Both success and failure are hard judgments to measure. They have a tendency to fold in on themselves, churning until they lose their discreet value. Over time what was a failure may be your greatest success and your once highly valued success, a limitation. Eventually, both success and failure just become a fertile mix from which life emerges. In the garden we often call this rich mix “shit.” And in the garden, shit happens, we get shit done, in fact we welcome shit by the truck loads in order to ensure sweet fruit.

After a month of major transitions, identity theft and general confusion, I am reveling in the wonder of lots of shit right now.

That said, lets check in on a few things.

The rabbits:

Of a litter of ten, two were lost within the first 24 hours. An additional little guy didn’t make it at week three. However, the remaining 7 bunnies are growing well. They’ve been weaned naturally and Lisa and Virgil are in good health.

Lord of Rabbit Death: 3; Esperanza: 9

The gorgeous 7′ tall fava bean plants: This year the favas were towering, almost ominously. I was dreaming of a significant fava bean harvest. Fava bean puree on crostini accompanied by white wine on a hot day. Then, the aphids hit. Not being in the garden on a daily basis left my plants to the merciless appetite of the bugs. They obliterated the plants leaving only shriveled black pods behind.

Aphids: 1; Esperanza: 0

However, I forgot, yeah forgot, that I had planted loads of green garlic and was joyed when I harvested them and realized I was now in possession of a delicious heap of fresh green garlic.

Lost crop: 0; Esperanza: 1

I also never mentioned that I attempted to smoke my own bacon. The initial stages worked out well.

Of all the things that could go wrong, I over salted (way over salted) during the curing. So while the meat did not go bad, it was not edible. Even my garbage tummy cat, Rosa, turned her nose to it. In fact, she ran.

Destroyer of Meat: 1; Esperanza: 0

However, quick culinary recovery was appreciated with a stunningly good Chocolate Stout Cake. The triple layer suggested adds a nice dramatic height to the cake.

Culinary Collapse: 0; Esperanza : 1

Lastly, farm cat Fred took a mighty dump on my bed but I got this stupid picture of his righteous feline self:

Fred: 1; Esperanza: 1

Woohoo! That’s 6 for disaster and 12 for me. I win!!