Tuesday, December 30 2008

We worked on a number of projects today.  First, I put away some of the Christmas decorations.  The tree is still up but most everything else is packed up.  Early, but the weather was decent so I wanted to get the outside lights down.

Then, hb and I started cleaning up the tree line along the field.  This has not been done in a long time and there are fallen trees, briars and lots of wild cherry trees clogging up the area.  Hb used the chain saw and a clearing saw while I piled up the brush and logs.  We will move the brush to a burn pile and keep the wood for bonfires.

After the outdoor work, we moved to the studio where we built two raised beds for our herb gardens.  We used cypress boards for the frames, hardware wire for the bottom and then reinforced the corners with brass braces.  In the spring, we will add landscaping fabric to the bottoms to hold in the dirt but allow water to pass through.  Tomorrow, I will take and post pictures.  Each bed is 5ft long, 18in wide and 9in deep.

By the end of the day, we were both tired.  I took a long bath to sooth my aching muscles then turned on the college bowl games.  Good day.

Saturday, December 27 2008

The end of another holiday season.  We did not have a white Christmas, which always is disappointing for me, but the temperatures were chilly so at least it felt wintery.  Today, we are supposed to be near a record high of 70!  These wild temperature wings always reminds me of one of my Grandmother’s sayings, “this kind of weather will make us all sick and we will die!”  I am not thinking we will die, but warm days in the winter can’t be healthy.

Hb and I exchanged simple, useful gifts this year.  We both gave each other a sweater, merino wool long underwear and new Bean boots.  The economy is so bad that neither of us was in the mood to over do Christmas.  For our Christmas dinner, I made one of the venison tenderloins, with a dry rub and a potato and fennel casserole.  The meal turned out really good.  Typically, I do not cook many meals so I was very happy this one turned out edible!

KC’s limp is slowly healing.  I keep her separated from the other cats when I am not home and during the nights.  She still favors that leg but seems to be putting some weight on it when she walks.

My chickens are doing well being kept inside their coop most days.  I turn on their light first thing in the morning and leave it on for at least 12 hours each day.  One of the hens has started laying again, hopefully the others will follow soon.  Yesterday and today, I let them roam around outside during the daylight hours.  There is a red-tailed hawk in the area, so I am hoping everyone stays alert.

Tuesday, December 23 2008

I am finally all ready for the holiday season.  The house is decorated and there is enough food in the house to get everyone through the last days of the year.  Yesterday, I took Murray to the vet for his vaccinations.  Since Murray spends a lot of time outdoors, I like to keep his rabies shot current.  He has been listless since the appointment, a combination of the effects of the vaccinations and incessant meowing to and from the vet’s office.

While I was at the vet’s, a woman brought in a 13 week old ACD puppy.  His name was Eli and he was red in color.  A beautiful dog!  Just the breed of dog I have been dreaming of getting, except I want a blue female.  My plan is to train the dog to herd the goats I need to clear the underbrush around our creek on the lower property acreage.  I would also train the dog to herd turkeys, as I really want to get a small flock of hens for Puff.  Maybe this spring.

hb has been investigating places to visit out west.  We both love Wyoming and Montana, but might visit Arizona next.  The national parks have so many beautiful rock formations and Native American artifacts to see and photograph.  Might be a fun vacation.  Of course, the economy has put such a damper on vacations and things.  Hopefully, the bottom has been reached and we can all start to recover.

The seed catalogs have started arriving in the mail.  Spring must be around the corner!! 

Tuesday, December 16 2008

Hunting season has finally ended.  While I have no issues with hunting for food, here in Western PA many people roll out of the burbs, dress in the latest camo/orange fashion and the stomp through any nearby  woods for one each year, the first day of buck.  In my opinion, these part-time “hunters” have few skills and even fewer brains.  And invariably, they believe any land holding a few trees is an appropriate hunting location, regardless if my house is within sight or not.

This year, I posted No Trespassing signs, which worked well as most, but not all, people are respectful.  We only have 15 acres and with hb hunting the property, there is no room for others.  In fact, additional hunters  would be dangerous.  Of course, during the last days of the season, I spotted some guy in orange creeping on the hill directly below hb’s tree stand.  Now, hb was not hunting that day, but honestly, what was this guy thinking?

I drove my car up the hill and by the time I got to the top, Creeping Orange Guy was high stepping back down the other side, trying to act innocent.  I called out to him, and asked who he was.  He refused to tell me his name and said he was hunting on my neighbor’s property.  Well, my neighbor and I had discussed where their guest hunters would be and under hb’s tree stand was not on the list! 

I wish that hunters would fork out some of their own cash to buy their own property to hunt on and stop expecting land owners to welcome their trespassing.  I keep thinking that if a deer would have been foolish enough to walk between our house and this foolish hunter, a careless shot might have gone right into the house.  Not a pleasant event.

Thanks goodness rifle season is over!

Saturday, December 13 2008

Homer, the rabbit, is spending his first year living outside.  In his previous home, he lived in a basment and was litter box trained.  So now, in his new digs, Homer has selected the far corner of his outdoor area for his potty location. Not a bad arrangement, as I only have to clean one area versus the whole coop.  However, the spot Homer selected is far away from coop opening, and in the cold winter weather, not convenient at all to clean out. 

Something had to be done soon because poor Homer’s potty spot was overflowing.  I needed to design a solution that was predator proof but gave me easy access to the end of the coop.  The coop frame at that end is made from pvc pipe then wrapped in chicken wire.  My thought was to cut out the chicken wire and attached some type of door.  I went to the old pig barn, which we now use for wood storage, and looked for an appropriate door.  Success!  I found a drawer front to an old kitchen cabinet that would span the end of the coop perfectly.  I drilled 3 holes across the top and two at the bottom corners.  After cutting off the chicken wire, and shoveling out the mountain of bunny poop, I attached the new end with one of my favorite construction materials, zip ties.  The next time I clean up after Homer, I will just have to cut the two bottom ties to gain access and then replace with new ties to re-secure.

Not only is the new coop door an effective solution to improve the cleanliness of Homer’s coop, it also ensures Homer’s safety, and as a side benefit, adds some wind protection at that end of the coop.  hb calls this a perfect example of cowgirl construction!

Friday, December 12 2008

No Indian summer so far this year.  Winter has arrived in full force.  Yesterday and today we got a couple of inches of wet, heavy snow.  I had trouble opening Puff’s gate this morning due to the ice on the latch.  The weekend weather should be warmer with some sunshine, I hope to let my chickens out some. 

The trees looked magnificent today, all covered with snow and drooping!  And tonight there is a full moon, so large and bright the evening seemed like daytime.

Hb and I watched Jim Carrey’s remake of the Grinch movie this evening.  The Grinch is my favorite Christmas show, and although Carrey in normal movies scares me, as the Grinch, he plays a perfect role.  Weird, I know. Max the dog is too cute, and the happy ending makes me smile.

Sunday, December 7 2008

We have been busy . . . hb got a large doe yesterday.  Always amazing how he can leave the farmhouse, arrive at one of the tree stands in about 10 minutes and have a deer within 30 minutes.  The deer population here in western Pennsylvania is numerous and healthy.  We cleaned out the deer and hung it in the studio, an outbuilding that once served as a huge chicken coop and now is a project studio.  With the temperatures in the low 20’s, we were both chilled by the time this chore was completed.  The studio is heated with propane so we set the temperature to just above freezing.  First thing this morning, hb finished butchering and we packed the meat, nearly 50 lbs, into our freezer.  I use a vacuum sealer, which works fantastically for these types of tasks. 

This afternoon, we decorated the living room Christmas tree.  Over the last few years, my enthusiasm for live Christmas trees has dimmed.  Each year I waffle about killing a live tree, but I do not really like artificial trees and dealing with a living tree is a lot of effort.  So we have a live tree again this year.  Hb and I like to put up tow trees, one larger and more traditional in the living room, and a smaller one for the study.  We have special decorations for the smaller tree, more of a country theme including souvenirs from our trips out west.  I hope to get this tree next week, maybe we will find a small artificial one that I will like.

Since the raccoon trauma last week, I have kept my chickens inside their coop.  The weather has been very cold and windy, so they are better off inside anyway.  I never did catch that raccoon . . . I will try again when the weather breaks.  I know for a fact that he will be back looking for another chicken dinner one of these days.

Saturday, December 6 2008

Hb is hunting for deer this morning.  Being able to roll out of bed, walk to the end of the field and hunt on his own property makes him smile.  He went out a couple of times during muzzle loader season.  One morning, a doe was in range and hb almost took a shot, but then her fawn stepped out and he passed on the chance.  Hb knew that was the doe and fawn I had been watching over the summer and did not want to take her.  So now he is hunting during rifle season. 

This has been a very cold winter so far.  Today, the temperature is only 17 degrees with a wind chill near zero.  I enjoy good winters and can’t wait for some snow.

Two nights ago, around dusk, hb and I walked out together to put Puff in his coop.  We were watching the beautiful winter sunset and discussing our garden plans for next year.  After getting Puff closed in for the night, we walked to the chicken coop.  Curiously, all of the chickens were already inside the coop.  Usually, I have to wait until after dark before everyone is inside.  So I opened the door, took a hen count and came up one short.  A Barred Rock was missing!  Now, the sun still had not set so there was enough light to search for her.  Around the back of the coop, I found a feather.  Twenty feet into the woods next to the coop was my poor Barred Rock hen, dead.  A raccoon had caught her!  L  hb and I had to be standing right by Puff’s coop when it happened, nearly in broad daylight.  I was sad and vowed to get this raccoon.

I kept the chickens inside their coop all day yesterday, just in case this raccoon preferred daylight and tried to get another chicken dinner while I was away.  Then last night, I set the trap next to the coop, baited with cat food.  I plan to drive the nasty raccoon a few miles away and release him, unless I find Barred Rock feathers stuck to his lips!

Now I only have 5 hens and a rooster left.  Raising a few more chickies has been added to our spring time activity list.

Sunday, November 30 2008

Today is the last day of November . . . amazing how time flies.  Yesterday, hb and I finished winterizing the equipment and his boat.  We were so late in getting this done this year!  The weather yesterday was beautiful, cool but sunny.  First we took the batteries, fishing rods and gear out, then re-covered the boat for the winter.  Then we hooked up the power washer to drain the gasoline from it, washing the patio and my little Mantis roto-tiller.

After those chores were done, we filled and hung up the bird feeders.  Already, I have seen chickadees, nuthatchers and a red-bellied woodpecker.

I had been struggling with Puff’s water dish.  In all of my outdoor animal coops, I put heated water bowls for the winter.  Even Homer the bunny has a heated water bottle.  But Puff’s has not been working.  It is connected to an outdoor outlet on a pole near the outhouse garden, about 50 ft from his coop.  I tested the outlet first, then the extension cord.  I thought the extension cord was bad so I put in a different one.  Still, each morning his water was frozen.  Next I changed the heater, replacing the metal heating plate with a heated bowl.  Still, frozen water each morning.  So I thought maybe because the bowl was not in an enclosed area, the wind was causing the water to freeze.  Hoping this was the case, I moved the water bowl inside of Puff’s coop.  Now, not only was the water still frozen solid, I was getting pecked by a tom that was very upset to have me messing around inside his coop.

Finally, I gave up and enlisted hb’s help.  Turns out the problem was in the outside outlet.  There was a GFI installed that was difficult to reset.  For now, we just reset the outlet but will probably replace it with a new one in the spring.  But the good news is Puff’s water has stayed liquid (yahoo!) and I moved the bowl back to the feeder location so I do not have to dodge a mad turkey every day.

Saturday, November 22 2008

The weather has turned wintery this week.  The temperatures are only in the low 30’s during the day and into the 20’s during the night.  I can’t wait for enough snow to cross country ski.  The farmers planted beans in the adjoining fields (Isabelle’s farm) so we only need 4-6 inches inorder to ski.  Isabelle doesn’t mind if we use some of her property as a ski course.  Between her fields and the farmette, the cross country skiing is fantastic!

I have tried to convince Mama, my old outdoor cat to become and indoor cat but she resists.  When I bring her inside she frets to get back out.  I have the springhouse all setup for her, with a cat door and a space heater that has been running none stop.  Inside, I put a large plastic container with a hole cut in the side with a cat bed and a cat heating pad inside.  Mama seems to be ok.  I bought cat milk for her because I think she is missing a lot of her teeth.   On these cold days, I heat the milk first.  I hope the winter is not too hard on her.

The Kioti tractor dealer (and neighbor) took the tractors yesterday for their yearly maintenance.  He does such a nice job on the equipment.  With all of the construction on the farmette, the blades of the John Deere took a beating mowing the grass this past summer.  I seemed to hit more rocks than usual, or maybe there were just more rocks to hit!  Whichever the case, new blades are now needed.  Hb does basic maintenance of the tractors throughout the majority of the year, but each fall we set up an appointment for a complete check out by our Kioti friend.

Monday, November 17 2008

We had the first real winter weather this weekend, with the first snowfall today.  No accumulation, unfortunately, but the temperature are in the 20-30’s and there were flurries all day.  I love winter!!

I had a long day at work, not getting home until well after dark.  Hb got home first, and called me when I was about 5 minutes from the farmette.  He is good about delivering bad news before I walk in the door after a long day, giving me time to collect my thoughts.

So because he arrived home first, hb put Puff into his coop.  A very sweet thing to do for me, as Puff will roost on top of his coop as darkness falls, not safe and unprotected from the weather.  Getting a groggy turkey off of the top of the coop in the dark is not very fun.  Then hb turned his attention to closing the chicken coop.  The side porch door faces the coop, shedding enough light from the porch to nearly reach the coop.  As hb approached the chicken coop, something jumped out of compost bin, startled from their snack by hb and startling hb!  The chicken coop closed, hb turns towards the porch and sees all three house cats, sitting outside on the stoop, looking at him.  He did not close the door firmly enough and Slick pried it open.  So hb begins cat herding.  KC turns and scurries back inside, but Slick and Spooky, (this is hb’s view of the moment) both smiled and ran in opposite directions.  After much effort, Spooky was corralled back inside but Slick stayed on the lame.  After spending about an hour outside in 20 degree temperatures, and much calling by me, Slick decided being an inside cat was a good idea. 

Such trauma on a Monday night, but all ended well!!

 Friday, November 14 2008

Finally, I made the time to visit one of my best friends and closest neighbor, Isabelle. Isabelle has lived on the farm behind the hill from me her entire life.  In fact, her grandfather built the house and barn back in the mid 1800’s.  She and I have been sharing dinners together since I moved into the farmette.  We became friends when I offered to carry up her mail to her on nasty weather days.

Isabelle has taught me a lot about farm living, and she tells the best stories about her life back when she was young.  She is the youngest of 8 children and had a large extended family living on farms nearby.

On Thursday, I learned that her brother, was known by his middle name Burton until he went to medical school.  And he pestered his five sisters regularly as most brothers do, kicking them under the table and getting in their way as they did chores. Isabelle remembered coming home from school and making roasted potato sandwiches to eat as a snack.  She said her sister Myrtle and she would take roast potatoes on the old coal stove, converted to gas, then put them in bread to take with them to the barn.  The old bull, Bill, enjoyed a taste of the snack too.  I really enjoy the time I spend with Isabelle, and as always the visits pass too quickly.

The farmette finally had the roof work finished.  Over the summer, hb and I picked out the snow guards and contacted our roofer to get on his schedule.  His workers finished installing them yesterday.  Here is a picture of the snow guards that we had installed.

I am so pleased to finally get these on the farmette house roof.  Last year, the snow would crash down from one level of the roof to the next, shaking the entire house.  Then huge piles of snow formed on the steps under the porches, of course turning into icebergs that refused to melt for weeks.  This year, the snow guards should make life much more peaceful and safe.

Wednesday, November 12 2008

I love winter but these short days are hard.  My work is keeping me away from home during the daylight hours and I miss my animals.  Hb gets home earlier than me so he puts Puff to bid in his coop and shuts the chicken door. 

My chickens have not laid eggs for almost a month.  Tomorrow, I am having dinner with my neighbor, Trudi.  She keeps hens and I hope to score a dozen or so eggs from her.  Trudi is an amazing woman.  She just celebrated her 90th birthday and is as strong and healthy as ever.  She is a good friend and neighbor.

I am so looking forward to snow.  I love to cross country ski around the farmette.  There are serval hills that challenge me every year.  On hill in particular, I have skied a number of years and have only made down successfully once.  An exellent challenge!

I am still getting over my latest bout of poison ivy.  I know . . . November is an odd time of year to get poison ivy.  I was weeding and clearing growth around my animal cemetery when I pulled up what I thought were pine roots.  Not pine roots, but poison ivy vines.  Two weeks later and I still have itchy spots and sensitive skin.  The awful stuff gets into my body and just explodes all over me.  This was the third time in 2008 that I had it, and the only cure seems to be rubbing the rash with diluted Clorox.  Which makes me ill on its own.  Sometines the cure is (nearly) as bad as the disease.
 
Tuesday, November 11 2008

Lots of changes in the last month. 

On a sad note, Blacky passed away.  I found him in the road on my drive home from work on a Friday evening.  Blacky was getting deaf, so I think he stepped in front of a car.  Stopping my jeep in the middle of the road , I got out and placed Blacky’s body in our field, so he would not be in worse shape when I buried him.  Driving into the driveway, I called Hello to Puff, and he was not in his coop!  I called again and heard a fant gobble in reply.  1/4 mile away, there was Puff, strutting like a king surveying his domain.  He calmly walked toward me, enjoying his stroll through the field.  I gathered up the 20lb turkey, still crying tears for Blacky, and placed him back in the coop.  As dusk was starting to fall, I turned my attention to burying Blacky.  An hour later, my tears were replaced with sweat droplets.  Amazing how large a hole one old, skinny, deaf cat requires.

Hb and I went fly fishing two weeks ago.  We drove about 2 hours east, into the mountains.  The weather was fantastic, and the leaves at the height of their fall colors.  I caught a brown trout while hb took pictures.  Beautiful afternoon.  We ate lunch on the shore, and headed home just before evening.

Last weekend, we cut down several dead pine trees and hauled the wood to the middle of the tilled garden.  On Sunday, we had a large bonfire.  In addition to the wood, we burned any and all scrap wood laying around the farmette.  The fire burned from 8am until nearly 7pm that night.  Although the temperature during the day only rose into the 40’s, when I got chilly I stirred the fire to warm up.  I also winterized the animal coops, putting straw in the chicken coop, Puff’s coop and the bunny’s coop.  Everyone should be warm and dry.