted for the end to make itself manifest :)