And here’s the first entry using MT. Watch your step…

Testing GreyMatter setup at new home… this may be the last GreyMatter entry before I move to MovableType.

The electrified poultry fence arrived today, but I can install it until the field gets plowed, which will now happen Wednesday (there was a weather delay). Then, we can get to barn-building, which missed its earlier window of opportunity due to rain. Also in there, I’ll spread compost out over the area marked for Spring vegetables and get the seeds in the ground. Busy, busy. The Georgia Organics conference was wonderful. We saw many contacts we’d already made around here and established plenty more from around the state. We learned plenty and, more importantly, confirmed many things we’d already learned. I’m still digesting all the notes I took. Before we left, I got around to making the farm’s web site more attractive, but it’s not done yet. I’ve been learning a new set of tools thar has really impressed me. Enough to eventually transfer this site to them. In the meantime I’m using it to build the other site from scratch. It will have its own weblog, too, to announce farm news to our customers. It’s hidden at the moment (though if you’re clever you’ll find it) as I integrate all the site’s pieces.

In the morning, Chris and I are off to the mountains to attend Georgia Organics annual conference. Of course I’ve been looking forward to it. I made us up business cards and everything.

The university here has started to heat its buildings and water with boilers converted to burn chicken fat. They claim success and note that no one has complained about the odor, though that may explain my recent cravings for fried goods.

Early Saturday morning, somewhere in Iowa, seventy-eight baby chickens were hatched. Yesterday morning, they arrived at my post office. They spent the day learning how to eat and drink and getting familiar with their surroundings: a blue plastic kiddie pool. My neighbor is getting an order of just-hatched chicks in tomorrow. His operation is a bit larger than ours; his order was for a hundred thousand. This same neighbor is plowing our field this week, so that the planting can begin.

Today is my youngest sister’s birthday. As I’ve admitted earlier, I don’t know exactly how old she is (24, maybe). But I remembered the day! Happy Birthday, Lauryl!

Just because I’ve never posted from a bar during karaoke doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.

Appearing in the Georgia Organics Resource Directory , going to the printers tomorrow: Boánn’s Banks – A Natural Farm Sustainable living on the Broad River. Vegetables, herbs and eggs. The Wagoners, www.boannsbanks.com There’s a temporary website up. A better one will follow shortly.

Falling, falling Gonna drop like a stone Falling through the atmosphere On a warm afternoon…