Published on Leave a comment on Finally a Fenced Front Yard

Well it took about 3 weeks to get it finished but the front yard is finally fenced.  I finished by hanging the gate after work today.  We fenced the front yard for a few reasons.  We are putting the bee hive inside the fence to keep it away from the chickens who would think each bee made a fine snack.  It also places it up in the vicinity of the dog yard and house which will both be a deterrent to bears.  The added advantage to keeping the chickens out of the yard is now I can have my edible perennials and not have to fence each planting bed.

So far we have planted inside the fence blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and asparagus.  I have some elderberries and ground cherries yet to plant this year.  The strawberries and blueberries all bloomed really well and now have fruit set so we should have a good berry harvest this year.

 

Published on Leave a comment on A Lot Has Been Happening On the Homestead

I must first apologize for the long delay is posting.  It has been a very busy spring here at the homestead.  I took the week of Memorial Day off to work at the homestead and fortunately the weather was great.

The first thing accomplished was the painting of the back side of the barn, well at least the really high areas.  I still need to finish the bottom but we had a lift for day so got the hard to reach parts done.  We also used the lift to top the large pear tree to a lower height which will be more manageable for harvesting the fruit.

I also got 3 raised beds put into the garden.  I have been wanting to put raised beds in for many years and now I have them.  I only made them three feet wide instead of the standard four feet.  I am not vey tall and it was a little awkward to reach the two feet to the center of a four foot bed.  I am not going to walk on the beds so I will be able to reach the entire bed from both sides.

There are several other projects in the works and I will give you an update on them in the next little while.

Published on Leave a comment on The Seeds are Started, Finally!

Now that there is a little bit of Spring in the air I have finally planted my seeds that I start early indoors.  I usually plant them six to eight week before I can put them out into the garden.  We have such a short growing season here that without this advanced start I would never be able to harvest a tomato.

Besides tomatoes I have also started onions from seed.  This is the first year I am trying this as I usually use onion sets and plant them directly into the garden.  I have also started some different varieties of melons.  Again these take longer to grow and mature.  They will get planted in the hoop house for some extra heat to get them well on their way.

In addition I planted several different herbs to help my new herb garden get started.  The plan is to add a small herb garden up by the house with some of my favorites to make tea with as well as some medicinal herbs.  I'll keep you posted as that project gets going.

Happy Spring finally and have a Blessed Easter.

 

 

Published on Leave a comment on New Desk from Salvaged Materials

Since Spring still hasn't come our way yet I decided to tackle an inside project today.  My workspace here at the homestead was rather small and didn't have any really good work surface.  We didn't really need to have a door between the shower and the rest of the bathroom so I took it out a few months ago.  Today I turned that door into a desk.  I purchased some really nice legs from Lowes, cleaned the door up nice and attached the legs using brackets for that purpose.  I am now writing this from my new desk.  There are still a few finishing touches that I want to do before I paint the entire thing but it is functional now.  My filing cabinet fits right under the surface and I am going to add a shelf on the opposite end from the computer and chair.  I have more salvaged plywood for the shelf and it will hold a couple of baskets that I have to keep office things in.  There is enough room for my printer too.  The door is 80"x22" so that is a lot of room.  I might have to get a piece of acrylic to put on the surface since it is a raised panel door but we will try it without for awhile and see.  Now I just have to find a place to put my Great Grandpa's desk that I was using.

Published on Leave a comment on The Wonders of Essential Oils

My husband and I are trying to take more responsibility for our health and how we address common illnesses in our household.  We have recently discovered the amazing ability of essential oils to not only help you when you are sick but to keep you healthy with everyday use.  We use Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils from a company called Doterra.  They have many straight oils such as lavender and peppermint but they also have oil blends that are formulated to help with certain issues.  They have a oil called Breathe that really helps when your chest is congested.  I am endeavoring to learn more and will share what I learn and experience.