State of the Homestead Address

Spring has definitely sprung and I am meeting myself coming and going. Aside from writing, editing, and blog tour planning, there are fences to put up and chicks to expect.

Chicks: I am a little worried about our upcoming hatch. I never could get the temperature and humidity to settle at mid range. It was within specs, but on the low end so chicks might be hatching late. The expected hatch date is next Monday.

Greg built the most awesome chick brooder, complete with a lift-away top that is attached to a counterweight so it lifts easily. The man is a genius! 

The counterweight is presently a log splitter until Greg can replace it with some lead weights. One finger can lift the entire top off the 6' x 8' brooder. It's quite a bit bigger than what we need, but we're trying to plan ahead for when we raise more or bigger birds.

Chickens: The hens are laying like crazy and everyone seems very content in their permanent digs. It's still too soon to see if this will be a viable business for us, but Greg has already been plotting a new aviary and a self-contained hatchery and brooder house.

Land Maintenance: Over the weekend, I managed to burn one big pile of brush, but I have at least three more on the horizon. And though we were cutting back trees, we also planted some. Two cherry trees went in this weekend. I have a spot for one more--the hole already pre-drilled, so I will go shopping for another fruit tree this week.

The auger makes quick work of digging. Since the loam on this part of the homestead is more clay than dirt, we dig until we hit the sand level (about 3 feet), then add compost, providing adequate drainage and nutrients.

Garden: Evil and dastardly larval life forms have chomped off several of my pepper plants. I didn't put foil on them this year and now I'm paying the price.

Goats: Next week we'll begin clearing land and putting up fence for the future goats. We're a little late on this, but to be honest, we've been so busy, this was the earliest we could manage.

Writing-wise, I am working on a new project that I hope to reveal in a few months. I am very excited about this one.

For the month of April, I'll be cutting back my blog posts to one or two a week unless something important comes up. With the weather so nice, we have to spend every daylight hour outdoors to finish up our projects before the oppressive heat descends upon us. Needless to say, something had to give if I was to keep my writing-time intact, and the blog seemed the most expendable.

Chances are good I'll make up for my lack of blogging by being on Facebook more. It takes less time and I get to hear from so many of you more often. You can friend me on Facebook here. 

Speaking of expendable, what's the first thing to go when you have a lot on your plate? Is blogging a priority to you, or is it farther down your list? I wasn't sure what else to give up, and blogging is more of an indulgence than a necessity.

Update: It turns out there WILL be a post tomorrow. Something came up that is forcing me to speak up.