State of the Homestead

I started reading blogs again only to discover several old friends decided to call it quits and go on to other pursuits. Two other friends simply stopped blogging without public explanation. It almost felt like an epidemic. All told, eight friends have either given up writing or put it on a permanent back-burner. I know it's crossed my mind a time or two. There's so much I want to do now that I have the time.

The homestead has been busy. We burned a couple of big brush piles, tilled and fertilized the garden, and started a big bed of onions and garlic. We culled the rest of the roosters, and now the hens are producing eggs like crazy.

I don't mean to sound sexist, but I'm always surprised how much calmer the hens are when we get rid of most of the roosters. Those bullies just agitate everyone.

My big surprise this week is that we FINALLY got a green egg. I was so disappointed because my Americaunas (known as the Easter egg chickens) hadn't produced any green or blue eggs. They were all brown. But at least one hen from our new batch of layers is laying green eggs. Now to find out which one because I want more of her babies.

Outside: I started my seedlings for the spring. I'm trying to hide them from Iko because he loves to pull out the tender plants and carry them around like limp trophies. I have no idea why he enjoys pulling them out. It's not like they fight back.

Inside: We'll be spending a good chunk of change this year. I painted two of the guest rooms and the carpeting guys are coming in a couple of weeks to lay carpet. We're also replacing our Corian kitchen counter top with granite. I just left the showroom and picked out my stone.

The kitchen cabinets are still in great shape, but I'm going to sand them down and give them a fresh coat of white enamel. That should make them pop against the new counters. The only other thing I need in the kitchen is for Greg to tear out the built-in wood wine rack and replace it with a wine cooler. I never liked that wine rack. It's almost impossible to clean. The cooler will be more practical.

Plant futures: The seed catalogs have arrived and I've been plotting the new gardens. This year I'm going to raise a separate garden strictly for the animals. I'm planting corn, soybeans, and mangels. Mangels will be new for us. It's a kind of sugar beet that's supposed to be nutritious for animals (and humans).

I also want to expand my blackberry brambles. Because they're such tender fruits, blackberries are very expensive at the store. I thought it might make a good farmer's market product in a couple of years.

Animals: Goats are still on the agenda and we'll be looking for stock in March. The one activity that's got me both apprehensive and intrigued is milking. I want to learn how to make cheese.

Dogs: Tank is ten years old. It seemed just yesterday when he joined the family. We rescued him when he was two-years-old. He was found wandering the roads. When they caught him, he escaped his pen only to be found the next day sleeping on the office couch. They warned us he was an escape artist but in truth he was just looking for a comfortable place to sleep. He's no dumb bunny. Tank never met a couch he didn't like.

The vet gave him a clean bill of health despite all his lumps. With any luck he should make it to twelve. That's a pretty good run for a rottie his size. He's a giant dog.

Poor old boy is all gray around the muzzle, but he can still give Iko a run for his money. Iko idolizes him. That goofy dog will surely miss him when he's gone. Despite being polar opposites, they've been good friends from the start.

Me: Since you guys have asked, I'm okay. I'm still very sad, but we had some closure when we made Murray a nice grave lined with stone and brick. In the spring I'm going to plant some rosemary there. For some reason, Murray really liked the smell of that herb. Rosemary is the symbol of remembrance and it seems apropos to plant him a little cutting for his grave.

My spring comes early so I'm trying to get my plans in place. Is there anything special you're looking forward to in the spring? Books, movies, gardening?

When Greg gets back we want to catch Red Tails. Greg's a big WWII buff. He's hoping the movie will be historically accurate. If it's not I'll never hear the end of it. :)  Has anyone seen this yet? Any good?

**Has anyone ever try different sorts of eggs? Duck? Quail? Ostrich? Have you ever seen green or blue chicken eggs?