Garden, Independence Days Challenge

In The Garden- Whew, my legs are tired! I mowed, planted, hosed, weeded, tilled, dug, moved, seeded, swept, mopped (in the house), did laundry, made dessert. Thank god we went to eat dinner out! I was SO tired. Our new fenced area by the new raised bed (next week I swear!) looks better already with a new evergreen and perennials. I had to plant it before the raised bed went in, due to the small space. It has been a bit neglected planting-wise. I took care of that! 

                                                                   Before

After

I finally got the cold frame planted with Seeds Of Change "Tom Thumb", a nice small butter lettuce type green. I have grown it before and it's wonderful! I got a few little garden signs at Target for a buck, this one says "grow already!"

Independence Days Challenge-

1. Plant Something- Finally planted "Tom Thumb" lettuce in cold frame, perennials and evergreens 

2. Harvest Something- Eggs, grass clippings going into the compost.

3. Preserve Something- Same, freezing more food. Will be fixing up my bike next week :)

4. Store Something- I keep stocking up on more basics every week, added extra pine shavings for chicks. 

5. Manage Reserves- Get A Good Deal/Barter/Stock Up/Prep- Bought more thrift store shorts for summer.

6. Eat the Food- Try New Foods/Recipes- Made an apple butter spice cake to use up some homemade apple butter. 

7. Build Community Food Systems- Still need to get to the spring farmers market.

8. Recycle/Re-Use- A lot more composting, feeding chickens food scraps. Will be building a new raised bed from recycled, free lumber NEXT WEEK  I swear! Dave bought a new used bike for himself, since he can't ride with drop handlebars anymore. He loves riding to work, so after his shoulder surgery recovery he should be back in the swing of things by July.

9. Skill Up- Reading Little House In The Suburbs by Deanna Caswell and Daisy Siskin, good book! Helped Dave sharpen the blades on our push mower. Getting back on my bike soon!

10. Regenerate What is Lost/Salvage Something- I cut back our very lopsided lavender plant in the back yard, moved it, and it should grow back, I hope. 

Hail and Rain! BioLite Stove, Chick Update, Thrifting

Hail and Rain- I heard a huge noise with what I thought was wind Thursday about 10:30 p.m. I woke up to this in the morning-

Little piles of hail and junk from the trees all over the yard. We went from the almost 80's to the 50's within 3 days, and had record rain for a 24 hour period, over an inch! There are flood advisories in the surrounding areas. I'm glad I don't live near water ! I went from wearing a lite cardigan outside in the morning at school to a medium winter coat and gloves. This time of year I put most of my really heavy winter clothes away, but leave out some. I was back to a flannel blouse that day, brr. And then threw the heavy comforter back on the bed, got out the winter jammies :)  I'm so glad I hadn't planted my cold frame yet! My babies would have been pulverized! I'll be planting tomorrow and hopefully setting up our new raised bed, weather cooperating. Dave had shoulder surgery, so he has to be careful and I'll pick up the slack. I bought some new shrubs and perennials to fill in the bare area by where the raised bed will be, and will post photos of the "before" and "after"!

Chick Update-  The girls are getting so BIG! And they can fly, oh my! We added a 2nd long box, so now they have a double wide for a home. About 6 feet long. I switched to pine shavings today too. I also moved the outdoor "playpen" to the kitchen for some variety on the weekends. With the highs in the low 60's it's too cold for them to got outside. They had a blast!

Thrifting- I hit another goodwill store today and found a really cute sunflower, made of solid pine, for $1.99!

Also bought some more shorts (which I live in during the summer), and some cute denim overalls (I love those). I haven't had overalls for years, but like them in the cooler weather.

The BioLite Stove- I thought this is such a great idea! Great for emergency use, since it's small and easy to store. It generates electricity too, from the heat, to charge up small devices. No fuel to buy either, just use what you have. A bit spendy, but would pay for themselves with regular use, like camping, etc....

When Did I Start Homesteading?

I was looking around my home the other day, at all the little things that speak to me. That got me thinking- when, and how, did I start homesteading? Bearing in mind I do urban homesteading, I still long for a rural life, old rusty stuff, and animals. A big garden, fruit trees and a barn. Where did all this come from? I started thinking back to all the little, subtle hints that pointed me to the eventual life I'm in- being around my absentee Father, who fixed cars and was a self trained mechanic, taught me how to use tools. Being around a Grandfather, who loved to garden, taught me about growing things. Being around a Grandmother who sewed, canned and cooked from scratch, taught me how to feel friendly in a kitchen. All those little things add up. You never know thru your life what your destination may be until you see the road map getting clearer. Always planning ahead is part of that homesteading thinking- where can I grow more food? Where can I store more food? How much stuff do I need to buy versus making it? How many animals can I support? How should I take care of them? What's my "bottom line" on what I will and will not do? Being married sometimes blurs this :)  I could sell this house in a heart beat and move east towards the border of Wyoming where it's much greener, more rural, but with small cities nearby, and have a small acreage. But being married, well I'm still working on that! For now I do what I can where I am and sigh, "if only...."