03-31-03                                                                               

Suburban Homesteading

Part Two                                                                            

  Well, it’s 10 days into spring, 2003…and it is once again snowing….although I threatened the weather gods and prayed to the Lord, we are still beleaguered with it.

My newly tamed back hill is eagerly awaiting  the 10 blueberry bushes I have planned for it. Most of my roses have ridden out the blizzards of  the past winter, protected by the stockade fence out back and will have raspberries, drinking in the sun, as their  neighbor.

  There is nothing like fresh from the bush berries on your shredded wheat! Do raccoons like berries? I guess I’ll find out this summer….last year the Mama and all her cute little babies trooped right across our deck…peering in our sliders and running across the deck ledge- right over the backs of our amazed cats! To add insult to injury(?) , they also demolished any dry cat food  left around  before retreating up the hill in a diagonal fashion to the neighbor's yard. They are irresistible  little bandits and I don’t mind them as long as they keep on going!

  My backyard barrel composter came and the kids think it’s  pretty cool!  It rotates easily, smells fine, and even my husband cooperates in saving eggshells, banana peels, old veggies, coffee grounds , etc.,     in a closable plastic box, to throw in the composter once a day ….even though  he grumbled about  “ buying a machine to make dirt…got a whole yard full of it out back, you know…”! Well, he’s coming around.    Seems pretty self-contained, and handy…a  good latch on it. Let’s just hope Mrs. Rocky and kids don’t have paws quite nimble enough to work the lock , and  it will all have been worth it !

 Until next time….                                

  Judi

 P.S. Thanks for the note of encouragement! I’d be happy to hear any tips on survival in the suburbs….from one and all.    JM