Yup, I'm a Meme

 Have you seen all the memes and Tik Toks making their way around the interwebs about being over 50 and the growing interest in birdwatching?  Well, yup, we are those people! 😂  The wildlife on the farm has increased dramatically over time and with it, the variety of birds has diversified.  Recently we bought a Netvue Next bird feeder that has a built in video camera and identifies the species of birds that stop by.  

It even has an alarm on it so that I can scare off the occasional pesky squirrel! 

I've got to say it has been so fun!  I may have to add the optional hummingbird feeder attachment in the future as they are suddenly popping up everywhere now too.  Have you started any new hobbies as your aging?

In the Garden ~ Week of May 16

Though our weather is winter coats one day and t-shirts the next, the longer days have made the early garden very happy.  One of the baby hickory trees burst all of its buds on Friday.

We were able to begin transplanting the cooler weather crops from the basement into the garden.  Both Storage and Napa Cabbages, Brussels and Broccoli went in and then were quickly row covered to aid against the dreaded root-maggots that can plague these crops.  We began the early row cover last season and our plants were all beautiful and healthy, so we are hoping for similar success this season.

The peas are all emerging.  B planted them extra thick so that we could have some to add extra sweetness to our spring salads.

The horseradish is peeking through (foreground) and you can glimpse the ever giant mega rhubarb in the background.

B gave the girls expanded access to new pasture on Friday.  They were a bit reluctant to cross the line where the fence was previously, but once they did, they were happy to snack on dandelions and trot around snorting happily.

#100HappyDays :: Day 50

The early season view shows the garden well under way.  We top dressed the beds with hay to help inhibit weed growth and maintain moisture.  The little things really spruce the garden up.  Our constant nemesis is the grasses and weeds that come up in the garden paths, this year we hope to gravel the paths all in to eliminate this problem once and for all.

A bonus to having a tractor?  The delicate negotiation involved with B rising me up in the bucket so that I can get an 'aerial' shot of the garden.  Here's to  the summer season, complete trust in your life mate, and being half way through #100happydays!

Hugelkultur

B is always looking for new ways to do things.  As a constant researcher, we never need to worry about finding innovative ways for re-use.

Due to various storms we have lost a number of trees over the last 8 years.  There is some wonderful wood that we have seasoned and hold onto for fires and cooking, but there is also a lot of more junk wood like willow and box elder.

Enter hugelkultur;  a permaculture method creating a raised garden bed, by layering logs of wood and soil.  The natural settling and breakdown of the wood over time gives wonderful nutrients to whatever we may choose to plant there.

Fortunately, the timing worked perfectly for us to clean up areas of various logs, and the fact that we had a great deal of surplus soil from where the pool area was just dug.

With the bulk of the work done, we plan to water it thoroughly and cover it with a row cover while it initially warms up and begins to break down.  Then I think we will plant a variety of perennial plants on it to make it a more permanent fixture in the garden.

#100HappyDays :: Day 48

Father's Day was a leisurely day spent enjoying the warm weather.  When I asked B what he wanted for dinner he suggested that we try doing some fried chicken over a bonfire.  We have done quite a bit of bonfire cooking in the past and it seemed the perfect day for it.

We moved our table from the porch into the shade by the bonfire and all spent the late afternoon and evening outside, hanging out, listening to music, cooking, playing Frisbee, and Sidney spent some of her time making flower crowns and drawing.

When it was time to eat, the chicken and biscuits were perfect, and we did a simple cabbage salad dressed in poppyseed dressing that the kids gobbled up seconds of.  The perfect way to spend an absolutely beautiful day.

#100HappyDays :: Day 44

We do not often get much of a spring.  Many times we go straight from winter to the mud of the thaw, and then onto balmy summer temperatures.  This year however, we seem to be stuck in perpetual Spring, as we head into the solstice this weekend, we have seen persistent rain, and many days of cool temperatures peppered with a few warm days here and there.

As a result the garden's summer veggies are off to a slower start.  Thriving, and even some beginning to flower, yet still small plants aching for warm and sunny weather to grow.  On the flip side of this is the cooler early summer crops of lettuces, cabbages and broccoli are growing beautifully and beginning to grace our nightly table.

Gotta Love Fall Weekends

What a difference a few days makes!  We had a beautiful weekend, temperatures reaching 70 made it perfect for being outside and working diligently on the fall cleanup.  It was a weekend of:

fallen branch collecting

pancetta starting

volleyball playing

hamburger grilling

compost moving

leaf jumping

and pudgy pie making

Thankfully we got a big chunk of the work done last weekend, as this weekends highs are predicted to be in the low 40's, and windy with the possibility of a few wet snow showers!  Gotta love these late fall weekends!

Around the Homestead

The last eight weeks or so we have low keyed our farm work for obvious reasons.  Thankfully, it has been rather cold and dreary for most of that time.  This weekend the weather was beautiful, and we started playing a little catch up.

We have been eating freely from the salad greens that we planted last fall, and are thrilled to see some of our early crops begin to thrive.  We re-purposed this little piece of old landscape fencing to be a pea trellis.  It is the perfect size and decorative to boot!  I only hope that our transition from wintry weather to summer like weather in the last several days does not render these cool weather babies yield-less.



One of my most hated cherished tasks is cleaning out the chicken coop.  Nevertheless, the girls are sporting a clean coop with a little different layout, and the compost pile is most happy with its infusion of rich nitrogen.



After pulling out the bushes around the porch last fall, the rest of the work needs to be finished.  We completed the relatively easy task of laying out the landscape fabric and pushing staples into the soft ground.  The next step will be to have bark delivered to fill in.  The jury is still out on whether we will attempt this task, or need to have someone come in and do it.  I think calling on some prices will be on my to do list this week.



What better way to enjoy the weather, after a weekend of accomplishment?  A few apps on the porch.  This is Ina's tuscan chickpea spread, like a kicked up hummus, with toasted pita points.  So tasty!

B's fractures have healed so his restrictions have been reduced as far as challenging his hand.  The soft tissue/ligament damage will take about a year to complete its recovery, so now we have begun to try to get some things done.  Since B can't put much pressure on that hand... holding a chefs knife and trying to chop an onion is impossible, he has been learning to shift his weight and do stuff with his left hand.  As he begins to get more active, he also begins to notice new aches and pains that were not there before the accident, so it is an ever evolving process.  I am so proud of him, no matter how frustrated that he is, he is diligent, and focused on healing and moving forward.  What better place to heal than around the homestead.

May In Review

Typically May is the start of the growing season on the farm. This year, when May arrived, the season was well under way. It is hard to believe that today is June first! One week left of school for the kids and though the cool weather the last two days is seasonal, it is very foreign to our experience this year. We have been so spoiled with 68-85 degree weather, really off and on since March, as you can see from May's shots. Today, the cool weather and damp ground affords us some quality weeding time and an opportunity to transplant some fennel. Our Postcards To Blogcamp PAD group has now reached the half way point of our 366 project. Here is a glimpse of farm life through my lens in May. Happy Weekend!

  1. 118:366 Perspectives, 2. 119:366 Flowering Trees, 3. 120:366 In Estes Park, 4. 121:366 The Falls, 5. 122:366 Flower Mountain, 6. 123:366 Panarama, 7. 147:366 Happy Birthday from Grandma & Papa, 8. 124:366 Lilac Shower, 9. 125:366 Busy Bees, 10. 127:366 Found our first morrel while clearing wood!, 11. 128:366 Gotta Love Bumper Cars, 12. 126:366 Love, 13. Honey Bee II, 14. 130:366 Rhubarb Compote, 15. 131:366 Arugula & Radish, 16. 132:366 Collecting Eggs, 17. 133:366 The Boys, 18. 135:366 Almost Time For Chive Flower Vinegar, 19. 134:366 Tournament, 20. 136:366 Does anyone else think this is funny!?, 21. 137:366 Mammoth Asparagus, 22. 141:366 Almost!, 23. 135:366 Sous Chef, 24. 138:366 Willow Light, 25. 139:366 Evening Approaching, 26. 140:366 Chive Flowers, 27. 142:366 Rhubarb Cordial, 28. 143:366 Sunny Rain, 29. 144:366 Concentration, 30. 145:366 Rose Explosion, 31. 146:366 Peony Raindrops32. Not available33. Not available34. Not available35. Not available36. Not available