April on the Homestead

[pcrowder]

Haven't done much today due to weather. Am expecting another 6 calves in the next 2 wks. Have only lost 3 so far out of 26 mommas. *My ducks started laying again after being on strike for a month, and my white leghorns should start laying any day. Am missing a Bourbon Red Tom - think he got stolen, as I've had birds disappearing from a closed coop at night. No feathers, no guts - just GONE. Guess I need to start padlocking again.
The Onion plants I ordered came today. Will probably be Monday before we can get them in due to weather. I really need to start a bunch of seeds indoors, but can't get to it today or tomorrow - maybe this weekend.

[firegirl969]

We are enjoying collards, mustard, onions, and carrots out of our garden. The chicks, bunnies, steer, and pig are growing nicely. The pastures are green. Our garden peas are up and growing. DH and DS are still digging on the root cellar. We hope to be able to finish it up in a month or so. I added two Jalapeno peppers and eight strawberry plants today. Is is better to grow the strawberry plants in hanging baskets so that I can winter them in the greenhouse or grow them in a bed? Fred's got in their regular jar lids and rings. The lids for $1 and the rings and lids for $2. They got them in yesterday and already sold over 1/2. I added two $2 boxes and five $1 boxes today with the cash I had in my purse. I will get more when DH gets paid on Friday.

[duckidaho]

Well, things are going a little slower than we'd like due to non-homesteading commitments. But we have all the chicks out of the brooder and out to the coop (heated) 5 inches of snow tonight will slow down needed work on the chicken run. Have lots of seedlings in the grow room. Garlic is up in the garden, underneath the snow. Hard to find onion starts, as it has been so wet in the Northwest. But mostly things are good, and I'm sure the homestead will run just fine. :D

[kawalekm]

It's burning season here, and I'm getting all the excess brush piled and burnt by this weekend. Have allowed a lot of debris to accumulate around the cabin, and I want to make sure it's as fire safe as it can be this season.

After burning is finished I can get my vinyard in the ground and the last of the fruit and nut trees for the orchard.

[Cil]

Why burn it? Why not make it compost? Not trying sarcastic, just a city gal who's like to understand. :)

[bee_pipes]

Woody stuff takes too long to break down. It will eventually, but you're talking a number of years. Take a look at The Humanure Handbook (http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html)

Regards,
Pat

[bee_pipes]

4/1
Last night the local TV station put on a show in Perry County. They sent the meteorologists and the topic of the show was severe weather. Karen and Kay attended while Tony and I went to another meeting. A good sized crowd turned out – over 1,500 – not too bad for a county with a small population. But, then again, these folks are TV celebrities and this was an event. Tony and I retrieved Karen and Kay after our meeting and managed to get out of there before the event let out. It was held at the local high school and the parking lot was packed.

We had rain yesterday. It was not a steady downpour, but not an hour in the day went by with out a shower of some sort passing over us. About 3 PM most of the rains passed and we had clear weather for the rest of the evening. Temperatures for the following week are fairly moderate, though two fronts will come through with associated showers and the night time lows following the front’s passing are expected to dip into the 30’s.This makes planting tricky business. While these low temps are not a freeze, the right conditions could result in a frost.

Yesterday we also retrieved the truck from our mechanic. We had completely forgotten about the six bags of manure in the bed of the truck that we had placed there for added weight and traction. This is a convenient time for pulling the sacks and distributing the contents on beds before tilling. The first bed tilled is already in need of weeding. We seem to have done a fine job of turning weed seeds in the soil so that they can thrive. The battle begins.

Later…
We got the majority of the garden tilled – one large bed left. The weeds that had taken root in previously tilled ground were simple enough to pull from the loose dirt, root and all. Normally these weeds would be tossed aside until dead, then tilled back into the ground. But now we have rabbits and they all welcomed the fresh greens. The weeds had some sort of large, tuberous root on them – many resembling a carrot with yellow meat. The rabbits made quick work on the greens and seem to enjoy gnawing and playing with the roots. We had more than we could use on the rabbits, so the rabbit shed has the surplus hanging up, curing until the rabbits are ready for more.

We knocked off around 1 PM and had lunch. Between a full stomach from lunch and the exertions of the morning, we were pretty much done in. We did manage to get turnips planted – more rabbit food. Right now it is still too early for planting anything except cold-weather tolerant plants. Would have been nice to get peas planted today too, but I just could not get off my butt after lunch. We are expecting rain tomorrow evening, so if we get moving early enough we can finish the tilling and get peas and lettuce planted in time to make use of the rain.

The turkey laid another egg today. This is only the second egg we’ve seen, making me think she is laying in the yard somewhere. From now on we will keep her and the tom confined until we get an egg for the day.

We saw our first tick the other day, so tonight was dog baths and frontline. My goodness, what a chore it has become. Wrestling four dogs through the shower, then showering myself. It might be easier to wash them outside with a hose, but it has been my experience that the hose generates a lot of mud, and usually the first act of a newly cleaned dog is to find the foulest thing in the yard to roll in - so I use the shower. I always make this the last task of the day because after that there’s no energy for anything else. The older dogs have gotten better at it – or at least meet the ordeal with an air of resignation. The younger pups have not been through the ordeal enough to remember that they will live through it. The young dogs are expert at splayed legs and splayed claws. The shower floor is slick by comparison to the floor and the ground outside. I think the slippery surface does more to get them apprehensive than anything else. When the water comes on the apprehension turns to panic and dread. But now, exhausted, we have four clean dogs, treated with frontline, and settling in for a night’s sleep before they go outside again. Death to all ticks!

Regards,
Pat

[cwatson]

We've been eating our first fresh radishes, carrots aren't quite there yet. Turnips and beets look like they will be ready any day now. Potatoes are doing great and we should have new potatoes by Mother's day if all goes well. Onions are encircling each bed that has been planted so far with the exception of the garlic beds. I repoted the seedlings the other day they are about ready to go out to stay but as of now are just taking hardening off day trips out :) I haven't put them out perm. yet because we had a frost last weekend and any time up till Easter I don't trust it so I will wait until after easter to put them out. I got more mint started, I am trying to let it grow over a bare spot in the front yard and kind of take over. Didn't get much down outside today because the ground is still wet from the storm we had last night the actually blew one of my rain barrels across the yard!

Still trying to get that rock out of the ground to finish off the fence for the goats........

[Anon001]

We had started to dry out a bit, and then we had a couple inches snow this morning. It was a wet heavy snow. But by 4pm, the sun had come out, the temp had risen to 51 and the snow melted. It is a muddy mess. So, I went to town (12 miles one way) to take care of a couple errands. While I was at the local Farm and Home store, I noticed they had a lot of garden seed.... especially corn, onion sets, radishes, carrots... and some others.

I did buy two bags of onion sets. One bag of white and one bag of red. But, the ground is too wet and too cold to try to plant anything.

I have a big rear tine tiller that has a problem. I think the carb needs work. I bought it new in 1998. Anyway, if I can't get it going by the time the ground dries out, I will put the 3 bottom plow on and plow my garden. Then I'll put the tandem disc on and make passes until it is pulverized.

In this area, I normally don't plant until the signs in May are right. We can have freezes up until the middle of May. We usually don't but I have seen many freezes as late as the 20th. So, I usually wait until the first or second week (depending on the almanac). My apricots and plums haven't even bloomed yet, but I bet if it gets warm for a couple more days they will.

I am chompin' at the bit to get in the garden. I really enjoy it.

I have also been wanting to get the barbed wire fence started. I am replacing about 2 miles. I have the first mile dozed and ready to go but it has been too wet for the fence crew to come in. Yes... I am wasting the money to have them do it. It takes me too long anymore to try and build that much fence. (I have fibromyalgia and neuropathy in the feet and legs.) We use 6 strands on the perimeters and 4 on the cross fencing. But the cross fencing won't get done this year. It will most likely get done next year.

As soon as it dries enough the guys will be able to run the fence fairly quick and as soon as they do, I will bring some of the cows back up here from the pasture they are in. I will also start building the herd back up from 30 cows (pairs) to 50 by the end of the year and back up to 80 by the end of next year.

Well... I don't have much news now, so I think I'll sit and read the rest of what y'all are up to.
Later,
Paul

[Cil]

Woody stuff takes too long to break down. It will eventually, but you're talking a number of years. Take a look at The Humanure Handbook (http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html)

Regards,
Pat


Gracias, senor! :D

[kawalekm]

That's it. Wood takes years to break down, and the fire danger will be way up in months, but burning only takes hours. It's the fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce fire danger around here.

[cwatson]

We were hoping to rent a chipper this year. Not one of those wimpy ones but a big one and get some of our cedar cut-downs turned to mulch but I haven't had any luck finding one to rent that does larger than 1.5 inches. If not then as soon as the wind stops blowing around here we will be putting ours in the burn pit too. Summers are too dry in our part of Texas to have stuff like that laying around.

[mom2]

Our bees came and DH got them in their new home last evening. They appear to be happy so keep your fingers crossed that they stay that way.

[duckidaho]

Break in the snow :o got to get out and finish the chicken run. Some lettuce and radishes coming up under our "greenhouse" row covers.

[Kelleysvt]

when I first opened this subject I was thinking "Oh I have nothing to write about" but now I realize we've actually got a bunch of tasks going on.

There are still spots of snow on our mountain (fresh snowfall last Tuesday) so we can't put most stuff in the ground for at least another month. I started some peppers,leeks, and onions this week. Seems like I should have already started tomatoes but I've been assured that they can wait another week. I think we might be able to put the more hardy seeds in the ground next week. I'm going to ask around and see what more experience folks think. Traditionally it's Memorial day weekend but I suspect that's more for the hobbyist than for the serious gardener. It's supposed to rain through Thursday so I'm keeping an eye on next weekends forecast.
I ordered a dozen raspberry canes a couple weeks ago. Will add those to the handful already planted along the back of the garden fence when they arrive.

DH is working on finishing my potting shed - if we get it closed in and wired we might be able to keep the chicks out there when they come. We sat down and put together the chick order last week. Last summer we installed 100 ft of 4' fencing for the chickens but found that our current flock just mocked it so we're moving up to 6 ft this year and thinking of completely closing them in - right now they free range around the yard.
Wednesday I raked the winter mulch of leaves out of the strawberry bed and herb garden. My chives are already green and have about 2" of growth. They're always the first sign of spring around here.
We planted half a dozen new pine seedlings last fall and they all came through the winter OK - even survived a near miss by the neighbors tractor (they're along the back property line). Unfortunately, DH nailed one of the cedars that lines the driveway with the plow so we now have to finish cutting it down (it's lying at a 45 degree angle). Would love to get a chipper and save the mulch though.
The hens started laying early this year - they don't usually start til April but we already have gotten nearly 8 dozen eggs out of our little flock.
DH is looking into building a small pole barn on the back corner of the property. We're also hoping to add a pig this spring so we'll need to build a simple enclosure for it. I'm hoping we can put one side against the chicken coop or possibly the back of the new potting shed to save on material costs.

[bee_pipes]

when I first opened this subject I was thinking "Oh I have nothing to write about"...

Bah! This is just the sort of stuff we want to hear. We can't all be hacking a homestead out of virgin timber or setting up completely off-grid. Been my experience the little chores can get me into more trouble than the big ones - you expect problems with the big ones. You keep posting whatever is going on around your place, no matter how mundane you think it is - somebody might be doing the same thing and learn a few tricks from you.

Regards,
Pat

[rideaway]

A busy weekend here, yet I know I will feel like I got nothing done. Going this am to get the second 4 H lamb-2 hour drive round trip, plus figure 30-40 minutes picking out the lamb and visiting! Can't rush that stuff, you know.

Tomorrow going to help castrate pigs. I'm trying to teach my 4-Hers all the steps of raising livestock! Oh the stuff I get myself into!

I need to get out and pull the rhubarb seed heads and maybe pick some also. First year I've had it and I've never done anything with it, so I'm curious. I also want to start my seeds sometime this weekend. We never did get the greenhouse built this year. Oh well, one step at a time.

Tonight will be the first night for the bummer lamb to sleep outside instead of in the garage, so that should be interesting. Poor baby is growing up...

Well, off to get something done. Can't believe it's Saturday and I got up a full hour earlier than on a weekday! Darn it!

[Anon001]

Not much going on around here.

Yesterday, I did manage to get a jag of firewood cut. I also got my heritage tomato seeds in the mail. Today it is supposed to be raining and/or thuderstorms with a chance of snow tonight and tomorrow. So... I will be inside today getting all my seeds started for the tomatoes and herbs. I don't normally start anything else inside. Most everything else gets started out in the garden.

That's about it here.....

[pcrowder]

Blizzarding pretty seriously here. Heavy wet snow, winds picking up to 40-60 mph. Keep getting power "bumps". I brought in enough wood for 4 days, so we should be ok on heat if the power fails. Not motivated to do anything outside except check the remaining 2 preg cows to signs of impending calving. Guess I'll go cook some fried potatoes and polish sausage, and then start on taxes....electricity permitting, that is!

[GoodDaughter]

...............

[pcrowder]

Oh, Gooddaughter, you are sooo lucky to have stuff growing right now! I am sooo jealous! The blizzard is intensifying, you can't see more than 10', and the wind is blowing 45 mph sustained with 60+ mph gusts. Your post makes me dream of spring/summer! Thank you!
;D ;D ;D

[bee_pipes]

4/4
Today was a wonderful day. Even though nighttime temps were in the 30’s, we enjoyed 70º temperatures today. The sky was clear and sunny; a perfect day for working in the garden. We have one patch left to till, and since there is no rush, we’re waiting on more rabbit manure. We turned our attention to the areas that were tilled and planted carrots on peas. The carrots were particularly difficult. The tiller did a fine job of breaking up the topsoil, but even with the settings for the deepest till, the depth was nothing to write home about. I wanted the carrots to have a deep bed to grow into so there was nothing else that could be done except to break up the soil as deeply as possible with a steel bar and turn the soil with a spade. The peas were not as bad, but it still seemed like a good idea to break up the soil and turn it. So far the boss has not told me of any cabbage or lettuce to be planted, so I’m waiting for her to give me further instructions.

After finishing up in the garden we took one of the pups out for a walk in the woods. I had a bag of tapes made from cut up grocery bags and we used those to mark a few game trails I suspect the predators are using to come down into the yard. These trails are difficult to see, except at a distance, even with all the leaves off the trees. When the leaves are full they would be impossible to find. After marking the trails, Karen returned to the house to put on supper while I took the pups out back to find coyote droppings. Again, the areas were marked with tapes to keep track of the locations. The pups have an acute sense of smell and I have been impressed with them in the past when they alerted on coyote scat and followed scents on game trails through the woods.

Regards,
Pat

[jen_in_southtexas]

4/01
Today was my first jobless day in a long time after the stupid layoff yesterday. I had errands to run, submitted two applications, paid monthly bills, switched auto insurances companies and am saving $84.00 a MONTH by doing so!!!! Late evening I went to my Gramma's house. It has been about a week that she was discharged from the hospital(2nd time)and she is doing wonderful. She is her old self again, got her appetite back and is able to breathe normally. I had been wanting to clear the itty bitty patch of dirt that she has...(she lives in a senior citizen community) but had not been able to do that due to time constraints then her 2 admits in the hospital. There was some kinda nasty prolific plant that the previous resident used for ground cover and it was everywhere. Shortly after i got started my Gramma wanted to come outside and sit on the porch. It was great to see her want to "participate". I know deep down inside she was "secretly supervising" my work ;D to make sure I was doing it to her liking. It took bout an hour and a half and worked until dark. She told me that a rose bush and a few flowers would look nice and I told her that I would see to that. Far back as i can remember she has always kept rose bushes except when she moved there there werent any. I took a shower, we stayed up watching TV, snacked and went to bed. Just like ol times.

4/02 4/03
Made some phone calls lookin for work, cleaned out my messy truck and was relieved to put my work tools away where they belong and not carry them around, washed my truck, did some spring cleaning with shoes n stuff but still not done. Oh yeah, and I bought some desparately needed wipers.

Today
I slept in a little late till 8am this morning. Made some breakfast, got myself together and out the door. Went to check on my property this morning. Was hoping everything was intact and that the trailer and cabin werent fallen or something since we had those 54mph winds coupla days ago. But all was as i last left it. The trees are looking fine with their new leaves. I took the weedeater and edged around the trees until i felt over heated. Temperatures were in the high 90's today. In my truck thermometer it registered as high as 99 degrees!! I took a little breather then got the chainsaw and started cuttin wood. I put a little bit in my truck to take to Gramma's to have handy. I then piddled around to look at the weed damage so next time i go out there im taking the Round Up. I keep forgetting to take it. Other than that, I enjoyed the rest of my time there and took the long way home. Im trying to get myself motivated to start on the cabin project again, now that i have some time.

I hope everyone is enjoying their homesteading projects.

Until next time....see yall on the backroads...

-jen
El Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[rideaway]

Went today and got the second lamb for my daughter's 4-H project. *We also brought home a lamb for another 4-Her and the two have ganged up on our bummer-poor guy-he can't get close to the grain AND it's his first night outside! *I feel awful-maybe he should sleep in the bathtub like he did in January-LOL! *Course at 50 lbs he's a little big for that.

The place we got the lambs from today was sooo awsome. *25 miles from the closest town, totally off the grid and beautiful views all around. *They raise cattle, sheep and chickens, so most of the buildings were shacks and sheds related to that. *If I didn't have to drive to town every day, I'd love it. *Their teenage daughter leaves the house at 6:30 am to get to school in time for her early morning athletic workout. *Ouch!

Tomorrow we go to another farm to help castrate pigs. *Oh the joy of being a 4-H leader. *I want my 4-Hers to see all the aspects of raising animals, not just feeding then selling. *

I'd like a day at home tho. *I did "borrow" some geranium pieces from a neighbor to put back in the flower beds around the house, as mine all froze in the last few weeks. *Strange for the Oregon coast, and I can't believe I even lost my great big lemon geranium. *I want to have some time to work around here, get some seeds started, etc. *

Oh well, maybe next weekend!

[dearg]

Hi all. Just love this thread, sure gives me ideas of things I need to get done though. We have been eating on the fresh greens, radishes and spring onions. Planted strawberries, fruit trees, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers and assorted herbs.

Cutting up deadfall and stacking it off for next year. Two new baby goats and more on the way. Chickens (banty crosses) set 13 chicks and have ordered 10 Arucuna pullets, 6 geese, and 6 guineas.

Weather has been great, except for some wind, 70's daytime and 40's night. Need to paint outside of the house but looks like that will wait till fall, just no time.

[flatwater]

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/offgridbob/DSC00962.jpg
Here's the start of our addition to our homestead , clearing trees away to get some light for the solar while still preserving our privacy

[kittencaboodle]

I was going to dig up the ground today....

But this was the view from my front door:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j17/kittencaboodle79/yard.jpg

Is there a fist shaking smilie anywhere.

Instead I made German pancakes with the kids.

[rideaway]

Didn't have to go help castrate pigs...one of the mothers got loose and so they called and said don't bring kids up...No problem. I got to stay home and work around the property.

Got the first egg today from one of the 5 hens. Yippee! It wasn't real big, but the shell was nice and hard.

The bummer lamb got hurt some how in between 6 pm and 7 pm. He can't put a lot of weight on his back leg and of course I don't have any pain meds on the place. With not having large livestock on the property all year long, I don't see the sense in buying it to have it expire. So, I will get some from a friend tomorrow and run home at lunch and give him a shot. Poor baby, I feel bad for him-he still voluntarily goes in the dog carrier that is out in the lean-to sleep, so at least he has straw to help cushion it. I know, I know...it is just a lamb, but still...

Trying to get stuff accomplished around the house when I get home from work...its hard to have the energy. But, I can't do it all on the weekends...

[TNDadx4]

So far, we have 1/2 of the garden tilled (double-digging), then the weather turned on us. Hopefully, we'll be able to get out in another day.

[Terri]

As a treat for me, a shed was put in with windows on the south side. It is/will be a chicken house/potting shed.

I am still trying to get the north end screened off for the chickens, but I had set up some saw horses and boards to act as shelves, and I have been growing seedlings with the help of a space heater.

Today I moved out the first of the seedlings!!!!!!!!!!!!! There will be no frost for a week, I can cover them with leaves if I must, and so I moved some flowers out to the area next to the house! There were only 2 dozen of them, but, it IS a start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Terri]

deleted: double post!

[Anon001]

Well. I hadn't got my garden tilled or disked. So, today, I got the WD and the tandem disk. The ground on the hill up here at the house was dry enough. I got down the hill to the garden and made one circle. I stopped. I ....um..... I had to step off a moment.... anyway, the dummy in me left the tractor and disc pointed slightly uphill. very slight hill. I got back on and the left tire just started spinning. I forgot that I didn't have fluid or the wheel weights on that tractor. Also, I think it may have been low on hydraulic fluid because the disk wouldn't raise thus, my problem. So, I will may have to get the WD-45 since it has fluid and more power and hook on to the disk. I can also put the wheel weights on it if I need to. But, the ground down there was probably just a tad moist. However, I figured if I went ahead and disked it up, it would dry quicker and I could start thinking about planting a few things with the next sign. But, I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I need to get it done tomorrow, because Thursday we have a chance of rain. So.... I'll find something else to work on....

[kittencaboodle]

It snowed again today. :-/ Luckily my peat pots have sprouted for the most part and I can keep them warm and safe inside. Well, safe is probably not the right word considering we have 3 cats. :-) But they did remain unmolested today.

I made pancakes from scratch for the kids and discovered halfway through combining ingredients that I was out of Baking Soda, luckily that was an easy fix.

[WileyCoyote]

We got 15 inches of snow over the weekend. A real blizzard, some of the drifts were 6 feet. Monday and today the sun came out, and now the drifts are only four feet, and there are green grass and tulips poking up their little heads.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Snow%20Folder/IMG_0516.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Snow%20Folder/IMG_0517.jpg

While sitting inside listening to the wind howl, I transplanted all of my leggy garden plants that I started in the sphagnum. Pumpkins, Zucchini, and Green beans are out of control already. Everything is sitting in the south bay window, growing like, well, weeds. April here is the month to plant cole crops and potatoes ONLY, as they frequently get cold snaps below freezing the first week of May.

DH has plowed the west garden where the smaller vegies will live. We haven't been able to plow the East garden where the "big stuff" - the pumpkins, wheat, corn, and potatoes will go. I'm putting the pumpkins in front facing the road for a "pumpkin patch" - if I get enough it may be a u-pik-it garden come fall. The onion sets haven't come in yet. The chickens aren't due til the first week of May. We still set up the brooder with the lamp and waterers and feeders all ready to be filled.

Rabbits are all over the yard right now. Walk past any small pile of dirt or twigs, or any building, and they come darting out. I have followed their tracks and seen from which direction they come, now. When the garden goes in I'll be waiting. *

DH should start making the chicken tractors soon. It has been too cold for him to be out in his shop for very long. He is getting antsy to get started - he's already drawn them out on his computer building program.

The more snow we get now the easier it is to garden later, so I've been told. Still trying to figure out what goes where. I've never had this much space or this many seedlings started before, not even in my greenhouse back east. The horseradish bed and asparagus bed are already well-established. Unfortunately I can't see the asparagus yet - it is still under about 2 feet of snow. We are almost to the end of our carefully hoarded woodpile for the year. I laughed at hubby the other day. "I'll bet that the next time I spot a deadfall and say, 'Let's go back and get the pickup and get that thing for firewood!' you'll agree!" He grinned and nodded.

Easter's coming and we won't have any of the kids around us for it this year. We won't color eggs or cook a ham feast like I used to do every year. But with four days off work and a warm (55 deg) weekend coming, I might be able to get some things done.

[rideaway]

Got another egg today. *Cooked 'em up for hubby for dinner.

Also, what was I thinking...got a call from our local extension agent-she had a tip on a 1-2 week old hereford calf that was to be given away. Momma wasn't taking care of him, not enough milk and they thought that he'd become cougar bait. *So, I'm thinking no way, hubby says "I've wanted to do a calf-you never let me do what I want..." so, tonight, in the feed shed is the cutest little calf who doesn't know what a bottle is and can kick like a mule. *This should be interesting. *After he has been weaned and my daughter has shown him at fair, we will move him out to a friends house who has a fenced acre where he can spend the next couple years...I've never done cattle, so any advice is appreciated... Edited to add: we found out why he wasn't growing with his momma. His tongue is too long or something for his mouth and so he couldn't nurse. Trying to teach him tonight how to take a bottle. This may take some time and we may not be successful. Hard to say if he has any other problems.

We'll see if he makes it or not. I won't let him suffer. Lyndsey will use him for 4-H this year and then in late summer he will go to pasture where he will live until he's freezer sized, if all goes well.

[mom2]

for all you frozen northerners and no so far north people. Check out my webpage and the photo of the day. That's what's happening at our house today.

[jen_in_southtexas]

Earlier today i had some errands to run. Then later today I sowed some flower and herb seeds. I havent sowed in a long time so we'll see what happens. Among the flower seeds were Dahlias, Violas, Impatiens, Alysums, Delphiniums and Columbines. Herbs were Mint and Rosemary.

I waited to do this until the Moon was occupying a favorable sign. Today is also a full moon, called a Full Seed Moon, and the moon is occupying the sign of Libra which is supposed to be especially good for flowers. Only time will tell how this has worked out. I hope ok since this is mostly for my Gramma so that she will have something pretty to look at out her window. It was fun to say the least and took the weight of the world off my shoulders if only for a little while.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/seeds001.jpg

-jen

[Southerngirl]

We got our garden in. Just need to plant a few more tators and we'll be set.
Have any of you heard of African okra? A friend brought some over for dinner the other night and we really enjoyed it. It doesn't have the "slime" that regular okra has and it gets a lot bigger. So we planted 35 seeds and he said it will be more than we wanted when it all spreads out. I told him I don't think I can have too much of it, I made a pig of myself eating it, haven't tasted anything that good in a long time Was thankful they shared their seeds with us. Good friends.
Working on cleaning up the property and getting the barns and outbuildings prepared for our chickens, pigs, goats. Also need to do some fence repair before bringing in some calves.
Loving the warm weather and soooo glad to see winter leave this area.
Southerngirl

[kittencaboodle]

Compared to my post 2 days ago, here's a picture of my yard today:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j17/kittencaboodle79/yard2.jpg

I was greeted this morning by children desperate and excited to go out and dig.

[bookwormom]

well, served scrambled goose eggs to company. she did not mind, could not tell a difference.

sigh, grumble. still not done cleaning up after the ice storm. we do two hr stints here and there as there is too much other stuff that needs doing. Worked on the retaining wall made of old tires for one of my terrace gardens as that needs to get done and is pressing on me. A few pick up loads of manure need to be cleared out. seems I am always shoveling or digging something, walking up a hill to the barn five times a day, I really ought to be a little skinnier, but maybe I eat too much. We went and dug up a few more virginia bluebell plants to transplant in an area that I am working to establish in wildflowers. The Jacobs ladder is doing really good, so are the V.bluebells. I would like to find some dutchman's britches and bloodroot to establish in the wildflwer area. This is my fun project. I also planted about thirty lily of the valley to naturalize under some hazelbushes, some are up. I hope the sweet woodruff will bloom this year. It survived the drought. The sweet Cicely is doing nicely. Our place was previously owned by a guy who had a bulldozer, I guess if you have a thing like that everything needs bulldozing. It explains a lot.
well, I guess I'll go and fill up a few more tires with dirt. then I have to do something that is not so energy consuming, like do some laundry. the seedlings are kind of slow poking along. But it has been cold for this time of year. I planted them in five gallon buckets that are crammed full of goat manure with some dirt on top, in the hope that this will keep the little fella's roots warm.
well, it is full moon, a good time to put fertilizer on the land, so I spent a couple of hrs. with a watering can distributing diluted fish fertilizer all over the place, since it is also a flower sign I guess I'll start more broccoli.

[kittencaboodle]

I've been sick as a dog today, so my husband took the kids outside to do yardwork. This included the ever unpopular turning of the compost pile.

They also got the last of the leaves raked up and apparently cleared out the flower beds too. I was suitably appreciative, both for their effort and the fact that I was able to get some sleep.

[Boris859]

well this April is really shaping up for me!,got about 6 acres tilled for sweet corn,,squash,pumpkins and suger beets.not to mention I finaly got my smaller garden ready to go in also,for broccolli ,beans,radishes,etc etc,not to mention we are now removing alot of trees from around my barn so at least 1/2 to 3/4 of my firewood for next fall is cut,my wifes cousins and uncle are helping us out with this huge undertaking ,which is just too much for 1 or even 2 people to do.hopefully I can save up some money and buy a tractor and things will really take off,right now we are using their Farmall H,it's perfect for what we are doing,I was planning on before and after pics,but my camera had dead batteries so I guess you guys will just get the pics of the afters. :D

[TSJ]

well this April is really shaping up for me!,got about 6 acres tilled for sweet corn,,squash,pumpkins and suger beets.not to mention I finaly got my smaller garden ready to go in also,for broccolli ,beans,radishes,etc etc,not to mention we are now removing alot of trees from around my barn so at least 1/2 to 3/4 of my firewood for next fall is cut,my wifes cousins and uncle are helping us out with this huge undertaking ,which is just too much for 1 or even 2 people to do.hopefully I can save up some money and buy a tractor and things will really take off,right now we are using their Farmall H,it's perfect for what we are doing,I was planning on before and after pics,but my camera had dead batteries so I guess you guys will just get the pics of the afters. :D

Why sugar beets? Aren't they used by Big Ag for sugar production? Just curious. Thanks - TSJ

[bee_pipes]

We have three rabbits that were bred on March 5th. They should be coming due soon, so yesterday nesting boxes were put in their cages. The nesting box is a sheet metal affair that has an open bottom and a partially covered top. Since the cages have a wire floor, it is necessary to put a bottom in the nesting box. Rabbits will eventually soil the bottom, gnaw on it, and attempt to burrow through it to make the nest deeper; so it should be constructed from something consumable/disposable. The breeder lady recommended wood, but that would require cleaning so I cut wire fencing to sit inside the box and reinforce a cardboard sheet. One of the first attempts at using one of these nesting boxes resulted in the loss of the litter. The doe had torn up the cardboard in an attempt to make the nest deeper, resulting in an open bottom that failed to keep the litter warm enough. That was back in early February. Since then I have learned to put ample pine shavings and straw in the box to satisfy the doe’s need to burrow without digging through the cardboard liner.

With the pending litters it was also time to breed three more does. We have three youngsters that are due for their first breeding, so I tried them. When putting does into the buck’s cage, literature cautions you to monitor the proceedings. Good thing. You wouldn’t think it from looking at the rabbits, but a doe that does not want to breed can ruthlessly fight off the buck – resulting in grave injury to the buck. An unwilling doe will attempt to tear off the buck’s sex organs – a surprisingly brutal defense against amorous attentions. Once I figured out what was going on and the attentions of the doe I removed it from the cage. Three does and three fights – such as rabbit fighting goes. They can get quite defensive about their space, making me think part of the problem was the buck’s cages were next to the cages housing the does to be bred. The first attempt was to place the does in with the bucks next to them, thinking the does may have grown accustomed to the scent of the buck in the adjoining cage. With the results from this initial breeding my thinking was the cage was too close to the doe’s cage and considered her “territory” and resulting in the reluctance/defensive behavior. I tried alternating the bucks – the doe from the top cage being bred with the buck from a lower cage – and got the same results. Time to consult the literature again for reluctant does.

4/10
It may sound busy around here, but only as an afterthought in looking back on the last week.

Wednesday (4/8) I checked nesting boxes and found that only one doe had delivered a litter (kindeled) of five. The other two does did not take. This is a hit-and-miss process at this point and after the problems with breeding the reluctant does I have found a few techniques worth trying to ensure pregnancy. We have three young does that are quite long in the tooth for slaughter at 15 weeks, so they will be used to replace old does in the breeding cages. Two of them have dental problems – after growing up with Bugs Bunny, who would think buck teeth were a defect in rabbits? The teeth grow to a length that interferes with the doe’s ability to eat and drink, requiring frequent trimming – an ordeal for the doe. We have no idea of the age of these does and one seems to be suffering from other health issues, so it would seem best to cull these seniors. The dental problems would be inherited by their offspring – not a tremendous problem if the offspring are being butchered when they reach the appropriate age – but the does are not doing well without attention and monitoring their condition.

Karen and I also re-arranged the rabbit cages so that the bucks are away from the does – across the shed from them, rather than next to them. I have ordered a scale, for more accurate measurements of weight, and a dozen hide stretchers. The scale is a hanging affair with a wire basket for holding live rabbits. It is similar to the type used in the produce section of grocery stores. I am waiting to see how the hide stretchers are constructed in hopes that I can make my own from their design. They were inexpensive – a little over a dollar each, which makes me think they are either cheaply constructed or my coat-hanger stretchers are pretty much the industry standard.

With the return of warmer temperatures, it is time to think about processing hides. I don’t expect great results from this first try. From the information I have been able to locate on hides, pelts and processing, the quality of the hides we have to work with are not the best. Either you raise rabbits for meat and hides are a byproduct, or you raise rabbits for hides and meat is a byproduct. Whichever the goal is, the byproduct suffers in quality. Rabbits slaughtered before reaching 5 months do not have a quality adult pelt. Rabbits slaughtered after 5 months have a quality pelt but the meat is tougher. The whole point of this experiment was to add another source of meat to our produce so hides have to take a back seat. After getting back into routine from our trip, I went about ordering a few supplies. A hand-seamer (hand break) for working sheet metal. A fleshing knife for scraping hides and a draw knife for shaping wood will make it easier to build a fleshing beam. The fleshing knofe sounds like it can be easily made from rough materials, but I thought I’d pick up an inexpensive on and see how they are constructed. The knife doesn’t have a true edge like a knife blade, it has corners on the edges that perform the scraping. The fleshing beam is a piece of lumber with a smooth curve that allows provides a working surface for scraping the hides. The draw knife was recommended for smoothing the surface of a small log for this purpose. I have seen a number of references to other tasks that recommend the use of a draw knife, so this looks like a handy item to have. I have been watching for one at auctions and yard sales, but have had no luck and finally broke down and ordered a new one. We still need to get rubber aprons to keep down the amount of mess on our clothes and some large tubs for holding hides and various solutions for soaking. My hopes are that we can get to the point of creating adequate hide and pelts, given the quality we with which we will have to work, and these products may have some value as curiosity items to a few gee-gaw shops in the area. Karen is interested in seeing how to work with the finished hides – they should be thin enough to run on her bull sewing machine – and there may be some possibilities as clothing and toys.

After fiddling in the rabbit shed, Karen and I set about the task for the day. The grape vines do not look too promising – normal for this time of year I am told, but this should be the year they need a trellis. Readings have agreed on a simple arrangement – two wires, one 5 feet above ground and a second 3-4 feet above ground. The wire and posts holding the wire will support the entire plant and fruit, so we went overboard to ensure they would be more than sturdy enough. We had four fence posts left from past projects and placed those two feet in the ground, allowing for each of the three grapevines to have a panel (space between the posts) of 8 feet. My goodness! The area we have the vines planted in have a layer of hardpan underneath the topsoil. The last 6-12 inches of the post holes were a real chore to dig. We only needed four holes, but it took a good effort and a significant part of the day to get the holes dug and the posts buried. I didn’t want to have to redo this work so we made every effort to get it done right the first time.

One other event Wednesday was worth noting. We sold a rabbit as a pet. We got the $8 we would normally charge for a dressed rabbit, but didn’t have to slaughter and skin the creature. I neglected to weigh and check the gender – not very proactive record keeping – but it was quick and easy money.

Thursday we planted tomatoes. Karen had started them on the seed rack in mid-February. The plants were 6 weeks old and had gotten quite long in the tooth. They were getting so leggy that the plants seemed to be in a constant state of distress – the pots and soil could not hold an adequate amount of water and the tops were brushing the fluorescent lights. We have a few cold nights predicted in the near future, but it has gotten to the point of the plants dying in the pots or dying in the ground. We got 24 plants in the ground that day. Holes were dug 12-18 inches deep, reminding me of how difficult the last 6 inches of the post holes were. The task did not seem as bad as the post holes and we managed to get them all planted. The holes were made fairly large so we could backfill with good topsoil and a scoop of rabbit manure. Karen had been collecting eggshells but the supply was not adequate for the number of tomatoes we had to plant. We had just recently spread compost around the garden, which was full of egg shells, so I scrounged eggshells from these beds. There were enough shells lying on the surface of these beds to make it a simple matter of collection.

Tonight (Friday) is a chilly night. We have a collection of old milk cartons with the bottoms cut out, so I used these to cover the newly planted tomatoes for the night. Saturday night is expected to get into the 30’s, so we will be repeating this process again tomorrow. Some of these plants are not going to make it. We should have spent more time hardening them before planting, but had gotten ourselves into a situation where they had to go into the ground. Better to lose a few plants due to this neglect than to lose all of them by waiting.

4/11
The day started with finding a rabbit on the bottom of her cage. This was one of the older does that was scheduled for culling. We had just gotten the hide stretchers and I was hoping to attend to her this weekend. She was still alive, but very weak and messy. Her fur was matted in places and she looked miserable. I dispatched her and put the carcass in the compost bin. I don’t believe it was disease – none of the other rabbits have been showing any signs of illness – likewise I don’t believe it is an environmental problem – bad air/conditions in the shed. She had some problems with her teeth, had always been lethargic, and my guess is that she was old. It was a shame to have lost that adult pelt. We have another doe that is scheduled to be culled. It is a shame – she is an active rabbit and seems quite healthy, but she has problems with her teeth and it is difficult to keep up with trimming those teeth. I can only assume to process is as uncomfortable for her as it is for me. I think the lady we bought these rabbits from was keeping her as a pet. The last time we bred her battery, she didn’t take. The doe in her battery that did take threw five kits.

After tending to the sick rabbit, Tony and Kay arrived. We had planned to attend an auction in nearby Cane Creek. There was quite a crowd at the auction – some people traveling from Nashville, Alabama and Kentucky. The proceeds of the auction were to go to a local fellow that had been involved in an accident – the money was intended to help with his hospital bills. I have to give the auctioneer credit – they were not giving anything away and getting top dollar for the items I watched. There was a lot of farm equipment – balers, plows, harrows, spreaders and other such implements. The fellow benefiting from the auction is a Mennonite and there were a lot of Mennonites putting merchandise up for auction, so the farm implements were available in tractor driven and horse driven varieties. There were also a lot of useful materials – fence posts, chain link fencing, tin roofing, plate steel, tools, small buildings and livestock. We enjoyed looking at the livestock – a good number of calves were up for sale, along with goats and a whole slew of poultry. Also a large number of puppies – brittanies for hunting, great pyrenees for livestock guarding, and a number of others with questionable breeding. One guinea seemed to have escaped from its cage and spent most of the day wandering around the auction squawking at the crowd. They won’t get that guinea back into the cage until the sun goes down. They were getting too high a price for my liking, so we didn’t bid on anything. There were a number of tables set up and selling food, so we did manage to sample some of the local fare. There were also vendors set up outside the auction – some of them traveling from Alabama, Missouri and Kentucky to set up their stalls. They had some bargains. I picked up a long handled fork at a bargain price. It was an old fork fitted on a new handle, which was fine, because I had seen new forks going for $30 or more. I also picked up a choker chain for dragging logs, a few small pulleys, and a set of gate hinges for the back gate. The morning started chilly and overcast – it seemed like it would never warm up. By the time we left the auction the sun seemed to be thinking about coming out from behind the clouds. The day warmed up quickly once that happened.

After returning home from the auction, I tended to a project I had been putting off for some time. The litter cages, sitting on metal legs and spanning six feet, needed a collector for manure. I have been keeping plastic tubs under the cages to catch the majority of it, but the occupants seem to prefer making deposits outside the tubs. This is not only a waste of a valuable commodity; it affects the sanitation of the shed. We had scrap wood left from building the windows, so I used small wood to build a sloping frame under the cages. Scrap plastic was then stretched across the frame, creating a ramp that directs all the manure into a bin. Not only has it improved on collection, it has freed up floor space for storing materials and supplies under the cages.

Tonight’s temperatures are predicted fro low 30’s, so it is time to go put caps back on the tomatoes for the night.

Regards,
Pat

[Boris859]

Why sugar beets? Aren't they used by Big Ag for sugar production? Just curious. Thanks - TSJ

deer love em,also putting in a seperate field corn patch and alafalfa for the deer,gotta keep em fed :D

[rideaway]

Bee Pipes...the teeth growing that way is called malocclusion, and as you said, it can be inherited. We had a netherland dwarf buck that we bred twice and he passed this on to almost half of each litter. As a result, we stopped using him as a sire and kept him as a pet. One of the babys died when he was not restrained properly for teeth trimming. Our vet advised not using any of the offspring for breeding purposes.

Oh the joys of raising animals...

[TSJ]

deer love em,also putting in a seperate field corn patch and alafalfa for the deer,gotta keep em fed :D

I bet you will have some real nice tasting venison! :D

[Southerngirl]

Rained today so didn't get any work done, but yesterday we made a huge difference on the farm! We cleaned the entire north tree line, trimmed trees, cleaned out the lean-to for the chickens (yet to buy). Did come across a good deal, I think, 14 laying hens and 1 rooster for $50. Hoping to pick them up this weekend. Found someone else that is willing to give us around 40 chickens for free, they are getting in trouble with the city and need to let them go. Sounds like freezer food!~
Had another family come help clean yesterday, those older kids can really work! Was grateful for their help!
Southerngirl

[bee_pipes]

4/13
Yesterday was spent building a table/bench for the rabbit shed. The manure collector, built on Saturday, has helped to free up floor space. There are a lot of little pieces of gear that are adrift in the shed and need a home. Parts for cage building and repair, sheet metal tools, bailing wire, the scale and basket, spare water bottles, etc. Because the sides are open windows, there is precious little wall space for shelves. The table is an odd, triangular shaped structure. It was made from scrap plywood left from another project. We had larger pieces, but I hated to cut into these nicer pieces and make additional odd scraps. The edges of the plywood surfaces, legs and other structural supports were also made of scrap lumber from the salvage job last year. The wood pile is getting smaller with every one of these projects and has produced a number of useful results. The top is around 40 inches high, a comfortable waist high level, and has two shelves. It is satisfactory for cage work, a good height for examining animals, and has a convenient open space nearby for hanging the scale from the rafters. The second shelf holds a lot of the tools and sheet metal roll; the bottom shelf is large enough to hold the crate with water bottles and other surplus gear. Nails on what wall space there is hold hide stretchers and other tools and supplies that lend themselves to hanging from a nail. One such type of tool is two inexpensive plastic spatulas that are used to scrape out cage pans. These are pretty gross, being covered with manure, so low nails on an upright provide a handy place out of the way. Things are coming along and getting organized, making it easier to accomplish work out there with fewer obstacles and frustrations.

There has been much to dwell on with the items seen at the Auction Saturday (my favorite part about these auctions). The trailers for sale and used to bring equipment to the sale provide a lot of substance for thought. Old truck chassis, house trailer frames and other scrap metal were welded together to make the trailers. Some light duty trailers were made using motorcycle wheels. The creator must have had access to a lot of salvaged motorcycles – the forks used to hold the wheels seemed to be from the same part of two motorcycles. They also seemed to have some sort of cable operated brake in the wheel drum – ingenious. Don’t know if the brake was used while driving with the trailer or as a parking brake, but it was clever use of materials. We really need to get the capability of welding. There were also a number of gas operated machines. Lawnmowers, roto-tillers and other such machines. One device was most interesting - it was a plow. The gas engine looked to be a 5 hp Briggs&Stratton. The means of driving looked like a paddlewheel with flat blades that would dig into the ground and pull the machine forward. The business end had three or four sharp tines pointing forward and off to the left of direction of travel, plowing up the ground as the machine moved forward. I have never seen the like before. There were also a number of horses and buggies of all sizes and descriptions. Some of the buggies looked new, ranging from simple human transport to working platforms with room for cargo or hitches for additional equipment. I had assumed it was just Mennonite trait to keep the equipment well maintained until I found a catalog. There is an outfit named Pioneer Equipment Inc. out of Dalton, Ohio that manufactures a lot of the gear. I have seen Mennonite and Amish businesses that make this sort of gear, along with secular businesses that make historically accurate gear of this nature, but this is a business (Amish run) that makes new equipment for working farms. The catalog is a delight to browse through, though the detail of the pictures is not as satisfying as examining the equipment up close. The construction and parts are impressive in quality and the welds and other connectors are fine examples of strength and utility. *

There were a number of small buildings and sheds at the auction site. The auction was being held on the grounds of a business that builds these structures. I spent a lot of time examining the construction of these little buildings picking Tony’s brain. He pointed out a number of details that I would have missed without his eyes. We have a shed that has been in the process of construction for more than two years now – it always gets back-burnered for one reason or another – sometimes the reason is as simple as procrastination (sloth in five syllables) on my part. The next obvious step is rafters and roofing. One method that impressed me most was a four sided gambrel roof – what you would see on a barn. The rafters are open, providing the maximum of open space within the roof. I had expected trusses and other supporting structures to interfere with open space, a drawback on most rafters, but the angles were held in place by bracketing them with plywood gussets that did not intrude too deeply into the enclosed space. After noodling over this in the back of my mind for a day, I pulled out an old book we have on construction and looked at gambrel roofs. Strength for the roof can be enhanced by putting up girts – sills that run the length of the roof and provide a resting place for the rafters. A notch in the rafter – called a bird’s mouth – fixes them in place where they rest on the girt. There are a lot of possibilities here and I think we now have a direction to work towards.

Regards,
Pat

[kittencaboodle]

After being sick, getting back on track was difficult. The kids dug their little gardens and we got a lot of yard work done. The cantaloupes have sprouted and so have the carrots. We also cut the top off a sprouted onion and placed it in water to watch it grow.

[bee_pipes]

4/14/09
Yesterday we ordered some chicks. Only 15 – these will be long term residents. We tried a straight run of 10 dark Cornish – a breed recommended by a few folks. We also got 5 silver laced wynadottes. They are good layers and docile hens. After we get these chicks brooded and released, we will again order meat birds. The meat birds are short term residents – they will be in the freezer in 6 weeks or so.

4/15
Spent some time on the shed structure today. The ground has a slight slope to it and the post tops are not even. It has been some time since we worked on this project, so to get ready for the next step I marked the top of the posts for the girts. Using a ladder, twine and pair of line levels I tweaked and adjusted twine runs around the post tops until I had a level runs on all four sides. In the last year or two posts have twisted and warped to some extent, making for less than perfect alignment. It took a lot of tweaking to level runs and mark them on the posts. Once the girts go up we will have a good reference to base the rest of the roof on.

4/16
Yesterday we picked up some 2x8 boards for the shed. Tony and I had gone to the local lumber yard and had an order placed. While we were waiting to load I noticed that the 10 foot lengths were a nickel cheaper than the 8 foot lengths we had ordered. I went back to the office and got the order changed. The boards will be used to make the girts for the roof. I also picked up 6 2x4’s to cut up as blocks. These blocks were marked from the lines measured yesterday and attached to the posts and give us a place to set the 2x8 runs while we adjust them into final position. The girts will be 30 foot runs of double lapped boards and difficult to lift into position without these cheater blocks. We have a pile of nuts and bolts from a salvage job that will be perfect for anchoring the girts to the posts – two per joint – making a strong joint. The problem now is that I don’t have a drill bit long enough to make the bolt holes. This might be cause for a run to the store today. By the end of the day I had the blocks in place for the girts and had changed my mind about how other pats of the structure will go up – improvements to the overall structure, I hope.

I wasn’t sure of the length of boards needed – the idea was only half formed in my mind. I have been reading what I can about gambrel roofs on the web, going through books and looking at structures around the county. Tony, who has probably built more stuff than I ever will, is someone I run stuff by to be sure I’m headed in the right direction. Most useful of the books was “Practical Pole Building Construction” by Leigh Seddon. While it didn’t have a lot of detail on gambrel roofs, it did have good information on setting up a structure for such a roof. Tony walked me around his place and showed me rafters he has made on various buildings. Books and general consensus recommend rafters 16-18 inches apart. Tony has been able to get away with one rafter every five feet. The roofs are to be metal, much lighter than plywood decking and shingles. Nobody is going to be walking on it, so this reduces the cost of construction. He also pointed out the plywood gussets he made for his rafters. The design and construction were simple and economical. It is good to be able to see these sort of things put into practical use. Tony is a real gold mine of practical experience.

Today Tony came over to help with hoisting the girts and getting them in place. Shoot, Tony came over and supervised, really. He has the experience and knowledge – I was happy just to watch, learn and put in my hands or back as needed. I had hoped to have the girts and joists up by the end of the day, but Tony is very methodical and painstaking. Some of the prep work I did the day before had to be undone – somehow I messed up the level on some of the lines. It’s good having a seasoned eye looking over the stuff – that would have really bit me in the behind when we started the rafters.

We have enough wood left for one more girt and one more joist, then it will be time to make another run to the lumber yard. Should have lumber requirements for rafters figured out by then too. These double lapped boards are being attached with two bolt on each post – all salvaged from a old deck last summer. Some of the bolts were dinged up when removing them, but I have had a lot of luck cleaning the threads out with a hack saw blade so the nuts will thread them again. I can see we’ll need a few more bolts, but the majority of them are recycled from the salvage job. I love free stuff.

Right now the animals are pretty much on their own. We are keeping the rabbits cages cleaned and keeping the critters fed and cared for, but no improvements in those areas while the shed is holding our attention. The poultry seems to get along well without much extra attention – they go about their business in the yard and seem to have enough sense to stay out of the way where we’re working. A few peas are beginning to emerge, no carrots yet, tomatoes are still alive...

Mozilla/Firefox users - right-click View Image for a larger picture
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/patandkaren/shed_day_1.jpg
today's work - two joists and a girt
The old trailer behind the rabbit hootch gets torn down when the roof is up on the shed - the windows and doors from the old trailer will be used for the shed, along with any salvaged electrical fixtures and other materials.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/patandkaren/shed_day1.jpg

Regards,
Pat

[pcrowder]

Pouring rain here today - started yesterday. 3 hours to the west of us they're talking 3 FEET of heavy wet snow, so I'm grateful for only the rain. Supposed to rain non-stop for the next 2-3 days. The circular driveway is already a lake, but the geese/ducks are loving it. The mules/horses, however, do NOT like it and are very cranky, even though they can get in the shelters. Haven't seen the chickens or turkeys venture out all morning. Roads will be awful here by tomorrow - don't think anyone's going anywhere. They were getting like cake batter last night, and I haven't tried to go anywhere yet today. Don't think the mailman will make it out this far. They postponed the 2-day auction I was supposed to go to today, so that is good. Nothing worse than standing outside in pouring rain trying to keep your cardboard bidder number from melting in your hand!
Still haven't gotten ANY of the garden in yet - it rains here just often enough that the ground really never dries out enough. The area around the stock tank is a moat, but the cattle don't seem to mind that too much.
Bee_pipes - wow! You are making GREAT progress! Wish I had your initiative today, but it's so sloppy here that it's impossible to do anything outside.

Pat C

[Catalpa]

Today was beautiful, high sixties, bright sun, and the bluest sky ever. I saw a hawk hovering motionless, so high up I could barely make out what it was. What a view he must have had! I should have been home working on my yard, but I was working. After dinner I sort of accidentally burned the brush out of the north fence line. (Burn barrel was a little too full, I guess.)
Been spending major time on indoor projects in an effort to fix up the house prior to a big family party the first weekend in May. I've been plastering, sanding, painting, hanging drywall....there's been good progress, but I'm overwhelmed with all there is to do yet.
I've bought a lot of seed, but haven't started any plants. I'll most likely end up saving the seed, and buying some tomato plants. Until I get this place sold and move to my land, I'm not going to be able to have the type of garden I really want; fortunately I'm surrounded by huge Amish farms.
The heavy snow from a week ago is hanging tough; I'm suprised at how much is clinging to north banks and under trees.

[kittencaboodle]

We dug the garden today. It was a good day. The cantaloupe have sprouted, the lettuce has sprouted and we're ready for potatoes. This will be a good year.

[rideaway]

Spent yesterday doing a variety of things-cleaning calf stall (the chickens had a ball with the old straw that I put in their run), looking at a greenhouse that I may possibly convert to a new chicken house, working some more on the neverending garage mess (all of my sisters and nieces stuff is still there from over a year ago and I'm sorting it into throw away, yard sale and keep), filling some boxes for my sister to plant and keep at the foster home where she lives, relaxing a bonfire with friends, and right smack in the middle of the day attending a memorial potluck for a couple of 12 step friends who passed away about a month apart.

Then today, right smack in the middle of the day again, I am attending the memorial service for one of the guys. I shouldn't feel as antsy as I am about this, but it's nice out, so much to do, and work starts again tomorrow. I am going to throw a cheap roast in the crock pot with a couple bottles of bbq sauce on it and have bbq beef sands, chips and baked beans for dinner, so that will keep me outside a bit longer...

[Anon001]

It is a muddy mess here. *I still can't get in the garden to get any ground worked up. It was starting to dry and then we had a good rain again yesterday. *However, the sun is trying to peak out and it is supposed to clear off today and be sunny and warm all week. *I am waiting and watching and hoping.

I went to a farm sale yesterday... *I stayed in on the bidding as far as I could. *I was high bidder at the end of heat 1. *When heat 2 started I was having to bid again. *When I dropped out, another guy picked up and then bought the farm. *Those two ran the bid $5500 higher than I felt comfortable going. *Oh well. *I was really disappointed but, that is the third one I've lost. *The two previous farms I was second high bidder but it doesn't count being second. *So, I guess I'll hang on to my money and maybe try to finish up my cabin here or something. *I don't know yet, but I will get my garden in and then see what happens.

I am planning to get a copule posts in and make a couple "arbors" at the garden. *One will be for the Louffa's to grow on and the other will be for the cucumbers. *I have the material, but just trying to wait on the dry weather. *It is easier to work in dry than mud.... *

Later

P.S. There were also three wood stoves that sold. Two were Ashley wood heating stoves that brought $45 each. The third was the one I really wanted bad... and once again was second highest bidder...(danged the seconds). It was a wood cookstove in great shape. It brought $65. I had intended to go no higher than $50 but splurged in my bid and went to $62.50.... Oh well. While there with a buddy, he said, "I told you awhile back that I have one you can have." I looked at him and told him the top was in bad shape and a couple pieces inside were rusted out. He said he had replacement parts and a new top for it that he never got put on it. This is the white porcelain (?) coated type. It isn't one of the fancy cast iron ones. However, he does have a couple of those old antique ones but won't let me have one of them unless he gets $1500.

later.

[Kyhome]

Ashley wood heating stoves, dang if they were the all steel not the sheet metal types I would have purchased em both. Been looking at the sales around these parts not found a good one yet for less than $250.00. We heated 100% with wood at our last place for 15 years or so. We both miss the heat but not necessarily the work, and if find a good one plan on adding for a supplemental heat source here as we are currently 100% electric heat.

[Anon001]

well the Ashley's had cast iron liners that could be replaced. these two stoves. Stoves don't sell for too much here. I bought my Ashley 7 or 8 years ago at a farm sale for $40. I've used it ever since. However, before next winter, I have to replace the top. Otherwise, a good heater and I enjoy cutting firewood.

[Southerngirl]

Pat (bee_pipes),
Wow, I thought I was doing a lot of work around the farm. You guys are like an army of workers! Doing a great job on your place!

Paul,
Anything under $100 is great for a wood stove, they are high in this area as well. I guess if you maintain them the best you can, how many do you really need? But for that price that you are able to get them at, buy them up!!!!!

Well I've been busy, not as busy as others I see, but still busy.
We have a good 7 day stretch ahead of us with no rain and high 70's low 80's for temps so I plan to get a lot more done.
I have a huge pile of brush, tree limbs, ect. piled up for my hubby to burn, someday. Burning brush off by myself isn't something I'm prepared to do, just in case.... had half the state on fire a few weeks ago, so a little gun shy there.....
We do have our onions and radishes that have already started showing in the garden!!!!
Have to get a fence up around the garden and quick, rabbits are quickly taking over, the 3 we were used to seeing daily invited friends and now we have around 15! ugh!
I wanted to put a fence from the beginning, "others" around here said we wouldn't need one, whatever..... i never win! :)
Hubby bought me a John Deere riding mower that I can actually start myself so did our first mowing of the year a few days ago!
I love being able to finally start my own mower! All the others were junk and they never would start. So he's not allowed on "my" mower!
Going to have friends over and get a new roof on the house soon, he's a roofer and soon will be installing siding to our double wide!
I am looking at starting to clean out the old storm cellar on the property that we are looking at using as our root cellar. Going to read up more on the root cellars.
Clearing brush getting ready for the snakes, they are already out! >:(
Bought some of that "snake away" from Lowe's will see how that works this year. They have over taken our pond, guys said they will use them for some target practice. Any other ideas how to get rid of them?
Southerngirl

[TSJ]

Pat (bee_pipes),
Wow, I thought I was doing a lot of work around the farm. *You guys are like an army of workers! *Doing a great job on your place!

Paul,
Anything under $100 is great for a wood stove, they are high in this area as well. *I guess if you maintain them the best you can, how many do you really need? *But for that price that you are able to get them at, buy them up!!!!!

Well I've been busy, not as busy as others I see, but still busy.
We have a good 7 day stretch ahead of us with no rain and high 70's low 80's for temps so I plan to get a lot more done.
I have a huge pile of brush, tree limbs, ect. piled up for my hubby to burn, someday. *Burning brush off by myself isn't something I'm prepared to do, just in case.... had half the state on fire a few weeks ago, so a little gun shy there.....
We do have our onions and radishes that have already started showing in the garden!!!!
Have to get a fence up around the garden and quick, rabbits are quickly taking over, the 3 we were used to seeing daily invited friends and now we have around 15! *ugh!
I wanted to put a fence from the beginning, "others" around here said we wouldn't need one, whatever..... i never win! *:)
Hubby bought me a John Deere riding mower that I can actually start myself so did our first mowing of the year a few days ago! *
I love being able to finally start my own mower! *All the others were junk and they never would start. *So he's not allowed on "my" mower! *
Going to have friends over and get a new roof on the house soon, he's a roofer and soon will be installing siding to our double wide! *
I am looking at starting to clean out the old storm cellar on the property that we are looking at using as our root cellar. *Going to read up more on the root cellars.
Clearing brush getting ready for the snakes, they are already out! *>:(
Bought some of that "snake away" from Lowe's will see how that works this year. *They have over taken our pond, guys said they will use them for some target practice. *Any other ideas how to get rid of them? *
Southerngirl

I don't want to get all weepy and start hugging trees and everything but if the snakes are not poisonous why not leave them alone? After all they are just doing God's work.

If on the other hand they start getting in your house or something like that, then I would agree they would need a severe attitude adjustment.

Typically they are responding to a food source. My mother used to have a bird feeder in her yard when she lived in Florida. Well the darn thing started drawing "Squirrels" according to her. Actually they were rats. I checked it out. At they same time my Mom was getting snakes in her yard frequently. I told her to get rid of the bird feeder. The "squirrels" went away and so did the snakes.

[DM]

The weather has been pretty decent here lately, so i figured i better go skid and collect some red pine logs my neighbor gave me a few weeks ago. They are in a power line right away, and as you can see, they were all jammed together...

http://www.fototime.com/77CBAB50EC9CE8D/standard.jpg

I used an older MFWD tractor i have, to do the skidding, because of all the small tree stubs in the right away... I just couldn't chance having one of those stubs going through a radial tire on my loader tractor!

http://www.fototime.com/25636BB7C01A8E8/standard.jpg

I only took the bigger logs, and skidded them to the side of the road. Another neighbor will cut up the rest of the logs for his outdoor wood stove...

http://www.fototime.com/286203BBE85C228/standard.jpg

Once all the logs i wanted were at the road side, i went home, got my loader tractor and went back with my log hauling running gear... The loader made short work of getting all of the logs loaded...

http://www.fototime.com/182E176D40283FC/standard.jpg

Here's all of the logs on the running gear, i will get quite a few 2x6's out of these logs, even though they aren't "giants". That's because a bandmill only has a 3/16" kerf, so there's not much of the cut going to sawdust, and saw dust is really nothing more than waste...

http://www.fototime.com/FBA0CC0B35EDE9B/standard.jpg

Here's the load, ready to head up the road to the mill site, not bad for FREE logs...

http://www.fototime.com/DB0E0C8F2CBC10D/standard.jpg

That's it for this time!

DM

[Kelleysvt]

Can't remember what I last posted.
DH split my rhubarb and will be relocating the horseradish since it's too close to the door of my new potting shed and I'm worried it'll be trampled.

Put 6 new raspberry plants along the back of the garden fence.

Hung new clothesline rope - ours had worn out after two years of use - it kept snapping into pieces.

Pulled down the old 4 foot fence around the chickens yard. We're going to go with a fully enclosed area for them.

Picked up the new (to us) free woodstove and semi-free ATV (trading for labor), got a free trailer to boot! All from 3 different sources.

[TNDadx4]

This past weekend, we planted our first rows of corn as well as the corn for our 3 sisters garden.


Kelleysvt - Thanks for mentioning the clothesline. I need to get ours up.

[TNDadx4]

Picked up the new (to us) free woodstove and semi-free ATV (trading for labor), got a free trailer to boot! All from 3 different sources.


Very, very nice! Congratulations!

[cwatson]

Okay I had one heck of a day on the lil' homestead but it was funny.

It was a beautiful day so I spent alot of time in the garden today. Sometimes when I am outside I wear my little MP3 player and listen to a book and that's what I was doing today. The book ended while I was still hauling rain water (DH does not have my rain water system completed so I haul buckets) and figured I had about 5011 buckets to go (okay that was a bit of an exaggeration but it was alot) so I pulled up the playlist on my MP3 and let it start from the top of the music list to play down. The first song was a song from my old high school days and it brought back great memories so was hauling water and singing along. I realized just before the song was over that I was hearing something that was not part of the music. I turned around to find my two dogs sitting a few feet away from me on the other side of the fence just howling away. Appearantly they were singing along! I must have been singing louder than I thought I was and with the dogs joining in I noticed we had an audience of the home school kids down the road who were laughing so hard they were almost rolling on the floor. Now I can't seem to remember if I was dancing when all this was going on. Oh well, the garden got watered and the dogs and I had a great time doing it ;D

[Anon001]

Well, it's still been too muddy to get the garden worked, but I am hoping to get some done today. I have guys coming to start cutting hedge posts for the new fence. I just can't seem to get them done fast enough and these guys are fast.

Otherwise, it has been a boring couple days.

[bookwormom]

I must have dug up a hundred raspberry plants to thin out the row and control spreading. they already have a new home. I always wind up giving plants away, but I think and hope this woman will take care of them and get some benefit out of them. she said she had considered buying some and could not afford them right now. I have given strawberry and raspberry plants away in the past and then heard, oh they did not grow. My foot, they did not take care of them. I planted a new row of red raspberries along the chicken fence a month ago and they are going to town, dug up some second year asparagus volunteers and transplanted them in a new row yesterday. It has been cool and raining, got most of the brassica planted, but cutworms destroyed everything I did not have a strip of newspaper wrapped around. I ran out and thought, oh heck , they should be okay and they were not.

we got a few burn piles burnt, but it is as time consuming as it is to pile them. You have to stay around. sparks start leaves burning and we do not want a forest fire. I was surprised how green cedar flares up.

cwatson, thanks for the laugh.

Kelly,
I know just what you mean about the clothesline. I am fed up with clotheslines. 15 years ago, when we were working on this house, I stretched plastic baling twine between two trees and used that as a clothesline. It is still there doing it's job, and I am going to get me some more baling twine and pox on the 'real' clothesline.

[Anon001]

I didn't get much done today. The guys that will be running the new perimeter fences decided to start today by cutting "hedge" posts. They got about 25 cut today. We are going to need about 110 hedge posts, about 400 steel t-posts, and 6 miles of barbed wire. We are running a 6 strand barbed wire. Most stockmen in the area only run 5 but I'm running 6. Can only help. This is just the first mile of fence. Don't know when I can afford the second mile. lol

I did get one "arbor" erected in the garden and want to do at least one or two more. I am putting in 4 t-posts and the arching a cattle panel between them and wiring them to the t-posts. I will do the second one and maybe a third one tomorrow.

It is still a bit wet to do any disking. So, I may just have to break down and buy a new carb for my tiller. I really didn't want to spend the money but it looks like I may have no choice.

Later.
Paul

[bookwormom]

well, i guess you can deduct the expenses for the fence off next years taxes.
even though we just had rain, our sandy soil dries out so fast, I tilled two hrs in the morning and two after I got home. do you remember the ads Troy bilt had in the seventies, with the little old lady using it? I had wanted one, when my hysband used it he got so perturbed with it he yelled at me, "a little old lady can use it, go ahead, show me" I guess it beats a front tine tiller, but it wore me out. It might be just dandy if you have an even, smooth area to till. but I am glad I got corn and beans planted and more to plant tomorrow.

[sbemt456]

Hello all, we have been busy here with all the usual stuff on the farm.
I got a new onion bed built and planted before leavin on vacation the last of march. The onions are up and doin great. The ones planted last fall are huge and the moles are eatin the bulbs off the onions. Never had problem before. The blueberry bushes came out and were doin good and a rabbit found them and has eatin the tops off. Tomorrow we make cages from chicken wire to cover the blueberries. Planted 6 new grape vines and they have leaves already. Also with the help of my oldest son we got my cold hardy kiwi planted and post set to trellis them. He also built a raised bed for the new hops plants that a dear friend gave me. When visiting a couple of "new" friends on my vacation I came home with a pickup half full of plants to put out. From hostas (thanks Deb) to raspberries, comfrey, stinging nettle, jerusalem artichokes, lilac bushes, forsythia, tube roses, lemon balm and several others that elude me right now (thanks Rosie and Sam) We have dug holes all over the place. And they all look good and are growing well.
Got my spring order for cornish cross chicks due here next week. So today was the day my son and I decided to clean out the brooder house and get it ready. All it needs is straw on the floor.
The plants in the little greenhouse that hubby and son let die while I was away have been reseeded and then had a mouse problem, he got most of the seeds, I thought. Well When I was watering yesterday I noticed some green in the flats. I will have more tomatoes than I know what to do with. Not to mention cabbage. Herbs are lookin good as well. So tomorrow it is on to the big garden. The potatoes we had planted in march are up and need to be plowed and worked. Then if no more rain we should be planting corn and beans this weekend. It has been a busy 3 weeks here. Hope all is goin well in your gardens too.

Have a great day!

stella

[DM]

even though we just had rain, our sandy soil dries out so fast, I tilled two hrs in the morning and two after I got home. do you remember the ads Troy bilt had in the seventies, with the little old lady using it? I had wanted one, when my hysband used it he got so perturbed with it he yelled at me, "a little old lady can use it, go ahead, show me" I guess it beats a front tine tiller, but it wore me out. It might be just dandy if you have an even, smooth area to till. but I am glad I got corn and beans planted and more to plant tomorrow.

That's the SECRET as to why that lil' ole lady could use it... (already tilled, "super" smooth soil)

We've had a Troy "horse" model around for MANY years, in fact we wore out the first one, completely to junk! My dad thought we needed to get a second one, so i did, but these days i don't even get it out of the barn, and it still looks nearly new...

I've always felt the Troys were waaay over rated, but they did sell a pile of them through excelent marketing...

DM

[SPIKE]

*That's the SECRET as to why that lil' ole lady could use it... *(already tilled, "super" smooth soil)

*We've had a Troy "horse" model around for MANY years, in fact we wore out the first one, completely to junk! *My dad thought we needed to get a second one, so i did, but these days i don't even get it out of the barn, and it still looks nearly new...

*I've always felt the Troys were waaay over rated, but they did sell a pile of them through excelent marketing...

*DM


Hey DM,
How old is the one in the barn? The older ones were real good tillers. When MTD bought Troy (mainly for the name) their product went from the best you could get to being just another tiller.
Wish I could get one like the one I had in the 80's.

SPIKE

[DM]

Hey DM,
How old is the one in the barn? The older ones were real good tillers. When MTD bought Troy (mainly for the name) their product went from the best you could get to being just another tiller.
Wish I could get one like the one I had in the 80's.

SPIKE

Spike,

It's the "older" Garden Way models i was talking about in my last post, and yes the one in the barn is an "older" one too. They are far from the best tiller you could get...

They may be better than most of todays tillers, but they don't hold a candle to BCS brand tillers... At least BCS have "real" bearings in them, instead of sleves, also the BCS doesn't have any belts in there design either...

How bad do you want one? Bring money and the one in the barn is your's...

DM

[bookwormom]

I would like to have an arbor with kiwi.just do not know where to put one. i do make instant trellis/arbors in the garden by bending over a cattle panel.
But only for annual plants. I guess for a permanent installation it would need to be a bit more substantial. They are so neat.
Brownie looks like she will have a calf any day. I hope it is another girl.
I am afraid I will have to buy pepper plants, they just did not grow enough, just too cool for them. I have to do something with my little greenhouse next year to heat it when the nights are cold. If anyone has an idea, let me know. I thought about a tent heater.

I probably get on everybody's nerves talking about how smart my dog Wastl was. I miss him everyday. He would not let anything in my garden. My GP likes nothing better than to lie in a freshly planted bed and she has her feelings hurt when I get cross with her. I know she knows I do not like that. I am afraid I have to water the cabbage seedlings tonight. it is warm and the wind is blowing. as soon as it rains again I have to mulch. taters are up, I still have some I want to plant in tubs.
Hope you all have a real good and productive day

[Anon001]

I would like to *have an arbor with kiwi.just do not know where to put one. *i do make instant trellis/arbors in the garden by bending over a cattle panel. *
But only for annual plants. I guess for a permanent installation it would need to be a bit more substantial. They are so neat.

Bookwormom,

I just made two "arbors" on the edge of my garden area. I made one for my louffa's to grow on and the other for my cucumbers to grow on and I may put up one more. Like you, I just bend over cattle panels. However, I used 4 t-posts and wired the panels to it. I think it would be sturdy for some types of permanent plants. But some, such as wisteria, might be too heavy and would need more support. I don't know... this may work... for something "permanent" as well. You can see it on my blog at Cedars Hill Farm (http://cedarshillfarm.com).

I was hoping to get my tiller back from the "shop" today. But, I haven't heard from them. The magneto for the WD-45 is ready to pick up but I won't be able to go pick it up until tomorrow morning (30 miles one way). Then I can get that tractor running again. I was going to disk the garden with the straight WD, since my tiller was on the blitz. But, I got it disked once, it rained a couple times, and now has to be either disked again, or tilled but, the straight WD won't start. I don't think it's getting fire. Not only that, but it is suppose to rain again, tomorrow (Saturday) through Tuesday.... oh well. I'll get my garden in sometime. It isn't too late here at all...

Paul

[bookwormom]

thanks Paul. I misunderstood, wondered what a 4 t-post was. Now I see it is four fence posts. We have used four pieces of rebar to give a bit more stability, but fence posts would be great of course. I can see you are not in a hurry with your garden. It is much greener here.

I am a bit anxious to get my stuff out as early as possible because I am just scared it will be like the last two years and we will not get any rain after May.

husband brought chicks and turkey chicks home today. He could not resist, besides the cornish chickens he was supposed to pick up he got three barred rocks and put them in with Feathertoe's bunch. She could not tell the difference, but the new little ones do not know how to live in a flock and follow "momma's" call. Hope they caught on in the meantime.

[Backwoods_Bob]

Well folks, It's officially spring!

Two days ago I drove home from work and parked my 'ol Festiva at the bottom of our 1/2 mile access road, same as always.
But instead of walking up ( or snow shoeing ) as I do all winter long, I fired up our 4x4 Sportage parked down there, and managed to bust through the old drifts and drive home for the first time in '09.

Kinda surprised I made it...

When I got home I found that my wife had cleaned up and put away all her quilting projects and supplies for the year. It's a hobby she does only in the winter.

So these two events always mark the shift from winter to spring for us!

The place is mostly mud and slowly melting patches of snow, some of it quite thick still.
Our pond and upper pasture, on a north facing slope, are still buried deep.

Time to think about repairing all the fences and getting on with the spring projects!

Eh, this month I had to travel all the way back to N.Y. for two weeks - My mother passed away.

While gone, our best milk goat naturally had a difficult delivery. She gave birth to the first kid easily in the morning, but by afternoon was still struggling with her second. The doe became exhausted and lied down.

It had become obvious to my wife that something had to be done -

But she had never dealt with a breach baby before. She was able to call a vet won a cell phone ( doesn't always work up here ) who was willing to come up and help, but when the directions got to the point "And you park your truck there and walk through the snow...." The vet said "No way! Get a neighbor to help."

Only we don't have any...

So my wife had to figure it out all by herself and struggle through as best she could.

The exhausted goat wasn't having any, and in the end, by about 6 PM, my wife had to throw the goat down and lay on top of her, and reach inside all the way up to her elbow.

The goat screamed and thrashed continuously. My wife finally got ahold of the head of the baby goat and pulled it out. It was dead.

But she saved the mother, our best goat, who has recovered and is doing fine.

"Why do all the interesting things happen while you are gone?" She says to me! ??? ;)

[Catalpa]

Sorry to hear about your Mother, Bob.

And kudos to your wife for handling a tough situation; glad the mama goat made it ok.


Here we're still drywalling, sanding, painting, staining....sometimes I think the house grows new woodwork overnight.

First truly warm day today, and the tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils are leaping out of the ground.

[rideaway]

We bathed two very mad sheep last night and have someone coming today to help us practice shearing. I was looking forward to puttering around the house, but my sister who had a stroke last March has to spend the weekend here and we have to move her out of her foster home today, as they are investigating the death of a lady who passed last week and the home will probably close. We haven't been happy with the home's care for some time and wanted to move her to the assisted living facility in town, but not this way. She is very upset and not believing the home will close, so it will be a fight all weekend with tears all weekend.

So, maybe next weekend-oh, that's right, I'm having a yard sale...

Grrrr....

[Anon001]

thanks Paul. I misunderstood, *wondered what a 4 t-post was.
Sorry about that. I just assumed everyone knew what a t-post was. LOL. My bad!

I can see you are not in a hurry with your garden. It is much greener here.
I usually wait until the latter half of April or first of May to start planting. The reason being that I have seen hard freezes here as late as May 19 and 21. So, I keep the almanac out and watch for the best signs after that time. Also, this season it has been too wet to get the ground ready. Maybe I should go to all raised beds... hmm

I *am a bit anxious to get my stuff out as early as possible because *I am just scared it will be like the last two years and we will not get any rain after May.
We usually don't have that problem... But, I also have my garden just below a 4 to 5 acre pond's dam and I water from the pond. There is a gravity flow hydrant that comes through the dam. *

We are supposed to be getting rain again today (Saturday) through Tuesday with flash flood watches.

Yesterday, I finally found some Morels that were up. If it isn't raining or storming, I will probably look again today... The ticks are sure bad this year...

Paul

[bookwormom]

how lucky can you be. practically a lake behind the garden.
we live in Karst region and it is quite dry here to start with, sandy and water is largely underground , very few springs and creeks.
Not too far from here is what is called a blue hole, where water gushes up from great depth and a big creek starts right there, with water cold enough for trout, which is not common in this area. . It is interesting but it does not help us any.
the last few days we have had warm wind, I guess for the land it is like having a hairdryer on. I watered my transplants.
some parts of the garden that got a lot of manure a couple of years ago look like they have never been touched, as if the garden eats it up and it is gone without a trace.

[bee_pipes]

4/18
Yesterday Karen and I put up the 2nd girt. We now have four of these double lapped beams in place. We have three more beams to get up there before floor joists can start going up, then the rafters and roofing. With just the two of us we took a good bit of time getting this task done. We are satisfied everything is square and level as possible. There was a difference of 2 5/8 inches from front to back – Tony suggested shimming the girt out by that amount when bolting onto the front corner.

Later that evening Tony and I went to Clifton to meet our bee guy, Kent. He was making a trip from Mississippi to Kentucky and we picked up two packages of bees for Tony. Randy, an acquaintance of mine, was taking delivery of 10 nuc’s (nucleus hives) so it seemed simpler to meet him there and take delivery than make Kent stop again in Linden. Tony got a chance to meet Randy and his family. When we arrived they were moving rabbits around to new cages. He showed us around his place and told us about his current projects. Daniela, Randy’s wife, is getting a dandy garden off to a start and had an interesting idea for pole beans. They had an old frame from a tent set up on the garden for the beans to climb – making for less bending over when picking beans. They just started with bees last year and have enjoyed it so much that their hive count has moved up from two to twelve. Chickens were roaming the yard and roosted in the tree behind the house around sunset. Ducklings were bedded down in a large dog kennel in the front. Randy has a nice pond and the ducks will have a good home when they are old enough to roam the grounds. A new dog, a great-pyrenees and lab cross, has done a great job of keeping the predators away from the livestock.

This morning we installed the packages in Tony’s hives. As luck would have it, all the stars lined up today and it was the day our back-hoe was supposed to come and back-fill the storm shelter. Karen was not crazy about me taking off to Tony and Kay’s place – such a trip usually involves drinking lots of coffee and time spent shooting the breeze in their welcoming kitchen. We started at 8:30 in the morning and managed to get it wrapped up in an hour or less. I kept in mind that Karen was left at home alone to direct the back-hoe operator and got home as quickly as possible. I needn’t have worried. Our neighbor was getting some work done by the backhoe operator; I just hitched on for an hour’s work. On returning home I talked to the neighbor and he said they had cancelled the day due to predictions of rain. I don’t know what the reasoning was – not wanting to tear up wet ground or difficulty in retrieving the backhoe after the rain had started. Whatever the reason, we now had the day free to do what we wanted. After the last few days of working on the shed we wanted nothing more than to take it easy and let the aches and pains from the last few day’s exertions fade. After a hard day’s work outside, the next morning begins with a lot of stiffness and achy joints. It’s not too bad – makes you realize you are alive and active. These minor inconveniences fade as the day goes on and you get moving. Seems like the best way to work out the stiffness and get rid of the aches are to get moving again. I spent parts of the day doing a little cleaning and picking up around the yard. The front porch has been getting piled with tools and materials from recent projects, and had a lot of refuse from projects during the winter that needed tending to. The porch is now as uncluttered as we can get it, making it easier to find stuff and return to working on projects.

4/19
The rain from yesterday, that didn’t make its appearance until late in the evening, is hear in earnest today. The ATV needs some serious maintenance work, so I took the opportunity to get reacquainted with the manual and plan on how to perform this maintenance work when better weather returns. I also have the sawmill carburetor which has yet to get disassembled and cleaned. I have managed to avoid tackling this project with one excuse or another and today would be a good use of time. There are also the next steps on constructing the shed to get nailed down. Yesterday I managed to get a count on remaining bolts, lumber and other materials, calculate what’s needed for the next steps, and do the math to generate a shopping list.

4/20
Managed to get the carburetor torn down last night and it’s soaking in the carb cleaner right now. The inner rubber seems in pretty good shape = o-rings and such on the jet and other fittings, The external gaskets seem to be the parts that are really showing the miles. Likewise, going through the ATV manual was very productive. Too many items to commit to memory, but the section is marked and can be referenced while changing fluids. There is a significant amount of materials that need to be moved around the place and restoring the ATV to operation would do much to advance a few projects. I have been collecting old fence posts, the tops of cedar logs used for pole structures and other useful items that will become part of the fence out back, so they might as well be staged back there. We also have a few sheets of old roofing and I am at a loss for a place to store it, so it might as well go back to the drying yard next to the sawmill and be put to use as a rain cover for lumber until needed elsewhere.

Right now we have one rabbit with a litter of five kits. Three are bred and should be pregnant – about 11 days along. Time to get another three does bred.

4/21
We have a hickory tree that for some reason produced a remarkable amount of nuts. I hate to see such a surplus go to waste – a character trait that drives my dear sainted wife to distraction at times. After a winter of walking on these nuts it has become quite annoying, like walking across a floor with marble spilled everywhere. Yesterday I raked them up and put them in the compost bin. This is not a good use of the bounty, simply a use. We will have to look into what can be done with hickory nuts. We raked up at least six cart loads of nuts.

I managed to fix the remaining bolts yesterday. Three of them will require the ends of the bolt to be cut off to expose good threads, but the remainder were cleaned up using a hacksaw to straighten the threads. We bought a few bolts the other day, it would seem like eight inch bolts are the longest available in a half inch diameter and they sell for over $2.00 each. That price does not include nuts and washers. A total of eleven bolts were returned to service and are now available for using the shed – over $30 worth of hardware salvaged with an hour or two of light work.

While rounding up supplies to do ATV maintenance, I found the oil filter was contaminated with water. Probably from condensation over the winter. Rust is quite obvious, fortunately. No telling what sort of havoc that filter would have cause had it been put into service. We will be making a run to town sometime this week and have the opportunity to pick up a replacement.

4/24
Yesterday Karen and I were working on the shed. It was pretty active – we made two 16 foot beams which involved cutting, a lot of moving wood around, ladders, talking etc. With all the activity you’d think the local wildlife would stay away. Not so. The guineas had sounded an alert back by the ponds a few times while we were out there. Once or twice the alert was insistent enough that I stopped work and walked back to see what they were carrying on about. I thought it might have been a deer, or possibly a raccoon, possum or armadillo. Each time there was nothing to be seen. We were working on the second beam when a ruckus broke out down by the creek. The bobcat appears to have circled wide around through the woods, giving the guineas good clearance, caught the dogs napping, and struck at the creek between the dog pen and the well house. The well house blocked our view of that particular piece of creek from where we were working. When we saw the ducks running from the creek I dropped what I was doing and ran over there. I got there just in time to see it carrying off a duck. Of course, the pistol was in the house. The only thing I had was a tape clipped to my belt. I started yelling and was getting ready to throw the tape when the cat dropped the duck and trotted off. It didn’t even bother to run, that’s how confident it was that I posed no danger. The poor duck came scrambling back to the creek, quacking loudly. I guess the cat doesn’t make a kill when it pounces, just grabs the prey by the neck and carries it off to a location where it can be tended to properly. The duck was unharmed, if you can call such a close brush with a predator harmless, and rejoined his companions. We locked up the ducks for the rest of the day and continued work.

With the last two girts up, we are out of wood. Calculating what is needed, we will have to purchase 40 more of the 10 foot 2x8’s. That will put up the final girt, frame in the outside of the deck and provide the 10 joists needed for the upper deck. Two sheets of ¾ inch plywood will make enough of a platform to work on while putting up rafters. After the tin roofing has gone up, the entire deck can be covered with ¾ inch plywood without worry about the effects of weather. Another 28 pieces of 2x4 will make the rafters, with enough scrap (hopefully) to provide the spacers between the rafters. Gussets for the rafters will be made from ½ inch plywood for strength at the joints. Cutting the rafters would be near impossible without the miter saw. Tony said to get a single rafter built and fitted, then lay it down on the ground and drive stakes into the ground flush with the inside of the rafter. The staked out area can then be used to build the rest of the rafters as duplicates of the first.

This morning we got the peppers and beans started in the garden. We had already tilled the bed where these were to be planted, but ran the tiller one more time to make the bed a little deeper. We put in twenty-four pepper plants and I don’t know how many beans in ten rows. After we had gotten the peppers in, we realized we didn’t have any jalapenos. We use these peppers in the place of pickles, for the most part. Diced and pickled, they add pickle flavor to chicken salad and such, bringing a little heat to the dish.

The batteries need to be replaced for the ATV and brush mower. The ATV is critical to moving large items around the property. I have a stack of timbers that need to go to the back to make another hive stand and for fence posts around the back field. There are also scraps of metal roofing that could serve well for covering wood in the drying yard. Without the ATV this stuff cannot be moved in a practical manner. The brush mower is important to keep from losing ground to the woods. It is also real handy for blazing trails into the woods. You can see during the winter, when the brush has died back, that most of the ground between trees is comprised of very small shrubs. Keeping some of these trails clear is crucial for traveling into the woods.

After we finished in the garden we tied up loose ends, pulled the batteries and took a trip to Hohenwald, 45 minutes east of us – the nearest town with a WalMart and auto supply stores. We timed the trip to get there around lunch time so we could stop by a Chinese buffet – a real treat for us. We both like Chinese food and don’t get a chance to enjoy it too often. After a hearty lunch we headed to the tractor supply store to look at chippers. With all the debris that fall from the woods, it seems simple minded to buy a bag of mulch. We have finally come to the realization that a chipper would be a worthwhile expense, so have started pricing them and learning what we can about horsepower, flywheels size and weight, and other specs for comparison shopping. Walmart proved no help for the batteries. The ATV battery was a sealed battery and all the similar sized WalMart batteries were capped cell. It seems like a good idea to keep a closed cell battery on a vehicle like this to prevent acid from slopping out of the cells. The brush mower battery was even more difficult to find. On the way home we found an acceptable substitute for the ATV battery, but found we would probably have to go back to a distributor for the brush mower battery. After returning home a call to the distributor told us we could pick one up on Monday – a 45 minute drive in the other direction.

This morning I was also treated to the sight of ticks when I woke up. Seed ticks, little devils smaller than most freckles, had somehow gotten a hold of me during yesterday’s work. That’s a hard one to figure out – most of the day was spent working on the shed – nothing in the woods or high grass. About a half dozen of the little critters were dug in on my waist and legs. I guess tick season is officially open and nightly inspections before showers are the order of the day.

4/25
This morning we started in the garden again. The last bed was tilled up, a run was made in the garlic and onion bed for planting herbs, and a bed was made for potatoes. We are a month late on potatoes, but just couldn’t seem to get it together before now. While we were tilling I figured we better not stop until we have the potatoes planted. By the time we got done with all the tilling and planting the potatoes and herbs, it had gotten too hot to do the rest of the planting. With the ground broken, it should go quickly tomorrow. Karen has cukes, gourds and a few other vegetable seeds to plant. I am thinking about starting the penuts in unused garden space because the back field keeps slipping further and further into late summer.

One thing unusual we have noticed the last two days. It must be the season for termites to swarm, both days we have seen winged bugs boiling out of old stumps and logs and taking wing. The activity starts when the sun has reached the piece of wood and been there long enough to warm it up. The critters emerge as a cloud of fluttering wings – it looks more like a cloud of dandelion seed. The guineas were a little late on the gun, but moved in and started gorging themselves on termites before the show was over. For each colony to produce such an unimaginable number, most of them must never live to start a colony of their own.

Regards,
Pat