State of the Homestead
I've been debating when to post the next state of the homestead, hoping the goats would be here, but my timetable keeps changing. I hope to have goat news next month.
Da Dogs: Everyone is fine, but Tank is slowly diminishing. He still outweighs Iko by 10 pounds, but he's a shadow of his former self. His lumps are growing again and I'm researching some homeopathic cancer remedies to see if we can slow this down. Despite all this, he's in excellent spirits. We deny him nothing and he knows it.
Nana will be out of quarantine this week. We've been keeping her isolated to the house and dog run until her shots have taken effect. The vet says she should be in the safe zone by this Thursday.
Some of you might think I took this to extremes, but when you lose two puppies back to back, you'll do anything not to let it happen again.
She hasn't been idle. I've been taking her on the back porch--an area 45 foot long, and starting her on obedience. In less then a week, she is heeling, sitting, and coming on command. I'm still taking her to doggie school in May so she can socialize with strangers and other dogs.
Chickens: Two of my black australorp hens have gone broody. It sounds romantic, them laying on a big clutch of eggs, but in truth, when they go broody, they stop laying. These are older hens so maybe they feel their biological clock ticking.
We do have a couple dozen Maran chicks on the ground, and ten more ready to hatch in a couple of days. Of all the chicks we've hatched, these are the noisiest birds I've ever encountered. They have warmth, food and water, yet they chirp incessantly! I open the door (they're in my laundry room) to see what the commotion is about, and they look at me like I'm the idiot.
I try to handle the chicks regularly. I want them to be tame, especially the cockerels. One of them is going to have a very special job. He's going to replace the grumpy rooster I have right now. Damn bird attacks me whenever I turn my back, but if I'm looking at him, he struts around like Mr. Innocent.
Plants: The comfrey is growing beautifully. I'm told it spreads easily so I might transplant a couple of them to an empty patch and let it grow wild.
My poor fig tree got hit by a cold snap after it leafed out but it's starting to recover again. My brand new pecan trees are doing well. The nurserywoman told me they should bear nuts this year. Now all I have to worry about are the squirrels. We have a huge walnut tree that bears nuts every year but we've never gotten a single one thanks to the squirrels.
All my other fruit trees are leafed out too. My lemon and satsuma trees already have tiny fruit.
Me: I've been fighting the good fight. I had to scale back on yoga for a whole month due to an inner ear infection that messed with my balance. Then the following week, I wrenched my back moving all that dirt. I'm better now, but it really slowed progress for a few weeks.
I'm excited about this year. Things seem to be turning around for us. Greg should be retired next year and we're gearing up for our 'change of life'. It'll be good to have a full-time husband again.
PS If I start complaining that he's underfoot next year, remind me when I said I was happy to get him back. ;-)
Da Dogs: Everyone is fine, but Tank is slowly diminishing. He still outweighs Iko by 10 pounds, but he's a shadow of his former self. His lumps are growing again and I'm researching some homeopathic cancer remedies to see if we can slow this down. Despite all this, he's in excellent spirits. We deny him nothing and he knows it.
Nana will be out of quarantine this week. We've been keeping her isolated to the house and dog run until her shots have taken effect. The vet says she should be in the safe zone by this Thursday.
Some of you might think I took this to extremes, but when you lose two puppies back to back, you'll do anything not to let it happen again.
She hasn't been idle. I've been taking her on the back porch--an area 45 foot long, and starting her on obedience. In less then a week, she is heeling, sitting, and coming on command. I'm still taking her to doggie school in May so she can socialize with strangers and other dogs.
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| Grumpy's days are numbered |
We do have a couple dozen Maran chicks on the ground, and ten more ready to hatch in a couple of days. Of all the chicks we've hatched, these are the noisiest birds I've ever encountered. They have warmth, food and water, yet they chirp incessantly! I open the door (they're in my laundry room) to see what the commotion is about, and they look at me like I'm the idiot.
I try to handle the chicks regularly. I want them to be tame, especially the cockerels. One of them is going to have a very special job. He's going to replace the grumpy rooster I have right now. Damn bird attacks me whenever I turn my back, but if I'm looking at him, he struts around like Mr. Innocent.
Plants: The comfrey is growing beautifully. I'm told it spreads easily so I might transplant a couple of them to an empty patch and let it grow wild.
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| Comfrey |
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| Young pecan trees |
All my other fruit trees are leafed out too. My lemon and satsuma trees already have tiny fruit.
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| Irises in the front |
Me: I've been fighting the good fight. I had to scale back on yoga for a whole month due to an inner ear infection that messed with my balance. Then the following week, I wrenched my back moving all that dirt. I'm better now, but it really slowed progress for a few weeks.
I'm excited about this year. Things seem to be turning around for us. Greg should be retired next year and we're gearing up for our 'change of life'. It'll be good to have a full-time husband again.
PS If I start complaining that he's underfoot next year, remind me when I said I was happy to get him back. ;-)
Comments
Finally got the yard more or less straightened out, and started to put my plants in the front garden. My pansies are finally out, and I even have 3 blooms on my half dead peonies from last year, so I think that's great.
I need some goats to eat the crazy ivy I have in the side yard. It's killing my trees.
Enjoyed reading.
My heart remains with Tank.
Consider the squirrels just another part of your menagerie. They're fun to watch.
- Mac
But the lumps seem to be very slow growing, so I hope he still has another good year in him. We're doing all we can to keep him healthy.
I've got a question about those squirrels: I have a raised vegetable bed that our squirrels think is their own private bathroom. Given that I'm growing food in there, will it be safe to eat? Especially the lettuce, which won't be cooked? I'm thinking of that big spinach e-coli scare a few years ago that they traced to animal dung in the fields.
What's your understanding of it?
But leafy veggies like spinach and lettuces should be washed and then rinsed in a solution of vinegar-water in a 3:1 solution.
By the way, if it were me, try growing a couple of cayenne pepper plants, harvest and dry the pods, then sprinkle them around plants for next year's garden. That's the only thing I know that will keep squirrels out. Well, that and a persistent dog. :)
Poor squirrels.
Yes, when our dogs were alive, the squirrels were much better behaved. We don't worry them a bit.
The purple Iris is beautiful, we have it all over the ditches growing wild plants and last year I got some of them and this past month 4 of them came back and bloomed for me but now only the wild ones in ditches are blooming down our Farm to Market roadside.
Here's hoping the rest of Tank's days are filled with sunshine, good treats, and a comfortable bed. :)
Yes, protect that puppy! Parvo isn't to be taken lightly, because once they have, there isn't much that can be done. She'll be so excited to have the run of the place soon, though!
I can't (except I can -- I'd never run a ranch! too lazy) believe how busy you are. And that's before goats!
The comfrey looks amazing. And in the picture, you can't see its prickliness :)
So you're getting Nana to heel. She's a good girl, even with all her feisty goings ons.
I can just imagine the hullabaloo going on with the chicks. Probably getting all that gossip experience down pat now or just going at it general purposes.
And when you get hubby home full-time, I'll DEFINITELY remind you of the glee shared with having him home on a regular basis. lol!!
Re: irises
Funny thing about them. Greg had to take them out when we dug out a trench for some irrigation piping. I saved them and put them up front. It took them two years, but now they're blooming like gangbusters.
Re: parvo
The vet told me the virus can't live in triple digits which we've had plenty of, but there's no telling if any other infected dog traipsed through in between time. We took no chances.
LOL
You'll just have to set Greg up with a hobby or two or a dozen :)
You've been busy! And it shows. The homestead looks fabulous. Love these posts.
Sorry to hear Tank is slowing down but I'm glad he seems to be living his golden years to the fullest. Get him loves from Vegas for us.
I'm so focused that it's hard for me to carry a conversation and work at the same time.
Re: Tank
The day we rescued him, we made it our mission to give him the best life we could to make up for the abuse he endured for his first two years.
I don't know how anyone could abuse such a sweet boy. They better hope I never meet them.
I've always wanted to visit there (in the summer).
Hope the weather warms up soon for you guys.
I've noticed that people here (in the Rockies) have their gardens completely caged because of squirrels, deer and bears. Our growing season is so short, about 3 months, so I do some container gardening, but that's about it. I do miss growing pumpkins!
Re: mean rooster.
I walk in with a fish net. It's what I usually use to catch birds and he knows it well. As soon as he sees it, he hightails it to the other side of the pen. Without it I am fresh meat.
There will certainly be a period of re-integration. :)