A couple weeks ago, we received notice from the local water authority that mandatory water restrictions were being implemented to help combat the prolonged drought conditions in our area. In the spirit of doing my part, I have compiled a list of things to help curb water waste. Most of these things are happening as a matter of course in our home, though, I may need to brush up on a few. But, the bottom line is they work and they should be implemented in every home, even if you think you can afford not to.

1. Inspect your plumbing at least once a month. It is a good idea to do a monthly walk through of your home to inspect (not just the plumbing) for any repairs or maintenance issues that need to be addressed. A leaky faucet can affect more than just your water bill - constantly running water can cause corrosion to progress more rapidly, invite unwanted bacteria and pests, and in some cases a persistent drip can affect your sanity. If you are like me and have trouble noticing the date until a week has passed, try creating a mental trigger to perform your inspection the day you get your water bill or other regular reminder. If you are not the handiest person around, invest in a good how-to book, or find a reputable plumber to give you a hand.
2. Replace old or dated fixtures with low-flow fixtures. While current building codes in most areas require low-flow fixtures in new or remodeled homes, offices, and businesses, there is nothing requiring the average homeowner to retrofit their plumbing. Checking the flow of your current fixtures is as easy as collecting water in a gallon jug or 5-gallon bucket and watching to see how long it takes to fill. If they are using up more water than a new fixture would, seriously consider investing in the replacement. Not only will you save water, but you can increase the value of your home, should you try selling it down the road.
   
3. Put a couple bricks or a 2-liter soda bottle in your toilet's tank. This never actually made sense to me until I got my hands dirty trying to fix a leaky toilet. If a toilet needs 1.6 gallons per flush to operate, it shouldn't matter if you reduce the tank capacity. Most toilet tanks hold more than enough water to effectively flush. But, as the tank fills back up, so does the bowl. After the bowl is done filling, if the tank isn't full yet, water will continue to enter the bowl and go right down the drain. So, by reducing the volume of the tank you minimize the amount of water that goes own the drain while the tank fills up.
4. (Maybe a bit crude) Let the yellow mellow. Unless you had asparagus for dinner or you are trying to impress the inlaws visiting from out of town, wait to flush a yellow bowl until after a couple uses.
   
5. Try taking a "Navy Shower". While this may sound a bit uncomfortable, I actually prefer this method. Not only does it save a ton of water, but it saves soap as well. To ration water while afloat, seamen will turn on the water just long enough to get wet, turn it off, lather up, then turn it back on long enough to rinse. Now, I will admit, I don't practice it to a "T"; I leave the water running while I wash and rinse my hair and face. But, once I start to wash the rest of me, the water goes off. I find that the soap lasts a lot longer, and the lather is much thicker. It helps me to feel cleaner, and I know I am saving water.
6. Tweak your irrigation timer often. It is a good idea to understand the water requirements of your yard and how to best meet those requirements. Our current water rationing requires that we water no more than 3 days a week for not more than 10 minutes per day per station. That means, on our 90+ degree summer days, my lawn has to get by on a measly 30 minutes of water per week.
   
   To maximize the efficacy of sprinkler irrigation I recommend watering early in the morning. I start the sprinklers at 5:00AM. That gives the water enough time to soak in before the sun comes out to burn it off the surface. I avoid watering at night because the lawn doesn't make much use of the water while the sun isn't shining, but fungus does - that's right, watering at night can lead to mushrooms in the lawn.
   
   
   
   
   Next, I break that 10 minutes into two 5-minute cycles spread at least 30 minutes apart. This gives the first five minutes worth of water enough time to soak in to minimize run off during the second 5 minutes. If an area you are watering is sloped, watch it during one cycle and see how long it takes for the water to start running off. You may need to run that zone 3 times for 3-4 minutes each cycle.
7. Consider converting your planter beds to drip irrigation. Drip irrigation takes the water to where it needs to be, straight to the plants.
   
   
   
   
   With emitters focused only on the plants you want to be there, drip irrigation not only reduces water consumption, but keeps the weeds down in between your plants. While a drip system requires more maintenance and may be a bit pricey to install, you will see a noticeable drop in your water consumption as well as the time it takes to tend to weeds.
   
8. Mulch your planter beds. A thick layer of mulch (2-4 inches) covering your planter beds will hide the water intended for your plants from the thieving rays of the sun. Much of the water we waste outside is lost to the sun. By creating a buffer between the sun and the soil, you can reduce the amount of water you use outside by up to 20%. Organic mulches will preserve soil moisture better than non-organic mulches like gravel. Plus, as organic mulches naturally break down, they help condition the soil beneath.
9. Sweep your driveway and walks. Need I say more?
   
10. When washing your car, try wetting and rinsing with a bucket. This sounds a bit tedious, but that's the point. If you have to use a bucket to rinse the car, you are less likely to waste water. You'll be waiting for that bucket to fill each time it is emptied. The idea is to pay attention more closely to where the water is going to save trips back to the spigot to refill the bucket. If you aren't that hardcore, just be sure you have a non-leaking hose nozzle that allows you to turn the water on and off easily. And avoid the water fights (if you can resist).

I hope these ideas help in your efforts to curb water waste at your house this summer.

Today we unveiled the summer reading program for my 6 & 8 y.o sons. It is modeled strongly after their Advanced Reading program at school. in fact we used the reading list and point values to determine the value of the books they'd be reading.

They have been anxiously awaiting the incentives list. We started asking what kind of things they'd like as "prizes" for their hard work. Once we had an idea of what would motivate them, we started crunching the numbers to see just how much they'd have to read to "earn" their rewards. They were so excited to see that with 200 points each they could combine their efforts to get a Wii. And to sweeten the pot, we offered to get them a puppy if they reached 1,000 combined points. DW has been very firm in her resistance to getting a dog, at least until our financial situation is a little brighter. So, for perspective, 1,000 points would require them reading about 150 pages per day, each, for the entire summer.

Here is the list of lesser prizes:

• 10 points - Personal Bag of Candy - your choice
• 25 points - Lunch at Sandwich shop, new t-shirt, new hat,
• 35 points - DVD, two new T-Shirts, new pair of shorts, new Sunday tie
• 50 points - Lunch date with Daddy to restraunt of your choice
• 60 points - One Video game
• 75 points - Special Dinner - your choice
• 100 points - Two Video games
• 125 points - Day to the Zoo or Wild Animal park
• 150 points - RC Car
• 175 points - Tickets to Monster Truck Show, or other event of the boys choice at the Stadium (w/ a friend)
• 200 points - Hand held game system (PSP, etc)

The boys were really excited, and were practically dragging me out the door to go to the library to get started. At the library, my 6 y.o. was pulling out books probably better suited to middle school-aged children and acting discouraged when I'd tell him they were a little above his level. But, an hour later, they had compiled 9 books that would net a total of 56 points. Let's just hope they can maintain this level of enthusiasm through the entire summer. My hope is that it will carry through to the school year and they might want to be competitive in the school reading program.

If you have any interest in starting a reading program of your own, I'd be happy to send a copy of the book list (a 200+ page PDF document) and the formula we use for calculating the points based on the list's point values. If I get 10 or more comments on this post, I will upload and put a link to it on this post.

Happy reading this summer.

It is the question for the ages: to choose propane or charcoal in practicing that great culinary art of barbecuing. And while it may never be fully resolved, I can tell you what I think.

For me, there is nothing tastier than a slab of meat (take your pick) slow grilled on the barbecue. A great piece of barbecued meat has a heat-induced skin of flavor which locks in the meat's natural juices. The first slice of the knife penetrates the tender shell releasing a burst of liquid goodness, telling your now-salivating mouth to expect a moist, tender surprise. The first bite, stimulates all of the senses, as it melts between your teeth, diffusing the rich, bold essence of perfection across your palette. Each subsequent bite draws you toward a deeper carnivorous rapture, until its gone, and you're left yearning for just one more. Now that is good eating.

First, lets compare how both affect the taste of the food on the grill. According to the respondents of an AskMen.com debate entitled "Charcoal vs. Propane", the consensus seems to be that charcoal imbues a far richer flavor than propane. And why not? Charcoal burns far less efficiently than propane causing it to smoke. And, depending on the type of wood used to make the charcoal - be it hickory, mesquite, or the like - the smoke from the charcoal may actually be part of the recipe. Now, that isn't to say that smoking meat cannot be accomplished on a propane grill. Propane enthusiasts can place dried chunks of their favorite wood on or near the gas flames to draw out the flavor and smoke the meat. However, there seems to be little argument that charcoal wins for flavor.
Next, there is prep time and the overall convenience of the medium. There is no doubt that propane is far easier to cook with. With the simple turn of a dial and push of a button, you have instant heat, it's easily regulated, and it leaves nothing to clean up afterward. Propane stores conveniently in large cylinders that last for several uses. However, once empty, you sometimes have to hunt for filling stations that carry propane unless you are OK with paying a few extra bucks to swap cylinders.

Some would argue that the work that goes in to barbecuing with charcoal is integral in the grilling experience. The boy in every man looks forward anxiously to dousing the briquettes in lighter fluid and the rush of adrenaline that accompanies the WHOOSH of flames as the match hits the coals. Many consider mastery of the art of maintaining and balancing the heat of a charcoal grill a rite of passage into manhood. But regardless of the ego-propping magic of the charcoal barbecue, it cannot compete with the convenience of propane on those frantic nights when time is an issue and flavor can take a backseat.

Third, there is the cost factor. The initial purchase aside (gas grills average about double the cost of charcoal), the cost of fuel must be considered. A 5 gallon cylinder of propane costs anywhere from $15-$35 to fill (or swap) depending on the time of year and your location. You may get 12-20 meals out of a single tank depending on how big the meal and what you're cooking. That works out to an average of about $1.35 per meal. The 21-lbs bag of charcoal I just finished lasted about 12 meals at a cost of roughly $10, or $0.83 per meal. With the lighter fluid adding about $0.15 per meal. Monetarily, it is much cheaper to barbecue with charcoal.

Finally, what is the cost to the environment. The Christian Science Monitor published an article pointing out that only 25-30% of the wood that is used to create charcoal actually becomes charcoal. The remainder is released into the atmosphere as CO2 and particulate matter (smoke). Compared to propane that has a 90% capture rate in manufacture. Add to that the fact that you can just turn a dial to turn off propane, versus the slow burnout of charcoal, you end up with less waste at the grill. So, if you believe that all of that CO2 is causing the globe to heat up, you may lean toward propane.

The bottom line, in my household, is that flavor and value trump convenience; and, the little bit of extra CO2 I emit into the atmosphere from the grill, I offset with the solar system that operates my rabbit barn. So, if you ever get the opportunity to join me for a thick, juicy, grilled tri-tip, plan on tasting every bit of flavor my charcoal grill can give it.

I've been pondering a lot recently about how those attempting a simpler life might be perceived by disinterested onlookers. Many will say, "Who cares?" And I will give them hardy amens. But, what is it that those onlookers see, and is it accurate?

I searched "simple living" on Wikipedia and was brought to a category listing. Wouldn't you know it? "Survivalism" is listed as a subcategory of simple living. So, that really got the juices flowing, and here is but a snippet of my stream of thought.

First of all, simple living is a very personal concept (see my post: What is Simplicity?). What it is to me may be very different than what it is to you. But, I think a major precept of simple living is self-reliance. The American Heritage® Dictionary defines self reliance as "Reliance on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources; independence." If "simple living" is taken as an earnest attempt to achieve self-reliance, then it follows that simple-living is nothing more than seeking independence.

Now, I have stated, and continue to believe, that simple living is a very personal matter. However, maybe it is the personal motives that drive the desire to achieve simplicity that makes it so personal. For me, I sometimes feel like I fell into this mortal sojourn a century or two too late. I have often felt a bit of jealousy towards our pioneer ancestors who blazed new trails, and lived daring lives just to survive. While I am not sure what I'd do without email and my cell phone, I would love to have been alive back when a trip to the store was an all day outing, or better yet, in a place where that was unheard of.

My journey to achieve simplicity is not about survival; my journey is about independence and to achieve that feeling that I am beholding to no one (except my wife).

But, that doesn't mean that the survivalist, whose motive may be more driven by apocalyptic notions, doesn't seek the same independence and self-reliance that I do. The survivalist that stockpiles food, guns and ammo, and supplies, may do so under a different vision of the future. When it comes right down to it, the survivalist is seeking the same thing I am, to be his/her own person, relying on the only person on Earth he/she can trust 100% without reservation.
As I seek to achieve simplicity, and as the survivalist seeks the same, you may see a few, if not many, similarities between our lifestyles. I may raise some of my own food, and try to preserve what I can for when the harvest may not be as plentiful. I may try to reduce my debt and reliance on consumer goods. I may have a gun or two (or more) and have a few extra boxes of ammunition.

No matter what the similarity or difference apparent from the outside, the only difference between the survivalist and the run-of-the-mill, back-to-the-basics simplicity seeker may be nothing more than their motives and/or vision of the future.

What do you think?

This post is a continuation of The Deodorant Challenge: Part 1.

So, it has been two weeks since I stopped using commercial deodorant and I am back to report. Happily, I still get to sleep in the same bed with my wife. For now. Even better, my new baby girl seems to really enjoy spending the night in her daddy's arms rather than her cradle.

Well, here is the report and review of my strictly powder underarm deodorant after two weeks.

The recipe is very simply, 1 part baking soda, and 3 parts talc (baby powder). The mix was shaken thoroughly to ensure complete mixture of the powders and stored in a sealed plastic container. The mix was applied with a few cotton balls dabbed generously throughout the underarm area (I think you get the picture).

The first couple days took a little getting used to. For 3 days the powder worked well for about 6-8 hours. Then my natural manliness started to break through to offend. While my wife didn't complain, she did inform me later that it wasn't very pleasant. However, after the first 3 days, the smell seemed to stop almost completely. I was still applying the powder daily and it seemed to be working throughout the day. In fact. around day 7 I completely missed a day's application and still no smell. Sweet Hallelujahs!!!

But alas, all good things must come to an end. As, once my wife went into labor this past Saturday (about Day 12), and the stress levels hit the stratosphere, the powdered scent suppressor FAILED! My only guess is that my body, once freed of the harsh chemicals of the commercial deodorant, adjusted to regulate its own putrid odors, aided by the powdery mix. Once stress altered my internal body chemistry, it lost its balance and needs to reconfigure. To top it off, I woke up the morning after my baby girl was born to a painful, fire-engine red rash, the result of EXTREME chaffing.

In the last two days, my body seems to be readjusting and the smell is calming back down. The day I discovered the rash, I trimmed all the hair up in there to try to help with the irritation. And yesterday the rash was significantly better.

So, here it is Day 14 and I am declaring Experiment Candidate #1 a partial failure; because, when life turns up the pressure, I can't have my underarm odor hit the skids. Therefore, this candidate will NOT be considered for long-term trials with new white shirts :-(

Here is a quick list of pros:

1. Very inexpensive, fashioned from ingredients already at home
2. Simple to make, it took all of 1 minute
3. Worked with my body's chemistry to control odor
   

And cons:

1. Inconvenient application method, dabbing the pits is time consuming
2. Messy, the powder gets everywhere while dabbing
3. Does NOTHING to even help with perspiration (I didn't expect that it would)
4. Failed to control odor in stressful situations
5. Contributed to chaffing during stressful situation

Tomorrow I will begin the second trial with Experiment Candidate #2, another powdered concoction that I found on the BringBackSimplicity Yahoo! Group made according to the following list of ingredients:

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 10 drops tea tree oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops lemon grass essential oil

Continued on The Deodorant Challenge: Part 3.

I am very proud to announce the birth of . . .

[Baby Girl] joined our family at 1:15am this morning, Sunday, June 21st, 2009. At birth she weighed 8 pounds, 1.2 ounces, and measured 20-1/2 inches long.

Mom's water broke as we stood in line at a donut shop around 10:30am on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Labor progressed fairly regularly and quickly until the nurse gave the OK to push at about 11:45pm the same evening. And, after an hour and a half of pushing, [Baby Girl] was delivered and given an APGAR score of 8-9 after one minute of life.***I have purposely withheld the name of [Baby Girl] Cowan because of our family policy to shield our children on any medium that we do not control the readership to. But, if I know you, you probably already know her name.

Occasionally, I will venture slightly off-topic to discuss a product or service, that I believe can help you to achieve simplicity.

In this case, I'd like to introduce you to ShopWiki.com. ShopWiki.com is a buying guide, product locator, and price shopper all-in-one. It's proprietary system crawls the entire web to find every store selling every item online. It's pretty cool. Instead of only seeing items in stores that have paid for placement, you can compare every store their spiders have crawled.

For instance, let's say you are looking for a backyard hammock. Your ShopWiki.com search would lead you to http://www.shopwiki.com/wiki/hammocks. This page let's you choose various materials, styles and other factors. So, we click through to Rope Hammocks and Shopwiki spits out 1,716 results for Rope Hammocks in the price range from $0 to $460. You can than narrow your price range, select colors or brand names. If multiple stores carry a hammock you're looking for, you can compare each store's offering on a single page.

The same thing works for outdoor and gardens, barbecue tools and grills, and outdoor furniture. Heck, you can even find bird and mammal deterrents for the garden. And there engine is not just about outdoor products. You name it, and it can be found at ShopWiki.com.

While the site's template has a bit of the lifeless Wiki feel, the ability to quickly find what you're looking for and find the best deal can definitely simplify your online shopping experience. I recommend you at least check them out at http://www.ShopWiki.com.

I know you aren't talking to me. Though if you've ever owned a couple of chickens you may not be too offended by the epithet.

Chickens are considered by the uninitiated to be a foul, dirty, smelly, bacteria-harboring lot shunned alive, but revered once they've been cleaned, packaged, and frozen. If you've ever driven by a commercial egg farm, you definitely noticed the aroma, and it usually isn't pleasant.

However, if you're one of the brave who has ventured into the life of a chicken keeper, you'd know that they really do get a bad rap. In fact, my chickens smell far better than my rabbits. That and they are fairly easy to take care of and keep healthy and productive.

Now, I must be honest, when we last moved the chickens were not allowed to come with us. So, we moved them to my inlaws, where they get to bask in a more coastal climate and get treated to daily kitchen scraps (something I never did because they were too far from our kitchen at our old house). The only drawback is that they live on the edge of a large subdivision and are only zoned for chickens because their lot is 1/4 acre and they are on the right side of the street; my mother-in-law is constantly concerned that the rooster's morning songfest will get their house egged (no pun intended).

So, let's get to the nuts and bolts. We currently have 11 hens and a rooster. They are housed in a 4' high by 4' deep by 8' wide hen house with an inset roost that allows for egg harvesting from the outside. The house opens up to a full-enclosed yard area about 8' wide by 12' long and 6' high. In the yard there are a couple other perches built-in where they usually roost for the night. In fact, the only reason they go in the hen house is to lay eggs, eat, and drink.


The chickens go through about 6 or 7 gallons of water a week and 50 lbs of lay crumble every 2-3 weeks. The water cost being negligible, it costs about $30/month to keep the chickens.

On average, our 11 hens lay about 7-8 eggs per day (we get brown, white, and green eggs). At that level of production we are able to feed ourselves, my parents, my wife's parents, and at least 4 other couples in the family as well as a few friends. We used to try to charge for the eggs, but haven't been really consistent. We figure the goodwill will go a long way, but if we needed to we could at least break even on the costs if not make a couple extra bucks a month.

On top of all that, my father-in-law seems to get great joy out of feeding and collecting eggs from the chickens. He is always quick to tell us about their latest antics. And he never leaves out a detail.

I wish to extol the virtues of rabbits (more specifically their usefulness).

I raise American Blue and White rabbits, a breed listed as critical by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy. They are a large breed rabbit, averaging about 9-10 pounds at maturity, with an outstanding temperament and a beautiful coat. The favored meat rabbit of the 1940's and 1950's, the American fell into obscurity when replaced by the New Zealand and Californian breeds on the meat market.

I chose to raise Americans first and foremost to help save the breed. Second, I chose the Americans because of their size and temperament. And finally, I chose the Americans because of the quality of their meat.

My breeding program focuses entirely on improving the quality of animals in my herd as part of an overall effort to improve the breed. With only about 300 identified Americans in the US and Canada, what happens in my rabbitry can have an impact on the breed as a whole. So, I try to exercise a lot of discipline in selecting breeding pairs and in what I sell to other breeders. That being said, there are always several that don't make the grade; and, those rabbits find their way to our table.

Here is a list of a few facts you may not know about rabbit meat:

• Cholesterol levels in rabbit meat is significantly lower than chicken, turkey, beef, pork. (Alabama A & M University 1989)


• Rabbit has less fat per ounce than chicken, turkey, beef, and pork. (U S D A circular # 549)


• Rabbit is higher in protein per ounce than any other commercially available whole meat. (U.S.D.A. Circular #549)


• The Office of Home Economics, State Relations of the U S Department of Agriculture has stated that domestic rabbit meat is the most nutritious meat known to man based on extensive testing.


• Rabbit meat has 795 calories per pound. Chicken 810, Veal 840, Turkey 1190, Lamb 1420, Beef 1440, Pork 2050 (U.S.D.A. Circular #549)


• One female (doe) rabbit, weighing 10 pounds, can produce 320 pounds of meat in less than 15 cu.ft. in one year. This is more than a cow and it takes as much as 2 acres to raise a cow.


• Rabbits will produce 6 pounds of meat on the same amount of feed and water that a cow will produce 1 pound of meat on.


• Rabbit milk is so rich that newborn rabbits can double their weight in 6 short days as compared to a pig at 14 days, calves 47 days, and humans 160 days.


• Rabbit meat is all white meat.

On top of all that, my Americans are just a fun bunch. Everyday I go to the barn to feed them, they are anxiously awaiting. When I open a cage door, they will stick their heads out, even nuzzle my arm looking to be petted. And the antics of young rabbits is ever-entertaining.

I find raising rabbits to be very rewarding, the meat flavorful and nutritious, and the part I am playing in this rare breed vital.

While perusing the posts on a Yahoo! Group I belong to, I was struck by the simple question posted in a new thread "What is simplicity?".

What IS simplicity?

In developing this blog (OK it isn't that well developed yet, I know), I have been taking that question for granted. Simplicity is just that, living simply. I hadn't yet contemplated the relativity of the term. For what is simple living to me, may not have the same affect for you.

So, here I will attempt to nail down this fluid concept. First, simplicity (I will use the term "simple living" interchangeably) is relative, meaning that it holds different meanings to different people. Second, simplicity is truly dynamic. Finally, it is personal, meaning that the value and affect of simple living holds more significance to the practitioner than the observer.

OK, so those definitions don't actually define anything. But, I will try to make it a little less abstract.

So, the first idea, the relativity of simplicity, muddles the picture most, but helps define it best. We each have the right and ability to live our lives as we see fit. Each of us has a unique set of values, life experiences, goals, and abilities. These each work in harmony to color our perspective of simplicity. To most, simplicity is an attempt to remove complications in achieving the vision of our ideal future while living our ideal present. That may still be abstract. But let's continue.

Second, simplicity is dynamic by nature. While some people may hold all truth as being absolute, I believe they ignore the myriad variables of life. While one person may have a vision of the future and a plan to get there, they cannot control variables in things like the economy, climate, politics, and our health. Granted, simple living involves efforts to minimize the impact of those variables, but we still have to be able to adapt to the complications of life despite our best efforts to remove them. Therefore, there cannot be a single lifestyle that is simple living.

Finally, simple living is deeply personal. Achieving simplicity can only be measured by the yard stick of our own values and experience. Determining the effectiveness of one's life plan can never be accurately judged by anyone except the person living it.

Looking back at my attempt to nail down simplicity, I don't know that I have been successful. It is still just as abstract as it was yesterday. But, I think it is supposed to be that way.

What do you think?

This week, my sweet wife is due to deliver our first child. This is a time of great excitement and anticipation. As the time draws near, she's due tomorrow, the anxiety is growing.

At our doctor appointment this morning, the midwife asked us if we wanted to schedule an appointment to have labor induced next week. My wife politely declined, stating that she would rather not suffer the reputed ill effects of Pitocin. Now, I know that they won't let the pregnancy continue indefinitely and at some point the doctor will step in and require an induction.

All that being said, we are ready for this baby to join us here on the outside. And we are completely open to more "natural" methods of "helping" labor along. We have been, of course, advised that "the same thing that got us into this situation can help get us out of it." But, we'd like to solicit advise from others as to what drug-free methods have helped them induce labor.

What are your thoughts?

Worm composting, vermiculture, is the simple practice of letting those slimy, wriggling little critters make useful, healthy compost out of your food trash. Think of it as a biological garbage disposal. Only, instead of sending the ground waste to the sewer or septic tank, you get to tap the wealth of nutrients stored in things like broccoli stalks, carrot or potato peels, or if you are like me, rabbit poop!

A while back I had tried to set up a worm farm fashioned from an old bath tub and a lot of hay as bedding material. I soon learned that I needed a lot more air holes and a lot less hay as, on Day 3, my worm farm caught fire (who knew that compost could heat up so much) and all my worms either fried or wriggled off to safety. This little experience was quite discouraging and I lost interest in vermiculture.

Fast forward a year, my rabbitry has tripled in size and the volume of waste has quadrupled. So, my interest in reducing the size and growth rate of the compost pile has renewed my interest in worm composting.

Having loads of rabbit poop is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. Rabbit poop is mild enough that it can be placed directly in the garden or mixed in potting soil. Also, rabbit poop readily composts without the aid of worms. However, my rabbits get all the alfalfa hay they can eat. And not being the cleanest of animals, half of their hay ends up on the floor mixed with their droppings. Being the humanitarian that I am, I don't refeed them the hay from the floor. No, it goes out with the poop into the compost pile. Here's where the issue arises. Alfalfa hay can take up to 12 months to compost. And since it is mixed with the poop, my compost pile is very, VERY slow.

That being said, I figure that speeding up the process by feeding the rabbit poop and waste hay to worms, will not only help me recycle all that waste, but do so much quicker and more efficiently.

Setting up a worm farm is fairly simple. You need a secure place to house the worms, their bedding, and their food (waste) where they are protected from freezing and extreme heat, have adequate air flow, darkness, access to water, and adequate drainage. While my old bath tub was secure and located such that it was protected from extreme temperatures, it lacked adequate airflow and drainage. This led to a rapid build up of microbes, which led to rapid increase in heat, which led to Wormfire 2008.

Here on the homestead we have lots of room to locate an old tub or build a wooden crate to house the worms, but I found a video that just made my life even simpler.

Who doesn't have room for a Rubbermaid bin? I do. In fact, I have a stack of them sitting in the garage waiting for the next family exodus. Within the minuscule footprint of a Rubbermaid bin, you can have your very own vermicultural powerhouse. I found this video describing, in detail, the entire process for building your own Rubbermaid worm farm. Check it out.

Do you ever get yellow stains in the armpits of your white shirts? I do, on everyone of them. Did you know it is from your deodorant? Well, it is.

Certain chemicals in commercial deodorants combine with your body's chemistry to create those hideous and embarrassing stains. The biggest culprits are those trace amounts of metals (i.e. iron and aluminum) found more commonly in the antiperspirant varieties. As your body perspires, naturally and as God intended, the moisture speeds the oxidation of those trace metals causing the discoloration in your clothing. And, to top it off, close and persistent contact with trace metals can be harmful to your health.

Since I normally wear (white) undershirts and I am due for a new batch, I have resolved to end the scourge of yellow stains with the end of my last stick of deodorant. While I haven't completed my research into alternative deodorants, I have found Experimental Candidate #1 - a simple mix of 1 part baking soda and 3 parts talc/baby powder.

I will check back in a couple weeks to report on how many people I have irrevocably offended and whether my wife has relegated me to the couch.

Continued on The Deodorant Challenge: Part 2.