Coming Soon!

 Hurry up, Springtime!  I cannot wait for warmer days.  I have so much work to be done -- all this snow and ice is slowing me down.  These past couple of weeks I have started gearing up for Spring and now I just want to get started.  Anyway, here is a peek at things to come...

This week I went to Uncle Dave and Aunt Mary's house (our prior landlords) to place my order for chickens.  I could have picked some chicks up at the Tractor Supply Store, but I wanted a few specific breeds.  Dave is ordering his a bit later than normal this year so he doesn't have to spend so much time and energy keeping them warm.  I'm getting 6 chickens total -- 1 each of the following: Barred Plymouth Rock, Araucana, Buff Orpington, Speckled Sussex, Silver Laced Wyandotte and Rhode Island Red.  Sounds a motley crew, doesn't it?  Anyway, I'm acquiring everything I need for their brooder box to get them started.

I've also ordered my seeds for the garden and received most of them already.  I've got more seeds than I have room for in my two little raised beds, so I'm going to have to expand this year.  That means a lot of work -- but what's new.  I've also purchased a bunch of fruit plants and a few hazelnut bushes as well.  We are going to cut down a bunch of box elder trees in the back and clear out a nice area for the mini-orchard.  While we are at it, I think we are going to finally tear down that cute little red shed in the back. With the roof caving in, it really isn't worth fixing up -- so down it must come.  Work, work, work!  I want to get started now!

I'm hoping to have some great adventures this summer once all the work is under control.  Charlie and I intend to do some more fishing this year.  We didn't even go fishing once last summer -- that is just sad.  I'd like to travel to some new places this year as well.

Mama kitty also has some big plans in store for the warm weather.  She is pregnant again and getting fatter by the day.  I'll have to figure out a new shelter for her if we end up tearing down the shed.  Perhaps I could find an old dog house somewhere.
Today I re-filled the bird feeders and have a bunch of happy visitors.  We also had some deer in the yard and I heard a few gobbles from the wild turkeys.  Things are coming to life around here.  Stay tuned for the show!

Memorial day weekend

This weekend I got to use my camera a little bit more and had a nice time relaxing with a friend who came to visit.  We went to the farmers market and the bakery in Frankenmuth and went shopping.  This first photo is of course from the market.  We also went fishing at Charlie's friend's pond (and caught quite a few fish).  The next two photos were shot near the pond after I got tired of fishing.  

There was also a hot air balloon event going on that we spotted on our way to my Brother in law's 40th birthday party.  We pulled over to the side of the road to get a few photos.  As the balloons drifted closer some of them started to come down.  It turns out that we picked the perfect spot as they started landing on the road right in front of us.  

I'm sad that the weekend is over -- but it was a good, long weekend.  Hope you enjoyed the photos!

A day in the sun

This past Sunday was absolutely gorgeous.  We spent the entire afternoon and into the evening outdoors.  Charlie and his brother work with a guy that is fairly self sufficient and has his own homestead out in the middle of nowhere (I will call him "D").  We went over to his place along with my brother in law, his wife and their 3 kids.  First we went out into the woods to look for morel mushrooms.  Although we didn't find any morels, we filled two paper bags with beefsteak mushrooms.  I came out of the woods blistered and bruised (ill-fitting size 12 rubber boots + shin level fallen trees = ouch) but it was good to hike and get lots of air.  Oh, and a photo of a gorgeous trillium...

Then we fished on D's pond.  Charlie caught a nice trout and someone else caught a bluegill.  D. cooked up a mess of food while everyone kept fishing.  He made venison burgers, potatoes, corned beef hash, beefsteak mushrooms, applesauce, and of course the fish.  I don't eat meat but the rest of the food was amazing.  Apparently D. does a lot of hunting.  He has a sweet dog named Clover -- he made her a fox hat.  Here she is modeling it for you...

Here is a photo of D. and his bee hive.

And a photo of the honey he sent home with us, and some homemade raspberry wine that was also gifted.  Yum!

Overall, it was a great day.  I got some sun and fresh air, spent some time with Charlie and some of his family, and daydreamed about having my own little homestead someday soon.

Now it is mid-week and I'm just getting this post together.  Monday rolled around and life got busy again.  Last night and tonight I managed to plant some peas, lettuce and onions.  Much more news will be coming from the garden.

Sassy seems to have a urinary tract infection.  Right now I am trying to treat her with homeopathics but I worry that I am doing the wrong thing for her and am considering taking her to the vet for antibiotics.  If you pray for animals, send one out for her -- because she is uncomfortable.