What a crazy week

Rainbow chard

Red Russian kale for market

I got to visit with my newest grand baby 

And my oldest grand daughter the Farmer Girl is a good cook too. 

Packing for a chicken show. I sold my old incubator and delivered it at the show. 

I left home at 4:30 am to make sure I got there on time. I also sold all the Silkies. That will make room to do more work with the little Nankins. 

The show was fun 

Over 800 birds were shown. I had a good time talking chicken. I’ll do another post with pictures of different birds. 

The plaques are made by the local high school wood shop. 

The buckles were really pretty   

A long drive home Sunday afternoon. Our original forecast was for rain Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Then it changed to just Sunday. We got about three drops and a lot of wind. More wind and cooler temps on Monday. 

And then I woke up to this on Tuesday. I don’t remember it ever snowing before Halloween in my whole life. Thanksgiving yes. But not before Halloween.  I worked full days on Monday and Tuesday, rushing home to cover plants, rearrange the living room so we could make a fire Tuesday and stopping at a friends to milk their goat for them both nights. Whew. I’m beat. Toasty fire going and I’m ready for bed. 

#appreciation

Today I’m appreciating that at least occasionally I managed to plan ahead and had boxes of wood ready to grab and bring in the house. 

More Shed Progress

On Friday I started taking apart the old tool cabinet on my back porch so I could recycle the peg board. 

I finished the work bench and added some peg board to the back. 

The other piece of peg board went on the back wall. 

I put up brackets to put a shelf up above and began rounding up, sorting out and putting away my accumulation of tools. And I’m not done yet!

I’m still looking for more boards to finish that top section but in the meantime I used the shorter ones I do have for the bottom part. Soooo close to done!

#appreciation

Today again I appreciate all the people that send building materials my way!

 

More Patchwork Shed

So early this morning I got this far on the first layer of wood. This is just pallet boards and a few bits of scrap. 

I stapled on plastic feed sacks as a wind and water barrier and started on the next layer of wood. Why I thought angles were a good idea I don’t know...,,

It was hot in the direct sun. 

I think the bottom boards took 2 trips up the ladder (once to mark then to screw in place) while the upper ones sometimes took 4 to get the roof angle cut right. 

Almost there on this section but all the batteries were dead. I *could* have drug out the electric tools but I was too tired to bother. Instead I rounded up some crates and corralled the small scrap for kindling. I’m trying to get this side of the wall done and painted so I can hang the door and start on the other side. 

#appreciation

Tonight I’m glad my grand daughter heard the rattlesnake before she got too close to it. 

The Patchwork Shed

I scrounged up a few more boards long enough to fill the upper wall space. Contemplating a window from that old plexiglass 

Boards that were too short for the other wall are long enough for this space. 

Got a good amount of it done today. I also painted the inside of the door white. Still contemplating work space arrangement and storage on the inside. Spent the hottest part of the afternoon on YouTube looking at tool storage builds and getting ideas. 

#appreciation

Today I appreciate extra time at home to work on this!

Farmer Friday 10/9/2020

Today I picked chard and kale

And some radish for tomorrow’s market. 

This week I got the ridge cap on the patchwork shed. 

I put elastomeric roof coating on but it was hard getting into the cracks. 

So I screwed an old paint brush to an old mop handle to push it into the cracks and bumpy places. 

Getting some pretty colors from a new generation of olive eggers. 

Four Black Copper Marans chicks hatched out. 

A friend gifted me with some old work tables. 

Farmer Girl has been painting the shed. 

Today I worked on getting a work bench put together. 


And repairing and painting an old door. I also did some odds and ends on the end wall framing. Lots more to do yet but getting there one board at a time. 

#appreciation

Today I appreciate my friends and neighbors that have gifted me with so many building materials. 

9/27/2020 the weekend

On Friday I made the first picking of Swiss chard. 

I finished getting the 2nd bed of the season ready by adding gypsum, kelp meal, manganese, magnesium, boron, iron, potash and blood meal, all things my soil needs. Then I spread it around and chopped it in, hooked up the drip lines and started adding water. The soil is bone dry and dusty, it’s going to take some time to get it wet enough. 

Went to the last market of the season for Globe-Miami on Saturday. 

Found a tiny little pullet egg. 

Picked some nice bell peppers for dinner ( home grown chicken fajitas)

Sunday I laid out some furrows on the new bed and added some fresh worm castings. Then I planted 4 trays of beets, 2 trays of Red Russian kale, some miscellaneous cauliflower and cabbages that managed to escape the late summer pests, 2 rows of spinach with lots of radishes tucked in wherever there was an empty spot. 

Egg production is now truly pathetic. The two big white ones are duck eggs so not even a dozen from the chickens. Lots of pens of birds molting like crazy. Hope all the new girls hurry up and get going. 

#appreciation

Appreciating serendipity in my life like walking into the hardware store and finding 5 gallons of exterior “oops” paint that wasn’t beige or grey for about a third the regular price. 

9/24/2020 more exciting things

The Flowering Tobacco smells so sweet when it opens in the evening. 

This little plant popped up in a flower pot. Not sure what it is yet besides a legume of some sort. 

Kittens like to watch YouTube too. 

Something tried to get in a chicken tractor but didn’t.  I think Giotto probably ran it off. 

Got another bed dug. Still needs some soil amendments but it’s almost ready to plant. 

The first bed I planted in this garden, about September 4th is doing amazing. 

While the weather hasn’t cooled down as much as it has in other places, it is only about 98° most days and cooling off quicker in the evening than it was even a couple of weeks ago. 

#appreciation

Just appreciating nature and the wonders of biology

A Most Exciting Week!!

The Patchwork Shed is coming along slowly. 

Little green caterpillars were eating the kale but they became chicken snacks. 

I get up and find these one morning. 

Farmer Girl and I took a Saturday afternoon off. We got sushi and spicy orange chicken from Blooms and picnicked on the Old Courthouse steps. 

Then we went inside to the Cobre Valley Center For the Arts and had a great time. 

The oldest of the 2020 pullets started laying. 

Ian got a new collar 

Rocks are still my biggest crop. 

I got new dish towels. That certainly fits!

My granddaughters tie dyed some shirts and my daughter put my business name on them. My grandson Noah even got one. 

My friend Angelica came over Saturday night and we got 11 cockerels processed.  I still need to rinse  and bag for the freezer. 

I spent Sunday morning rearranging water hoses and adding Ys and hoses because......

The well system was finally ready for use!  Happy Day!

#appreciation

Today I’m appreciating my blessings including following an impulse to check my email. My favorite shoe place was having a sale (shoes.com) and I got 2 pairs for only about $20 more than one pair. My feet are going to be really happy!