First Yolks

After a long wait our wonderful chickens are now giving us eggs. After mixing them up a bit we cooked up some tators and some spinach for some yummy burritos. Now we need more eggs!

Good ideas and states of limbo

The spring winds seem to make planting any spindly climbing thing out in the open a risky proposition. On top of that, I saw a really good idea on a Mother Earth News blog that I knew we could immediately adapt. So, into the wine barrels (not the open garden) went the bean and sugar snap pea starts, as well as a couple new rows of peas. At the Russian Gulch house we grew peas on one trellis per barrel and planted (too many) radishes, or cilantro or something else in front of them. But it'll be nice to be able to have twice as many beans and peas in a sheltered place (right next to the kitchen, actually).

The only "down side" is that it gives us one more reason to keep putting off the chore we know is at hand - getting those beds really ready. The truth is, I admit defeat. If I am going to insist on creating new beds the somewhat lazy way, we'll have to start in winter, then cover the beds with plastic for several months. (That wasn't possible this first time, but maybe next year...)

Our goofy twist on American Gothic

By only slightly-popular demand:

"Why the *bleep* did you put me on there, but there are no pictures of you?"

"How come you never put the pictures I take of you on there?"

"Why don't you post pictures of yourselves?"

I figure I should be a little more cooperative, especially consdering that I always want to see pictures of people.

So also, "Hi" to the one reader we don't know personally, who likes our blog. :)

Matt's tool of choice is a McLeod, not a pitchfork.

iHuevos!

We had just been joking this weekend that we almost forgot the chickens weren't "just pets" - Oh, yeah, they're supposed to lay eggs! But then we realized we didn't really know how old the chickens were when we got them, so it might still be a while.

Ok, so anyone who knows me realizes I am SO NOT the person to feel like I'm connected to the cosmos in any crazy way. Let me make a "long story" short. I usually only go into the coop a couple of times a week, since their waterer is a gallon and that lasts 3 chickens for several days. I just filled their water yesterday. But when I went into the barn after work to grab their handful of cracked corn I use to make them happy to see me (hey, bribery works), I suddenly remembered that I dreamt last night that the chickens had laid eggs... so I went into the coop, and there were our lovely first 2 eggs. Is it flattering to be on the same wavelength with admittedly not the most brilliant animals in the kingdom? Not really. I almost titled this post "bird brain." :)

I've been using rice hulls as bedding. I'll write more about that later, 'cause I think it's kind of cool.

Taters

I don't think I ever mentioned that a few weeks ago I finally planted all those potatoes that were sprouting in the box on the kitchen floor. The problem is, the potato "patch" isn't very photogenic... so I can't bear to make you look at it. :) I used an area I'd already dug up when I was experimenting with bed sizes; this bed is too wide to reach into the middle without walking (or laying) on the cultivated soil, which is absurd. Trial and error, folks. So, we've been mulching it with cut grass in hopes of keeping the weeds to a minimum. It's been working pretty well so far, and finally (just before I was starting to panic) a few little leaves are starting to unfurl through the dry grass.

Down home fun

Last weekend, our friends Neely and Jason headed out to the coast for a visit - and we were happy to have them stay with us! Neely, the (previously-and-soon to be again) professional grower amongst us, brought an awesome heirloom high-wheel cultivator that's been in her family for a couple of generations. While Jason and I dodged the camera, Neely demonstrated (and Matt had to try out) the cultivator. That'd be way faster than the fork! Even though Neely generously offered to let us use it, we are afraid that the one boulder on the property would jump in front of it... We might buy one from a cool company that still makes such things. (At the risk of sounding commercial... check out Lehman's.)

Don't worry, though. The pictures above are as close as we got to "working" during their visit, and we had a fun, relaxing weekend.

(PS - Neely, don't kill me for using your picture. Also, since it was getting dark and the camera was being cranky, all "action" photos were too blurry, so I had to use the ones of y'all standing still!)

Our implements of (grass and weed) destruction

Yes, we are considering getting a real mower.

Then our neighbors might stop thinking we are insane (or at least think we are a little less so).

Future flower garden

Matt and I have been working on this existing railroad-tie raised bed near the house. It was apparently a garden at one time, but then also apparently became a repository for beer caps, wood ash, plastic scraps and other detritus (judging from the bucketload of junk we dug out). Although the location would be perfect for a kitchen garden, we obviously don't trust the content of the soil. The good thing is, it's also a perfect location for a flower garden. It'll be mostly perennials and/or natives, but there will be a few annuals and other random flowers as well.

The smart one in the family

While we were working, this is what Sammy was doing, in many different locations: kickin' it in the shade.

Make work

Since we live each day in mortal fear of running out of things to do (har har), Matt and I keep creating more projects to take on. Recently, Matt's friend Gary offered us 6 Douglas Fir saplings that he had left over from a project. Of course we wouldn't consider passing up free trees. Since it is late to be planting trees, and it's been dry this spring, we know we'll have to haul water to them. So we're trying to plan spots that aren't too far afield. They're still in their pots, but we hope to get them planted and growing soon!

And in thwacking (and pulling) some of the massive "wild" mustard plants that make the yard look unkempt, I stumbled upon a surprisingly large number of (some species of) native blackberry plants. Since we'd wanted to plant berries but decided not to take it on this year, it seems perfect to cultivate these. They are completely choked with weeds. I started pulling, naively thinking it was a half-day project. I'm realizing now only heaven knows how long it will take, but considering how much more extensive the population is than I'd originally thought, I'm hopeful that the blackberry harvest will be substantial, especially after a couple of years. Hopefully soon I'll be able to tell you exactly what species of berry it is.

Here's what the area looks like now: