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March 25, 2008
The weather is good, I'm a farmer
And I've been too busy to blog!
Today, I painted the chicken coop and cut the wood necessary for building a pen for John's two ducklings. I was painting all that wood after I cut it, and had enough left over to paint most of the chicken coop/house.
I hope to get the two ducks out into their own space tomorrow, as they make a humongous mess in the brooder with the baby chicks.
Speaking of baby chicks, I was trying to clean the brooder and a large piece of wood fell on them and broke the back of one of the chicks. Boy, do I feel awful! I held her until she died, and she is in a box waiting for burial. Sigh. I'm learning that birds are kinda fragile, but this is the first time I was personally responsible for the death of a critter. Sigh.
Willie and Petey are doing fine - they still have their winter coats so they are very fuzzy. Both of them lost weight during the winter - it was harder than what they are used to, so I pull them out of the pasture most mornings, and feed them beet pulp and Purina Equine Senior and hay.
I am really dying to ride Willy or Petey around the farm. I suppose Willy would be the safer ride - Petey is likely to dump me LOL.
Tomorrow, I have to put together the duck home and get them set up. I also need to get 6 grape vines planted, and get my raised beds started.
I also want to plant my seed potatoes sometime this week. And I have to start some of my flower seeds - poppies and larkspur and violas, etc.
I'm spending so much time outside that I'm neglecting the house. I've been waiting so long for spring, and I have tons and tons of things to get done.
I'm loving it!
Posted by Beth at March 25, 2008 6:21 PM
Comments
Well, by the same token, because of you, Polly is still alive, eh?
Posted by: John of Argghhh! at March 27, 2008 10:25 AM
Here's a little trick my Dad, an old KY *Mountain William*, taught me for growing potatoes. His father would plant his potatoes in a tire. When the leaves grew up to about six inches or so above dirt, he would put another tire on and fill with dirt, ad infinitum until it was about six tires tall - the heighth being completely subjective, of course. Then when it came time to harvest, they would have potatoes spread out in each tire all the way to the bottom of the stack. Tires are great for heat and water retention, but with the bottom open, the potatoes could never be over-watered. He still uses that trick on the NW OR coast, btw.
Posted by: Sly2017 at March 28, 2008 1:46 AM