Homestead mailing list

["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On 12/23/06, VAN DELL JORDAN <vdjor AT yahoo.com> wrote:
> My resolution is to manage to accomplish one tenth as
> much as Bev does.


Ditto.

--- EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
>  2. Build compost box/raised bed container out of pallets


Our compost box/bed needs to be re-built. Previous owner made it from
pallets and it's falling apart. Hubby made two new garden gates last summer
to replace rotten ones. Third is still in good shape.

We are redesigning the garden to better suit us. Previous owner had 5 3'x24'
long rows that are too close together to mow in between. Originally, we
thought we'd put down pea gravel or bark on the paths, but time went on and
we learned that we didn't need nor like these long, close together rows. The
two years that all rows were used, I was a slave to the garden. We've since
let three rows go back to grass. There are 4 3'x8' raised beds that need to
be refilled with soil & compost mixture as soil is back to ground level.
These beds are used every year (but this past year) for spinach and
lettuces, tomatoes and green peppers. One bed held a winter hardy kale plant
for five years that came with the farm. It was really a medium-sized shrub,
but it finally died a year ago. We hoped it might come back this past
spring, but it did not. I will have a small garden this year. I like to
start tomatoes from seed and now have a place to keep seed trays out of the
way of the cat.

3. Rehab old chicken coop


Our door to the coop needs repair. It was on last year's list, but we made
do. Now it must get done. Some of us would love to have chickens again but
we need a better system for taking care of them when we're gone for short
periods to hubby's gigs. If we kept the hen door open to the hen yard, they
can get in and out on their own but it's not self-closing (although a very
strong wind can blow it shut). We closed this door at night and reopened it
in the a.m. Now that we have a live-in client, I'll stay home w/ client when
hubby goes to gigs (and take care of my own chickens) or we'll take client
with us. Have not crossed that bridge. The muscovy ducks mostly take care of
themselves. In fact, we were concerned about them because we hadn't seen
them in a week. Yesterday, on Christmas morning they paraded up from the
pond to say hello and have some bread (and feed). We're considering getting
more ducks next spring.

The roto-tiller needs a new tire, finally got the motor running this past
year. Hubby turned over the beds last year w/ a shovel, this year I think
we'll need a machine. I'm debating whether to break ground for a potato &
squash patch within the garden. There is plenty of room, just time and
energy involved. Have had sweet potatoes one year in one of the long beds,
but not regular potatoes. I resolve to grow potatoes this year--if even 10#.
I've always wanted to grow potatoes and haven't yet. Have had summer and
winter squashes as well as pumpkins many years, but need more room for them
to sprawl unless I improve my staking system or plant bush varieties. I aim
to make better use of all the fruit on this farm--and to make a fruit wine.
Wanted to do that the last three years. I have good intentions, the follow
through needs some help. Will begin container gardening with room on the new
deck for pots.

We rebuilt decks that were in various stages of rotting, they were built
with untreated wood during previous owner's tenancy. We added a new deck
along side the addition that connects to the existing rear deck. We finished
a room in the basement. It's nice when one-time projects are crossed off the
list for good. We will paint trim throughout the addition this winter. We
bush hogged our fields and blueberry areas 4x between spring and fall, and
hubby mowed the blueberries and back field (pear trees) the week before
Christmas when it was warm and dry (and also hauled, split and chopped wood
that week--his wrist is acting up). We patched our dirt & gravel driveway 2x
(new load of gravel) and repaired water bars too many times to count. The
barn needs attention and we'd like to put a deck on the cabin (near the
pond), but these projects will wait for future years.

As mentioned, I changed jobs from mortgage broker to foster care provider to
a live-in client. Big change. My husband shares this job but it's mostly me
at approx. 85/15. I take care of the paperwork including Quarterly Reports
(next one due 1/1). Things are going well at six months, we have a rhythm
and schedule--we all know what to expect. I closed the mortgage business
last month (disconnected the phone) and notified my parent company.
Husband's music store had a great year and grew at 30%+/-. He just sold a
National Resophonic steel guitar in his first EBay auction sale ending
Christmas Eve. This guitar was bought and paid for early last spring, so
it's good to get reimbursed. From now on, he'll move big ticket items to
EBay auctions after the item has been in the store two months. Hubby has a
chance to go to Europe his summer for gigs, we're crossing our fingers and
thinking the best positive thoughts we can that this will happen. We want to
work on improving or refining ourselves as individuals and as parents, since
the boys are now 11 and soon to be 17. We'll blink and the oldest son will
leave home. We'll be home schooling driver's ed (and perhaps behind the
wheel) this spring and early summer, something else to look forward to
living through.

I need to work at writing with fewer words. I like Gene's thoughts about
finding the Zen moments. This has been a year of learning or re-learning to
go with the flow and expect it to be more of the same next year.

Lisa

Lisa