It’s the start of June and the first big wave of strawberries are blushing bright red. My husband tasted the first berries of the season when he noticed the red berries while mowing the lawn. I ate my first portion together with a friend – home grown food tastes better when shared with loved ones. Now, I enjoy the little berries with morning oatmeal or peach cake.
This peach cake base is the Just One Cookbook plum cake, with frozen peach slices in lieu of plums and a sliced almond topping. I made this cake using 150g of flour in a 9-inch round pan and added 3 eggs and 100g of vegan milk to the recipe.
Temperature highs are pushing 90 degrees and the days are long with sunsets well past 8pm.
My workout routine is pushing personal records. 6+ mile runs, Sunday bike rides, and intensive gardening to boot as I transplant sunflowers and tomatoes I started from saved seed.
Oh, how a refreshing beer beckons on a sweltering afternoon! How Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Fresh Squeezed IPA lures me with the promise of unwinding on a long summer evening.
But NO! Just as I must get out from the warm covers in the cold winter to rise early and seize the morning, I must resist the allure of an ice-cold beer.
Why?
Because that is not the athlete I want to be.
Because I do not want to reward myself with such a treat after a day of hard exercise and homestead labor.
Because I want the labor in itself to be the reward. To feel satisfied through the work and the outcome.
Because I don’t want to seek an external reward via a “treat”.
Because I want to unwind my afternoons and evenings fully sober as I continue to seize the day.
Because I don’t want my thinking to become cloudy and impede any ounce of potential.
Because I want to go to bed feeling good, clean, strong, and limber.
Because I don’t want to compromise my sleep quality with struggling digestion of alcohol or thirst the next morning.
Because I want to rise early the next day for a sunrise lake run, hill walk, tomato watering, and to see the hens’ first waking moments as they rise with the sun.
I want full control of my senses and seek refreshment in ways that are truly quenching.
—
This post’s photo is from a painted rock along Lake Michigan, near Loyola University in Chicago. I passed by this on a bike ride in September 2013 and it remains a favorite.
As I was trimming lavender and oregano bushes, it occurred to me that I have been intimidated by the field of Data Science because of the word “Science”. What makes Data Science a Science?
In a similar vein, what about “computer science”, “materials science”, “research science”? Is the adoption of the word “science” a far stretch, or is there a thoughtful reason behind this?
In general the field of computer programming languages and data science follows logical thinking and deliberate nomenclature. I don’t know what qualifies as a science (perhaps following a logical procedure such as the scientific method?) but I will find out.
After attending the PyData conference last week I feel much less intimidated by terms like data science, machine learning, data structures, algorithms. In fact, I am hungry to learn more.
It’s time for Korean Chicken Tender’s March 2023 egg count!
The daylight has gotten longer and there’s been an uptick in egg laying. My number 1 ranked hen, Nuggo, emerged from her summer-fall-winter-long henopause and started laying her trademark asymmetrical, lopsided eggs. This heavyset alpha female’s eggs are a treat with their rich yolks and fragile cream-colored shells.
Same as in my last egg count, I currently raise 6 layer hens. They eat organic feed and garden greens, range freely on pasture, and slurp up tasty slugs seeking solace from the spring rains.
Here’s our monthly Egg Count thus far for 2023:
Month (2023)
Laying Hens
Eggs per Day (avg)
Eggs per Week
Dozens per Week
Eggs per Month
Dozens per Month
Feed Cost
Cost per Dozen
Jan
6
2.7
19.4
1.6
83
6.9
$ 30.00
$ 4.30
Feb
6
3.8
27.7
2.3
107
8.9
$ 30.00
$ 3.33
Mar
6
4.5
32.2
2.7
138
11.5
$ 30.00
$ 2.58
Observations:
– The cost per dozen of our organic, pasture-raised eggs dropped from over $4 in Jan to $3 in Feb to now $2.58 in March! – Hubba hubba Nuggo resumed laying, which increased the egg count. – When I didn’t see Nuggo roaming around with the other hens one morning, I thought she had died standing erect on her roost bar. (When the time comes, I believe she will die no less a noble death). I was shocked to discover her in a nest box. That day she did a full egg laying simulation with no actual egg. The egg appeared a few days later.
Bottom left is Nuggo’s cream-white egg – note the calcium deposit, pointed tip, and lopsided-ness compared to the other eggs. It is nonetheless a treat to eat!
I was reading Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence and one of the chapters concluded with a question like: “What would you do if you didn’t have to work?”
Something rose to the surface. Even if I didn’t need to work to earn money, I would still practice data analysis using SQL.
This awakened my desire to set up a SQL server-database for personal use. Back-end database access where I can write queries. I miss this dearly from my previous job, where I had an in-house electronic record system and superuser access. I’ve tasted the forbidden fruit and cannot go back to measly front-end, web-browser button clicking to configure reports with limited functionality and flexibility. The power of back-end querying is what I seek, but this is challenging when my company doesn’t currently have a database. Setting one up is notoriously hard, even for professional developers.
I emerged through some struggles to set up a personal SQL database so I can practice queries with my own data. I like the IDE called Datagrip by Jetbrains (free with a student email address) and PostgreSQL (also free) which is what I used in the previous job. Here’s how to set it up.
Step 5: Set up the database in DataGrip. In the “Database” pane on top left, click the + icon > new Data Source > PostgreSQL.
Give it a name. I called it Personal Postgres.
Use localhost, port 5432, and Authentication type as User & Password. Enter the User: Postgres and the Password you defined in step 2. Choose your Save password preference (Forever is convenient for a personal computer).
Test the connection. If it works, then hit Apply and OK.
Note: If you get an error message like this, that means the PostgreSQL was not installed correctly (step 2). You MUST use the username and password. The “No Auth” feature did not work for me.
Step 6: Savor the connection! The database will take a few minutes to connect to an online server so that you can use PostgreSQL SQL functions. If you have very strict firewall settings on your computer, you might need to allow Windows firewall or similar to allow the 5432 port connection.
If everything is good, you’ll get a small Connected status update on the bottom right Event Log:
In a future post, I’ll share how to upload your first database table from a CSV file.
As a Chicken Tender, I raise some of the happiest chickens on the planet. And as an analytical data tender, I like to track how many eggs have been laid and by whom.
People ask me how many eggs I collect in a week, and I’m a nut about calculating costs too. So I will share monthly updates on how many eggs were gathered and the average cost per dozen. Figuring out these numbers is satisfying. It’ll be interesting to see how the egg count and cost per dozen changes as we approach June where the longer daylight results in more egg laying, and then tapers down as we approach winter solstice.
I currently raise 6 layer hens. They eat organic chicken feed and garden greens, range freely, and slurp up tasty worms like noodles.
Here’s our monthly Egg Count for January and February 2023:
Month (2023)
Laying Hens
Eggs per Day (avg)
Eggs per Week
Dozens per Week
Eggs per Month
Dozens per Month
Feed Cost
Cost per Dozen
Jan
6
2.7
19.4
1.6
83
6.9
$ 30.00
$ 4.30
Feb
6
3.8
27.7
2.3
107
8.9
$ 30.00
$ 3.33
Observations:
– Two of the reinas (2+ year old hens) resumed laying when they finished their winter molt (feather shedding and regrowth) in late Jan and early Feb. This increased the Feb egg count. – The three bebitas (1 year old hens) laid daily last summer, but this tapered down to a rate of 0.8 per hen (or 4 eggs every 5 days) in January. This is to be expected due to short daylight.
When someone tells you, “No,” don’t react emotionally and close control. “No” may open up a surprising new world to you. “No” may unexpectedly lead you to good people. If you begin to push back against the unchangeable “No,” you will suffer in the process and miss other opportunities.
Your boss asks you to run an errand that has little to do with your job. Rather than getting annoyed, just do it and let it go. Do not turn something trivial into a major source of agony by wasting time and energy thinking about it endlessly.
*
If I had to summarize the entirety of most people’s lives in a few words, it would be endless resistance to what is. As we resist, we are in constant motion trying to adjust, and yet we still remain unhappy about what is.
If I had to summarize the entirety of an enlightened person’s life in a few words, it would be complete acceptance of what is. As we accept what is, our minds are relaxed and composed while the world changes rapidly around us.
Haemin Sunim 혜민스님, “The things you can see only when you slow down.”
Insightful nugget from one of the best books I’ve read (many times).
Maybe this is why I enjoy being with chickens and in nature. Chickens are not endlessly stressing about and resisting their circumstance. They accept and adapt. Sometimes they get pecked. But they pick themselves up and keep eating, searching for grubs, delighting in muddy puddles of rainwater to quench their thirst, roosting every night and rising the next morning, ready to start a new day without existentially wondering about ‘why’ life is an endless cycle of suffering.
There’s been frustrating challenges at work, and through the process I’ve discovered a band of great colleagues who remind me that this workplace has good, hardworking people who care. I wouldn’t have discovered this camaraderie were it not for a stress-inducing process with endless, seemingly unchangeable “No’s” coming from above. I’ve started to let it go and have been resting better.
Ever since that time with the Walker family, I’ve always carried it with me. The desire for a routine. It’s one of the pillars of my success.
Everything in my life is planned and scheduled. I’m talking meals, meeting, workouts, naps, snacks…everything.
Two hours naps in the afternoon: planned. Half time snack: planned. Protein shake after the game: planned. And I’ve got that playlist on repeat day in and day out.
It’s not what you do once or twice, it’s what you do every day.
It’s not just effort, it’s effort multiplied by consistency…year after year…that’s when I start to see my full potential.
I’ve got hectic days, flight delays…the key is to create that routine for yourself, based on what’s important to you. Based on what helps you connect and get locked in.
One of the most powerful things I can do with my time is to plan my time. Put what’s most important on my schedule and defend it. Slip into the groove of a routine and ride it. And when there’s a crisis you need to take care of, you can manage it. Or…You can say no with confidence.
Effort multiplied by consistency.
It’s discipline, not desire, that determines your destiny.
LeBron James
This is what’s keeping me going and grounded this year. 7 week streak of studying and practicing Python programming 4+ days a week, and we’re 7 full weeks into 2023. Running 2+ times a week, every week, to work my way up towards my first half marathon later this year. IT band issues be damned, I’ll do whatever physical therapy and training it takes to take care of my body and work it towards that goal. Going to bed earlier, waking up earlier so that I get my morning coding time in before anything else pulls at my attention. Saving a part of every paycheck and socking it away into retirement accounts for future, wrinkly me to live a relaxed and happy life.
Here’s a recipe for a less-sweet gingerbread with bare-bones spices and minimal dishes to wash. Add whatever nuts, chocolate chips, or fruit toppings you fancy. I’ve tried: Cranberries studded on top, chopped walnuts, peanuts (strong flavor; walnuts are better), and chocolate chips. I didn’t include allspice or nutmeg, typically in gingerbread recipes, as I don’t find those necessary.
Yield: About 8 slices, from a 9-inch round pan
Ingredients:
200g flour (all-purpose or whole wheat OK)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2.5 teaspoon ground ginger (add more if you like spicy)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
half stick (or 55g) unsalted butter, melted
55g sugar
120mL molasses, dark unsulfured
160mL boiling water
2 eggs
Toppings: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, fruit
Directions:
Mix Sweet + Wet ingredients First, then add in Dry.
Pour 55g sugar and 120mL molasses into mixing boil.
Boil water
Melt butter in a microwave-safe cup for about 20 seconds
Pour butter into mixing boil, then pour boiling water into the cup to clean it out.
Whisk items in bowl. When warm (cooled down), add eggs and whisk.
Whisk 200g flour, 1 teasp baking soda, 1/2 teasp salt, 2.5 teasp ginger, 1 teasp cinnamon into the wet ingredients.
Add semi-sweet chocolate chips and any toppings. Whisk till combined, no lumps.
Welcome to Nest Café ~ Café Nido, where I share about my life of homesteading and learning data analysis and coding. Different aspects forge who I am. I’m happy to share my thoughts with you through this blog, as if we were enjoying conversation at a favorite café.
About me:
Korean Chicken Tender. Homesteader and Aspiring Small Farmer. Data Analyst. Bridge-Builder between technical concepts and non-technical audiences. Logic Lover. Language Learner. I love SQL and Python. See what I’m coding on GitHub and visualizing on Tableau.
Nest Cafe ~ Cafe Nido 