homestead happenings ~ a new season

Beginnings are so much fun.  Everything is exciting and fresh...little snowdrops peeking above the snow, bare patches growing in square footage each day, birdsong floating on the spring breeze...how can you be anything but excited for the beginning of the new gardening season?

And my oh my, we do have some big plans for our little homestead here.  We hope to finally fill up our pond to the top and stock it full of critters (turtles and fish and ducks, oh my!), to build a few more raised beds, to prepare a site for a newer and better greenhouse, to begin fencing for some future sheep (!), to begin our dye garden, and to finally, finally, finish the long-awaited chicken coop.

Forrest loves to tend our campfires.  He discovered that pine pitch, the sappy resin that drips down the trunks, makes a wonderful smell when tossed onto the fire.

A month ago I began our indoor starts and am happy to see many little green heads awakening, full of perky attitude.  I started many plants for my dyeing obsession, including madder, indigo, tickseed sunflower, fennel, and our lady bedstraw.  I have more to do, but that will come a little later in March.  And there are also the usual suspects of onions, leeks, parsley, and half a dozen garden flowers.  While we have this new seed start table set up and all the lights aglow, I started some lettuce for indoors, too. 

Josh harvested all the logs from the forest and used his chainsaw mill to make the boards last summer.  He is using some old-time technique of making a groove down the side of the post, and simply sliding the boards into the groove.  It is like a giant puzzle.  He wants to make his own shingles for the roof, too.

But our biggest excitement around here is centred around our not-too-distant-future co-habitants...a dozen or so laying hens.  Now, I might be jumping ahead of myself (or my husband the builder, as it were), but we do have a floor in place from last fall and a few walls up now.  Yes indeed, this is what constitutes excitement around here.  When Papa is out of the mountains for a day - or if we are lucky, two - we head on over to The Coop and make a fire, bang some nails, chop kindling, watch Papa haul trees out of the woods, and knit.  (Well, this mama knits anywhere and anytime she can...in a chicken run inlcuded).

These photos were taken last week, but Papa is back out of the mountains for two whole days back-to-back.  If you're in the neighbourhood, you'll know where to find us...we're wanting to meet our ladies soon!

 

Comments

[Cynthia]

Oh wow! What a to do list! Can't wait to see your baby dye plants growing. Fingers crossed on getting some baby chicks in your future. Do share photos when they arrive. :)

[lori]

hello lovely, how happy it makes me to see you sitting and knitting with the children playing happily nearby. i think that chuck was gone out to the islands guiding, same time as josh, he left soon after we returned home from our trip, sigh. :) if only i had a magic carpet to fly over and say hi! he'll be home today, only to leave tomorrow for 6 more days. lucky i have lots of wool to keep busy!

[renee~heirloomseasons]

Oh yes Jules, beginnings :)
And chainsaw mills! Your chicken coop will be beautiful.
Hope you enjoy your knitting, your garden dreaming, and your days with papa home.
Happy Spring!!!
Love Renee XO