Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Long

Hooray for longer days!  We need the extra hours of daylight in order to accomplish all that there is to do here at the homestead.  Not only are the days growing longer, but the to-do list is growing like crazy.  We can definitely feel spring in the air around here, and it energizes us as we tackle each day's work.

I am still having trouble getting pictures to upload here, but hopefully soon my IT guy will be able to help me figure out what the problem is.  Until then, I'll just share some of the fun with words.

We have been working on...

...preparing and planting the garden.  So far we have onions, beets, cauliflower, lettuce, three kinds of tomatoes, zucchini squash, yellow squash, black-eyed peas, green beans, okra, jalapenos, banana peppers, and green and red bell peppers.  Crazy as it may sound, I still have more to get planted!  We are praying for a bountiful harvest this year so we can continue canning and storing up for the off-season to cut the grocery bills down.  Pray for that with us?

...raising two new batches of chickens.  We have six babies in the brooder box, chirping and napping and eating and growing!  We also have 31 pullets that we have just put out to the pasture.  They are adjusting well to all of the green grass and open space.  Come summer we should have plenty of eggs to eat and even more to sell.  Interested in Hen Hollow Homestead eggs?

...adding a section of fence in the yard, and also putting in a gate directly from the yard to the garden.  That gate has been in for three days, and has already proven itself so valuable.

...watching Dottie, our broody mama chicken, sit on her eggs, and anticipating the day when even more new chicks hatch right here on the farm!  Less than a month from now, we will witness the miracle of birth, chicken style!

...clearing out underbrush and trimming trees.  This is HARD labor, and we COULD NOT do it without the help of my dad on his awesome tractor.  Things are already looking more tidy, though we have a long way to go.

...dealing with poison ivy, again!  See above, as all of the tree trimming and clearing of the underbrush inevitably gives Nathaniel and the kids a case of poison ivy.  Ugh!  (Thankfully, I seem to be immune! :)

...working in the flower beds, pulling weeds, planting flowers, turning the soil.  They still look rough, but someday I hope our efforts pay off!

Some other things on our list include...

...rain barrels.  We have the supplies, but haven't had time to get them put together.

...a cucumber tepee for the garden.

...hanging a tire swing in the tree outside the yard.

...continuing to trim trees and clear underbrush.

...build a pole barn/garden shed so I can store all of my gardening tools and supplies closer to the garden!

...filling in some bare spots in the backyard with fresh grass seed.  Having two dogs has taken a toll on our poor backyard, so we are going to give it a rest and some fresh grass seed.  Hopefully we can patch up all of the bare spots!


As spring is here, I have also been in the mood to clean out and organize inside of the house as well.  I open all of the window blinds and let the sun shine in while I work!  I've been clearing out drawers and closets in hopes of a garage sale with my sister soon.  A little extra cash would come in really handy right about now, with all of the projects we have on the list!

What about you?  What have you been up to?





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