Chances are, you or someone you know is on facebook. Heck I have seen pets with their own profiles! I really didn't realize until lately how unique it was that I am not on it. Now of course I used to be on it but due to a bet between my husband and I, I no longer partake in that sort of social media.
I had it, my husband had it, and most of our friends and family had it.. it really was sort of fun at first. I got back in touch with my best friend, talked to old co-workers, friends, classmates, and family I would only see at reunions or funerals. It wasn't hard to see how it became so popular. The games were cute and fun and it was hilarious to see what some people posted and gave us a lot of things to talk about. Soon it became a chore to keep up with it, I realized I was wasting a lot of time on facebook and it was pathetic that I would keep refreshing to see what the latest pictures were, or who sent me a gift for my farm. It was then that my husband gave it up and bet me that I couldn't do the same.
I love a challenge so I took him up on his bet. Slowly I began deleting people. I only had about 130 "friends" at the most. Ten people at a time would get deleted. Some took it personally and sent me a friend request almost immediately after I deleted them. Eventually I narrowed my list down to the top 20 or so people that I found it hard to "un-friend". After I took down all the names, email and physical addresses, and phone numbers from those last people, I sent out a message explaining that I was quitting facebook. I made sure they had my address as well so if anyone really wanted to contact me, they could. Then I deleted my account.
Honestly I thought it was going to be harder than it was. I was a die-hard fan, a daily user and game player. I used the chat function to talk to people I hadn't seen in years. Since I moved so far away it allowed me to somehow feel connected to all that I had left behind. I missed my 10 year high school reunion, I lost touch with some of my closest friends when I left and through facebook I had felt like I belonged in a way.
It has been a while since I deleted my account and not once have I looked back and regretted it. In fact, being off of it has led me to realize a few things. Many of those "friends", weren't real friends. They don't miss me and my virtual profile, they didn't really care about what my kids were up to, or that I had a bad day and was tired of doing laundry. I feel betrayed that I found out about certain events that were going on through a public, online social media site. Things that I felt should have been told to me over the phone. I realized that I was replacing real relationships with real people, with virtual ones. I think if used properly, social media sites can be a good means to bring people together, but it scares me how little privacy people have anymore. I also feel that the fact that some interfaces require you to have a facebook account in order to use their product is discriminatory and unfortunately it seems to be the trend.
I am glad I took my husbands challenge and to know I can lead a normal life without using something that millions, or even billions of people use on a daily basis is gratifying. I was told the other day that I was someone's hero because I was able to go along in life without a facebook account. I don't know about being a hero, but I do feel empowered knowing I can control who knows what about me and my life.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Preparing for Spring
It seems weather all over the country is pretty bizarre. Here in Idaho we are no exception. Spring is trying to show up but if you are a local resident, it is well known that you do not plant outside before the snow is off Bogus Basin, our little ski hill. Then, and only then is it safe from frost. When I worked in the garden center, many customers would come back to buy new plant starts because they jumped the gun and planted too early in the season only to let Jack Frost claim the lives of the tiny seedlings. I have to be patient and not allow this to happen to me.
It was supposed to rain all weekend but Saturday turned out to be really pleasant. We managed to get some yard work done only to be surprised with a dusting of snow this morning. I have been planning my garden for nearly a year now. It was a year ago March 11th that we became homeowners and chicken owners. I had decided long ago that when I owned my own home I would have chickens and a garden. It's hard to believe we started out with 5 fuzzy chicks and now have 7 mature laying hens. They have been doing a great job and we get anywhere between 4-7 eggs each day.
With our busy schedules I wanted to get a jump start on the raised beds we are planning. I want to do it as organically as possible so I don't want to use chemicals on the ground where they will be going. I am going to have 2 - 5x10 ft raised beds and 2 - 4x4 potato planters along our back fence, next to the chicken coop. My goal is to have them installed and filled by the end of April so I can get them planted in May. So this week, Brent and I laid down some black plastic and weighted them down in order to begin killing the grass where the beds will go.
Last fall we covered the Rhubarb plants with straw to protect them from the cold weather. I had never grown a perennial plant like that so I wasn't sure if it would grow back this year. We decided to peek at them and see how they were doing under their protective covering and lo and behold!! We have baby plants growing!! This year we will actually be able to harvest from it so we can have fresh rhubarb crisp!
I am so anxious and excited to have a real garden this year. I only hope it will be as successful as my chickens are. Now I have to decide what to plant.....
It was supposed to rain all weekend but Saturday turned out to be really pleasant. We managed to get some yard work done only to be surprised with a dusting of snow this morning. I have been planning my garden for nearly a year now. It was a year ago March 11th that we became homeowners and chicken owners. I had decided long ago that when I owned my own home I would have chickens and a garden. It's hard to believe we started out with 5 fuzzy chicks and now have 7 mature laying hens. They have been doing a great job and we get anywhere between 4-7 eggs each day.
With our busy schedules I wanted to get a jump start on the raised beds we are planning. I want to do it as organically as possible so I don't want to use chemicals on the ground where they will be going. I am going to have 2 - 5x10 ft raised beds and 2 - 4x4 potato planters along our back fence, next to the chicken coop. My goal is to have them installed and filled by the end of April so I can get them planted in May. So this week, Brent and I laid down some black plastic and weighted them down in order to begin killing the grass where the beds will go.
Spring Rhubarb
Last fall we covered the Rhubarb plants with straw to protect them from the cold weather. I had never grown a perennial plant like that so I wasn't sure if it would grow back this year. We decided to peek at them and see how they were doing under their protective covering and lo and behold!! We have baby plants growing!! This year we will actually be able to harvest from it so we can have fresh rhubarb crisp!
I am so anxious and excited to have a real garden this year. I only hope it will be as successful as my chickens are. Now I have to decide what to plant.....
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Happy Birthday!
My chickens are now a year old!! Happy Birthday chickies and thanks for giving us delicious eggs! You are beautiful ladies!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Revenue
When I had eggs overtaking the fridge we started asking around to see if anyone was interested in our surplus. Brent struck up a barter with a co-worker to trade the amount of eggs as needed for some home-harvested honey. Personally I think you cannot compare fresh honey to commercially harvested honey. It is so much richer and more flavorful, so for the price of 7 dozen eggs, we received a quart of honey. Personally I think the bartering system is a great thing. It worked for our ancestors, perhaps it is a better method for today's society rather than concentrating on money all the time.
We also were able to have three other families agree to pay $2 a dozen for our extra eggs. At a rate of 2 dozen per week, our chicken eggs will pay for their food bill. I'll take that. Not only is it neat to make a little cash from the eggs, but it feels good knowing I can share fresh natural eggs from happy chickens to other families at a reasonable price.
Chick days will be starting up soon and it will be hard to resist all those cute fuzzy butts, but I am maxed out on chickens, space, and eggs so I will just have to visit and snuggle them and enjoy my little flock here at home.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
You Might be an Idahoan If....
....you go to a Hunters Education class with your two preteen daughters. This, my friends, is what I am up to this weekend.
Many people from my life in Tennessee and beyond were hunters. I knew my husband was a hunter before he was even my husband. I had cousins that hunted deer, my dad shot a squirrel or rabbit from time to time, I even had a boyfriend once that hunted 'coons. I actually went on a coon hunt once, and it was very.... different. Bird hunting is popular in the Midwest and we saw a lot of that when we lived in Nebraska, but at that time my husband hadn't gotten into birds yet. It wasn't until we got to Idaho that I saw what real intense hunting was.
Brent had been itching to get back behind the gun for so long and when we moved to Idaho he was able to do it again. He starts getting antsy every year before elk and deer season and the passion and desire is there. He has taken the kids bird hunting for a few seasons now and takes them fishing all the time. Their love for the outdoors is really starting to shine. My youngest daughter gets to go on her first ice fishing trip on Monday and she is really excited about it.
I feel the kids have a really strong bond with their dad since they are able to do these things with him and I know they are building memories that will last them a lifetime and to me that is priceless. This year is a new milestone. My oldest will now be old enough to hunt deer. She turns 12 in September and when she realized she was old enough to go this year she won't quit talking about it. So it was decided, me and the two oldest girls were going to take hunters ed, because its what all the cool Idaho kids (and moms apparently) do.
I'll be honest, I have only shot a gun twice in my lifetime. We went target and trap shooting in Wyoming once and I will admit it was fun! Due to lack of equipment, it was also the last time I went. After that and babies 1,2,3,4 and 5 popped out, I didn't do much of anything. Brent took up bird hunting again and bought and trained a bird dog. He learned to fly fish and went big game hunting again with his dad. As a new-ish mom I resented him taking off for a while to do these things but now, in retrospect, I am glad he was learning new skills and and honing those from his own past so he can teach them to our kids. Its tradition, legacy, and something they will have for the rest of their lives.
So now I think I am finally really converting to Idaho culture. I love wild game meat; elk, deer, pheasant, chukar. I think there is nothing that is more tasty. So tomorrow bright and early, the girls and I will head off to the fish and game office once again to learn how to be hunters. Even if I never get behind another gun in my life, at least they will know I am behind them 110% in becoming well-rounded individuals.
Many people from my life in Tennessee and beyond were hunters. I knew my husband was a hunter before he was even my husband. I had cousins that hunted deer, my dad shot a squirrel or rabbit from time to time, I even had a boyfriend once that hunted 'coons. I actually went on a coon hunt once, and it was very.... different. Bird hunting is popular in the Midwest and we saw a lot of that when we lived in Nebraska, but at that time my husband hadn't gotten into birds yet. It wasn't until we got to Idaho that I saw what real intense hunting was.
Brent had been itching to get back behind the gun for so long and when we moved to Idaho he was able to do it again. He starts getting antsy every year before elk and deer season and the passion and desire is there. He has taken the kids bird hunting for a few seasons now and takes them fishing all the time. Their love for the outdoors is really starting to shine. My youngest daughter gets to go on her first ice fishing trip on Monday and she is really excited about it.
I feel the kids have a really strong bond with their dad since they are able to do these things with him and I know they are building memories that will last them a lifetime and to me that is priceless. This year is a new milestone. My oldest will now be old enough to hunt deer. She turns 12 in September and when she realized she was old enough to go this year she won't quit talking about it. So it was decided, me and the two oldest girls were going to take hunters ed, because its what all the cool Idaho kids (and moms apparently) do.
I'll be honest, I have only shot a gun twice in my lifetime. We went target and trap shooting in Wyoming once and I will admit it was fun! Due to lack of equipment, it was also the last time I went. After that and babies 1,2,3,4 and 5 popped out, I didn't do much of anything. Brent took up bird hunting again and bought and trained a bird dog. He learned to fly fish and went big game hunting again with his dad. As a new-ish mom I resented him taking off for a while to do these things but now, in retrospect, I am glad he was learning new skills and and honing those from his own past so he can teach them to our kids. Its tradition, legacy, and something they will have for the rest of their lives.
So now I think I am finally really converting to Idaho culture. I love wild game meat; elk, deer, pheasant, chukar. I think there is nothing that is more tasty. So tomorrow bright and early, the girls and I will head off to the fish and game office once again to learn how to be hunters. Even if I never get behind another gun in my life, at least they will know I am behind them 110% in becoming well-rounded individuals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)