Category Archive: farming

2014
11/11

Category:
farming
Knitting
Life

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Windy and powerless

OK. I’m going to try to quickly write this between outages. I don’t know how strong the wind is currently, but it blew out 3 of our 8 skylight panels in front of the house and that’s a FIRST. We were also without power from about 9 AM until 2 PM and it flashes intermittently now. So dependent am I on all these machines that use power that I could not use today. Oh my!. It makes me realize this world is very different from the one in which I lived even 20 years ago. And the folks who don’t have a place to get out of the wind, how they must suffer! It is forecast to be very windy through the night and cold through the coming week while adding rain.

I did start a new pair of socks before the grandchildren and our daughter arrived for another Rummy cube game . We went out to eat (oh, yes, electric garage doors and property gate with which to contend) Then we came back to visit and play games. 9-year-old Bret was fascinated that one of the hens lays blue/green eggs. He wondered what a hen would be worth is she could lay striped rainbow-colored eggs.

Then tonight, while it is very cold, and I did not wear gloves, since I was going to dash out and feed the sheep. One of them decided to go the wrong way. Then the half-grown chicks couldn’t remember – or so it seemed – where the coop door was, so were running around trying to get in after the others were locked up. It took half an hour of work in the freezing cold, but all the animals were finally where they belonged for the night and I came in to warm up.

Here is the pattern and the started socks. Since I’m using size 1 needles, these will be going very slowly.

2014
10/25

Category:
farming

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Sabbath day’s rest

The day started out a bit rainy this morning so we decided a fire would be a good thing. We had breakfast and then enjoyed the fire while we rested and read. Then the sun came out for a bit, but it was still cool. It was a great day for resting and reading and eating.

Here the animals are all waiting for me to get down there and let them into their night abodes. I think they knew winds and rain were just around the corner. The chickens, ducks and geese are put in first.

S

Then it’s time for the sheep. See , all but one has a fabric winter coat to keep the hay out of their coats. I still need to order for the one missing a coat. Because the wool continues to grow, each will need a larger coat every 3 months or so.

And last of all the alpacas are given a bit of grain in their building where they like to stay out of the rain, but with the doors open.

See how these chickens blend with the fallen maple leaves

and look again at how much the bantam baby has grown in a couple months

2014
10/21

Category:
farming
Garden
Life
Sewing

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8 Flannel receiving blankets + busy day

I like to start my day with a list – even a mental one – and do the least desirable first. Today, that was emptying out the bee water. I didn’t suit up as these are such gentle bees and it was barely 60 degrees out, so there weren’t a lot of bees out. I removed the roof, flipped off the water unit, and quickly covered them again. Since I forgot to go back and get those water containers after the bees left them, that’s where I’ll start tomorrow.

That project done, I proceeded to the greenhouse where I lopped the banana trees back to about a foot high and used their foliage for composting them. I learned these are Musa Bajoo which are a Japanese hardy banana plant. They are strictly ornamental and can survive to 5 degrees below 0 F. So this winter I’ll think of a nice place where they will get lots of sun and plant half of them outside in the spring. I have really enjoyed the tropical atmosphere they give in the greenhouse. I might even put a start in a pot and have a house plant.

For that I rewarded myself with lunch, then finished putting the last of the pears on the dehydrator. They will do done tomorrow and I can bag them and clean all the stickiness off the trays. Then off to the sewing room. Well, I tried, but the turkeys don’t like sleeping on the ground and I covered their night enclosure so they can’t go over and be some coyote’s dinner, so they didn’t have a perch, but they do now, though a low one. (that window is screened in)

Then the alpacas needed their dishes moved out of the rain into a building. That was easy as I only needed to do a bit of cleaning out and put two pallets in there. I’ll know in the next couple days if that really works, or if they knock the side out of the building pushing the pallets through it.

Then, I was free to sew the baby receiving blankets.

Hint: before and after I leave an opening to turn, I like to sew from the edge of the fabric to the seam. This makes the seam line up much better after the item has been turned as the open area wants to turn in to match the seam.

And corners are another item that many of us have had trouble with. So this is how I get a nice sharp corner: First I sew the 90 degree corner, then fold it over on the seam line.

Next I fold the top seam down over this and hold it all with my thumb and index finger.

Now take the back fabric up over this seam being held with the thumb and finger.

It took a bit of practice the first time, but now I get a nice sharp corner. I turn all the corners this way, then pull the blanket right side out. Press and topstitch.

Here’s a photo of the blankets. Some were different on each side and some were the same on both sides.

2014
10/10

Category:
farming
Garden
Life

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Winter prepping

I just couldn’t put it off any longer. The large tomatoes which were on this side had pretty much quit producing, so it was time to chop that forest out of there. I had let them go without pruning the last part of the summer and some of those vines were a good 12′ and more long, working themselves into the next tomatoes. So it was a big mess to remove. But gone, they are. Next week, I’ll finish cleaning out this box, add some slug bait, and cover it with cardboard for the winter.

There is plenty to do to get ready for the cold and wet season. This is the building where the animals spend the night. The alpacas use the shed on the left with open doors. The sheep go into the left side of the building behind the feeder, and the chickens go inside the door on the right side of the building. Their is also a human door between the sheep and the chicken building. The human door goes into a small room that holds feed etc., then into the chicken house where they spend the night. The sheep area wraps all the way around the chicken house and is enclosed in fencing with plastic on the outside, which helps keep them shielded from the weather.

Today, we finished putting brown tarp over the front/outdoor part of the chicken area, so that they (including turkeys, ducks, and geese who do not go inside the house) can all eat in a dry area and spend the night there as well.

I’d love to here about some of your winter weather projects. Just use the comments section.

2014
09/16

Category:
farming
Garden
Life
quilts

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“Tell it to the Stars” quilt top + garden

This is the finished “Tell it to the Stars” quilt top. It took parts of three days to assemble it, but it turned out to be a nice masculine quilt top. It has a green edge all around it, which is difficult to see because my quilt wall is a bit small.

And these are the garden boots and shoes I could not get a colored photo to show you yesterday. I did want you to see how pretty they are BEFORE the mud season.

So after finishing the quilt top, I went outside to pick food. Here is the first thing I saw. Yes, this bantam outwitted us and has two small chicks.

So back to picking veggies. 5 cantaloupes – personal size

2 gallon bucket of tomatoes

and more tomatoes

and a few beets

two gallons of green beans

about 2 quarts of raspberries

and not shown about 40 pounds of apples. We will pick more in 2 weeks or sooner. It was a full day.

2014
08/23

Category:
farming
Life

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Tomatoes vines

I have never been where tomatoes grow natively, however, I think I have a feeling for how they look — – with the exception that my tomatoes did not have trees to which to attach.

Most of the row was tied and these were too, in the beginning. However, I didn’t keep up with them and this is what happens. So we are just harvesting the tomatoes as they come ripe. It’s just a jungle out there. I think next year will be a good year to just put sweet peas down there as this is at the bottom of the garden and we get sidetracked before getting there. Besides, sweet peas would help the ground and be so pretty to look at from the deck.

2014
08/21

Category:
farming
Foods
Garden
Life

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Preparing for winter

One of the things that I try to do is to be as truly prepared for winter as possible. If there is a snowstorm or a power outage, I don’t want to have to navigate the roads and I’m quite sure others don’t want me to either. I also stay home when the flu season is the worst.

I am thrilled to have enough hay now in the hay building for the animals. It was rather interesting since I have not purchased 2 ton for this location. The last bale barely fit into the building.

Add to animal feed, the people food. I have been freezing and canning all summer. We started with the berries and yesterday and today, I cooked some beans and canned them as well as picked 4 pints of green beans. Tomorrow I’ll pick more tomatoes and then can the green beans and tomatoes in the same load as they take fewer minutes. Pressure cooking just takes more time than water bathes. Here are today’s black beans, cannellini beans and some garbanzos. I love being able to just grab a pint of beans for a quick meal, so in September when the weather is a bit cooler, I’ll be putting up many more of these.

2014
08/17

Category:
farming
Foods
Garden

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Garden Update

Read the rest of this entry >>

2014
07/12

Category:
farming

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Summer and chick update

Summer has come! And in full force with 90 degree weather, which we usually don’t get until August. The report is that the heat will stay around for awhile. And that means lots of watering. But I’m not complaining.

She doesn’t know, nor does the chick that she’s the foster mother. And it really doesn’t matter. She and the other mother have been sharing duties and doing a terrific job with this little one. It’s been too warm during the day for little one to want to be under mom, but she stays very close and both moms are very protective.

2014
07/06

Category:
farming
spinning

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Spinning class with Judith MacKenzie

Before I left today Kati and Zach came over for a bite of lunch and to pick the raspberries. And Bill found that one of the hens sought to hide her eggs in the chives while another hid hers under a small row-boat being stored there. Another likes a rabbit box down near the other chickens, two hens lay theirs in the cat bed, and wonder of wonder, 3 actually lay their eggs where they are supposed to lay them. It is a great hide and seek game we have here.

No photos tonight since I forgot to bring the cord that downloads them. Maybe tomorrow I can find the Iphone cord in the car and take some photos with that camera. Port Townsend is right on the tip of the peninsula so we look across the water and I’ll check tomorrow but I’m thinking maybe we can see Canada It was a gorgeous drive up here with the sun shining brightly. (80 degree weather)

In our room was a gift bag of lovely sample fibers from different companies advertising their fiber. They are such yummy pieces.

After a meet and greet time, with plenty of snacks, we met in the classroom. We first learned how to take apart our spinners and clean them. There are parts to clean that I didn’t know existed. Interesting and easy to clean. Then Judith the teacher gave us each a pack of roving we can spin at our leisure and helped any of us who could use some with the sample fiber she had there. Tomorrow she will provide the fibers as she guides us through the different tasks.

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

Category Archive: farming

Here is the pattern and the started socks. Since I’m using size 1 needles, these will be going very slowly.

The day started out a bit rainy this morning so we decided a fire would be a good thing. We had breakfast and then enjoyed the fire while we rested and read. Then the sun came out for a bit, but it was still cool. It was a great day for resting and reading and eating.

Here the animals are all waiting for me to get down there and let them into their night abodes. I think they knew winds and rain were just around the corner. The chickens, ducks and geese are put in first.

S

Then it’s time for the sheep. See , all but one has a fabric winter coat to keep the hay out of their coats. I still need to order for the one missing a coat. Because the wool continues to grow, each will need a larger coat every 3 months or so.

And last of all the alpacas are given a bit of grain in their building where they like to stay out of the rain, but with the doors open.

See how these chickens blend with the fallen maple leaves

and look again at how much the bantam baby has grown in a couple months

Then, I was free to sew the baby receiving blankets.

Hint: before and after I leave an opening to turn, I like to sew from the edge of the fabric to the seam. This makes the seam line up much better after the item has been turned as the open area wants to turn in to match the seam.

And corners are another item that many of us have had trouble with. So this is how I get a nice sharp corner: First I sew the 90 degree corner, then fold it over on the seam line.

Next I fold the top seam down over this and hold it all with my thumb and index finger.

Now take the back fabric up over this seam being held with the thumb and finger.

It took a bit of practice the first time, but now I get a nice sharp corner. I turn all the corners this way, then pull the blanket right side out. Press and topstitch.

Here’s a photo of the blankets. Some were different on each side and some were the same on both sides.

Today, we finished putting brown tarp over the front/outdoor part of the chicken area, so that they (including turkeys, ducks, and geese who do not go inside the house) can all eat in a dry area and spend the night there as well.

I’d love to here about some of your winter weather projects. Just use the comments section.

This is the finished “Tell it to the Stars” quilt top. It took parts of three days to assemble it, but it turned out to be a nice masculine quilt top. It has a green edge all around it, which is difficult to see because my quilt wall is a bit small.

And these are the garden boots and shoes I could not get a colored photo to show you yesterday. I did want you to see how pretty they are BEFORE the mud season.

So after finishing the quilt top, I went outside to pick food. Here is the first thing I saw. Yes, this bantam outwitted us and has two small chicks.

So back to picking veggies. 5 cantaloupes – personal size

2 gallon bucket of tomatoes

and more tomatoes

and a few beets

two gallons of green beans

about 2 quarts of raspberries

and not shown about 40 pounds of apples. We will pick more in 2 weeks or sooner. It was a full day.

I have never been where tomatoes grow natively, however, I think I have a feeling for how they look — – with the exception that my tomatoes did not have trees to which to attach.

One of the things that I try to do is to be as truly prepared for winter as possible. If there is a snowstorm or a power outage, I don’t want to have to navigate the roads and I’m quite sure others don’t want me to either. I also stay home when the flu season is the worst.

I am thrilled to have enough hay now in the hay building for the animals. It was rather interesting since I have not purchased 2 ton for this location. The last bale barely fit into the building.

Summer has come! And in full force with 90 degree weather, which we usually don’t get until August. The report is that the heat will stay around for awhile. And that means lots of watering. But I’m not complaining.

In our room was a gift bag of lovely sample fibers from different companies advertising their fiber. They are such yummy pieces.

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