Homestead Update

I guess Beryl got us anyway. We noticed a tree had gone brown. It turned out, it had been snapped in half but was prevented from falling because it had dropped right into the V-shaped arms of the same tree.

This happens more often than we'd like. Branches often hang up, but this time it was the whole top half of the tree.

Our job, was to wrangle that thing down. The theory is easy. Throw a rope over it, and drag it down with the tractor. It was really high up there though. Fortunately, Greg has a better pitching arm than me. Lifting him higher with the tractor helped too.

In other parts of the homestead, we are the unhappy recipients of three new chickens.

Last week, a neighbor texted me to ask if I had lost chickens. I hadn't. It seems someone deliberately dumped these chickens. We noticed a bunch of hay where the chickens were staying just off the road from another neighbor's property. One had already been killed by a car.

By the time we got out there to investigate, the dead chicken was already gone, probably whisked away by a coyote. The other three were checking out yet another neighbor's land.

I had my fingers crossed they would find a home there.

No such luck. A week later, they found us.

They've been staying behind our chicken coop, but I haven't been feeding them, hoping they'd move on. They seem to enjoy being near like company.

To date, they've eluded capture, but if I get them, I'll post them on Craigslist and see if someone wants some free chickens. Mostly I want them gone because I don't want Odin to get any ideas and give chase. 

So far he minds me when I say, no. But what happens if the chickens show up while I don't have eyes on him?

Most animals don't trigger a response in him unless they run. Thus far he's listened every time we've told him to stop. I hope he never realizes that we can't stop him if he ever decides to give chase.

Nana is doing better this week. She'd had several weeks of feeling poorly, but she had a turning point a couple of days ago and she seems to have more energy.

I can't believe she'll be 12 in January. She's slowing down, but still wants to be part of the family. All we can do is make her comfortable. She's earned her retirement.

We decided that when she leaves us we'll get a new dog as soon as possible (a small dog!) but something feisty enough to keep up with Odin. He's not the kind of dog that likes to be alone. He really loves Nana even though she won't give him a second thought. I've always felt bad for him to be so alone. At least the cat gives him some attention.

Can you hear that sigh of relief from me? For a change, Greg got jury duty instead of me. I'm sure my name is in rotation though.

That's it on the homestead. My goals for this fall is to plant more food forest trees and edibles. My mother reminded me that I could take cuttings from my fig. I plan to do just that as soon as the tree goes dormant. Birds love figs. I'd like to grow a few cuttings into transplantable saplings by spring.

I feel like it's taking forever, but I'm slowly growing my food forest. 

Here's my inventory of food plants so far: Blackberries, (1) raspberry, strawberries, blueberries, figs, plums, pear, apple, cherry, and elderberries. I'd like to add dwarf mulberries, and then start sprinkling garlic and other perennial herbs tucked here and there.

It's definitely a work in progress.

The greenhouse I've been eyeing for years has gone on sale. Even on sale, it's a hefty price tag. Greg keeps telling me to go for it, but I think he's just being generous because he knows how much I want one. Still, the price tag is prohibitive.

It's a permanent structure. If we stay on this property 10 more years, that's all the time I'll have with my fancy greenhouse.

How would you decide if you knew you'd only get 10 years with this bit of kit? Is it worth it? I'm not sure how much it will add to the resale of this property. 

If you happen to be shopping Amazon, start from this link.

I read that Prime Days are on July 16 and 17. Last year they had a few good buys, but not as many as in earlier years. Still it doesn't hurt to look if you're in the market for something in particular.