How do I homestead and balance 3 diagnosed chronic illnesses? Imperfectly!
Taught high standards and a hard work ethic as a child, letting go of perfection proved heartbreaking at times and freeing at others.
Homesteading lifestyle does not lend to ease and comfort on a regular basis. The rewards of opening a jar of home canned tomato juice, drinking my fill, savoring the flavor, while feeling thankful I know exactly what is in my healthy drink motivates me to take one job at a time.
For the fun of jumping ahead: the result. From a heaping 5-gallon bucket of tomates I now have 6 quarts of tomato juice and 7 pints.
Many steps and a bit of hard, uncomfortable work goes into the delicious drink I canned myself. Planting seeds, weeding, watering as needed, picking tomatoes, and the work of actually processing and canning the juice.
Knowing the reward of healthy food options and a feeling of accomplishment for a job completed keeping me moving when my body aches, my head feels dizzy and I am simply tired.
Get a FREE PDF on how to preserve Stewed Tomatoes.
12 steps complete with pictures.
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There are days I need additional rest, days the best thing for me is to be up and moving however slow I may be. There are days I feel like I used to. On those days I often become wonder woman for a few hours until reality catches up with me.
Reality
Realty might hit me in the form of a low sugar, or becoming so tired I can. Not. Go. another step. It often appears to come on sudden, but in truth many times I am busy celebrating all I am accomplishing. I miss the signs, or I ignore the tiredness lurking because my focus keeps them at bay. Reality might be a high sugar level for unknown reasons requiring me to rest or extra sleep.
Reality means I do not have the same number of hours available for hard work I used to have. In certain moments it means pushing myself because when caring for animals and raising your own food there are windows of time where tasks must be completed. A time for extra rest will be required for sure when the work is done.
The Hardest Part
The hardest part for me has been letting of my high expectations for outcomes of all I do. One of the good parts? Learning to see and act on what is important on any given day. What has to be done today? Resting when it is done.
I brought home my first Swedish Flower Hens in May of 2016. I drove 3 hours to pick up 13 chicks. Pictured about are offspring of those chicks crossed on others I added later.
I might be a workaholic if my health allowed. If you ask my spouse, I am any way. I may need to take breaks before a task is finished or leave things I want done today, for tomorrow.
A New Direction
The idea of writing and running a website was born only after I realized I could no longer work as hard as I used to. To my belief my number one asset I brought to a job, was my physical strength and stamina. It sent me for a loop when I realized I could not longer push through anything I choose to.
The realization came on over a period of a week or two. I was working at a factory learning a job I would have not had a problem with in the past. Sanding a trailer should not have been out of my range of capability. Instead, I learned I had contracted mono. I was let go from my job with the understanding I had the option to return when (if) my health allowed.
I did not return. Six years later, I do not believe myself capable of doing the work.
Blooms from Ashes
Roses will bloom again, Just wait and see, Don’t mourn what might have been, Only God knows how and when, but roses will bloom again.
~ chorus of song ‘Roses Will Bloom Again’ by Bill Gaither
Recently, I was reminded how events look terrible to us at the time, actually open doors for opportunities we would have never looked for. Loosing my job pointed me in a new direction. I felt lost , my pride wounded. I carried (from God) a belief blooms rise from ashes and good awaited me down the road.
The road meandered slowly bringing me to my current life. I did not immediately decide to start a website or homestead. Such ideas came along over the coming year and a half. Implementation itself continues to this day.
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I earned my first income online in 2016 from Swagbucks.
I write to share my journey and knowledge. I homestead to produce more of my own food. I continue to learn how to improve my writing, homestead skills, and earn a bit of money along the way. I strive to keep the genetics of 3 heritage chicken breeds alive. In my newest venture, I am learning about the Great Pyrenees dog breed as I train a puppy.
First day off leash, Aneta
I may be slower these days, but I still find joy in a new challenge. Blogging, homesteading, and creating provide me with ways stimulate a desire to see what lies around the next bend. I have a couple ideas up my sleeve for the remainder of 2020. Stick around to find out what they are.
Are you living life with a chronic illness or two? How do you make the most of your life?
Music touches the heart in a way all its own. It takes you
down memory lane, strikes a forgotten emotion, creates a connection and has
been known to drive me out of my chair to dance. How about you?
What does music have to do with homesteading?
Everything to my way of thinking. A local gathering with folks to sing and enjoy an evening was often the only entertainment early homesteaders had to enjoy. There was no TV’s, movies, or even electricity. No cell phones, or i pads and laptops distracting from what happened right there in real life.
I grew up hearing my Mom sing me to sleep with old family favorites and gospel songs.
My Dad had recorded her and her sister singing on his reel to reel. Again, old family favorites, gospel songs and songs my mother had written. My Mom, given a gift to sing with an ear to hear pretty melodies, sings only what lifts up the Lord these days.
The Hoosierettes (a trio of sisters) My Mom is one of 3 sisters pictured here. They were locally known in their teenage years.
In her grief with the passing of her sister, she stepped away from singing in public. But recently she decided to sing again. I know what all I have on my plate, and yet, what a great way to spend time with my mom. So, I said yes to singing at a local jam once again.
That meant an afternoon spent practicing and an evening gone.
Oh, I tried not to think of the work I could get done in those hours. I like to
get work done. But truly, is completing tasks beats that matter?
We started singing together close to 10 years ago, Sheila Mullet, my mother and I.
A year or two later, as we spent time practicing for a local Holy Walk, we decided Christmas songs were the best fit and easiest (for me) to sing.
Click on this picture if you are interested in purchasing this Christmas CD.
From that a Christmas album Once in A Manger, emerged in 2013. This song Once in A Manger alone held special memories and a warm spot in my heart for all the Christmas’s past hearing my aunts and uncles sing it. Three of those voices passed on and other aging, what is left remains in my memory these days. May I say, “beats that matter”?
Back to this past week. I did not feel the best this week, but the Lord has shown me how He will show up despite how I feel and use our singing to touch others.
I decided not worry about how I felt, but rather trusted He would give me the strength. That alone helped my mind to focus on enjoying my evening.
A variety of talent graced the local jam last night and several delicious dishes tastily satisfied my palette. As we finished up our 5th song, I looked over at my Mom and smiled. #beatsthatmatter
I will keep my words short and share with you the beats that
mattered to me this week. My husband kindly took the video I share with you
below.
I wish for each reader special beats that matter in their
life. It may or may not pertain to music. But moments that touch hearts,
encourage, uplift, and show love to those surrounding you.
Don’t forget to use the hash tag #beatsthatmatter on pictures and posts. I will be watching for them to share on IG stories and other social media platforms.
The shortest day of the year has come and gone, Winter Solstice
being yesterday. I do not mind the short
amount of sunlight as much as I do the days of temperatures below 20 degrees (and
lower) that often follows in January and February. Being honest I hope for one
of those winters when the temps hit a high above 32 degrees at least once or
twice a week. Life caring for animals becomes
much easier when above freezing.
Christmas, only days away now, seems to fade quickly by mid-January. As I look ahead to the coming months of colder weather and snow, I think about what goals and plans provide growth on the homestead. I think of ideas that I can share here on the blog where we can grow our homesteads together.
If you have followed me here at CG Heartbeats Farm you know that 3 rare chicken breeds make up a part of the current focus. The prolific Swedish Flower Hens, unique Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners and beautiful Silver Gray Dorkings keep me hopping. In the last year I struggled to produce Silver Gray Dorkings (hatching 3) and Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners (hatching 0).
As I look to the coming months, improvements will be on my mind. I know this year I need to take a look at the 15 breeding pens of Swedish Flower Hens and make cuts. I am going into this winter with around 30 pens. That means 30 frozen water containers. Honestly the word that comes to mind with that fact is, YUK! I committed to telling myself that ‘there is no such thing as too cold, just not enough or warm enough clothes, for this winter’.
What to look for on the blog in the first 3 months of 2020:
1) Chick Hatching Practices, a course sharing the basics of how to hatch chicks, including preparing to hatch and brooder ideas and immediate care for the first week.
2) Info on the specific breeds I raise
3) General chicken info
4) Seeds selection and garden planning
5) Homestead planning in terms of layout and how I intend to put to use what I have. Perhaps even a quest post or two on how others use their land to the best of its ability. Do you want to share a post here telling how you have put your homestead to use? Shoot me an email at maria@dontclipmywings.com or use the form provided below.
Farmer’s Markets in the first quarter of 2020?
In the coming months I debate attending local farmers
markets. I believe in their importance.
I enjoy connecting with other vendors and customers. I met amazing folks when attending farmers markets.
For now, I am taking a break to focus my attention on the homestead itself and
this website. I look forward to attending at least 1 market on a regular basis
in 2020. I may wait until summer to begin attending.
Winter Homestead Goals
I want to pick up where I left off, walking the property and
giving thought to the best uses of the land. I came up with a few neat ideas
last year, but as the markets went into full swing, I became distracted with
the every day work. Those daily walks shorted into simple checks of all the
current vegetables and chickens.
I hope to move cement blocks to provide a wall where I have
already increased the level of the container garden I am building. 2019 marks
the 3rd year that I emptied buckets of sweet potatoes to create this
raised bed.
Cleaning chicken pens (it is an ongoing thing around here)
Hatch Chicken Eggs
CG Heartbeats Farm now has three Janoel 12 incubators and an Incuview to hatch eggs. No bragging here, but it is a fun to have options to provide chicks for others who do not want to hatch their own. I would like to add the Nurture Right 360 in the coming months. This is how I provide chicks and fill orders for those shopping.
I am excited for the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners hens to
start laying again. I picked up Cisco and Clinch last summer (2019). They were
not mature enough to cover hens until November and by then the hens were in a
molt. I am looking forward to hatching eggs with Cisco and Clinch covering the
hens.
Clinch on the left and Cisco on the right.
For the first time CG Heartbeats Farm will offer crested Swedish Flower Hens from Apache and his hens. This pen currently consists of 2 hens from Pen 7 and a crested rooster (Apache) out of eggs I hatched from My Flower Farm (Lisa). The way the crested gene works eggs from this pen has a 50% chance of producing a crested chick. I plan to add additional hens to this pen in 2020 as I raise hens from Pen # 7. I would have more already, but I sold a few I raised.
Selling Eggs
Did you notice you can order and pay for eggs through the website now? I intend to set it up so that you are able to order eggs from each pen. At the moment it is only Swedish Flower Hen hatching eggs in general, but I want to make each pen available in quantities of 6, 12, 18, or 24. In this way a person can customize their order. Look for this feature coming soon. Until the other breeds are producing better, they will continue to be an unpaid wait list.
Starting Grape Plants
I have one grape plant needing to be pruned, with those cuttings
I intend to start additional plants in the coming months. I want to produce Concord grapes for the simple
fact, I like to eat them!! No marketing strategy in mind, just my taste buds driving
my desire. I have fond memories of
drinking homemade (and home canned) grape juice while eating popcorn at my
grandma’s house on Sunday evening. Fond memories may drive my interest in
producing Concord grapes.
I will continue with raising heirloom tomatoes, even though I do not know what variety they are. I like them too much to change to a different variety this year. My thoughts go like this: I may save seeds from the current variety (unknown) and in 2021 try a new variety, saving the seeds from 2020 to use in 2022.
Homestead in General
I have a few carryover projects from fall that if the ground
doesn’t freeze, I would be trilled to finish.
Constructing support for the one grape plant that
has flourished. The other ones are coming along slowly.
Fence work for horse pastures and cattle that I plan
to purchase.
Work on the container garden area.
Set up additional outdoor pens for spring and the
occasional nice winter day.
Condense indoor pens to make room for the extreme
cold weather days.
I have 10 different seed packets donated by Baker Creek seeds. Three that I am excited to try are Flax, Sorghum, Peanuts. The fun part of this for me is that each of these have the potential to set me up for my own seeds as these are all heirloom plants. I can save seed and increase my crop in the coming years much in the same way I did with the 5 garlic varieties. Look for a blog post(s) in the fall of 2020 on these 10 different seeds I will be trying here at CG Heartbeats Farm. I will be starting these plants indoors in the coming months to give them a head start on the growing season.
What homestead expectations, goals, or dreams do have for the coming months? Leave a comment at the bottom or use this form to send an email.
The calendar says fall begins on Sept 23rd and
ends on December 20th. Our
northern Indiana weather apparently did not get that memo. Often the coldest temps do not arrive until
after Christmas, but certain it is common to have snow in long before then.
When I think about fall, I think September, October and maybe if we are lucky
into November. I certainly remember snow
in October living only an hour or so north of here in southern Michigan. I always feel like it is a race against the
weather to get fall projects wrapped up.
Move outdoor chicken pens
I have found the chickens to be great sod killers. Except for the most frigid of temperatures I house
some groups of chickens in temporary outdoor pens. Here they contribute to the homestead by not only
getting rid of the majority of the grass, but adding fertilizer to the soil. To date I move the pens twice a year in the
spring and the fall. I also added a couple pens in the last year. I have a Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner pen, 4
pens of Swedish Flower Hens and a temporary turnout pen for when I am cleaning
an inside pen or want a group of birds to get outside. I plan to move all of these this fall and begin
working the soil.
All pens and netting pictured here will go to a new location.
New location for chickens to kill sod, preping for future garden space.
Plant garlic and onions
I intend to plant 4 varieties of garlic: German, Montana, Music, Spanish Rojo this year along with a new variety, Elephant. I plan to try a homestead onion. This onion begins growing a bulb on top of the stalk, the weight of it falls over. Once it hits the soil it grows its own roots and thus these onions replenish themselves. A down side to them is that they do not store as well or get as big as some other varieties.
Garden Prep
At the growing season winds down, I will be removing garden
plants. Work needs to be done in beds near house. Trees seem to pop up around
here on a whim and unwanted trees need to be removed.
Fall Harvest
There are Sweet Potatoes, red potatoes, white and yellow onions,
carrots, Jacob Cattle beans, butternut squash, and Glass Gem Popcorn to be
harvested. Of course, the tomatoes will
likely produce until a killing frost.
Sweet Potatoes
Red Potatoes
Work in container garden area
Last spring I started working on an old slab of cement to
convert it into a container garden area.
I hope to continue working on that project this fall. I will be setting
up either a new container garden of deepening the existing one. As I dump the
buckets of potatoes I add to or create container gardens. This is going to include
some clean up of dead grasses and organization of boards I have stored there.
Transplant fruits: Blackberries, Red raspberries and
Black raspberries
A friend and myself plan to transplant Blackberries and red
and black raspberries from her current location to her new residence. In exchange for helping, I will be brining
home a portion of what we removed from where she is currently living.
Grape Plants
I am feeling motivated to get a support structure in place for the grape plants largely due to the growth on one of the plants. It is definitely ready for guided growth. I want to prune its vines and start new plants from those to be planted next spring.
Chicken pens
Cleaning chicken pens is a job that doesn’t end, but I especially
want to go into winter with all the pens clean.
Winter cleaning is difficult and depending on the weather, near
impossible. I also will be setting up winter pens. The weather determines when I bring in my chickens
that live outside.
Hatch chicks
I intend to hatch some chicks this fall. Cisco and Clinch will be joining the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner hens around the first of November. As I right this, those hens are molting and not laying eggs. They may or may not lay well this winter. If they do lay eggs, well, those are marked for the incubator.
Janoel 12 Incubator ready to start incubating these Swedish Flower Hen and Silver Gray Dorking eggs
Preserve food
The heirloom tomatoes produced well for me. For the first time ever, I canned tomato juice. First time I have canned in 20 years, too. I hope to make and can ketchup and perhaps more tomato juice
Plant flowers
I ordered a new to me flower that blooms in the spring. In
my minds eye, it will look pretty with the pink and purple tulips. I am
reminded that with Sage no longer with me. I want plant flowers in the center
of the circle drive.
Dreaming
Here I share the goals that seem a bit impossible this fall or out of reach. I long to purchase a cow, put up fence, and dig up sassafras roots for tea. I miss playing the fiddle and hope I make time to pick it up again in the coming seasons.
Sassafras Trees
I have plenty to keep me busy here on the farm. I plan to attend indoor farmer and craft markets although that schedule is to be decided. Of course, all of this needs to be balanced with caring for my health that at times requires extra rest. This happens randomly where I simply have to stop and rest.
What are your fall projects? Leave me a comment below.
I heard my husband rush back to the bedroom door. He beckoned me, “Come quick!” I reluctantly followed him to the kitchen. Immediately horrified by the sight that greeted me. A cat managed to wedge her head between to slats of a kitchen chair and appeared to be hanging there. ‘Dead’, I thought. My husband reassured me it wasn’t, “dead yet.” I sprang into action and with his help I freed it. I wrap in my blanket and held it close. Returning to bed I laid it on my chest and fell asleep. That poor cat barely moved for 3 hours. Giving it options to exercise its bodily functions, by often carrying it to the proper locations all systems were a go. In that, I was happy and when I left for market early evening, Suzi-Q did not need my supervision. Within 36 to 48 hours she appeared to be feeling good.
Culver Market, as it often is situated next to Lake Max, was
refreshing. I enjoy the people and the cool breezes coming off of the lake.
This was the last of the Tuesday markets for Culver this year. I am feeling a bit of relief. Attending 3
markets this year proved to be a struggle for me. There are many other areas in my life I long
to work on and grow. I am ready to focus in a different direction for the
coming season. I have Wed markets in
Bremen and Saturdays in Culver that continue through the month of September.
Wednesday, August, 28, 2019
A new food vendor at Bremen, as Chubby Buddies would not be
there this week, had me excited to try a tenderloin sandwich. It did not
disappoint!
The beginning of this beautiful day I gave thought to the
best way to move chickens around this fall, what breeding pens I want to keep
going, new crosses, and how to best utilize the available space and pens. I really do not want over 15 or 16 pens
through the winter. However, I may have to due to my current breeding
goals. The thinking continues for the
next few weeks, I know. I moved a few of the younger pens outside into cages
for the day. This gives me a chance to look them over, handle them, feel their
weight, and decide the best places to move them forward. Some will be for sale
and other will stay for future breeding pens (or go into existing ones). The air was on the cool side, but the sun
warm. As I watered the different pens, I
cleaned their waterers with Apple Cider Vinegar.
The end of May as the watermelon plants were beginning to grow
larger, I decided to experiment with the idea of allowing them to climb,
instead of grow along the ground. That
did not turn out so well. As the watermelon grew heavier, the weight of them
caused them to fall off the vine. One
such watermelon had been sitting on the ground for over month. I though perhaps
it would ripen on its own. I decided this day to cut it open to see. It had in fact,
ripened unknown to me and become overripe. I cut it into sections to feed to the
chickens, to their delight. But before,
I removed quite a few seeds to save for future years. As for experimenting with
using a trellis for the watermelon plants, I have decided to allow them to grow
on the ground in the future. Most of the
watermelon vines I left to grow on the ground so I will be enjoying watermelon
this season.
I had an idea to use the dried garlic stalks like mini corn
stalks, but they seemed to blah. I
decided to put them around a glass vase with fall flowers in it. It gives my market table a homestead look, I
have been told.
Oh, the wind at the market kept knocking over
everything. I decided on a new table
arrangement that allowed me to tie my vase to a crate. Even then the changing direction of the wind
had it falling over. The heirloom
tomatoes seem to be a hit and the garlic too. I plan to continue raising them
next year.
For a reason unknown to me, I struggled to keep my sugar
from dropping much of the evening. I get
these days/ hours sometimes. I had to
rest before feeding the animals. That too is ok. I felt good by the time I went to sleep. I guess like everything…this too shall pass.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Previously I had planned to go Sheila’s house. I looked
forward to our visit. I spent countless hours with her and my Mom a few years
ago when we worked on our Christmas CD, Once in a Manger. I am lucky now if I see her a couple times a
year and often only if we plan it. The visit
proved to encourage me beyond what I could have imagined. We
chatted catching up and eventually wondered outside. She shared some of her delicious
red raspberries with me as we talked gardens and life. I offered to help her move her fruit plants
to her soon to be new home and perhaps I could have a few starts for myself? We
agreed on that plan. Hopefully, that
will happen one day in September. Yay!
Here is the thing. I would happily help her move her fruit starts even
if I was not getting anything in return and she would share starts with me even
if I was not helping her, but why not help each other and we both win? The
phrase ‘homestead lifestyle’ is what comes to my mind. At my request, we explored a couple of the old
barns that were on the property. I found this:
I say it is a Maria powered tiller. I am not sure if it is old or not, but certainly not common in my circles. I feel super excited to have it.
I also needed to pick up chicken feed so I made that stop on
my way home. I forgot to remove the market items from my car so I could only
grab a couple bags.
Friday, August 30, 2019
For only the second time this week I made a schedule for my
day. I like this practice, and it does
not always go the way I think it should. Tasks that I think should take an hour
take 2. At times I do not focus as well
as I should or there are simply more steps involved than I realize.
I worked online most of the morning. Rosie was a spit fire
when I let her out to eat grass. She was trotting around and once she
shouldered into me. She doesn’t usually act that disrespectful. I had a thought
in the back of my head, ‘Was she trying to tell me something? What did she
want?’ I dismissed the thought and she wondered off to eat grass. In hind sight….
read on.
I had the idea to do
an IG live showing me putting the new tiller to use in a chicken pen. That is where I am going to use it eventually.
I will be moving the pens. The chickens have killed off the sod and I will work
the ground before planting in it. Found out I will need to loosen the dirt with
a spade or shovel to get the best use out of it. Anyway, I finally got around
to that Friday evening. I am thankful to
this tool. As a kid I used a 3-prong hand pushed cultivator in a garden we had
at home. I was in elementary school. I
do not remember how old I was.
Before trying out the (Maria powered) tiller, I had walked
out to observe the horses. I did not see
Rosie out eating with Dusty and Cider. I
had this sinking feeling and a picture of a horse laying out dead. I told myself to stop being negative. I
needed to stay on task with going live on IG.
So, I did. When I was done, it came to me again to go look for
Rosie. Sometime she hangs out in the shelter
so realistically not seeing her was normal.
Oh, but when I stepped around the shelter, I thought I was looking at a
horse dying. I have seen animals dying
before. She was obviously under stress
and hurting. I hurried over to grab her
halter, and when I put it on, I checked her gums. They were gray. I pulled her legs out in front of her one at a
time. Stepping beside her I began to swat her on the rump encouraging her to
get up. She did, but she was shaky on
her legs. I slowly led her out of the shelter. I left her there and headed to the house for
banamine. She was hurting, sweaty, dirty from rolling, and painful. I placed a call and left a message for a
veterinarian. I was worried about how
bad she looked. It probably did not help
I had those thoughts earlier about her laying dead. It was a long night with little sleep.
Here I am, over my normal word count and I have so much more to say.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Most of my day Saturday revolved around caring for Rosie. In the afternoon, she was seen by a veterinarian. In short, Rosie had an impaction toward the rear of her bowel that was removed. Her intestinal tract was inflamed and irritated. My immediate question was, ‘If that is what can be seen, what does the rest of her intestines look like?’ Going forward from this colic episode, Rosie had additional struggles that would need to be addressed. She has been struggling with her weight the last couple years. Perhaps this the first step in finding answers. I am thankful to Dr. Gary Fouts for evaluating and treating her on a holiday weekend.
There are more details to share then this post had room for. I may need to devote a post to Rosie and her current struggles. My niece, upon learning that Rosie had problems said, ‘I want to see Rosie.’ Her and Rosie go back at least 8 years of my ten year old nieces life. That is a life time to a child. Often when speaking with her on the phone, after asking after my well being, she says, ‘How is Rosie?’
Last weeks post left off not knowing the outcome of 2 hatches, one in an incubator and the other under a broody hen.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
I woke up and of course the hatching process was on my mind. I noticed right away that one of the eggs had pipped and a couple others were moving around. Outside, I found the broody hen off the nest, but it looked like she had sat on the eggs during the night. As the day progressed I observed her sitting in a different spot in the tank and moved the eggs underneath her. I continued checking the incubator throughout the day finding no changes. I also noted absolutely no signs of life from the pipped egg. Rather early to have given up life, I thought. There is always that case where development malfunctioned. One last check of the broody hen for the night found her sitting on the eggs with her head raised, looking down as if listening to noises underneath her. Back inside toward 9 pm I noticed one of the other eggs were pipped too and it was not one of the ones I seen moving earlier. I tapped on the side of the Janoel 12 incubator and to my happy surprise I seen the chick was alive after all.
Friday, August 23, 2019
No progress from that first chick that pipped over night. When I went out to the barn, I checked on the broody hen. She was NOT on her eggs, again. I looked down into the tank where I had placed the eggs. Oh, what is this? One of the eggs was pipped and partially zipped and cold. I quickly checked the other egg. It was cold and pipped. Both little chicks were weakly chirping. I fired that hen on the spot! Into the house and into the incubator they went. To her credit, I had moved her only a few days before they were due to hatch. This may have upset her and distressed her enough to not sit. Or perhaps some other reason in her chicken mind was the root. Whatever her reason, I trust next time she goes broody, the outcome will be better.
I snapped a quick picture of the two eggs that were cold, but pipped before taking them into place in the incubator.
The first Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner/Swedish Flower Hen chick hatched on Friday in the incubator. I placed a black band on the chicks leg to note that is was one of cross breed chicks while I had the incubator covered to place the 2 eggs from the barn in. I felt pretty excited about this chick. This makes the first LCN hen produced egg to hatch a chick. I am looking forward to getting Clinch and Cisco in with hens in a couple months. That first chick to pip Thursday morning showed no progress by Friday night. When I starting to remove a part of the shell of the crossbred chick produced blood. I stopped and put it back into the incubator for the night.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Culver Farmer’s Market takes place on Saturday. If you recall from last weeks diary post, I missed to attend a family reunion that actually took place this Saturday. After a bit of internal debate, I chose to go to the reunion for real this day.
First a hatching update: I found 5 chicks in the incubator Saturday morning. Disappointed I missed the hatching of one of the eggs I brought in from the barn, I knew I needed my sleep the night before. On the other hand my earlier fears of not locking the eggs down early enough turned out unfounded. That egg that had pipped on Thursday morning still unhatched along with one egg I had brought in from the barn. I helped the SFH chick out and the LCN/SFH cross chick. I placed a white band on the SFH chick and a black one on the crossbred chick. Certain hatches I interchange the colors and make notes. Other times I use a certain color based on what pen the chick came from.
The family had started going through the 2 or 3 tables of
food when we arrived. Delicious dishes
of home cooked and some homegrown food provided more options than one could
try. The theme of the gathering this
year celebrated 100 years since the 2 that started this family married. We laughed and shared a few tears while
remembering and watching a skit. Actor portraited
telling of the memories our ancestors might share if they were alive with us
today. Basically, a timeline of the
family. I learned a few new facts that along
with the visit to the Stonehouse had me thinking a bit deeper about myself.
Looking over the chicks in the incubator Saturday night. I
noticed the crossbreed chick, the first to pip on Thursday morning, did not
stand due to leg issues. I felt beat,
sad and exhausted. I worked with a it
and left it sort of propped against the side of the incubator. I shut the bathroom light off, hoping the
chick would be stable there with no stimulation. It is probably going to die, I thought.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
I completely expected the yellow
chick I had helped out of the egg that had been pipped since Thursday morning
to be dead. I opened the incubator,
what? No dead chick. What? All are on their feet? I counted 7. Oh, what a happy
surprise. That Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner/Swedish Flower Hen chick was going to
make it!!
I am going to title Sunday a day of rest that turned challenging. A nice slow start to the day that included a late breakfast out with Brian. I moved the newly hatched chicks to the barn. I started the process of cleaning the incubator and returned the top part to the house. Except I found myself locked out. Brian had left for his afternoon plans. Inside of the house was my car keys, cell phone, insulin and gluecometer. Unexpected opportunity to practice my homesteading survial skills. Now yes, I could have walked to a neighbors and called him, but I had changed into a ratty old shirt that sported holes where they should NOT be. No way, was I showing up dressed this way. One of those old-fashioned habits I guess, I have chore/working clothes and good clothes. The chore clothes become rags before they completely disappear. This particular shirt was overdue for the rag bin, but perfect for hot weather. I worked on feeding chickens, took a nap in a chair I had packed in my car, and evaluated exactly what tools might make this easier. I figured I would need to eat. I knew I kept a knife in the car and when I went to get it, I found a salt and pepper packet. Oh, best tasting tomato ever. I ate it sitting out near the chicken pens. I had found a pack of smarties in the car and they disappeared quickly. I ate a crab apple and for dessert I picked wild grapes and ate a few of them. Well I wasn’t going to die. I worked on PM horse chores, I could tell by the where the sun was in the sky it was getting late enough for that. Turned out I was locked out of the house for over 5 hours. Now might not seem too bad and looking back it wasn’t.
Chatting with a sister later, I remarked how dependent I really am on certain conveinances. Maybe I need a few more sessions of roughing it, but preferably NOT locked out of my house.
Note: Going forward a day or two, the Lord showed me how even in those hours of being locked out of the house, I tended to give thought to how could independently survive vs. depend on His guidance. All these beautiful lessons on a journey called life.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Rain! Rain! Sums up todays weather.
Am chores, laundry, writing, and online work filled up much of my day. I need several hours, maybe be even 2 days to catch up on cleaning and moving chickens around into pens. With cold weather season around the corner, I start giving thought to organizing breed pens for next year and cutting down on numbers for the winter.
I stop here for Week 4 on a Monday. Look for the remainder of August diary entries to be out the beginning of next week (Week 5). Do you like these types of posts? I would love to hear your thoughts on if you as a reader would like to see them continue or not? Please leave a comment below or send me an email. Click on email to go to a form that will send me an email. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Picking up from where I left off last week. If you recall, I had been up late to catch Prince Charming. He is a sweetheart, but such a sneaky boy!
Thursday, August 8, 2019
I woke up at 3:30 am.
I felt horrible and knew a low sugar level was the cause. I grabbed candy I keep near the bed and ate 4
to 5 pieces several times until I felt my body begin to no longer feel like I
was going to pass out. Next time I was
coherently awake was 10 am. My head
hurt. But nothing like when I had a
Traumatic Brain Injury. That headache
hurt on a whole different level. Now I
have to stop and pay attention to notice a head ache. I ached. A combination of a short night and
bad sugar low told me I would have a slow day today. After caring for animals, I headed into town
to work online. I noticed Sage had
stayed in her dog house each time I had looked her way and when I checked on
her she lifted her head. Sage, a blue
healer and terrier mix, at 18 years old would not be with me much longer. I prepared for taking her in the following
day to end her suffering.
Friday, August 9, 2019
The dreaded chore awaited me the following morning. I took her
water and she drank. As the day progressed,
I processed if this was the best thing to do.
I struggle with these decisions.
Once done they cannot be undone. I value human life and that of animals
as well. I took care to spend time
praying for others, my decision and praising God throughout the morning. I have been nose to the grindstone, but this
morning I sat and watched inspirational messages and teachings from the
Bible. I gathered emotional
strength. Making sure all the chickens
had water I had 2 tasks at hand: picking up chicken and horse feed, which for
some reason I do not enjoy, and the final decision about Sage. I noticed it looked like she had
vomited. To give you her history, she
has had a mass under her belly for 4 years and up until 2 days ago has had
normal body functions, eating and drinking.
When I seen she had vomited I knew it was time. Making the appointment I teared up a
little. In less than an hour she was no
longer suffering. I drove her home and I took off to pick up chicken feed.
I write this and still will be unloading chicken feed and
doing PM chores. I know Brian will be
helping me say the final good byes to Sage this evening. I want to share a bit about her as she
brought much joy and laughter to my life.
The first time I met her she barked at me when I left as if to tell me,
don’t leave me here. I suppose the
telling of Sage will be another blog post in the future cause as I think about
my memories of her, I see 1000 words in my mind. She was about as bossy as a dog could be, and
had a mind of her own. I was right there
by her petting her head and talking to her.
It was about as peaceful as it could be.
A picture of Sage in her younger days
I believe the Lord has shown me that I have created a habit
of avoiding or ignoring painful or uncomfortable situations. Today I faced it head on, even if I took 6
hours to prepare.
It wouldn’t hurt as bad if I did not love as deeply.
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Off to Culver Farmer’s Market where I sold eggs and
garlic. Here I had several wonderful
conversations with friends and market patrons.
At the close of market, I hurried on to have a late lunch with
family. I felt wore out
emotionally. I grieved noticing how Sage
did not bark at me. I heard her bossy
bark in my head. Prince Charming escaped
Saturday evening again as I headed out to do late chores. I had been
resting reading, Betty Zane, a good part of the evening. I decided to sit out on the porch and read
waiting for Prince Charming to show himself and be caught. At first, I felt frustrated and angry, a
product of my grieving process, but as I sat out in the night air, my heart
began to feel peaceful. I enjoyed the story
about Betty a frontier girl living along the Ohio river. Her settlement was the
first in the area. The story, written in the 1920’s and based on diary entries
from the 1700’s of her brothers. Zane
Grey, a descendant of the Zane family authored the story surrounding her
historic act. As I understand in the town of Wheeling, West Virginia there
stands a monument commemorating the siege of Fort Henry September 1782. This
book was one of several that I picked up at the Culver Farmer’s Market. Reading
stories of heroes who settled our country revives the pioneer/homestead spirit
in me.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
A longed-for day of rest, which is what I did, while caring
for the animals of course. A late
evening visit at friends, where I took a quick picture of a couple of the pullets,
she has from CG Heartbeats Farm stock. After catching up I watched her husband
ride one of her horses tracking the hot heels.
Hot heels are a training/practice tool for rope horses. They are usually
pulled by a 4-wheeler and imitate a roping steer. Monday morning as I write this, I again feel
a longing to ride. My work awaits to be
completed first.
Monday, August 12, 2019
A hot, humid day with rain in the forecast, but it was after noon, evening and overnight until we happily received 3/4ths of an inch of rain. I feel deeply thankful for the rain. I felt super excited to find a Silver-Gray Dorking hen (with a red tag) sitting on the eggs this morning. To this point, I am always excited for a broody hen. They make my life easier as I have shared.
I moved chicks and grow-outs that are living in tanks outside in cages and began the process of cleaning the tanks. I first drag to the manure pile and dump, next drag to the side of the chicken barn where I spray out with the hose. This part of the process looks different each time. It varies how long I soak the tanks, if I use apple cider vinegar to clean, or if I scrub them with a brush. When they are clean, I drag them near-by, tip on their side, leaving them until they dry. If I don’t want to use them right away, I store them tipped upside down. I drag them back into the barn when I use them. On occasion I will have someone help me carry them which is much easier. Usually as I am solo, I drag them. These are plastic 100-gallon stock tanks and not terribly heavy. My cell phone was on the verge of complete shutdown due is age of 6 to 8 years. At times the screen would go white and I could see nothing. The evening was spent shopping for a new phone. I did finally against by wishes, end up with a smart phone. This is my first. I suppose it will have its benefits, but I like a phone to be a phone…
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Caring for animals, prepping for the evening market, and
working on a blog post took up most of my day.
I thoroughly enjoyed Culver Market chatting with other vendors
and friends. I gathered the remaining
information I needed to complete the upcoming blog post on this market. Look for it to post on the coming Monday.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
This day has been an almost repeat of yesterday in the fact that I cared for animals, worked on a blog post and prepared for market. Feeling tired, I tried to stay focused on only what I needed to do. Do you have days like that? As drove into Bremen, I was watching the sky (and the radar). It sure looked like we were going to get hit with rain. I opted to wait to set until it past. The rain took its sweet time and it was almost 5 pm before I set up my table. People started trickling in. Tonight was FREE cupcake night for school students. I am certain all were given away. A cooler air settled in for the night. Upon arriving home, I seen we had been given ½ inch of rain. I feel blessed to have 1 ¼ inch of rain this week. The ground has been getting pretty dry and now I will be relieved of the duty of watering garden and pots. I had just settled into bed when I heard the chickens carrying on. NOW WHAT?!? I felt tired!!!! Dressed and armed out I went to see what was going on…. OH, the pen that has been eating their eggs, had laid an egg and had started to eat it. To tell the truth, I felt relieved, a bit happy and my rather irritated attitude left. I felt like laughing. I could to back to bed and sleep with no worries of a predator tonight.
A quick word to chickens eating eggs: based on my
observations, this act lasts for a season and then seems to resolve
itself. I am not fond of it, but I have yet
to have a hen that does not stop such behavior on her own over time.
Wow, this ends the 2nd week of August. Did you read the first week? Thank you for sharing in this journey via my diary entries.
Although I have been around animals my entire life, I feel
like a newbie many times in this homesteading journey. New lessons with new species, raising animals
in a new way, new goals aside from living an equestrian lifestyle, learning
what it means to have an online business are all changes I have chosen for this
season of my life. Thus, getting real
about what a month of the journey really looks like feels scary and vulnerable.
Here goes as I diving in head first.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Yes! I love a new month and a new morning! AM chores completed I headed into town to
work online. I was excited for the work
I wanted to do on the hatching course. I
ended up with a bad low sugar level. I
ate and waited until it was safe for me to drive. During this time, I focused the best I could on
the online work I wanted to get done. Once
home, I took a long nap, before heading out for evening chores. I hate these disruptions
to my day, but I am learning to be thankful for all the good. It seems a lesson that, while I can see
progress, is a mental battle I continue to fight.
Friday, August 2, 2019
I awoke feeling terrible.
As I lay in bed I thought, “I am do not have to do much today. I am staying
right here! Oh wait! I have a meeting
planned to send pullets to a new home. I
need to stay consistent with my social media posts. I need a box or two for the
pullets to travel in. I need to go to town.”
I groaned inwardly. Slowly, I
began my day. When the above mentioned
was completed and chores attended to. I
rested the remainder of the day. On this
day I felt blessed and thankful that while I needed to attend to certain items
of business, I could rest with out feeling any quilt. Rest I did.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Normally, I attend the Culver Farmer’s Market, but I still not feeling good, choose to stay home. To be completely honest, I want to share I also felt a bit overwhelmed with what I have not been getting done around here and online. I squash thoughts tempting me to waste energy wishing I felt better. I know the best thing for me today is rest. After the daily quiet time of writing what I am thankful for and reading a chapter in a book by Kathy Lee Gifford titled, The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi, with a cup of coffee, I headed outside to feed the horses, cats and share an IG story and post. My first stop was checking if the Swedish Flower Hen of Pair # 2 was indeed broody. YES! She was. I decided since I was moving slow anyway to put out the broody hen and her chicks, the 5- 4/5-week old chicks and the 4 from pen #7. I began the work of watering and feeding chicken pens. In the mix I watered the potted cherry tomato plants and some of the sweet potatoes. At some point I added 7 eggs to the 4 or 5 the broody hen had already laid. I have been saving her eggs and leaving a few in with her, hoping she would go broody a second time this year. Feeling so blessed that she did, especially given the fact the coons had eaten her chicks.
Brian and I grabbed a bite to eat and then I was back outside feeding chickens. This process stretched on into the afternoon. I say I was moving slow….I started this at 10 am and it was now 4 pm. I spent an hour working on a blog post I am putting together. Then back outside to find Kit Kat was shadowing me and meowing intensely. ‘Now what does she want,’ I wondered. I looked closer at her, feeling under her belly. I now suspected she was close to having kittens. She likes to show me where she is having her kittens. I spent the next several minutes with her coming and going in the underbrush next to the house. Yes, this is one of those areas that need work here. Anyway, she settled down in a corner. I will keep checking on her this evening, but I am certain she is having kittens. I tamed her when she was feral and it took me 8 weeks to even touch her. Unfortunately, I did not get her fixed and now our cat population has taken off. Several cats have been fixed here and she is one of the next ones on the list. It feels like slow progress. But it is progress. I gathered eggs which I do through out the day. Relationships with animals bring joy to my heart and to be honest at times pain. I wrote a bit more and headed back outside until dark. Chores consisted of bringing in the chicks and grow outs I had put in cages outside earlier in the day, feeding horses, and watering the garden near the chickens. I finally transplanted the cherry tomato plants where one of the garlic gardens had been near the house.
3 sister garden plot, behind is the heritage tomato plants out of site are the yellow and white onions and carrots
I found myself remembering the joying of riding bareback on a horse at a walk. For the first time in years I longed to ride. One of my goals for this year was to start riding again. I do not believe I have been on a horse since 2017, 2 years ago. That year I only rode two times, once in WY at Shoshone Lodge and Guest Ranch and another time in Alberta, Canada. I determined I would ride Navajo Bo. If I get into the reasons why I could write an entire post telling the story of each horse I was not riding. I found Bo’s bridle. Oh dear, that was a mess. I decided to put a halter together with reins that had snaps on them. That is how I learned to ride a horse, bareback with a halter and 2 lead ropes snapped to the halter. Yep, why not start over the same way. If you want to read more about the time, I spent with Bo last night, check out her FB page where I posted a bit about it.
When I went to feed the dogs, I called softly to Kit Kat and
shortly she appeared with a messy rear end.
Yep, she had birthed kittens. Her belly still felt hard in one
spot. Perhaps she wasn’t quite done. I gave her food and water. She hung out with
me for a while before returning to her babies.
I heard them fussing a couple times. I felt good, peaceful and happy with the
enjoyment of my day.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
One of my goals in the last few years is to make Sunday a
day of rest. It does not always look
quite the same. I did not do much other then care for animals, write, and hang
out at home. The broody hen was still on her eggs.
Monday, August 5, 2019
The temps were forecasted to be in the high 80’s. In the mornings after my quiet time or devotions, I started making a schedule for my day. On Mondays this takes a bit longer as I also brain dump of what I want to get done for the week. AM chores include feeding chickens, gathering eggs, horses, cats and dogs, checking gardens and potted plants. I found a few beans (Jacob Cattle Beans) ready to harvest. This morning I took a look at the wild grapes and even ate a few that looked sort of ripe. I hope the tart taste diminishes as they ripen more. If not, I will still eat them, and I am going to be looking for a way to use them. I dove into a daydream imagining where I would keep a cow. I think I forgot to mention I have been in conversation concerning a Jersey cow, bred to a mini Jersey. While I feel drawn to Scottish Highlands and American Milking Devon, at this time the Jersey/Mini Jersey seems like a better fit for the immediate time frame. In all it doesn’t sound like all that takes much time, but 3 hours flew by. The afternoon was spent working on the computer. Brian decided to address the slow water flow and needed my help so after starting house chores, I helped him. One or two more tasks before I was done for the might.
I cleaned the music variety of garlic I want to sell and kept back what I will plant for next years crop and my own use. Not only do I use for cooking, I also put cloves in the chicken water from time to time to boost their immune system. PM chores took close to an hour. It is 10 PM as I write this and I will be going back out to finish up a few things. I felt refreshed today after a day of rest.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
I desperately needed to work on laundry. First thing I did was get a load started. AM chores went faster today and I found time to wash a quart sized water container for Cisco. When I first brought them home, I had given him a little plastic container and I found myself filling repeatedly through out the day. I felt good knowing this 5 min act would be saving me time in the coming weeks. A lunch time I continued to work on laundry. I usually enjoy laundry, but I have found a way to look forward to it. I pile up a few loads that are ready to be folded then listen to one or two podcasts while I fold. The times flies by fast, I have learned something new and the laundry is folded and put away. I spent 20 min writing out the content for a video I want to add to the course I am working on. Out to wash eggs and load the car for the Culver’s Farmer’s Market. I had this, last minute, idea to stop a local Dollar store on the way. I wanted to get brown paper bags and blank stickers to write on and stick on the bags when I sold garlic. I found regular plain brown lunch bags and shipping labels. I was hoping for a fancier bag and a cute cut to the stickers, but I spent $2.14 on them, so who am I to be picky. Down the road I intend to pay to have printed stickers with the info I want to share. I did the math sitting at the market later in the evening: I cut one shipping label in 4 strips for the egg carton labels. 18 labels cost $1 so each label cost around .05 cents. Divided by 4 (4 strips) that is around 1 cent per shipping label. The quote I currently have for pre-printed egg labels is around 34 cents a label. Of course, they would look much prettier. For now, I will use these, but future goals include pre-printed labels. As for the garlic bags, I will continue to use the shipping labels, but as I sat here writing I remembered I have several sets of ‘fancy’ cut scissors in my craft box. Now that would make for some fancier looking labels. I intend to get them out for today market in Bremen, Indiana.
One of my designs for the garlic bags
Leaving the dollar store, I began feeling anxious. At first, I chalked it up to worrying about being late to market, but no amount of self-talk made it go away. I realized my sugar levels must be dropping. I started eating the snack foods I had purchased at the Dollar store. I took a different route since I had gone into town on my way. In my path ahead I seen a traffic backed up for a train. Oh, not now! As I sat there waiting on a train that was NOT moving, eating cause my sugar, I am not sure how much time had gone by. I looked at my phone to check the time and to my dismay it was after 5 pm. I wanted to go home and be done for the night! Instead I text a couple different friends that were at the market to get directions how to get around the train. I did eventually get to the market. I want to give a big shout out to my friend Julie and Blooms on 800. She helped me get unloaded and set up. The market proved slow and my sales were $0. But I decided to look at it from the perspective that, as I sat there, I worked on my egg labels and spent time with my friend. I enjoyed the cool breezes coming off of Lake Maxinkuckee. We chatted as I helped her load her van. Driving home, I fought off negative thoughts of my evening. Even this morning I needed to chase them away. I made progress yesterday even if no sales. Julie shared helpful ideas how to give my market table a new look. It is August and I have been sporting the spring look. I am overdue for a change. Chores went well and all the animals looked good, giving a good feeling. I was tired, but looking forward to feeling rested in the morning.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Bremen Farmer’s Market takes place from 4 pm to 7 pm on Wednesdays. I spent around 4 hours going through my morning routine: devotional and quiet time, am chores, and checking the plants. Next off to town looking for what I needed to change the display at the markets. I admit I found pleasure in shopping at a local dollar store. Ideas of what the table could look like as I browsed through items. The final look came together when I arrived at the market. I picked flowers, and grabbed garlic that was still drying, cleaned a coffee cup tree that I have not been using. Off to the Bremen Farmer’s Market and another evening of visiting with patrons and friends. The small crowd produced a few sales for me. Check out the slide show of the new display below.
At home I unloaded the car, rested 20 minutes before heading out to complete PM chores. Unfortunately, Prince Charming (the cat) snuck out the door and it was well past midnight before I located him to bring him in. He seemed to think he was on a grand adventure. I was reminded of how the Jesus shared the parable of the shepherd who would leave the fold and go look for the one lost sheep. I thought, ‘I know how overjoyed I will feel when I have Prince Charming safe in my arms and back in the house. Imagine how overjoyed the Lord is when a lost soul returns to Him. No greater love…..’
This completes the first 7 days of August. Did any parts of my last week stand out to you? Send me an email telling me about it. Send your email to maria@dontclipmywings.com or click here
A homestead lifestyle can be created by almost anyone. Those with a small lot in town can produce some of their own food. With today’s technology grow lights even provide a way for people to grow food inside of their houses. Some towns allow hens for producing one’s own eggs. Even if that is not allowed one does not have too look far to find a local farmers market where often farm fresh eggs are available. A drive in the country may reveal signs posted, ‘farm fresh eggs’. There are co-ops to join from which you may purchase farm raised food from both plants and animals. How can you make little shifts in your lifestyle to create more of homestead life style? How have I?
How can I use what I have to produce my own food? This question has been bouncing around in my
head for several years. Not always about
producing my own food, but always about using what I have. CG Heartbeats Farm is made up of 11.7 acers.
The last week of February 2019 I started a new practice of walking around the property to observe and gain a new perspective. The walks are most enjoyable. I have found them a nice break from getting things done. I allow my mind to wonder and give my imagination wings. I pick a certain area to walk. I have yet to walk it entirely at one time. One day I may get an idea about one area and other days I simply take mental note of what I see. There are several subjects I pay attention to as I walk. Water, air flow, wild life, trees, are observed for future or present potential. Not only do I think about current use of land and use of current buildings, but sometimes give thought to how they could be used in better ways. As I walk, I ask myself is this pasture best located here, or would this ground be better for growing vegetables. I also get ideas for projects I want to do immediately and in the future.
Water
How the water runs, low spots, where it looks like a creek
used to be, where water collects after heavy rainfall, how fast does it drain
off,
Air Flow
Our climate is not extremely windy most days. We get occasional winds of 50+ mph, but not that strong. I have noticed where the wind seems to tunnel between buildings where the trees block wind from a certain direction and other spots with block, trees or buildings to influence it.
Trees
Almost half of the acreage is currently woods. While I enjoy walking in the woods in different
seasons, I question if there might not be a benefit of scaling it back along the
edges. Unfortunately, a few years back
the Ash bore came through destroying all the Ash trees. A couple must have been getting close to 100
years old.
I am always on the lookout for fallen trees. Several years ago, as I was driving down the road,
I could see the topline of the woods looked different. This prompted me to go look for fallen
trees. Sure enough, one or more had
fallen in that area. It is good to know
your property no matter how large or small. Trees provide a break in the wind to help
prevent soil erosion and give shelter to animals. I like where the trees break up the property
into sections. I think it gives character
to the homestead. Where are trees growing that could be harvested and that
space would be used for a better purpose.
What do I mean by better? I
consider income, sustainability and producing plants or housing animals.
Land
As I have been walking around, I have been looking for flat
spots to plant garlic and other edible plants. I realized that many areas are
not as flat as I would have thought. In
fact, most of this ground has some kind of slope. Length of slope and how far it falls over
that distance determines how steep a slope actually is. I have not taken any measurements at this
time, rather noted the areas that are flat enough to plant in. I have thought a terrace might be in order
where the ground is not as flat. I am
looking at how a given area is used now. How can it be used for a better
purpose?
Wildlife
Not only do I enjoy seeing signs of wildlife, it also keeps
me aware of potential predators. I already
know many of the animals that spend time in the woods. The most common are dear,
turkeys, racoons, ‘opossum, squirrels, chip monks, and ground hogs.
Buildings
There are buildings that need work and others that are
newer. I like all things old including
old barns. I long to fix up one that needs some TLC. From a practical standpoint, I let my imagination
come up with what kind of barn would prove useful. I have an idea for chicken coops that has
only manifested in my own mind.
Soil
Top soil and sub soil influence how well an area of land drains. Some plants need a well-drained soil while others need greater moister retained in the ground. In the past while digging fence post holes I have observed areas of this property that has a sandy subsoil and other areas that has a clay subsoil. This is another place I am giving consideration to the best places to plant specific plants.
Projects
I have come up new ideas for changes I want to make. One of them was to clean up an old cement pad. I have plans to use cement blocks I already have to create some container gardens in this location.
Going Forward
This process is a journey.
Not all of the changes I want to see happen with happen this month or
this year. I have a clearer picture of
what this land can do. I expect I will
have new ideas and plans while some current plans will turn into better ones. I plan to continue walking the property
several times a week. I find it relaxing.
In addition, I am provided with an over view of what is going on. I have come across
assets I forgot I had. Seeing them may
spark an idea for a project or a new way to use what I have.
