Guardians of the Gardens?

Hey there, some of my friends know, but most don't, that I now have a couple of dogs.  Here are some pictures:

When we first found them

Sparrow

Sweet Pea

Rough Housing

We found them up the road a couple of months back.  They were super friendly, and well behaved so we looked around for some possible owners.  But they were out in the middle of nowhere, with the closest house about 500 yards away, and nobody seemed to know anything about them.  All we could find out was that the spot where we found them was a well used dump site for unwanted animals.  So, we've adopted them.  They both had the same black spot on their tail, though Sparrow's has since disappeared.  So we believe they are brother and sister.  We named them Sparrow (brother) and Sweet Pea (sister).  They are growing like weeds and eating us out of house and home.  They eat a ridiculous amount of food, but look healthy.  We will be taking them to the vet sometime soon to be responsible pet owners and have them fixed.  At that time, we will also get them an overall check up.
           They are smart, well behaved, and very playful.  They are always rough housing with one another and get pretty rough, but then you'll find them sleeping right next to each other.  We built them a dog house that they refuse to use, haha.  It was a quick job, and has a crooked roof but it was fun to build.  I'll have to devise something better for them this summer, after I build my duck pen.  I'm hoping that they will protect the ducks, and at least chase the deer out of the yard and garden.  We will see.  The early training efforts have seen me running through the yard barking at deer while they sit and watch...needless to say, there is work to be done.  Haha.
            Their personalities are very different.  Sparrow initiates the play, but Sweet Pea seems to be the one that ends it.  Sparrow will follow you everywhere while Sweet Pea does her own thing, but when you kneel to pet them, Sweet Pea is the one that's trying to climb into your lap.  It has been a long time since I've had a dog, and these two are very awesome so far.   They seem to be proper farm dogs.  I'm excited to have them, though my cat is decidedly against it.

Always Hope and Never Die
John Anthony

A few words on selection...

First, a disclaimer:  I am not a historian, nor a geneticist, nor anything scientific really.  So, if any of this is absolutely wrong, I'd like to know.

For a very long time now, mankind has been selecting desirable traits in animals and plants.  Even the very process of domesticating animals in the beginning involved a selection of traits and an encouragement of those traits in offspring.  Think of all the different breeds of dogs which exist in our world today.  Some of them are pointers, some are guardians, and some are just companions.  Each of these breeds developed through the intervention of mankind.  And I'd like to say that I think this was a good thing.

But, we live in a very different world today.  It probably has something to do with the industrial revolution, but the process of selection in livestock and agriculture is largely guided by the ability to make a profit.  I understand that there is a demand for food and it is favorable to grow plants and animals which produce large quantities with limited space.  However, I believe less and less people are gardening, more and more people are grocery shopping, and that many breeds of plants and livestock are in danger of losing out to the agricultural industrial machine.  And I'd like to say that I think this is a terrible thing.

The process of selection can cause a breed to become genetically weaker.  Think of how many specific breeds of dogs have specific health issues.  Someday, I want to have an Irish Wolfhound.  These are mighty, awesome, majestic dogs.  Unfortunately, they only live to be 8 to 10 years old and have serious health problems near the end of their life.  All of my life, I've had mutts and alley cats.  They lived long happy lives, mostly free of serious health issues.  A documentary on Netflix titled "More Than Honey" looks into the decline of the modern honeybee, something scientists have no answer for yet, and poses the theory that perhaps they are just weak and unstable because they have been domesticated and bred so specifically.  One of the guys who speaks on the documentary looks at the Africanized honeybee (aka. The Killer Bee) and sees hope for the future of the honeybee.  The introduction of new genetic material has strengthened that breed of honeybee.  Another example of how selection can endanger a breed is the Manx cat.  The desired characteristic for this breed is to have no tail.  So, you breed a Manx with no tail to a Manx with no tail.  Then you select the offspring with no tails and breed them to other Manx cats with no tails.  Unfortunately, if you do this for three generations, the offspring die.  Every so often, you have to have a Manx with a tail or else the breed will disappear.

I guess the point I am trying to make is this:  Genetic diversity is an important thing.  And I'm glad to have come across groups like the Seed Savers Exchange who focus on finding and maintaining and passing on many different "heirloom" plant varieties.  However, their work doesn't stop their.  Their farm, Heritage Farm, has also become on of two major breeding sites for Ancient White Park Cattle in the United States.  This is what they wrote about the issue in their seed catalog this year:

"As with seed diversity, livestock diversity has dramatically declined.  Heritage breeds are threatened because modern food production now favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds selected for maximum output in a controlled environment.  Many traditional livestock breeds are threatened with extinction.  These traditional breeds are an essential part of the American agricultural inheritance and an important resource for our future."

With some of the same philosophies as motivation, I've decided to order ten Ancona ducks this summer.  If it goes well, I would like to increase my flock and play a part in the recovery of this duck breed.  I'll write more on that later.

Always Hope and Never Die
John Anthony

Spring is here

Spring is here, officially at least.  I think there will probably be more snow...but according to the calendar, spring has arrived.  I suppose that it would be better to say that Spring is becoming.  Maybe the act of becoming is something that I should understand better, since I live in four seasons country.  It is actually never really spring, because the second spring hits it is becoming summer, and then fall, and then winter, and then spring again.  It never stops, it always moves.  It is always becoming.  But enough about that.  Spring is representative of new beginnings... a fresh start if you will.  Theologically, Easter is in the spring.  Jesus dies and is resurrected.  The trees and flowers are all dormant during the winter, sleeping through the cold and frost, and when spring comes, they grow  new leaves and new flowers.  And people just wake up one morning and think "I need to clean out the house," and they do their spring cleaning, making things new again.  So, spring is becoming, and so am I, and it is time to get a fresh start on this blogging business.  My other blog, my previous attempt, was not very cheerful.  To be honest, it had a pretty bleak outlook.  I was in a bad spot, but that was a couple of years ago.  So, I want to try again.  I hope those of you who read this will enjoy it.  There are many cool things that go on around here, and many new projects, and I want to share them with you all.

Here's a quick list of what you might expect to come:
Dogs
Ducks
Garden
Archery
Small building projects
Knife making
Crazy antics
Fire
And whatever the wind blows my way.

So, follow me, and read along.  I promise, there will be pictures, and some theology, and some philosophy, and some fun.

Always Hope and Never Die
John Anthony