Wow I can't believe we're already past Solstice and I haven't had a chance to post. Sorry... it's been a crazy Spring and Summer so far, and lots of "do this immediately" type stuff. But finally, after 9pm on a hot June night, I'm gonna try to summarize.

So I have been raising chickens for five years, and although I still have much to learn, I want to share some of what I’ve learned.

I’ve been bouncing around various websites recently: OpenSourceEcology.Org, Sun4Living.Com, EasternBioplastics.com, OpenSourceBeehives.net, and looking at the ways that entrepreneurs are working to build tools and processes that they believe will be sustainable or at least a bridge into the post-oil future. And all of them seem to be a mix of the belief in Progress and the desire for Sustainability.

The Green Wizards' Benevolent and Protective Association, Tower No. 412, and the Rememberers' Guild, Local 412 of Pittsburgh, are pleased to announce their May meeting. Salvus per ignem!

We will meet on Wednesday May 23 from 6-to-7 p.m. at the Bridgeville Public Library to hear a free presentation from Blue Heron Nature Skills. The subject, presented by a local foraging expert, is "Tree Identification and Uses."

Like some people, I don't go to movies anymore. Their sentimental "happy ever after" message no longer rings even slightly true to me, given what I see in the world. But I guess I still have the same youthful weakness for that plucky hero who overcomes odds.

NOTE: HONEY HARVEST !! UPDATED for JULY- SEE BELOW

Once again, I speak as a beginner rather than an expert, but as I attempt to turn my garden into a full circle of grow-harvest-recycle, I have decided to introduce honey bees into my yard. I’m extremely excited about this, and I am very grateful that there are so many people sharing their expertise on YouTube and in local organizations, so that people like me can help preserve honeybees, which are in sharp decline.

Although no one knows if we’ll get another frost or even snow, it feels like spring is creeping up on us here in the Pacific NW. The camelia outside my window has broken open the buds that have been there since last November (talk about planning ahead!) and the hot pink tips remind me a bit of lipstick tubes.

Sometimes the strangest things will prompt me to post. Case in point...

I was reading ClubOrlov tonight. Guest writer, Candace Makeda Moore, paints a chilling picture of what Life is like for those Americans already deep into the first stage of the Long Descent. Its been a while since I visited, so I was reading some of the more recent posts.

Now I won't lie and I won't sugar coat the future for all of us. Its going to be tight, cold and nasty. Marked by uncertainty, crime and want.

And by Fear.

The Long Descent will affect your life in a whole host of ways. Whether that street light gets repaired. Whether your trash gets picked up. Whether there is a grocery within easy distance. Whether you get basic services like water and power.

Welcome everyone to our newest game of chance, "The Carbon Lotto 2".

Hope you like playing but something tells me you won't.

What, YOU say you didn't sign up for this one? LOL...didn't you read the fine print when you found coal and oil?