Farmer Friday 11/15/19

I started off the morning turning the compost. The temperature is coming down to 120-130°F so it’s almost done. 

Time to start a new pile. 

A nice surprise this morning. Broody mamma has resumed laying. 

An even better surprise, a new pullet has joined the layers club. 

Some mums are still hanging on. 


Rosemary, oregano and sage are weekly staples, nearly year round. I also picked arugula, kale and red mustard but forgot to take pics. I had to cut out the green wave mustard because it was infested with aphids. I have ordered some biological inoculants so will wait until they are applied before I replant. Hopefully they will help eradicate the root knot nematodes also. Fingers crossed.  

Thursday and an afternoon off 11/14/19

This is an almost vertical bank along the creek and I’ve been losing a lot of good topsoil here. 

So I pegged some boards in place to help catch it. I need to do some more but this is a start. 

Can you see the big hole in the netting?  Damn rats chewed a hole and when I came out to water the last bed of spinach was decimated by a flock of sparrows. I can’t take much more. I’m ready to just quit. Between the cost of water, nematodes, rodents and predators I am at the end of my patience. 

Freya is trying to drive. 

While Loki is trying to adjust the seat. They did make me laugh. 

And then I took the afternoon off to meet up with an  old friend. Our last ride together was about 44 years ago. 

We rode up to what is officially called Solitude Tailings pond but what everyone calls Blue Lake. 

Quiet and peaceful. We disturbed a flock of ducks. 

Saw some cows. 

And watched the light change with the setting sun. Got back at dark. Certainly helped me feel better. 

And It’s Wednesday 11/23/19

This morning I got the fence put up where I want to plant peas. Didn’t get them planted yet but it’s ready Maybe tomorrow. 

I fed plants and checked things under the row covers. Everything seems to be doing well. 

New radish plantings doing good so far. 

I cleaned the hay barn at the feed store and gave all the chickens some of the alfalfa   Then I pulled up broken soaker hoses and planted this shady flower mix Under the red locust and mulberry trees. Mulched with a sprinkle of alfalfa hay. 

The seed list on the packet. Hopefully some will make it. 

I dug the dahlias and gladiolus in the same area. Sadly some look like they may have nematodes. So in the morning I’ll spray all of that area before I put the hoses back down and water. 

Tuesday 11/12/19

An early morning at work. 

After eating lunch I checked out a sale and found a $5 door to replace my back door which has been sagging and trying to come apart. The only way to get it open farther than a crack being to pry it up. 

So I spent the afternoon messing around getting it hung. If you have ever hung a door all by yourself you can imagine the cussing. 

But it’s finally done. Tomorrow I’ll work on getting the trim up to close off the drafts. I am going to miss the warm winter sun shining through the old door with all the glass but beggars can’t be choosy. Maybe this will help keep out the rodents. I know it will cut down on the wind whistling through. 

It was cool and windy all day. The trees are getting naked. 

What a crummy afternoon 11/11/19

The day started with a beautiful sunrise.my neck was a little stiff but much better than last night.   My work was pleasant and uneventful. I came home and chilled a bit then went out to work outside. 

I went to water the little garden with spinach and baby pak choy. Only to discover it was all gone. Every last seeding in two beds was completely gone. I was totally devastated. There is bird net over these beds and occasionally I find a sparrow under the net. I don’t know if that’s what happened or something else. Those beds were part of my income for December and January. Replanting now means they might be ready by February since things grow much slower in the low light and cold weather of winter. To to that off the cockerel I posted awhile back with the sore on his neck was dead in his pen. I have no idea what the issue was. The neck wound wasn’t healing but it wasn’t getting any bigger and it wasn’t infected. 

The good thing of the afternoon was the sun catching this Black Copper Marans pullet. She’s only about 4 months old so I hope she fills out nice with that much color. 

(Temporary Backup) The Days Work 11/10/19

I have some cement I need to use up and I want to pour it along the back of the big chicken house where rodents are digging in. So it started with clearing brush. 

That’s a lot better. 

That is a really big hole on the creek bank. Wondering if it’s from a skunk or a raccoon. Fairly fresh tracks around it but the ground is too dry to tell what they are. 

I found a love rock a few minutes after seeing the message I have a new nephew, named after his grandfather. 

On to cement work. 6 parts creek sand to 2 parts cement. 

Dry mix. 

Wet mix. I have no idea where that goblin reflection came from. 

Haul in buckets and pour. 

Clean up. Time for breakfast and chores. 

The fall chicks are getting big. 

The speckled Sussex are smaller than the production girls but really pretty. 

The White Marseilles fig had a lone fruit which froze the other night. I hope that means it will have lots next summer. 

Sigh. The work is never ending. I’ll have to get the ladder and pull that tarp back into place. But not today. No rain anytime soon and I kinked my neck cutting brush. 

While watering I found a nice pile of red worms which I collected to add to my worm tub. I tried to shred some stuff up but managed to clog it up and quit. The blades need sharpened really bad. I have a co-worker that has a sharpener. I’ll ask him if he can sharpen them for me. 

I swept a cleanish spot on the patio to set the smoker. Then had to sweep off the rust and cobwebs that have been accumulating for the past 4 years. 


Plugged it in. It still works, happy dance. 

Off to pick a little sage. 

Which I stuffed inside this little duck. I think it’s the last one in the freezer from a couple of years ago. I scored the skin to release the fat which I will catch in the pan under the rack. Popped it into the smoker with some applewood chips   And turned it over every 30 minutes. 

In the meantime a weird little cloud came over, but no sign of rain. 

Starting an experiment of soaking scratch grain before feeding to the chickens.  Supposed to take less feed because soaking / partly sprouting increases nutrient availability. 

Duck is not quite done through so I’ll finish it tomorrow. In the meantime some medicinal alcohol, a hot shower and off to sleep on the heating pad. Hopefully my neck will be better in the morning.