Learning to compost

I've been trying to learn the secret of composting for awhile here. We have had a compost bin going since we moved to Chico, so about 1 year and a half, at this time it has yet to resemble something that I would like to add to my garden. In other words, it's gross...

So this Saturday at the Farmer's Market there was a young woman giving a demonstration on how to make a compost bin. She gave us a nifty little bookmark that says, "brown + green + worms + air + water = compost".

The browns and greens are basically anything that was once organic (brown = leaves, cardboard, straw; green = fruits and veggies, grass, coffee grounds). You don't want to add any kind of dairy or meat because of unknown pathogens that could affect your worms. There needs to be some air and this person basically said that she puts sticks at the bottom of her bin to allow for air flow underneath the compost. Also you don't really need to add much water, but it needs to stay moist because your worms absorb moisture through their skin.

In other words, composting now sounds very simple to me and the key ingredient is the WORMS! So, I know that compost needs worms, but I have found all of two worms in my garden during this past year and a half, so where to find worms? Fortunately we live very close to the Durham Worm Farm where you can buy compost, worm castings, and live worms. I decided to get live worms and let the little buggers do what they do best, eat everything in their surroudings and make compost!!

I also learned that you don't need any fancy composting bins or have to worry about rotating the soil that often. I currently have a trash bin (our original bin) and a smaller storage bin as my compost bins. No need to poke holes in the bottom either, just make sure that if it is raining, cover the bin so the worms don't drown, and if it is hot, take the lid off and cover with cardboard so it can "breathe".

So now you know... =)

Visit to Ashland!

Hi All! So we went to the Ashland Shakespeare Fest in Oregon on Thursday and Friday with DJs students. It was really fun!We got to see two Shakespeare shows, although they have all different kinds of theater, musicals and new shows too.

We saw "A Comedy of Errors" which I had heard of before but had never read or seen before. What a funny show! It was not done in Elizabethan times, more set like a western, but with all of the original dialogue. It really amazes me that Shakespeares plays, being hundreds of years old, can still appeal to a modern audience.

We also saw "A Midsummer's Nights Dream", which I think is one of Shakespeares most popular plays. It was an interesting interpretation...again, not set in Elizabethan times, it was set in the 70s. It had a real 70s feel to it, complete with disco ball and painted VW bus. Then the fairies were very gay and that had more of a rave aspect to it. It was done well, not quite what I would expect to see in a Shakespeare play, but again, amazing how one can portray their version of such a play and have it appeal to a younger audience.

Since we were there on a school outing we also got to take a backstage tour of the theater and get the inside scoop on what the Shakespeare Festival is all about. The coolest part about that? Well, aside from seeing how professional theater works (there were at least four actors that were in both plays we saw...eek...two completely different shows back to back?? Tough!!)... as we were walking into the first part of the tour this guy says to me, "sorry, but do I know you somehow?". I swear I looked around because it was wierd for someone to say this to me. "I mean you", he says. Once I get a better look...? It was Elib from our group in Madrid!

He went to CSU Humbolt, and I remember him as a nice guy that got mugged at least twice, once right before a group trip we were taking. So Elib was our tour guide too! Turns out that he is a carpenter for the Shakespeare Fest and is married and has a baby. He has been doing that for a couple of years and it was nice having a little blast from the past totally unexpectedly! Here is a photo of Spain and now!

Cute dog cartoons

My new favorite cartoonist!
http://www.glasbergen.com/dog_cartoons.html

Food Pyramid

Scarlett agrees with this!

Bitten by a dog!

Today I was bit by a dog... I have a puncture on my left wrist and half way up my arm looks like someone tried to chew on a corn cob. The only deep wound is the puncture but the other bites have also swelled and are uncomfortable.

My attacker was a 5 month old shepard/rottie mix that weighed about 40 lbs. He was a bit mouthy to start but did not really offer to bite. I asked a kennel assistant to help me because he was really rambunctious. I gave the first vaccine and then he turned into a shark! I ended up getting bit because I was trying to hold him so that he would not bite anyone... so I got the sharp end of the bite! Argh!

So I put a muzzle on him, gave him his last vaccine and then asked my co-worker to talk to the owners about the importance of obedience and not letting this dog get aggressive because it is going to be a large, powerful dog. I, in the meantime, went to wash my wounds and had a mini-breakdown because I realized what had actually happened and it made me cry out of shock.

I decided to go to see the doctor right away because of all the bacteria dogs have in their mouths (it may be cleaner than our mouths, but it still has bacteria that I don't want in my body!). I got a tetanus shot (ouch!) and strong antibiotics and some sort of anti-inflammatory and pain medication. It is really close to a joint, so I want to make sure that swelling doesn't affect my wrist or nerves. I'll wear a splint to protect it too because I have super limited range of motion.

Ahh, the joys and risks of working with animals!!!

Dana and John Wedding

This weekend my dear friend, Dana, married her wonderful husband, John, in a very sweet and happy emotional ceremony in Santa Clara.

Dana and John met about 10 years ago through our friend, Corrie, who actually went to high school with John and stayed in close touch since those days. Dana and Corrie (and me) became friends when we were studying abroad in Spain. Fast forward to this past New Years when Dana had a party and Corrie asked if we could invite John. Dana said sure, we all had a great time and sparks flew!!

I am so happy for Dana and John, they just finally met the right person at the right time in their lives and have been and will be very, very happy with each other!!

I am still waiting for some pictures, which I will post with more about the night a little later!

DJ graduates from UofPh

On Saturday, DJ officially graduated with his Master's in Education from the University of Pheonix.

On Sunday, we celebrated his achievement with a BBQ at the Ashby family home in Sunnyvale! It was really nice because a lot of people who are special to DJ came and there were some really nice words said by our parents (his mom and dad and my dad).

I've been so bad at taking pictures this weekend, but I know my dad got some, so pictures will be posted in the future!

Scarlett turns 1 year old!!

Here in Chico we have a cute little pet store called Scraps Bakery (but I'm not sure they actually do the baking anymore) that actually has dog biscuits that have doggie friendly frosting and they sell some that say "Happy Birthday"! How cute is that?

So I had to get one for Scarlett to celebrate her 1st birthday! Angelik got a doggie donut to celebrate too! They were really cute because they just licked off the frosting and then looked at me because they were unsure of if they could eat it or not.