Cow poop soup and other adventures

Jack, at four, is a super-hero.

Most kids are, I know. It's great fun! I had forgotten just how joyous this age really is. (I wonder -- can anyone who doesn't work with children year after year keep track of the joys of each age?)

Jack can run faster, jump higher, tumble further than he ever could before -- his body is his new favorite toy! He has dragged his all-terrain tricycle off the porch and rides it all over the lawn - - a feat that would have been much too hard last autumn. He doesn't slide down his slide -- he climbs up the slide, jumps from ladder, uses it as a high beam, and swoops on his tummy down the slide.

At four, our gentle angle has also developed quite a sense of humour. He loves to hear the story "jack and the beanstalk" -- and his favorite part is when the ogres wife interrupts the ogres rant with "fe fie foe fiddle-sticks!" He laughs so hard we have to stop for a moment so he can catch his breath! (And we always have to read that part again!)

Last night, I was getting the late harvest plants into their containers. I had brewed some manure "tea" to use as a transplant food, and Jack was helping me. Now, manure tea at four days is quite an impressive scent, and at one point jack asked me what that was. I explained to him that it was food for the plants. He wanted, being Jack, to know what kind of food was it and do the plants like it. I told him it was a manure "soup" and they like it a lot.

"What's manure?"

"Cow poop".

"Cow poop soup?" incredulously

And so we talked for much of the rest of the evening about "cow poop soup". Jack has decided that he doesn't eat soup -- I gather he doesn't trust what I might put in his soup.

Lately we've noticed that Jack *loves* rules! That is so weird. He will do (or not do) anything as long as we make a rule about it.

One example: one of his educational computer games doesn't run on his computer. His computer is simply too old. So, if I am at work, he gets one hour to play with it on my computer per day. However, he is not allowed to leave my desktop covered with cookie crumbs nor is he allowed to leave my computer on when he's done. Every so often he forgets -- and occaionally I get the impression that he didn't exactly "forget" -- because I will mention to him that he forgot to turn off my computer and he smiles at me and says "No Pet Playground for me tomorrow!" in a most cheerful voice. And then he doesn't complain and as far as I know, he also doesn't ask.

Strange child. Sweet -- but strange.

Edited to add: I notice a lot of hits to this page from a search on "manure soup" -- and I'll bet most of you came looking for a recipe or information on how to use manure tea. First warning -- if you do this right, it smells really awful!

First the "recipe" -- for reference, I use a recycled 30-pound cat litter bucket for steeping and a one-pound coffee can for measuring.

Add one can of ground alfalfa and two cans of manure to bucket of water. Stir up well with a stick, cover (or you'll get bugs), and set in the sun for at least three days.

Next the method: After this tea has fermented for at least three days, stir it up well again and pour it by the can-full around the base of the plants to be fed. About one can per plant in the ground or a half a can per plant in my container garden. That's it. I do this once a week or so.

You can add the sludge to the compost or you can put it around fruit trees and berry bushes and then water well.