Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings.

It's been a bit wild and wooly these last few weeks,

but things are slowly progressing toward spring.

No matter the weather,

it's so amazing to watch the changes all around us.

This honeysuckle is planted on the far end of our property,

and it was rather shocking to see it in full bloom.

Knowing that more cold temperatures were ahead,

we will see just how resilient it is.

This is a great plant to use as a hedge,

or clustered together, to provide a bit of privacy.

The spider wort is growing well,

despite the frigid temps and snow

we've had in the past few weeks.

This is used as a border along our

wood chip walkway alongside the chook run area.

I'm not sure why some folks don't care for it,

it's very low maintenance and will flush back easily

to provide even more blossoms later in the season.

It will be exciting to see these tulips blooming

in another few weeks.

These are the double bloom variety

and they are planted around our dogwood tree.

In the fall, a mix of allium bulbs were planted

in various beds.

Every year, I try to add a few more bulbs.

Many of the sedums have either continued to grow right through the winter,

or are coming back without hesitation.

Sedums have become one of my favorite plants,

as they are so easy going.

They don't require much in the way of water,

adapt to different sun exposures and don't need fertilization.

The garlic is looking mighty happy these days.

The abundant rainfall we've had this month

has boosted their growth.

Hoping for a bumper crop this year,

with almost 200 cloves planted.

In the month of February so far,

we've topped six inches of rain,

not including melted snow.

Mother Nature must be breathing a sigh of relief,

knowing she'll start off the spring

with ample stores of water.

Winter sowing has begun

and it feels good to have seeds started again.

Because I am using a new source for the topsoil

in my soil mix, only a handful of containers were sown.

If these do well with germination,

we will keep sowing each week.

This season, the focus will be on the crops eaten daily,

like kale and lettuces.

It makes sense to me to grow the things I enjoy most often.

So far, in this batch,

kale, leeks, lettuce and turnips (grown for greens) have been started.

I am working toward growing for myself,

as well as the chooks, who enjoy greens of all kinds.

If you want to learn more about winter sowing,

read this.

As I write this, I am pup sitting

and this morning's snow is just about completely melted.

It's such a beautiful sight on the bare tree branches and shrubs,

(although I'm not sure my Element, Ginger thinks much of it).

I never tire of its magical quality.

The rest of the week is warming up

and we may not see any more snow until next winter.

I'm grateful for the peace it brings me.

There is something to look forward to in each season.

The task is ours to find the blessing in the everyday.

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to our Friday feature,

Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

here on our Piedmont homestead.

It's been a rough couple of months,

and I am working toward resolution

to so many things.

Among other things,

I've been dealing with some surprising health issues,

and without the ability to get outside due to the weather,

it has taken its toll on my spirit.

Oftentimes, just being outside hearing the birds

or seeing that glorious blue sky

is enough to bring me back to a good place.

I'm working on it.

Believe it or not,

although we've had a long lasting cold spell,

with lows sometimes in the teens,

spring is beginning to pop up.

These irises aren't afraid to peek out of their cozy nest

in order to start the awakening that will continue for months.

I imagine the heavy blanket of leaves is keeping them

well insulated.

One of the tasks I usually have done by now

is the mulching of the fall leaves.

It just hasn't happened yet.

The blueberry bushes are budding out already,

and I'm hoping that this year our harvest 

will be an improvement from years past.

This will be the second season they have spent

in this same location next to the chook run.

Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits,

and oh-so good for you.

 

Something seems to be overwintering on this leaf.

It's fascinating to see things in nature

that often are hidden because of the abundance of leaves.

When the bushes and trees are bare,

it's so much easier to notice things.

Raven

The chooks have fared well through these frigid weeks.

With ample feathers to keep themselves warm,

they stay active scratching leaves and pecking the ground.

They are also given cracked corn to help them keep warm

during the coldest days and nights.

Straw has been used over the coldest part of the season,

and it's done a great job of keeping them toasty.

Yesterday, I decided to swap it out for shredded paper,

from our end-of-the-year file cabinet purge.

It should work similarly to the straw,

and it can be composted when it is no longer needed.

The bonus is that it keeps the coops cleaner.

Going through difficult periods in life

is certainly not easy.

I'm comforted by knowing that it won't be like this forever.

Things will get better and I am in God's hands.

It helps to remember to count each and every blessing

in the day-to-day.

This jar of sprouts on my kitchen windowsill

helps me keep in mind that my life is abundant.

Even though it's 14 degrees outside,

these seeds have decided to grow and give me food.

What a miracle.

May peace and comfort fill your heart.

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share the news about our

Piedmont homesteading adventures.

Not much to share this week,

as we are having a chilly winter, 

just like most of the country.

With snow predicted (yippee!) for the next two days,

I'll be hunkering down and enjoying the snowfall.

Amazingly, the kale is still growing,

despite some frigid temps overnight.

The row covers give us a few extra degrees of warmth,

and kale is one hearty crop.

What a treat to be able to enjoy kale

as I am working outside.

In another bed we have one Napa cabbage 

still hanging on,

and broccoli, which has been

oh-so sweet, thanks to the cold snap.

Some of the broccoli will be harvested

to make a vegan broccoli-cheddar soup.

The garlic seems to be oblivious to the weather.

It keeps growing, despite what the thermometer says,

and I'm hoping for a bumper crop this year.

Still a long way to go though,

with harvest time in May or June.

It looks like the welded wire around the bed

is keeping the chooks from scratching up the soil.

One of the tasks I enjoy doing in the winter

is clearing out the woods surrounding our home.

We have trees on three sides,

though not very deep,

but I've managed to do some serious tidying this season.

It's easier for me to catch rogue chooks when the woods are clear.

We have color even on the dreariest of days.

This nandina has a beautiful spray of red berries

and red tinted leaves as well.

The berries last well after the holidays

and provide food for the wildlife here.

There is a large holly bush that is 

absolutely loaded in berries this year!

I have trimmed a few of the branches

to bring some of the outdoors in.

The rest will be left for our feathered friends.

It's so nice to have a pop of color out there.

The girls are enjoying the pulled broccoli stalks.

They pick apart whatever is left in no time.

*Note to self-plant more food for the chooks!

Site supervisor Buttercup makes sure that I am 

doing a good job spreading wood chips.

We were gifted a load via Chip Drop this week,

so I will have plenty to do to keep me warm outside.

This was an especially good load,

as the chips are quite small and they even threw in

a substantial log that I can use as a perch for the girls.

If you can use woodchips for your garden, animals or

pathways around your yard, Chip Drop is a great free resource.

Since we signed up with them online,

we've gotten 5 or 6 nice loads.

I made some tortillas with the chickpea flour 

I had in the cupboard.

They are so good with cheese, beans and sprouts.

The recipe is simple, quick and requires only a few ingredients.

I got the recipe here.

Last year, I made a batch of vanilla

using the simple combination of vodka and vanilla beans.

Can I just tell you how amazing it turned out?

I left it in a dark cabinet for a full year,

and it has the most wonderful smell and taste.

I decided to start another batch for next year.

So easy, and much better than what you can find in the store.

Here's where I plan to spend the next couple of days.

I tend to do indoor projects during these times

when the great outdoors is inaccessible.

If we get snow, I'll be out in it, for sure,

but eventually, I'll have to come inside to warm up.

Counting my blessings 

every

             single 

                     day.

New Year's Day 2025

"Learn from yesterday, 

live for today, 

hope for tomorrow."

~Albert Einstein

 

May peace and good fortune follow you

throughout the new year.

God bless and keep us, everyone.

~daisy

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what we've been up to

in the last couple of weeks.

Can you guess what this is?

At a recent dog sitting gig,

I cut back the okra plants in the garden,

so that they will be easier to pull up

when the time comes.

As I was hauling these to the compost heap,

they begged me to take a snapshot.

I am thinking about making it black and white

and framing it.

I love the texture that shows through.

Taking pictures always brings me joy.

The garden beds have been covered with brand new row cover,

as winter is just days away.

Broccoli, cabbage, kale and lettuce sit underneath,

and almost all of these would probably be fine without the  covers,

but why take a chance?

The first broccoli was harvested this week,

and it was scrumptious!

We still have several left to pick.

It is enjoyed raw or steamed.

I'm looking forward to adding this to 

a rice bowl for a delicious evening meal.

This particular garlic bed has been visited by Matilda,

one of our newer chooks.

She insists on digging in this bed,

looking for tasty morsels buried under the soil and leaves.

Wire was placed around the cattle panel frame,

to discourage her from digging up all of our plants!

This is the first time we have remembered 

to purchase the covers that encase the outdoor spigots.

These styrofoam covers are used to protect the tap

from freezing during the colder months.

We've had quite a long cold spell,

with only a few breaks in between,

so we are grateful to have these as a bit of insurance.

There are still plenty of leaves to gather,

so this will be an ongoing task as the winter progresses.

We have a few months to accomplish the goal

of filling up our two big totes with mulched leaves

to be used in next season's garden.

We work on this as weather permits.

The classic Madeleines have been baked and delivered.

None of us has much holiday spirit this year,

so we are having a laid-back Christmas.

Minimum effort has been made to celebrate the season,

and it feels good to have the pressure off.

We will enjoy our traditional meal

and watch some holiday movies, but that's about it.

As we get older, we need less and less to be content.

Inside our new storage area,

we are slowly making progress on arranging

and organizing the space.

My seed bin is located here and the task

of seed sorting will begin in earnest

when frigid weather shows up.

We also want to paint the room and find

a more updated light fixture for the ceiling.

It's such a gift to have this additional room.

What an amazing sky we saw yesterday.

And what a welcome sight that azure color was,

as we've had quite a few dreary and somber looking days.

Whatever the weather, there are always projects to do,

both inside and out.

We are thankful that we have a home to take care of.

We send you our best wishes for the holiday season,

whatever you celebrate.

~Blessings.