Farmlet reader and repeat contributor, IL, sent another US$20! Thanks, IL!
February 14, 2007
February 2, 2007
Farmlet Reader Contributes $20
Farmlet reader IL sent $20. Thanks IL!
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January 20, 2007
Help Path to Freedom Grow the Future
Path to Freedom is looking ahead from the frost disaster. If their work inspires you like it inspires Becky and me, consider helping out in any way that you can.
Thank you.
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January 17, 2007
Petzl Tikka Plus LED Headlamp
Becky and I are slowly acquiring things that will help us in an emergency. Light is something we mostly take for granted. In the Far North of New Zealand, however, the power goes out on a semi regular basis. This has accentuated the point for us: Do not wait to get reliable, backup lighting.
There is no shortage of options. While we all know about candles and lanterns, which should be a part of your plans, I would encourage you to strongly consider acquiring at least one high quality LED headlamp. Becky has owned a LED headlamp for years. I found myself borrowing it quite a bit. I decided that it would be a good idea for me to have one as well.
I wanted an excellent quality light. I wanted something that I knew I could rely upon, something that would last a LONG time. After researching the topic at length, because there’s so much Made In China garbage out there, I decided to go with the Petzl Tikka Plus.
The Petzl Tikka Plus LED Headlamp
Overall, the Petzl Tikka Plus is an incredible headlamp. It exceeded my expectations. The brightness, at full power, is roughly double what I had expected it to be. It seems impossibly bright, actually, for the size of the unit. There are three intensity modes, plus blinking, all controlled by a single button. I found that the ‘low’ setting is easily bright enough for any indoor task. The lamp will operate for 150 hours in the low intensity mode on a single set of three AAA batteries.
The build quality is excellent, it’s weather resistant and, while I haven’t subjected the unit to punishing treatment, it seems very durable. The Petzl Tikka Plus is made in France, by the way, for those of you who like to avoid buying things that are made in China when possible. (See Cryptogon references on Chinese fascism.)
It’s simple and inexpensive to stockpile batteries, or, better yet, get yourself a solar battery charger and a few sets of rechargeable AAA batteries. It will be easy to confront the darkness, with just a bit of preparation and forethought.
January 8, 2007
The Best Christmas Present… Ever
Christmas Day presented us with a bit of a challenge. We wanted to spend the day with our family out at the coast. Our young goats, however, have recently learned how to escape from their paddock. They don’t go far. They just want to find us. While the goats are content to stay in their paddock, most of the time, we didn’t want to risk having them get out while we were away.
Rather than tethering them, or locking them up in their shed, we decided to take them out to the coast with us. The goats are growing fast, and I thought that we should secure them in the back of the ute. Becky wouldn’t hear of it! “They’ll be traumatized,” she informed me. So, the goats got to ride up front, mostly on Becky’s lap.
Out at the coast, Bonnie, the family’s fifteen year old Weimaraner came out to greet us.
Faithful Bonster, at the ready
None of us really knew how Bonnie would behave in the presence of the goats. At fifteen, Bonnie is VERY old. She has also suffered some recent health setbacks. With her hunting days long past, we assumed the old girl would check out the goats and quickly lose interest in them.
When we first took the goats out of the ute, we kept a close eye on Bonnie, thinking that maybe she would have a sniff at them and pretty much leave it at that. Indeed, that’s what happened. But, she seemed to want to keep sniffing at them…
I put Bonnie on a leash, just in case.
Bonnie greets Becky and the goatlings
As we all walked to a place where we could tether the goats, Bonnie was pulling hard at the leash, with her head low. This was starting to feel less and less like a friendly interest in the goats… Once Becky got the goats tethered near some tasty shrubs that needed pruning, I thought I’d give Bonster one more chance and let her get near the goats.
Bonnie looked around at us. She was quivering, and whimpering slightly.
She must have thought that these tasty, little goats were the best Christmas gifts that a faithful, old Weimaraner could ever get; rewards from the family for being such a splendid beast and accomplished hunter. She took one more sniff at Daphne, opened her jowels and aimed high for Daphne’s hind, right roast!
Luckily, I never fully relaxed the tension on the leash. Her bared fangs missed the young, succulent goat leg by about six inches.
“Well,” I chuckled, “I think we have our answer to that question.”
I’d had a couple of Black Labs when I was a kid, so I had a pretty good idea about hunting dog instincts. Even though Bonnie was very old, her breeding and instincts were intact. Becky’s dad, Bruce, led Bonster away.
We tied her up, well away from the goats. She was very disappointed. She had this look that seemed to be saying, “Why don’t I get to hunt down those goats? They would be very tasty! Let’s go find those goats. Hmm? Hmm? Come on. Let’s go find them!” Her tail/stump was flicking back and forth wildly.
Of course, none of us could be mad at Bonster for doing what hundreds of years of breeding had hard wired her to do. I knelt down near her and gave her copious pets and praise for being such a good dog.