We've got a picnic table if you have any appetite left

We have a little camping spot in the mountains of far northwestern NC that I thought we be greatly improved by the addition of a picnic table. In order to maximize enjoyment of time spent there I thought we should build the table at home and then transport it to the mountains in large pieces that could be easily reassembled in situ.

I looked around the innerweb for picnic table plans that seemed reasonably easy to follow. I ended up going with the plans found here. They were actually quite clear and easy to follow. Materials for the table cost just over $100 (damn lumber is expensive!). We went with the PT wood - yeah, yeah, it's not good for you and stuff, but it's got to last out in the elements and it's not like we're going to be licking or chewing the table itself for crying out loud!

Anyway here's a shot of the completed table - ready to be disassembled and loaded into the trailer. I know it's hard to see but cargo in the back of the wagon is a bulk package of TP . . . hmm, foreshadowing?

So we get the family all loaded up (Ma, Pa, Mr. O, and Scout) and head off on a 3.5 hour drive to the mountains. With about 60 miles to go Mr. O starts groaning and grunting about every 3 minutes. When asked what's going on he says, "I'm holding it, I'm holding it!" Since he's wearing a diaper we respond with "Let it out, let it out!" As time goes by this exchange becomes more and more frantic with the parents becoming more and more distraught. When we finally arrive he let's it out - a big, long relieving number 1. We get over this hurdle, but a tone for the weekend has been set.

With Mr. O all tucked in the camper for the night Ma and Pa settle into camp chairs and cold adult beverages. Within about 10 minutes some stirring is heard from within the camper followed by the sound of Mr. O losing his lunch (and dinner and snacks) all over the camper. After tending to our little fellow and getting him settled back in we decide it could be a long night and that we ought to settle in ourselves on the non-puked on side of the camper.

We made it through the night puke free - yes! We've seen this before where Mr. O will have a one-time puking episode and then be fine. We were hopeful that such was the case this time.

Meanwhile - back at the picnic table: The next morning we prepared to eat breakfast at our newly assembled and installed (lots of leveling involved) picnic table. Just as all seemed right with the world Mr. O climbed up and stood on one of the picnic table benches and gripped the table top with both hands. I was sitting on the bench myself wondering what he was up to when a sudden gushing sound from inside his pants told me exactly what he was up to. Diarrhea + camping = good times! This episode was repeated every 60-90 minutes for the rest of the trip.

As we break bread at our picnic table on future camping trips we shall always remember the inaugural meal taken at the table and the sounds and smells that went along with it.

Chickens > squash bugs

Some say this blog is dead. Not true I say! We've just been busy for cryin' out loud! Geesh.

Check out the pumpkins we grew. They came a little early and at least one has been transplanted to the compost pile since this picture.

I think I wrote about the squash bug problem in my last post? I've tried a couple ways of getting the chickens to take care of them. First I tried picking the pumpkins and carrying them into the coop where I would then brush the bugs off into the waiting maws of our birds. This didn't work so well - most of the bugs bailed from the pumpkins as soon as they saw me. Idea two was to brush the bugs into a bag of some sort and then carry that into the coop. Again, limited success. Idea three: bring the chickens to the bugs. Check it out:

This has worked marvelously. The chickens love being in the tractor and scratching about in the melon patch. Any movement by the squash bugs and they are snatched up in a heartbeat. The birds also get to munch on overripe melons and stuff, which they dig.

Seeing the chickens work the melon patch and take care of the squash bugs has given me the idea of letting them spend more tractor time in the garden areas when we aren't actively growing anything. Their scratching works the soil nicely, they clean out (hopefully) pests that might overwinter in the beds, and they add nitrogen-rich poop that will hopefully be broken down enough by the time we get to planting again.

Of course, as I've documented somewhere on this blog, the only drawback to this plan is it means I have to catch the chickens to put them in the tractor. I watch this video to get myself psyched up for that task: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8ZkY7tnpRs (if you need a context for this video check this out this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoEEPoBwf7Y&feature=related )