A Quiet Sunday 4/24/2020

Got a roof on the chicken tractor.  Even added a prop to hold the hinged part up when needed. Might go back and add one to my others. 

Moved chicks into it from the brooder coop. Didn’t take them long to start bug hunting. Then I moved other chicks around.  

I don’t know this plant. Growing in one of my pots. Smooth stems but the leaves on the flower stems have prickly on the edges. 

It’s about 3’ tall

I planted some arugula in a half barrel and covered it with fine screen. Will see if that keeps down the flea beetles. 

The chilicoyote squash is starting to take off. I planted forget me nots in the squares of the bricks. 

I planted out some basil and marigolds. 

That squash down there is getting scary. 

#appreciation

Today I appreciated my quiet space. Although there are lots of chicken sounds there is barely any human noise around me. Occasional faint traffic sounds and that’s it. 

A Crazy Saturday 5/23/2020

After chores, breakfast,watering some wilting seedlings I loaded up and went to Superior to deliver eggs, veggies and flowers. On the way home I had to-get feed. 

My daughter brings me spoiling produce and today that included some yogurt that was at its use by date. So the chickens got some veggies dressed with yogurt and crushed egg shells. I filled some water buckets, checked on babies, watered plants. 

In between I prepped a duck for dinner. Stuffed some lemon thyme in it and lightly scored the skin to let out the fat. The oven is out so I made a rack inside the roast pan and put it  on the BBQ. 

The grill doesn’t close with the roaster  on there but it would get too hot any way. 

Probably a bit over done. But I was busy. 

Well you would think that with 3 cats in the house a mouse wouldn’t dare. But it did. Ate all the squash and Mexican sunflower seeds. Also ate or dug up seedlings in other trays. So I replanted several trays. 

And at nearly dark I went and picked up Ian, a Golden Gurnsey buck. Miss Posie was not only not impressed she was even mean to him. Hopefully she’ll settle down in a day or two. Whew time for dinner!

Farmer Friday 5/22/2020

I’ve been working on more chick tractors. 

Really excited for these cabbages! Hoping the heat wave coming doesn’t make them bolt before they finish heading up. 

The beets are doing great. 

There were only a few radishes left. But more are planted, hopefully they’ll grow faster than the flea beetles eat them. 

The turnips bolted without making roots. 

Tink inspects the new chick tractor. Just need a roof. 

Flowers are mostly Calendula right now. 

A big pot of blue potatoes looked ready. 1# 10 oz. 

All Blue.  Delicious. 

Miss Posie blasted aaaaaallll day long. Looks like she might be trying to come into heat. 

Monday Monday 5/18/2020

I had to work this morning then got the mail on the way home.  Opening up the sweetest Mothers Day card ever! From my younger daughter  and her girls. 

I have been meaning to split this pot of day lilies for awhile. 

So I do that this evening. 

I potted up 18 starts, planted 4 or 5 clumps in random places and repotted a clump back in the big pot it was all growing in. 

Also in today’s mail, some more seeds. Now just waiting on my sweet potato plants to get here. 

#appreciation

Today I appreciated all my customers that wore their masks into the store. 

A Quiet weekend

Picking greens mix: Aztec spinach, Lambs quarters, Amaranth with a bit of arugula. 

Flowers

I don’t know how I’m going to fix this mess. 

This garlic is ready to pull. 

Decent looking. 

I realized the bed was pretty compacted so decided to double dig it and loosen it up. This means digging a trench across the width of the bed, saving the top soil from the first trench. Then loosening up the soil in the bottom. In this bed that meant using the pick axe and removing some of the rock and caliche. I was gifted with a large amount of used potting soil so I added some to the bottom of the trench. 

It was very dry and so is the ground so I filled the trench with water to get Everything wet down. You could use manure, compost, butchering waste or other organic matter. This will act like a sponge and help hold onto the water.  Then you dig the next trench, putting the top soil on the first trench. At the end you use the topsoil you saved from the first trench. 

I dug this bed over the winter, a trench at a time. I buried butchering waste in the trenches.  Now it’s really growing like crazy. 

#appreciation

Really appreciating the slight temperatures drop back under 90 degrees. It’s been really nice. 

Chickies day 5/13/2020

Started my week with the goats tearing up the fence. Got them rounded up. Miss Posie (pictured) is not too happy with the new hot wire on the inside of the fence. Fireball has gone to a new home where there are more goats her size. 

The little Nankins have finally figured out how to go up the ramp at night. 

The potatoes are jammin’

I don’t know what kind of squash / pumpkin this ...

But it’s getting kind of scary

I spent the morning moving chicks. The oldest to a bigger tractor. And this younger batch from the brooder coop to a tractor. Then the next batch to a bigger brooder pen so I could bring out the babies from the house so I could take new babies out of the incubator. Whew. I really thought I took pics of all of that!

I picked some peas. I thought I planted snap peas but they turned out to be shellers. These just filled a quart bag. 

And that’s after shelling. Actually more than I thought. 

Range fed beef and home grown peas for dinner. 

Broody mamma and some babies

A Crazy Couple Days

So the sand filter I made 30+ years ago finally clogged up. So I dumped out all the sand and rocks. 

I don’t have the time or energy to redo it like it was right now. Instead I used some old shade cloth and sewed up a barrel size bag to catch the lint. I zip tied it to the top of the barrel. Works great. 

The cats left their snack in the bathtub. 

The arugula seed is ready to pick. 

Working on the patio. 

Greens mix for market. Forgot to get a pic of the radishes and flowers. 

The oldest chicks are really enjoying the chick tractor. 

The goats got loose. 

I thought I fixed it. But they got out again Saturday morning. 

Posie was found but Fireball is still on the loose. I spent all of a hot afternoon running a hot wire on the inside of the pen to keep them from pushing the fence out again. 

But I did get to see my oldest and youngest grand babies. 

And their mom. 

#appreciation

Today I appreciate my children and grand children. They are kind and thoughtful, generous beings. I love you all so much.