Not saying I agree that peak oil is here yet, but if it is, I think our civilization will survive.*  It might hit a rough patch, but we’re not all going to die.

Here is a good article on why we shouldn’t be too concerned:  Peak Everything?

Stanford University economist Paul Romer has observed, “Every generation has perceived the limits to growth that finite resources and undesirable side effects would pose if no new recipes or ideas were discovered. And every generation has underestimated the potential for finding new recipes and ideas. We consistently fail to grasp how many ideas remain to be discovered. The difficulty is the same one we have with compounding: possibilities do not merely add up; they multiply.” The above examples show that while the production of physical supplies of resources may peak, there is no sign that human creativity is about to peak.

You should still be concerned about preparing for disasters and such, but be level-headed.

* Barring the 2nd coming of Christ…

Maybe it was a gold lining rather than silver, but at any rate, the sky was quite stunning after that little shower this evening.

But please God, stop the rain for a few days so I can catch up with mowing and planting.  Thanks.

I also have 4 varieties of heirloom pepper transplanted to the garden now.  California Wonder (sweet bell), Jalapeno, Chili, and Pepperoncini.

Planted a small plot of sweet corn last night as well.  Heirloom Golden Bantum.

Decided to try almost all heirloom stuff this year if you couldn’t tell.

Our neighbor, who has to be 80 something, was also out working the dirt last night.  I went over with my tiller and finished it up for him.  I have some extra plants and seeds so I think I’ll help them out with planting too.

I would post pictures but I’ve been out in the garden until it gets dark after work.  Never really think about bringing the camera.  Besides, its just a bunch of dirt so far.  Not all that pretty.

So that’s just what I did today.

It was a hard 4 hours of tilling and raking raised rows.  I had tilled twice already and I gave some areas another go to loosen up some clods.  Plus I had to play catch with my 8 year old several times which was fun, but doesn’t get any work done.  So I guess that’s my excuse for not having any pictures.    I’ll try to get some tomorrow but its supposed to rain.

But I did draw up a garden plan using the Gimp image editing app (BTW, its free.  I use it to make birthday party invitations for the kids too.).  Here’s the plan…

(I wish my strawberry patch was actually that full.)

The potatoes where planted similar to the way described in this post on New Life on a Homestead.  The only difference was I created a raised row and cut a furrow a few inches deep.  I then placed the taters in the furrow and covered them with a shallow layer of dirt.  Then I put on a layer of straw.  We’ll see how that goes.  I also planted 4 spuds in a trash can. As they grow I’ll add sawdust or dirt to the barrel.  Hopefully I’ll have a trash can full of taters.

This won’t be my full garden.  This one is about 70×30 but I plan to also till up some of the pasture next door so I can have somewhere to plant my corn, cucumbers, and melons.

The feeder in that last image was too big so I took it out. Going to hang one on the wall instead.

8 Red Chillis are still in the oven. They must take a little longer than the others. I did dig around in the pot and found that one has shot down a root so hopefully they will all come up soon as well. 38 peppers is a lot. I expect to transplant only a few of the best looking plants in late May.

I also have 20 heirloom tomatoes started. 10 of the “Delicious” variety and 10 “Henderson’s Crimson Cushion.”

If we have good weather, we’ll have veggies coming out our ears. I might have to erect a vegetable stand or something.

By the way, the chickens are growing…

I hope its not too early, but I have started some peppers in little peat pots. In a couple more weeks I’ll start tomatoes.

And I finally took the plunge and bought 25 chickens at the local Rural King store. 15 “Production Red” and 10 “Brown Leghorn”.

We’ve already had one fatality from what looked like suffocation. They all huddle up under the heat lamp and trample each other for the warmest spot. The deceased must have gotten stuck.

Now that I have chickens I guess this means I better build a coop — quickly.

The state is in pretty sad shape. Go vote the bums out that got us here.

Oh yeah, thanks Rod and fellow democrats!

Whatever the cause of my discontent, I am just itching to get started on this year’s to do list. I’m going to get some chickens, so I’ve started designing a chicken coop. I would like to get some cows as well, but before doing that I need to sow some pasture seed in late February. Then I need to put up a fence. And I’m getting an urge to buy some heirloom seeds for the garden already.

I just hope there’s enough money to do all this.

I’ll post my coop design when its finished. Hopefully I can start building it soon. Baby chicks go on sale in March.