Update ... why not?

It's been a while, but then y'all probably are used to it by now.

Things are really busy here, and my health has not been cooperating very well! I keep meaning to do an update video but maybe some day. If I do, I'll link it here. OK here it is: April Update

The gardens.
Gardening season is in full swing. We have a LOT of plants ready to plant. Some need planted right away ... or at least stuck into bigger pots. Tylor has been giving me bags and bags of kale and spinach :) :) :) that he's been growing at his place. I've been harvesting lettuce at our place. So thankful!! I just planted more lettuce seeds yesterday. Soon I'll have chard and beets to harvest too. Pak Choy seeds just got planted. Dino kale ... maybe the first harvest in a few weeks? Broccoli and cabbage are looking good!! I've actually never grown them before so I hope they do well enough to harvest something. Also in the ground already are calendula, marigolds, parsley, potatoes, green beans ... and more. The strawberries are really looking good. The asparagus, not so much. Corban unknowingly plowed out about half the patch! Thankfully I saved some seeds last year and started them in February - they are looking good and I hope to transplant them soon. Blueberry bushes seem to be doing well too. Lots of berries and other fruit at Tylor's place :) :) :)

Me and Tylor transplanting tomatoes about a month ago.

The seed bed.
Kale, spinach, carrots and beets. It looks like we'll be harvesting seeds in May. Here is a link to a post I did years ago about kale going to seed. My dad and I were talking the other day about how this kind of stuff used to be common knowledge but now most folks are totally clueless (and I used to be!). It's a blessing to know how to do these things, and I believe it's very important. I save as many of my own seeds as possible - year by year I find more of what I like and don't like. We STILL have a pile of kale seeds from 4 or 5 years ago!! And beets and spinach. All are still viable, but I wanted to get fresh seeds. I'll use the old seed for micro greens :)

The chickens.
Oh the chickens! We have 26 layers right now (2 buff orpingtons, 5 barred rocks, 6 Rhode Island reds, 3 French Black Copper Marans, 6 Easter Eggers, 4 Welsummers), and one rooster (French Black Copper Marans). He's penned up by himself until we "need" him. He kind of started getting an attitude once in a while and I do not have the balance/coordination to ward him off, so he has a bachelor pad now.
In effort to have a sustainable flock and good egg production for our faithful customers, we hatched out 51 chicks a month or two ago (pathetic that I don't know how old they are) and sold all but 19 of them. We're hoping we have mostly pullets but we'll see. We then separated out the BR and FBCM hens so we would only have eggs from them ... and they are set to hatch tomorrow, Lord willing. The FBCM are sex linked and the combination of a FBCM rooster with a BR hen produces sex linked chicks. We'll probably sell the boys for fryers and raise the pullets with the ones that are 1.5 months old to replace our current laying flock. There are 28 fertile eggs ... so assuming half of those are boys, we'll only have about 14 more new chicks. We were hoping for 30-40 hens total, so we might have made it? Even if we didn't, I'm done hatching for the year unless it's for someone else.
And we have a broody hen :) Brianna built a "broody house" for her so she can have privacy. We tried just setting fertile eggs under her while she sat in the regular hen house, but she'd get up every once in a while to get a quick drink and a bite to eat and by the time she came back there was another occupant in her box so she'd go into another one! Just the other day the broody house was completed, so we put her in there with 5 of the fertile eggs that are set to hatch tomorrow. She's been sitting on them consistently so we assume they'll hatch out. And once they do (or even if they don't!) we'll give her a few more newly hatched chicks to care for so we won't have as many to care for ourselves. Actually, if we only have about 14 maybe she'll be able to handle them all???? I'll have to look in to that and see if it's possible.
I'm too lazy to look for pictures of the chickens. They look like chickens ;)

The turkeys.
Yes, we are giving Bourbon Reds another try. Last year we got 3 poults in July that were about 2 weeks old. We put them outside way too soon and the caught pneumonia and died :( We tried so hard to save them!!! Well, we now have 2 new poults that I think are about 3 weeks old (again, I'm pathetic, I cannot remember when we got them). They are inside and doing well. They will stay inside for as long as possible, and then maybe move to the garage in a makeshift pen. We'll see.

The goats.
They're so cute! But WOW they sure are a lot more work than what I was thinking they'd be. My city-girl upbringing really shined through. I foolishly (or maybe I should say ignorantly?) thought I'd be able to take care of them, but no. My coordination is so bad and my hands are weak ... I can't even milk the thing! So Brianna has been the main goat caretaker. I told her if she ever gets married she's getting the goats as a dowry, but I still get the milk ;) She's a good girl. She did a lot of the work on fixing up the barn, built a house for the two boys, and so much more. I'm thankful. Just yesterday she said, 'You know this whole idea about "girls jobs" and "boys jobs"? I'm really liking the thought right now' ... while she was push mowing through a very difficult area. Even still, she does it all with a good attitude and is usually singing.


The puppies.
Sadie had 6 puppies last January 16th - 5 boys and one girl. We sold 5 and kept one for David. Everyone has been keeping in touch and it's been so nice to see how they are doing!! 3 of the 5 are working as herd dogs in training and doing very well. One is a companion but he is kept super busy. And the girl, Little Ann (or Freckles Ann if she's being naughty!) is also a companion but I think he might train her on cattle too? She's the only one that was sold to someone we know so we'll get to see her once in a while. Here are photos of the 4 we have recent pictures for. Puppies #4 and #6 I do not have updated photos yet.


Roy or Roy Boy - Puppy #1



Beau - Puppy #5



Ruairì - Puppy #2



Rusty - Puppy #3

And then there's Rainier, our Great Pyrenees LGD. She's one week older than Sadie's puppies but she's HUGE! She's so happy all the time, and if a dog could be thankful I'd say she's the most thankful dog I've ever met. So sweet!! But she is still a puppy ... she needs a lot more training and training her does not come nearly as easy as it does with the Border Collies! Roy Boy (David's dog) knows several commands already, but Rainier is like a big dope! She tries so hard though, so she definitely gets an A for effort! She does not jump up on me - I was really sure to train her in that right away before she got bigger. I can tell she WANTS to jump on me so badly but she doesn't. She'll sit if you tell her to. She does not really "come" yet, which is difficult for Brianna at times.

The worms.
The mealworms are thriving. I've had them now for about 8 months and have been able to feed them to the chickens for the last month or so. New pupa have just begun to form, so that's the second generation going through metamorphosis. I even have enough to put outside for the bluebirds, though they have not discovered them yet. (we have a bluebird house that's occupied again)
The European Nightcrawlers are doing well too. I just filtered out all the worms and as many cocoons as I could and put them all in new bedding. Their old bedding was all nice and black and not bedding anymore :) Black gold? It's so beautiful! I put the nightcrawler castings and the mealworm frass together and we plan on putting a scoop into each hole we did when putting the plants in the garden.
The nightcrawlers have mites ... which is normal I guess ... but I hope the majority of the mites stayed with the castings!
I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep this worm thing going, but it has been something I've been able to do by myself so that's good. I think I gross Brianna out every time I clean the mealworm bins!!!

The childrens.
I've talked about Tylor a little already - he's been living with the single brothers and seems to be doing very well. He's been working consistently with a brother from our church learning how to be an electrician.
I've talked about Brianna a little too - besides filling her days with work around the homestead, she also still helps several elderly people and whoever else needs help.
Corban is still working hard every day. Right now he's mainly working with fence (including welding), planting, and doing tractor maintenance.
Malachi came to visit recently as well. We sure do miss him around here but are thankful he's able to visit and keep in touch regularly.

The church building.
We've been in our new church building since the beginning of this year. It's not finished on the inside but it's functional enough! Tylor will have his own tiny house out there too - he's super excited! His is on the right.

Me.
Well, what can I say? I'm hanging in there! God is good.

Dad.
My dad came to visit :) it was a nice time for all of us. You never know what you are going to get in to when you come 'down here' ... we had him nursing a sick goat kid and hanging a very large picture on the wall of a private school wall. Of all things! He also took us out to eat at the Mexican Villa in Springfield and then we went to the Fantastic Caverns.

I've spent enough time on this already and am tired of looking at the computer ... so that's all for now!

Organizing Seeds and Garden Planning

We've had a garden each year for several years – ever since my youngest was 8 I believe, or was it six? I cannot remember. Until recent years, he's been in charge of gardening, however now that he is older and working out of the home most of the time, someone else (ME!) had to take over and be the brains of the operation. I understand that we all work a little differently, but today I'm going to share with you the system I developed that has helped me the MOST BY FAR.

One of the key factors in having a successful garden is: BE PREPARED! I prefer to begin initial planning in november or december the previous year that way it is relaxing and peaceful, however for most folks january planning is not too late.

Gather all of your seeds and make a list of what you have. Now make a list of what you want/need. Sometimes I write the list by hand, however sometimes I will use a spreadsheet program like Excel (Open Office has a free office program much like Microsoft Word). Using a spreadsheet program allows you to alphabetize in a few simple steps … which is nice if you like things alphabetized! Look through the seed catalog, email a few friends for seed exchanging, etc., and place your order(s).

Next, make a spreadsheet (on the computer or on paper) of what you are going to plant. The produce names go down the left side of the page. On the top are columns, one for each month that requires action with the seeds and plants. I use numbers for each month, 1 is january, 2 is february, etc.
 

Now fill in the spreadsheet with DATES – a star in front of the date means “start inside”. No star means “start outside”. For this step you will need to know a few basic things … like when is the last expected frost date for your area, what needs to be started inside, what can be directly sown outside, when can your inside starts be transplanted, and so on. (here is a nifty zone map - just click on your state - but ask the local 'old timers' too - the know more than the USDA does!) For example, in my area broccoli can be started inside at the end of january and a little in to february, so in my “#1” column in the “broccoli” row I have “*1/28 – 2/11”. And then a few months later, in the “#3” column I have “3/10-3/30”.

Since I like to also do fall plantings of some vegetables, you'll see in “#6” column in the “broccoli” row “*6/20-7/4” and in “#8” “8/1-8/15”. Now I know when I look at my spreadsheet I'll need to start broccoli seeds inside at the end of jan or the beginning of feb, plant the starts outside some time during the last half of march, start the seeds again inside towards the end of june or beginning of july, and plant those starts outside some time at the beginning of august for a fall crop. Make sense? I hope so!!! See my photo for clarification.

 

 

One final thing that I do … I organize my seeds by date in ziplock bags and keep them in order in a plastic shoe box, that way they are ready to go and fool-proof (or should I say, busy-life proof?). Anything that needs to be done the same day is grouped into the same ziplock bag. So, for example, asparagus and celery both need to be started inside on 1/12, so they are in a ziplock bag together with a label that reads: INSIDE 1/12.

 

Some crops need a spring and fall planting – like broccoli for example as mentioned above. Everything that needs started inside on 1/26 is in a ziplock bag together that is labeled: INSIDE 1/26. HOWEVER, the seeds that need started again in the fall are in ANOTHER ziplock bag inside the 1/26 bag (see photo). This bag is labeled: INSIDE 6/20. Now I know that when I am done starting seeds inside for those vegetables, I put the seeds packs back into the INSIDE 6/20 bag and put the bag in the proper date order in the shoe box. Now the seeds are ready for me when it's time to start them in june. I don't have to remember; it does the remembering for me.

Notice on INSIDE 2/2 I have a note: *Also start sweet potatoes.

This helps me remember that it's time to hide a few sweet potatoes in a paper sack (or box or sand … but I use a sack) so it can sprout me some slips.

 

Sometimes only a card is used for a date – no bag needed. See “OUTSIDE 3/10 – 3/30” or “OUTSIDE 8/1” for examples.

 

Everything on these cards are either already started inside and ready to be planted outside, or can be direct sown. (Even though I usually start a few rows of lettuce, kale and spinach each week beginning in the middle of february, I know that they are considered 'safe' to plant outside after 3/10.)

 

 

Here's one more just because ...

 

My go-to book is The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith. My uncle told me about it several years ago and I am so thankful for it!

I hope this was helpful to someone!!

Homestead Update :)

Hello cyber world!! Long time no hear. I have been quite here and on my youtube channel, but am really enjoying “modern homesteading” at our place we call Easyville Acres. Here is a little update of the goings-on in our neck of the woods. 

Our new laying flock is almost to peak laying capacity and we have a waiting list for eggs. Maybe more chicks are in the near future?! We had to butcher one of the French Black Copper Marans (FBCM) roosters (Richard) … he was born with crooked toes and we were not sure why (bad incubation or genetics?). The older he got, the worse it got. Sadly, our friendly Buff Orpington rooster (Frederick) was killed by [we think] an opossum. Now we are down to one rooster – a FBCM named Alexander. He's really nice, so hopefully his nice-ness will pass to future generations. We also lost one Welsummer to an owl. I hope the pen is totally secure now?
Our 3 little turkeys did not make it. We assume it was pneumonia and have learned a very good lesson. We tried our absolute best to save them, but it was no use. This coming year we will try again, with better timing and a little experience under our belts. At the very least, I'm thankful there were only 3 of them and not a whole large flock.

The old laying flock is in the freezer. We were sad to say goodbye, but the sadness wore off in a few minutes.

2 Nigerian Dwarf goats are on the way (Lord willing) soon - the end of february or some time in march. One in milk and one baby girl … or two in milk, we'll see. I'm looking forward to having my own fresh, raw goat milk!!! I got some from a friend for a few months recently and had goat milk kefir every day. [Blend 1/2c blueberries, 1c raw, fresh goat milk kefir, 1T raw honey and 1/2t cinnamon. It blends easier if you only use half the milk at first. YUM!! Makes a perfect afternoon snack.] I also made mozzarella cheese a few times and it was the real deal. Oh yes, and goat milk soap, which we all like very much.
I've HEARD Nigerian Dwarf goat milk is the BEST, though I've never tried it. I have read that it is the highest in fat and very sweet.
We plan to breed in the future. Maybe save a girl or two for more milk (MAYBE) and either sell the boys or butcher them for meat. Yes, I know there's not a lot of meat on a Nigerian Dwarf, however we do not need a lot of meat, so it all works out.

Garden plans have begun and some inside planting starts this month. I'm almost done with my monthly to-do list. I must stay ahead of the game – this helps me enjoy gardening instead of stress out about it. We also got a lot done at the 'new site' [our new meeting place and maybe my future home] last fall, so maybe we'll have some fresh berries and more fruit this year??? We'll see.

The house is still not as organized as I'd like it to be, but that's ok. Almost every morning I try to focus on one area to deep clean. Mice are thriving and it shows. We moved kind of quickly and then got right in to gardening, raising meat chickens, and raising a new laying flock. The house suffered neglect but we're trying to remedy that.

My health has been generally good for the last whole year. Yes, I've had bad days, but not as many (or so it seems to me?). I was able to keep up with the garden beds in town all spring, summer, and fall. I did a lot of dehydrating this [past] year, a little canning, and some freezing. Here lately I've noticed my walking and balance have greatly improved. Though I rarely used a cane, I should have. Now I hardly ever feel the need for a cane, or any support for that matter. I am so thankful and I pray it lasts, but if not, oh well! Other MS symptoms seem to be tame right now as well; basically the only thing I feel daily is right-side weakness, and as I've said before, I think that's here to stay though it's better than usual here lately. I also must be diligent in getting to bed on time and taking a nap each day.

The mealworms are multiplying and soon I'll have enough to feed to our chickens and sell or feed to wild bluebirds (there are a lot of them at Easyville Acres!). I started that experiment at the beginning of last september and it has been going well. It seemed to take 'forever' before I could see the tiny baby larva!! Some of the babies are about 2 months old and are still quite small. I'm not sure if that's normal or if they are slower growing because it's colder where they are kept? Raising mealworms would have been a fun thing to do with my children when they were younger – makes for excellent hands-on homeschool science. Anyway, I have a video journal going and soon think it will be complete enough to publish.

The European Nightcrawler experiment has just begun but I guess it's nearly been a month already. We're hoping for high quality compost and extra worms to sell for fishing bait. So far I'm not doing the best job – they are all balled up in one corner of their bin and I'm trying to figure out why. My best guess is their bedding is too dry, so I am being more careful to check it each day. I hope it all works out … and quickly … I'd like to use some vermicompost for starting seeds!! Quick update on that - yesterday I added 1 1/2 cups of lime and they seem to be happier.

Our Border Collie, Sadie, is pregnant and, if all goes well, she will have puppies any day now. Yes, it was a planned pregnancy. She's getting fat and wobbly! The whelping box is set up, but it doubles as a brooder, so we'll have to figure something else out if we get more chicks! Once the puppies are a little bigger, she'll go in the laundry room next to the fodder. Speaking of …

The fodder has been kind-of put on hold but is just now starting back up again. I did not have the right set-up, but it took some trial and error to figure out what will work best for our situation. We hope to grow enough fodder to cut our chicken feed bill in half (which we did with the old hens, so I know it's possible), and also grow some for the goats. I have heard goats prefer more 'weedy-type-stuff' over nice, pretty grass, so we'll see. I know I have a lot to learn.

Some goals for this Gregorian calendar year are as follows:

Have a reasonably-sized garden – but one that I can basically maintain by myself. Minimal waste … so if we have more than we can use, maybe I should put a “You Pick” sign in the yard?! I dehydrated and made powder out of so many greens last season, however I ran out of my homemade green powder about a month ago!! That's pathetic! I'll really have to stay on top of dehydrating my greens this coming season because organic greens are super expensive when purchased at the store and we can easily spend $20 a week of I use what I want. They are so easy to grow and maintain, so there should not be very many excuses! The tomato powder is holding up well and tastes so fresh and yummy. I'm thankful for it and will definitely be doing that again this year. The dehydrated peppers are good too – might as well be fresh because the flavor is so strong in our food. Well worth the effort, easy enough to do, and takes up less space (no freezer, no canning, etc.).

Along with gardening, I'd like to get better at growing my own herbs (specifically, thyme, rosemary, sage, and a few others that slip my mind right now; the leafy green ones were easy as usual – parsley, cilantro, dill, etc.). Last year I had such good intentions. I started all the seeds, tended to the little plants, and gave them the best potting soil money could buy. After some research a few weeks ago however I learned why my little plants did not do well … of all things … the soil was too rich and I did not neglect them. I'm learning. A youtube friend said I killed them with kindness. I like that thought.

Keep the garden weeded. If the garden is where I live, that should not be hard to do. I am a morning person by nature, and getting up in the morning, weeding, listening to the birds, watching the sun rise, and breathing the fresh air … I love it!! But, for the last several years our larger garden has been somewhere else, and that complicates things a bit.

Keep the house organized and clean. This includes getting rid of things that we do not use. So many things are in the cabinets because “we might need them someday”. What a waste of space. I'm a minimalist, but some of those around me are not :) We do the best we can. I am well on my way with this goal. In fact, just the other day I had a wolf spider crawl across my hand because I disturbed its hiding place. Why are they still alive this time of year????? We had a LOT of them last summer and fall. A LOT. So much that I actually got used to them. I hope it's not the same this year but it probably will be.

Keep the yard from looking trashy. We neglect the yard … every yard … why is that? I don't know. Right now there is a large pile of wood in our front yard, various baskets and 5 gallon buckets scattered here, there, and everywhere in between, tools, a broken washer [that I've been thankful for many times as it makes a nice work table!!], a few tarps, and more. Why? I don't know. At least we keep up with mowing and trimming!! We're getting better at growing flowers (included roses) and ornamental bushes, so that's good at least right?!

Keep good records. I did really good this past year and hope to do even better by refining the process. I have a binder-system going and it helps keep my head on straight. Record keeping is so important for many reasons. If I have time and desire I'll do a blog post or video on my record-keeping system.

Expand our beehive operation. We started with 2 hives 4 years ago but lost one nearly right away. The other is going strong and giving us lots of good honey. We tried splitting it last year but were not successful. This year we hope to either succeed at splitting it or just buy a few more nucs. We'll see, but the time is quickly approaching to take action. The stuff is liquid gold. So many have asked me, “Are you selling honey?” No way!! Sorry, but I only have enough for me! But I do not like giving that answer, so hopefully we'll have enough to sell next year. We'll see. It would make a decent side-income and we are really trying to 'diversify' incoming funds.

I'd like to get a better composting system going. The one we have now is not a system at all. We had a good enough one at the church, but the one here was/is like, “Hey, I have all these kitchen and garden scraps. What should I do with them? Oh, I'll just throw them in this pile.” And there it has stayed ever since last spring, except now there's a pile of chicken poop next to it.

I want to learn how to play the acoustic guitar. Always have. Maybe this is the year?

Another goal – I'd like to post more on this blog. I enjoy it and I miss it!! Youtube is easy for me right now because of our lack of internet (except my recent sabbatical), however I realized not too long ago that if I plan my time right, I can do a post at home (like I am right now) and then copy and paste it on to a blog post once I get to the internet.

A more important goal – be a better servant. I notice that sometimes I get a little overwhelmed when things do not go the way I think they should go. But I also notice that if I have the RIGHT ATTITUDE, that of a SERVANT, I am happy and thankful and don't even notice when “things don't go my way.” I'd also like to get to know a few more neighbors and see if they have any needs. Because of my health, I cannot be relied on regularly, however I can do some things. There is one neighbor down the road that I have not visited yet … and I feel bad about that. I want to live my life with no regrets!!

Speaking of feeling bad … sometimes I think “we” have unrealistic expectations of ourselves and then when things do not go the way we think they should, we stress out, get discouraged, and 'beat ourselves up' … but this is so not necessary!! I've been learning how to slow down and THINK. I still have room to grow, a lot of room to grow, but I know I am getting better (for example, the 'old me' would have had goats a LONG time ago!!). So this year I hope to foster that more and more. Slow down. What is necessary? What is not? Am I putting too much on my plate? Am I ENJOYING what I am doing, or are my activities causing frustration? Am I focusing on what is important, or drowning that out with vain pursuits?

And I think that's a good place to end this post. Have a great day!!