One common misconception about chickens is that they lay eggs every day. In truth, their levels of production increase and decrease based on the weather. In the summer months when the days are long chickens tend to lay eggs every other day. However, they lay fewer eggs in the fall when the days get shorter, and they go through their molt, replacing their old feathers with new ones. In the winter, the chickens rest. They are less active during the day, and their egg production drops too almost nothing. Today marks the third day in a row that I've walked to the hen house, fed my birds, and received no eggs for my trouble. They've become a bunch of freeloaders. It's not uncommon for homesteaders to start culling their hens around this time of year, turning them into stew, and making room for the new chicks that they'll purchase in the spring. It makes sense from an economic perspective. Why keep feeding birds that don't feed you in return? However, I'm tak
As a younger man, I prided myself on being a minimalist. I never owned more possessions that what I could fit into a duffel bag. I did my best to avoid clothing purchases; choosing to make due with the free t-shirts that were passed out at college fairs and job recruitment events. When I finally moved into my own place, I scoffed at the idea of buying furniture; choosing to eat and sleep on the floor. When people asked about my behavior, I told them that I was a minimalist and a Buddhist. I gave long lectures on Buddha's teaching of nonattachment; explaining that every possession is a fetter that holds us back from enlightenment. This is true; however, I don't think it explained the full reason for my minimalism. At its core, my lack of possessions had less to do with religion and more to do with trauma. My parents divorced when I was a kid. They'd been fighting non-stop for a while, but it was still a surprise when my mom loaded me and my siblings up in the van; taki