Cold Day in June

The end of May flew past. So did the beginning of June. So much time has been eaten up by summer classes. My Biology class is honestly kicking my butt! Class for 5 hours 2 times a week, plus studying every other waking second- well, in between work for my other class, work, and everything else that must happen on a typical day to keep things running around here!

Nothing beats fresh lettuce

The garden is 90% planted. Everything that is planted has sprouted ( yay!) 

I planted strawberries, and make a little fence, that is not doing it's job! Strawberries were just starting to get red.....next thing you know, chickens got through it and had a little snack.

 

Speaking of chickens- we lost 3 last week, in the middle of the day, to a predator. Based on the attack, type of wounds, and location of the bodies, we are guessing fox. There were some tracks down by the brook, but the mud was quite deep, and the tracks were distorted- they looked like the could have been bobcat or fox.  It was particularly sad because it was 3 we had raised from day olds, 3 super friendly girls. It's impossible to not notice their absence, as they were the type to always coming running whenever you went outside. Everyone is locked in the coop when we are not home now.


We are headed towards Houlton to pick up some new layers and a rooster this week. I think we also need to expand the run if they are spending more time there. Or...we could just get a guard llama!



Chickens in a sun shower

Something else interesting to mention- we've got a few newly hatched fly catchers in a nest up under the covered porch of the shed! This is the 3rd year they have built a nest, but the first year they have hatched chicks. It's got to be the same couple- I see them every year, they spend a lot of time in the apple tree, and near the garden. I love to see them swoop down and pick off bugs. I had to sneak a peak up in the nest the other day- mother bird was not happy with this though, so I quickly got out of her space.

Green

Things are getting green again! I love this time of year. It is super busy, but also super beautiful, and there is an amazing energy that the earth puts off only right now- everything coming back to life, even the rainy days are lovely.

My big maple

 I finished school for the semester yesterday, and I have a week before my summer classes start- in that time I hope to get a head start on the garden and a few other projects around the house before the crazy condensed courses start!

 

The garden has been tilled, and I have planted some- radishes, lettuce, beets, chard, scallions, parsley and early carrots. I may plant another row of lettuce and beets soon, but I will wait until the first of June to plant most everything else- we will still have cold nights and frost, so I'd rather wait than lose important things like green beans and corn and have to replant.

Honestly, this thing scares me, and it's hard to work!

Julian, the rooster went to live back at his old house, he was leading our hens too far away-like across one neighbors lawn and on to the other! We have 2.5 acres here, so that really is not necessary!

I was not completely on board with getting rid of him, but I agreed under the conditions that I could get a few new hens, and a new rooster just happened to come with them.  We got a Light Brahma (Daisy) a Cuckoo Marans ( unnamed so far) and a pair of Maradunna Basques- (the hen is Honey). Integrating new chickens can be a pain, but so far, so good.

 

 

 

Some Spring Things

                                                                                                                                                                      The days are getting warmer, well some of them. We have had a fairly cool spring so far- we had frost this morning when I woke up. Progress is happening, and being made. Over the weekend, although I have a nasty spring cold, I did manage to pick and pull more rocks out of the garden, and Joe straightened the edge of the garden, which increased the size slightly ( enough for at least one extra row of beets!) I also picked up a load of cow manure from a relative down the road- some went on the garden, but a lot went back on the compost pile, as it had a lot of grass in it. When it's free you can't really complain though!

The ever expanding rock pile. I took a wheelbarrow full of smaller rocks and dumped them down back.

I also successfully made yogurt! Last weekend, I attempted to, but because of a few small errors on my part, it did not set at all. This time I was a little more attentive, and found a different method ( using a warm oven to incubate) and had success! It set up nice and thick and tastes great. What I would really like to do is find someone whom I could trade with- for raw milk- eggs? veggies? anything for about a half gallon a month- because jeeze, I don't see myself eating more than a half gallon of yogurt every month!

Flowers are coming up, the Daphne is pretty much in full bloom, and now the trillium ( Stinking Benjamin's) are opening up too. A few happen to be living, with my assistance in my front garden. They are Joe's favorite flower.

Lilies from my grandmother's garden

"The Shed Master" He is shedding so bad right now that this is his current nickname.

 

Buddha watching over my stinkin benjamin's

My few seedlings are doing fine- I don't have a proper set up to start much here. I'd love a greenhouse- maybe next year! This years plan for garden expansion includes two small beds near the big garden- one for strawberries and one for...whatever I want- I plan to try to put some low tunnels up over one of the beds and see how that works out. Anything to extend the growing season would be super!

Jalapenos- just over a month old

 

 

 

Scallions- in my MOOmilk planter!

Not the best photo in the world...but who cares, the bluebirds are here!

friendly flycatcher- every year since we have been here there has been a pair that nests somewhere near the house, and I love watching them snatch bugs out of my garden!

 

April Vacation

Found this in the old dump pile in the woods behind our house

I am currently in the middle of my April vacation. I have got the week off from classes and homework, and I even have 2 days off from work! I'd say at this point, I've got a 50/50 split of time spent being productive and time spent relaxing. I scrubbed the bathroom walls yesterday ( how exciting...) and the day before, turned over the garden with a pitchfork to expose some grubs. The chickens had a great time eating up the earthworms and whatever other living things wiggled around in the dirt. I also treated myself to a facial at the beauty school ( you can't beat a $15.00 facial!)


It rained most of Monday, which is fine, it melted almost all of the rest of the snow in our yard, and it was sunny yesterday, and it is today, but it's cold!! 25 degrees this morning. I'm being a bit of a wimp, and waiting until it gets a little warmer to rake the dirt and rocks from my lawn left by the plow.

 

We are getting around 7 eggs a day now....

 

 

What I will do today though is make a birthday cake for Joe...Margie Standish's Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake to be exact. He asks for it every year...with cream cheese frosting. I'm also going to attempt to make my own sushi for the first time....wish me luck!

Tomorrow there is a possibility of a little adventure with a friend to go wrangle some geese. It should be a good time, and I could stand to go more than 5 miles away from this house!

Bedroom window lettuce..about ready to eat!

 

In other spring news, The onions are getting bigger, and the Jalapenos have leaves! I had planned to start flowers inside too, I guess it's not too late if I get on it right away!

 

Mysterious "icicle"...I want to know how this happened??

March 31.

Daphne-almost ready to bloom! This is the first flower I see every year- before there is a leaf on any tree, this random stick in the woods will have beautiful little pink flowers.

 

I think the snow is gone for good this time, yeah, sure, it might snow again, but April snow always melts fast...plus, I'm all done with snow, so it can't snow again...right?

band of turkeys

I've had a busier than expected spring semester. It's a little more than half way over now, and I just signed up for summer classes. If all goes as expected, and I pass both of my Praxis tests, I'll be student teaching in the fall, and will have FINALLY finished my degree! This has been a very long time coming, so I am getting pretty excited!

I started some scallions and some jalapenos a bit ago. The scallions are 2-3 inches tall, and the jalapenos are just emerging. This time of year is so strange, things seem so slow and so fast at the same time. I've got plenty of prep to do before I think about gardening- like getting some fencing to keep the chickens out, and getting some manure....but the ground is still mostly frozen, so I need to hold my horses!

Speaking of chickens, we lost one to a hawk this past week. Poor Peaches, the Buff Orpington. It's sad, but this is what can happen when you free range. Some people may think I'm cruel or dumb to continue to free range, but that is how it's going to be. They enjoy it, and loss to predators is part of the risk, even if they are penned. Moving on....

Last week we had a full moon..a big, bright one, and it made for a crazy week. The beginning of the week was crazy, but I was finally able to shift my mood and start to find spring when it turned a little warmer and the sun came out. We are in that " brown and gray" time of year, and I am really yearning for some green, and maybe a flower or two!

Pretty Peaches, RIP

Penny, my one and only blue egg layer has finally started laying again.

There Are 16 Days Until The First Day of Spring...

...But who's counting?!

 

I sure am. March first is a big deal in Maine I think...at least to me. Sure, we still get snow into April sometimes, but the days are getting noticeably longer and when the sun is out you can feel the warmth. Also, it marks an end to constant cold. As soon as we turn the corner into March, above freezing days happen more often. This is good for many reason, one of them being my dwindling wood pile!



hanging out across the street....

 

Please don't eat my chickens!

browsing the neighbors grass pile

From the top of Mt. Megunticook...my birthday hike

After the last big snow storm

turkey in a tree!

prints made from the wings of the turkey as it took off

 

 

 

 

Sure, we have the whole "mud season" season to get through, but like I said, we have turned the corner, the majority of winter is behind us and I can start doing spring things.