Sunday 3/29/2020

Eggs going into the incubator. Boy I was super busy today but apparently never stopped to take pictures! I retrieved the commercial style brooder from storage so I could get those little Nankin chicks out of the incubator. That meant having to move and sort and clean out some space to put it.  Then swept the hay barn at the feed store. Managed a couple loads of laundry. Planted out some Tatsoi starts and planted some radish seed. Gave all the hens some oyster shell. Filled up all the waterers. Sifted compost and made potting soil. Made 4 trays of soil blocks. Planted 2 trays of beets and 2 trays of zinnias. Pulled some weeds for the chickens. Candled all the eggs in the incubator and pulled the quitters and infertile. Sorted and marked all the ones going in tonight. Visited a few minutes with a friend that stopped by. Chatted online with my daughter in England, she wondered if anyone had heard from her dad. Later her dad called me, worried because he hadn’t been able to reach her. I called my dad today too and talked a long time. Whew! No wonder I’m tired!

#appreciation

Today I appreciate unexpected goodness coming my way. 

Saturday 3/28/2020

I had a nice morning visiting with customers as they picked up their orders in Superior. Came home for lunch then got busy and got some stuff planted. Mizuna, radish, turnip, spinach, Aztec spinach and arugula. Most of these will be ready in about 30-45 days. 

The apple trees are booming. 

I had a few purple sprouting broccoli which I cut for dinner. The goats enjoyed the the tougher stems and extra leaves. 

The broody Nankin hatched 2 chicks Thursday and stayed tight on the nest on Friday. Today she came out with the babies. But when I checked the nest there was a 3rd chick, very cold and almost dead. So I popped it into the incubator to warm up. It was doing much better when I checked on it. 

BUT when I checked on the broody after dark I found she’d left her babies on the ground and went upstairs to roost. Poor things were laying cold on their backs so into the incubator they went. My incubator hatch isn’t due until April 5 so I don’t have a brooder set up yet. Guess I should fix that tomorrow.  All 3 babies seem to be doing ok now. 

Farmer Friday 3/27/2020

Yesterday 2 little Nankins hatched. They are a rare breed of bantam chicken. Mom stuck tight to the nest all day today so more may have hatched. 

The bed I planted the other day is looking ok so far. 

Picking Calendula 

And daffodils 

And iris

To make bouquets for Superior 

They are predicting nearly freezing temps tonight so brought the tomatoes and artichoke plants in. Was grey all day with an icy wind. 2 friends 2-5 miles in opposite directions from me both reported light snow. 

I dropped some mulch on potatoes that I planted Wednesday whose sprouts were poking out and on the chayote sprouts. Then I covered the potted potatoes with heavy frost cloth. I undid the hoses and covered the faucets too. 

I retreated to the house out of the nasty wind. Did up some dishes and cleaned up a bit. I scrambled up all the infertile and early quitter eggs that pulled from the incubator the other day. I’ll feed them to the chickens tomorrow as part of their feed. 

Not sure but that might be what we called Indian onions when I was a kid. A native wild onion. I’ll have to check.  Even if it isn’t it’s a pretty little flower right by where I walk 

#appreciation

Certainly appreciating spring coming and looking forward to the abundance to follow. 

While the world goes crazy 3/23/2020

While the world is going crazy outside my gates farm life goes on. Still have to feed the chickens. They are still laying lots of eggs. 

Maremma smiles 

The cats have discovered the incubator is warm. 

The flowers are blooming 

I spent several days down having muscle spasms in my back. Much better now as long as I’m careful about certain movements. I potted up the tomatoes and put them on these shelves after I wrapped them in netting and covered them with frost cloth to keep them warmer. 

I made up some soil blocks and panted marigolds, kale, tatsoi. 

I rearranged the junk piles

So I could move this little house and the ducks out of a garden space. The ducks are not real happy with the space reduction but it’s just temporary. 

These are Chayote squash I bought from the bargain bin last month. I haven’t grown them before. I understand they have one big seed and you plant the whole thing, which I did today. 

I also planted the shallots my friend gave me awhile ago. They got lost on the counter but now in the ground.  And so life goes on. 

#appreciation

Today I’m appreciating friends old and new and all of the blessings they bring to my life

New Additions 3/10/2020

I picked up Fireball and Posey yesterday. They are not too sure about Giotto!

They’ve been hanging out in the highest, steepest part of the pen, as far away from Giotto as they can get. Here Loki cat is hiding in the brush.  While Posey seems curious but not too concerned, Fireball is not liking it at all. 

It started raining and they followed me to the shed   Posey ate a little hay while Fireball was giving Giotto the evil eye from the door way. When the rain quite they went out to give the dog and cat the once over. 

#appreciation

I’m really appreciating divine timing. If friends hadn’t been at my house just as I got there with the goats I’m not sure I could have gotten them penned by myself. 

Progress! 3/8/2020

On Saturday friends came over and helped straighten out the frame. 

My friend Alan even custom made brackets to hold the strapping. 

And today he came over to finish the brackets, helped me with the end wall and got the strapping started on the top. It rained for a bit so we went in for a tea break. We did a little more then Alan had to leave and I needed to do chores so we called it quits for the day. 

#appreciation

I am so appreciating my friends without their help I wouldn’t be even halfway to where this project is now. 

Farmer Friday 3/6/2020

So this frame is pretty tweaked. 

So I framed up a stud wall for the far end to help bring things together. 

This one stud was twisted at the end so I had to unscrew it while I put the blocks down the center. That helped take out most of the twist. 

So all stood up, plumb and screwed down. 

Mmmm. The frame is more tweaked than it looked. I will have to think about what to do now. 

The peas are beginning to sprout. 

The Nankin cherrys are starting to bloom. 

Time to work on the hill pen and get it ready for new additions. Pulled down the shredding tarps. 

I took out the chicken roosts and the old next box. 

I moved some dirt around. It’s not level but at least the step down isn’t so steep. 

I cut out a couple mesquites with really vicious thorns. 

Still a bunch of stuff to do!

Thursday 3/5/2020

All the decking on the shed  Ready to paint and I have everything but a roller pan. So a trip to the store. 

Spring is springing, poppies everywhere. 

Two coats of oops exterior paint I had on hand. 

Now to move a junk pile. 

Mmm. That’s not a good thing. That pipe should be attached to that frame. 

Can I just walk the frame across the yard?  

A little bit at a time. 

Up on the floor 

The high winds we’ve had this past year have some damage. I took this flange off and beat it back down sort of flat. Another trip to the store. I decided to use lag screws to fasten the frame down to the floor. 

Mmmm. This leg is severely bent. I tried standing on it. I tried using a clamp. Finally I took it off and stuck it in a hole on the truck bed and put a pipe in it and tried to bend it back out. I bent the pipe real good but not this leg. Got my big iron bar and that worked. Finally got that leg screwed down.  And then it was time to deliver eggs and do chores. 

#appreciation

I am sooo appreciating a friend that gave me a whole bag of hardware that I’m going to need for my shed project.