My dog looks so much better now! I can no longer see her ribs at all. I'm not worried about her being fat because she's always been active and slim, which I think is why she was so thin in the first place. I can't wait until I have some rabbits to feed her. With the fat.

My garden is doing well and I've gathered several tomatoes from it, but I still will need to grow things aquaponically during the winter to really cut my food and feed bill. As soon as I have some starts ready for the tank, I'll buy and introduce the goldfish. I've selected goldfish, in particular, because they are inexpensive and if I make a fatal mistake, I can always buy more. Still, I hope I don't and they live long enough to grow to the size where they can be eaten.

Then maybe I can move up to tilapia, which is what I really want. Maybe crayfish, but I doubt it because they supposedly fight. Or there are those british crayfish (I can't remember what they're called right now) some people are using, but I'm just not sure if they will fight or not. I could close their claws like restaurants do with lobster,  but I just don't want to. Seems cruel to me. I want any livestock I raise (aquastock? I think I like that) to be as happy and healthy and have a good life as possible, and to be slaughtered humanely even if I have to do it myself. I'm of the opinion that if you eat, you should be there for every step of the way anyway to understand what sacrifices are being made for your food and so you can give it the best life you can give it, whether it's a tomato or a fish. People are too far removed from that. Some even think meat doesn't come from animals at all, but some grocery store manufacturing plant.

Anyway, I'm looking for a dehydrator (my brand new one broke and I can't find the receipt...grrrrrr) and a pressure canner. I've tried to dehydrate some edible weeds in my oven and met with moderate success, but it takes time and I'm not comfortable leaving it on while I'm away. I've found a couple of pressure canners, but they were missing vital equipment I wasn't sure could be replaced since they were no-name brands. Sigh.

My theme song for the week: "I Will Survive."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faf1ch7Q9XE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Blessed Be.