"The male red-winged blackbirds spread out strategically in the tree tops around our land. As we paused to watch them on our morning walk, they appeared to rotate locations, like sentinels changing out their guard positions."

It's not quite officially spring yet, but the volume of bird calls around our land is definitely increasing as the daylight hours lengthen. The red-winged blackbird males arrived recently, ahead of the females, and a group of them laid claim to the land around our home. The love the ponds and marshy areas, as well as the semi-wild grassy areas.

I didn't realize this (but did a little research when we noticed the males coordinating) that typically five or more females nest in one male's territory. Both males and females will mate with more than one partner, swapping across territory boundaries. Females build the nests, and also do most of the foraging for the nestlings, who leave the nest roughly 2 weeks after hatching.

I've seen the males defend their territories many times, driving off larger birds, and scolding unexpected humans. We don't rate much interest from them most of the time, as they are used to us moving about the homestead. I'm so thankful that we are able to provide a variety of habitats here to welcome so many different species of birds. (It's also good for bees.) The monocrop fields that surround us offer limited opportunities for them.

I know that many people have little or no interest in knowing where their food comes from, or in raising their own food, but I am extremely thankful for the small but growing number of smallholders - people on small scale, diverse farms and homesteads. It's not a leisurely life, but producing an assortment of crops, products, and services creates resilience. If one crop does poorly, there's something else to fall back on. You can also grow more total calories per acre by stacking crops, like adding in mushrooms and bees along with plants and livestock, or foraging and using wild plants for food, like these dandelion fritters.

Even if you grow just a few plants in pots in a sunny window or on a patio, it's taking a step in relocalizing food production. Plus, fresh food tastes good!

Helping you create resilience and abundance,

Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)

This week's featured articles...

Wild weather is unfolding across much of the United States today. Peak tornado season is March through June, so I figured it was a good time to update our tornado preparedness article. This includes a printable checklist you can keep with your emergency preps.

Need to stock up on preparedness items? Shop the Spring Survival Sale at CampingSurvival.com.​

Tight on space, or looking for a way to garden without bending over so much? Check out these vertical gardening ideas. We’ll share which crops work well for vertical gardening, plus tips for success, and over 20 photos of vertical plantings.

Everybody poops - but unfortunately maybe not as frequently as they should. Constipation is the most common GI (gastrointestinal) problem, affecting roughly 33% of those over 60, and 16% of adults. This article highlights the Bristol Stool Chart, explaining what's healthy and what's not, along with tips for keeping things moving.