Moore Family Farm

We've been buying meat and produce from The Moore Family Farm for a couple years now. I look forward to my weekly trip to the farmer's market mostly because it always means a visit to the Moore's stand where I can peruse the in season offerings. The local PBS station in Central Illinois filmed a short documentary on the farm, it's interesting viewing even if you don't buy from them. Hearing about how the farm has found success by returning to traditional methods of agriculture is both interesting and uplifting. It also made me realize how much work is involved in running a farm. The story (and film) are available here.

World War B

My wife is at war and the enemy has turned out to be more clever and resilient than she estimated. It all started one spring day when we noticed that large black birds were taking over the bird feeder in the back yard, pushing out the smaller birds. You see, she wants to feed the birds, but only the little cute ones not the big squawky ones. Unfortunately, the little cute ones are quite dumb and the big squawky ones are fairly smart. The weapon of choice in this war is an ever growing array of increasingly complex and convoluted bird feeders. It started with a basic feeder: a tube with some perches and a tray underneath. It was practically an invitation to the enemy. Since then we've gone to the nuclear bomb of bird feeders: the Yankee Whipper. I have to admit, it is fun watching the large birds try to hang on as the perch constantly collapses. Emma is just praying for a squirrel to discover it. But don't think escalation ends here. Should the enemy prevail, we still have other options. The war rages on!

This is the Big One!

My first thought was that I shouldn't have eaten that beef jerky right before bed but no, it turns out for once the rumblings had nothing to do with me. We had an actual earthquake, a fairly rare event in the Midwest. The effects were limited to a little shaking which made the shower doors rattle but still, not how I'd want to be woken up at 4:30 AM given my choice.

Toxicity

So it turns out that the bisphenol-a used to make plastic baby bottles might be bad for you after all. I don't live in Canada (and I'm not a baby, at least literally) so as long as my government says it's safe, it must be alright. But when I'm in Canada, I'll definitely not use them. Besides, the American Chemistry Council "affirms that there are no serious or high-level concerns for adverse effects of bisphenol-a on human reproduction and development." I feel much better now.

If you're looking for a quick guide to "good" and "bad" plastics, here's a good resource: http://www.checnet.org/healtheHouse/pdf/plasticchart.pdf

A Proud Homeowner

Where else but in the world of Animal Crossing can a seven year old become a homeowner? Emma saved her money for weeks and yesterday placed an order with Tom Nook (proprietor of Nook's Cranny) for one red, two-story house. The order would take one day to fulfill and in the morning, she was informed, her new house would be ready for move-in. Jittery with the anticipation for her new virtual abode, she could barely sleep last night. This morning little feet ran downstairs and the Nintendo DS went on and low and behold, there it was in all its splendor. It may be a bit sparsely furnished at the moment (she's quite house poor) but I'm sure it will be fully decorated in no time.