November on the Homestead

[bee_pipes]

10/2
We seem to have survived the time change without too much confusion. Sure is nive to have light at an earlier hour.

Wonderful weather here. Nights are getting chilly – 40’s usually – but days have been reaching mid-70’s. It is a real pleasure to be working outside. Today we did a little yard clean up. The hoses were pulled from the garden, which has become quite overgrown. We also harvested our first sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were started as an afterthought; we had never tried them before. One store-bought sweet potato had a few eyes so we put toothpicks in it and placed it in a glass of water. The eyes started growing into vines, which were broken off and planted in the garden. We were more interested in seeing how they would do and had no hopes for a harvest – just wanted to see how the plants would grow. Well, we did not get a load that will prevent us from having to buy sweet potatoes from the grocer, but we did get enough for a few meals. This is quite promising. The slips (small plants) were pretty much forgotten and neglected until today. Rooting around at the base of the vines, we found a number of nice tubes growing in the soil. This is no small feat for the hard, rocky soil we enjoy in this region. The tubers have an odd shape, from growing around rocks and compacted soil, but will not go to waste. With a little planning and bed preparation, we should be able to do much better with little effort. The sweet potatoes and hoses were all that remained to be attended to before shutting down the garden for the year. With the brush mower, the tall grass, old tomato and pepper plants were cut and laid down into the beds. Mowing seemed to be the order of the day. Tall grass had grown up around the saw mill and fruit trees. Everything looks a little tidier now and it was a pleasant way to end the day.

Regards,
Pat

[jen_in_southtexas]

Happy November.

I had not been trick or treating in years but things change when there are little ones around and you find yourself doing things that you wouldnt normally do or care to do. We took my 2 and 4yr old nephews trick or treating and had alot of fun. They were so cute. I guess we were out about an hour and a half and had a great time. The evening was pleasant and things just went well.

Nov.1
My mother decided she was going with me to check on things at my property. I also had plans to continue on my cabin project so we packed a small picnic and off we were. Things were undisturbed and left where I left them last. I am still working on my floor. I put in two more girders to the left and right of the center floor girder. The floor is a load bearing area so with that in the back of my head I just wanted to make sure that it holds well. I took my time with it because i want to make sure things are square and leveled. Deck blocks can get mighty heavy. Mom wanted to help but things are heavy and didnt want her to get hurt or strain a muscle but she feels that she has to do something. So i had her hand me things like the level, post support braces, the hammer, nails etc. We had a good time and the evening greeted us with pleasant temperatures and a beautiful sunset. We were tired and called it a day.

Nov. 2
Drove back to property. Little nephews were going to drop by to run around and play. We grilled hotdogs and the kids were having a ball flying a kite(with dads help). They had fun running around and just being little boys. It was their first time out there. I didnt touch my project at all while they were there. I figured that i could do that later and just enjoyed my time with family so I sat in the shade under the tree and enjoyed a nice breeze watching the little ones laugh and have a good time. After they left I continued on my floor. I started the center floor brace. I knew that i didnt have but about an hour and a half or so of daylight left and i wanted to finish it. If its something I cant stand is to start on something like that and then have to come back to the same thing i left off with. So, i continued on and finished with the last board going in right at dusk. Everything is being done a little at a time. For one it is impossible for me to buy all the material needed at once and second, Im not close to my home in the city to just drive there every other day and work on it. Im not complaining though. I am always learning something new as I go and I like looking at the progress that I have made. It really is starting to take shape and look like something! I find satisfaction in just knowing that even every nail and deck screw in that structure....i put it in myself.

I hope everyone is enjoying their homesteading projects and enjoying these nice fall temperatures.

Until next time, see ya in the woods.

-j
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[WileyCoyote]

Yesterday we started to get snow flurries; big white soft puffy flakes. They started to stick, but all had melted by sunset.

THEN the wind picked up last night - to 50 mph! This morning at 5 AM I got a call from the principal - school was cancelled. As the sun rose, I could barely see across the street to the school. I went to work to call families and get some work done, and came home at 8:30 AM. Here are some pictures of our still-ripping blizzard:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Snow%20Folder/IMG_0422.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Snow%20Folder/IMG_0424.jpg

These small lumps next to the garage are wild turkeys hiding out from the wind and snow!!!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Snow%20Folder/IMG_0425.jpg

It is supposed to last all day and all night tonite! I have made a big pot of deer stew, and am getting some cleaning, baking, and Christmas setups done today! ;D

[bookwormom]

I took some pictures and wish I could post them. it has been beautiful fall/Indian summer, the colors were breathtaking. two maples right next to each other, one was bright yellow and the other bright red. Husband has the two calves halter trained, they come when he calls them by name. too cute.
need to cover the firewood that I piled up on pallets within a circle of cattlepanel to hold it, and keep the goats off of it.
summer was a bummer, I am not keen on winter, if fall would last a little longer that would be nice.
I had to go to Lexington yesterday, the leaves are still on the trees and a lot of them still green and there they were. putting up christmas decorations, fake greenery and red ribbon. It looked so out of place.

[jen_in_southtexas]

WileyCoyote,

Im sure you dont care for the blizzard but those pictures you took are beautiful in color. I love blue and those pictures show those dreary blues well. Your house looks so cozy and nestled amongst the snowfall. I wish we had days like that now and then but snow is unheard of in these parts. Its still hotter than h#ll over here and this heat is getting old. We are supposed to be getting a "cold front" tonight with temps dipping into the 60's (wooo hoo) and highs tomorrow in the lower 80's. Go figure. :P

I hope you enjoy your time off at home and that yummy pot of deer stew. Stay warm.

-jen
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[Catalpa]

My goodness, Wiley, those pictures are beautiful! Where do you live? There have been times that Michigan has looked like that in November, but not so far this year. It's been in the 60s and 70s during the day, a real Indian summer.

The warm weather has given me the opportunity to do a lot of outside chores that were neglected during the busy summer. In the last few days I have powerwashed the house, mowed and raked the lawn, powerwashed the tractor and the mowing deck, cleaned out the shed, stacked firewood, etc. I'm also making a patio across the entire back of my house with old bricks and pavers I got off craigslist.

One of my projects has been fixing up a bulk gasoline tank that I dragged home. You know, one of the ones up on a stand, holds bout 200 gallons, like you see on a small farm? I got it for just 20 bucks and hauled it home in my trailer. I have power washed in inside and out, and replaced part of the filter assembly where it goes into the hose. The old farmer that had it knew his stuff; it hadn't been used for 20 years or so, and all the parts came off easy since he had used pipe dope and had everything painted real good.

With these lower gas prices (around 2.10!) I'm hauling home cans of gas whenever I can afford it to put in my big tank. I figure if I can keep at least 100 gallons on hand, that's four fill ups for my truck during the lean times.

We're also making applesauce with apples from the miracle tree, and painting the front porch.

By the forecast, I'd better be done with the outside chores, rain tonight with dropping temps and a chance of snow by Monday night.

Jen it sounds like your deck is going to be really nice, and you'll enjoy it even more because you made it!

[WileyCoyote]

Actually, Jen, we are lovin it! *;D We moved from SC to NE in May because we were sick of the heat, the humidity, and the ordinances. Now we have decent-sized, un-ordinanced property and can do as we please - and have snow and a woodburning stove! The drifts are already 4 feet high, but the snow is supposed to continue all night and into the AM. The blue - well, all day long the air was 'blue'; very low sunlight levels and blowing snow turned everything grey and blue. Tomorrow when the sun comes out it will probably be blindingly bright!

Power has been out to the west of us since 3 PM Wednesday; the winds have been so strong that it is rumored that over 300 power poles are down. Can you say "global warming"? Not without laughing sarcastically!!! Needless to say school is out Friday, so that gives me a loooong weekend to work on my baking and Christmas decorations. I am already in the mood - who'm'I kidding, I'm in the mood in July! But all of this snow has put me in the mood for decorating... and maybe some snow sculpturing! *;D

Hi Cat! That sounds fabulous! It seems like most ranches around here have a similar fuel setup (and some underground, too) but I am sooooo jealous. I want one tooooo! *:'( *LOL

[Catalpa]

Nothin' accomplished today, had to drive down to the city for a funeral. But tomorrow is Saturday! Yea, a full day to get stuff done!

Wiley, I just lucked into it..I was doing some work at an old farmstead and the widow just wanted the tank out of there. I was happy to give her a few bucks for it. On the trip to the city we saw gas as low as 1.98! I have to say that earlier this year I was sure I would never see gas under 3.00 again. I bet you're glad of the woodstove with the power out. Do you just do wood and oil lamps, or do you use a generator when the power's down?

[WileyCoyote]

We have a genny but don't like to use the gas unless we have to. I like the smell of the woodstove and the kero lamps. (I like the smell of mothballs, too - geez, what is wrong with me? LOL) I have been collecting kero lamps since I was 18; have big pretty glass ones, teeny tiny glass ones, and even some railroad style lamps, and everything in between! We have flashlights and even some battery operated lights, that we keep charged up, changed out, and ready, even in the summer.

Our power flickered but never did go out. Talked to the guy who sells the propane and oil around here - he has been driving from ranch to ranch since the blizzard stopped; seems as though everyone's propane and oil heaters went out during the storm. Some folks here have woodstoves and fireplaces, but many don't.

One of my new friends just moved her Mom to our town, into a brand new trailer. She was supposed to have an electric heater in it but has propane - which means now she has to get a propane tank or get them to trade out the heater. She has no other source of heat - which means that when the power goes out, either wth electric or propane (because of the electric ignitions for the pilot lights nowadays) she has no heat. *I told my friend that her mom could come stay with us if she had to; the woodstove keeps the house toasty. And my friend lives 17 rural miles away - whcih is like the far side of the moon during a blizzard like we just had.

I just don't understand not having a backup - and a backup to the backup - in places that you know the power goes out in bad weather. Even in our all-electric house down south we had a small cast iron stove with a metal fitting for the pipe that fitted into and went out a window, plus a camp stove. *Still have the small cast iron stove, campstove and all of the cast iron pots and pans, and the old coffeepot, too. Cause you just never know...

Anyway, today I've been baking cookies and putting together and hanging my della robbia wreaths. We have a big Veteran's Day program coming up this Tuesday at school, and the Vets Aux has to provide the cookies. So far I have pumpkin-pecan cookies and lemon sugar cookies. I had made a huge pot of pea soup for the blizzard and have been finishing it off today, whie DH s eating the deer stew. Just got a call from our daughter - she is driving out for a visit from SC, and is over halfway here.

It has been sunny and got up to 25 deg today. I have been so busy inside that I haven't been out in it yet. But this morning my future suppers walked through the yard heading for the corn I lovingly put out for them - hunting season starts Nov. 14. And yesterday evening a deer came up and partook of it too.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Fall%2008/IMG_0445.jpg

[MNMOM]

Wiley,
We had some snow here in MN, and the winds were clocked at 55 - 60 mph, there wasn't enough snow to create a problem.

Deer season opened yesterday, now I suppose the deer that I watch in the woods north of us have gone into hiding.

[madmac]

That's some really nice pics Wiley. The turkeys really add something to the rural aspect of it all. Stay warm and be safe if you are out in it.

[flatwater]

Our blackpowder deer season open up the 20th of this month so we get whats left over from the modern hunters , which is about everything because most of them can't hit anything anyway. The rain has been coming down for the last week which usually means snow in about a week. ;D Were looking forward to the slowness of winter. Besides, the bible says love covers a multitude of sins and snow does the same.
flatwater

[Catalpa]

I see turkeys like that, and it makes me want to have an "ACME Automatic Bird Catcher" just like the original Wyle E. Coyote. Ya know, a canon sort of thing that shoots out a weighted net. Never worked on the road runner, but it sure seems like I could net me a mess of turkeys with it!

Looking forward to a day off tomorrow to get some chores done around here. Today gas dropped to 1.94, and I brought home thirty more gallons for the bulk storage. Half way full now! Replaced the tarps on the dog kennel, and put the heating mat in her house. Finally brought some wood up to the porch, so tonight we have First Fire of the Season. I have my blankey, a good fire, and the game will be on in a few minutes. I must be easy, since that's all it takes for me to purr like a kitty!

[rideaway]

I haven't been on in some time, life just keeps me too busy to take a moment it seems. Garden is all done except for the carrots and beets. We got a pretty good yield this year, but because of all the problems that came when my sister had her stroke, I didn't get as much picked in a timely manner as was needed. Oh well, such is life.

We are spending today down the road at a local mobile home park clearing himalaya blackberries out of the "water trench". It's going to be a prickly day, but the $500 we will make will help out right now. I am cutting way back on Christmas, but do have a couple of special gifts I want to get for the girls, so I can do that, but first on the list is getting the heater core in the car fixed.

We are also in the process of refinancing, since the loans we had to get when we placed our new manufactured on the place were so high on interest. I am keeping fingers crossed, but trying not to count on it too hard. Payments will be less, interest will be less, taxes and insurance will be figured in, and we can afford to put some aside and pay a couple hundred on principal. That would be a blessing. We could also get the wood stove put in, which would make me feel much better about being more self-sufficient and not depending on power, etc.

Am trying to decide whether I want to get some laying hens. While the egss would be a huge benefit, the cost of feed in our part of the coast is high, and it might cost more to feed than the eggs or hens are worth. Grass hay right now is almost $22 a bale for a three strand bale and you have to drive an hour to get it, so I was relieved to sell my horse.

Well, I'm putting off going and getting ready to cut brush, so I'd better get started.

[WileyCoyote]

A little busy after this weekend

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk312/WileyCoyote_NE/Fall%2008/IMG_0452.jpg

He's an eight point, if that means anything to some folks. I'm not a trophy hunter but I do like meat. ;D

[jen_in_southtexas]

Congrats Wiley! That looks like a fine buck. Will look even better on the table with all the trimmings! ;D Just out of curiosity, how many pounds of meat do you think he will yield for the freezer?

-j

[jen_in_southtexas]

My weekend went ok. We had nice temperatures late evening into early morning into the 30's. That was welcoming.

I went out to my property this weekend and on Saturday everything that could go wrong did. So my day was unproductive until the end of the day. With about 40min left of daylight i started on my wall frame. It is my first time building anything so it took a while to get a routine established. Once that happened I ran out of screws :P. So i sat to watch the sunset as the temperature was falling fast. It was DEAD quiet and i didnt want to leave. Winter was in the air. Needless to say i headed back home to the city.

Sunday i went to the hardware store first thing in the morning and headed back. I was only able to stay for a coupla hours. A friend of mine was supposed to go with me but plans changed. I only got to put up one wall (west side). I struggled a little bit but not too bad. I headed home after that because i had laundry to do for Monday and other errands.

I did observe some Bobwhite Quail. They have some interesting behavior. One bird stood guard while everyone else pecked and dug in the ground. One hen dug a little hole but when they dig they push the dirt forward instead of behind them. I think she may have laid an egg. One move i made and away they flew. I was curious to see if she laid an egg or not but she covered that little hole up that she sat in and i didnt want to dig it out. I had only seen what i thought were 4 or 5 but they blend in so well amongst the trees,weeds,grass that next thing i know there were at least 20 in the flock . I had to be real still because they spook very easy. I hid behind a pallet that i had. It doesnt take much to amuse me. I love to observe wildlife.

This is what i accomplished this weekend. Not much to some but it is a big milestone for me.


Wall Frame
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/propertykidsmom027.jpg

The quail on the lookout while others foraged. It stood so diligently and alert. There are 3 more birds in this pic but they are hard to see on this small pic. Wrong date after battery change.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/propertykidsmom022.jpg

Hen laying. Two more birds in pic.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/propertykidsmom024.jpg

Thats all i have for now. I hope everyone is enjoying their homesteading projects. Until next time...see ya in the back roads.

-j ;)
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[leasmom]

I had my four baby roosters...they weren't even 3 months old...processed because they were early crowers. My RIR roosters were much larger before they even tried to attempt crowing.

I had to get the coop ready for winter...we built basically a larger sized dog house coop for the hens and attached a run to it. We had rats coming in so we put down those square gardening stones to prevent them from coming through the floor. And for the babies in the rabbit hutch, we had to put a second light, and put tarp to cover it during the day and I'm now keeping them inside all day because of the snow/ice on the ground. I gave away my first carton of eggs and I now have 3 to 4 layers-one RIR thats laying, one cochin, and two silkies. I'm hoping the other RIR will kick in and start laying soon, she's 20 wks.

I have some veggies still growing inside my bedroom...some turnips and radishes. I brought them in before it snowed and potted them in a large container. They're doing well right now. I hope it continues to do well.

I am planning on buying mini turkey's next year and I'm already trying to plan out my garden...

[LeatherneckPA]

jen, it's moving right along. Looking pretty good for a solo builder.

My hens are ticking me off. One week they lay great, the next week nary a single egg all week long. Saw a mouse/rat(?) in the hen house one day, but not since. guess they took care of that by themselves. Seymour and Arnold are pretty big boys. Arnold is more aggressive, but I'd bet Seymour outweighs him by about 25%.

And now I have one or two hens that have decided not to use nesting boxes but rather to lay in the bedding in a corner. And of course it is at the farthest possible location from the people door. Stupid hen(s)!!! But I'm going to fix that. I'm going to open a door on the other end of the hen house too.

Had two meals worth of homestead chicken so far. Very nice. Maybe it's my imagination but it seems to have more flavor. I have no such doubts about the eggs though. Definitely more flavorful. And I have to use a sharp knife and much more energy to crack the shells. If shell thickness is any indication of egg quality (and I can't see how it wouldn't be) then I've got some really high quality eggs.

A full week of substituting and a cold snap have put the dampers on my fence project. Told the DD and WSIL that I wanted help this weekend to get all the remaining posts in the ground, before the ground gets too cold for the concrete to set properly. We shall see.

[sbemt456]

Leatherneck sounds like our chickens know each other.. My hens had a tendency to lay in the bedding in back of the building under the perch. I just know I was smarter than them and I used the garden rack to rake the eggs to the people door, guess they got tired of the foolishness and started using the nest boxes.
We had a good inch of snow here in eastern kentucky this morning when I got up. Really pretty but darn cold. I went to the garden to see how the broccoli was doing and it has survived several freezes and the snow. Got little tiny broccoli heads about thumb nail size starting to grow. Hope they make it. I thought I had planted cabbage, then lost the label off the seed tray and they turned out to be broccoli. Just as good if not better.
I hope to try and butcher some of the last bunch of cornish cross fryers this weekend. Got about 45 left. Hubby and I will get a few done this weekend and the rest next weekend when the boys are home to help.
We were also thinking that strawberries should have died back before now but I got some that got snowed on. And they were still very green. Should I just go ahead and mulch them all in for the winter? This is my first time raising strawberries in many years and dang I forgot what they do.
Congrats to all you gals, and guys who got a deer this year. I cant hunt anymore due to the shoulder injury and surgery. But hubby got 2 and one of his co-workers gave us another one for the meat. Spent last weekend skinning and dressing and getting those in the freezer. So good and tender. Wont need beef for quite some time. Might just smoke some venison for Thanksgiving to feed the crowd, before the water gets hot and I tell them we are butchering chickens. ;D Would that be mean of me? They are all coming thinking turkey, dressing, taters, pie and all that good stuff.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and stay warm and safe.

stella

[mungsurfers]

It's past Nov 14th, did you get any turkeys or a deer yet????

[LeatherneckPA]

I used the garden rack to rake the eggs to the people door, guess they got tired of the foolishness and started using the nest boxes.

Got little tiny broccoli heads about thumb nail size starting to grow. Hope they make it.

Might just smoke some venison for Thanksgiving to feed the crowd, before the water gets hot and I tell them we are butchering chickens. ;D Would that be mean of me?

stella

I have a three tine cultivator that I use to drag them forward. Same idea.

stella check out the book Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. It's focused not on extending the growing season so much as extending the harvest season. He's got several ideas that should help you keep fresh broccoli growing right through the winter.

As for "tricking" the labor. I don't think it's mean at all. Let them earn their feast. Remember, there's no such thing as a "free lunch".

[WileyCoyote]

I've gotten about 85 lbs of meat off that buck! Sure looks good in the freezer!
Jen that is really good work. I don't have the courage or strength to do something like that solo, and I applaud you!

Looking forward to getting chickens again this spring. I ALWAYS had a problem in the past with hens laying eggs any and everywhere! The nesting boxes would have one or two every morning, and the rest would be scattered about. The only time the hens used the boxes was when they were broody. Sigh. Humans plan, and chickens derail. ::)

[LeatherneckPA]

My nephew and SIL came over yesterday and helped me get those fence posts in the ground. Those young boys sure can work. They got all seven holes dug, post in, set the concrete, and backfilled in just over 2½ hours. ;D I'm guessing that things may have gone a little quicker because they were more or less silently competing against each other. Nephew thinks SIL is useless and SIL was trying to prove he's as good as nephew.

This week I'll buy the 2x4 rails to go between. Then Thursday, while SIL and I wait for our turkey, we can install all of the fence boards and have it done this week.

Today my DW bought me a canvas garage for my motorcycles, since I have nowhere to store them for the winter that's out of the weather. 10'x20' for under $200, and I couldn't build a wooden one for less than probably 3x's that.

[Catalpa]

WileyCoyote, that looked like a great buck! Jen, your building project looks like it's coming along nicely.

Still bringing home five gallon cans of gas to dump into my new bulk tank. I've got about 100 gallons now to hold against the lean time of mid to late winter, and as long as gas holds under 2.00/gallon, I'll keep adding to it.

Just came upstairs after loading my first deer into the freezer. I've got some really nice looking steaks! Also put some jerky in the dehydrator, the poor dog is going nuts, licking her chops and quietly begging with her big brown eyes.

Fire in the fireplace; two electric heaters going; haven't turned the furnace on since I warmed the place up Friday after work. It's so nice to sleep through the night, without being awakened by the costly rumbling from the basement.

[jen_in_southtexas]

LeatherneckPA, Wiley, Catalpa....Thank you. *This project has been a slowwwww process. *I am learning alot and have had my share of mistakes. *There are some days like today that i admit i didnt feel like working on it but I have to change my way of thinking because if i dont do it...IT WILL NOT GET DONE.

Wiley...85lb of meat is great!! *That would last a very long time in my household. *Im still thinking about that deer stew you mentioned the other day. *That would hit the spot right now. *As for my project, if i can do it anybody can. *

LeatherneckPA...Im glad you had some help on getting the holes dug. *Fencing is my next project. *Now that i officially got the acre next to me i want to enclose the two together. *Post some pics when your done if you dont mind. *Id like to see it. *'Awf'lee' nice of your wife to get you that canvas shed. *Ive seen those at Tractor Supply. *I think their nice.

Catalpa...gas here is $1.56/gallon. You would really be able to load up!

I was out at property yesterday(Sat.11/23) and today. *When i got there its almost like seeing your progress with a new pair of eyes kinda like when you walk away from something for a while. *It felt good. * Still working on wall framing. *Yesterday was very pleasant temperatures like in the lower 60's. Today it warmed up a bit but not too bad. *Do you know what is irritating? *warped lumber. *I swear i inspected every board i bought and it turned in some way or other. *Very irritating especially when you think you only have one more stud to go... >:(. *I did finish one wall yesterday and today i almost finished another wall but i ran out of studs. *Needed 3 more. *Normally i wouldve gone to go get them but I felt really wore out and it being a Sunday and all I had to start thinking about the 60 mile drive back home to the city. *So here i am.

My progress this weekend:
Almost finished the wall towards the back on the right side but ran out of studs. *Left the frame on floor. *Middle back wall just about done.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/propertykidsmom047.jpg

On a different note, early Saturday morning i was on my way to Sutherlands on a long and winding backroad and noticed a dog on the side of the road. *I could tell it had some pitbull in it. *It was a female. *I guess it may just have had a litter sometime ago but she looked tired, hungry(could see ribcage) and somewhat shy but alert. *It just layed in the grass by the side of the road and i felt bad for it. *It was a pretty rusty color with amber light hazel eyes. *I had some leftover breakfast and put it down for her to eat but she didnt get up then i said, "C'mon...get up and eat" and she got up to go to it fine and all. *I couldnt help but think of this dog and wondered if someone dropped it off or maybe it was feral or just lost. *It had no collar. *I even thought that on my way back i would get out of the truck and call it to me to see if it would come to me or not and maybe nurse it back to health. *So on my way back about an hour later i see it laying in the same spot again and it was weird that as i slowed down towards it that it didnt get up. *As i pulled right up to it was obviously dead, there was blood and a bullet hole in the front of the head.....someone had come along and shot it in the head. *I felt sooooo bad for it. *I wondered if it was the owner who may have done this or maybe someone thought it was suffering and put it out of its misery. *All that dog seem to need was some food. *Im not one to save all the animals but for some reason i wanted to save this one. *I know that the last meal it ate was the one i gave it. *I wish i knew why somebody did this. :'(

I hope everyone is enjoying their homesteading projects. *Until next time, see ya in the backroads.

-j
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[Catalpa]

Oh, jen, what a sad story! It just breaks my heart to see an animal mistreated, especially dogs. All that most dogs want is just love. At least this dog isn't suffering anymore. Are you going to try to roof your cabin yourself? I've helped set trusses before, and it surely aint a one woman job!

Leatherneck, that canvas garage sounds like a great gift, but I'm wondering how do you secure it against wind?

The work week has started, so nothing is getting done 'round the homestead, but I get Wednesday through Sunday off this week, so I'm looking forward to some quality time. ;)

[jen_in_southtexas]

Catalpa,

I thought about that dog again. I am still saddened by what happened.

As for the roof, I will probably have my cousin's BF help me since he offered to help do it. The more i think about this roof the more I want to go with a shed roof for the simplicity. I like a saltbox roof as well but i feel that because my structure is small at 16' x 16' it may not look right. Im undecided at this point. I also have to keep in mind that i will probably add on to this cabin in another year or two. I will be off Thursday thru Sunday. I plan on continuing to work on this and get as much done as possible. I hope you enjoy your time off as well.

-j

[rAcErRicK]

Cat, are you adding anything to your gas to help preserve it ? In days gone by, gas would store for quite a while, but this stuff we have now goes bad really quick. Most of the folks use a product called Sta-bil to increase the storage life of it. I do the same when prices are down, and the sta-bil seems to help a lot. Most of the gas has the ethanol in it also which attracts water. BP gas doesn't have ethanol in it down here, and I don't think Sunoco does either, but most of the rest do. Ask around some and see what is being used there to help preserve it. It would really be a shame to store up a big tankfull and then lose it to spoilage.

rick

[rAcErRicK]

Jen, you are one tuff cookie to be doing that project by yourself. You've got my vote Girl. You're lookin' good.

A real shame about the stray dog too. I shouldn't have a dog where I am, but I brought a little guy home that would not have made it either, and fed him with a doll bottle until he could eat. He turned into a 90# bulldog, and I've got a buddy as long as we both are here.

rick

[LeatherneckPA]

..... i almost finished another wall but i ran out of studs. *Needed 3 more. * -j eL Chiquito Ranch Deep South Texas Brush Country
::)Gee, jen, I don't understand how you could possibly come up 3 boards short. In all my years of building stuff I've never done that. :-* Yeah, RIGHT!! Aggravating, ain't it.

As for the warpage, most times the lumber you buy at the store still has a little moisture in it (especially treated lumber). As it sits out in that hot TX sun for a week waiting for you to come use it it dries, warps, and twists. My answer to that, since I don't have a cover to store it under, is to try very carefully to calculate the exact amount I need, add 5% for waste, and then only buy that amount. If I have to make a separate trip every day that's fine as long as my wood stays straight.

For example, the 4x4 posts for this fence sat out on my doggie deck (yes, my dogs have their own deck in the backyard) for a couple of weeks until I got around to finishing that job. I estimate they weighed almost 50% less than when I bought them. And that's in our weak PA sun.

[LeatherneckPA]

Leatherneck, that canvas garage sounds like a great gift, but I'm wondering how do you secure it against wind?
cat, I have collected a bunch of 5 gallons buckets. I'm going to fill each one with concrete and then tie it to the top rail of the walls at each of the six legs. Trust me, central PA doesn't see winds that can lift 6 of those off the ground.

[Catalpa]

Yep, I've been adding stabil to my gas, and I use the gas. When I drive the truck back to the tank to dump in all the five gallon cans, I pump some gas from the tank into my truck. So I'm trying to keep it fresh. I also have a new filter on it that is supposed to help separate out any water that gets in the fuel, and has a drain valve at the bottom so I can drain out any water or sediment. I had a horrible, time consuming and costly lesson about old gas with my lawn tractor.

jen, do you plan for the cabin to eventually be your full-time home? Just a thought - using 'storage' style trusses may allow you to have enough room for a sleeping loft. Of course, my impression of south Texas is a place hotter than hades, so perhaps sleeping up in a loft isn't practical, I don't know.

Leatherneck, that sounds like a great idea. My area of Michigan is prone to tornados and freakish 'straight line' winds that are like violent microbursts, which has discouraged me from trying some sort of green house. But your supersize sinkers sound like they may even work here.

[bee_pipes]

10/7
Karen and I have been working in the yard the last two days. We added another two trusses to the shed structure, shoring up weak areas that might be under more stress from the attached firewood roof. We need to look at getting the main roof on and providing a dry work area for completing the rest of the shed. We also framed in the posts over the compost bin. I’m not entirely happy with the way this frame worked out. The posts were not in an exact square. We made a pretty eccentric frame, trying to provide a square base for the roof that will eventually be built on top. It looks like a drunken carpenter made this structure, but should hold a simple roof to divert rain from cover material and into the compost piles. We may rig gutters with old pvc and collect rainwater for washing collection buckets.

10/18
What a difference a week makes. We have had a few freezes overnight and some rain and wind, resulting in the bulk of the leaves falling. There are still ample leaves hanging onto the tree, but the majority of them are now on the ground. Today reached 43 from a nighttime low of 25. Waterers froze and we are in need of dog bowls for morning waterers. Fortunately the birds don’t drink or eat during darkness, so there are no major worries about dehydration. In the morning ice makes it impossible to empty, take apart and clean, or fill the waterer. Dog bowls work well because they have an open top. Iced-over bowls get hot water poured into them in the morning, often melting a hole through the ice. On bad days where the temperature does not get above freezing in the course of the day, rare here, this process can be repeated as often as necessary during the day. Fortunately we have a creek running near the pens and the poultry prefer drinking from it.

We had one sickly bird, part of the new hatch this last spring. The poor critter hurt its leg or foot and was really having trouble getting around. I didn’t think it would last long in that hobbled state, but it managed to make it a number of months and seemed to be getting around okay. The injury seemed to put it at some disadvantage in competing for food, so it was the smallest of the new hens. Yesterday morning I noticed it looked particularly puny and I thought it might be starting a downward slide. When I went outside to put the turkeys up, the old tom was picking at the chicken. Whether the tom killed it or it expired from its own ailments I don’t know, but the tom was grasping it by the head and shaking out the carcass like an old rug. Some feathers were missing, but it would seem I stopped the situation before the tom could get around to doing much else. I knew chickens could turn cannibalistic, but never expected a turkey to show that tendency.

The chickens have all but stopped and we are getting by on duck eggs. This has been a pleasant surprise. We get three eggs a day from them and they show no signs of stopping. Fried or over-easy, the whites are a bit on the rubbery side, but they make dandy scrambled eggs. They also work well for baking, but the large size of the egg has to be taken into account with the recipe. I have used them in bread, cake and brownies. The cake and brownies turned out a little on the dry side, like too much egg was used.

Today I emptied our collection buckets for compost. I have been putting it off and today it just had to be done. The weather was cold, so I just worried about returning the large buckets to service. The small coffee cans are going to have to wait for warmer weather before they get cleaned out. The cold nights have all but shut down the pile, new contributions are not getting hot enough to sustain the process. With one moderate week the pile will resume, but for now the bins are getting mighty full. A 43 degree day with sunshine is generally mild in our little hollow, but with the breeze blowing it was just too cold to spend an hour with my hands in cold well water, scrubbing out the cans we collect kitchen waste in. Last year’s pile, bursting at the seams when we shut it down last spring, has collapsed to less than half its former volume. Next spring it will be ready to harvest and the current pile will be shut down.

Last Wednesday I was down with some sort of stomach virus. It hit me like a freight train and seemed to pass before the end of the day. But it took a number of days before my stomach felt right and my appetite returned to normal. No food in the intervening days resulted in no energy or ambition, so I have been convalescing and feeling like a lazy bum the entire time. Good thing I have an understanding wife. The last few days we have resumed chores out in the yard and life is good again.

10/23
We have spent the last two days painting. A few months after moving here we painted the living room. Actually, it is more of a main room – all common areas outside the kitchen. This was practical, as we spend most of our waking hours in these rooms. The last owners had a lot of stuff hanging on the walls in every room, so there were many holes to be filled. Here it is, three years, and we have never gotten around to painting the remainder of the house. We did paint the porch, much of the deck being treated lumber without finish. That was a good use of labor, we spend many hours on the porch, but the remaining interior of the house needed attention. Both bedrooms still sport the borders put up by the previous owner and my slip-shod spackling job. We feel better about the results and will use this as a winter project.

This morning the weatherman is calling for rain Monday morning. Young turkey tom has received a one day reprieve. Plans were to process him in preparations for the Thanksgiving meal, but I am not crazy about the idea of performing the task in rain. Preparations require that he be isolated in a wire cage with only water to allow his digestive system to empty, so today was to be the day we began getting ready. I had noticed young tom has become enough of a threat that old tom persecutes him at every opportunity. To prevent young tom from going to the roasting pan with scars or other blemishes, we have kept the breeding pair cooped up for the last week. The older turkeys are not happy with this arrangement, but it has restored peace to the yard. From looking at the older tom, young tom gives as good as he gets. Young tom also has an entourage of guineas that follow him around. Whether they believe he is a big guinea, or they are little turkeys, I do not know. But they will be lost without their leader. I noticed a month ago that young tom was trying to breed with the young guineas. This seems to have resulted in the death of one of the guineas. As to whether the guinea was sickly, contributing to the death or the rigors of turkey breeding behavior was more than she could survive, I don’t know. The remaining four seem to be doing a better job of staying out of his lecherous grasp. Of course, they could all be cockerels… Young tom has taken to gobbling in the last month, indicating he has reached (in his opinion) sexual maturity. A chicken cockerel has also taken to crowing in recent weeks. That is a sound we have missed the last few months.

10/25
Today was slaughtering day. Young tom got locked up early yesterday afternoon and put on a strictly water diet. He was never too crazy about being handled, so reaching into the crate was nothing unusual. We tried to restrict his wings with a mylar shopping bag and ties around his wings, since we don’t have a cone, but the plastic was too slippery and his wings too agile – he managed to shake it off. This morning was quite cold – I don’t know they exact temperature but it was not quite 30 degrees by the time we came back inside. The hose, which I am careful to drain before nightfall, must have had an ice plug in it somewhere, we could not get it to work. After fetching a piece of hose from the shed we managed to solve that problem. We weighed him before and after dressing to get an idea of what our losses in weight were and what weight we have to work with for cooking. He was a 15 lbs bird, up and walking around with an empty stomach, dressed and headed inside for further processing (bereft of giblets) he was 12 lbs., and headed into the refrigerator (bereft of neck and giblets) he weighed in at 10 ½ lbs. We butchered two turkeys last year so my memories of the activity are a little hazy. We processed a broad breasted and royal palm. This year we only butchered a royal palm. I expected (and half remembered) that it was easier than a chicken, but we are much more experienced with chickens now. I was a little surprised at the differences between chickens and turkeys. The turkey has much more in the way of tendons to work with. The thin, membranous tissues have strong threads of tendon or other connective strands running through them. The abdominal cavity is also sturdier. But, on the plus side, there is much more room to work and move around than a smaller chicken. Fat was not excessive either. We try to use corn sparingly, the cause of much fat on poultry, and the switch to a higher protein in the last month or so seems to have paid handsome dividends, so far as muscle ad meat are concerned. When we came inside to finish processing, Karen removed the neck and I set about cleaning the gizzard. I had just reviewed the process in Storey’s book on turkeys and exercised quite a bit of caution, but still managed to make a mess of the job. The gizzard popped open on me and sprayed the sink with grit and digestive juices. We started about 7 AM or so and had young tom in the fridge by 8:30. We definitely need to look into cones for the chickens and turkeys, we were fortunate to not have any broken wings.

10/26
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we have company coming. That means housework to prepare for our guests. The weather forecasts predict mild weather for the holiday weekend, a happy situation for our company from Indianapolis. Temperatures are predicted for high 50’s and low 60’s. There will be some rain, but it appears their travel days will be clear. Karen is preparing the turkey right now. I do not know that I have ever had a brined turkey. She is preparing the solution and young tom will soak for a day before going into the oven.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/bee_pipes/turkey_portrait.jpg
Our host for thanksgiving feast

My sister, Katy, said she did not wish to know the history of the meal, name of the bird, etc. We never really named the turkeys – the males all come with a name anyway – Tom. We just refer to them as Turkey Momma, Big Tom, Little Tom, Young Tom or Turkey Baby. I haven’t noticed any unusual behavior with the young guineas – they were inseparable with little tom. The older turkeys have been restricted to their pen for the last few days, it seemed like the best course to take. Young tom had gotten to the size and age that he was seen as a competitor by the older tom and we were seeing preludes to fighting. There was a bit of dancing going on and some engagements, but nothing serious yet. With little tom being in the home stretch, we didn’t want him to get torn up from fighting. Old tom is still sporting scars from his last tangle with the dogs; fortunately the older turkeys seem to have gotten too big to fly into the dog pen. I have spent more than a moment concerned about young tom falling prey to some of our local predators, or flying into the dog pen, but he seemed to not realize he could fly. On a whole, they are interesting creatures and the reputation for stupidity seems wholly undeserved. Granted, they can be somewhat clumsy and less than graceful at times, but I think that is a matter of size, rather than lack of brains. The wild turkeys in our area do seem to get along fine – indeed, they seem to be thriving. It is interesting to watch the wild cousins and note their behavior for comparison to their domestic kin. Most turkeys are confined to pens or larger facilities with most of their basic needs provided. Any creature would fall into a stupor of idiocy without any stimulus or problem solving. Couple that with the freakish mutation of a broad breast, preventing breeding and resulting in ailments that reduce mobility, and you have a recipe for a creature bereft of basic survival behavior. The wild relatives are supposed to be among the most cunning of game, according to hunters, well aware of their environment and highly perceptible of something being amiss – such as the presence of a hunter. I have read a number of posts on various forums testifying to the fact that local wild turkey populations become a real nuisance to farmers. Other than grass and seed heads on the grass, I have not seen a lot of behavior from our domestic birds as to their choices for food when foraging, but I could see them enjoying cereal crops. We do occasionally see them on our property, but they seem to prefer the open pastures across the road from us.

Regards,
Pat

[jen_in_southtexas]

Catalpa,

Eventually I would like to be out there full time. It will be a good while yet. The trusses do sound interesting but i really am leaning towards a shed type roof. It will be easier for me. Im not too concerned with a loft. It gets pretty dog gone hot over here that sometimes it is unbearable.

This weekend i would like to start on the framing of the front of the cabin but i need to find a door first and frame around it or know which im getting and get the dimensions including the frame. I have been on the lookout for a used exterior door to no avail. I swear i run into this stuff when i dont need it or dont have the money. I might have to break down and get a new one. The cheapest ive seen is around 100bucks framed and all and metal.

I hope everyone enjoys Thanksgiving Day with their families.

-j

[goldengate]

Our Nov. project was going to be leveling off the tops of fence posts. We were overwhelmed by a hundred things to do this spring, so, we put up the posts but left them at all heights. Now, how can we cut off the tops of posts that are ten feet out of the ground? We have only come up with standing in the pickup and stringing a level line around the garden, then using the chainsaw to cut off posts. It sounds so dangerous that we are very hesitant to do it. Has anybody done it this way? Will we probably chop off a leg?

[LeatherneckPA]

goldengate, I use a reciprocating saw on mine. It's much safer than a chainsaw. And a pick-up tailgate is TONS safer than a step ladder.

[flatwater]

Well it's been a real busy month and todays the end. We havested a few deer of our little homestead. I met two hard working Russian families that we had thanksgiving with , my back is finally feeling better ( old age and stupididy ) And we only had about one inch of snow so far. All in all a pretty good month.
flatwater

[rideaway]

Spent today recovering from the Thanksgiving holiday-Had my sister here who is still having problems recovering from her stroke, plus her daughter and bf and 4 children (two sets of twins 3 1/2 and 1 1/2) and a total of 27 for the holiday itself. Friday had a job interview for an addictions specialist position and then more time entertaining sister, and then shopping and cooking yesterday. Slept in til almost 10 am this morning-couldn't believe it. Then spent day tossing pumpkins into the pig pen to wait for the new piggies to come home in a few months, sorting flower bulbs, pruning roses and geraniums and untangling and hanging outdoor Christmas lights. Will be good to get back to work to get some rest.

[goldengate]

Leatherneck, thanks for the thought of the reciprocating saw. When I read that, I had one of those "why didn't I think of that moments?" We'll definitely give it a try.

goldengate