Author: Cabincrafted1

I LOVE SPRING!

Even high in the mountains, we are beginning to see the squirrel ear leaves. Because of our very cold winter and spring, everything is blooming at once, all of the trees that normally stagger their blossoms and pollen are exploding at once. Fortunately, neither Jim nor I seem to be seriously bothered by it.

The chicks have been in the coop for almost two weeks separated from the 4 adults by a frame and net wall. Yesterday, I pulled back one edge of the net which would allow the chicks to move to the outside of the coop and into the run, but the hole was too small for the adult birds to pass into the secure part of the coop. It seemed like it was going to work. The chicks moved about within the coop and the adults left them alone. I suppose I should have waited a week to see how that worked out, but I didn’t and this morning, I removed the partition and netting, opening the entire coop including the blocked off nesting boxes, added fresh hay and the chicks seemed to enjoy the additional space. I removed their food to the run, hoping that they would venture outdoors on their own. Only one was bold enough to do so and she was promptly attacked by Cogburn and one Buff hen who merciless attacked as I ran from the garden in through the run to rescue her. One of them had pecked her head to the point it was bleeding and she was desperately trying to squeeze through the fence wire to escape. She was cuddled and soothed, brought in to have her wound cleaned and treated and taken back to the coop. One of the hens was inside the coop intimidating the chicks. I know they have to establish a pecking order, but the pecking was a bit too severe, so I went back to the garage, brought the frame back out and modified it to allow the chicks to move throughout the coop, but making the access too small for the adults.

By adding another vertical I was able to attach two boards so they can move through the narrow “door” and pulled the partition a few inches away from the pop door so they can squeeze around the edges. Hopefully no one will be injured again. I also gave them back their food inside for now. I guess they need a few more weeks of growing so their size is more similar before I try again.

Today is cooler than the past few days and it is windy, but still a nice day to be in the garden. The peas are growing nicely, the garlic looks healthy and today I added 8 cabbage plants, 8 curly kale plants and 8 rainbow chard plants for some greens.

After planting and watering them, I attempted to put a row cover over them to keep the cabbage moths from laying their eggs on the leaves. It is up, but not well. Once the wind dies down, I will have to go out and try again. The laying hens benefited from my efforts by getting a box full of weeds and grubs to enjoy.

It is so nice to be out in the garden, digging with my bare hands in the warm rich soil. Nope, I don’t bother with manicures.

Now I am off to fight with a cellular phone company over my Samsung galaxy 3 that gets so hot I can’t carry it in my pocket and only holds a charge for 4 to 5 hours even with the data use turned off. This is not acceptable as we only have cell phones, no landline. Then on to knit night with my friends.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

April 23, 2014
Earth Day

Mother Earth should be treated more kindly, not just on Earth Day, but everyday. We try to do our part, recycling (even in our rural area), composting either in the compost piles or through the help of the chickens, keeping our property and the road front clear of litter, combining errands to reduce the carbon footprint by driving less. Planting trees in the non pasture parts of the farm.

Many rural folk have a different mindset about trash, I have blogged about this before (http://wp.me/p3JVVn-l3), but in addition to keeping junk and making trash piles, there is the roadside litter; empty soda and alcohol cups, bottles, and cans, fast food containers, cigarette packages (there are a lot of irresponsible smokers in this county). Periodically, someone will take it upon themselves either out of civic duty or court imposed community service to walk down the beautiful mountain road and collect bag after orange bag of litter and leave them for the county services to collect. When we lived in the city, we would see some of this too, along with the ashtray dumps in the street gutters where all of that nastiness washed down into the storm drains and eventually into the river and ocean. Before retirement, we lived in a coastal city and often took our kayaks into one of the hundreds of canals, creeks, rivers and bays available. After the first trip or two, we began to each carry a large garbage bag in our kayak and would collect as much as we could on a trip. I guess this shows that it isn’t just rural folk, they just have city ordinances that prevent the larger collection of yard junk.

How difficult is it to keep a litter bag in your car? To hold on to the fast food bag until you reach a trash receptacle. To think before you throw your butt or ashtray full of butts out the window. Recycling and anti litter are taught in schools as soon as children begin school. This is the responsibility of all of us. Do your part, be responsible. Don’t just celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree, make it an everyday commitment.

April 22, 2014
Planting Day, Spring at Last

My first seed start of this year was an epic fail. First, I got anxious and started them way too early, knowing that I can’t plant any tender plants until at least Mother’s Day, and as usual, I gave them at least 8 weeks head start, knowing from past experience that they would get pale and leggy before planting time. Second, I planted them and put the grow light and heat mat in a back bedroom, not out where I would see them and remember them. Third, I planted them just as my 91 year old Dad came to visit, we took a day trip to meet some friends, and I spent a week in Northern Virginia babysitting the eldest grand. Sure enough, I monitored them until just about the time they sprouted, then promptly forgot they were there, so no grow light, no removal of the moisture cap, no watering. I remembered them while I was in away and by then it was too late to salvage anything. The tray had dried out planting cubes and 4 to 6 inch long dry threads of plant stems. My decision was to just go to the nursery and buy pepper and tomato plants this year. Today as I was running other errands, I looked at the plants. They wanted more than $3.50 each for them. The selection was terrible. Instead, figuring I still have about 4 weeks before they can go out, I started over at home.

Started are 8 Jalapeno, 4 Habanero, 4 Anaheim, 4 Cayenne, 4 Bull nose Bell peppers. Also 8 Hungarian paste, 4 Brandywine, and 4 Heinz canning tomatoes. In pots, I started ginger, tall basil, and spicy globe basil.

When the basil sprouts and gets a few inches of size on it, I will transplant some of the seedlings to peat pots and once warm enough, I will put them in the garden, the pots will contain a plant or two and stay on the deck for a quick cutting when I am cooking or making a salad. The ginger looks pretty in a pot on the deck and it does enlarge the root, so that you can dig part of it for household use. Unfortunately, the one I started last year stayed outside a bit too long before I brought it in and it didn’t survive.

All of these efforts were set up in spaces where I will see them and remember them this time.

The grow warmer and light are on the kitchen counter below my daily dishes. The pots are in the south facing window in the laundry room where we feed the dogs and through which I pass each time I go to deal with chickens or to put garbage or recycling in the containers in the garage.

Also on this beautiful day, I enjoyed lunch with a special friend to celebrate her birthday which was yesterday and then once home, I mowed about a half acre around the house and over to the chickens so that I don’t have to wade through nearly knee high grass that seems to have grown almost overnight.

In checking out my garden, the peas that I planted a few weeks ago are about 2″ tall, but the paths are quickly getting overtaken by weeds. I think within the next couple of days, I will attack the paths with thick layers of newspaper and a thicker layer of hay. Most of the beds were heavily mulched with hay over the winter and except for the berry beds, they look pretty good.

The spring and summer garden season is beginning, I love it.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

April 21, 2014
Easter Sunday on the Farm

Today is beautiful, no Easter snow, thank goodness. Bright sun, azure blue sky, calm wind, and grass, oh my it has grown in a week. It must be at least a foot high in the back. It will have to be mowed this week or we will start bringing ticks indoors and I don’t want that. I started the tractor and used it to move some compost and some old wood a few weeks ago, so I know it is running. The lawnmower for right around the house hasn’t been started yet, but it was only used a few times after it was purchased late last summer, so hopefully, it also will run. Fuel is needed for both and since it is Easter Sunday, that purchase will have to wait until tomorrow or the next day, though the little general store/gas station in the town is open today.

The chicks are now more than 6 weeks old and did fine in the coop while I was away, in spite of several below freezing nights. Last night they were all on the perches in the coop, lined up like big girls instead of huddled in a corner. Today they are getting outdoor time.

Though they still sound like chicks, they look like small chickens. They poked their head from the temporary pen into the permanent pen and promptly got pecked. Now the hens and Cogburn have lost interest and the chicks are foraging the long grass for new treasures.

Shadow and the chicks being desensitized to each other. She would lie down quietly by the pen until I moved and then she bolted away. Since the electric fence is now only around two sides of the vegetable garden, the dogs can get right up to the chicken pens and they weren’t used to being able to do that. At first the chickens are alarmed, but I am trying to get the dogs so they don’t activate prey instinct when the chicken flap and run, I would like for the chickens to have some free range time without being chased by the dogs. She did really well and the chicks quickly ignored her. The dogs need to learn that they are farm dogs and can’t chase everything that moves or flies.

And of course there is time for tug-o-war with the big ball on a rope. Ranger was working on drop it and leave it, then I would throw it out into the yard for a chase and tug session.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

April 20, 2014
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Home at last. I love my visits to babysit the eldest grandson. I truly appreciate that they trust me with him so completely and that they appreciate my helping out. I am glad to be home though. After almost 8 years of living here in the mountains, the city makes me restless. At night here, we have total darkness, billions of stars and quiet, only night animal sounds. Their apartment complex has bright flood lights on the end of each building shining on the parking lots, Sodium Vapor lights in the courts, lighting the walkways and the apartment is never totally dark. They live near the street end of the complex with one row of buildings between them and a busy Northern Virginia road, so there are automobile, truck and emergency vehicle noises all day and night. After a few days up there, the city lights and noises don’t bother me as much as when I first arrive, but I am glad to be back in the rural mountain quiet.

It was spring break and the District of Columbia attracts tourists, so grandson’s and my visits to the museums and the zoo were frought with thousands of people. For the first time in the 3 years they have been there, the volume of people was so high that we had to wait in a block long line to get in the Natural History Museum. We had hoped to get a glimpse of the just delivered T Rex bones in the fossil lab, but they weren’t visible anywhere that we were allowed and there were so many other folks there because that display is about to be closed for a 5 year renovation, that we couldn’t even see the displays. Grandson wanted to go to the SPARKS lab in the American History Museum and it is closed until next year for renovations. There is a lot of renovation going on at the Smithsonian.

This was the crowd waiting to get in when we left at 2:45 p.m. on Friday.

We stayed so busy that I never even opened my spinning wheel, knitted, or took my carders out of my suitcase. I did read a book and a half though.

My journey home was uneventful, fortunately. The weather was good, the traffic tolerable. My first task after greeting hubby and the pups, and unpacking and checking on the chickens, was to put fresh clean sheets on the bed. It will be a delight to sleep in my own bed tonight and have crisp clean sheets too, they needed changing when I left.

April 19, 2014
Air and Space

Today dawned just as rainy as predicted and the day high temperature occurred just after daybreak and has been dipping to a freeze tonight as the day wears on.

I try not to depend on my car too much when here as I really don’t like Northern Virginia traffic, but I’m not a glutton for punishment either nor did I want to walk the Mall in Washington in the rain. Grand and I elected to drive out to the Udvar-Hazy Center and look at all of the planes, satellites, space vehicles and aeronautic history paraphernalia.

Grand in front of the Stealth bomber.

The Space Shuttle Discovery from the skyway.

The amazing structure with tons of aircraft suspended from the ceiling.

If you have never visited this center, it is certainly worth the time. Admission is free, though there is a $15 per car parking fee if you don’t take public transport out.

We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, except my grouchy old lady mode kicked in when a young mom with 2 young boys stopped to watch a 6 minute video on Discover’s last launch and stood behind me talking loudly on her cell phone about a real estate transaction with everyone around her glaring until I finally tapped her on the shoulder and gave the hang it up signal. She collected her boys and left.

April 15, 2014
A Zoo Day

Yesterday was spent in part driving for my week of babysitting the eldest grand. They like us have had a week of beautiful weather and it is delightful to have the windows open day and night. Tomorrow that is going to change with 100% chance of rain followed by a drop in temperatures to a spring freeze, then cooler more seasonable day time weather. Grand and I took advantage and bus, then Metro rode to The National Zoo.

The baby Panda cooperated and was hanging out in a tree in plain sight, one of the adults was in the yard as well. An elephant cooperated and let us get a photo.

The Otters, seals, sea lions and wolves were out and visiting, as were thousands of other visitors also on spring break.

Any indoor exhibit was so crowded you couldn’t even see the displays. We saw what we could, walked the length and one side and called it quits. After crowd fighting, we stopped for refreshment and rejuvenation.

He was done! But not to be so, we walked several blocks downhill back toward the Metro and I realized I had dropped one of the Metro farecards with more than $30 on it. This caused me a bit of panic and a jog back uphill to see if I had dropped it out of my pocket and fortunately it was right under the chair I had used. Back downhill to the train to discover they were having issues and we had to wait quite a while as the crowd grew and finally were packed like sardines, standing on the train. Before we got to our connector point there were so many bodies on the subway that you couldn’t move and could hardly breathe. When we got back to the station a mile from home, we had 30 minutes to wait before the afternoon commuter buses started, too tired to walk home, we waited.

Portuguese white bean soup is on the stove and I’m hungry and tired.

Tomorrow is rainy so we will take the car to the Udvar Hazey Space Center and maybe a bookstore. Later in the week we will venture back to the District to the Smithsonian American History Museum.

April 14, 2014
Spinning, not the exercise class

I have been spinning fiber for about 4 years now, starting with a drop spindle and switching to a wheel a couple of years ago. My first wheel was a restored Ashford Traditional that I bought from a friend who had restored it and learned on it and then won a new wheel. I learned on it, using it for a bit more than a year, sold it to mutual friend who is a fellow knitter that wants to learn to spin. When I sold it, I bought an Ashford Kiwi 2 as I wanted a double treadle wheel and used it for nearly a year and sold it to get a wheel that travels better for going to spinning group and for taking when I go to spend a week babysitting with a grand. My new wheel which I have only had for a few weeks is a brand new Kromski Sonata. Getting the new wheel inspired me to work through some of the fiber I had collected and have made undyed Shetland wool yarn that is for sale at Greenberry House (www.greenberryhouse.com) in Meadows of Dan. Then I finished 3 ounces of Merino, spun for a friend.

As spinning is going well, I decided that I was ready to start expanding the yarn making process and wanted to mix some of the Alpaca fleece that I have with some wool that I have, so I bought a set of hand carders from Strauch Fiber Equipment Co. (http://www.strauchfiber.com/) as she is a spinner in the group to which I belong. I have started blending the Caramel colored Alpaca with a light and dark Blue Faced Leicester wool.

Today Jim and I took off for a drive and ended up at Olde Liberty Fiber Faire (http://www.olfibrefaire.com/). From that I came home with a big red cloud of hand carded Tunis wool and a bag of dark colored Finn X Jacob to spin and a small pot of garnet red dye to try my hand at dyeing my own yarn.

Once I feel that I have a good handle on these skills, my goal is to buy a whole raw fleece, wash it and hand card the locks for spinning into yarn to dye.

I’m sure Jim would have rather spent the day wandering around the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Fest that we passed and watched literally hundreds of motorcyclist headed in that direction, but he spent the day with me.

Tomorrow, my wheel, hand carders, a suitcase packed with clothing, yarn and fiber are headed off for a week of babysitting in Northern Virginia while he stays home and critter sits the 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 20 chickens. I am leaving him with homemade stew, chili, and goulash so he doesn’t have to eat out each night.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm, and off of it when we take a day trip.

April 12, 2014
A Moment from the Week

Warm breezes,

Blue sky,

Dogs playing,

Perfect day to sit and read on the porch.

April 11, 2014
A Tale of a Lone Hen Protector

During his sleep last night, the lone hen protector had a terrible dream. Cogburn ruffled in his dream, but couldn’t awaken enough to figure out what was going on. In his dream, one at a time, his ladies were disappearing, until there were only three. But he knew he had nine, what on earth was going on. When he awoke this morning, he was startled to see that it wasn’t a dream at all, his coop only contained three of his ladies and a new wooden structure that obstructed part of his kingdom’s perches. He crowed mightily, hoping that the aliens that had abducted his ladies would return them.

Once the tall lady came out to let him out of his coop and give him food and water, he was even more distraught as the aliens had returned his ladies, but alas, he couldn’t get to them. How was he going to protect them from the shadows in the sky?

Then to make matters worse for him, that tall lady crawled into the coop with strange and noisy objects in her hands that didn’t look like food to him and she made lots of noise and commotion in his castle. When she was done, ten small noisy creatures invaded his castle, but he couldn’t get to them. What had happened? Some nearly invisible force field prevented him from surveying his domain and chasing those interlopers away. His beautiful queenly lady that lays the green eggs entered to survey the situation as well, she has always been a curious sort and as the tall lady had piled deep new hay under her perch, she made a nest, but the tall lady kept fussing at her and finally stirred up the nest she had carefully arranged. When the tall lady stirred up the nest, she was in the coop and this upset her king.

Since his kingdom seemed to be totally disrupted and this tall lady seemed to have something to do with it, he decided it was his noble duty to attack her, but when he rose to strike, she raised this long hard object and pushed him firmly away. Being rebuffed and defeated, he decided the only thing he could do was crow at her until she left.

It bothers him greatly that his other ladies seem to be doing fine without him in the other castle, they are even giving the tall lady their daily gems in the new and foreign nests she built for them. What’s a king to do?

April 10, 2014