Look at this dog with his mouth full of melted butter. Like butter would not melt. In his big mouth.
Now look at the destruction. I shall have to add sunglasses to my shopping list.
And he has begun to pick himself sweetcorn too. He leaps at the stalks, grabs the cob of corn and runs off with it. Dragging the corn stalk right out of the ground. Then he strips and eats the corn. For a while there I thought we had a most unusual deer problem but no. It is Boo.
When I am picking apples he runs straight up the ladder and picks himself an apple then gallops off to play with it.
He is a Bad Boo says LuLu. Put him on his Naughty Boo Chair.
He is learning though. Slowly. He can sit, lay down and stay now. All on command. He has his own seat in the car, waits his turn to get in and out and twice a week he lays outside The Old Codgers door waiting quietly for Ton and I. The Old Codger is still Tons special friend. Dogs need lots of short repetitive training sessions frequently throughout the day. Altogether his training takes about twenty minutes a day. But it has to be every day.
It rained yesterday and half of last night. Very gentle, persistent welcome wet rain. Now it is dawning foggy and damp. The gardens are thrilled. I am thrilled. The hay field is still so short that every drop will have reached the soil. Lovely.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with the Big City so I will be taking the 8am train. As you know the train station is 45 minutes away so to get all the chores done and myself on that train I will be starting work at 5am. So it is possible that there will be no blog tomorrow morning.
The exciting news is that the Get Fat Chickens will be coming on Friday. The Post Mistress has been alerted to be on the look out for their arrival and today I shall set up an extra big brooder. I have stolen a big rubber water trough from the field and today I shall clean it and drag it into the cellar. I hope my heating lamp still works! They will be in there until they grow feathers then out onto the field in their great big mobile run.
I have been talking to an Amish poultry slaughter house and it will cost 2.85 per chicken. It is a two hour drive from here. So I will need to build a special comfortable covered box for them, that fits in the back of a pick up truck. This is the only facility for miles around, and in fact the closest one I can find and is essential to my plan. It does not take long to grow meat chickens so we need to be on our toes.
And while we are on subject the four sheep will be going to the abbatoir next week. Almost time to say our thank yous.
As I have been pickling and preserving and now that I am about to start getting meat in the freezer, I am getting closer to my goal of being able to feed myself from the farm for 52 weeks of the year. Self sufficiency at its most terrifying.
This summer has been so good so far that I am beginning to feel confident about the coming winter. I am only eating from the farm now, and I am going to see how long I can go into the winter. I am not sure that John will join me in this experiment. I bet he will cheat every time he goes to town. But very soon. Maybe as soon as next summer, I am going to dare myself to go a whole year only eating chemical free home grown food from the farm. But in a pioneerish kind of way in that I can hitch up the metaphorical wagon and go buy coffee, flour and seeds once or twice in the winter. And I will be using electricity. And visiting the city every now and then for a treat! I am not that crazy!
So you see there is a goal as well as the lifestyle. And so far I have been practicing and learning all the old ways towards achieving that goal. And maybe I will write a little book as I go. I am practicing for that too.
Have a lovely day.
your slightly crazy friend, celi.
P.S. What we were doing a year ago! A very rare shot of miss c and the shush sisters who were SO LITTLE only 12 months ago!
The Kitchen's Garden 
53 responses to “The Naughty Boo’s Chair”
Look at little Boo’s face! He has grown so much already. He is a feisty one! No wonder Miss A loves him. Congrats on eating only from the farm these days. That is really amazing. While we can’t really do that up here, you have influenced my kitchen in so many ways! 🙂
Eating sunglasses. Do you think Boo thought they were part of a good mixed diet? 😉
Bon courage for The Good Life – I think you know this marvellous old British sitcom about self-sufficiency. Naughty Boo! But at least you are training him regularly – the famous dog-trainer Barbara Woodhouse used to bang on about the three Rs: Regularity, reward and rolled-up newspaper!
Enjoy the city for a change, but don’t get too attached to it!
Cinders, you already know what I think about what you are doing with your life on the Farmy….you are my heroine, inspiration, muse, etc. etc. You are doing what most of us only dream of and I have full confidence that you will indeed reach your goal of being totally self sufficient, you are 98% there now!…well except for the sunglasses of course! 🙂
Ok, I’m going really off topic here again…When I saw that dress last yr. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and when I saw it again just now…I decided I had to have it…or one just like it! I love it!! When you are sick and tired of it, please send it to me to wear until it is in tatters and if you cannot bare to part with it, please tell me where I can get one just like it!! 🙂 Oh and tell our John we will now be making our salsa with grilled veggies, just like he does…what a brilliant idea! 🙂
Reminds me of my little Papillon, Jasper, who loves to eat cherry tomatoes and sweet peas out of my veggie garden, lol.
I couldn’t do what you do but reading your blog is fascinating, lovely and inspiring….at least I have a little veggie garden!
Celi, I made your laundry detergent last night, and it works great. Me in the city making my own laundry detergent. Thank you for your courage, persistence, and plain hard work! (And when you write your book, please include the soap recipies! ; ) )
Leah
I love Kerry’s title.
That Boo! I can easily see Molly romping with him through the corn: trouble twins. They are like little children…just when you think it’s all OK, they stick a toe off the curb and find yet another way to get in trouble. (and they looks so sad when caught – they know!)
i cant wait for the book =) and love the plan with living mainly from the farmy!
The face on that Mr. Boo – hard to discipline! adorable though. I love your blog; hooray for you.
That guilty look on Boo’s face gave me the giggles. You absolutely should write a book. And the Shush sisters! They seemed so big when we saw those pictures a year ago!
I know, that is what struck me too and now look at them, when they are both back together i will try and recreate this shot! c
That. Is. Awesome! I would love to be able to eat from my home grown fruits, vegetables, and meat for 52 weeks!! That is my goal but I think it will be a few years before that can happen. Plus, I have two little ones and my mom living with me so we shall see how it goes with so many mouths to feed when I’m finally able to do this! I’m so envious!
I am not quite there either, and I am sure that when i do it i will lose some weight, but there is a LOT I can do without and I am really quite willing to give it a crack. And then after I have proven i can, i will just keep on doing it.. Having said that i had better get back to my pickles! c
It will be amazing when you can eat from your farm 52 weeks of the year, but I’m glad to hear you’re not going to be so dedicated as to give up coffee! Life is about doing the best we can but not torturing ourselves, right? 🙂 And bless Boo – I do think they bred hyperactivity into Blue Heelers.. 😉
I think you should absolutely write that book! I would buy it immediately! Boo isn’t naughty, he’s just too smart. 😉
Living on the Land: A Year of Living Self-Sustainably? Farm Living is the Life for Me (Green Acres …do you know that 70’s American show?) Just thoughts. Read Barbara Kingsolver’s book ages ago. Time for a new Celi book to make us all think again! 🙂