Friday, February 12, 2021

Friday Fotos

 

Welcome to Friday Fotos!
We've been a little bit busier on the homestead over the last week,
able to tackle both indoor and outdoor tasks.
It's felt good to rack up some steps on my pedometer.
 
It seems the chooks have decided that the flower bed 
in front of the porch is their newest favorite place.
I'll have to come up with something to keep them out of there,
because I have plans to beef it up with perennial plants for the growing season.
 

 
This week I finally found a home for these old newspapers
my parents had kept from all those years ago.

 
The local historical office was happy to have them
to add to their collection.

 
 I'm not sure how I got them or why I held on to them for so long.
I'm just glad that they will be able to be viewed by others.


 
Our neighbors two doors down keep bees.
I decided it was a good time to stock up,
as I've heard from other beekeepers that they 
completely sold out of their honey this past year.


 
 With springtime fast approaching,
I gathered the cardboard tubes that had been collected
and made seed pots.
A new process was used this time,
and I'm curious to see how well they hold up.


 The tweak with these is that the bottoms sit flat,
so there is less chance that they will tip over and spill soil.
I'll be posting the new method soon.
 
 
We had a weekday in the 60's,
believe it or not,
and I took full advantage.
This DIY "shed" that I fashioned last year
was starting to look ragged.
It was time for a bit of reorganization.

 
These storage units were repurposed from C's room.
They used to house a lot of his Lego bricks,
but we redid his system and he no longer needed these.
They were ideal for use in the outdoor space.
I was able to store smaller items for the garden and the chooks.

 
They fit perfectly in the space and allowed me
to fit more into the same area.
Some "s" hooks will be acquired so that
I can hang up some of the items and get them off the ground.


Here's another chore I've been waiting to do
once the weather cleared up a bit.
The area under the chicken coop would sometimes get soggy
when it rained or snowed.
I'm hoping this diversion dug into the ground behind the coop
will shed the water in a different direction,
thereby keeping their run area drier.

 
Well, the warm weather lasted a day, and then it hit.
We were blessed with about 2 inches of snow.
Hot dog!


 
You'll hear no complaints from me!
It's still a magical thing to me,
and I enjoy watching it come down and blanket everything
in a serene sea of white.

 
The chooks, on the other hand,
are not so fond of it.
They pretty much stay in or under the coop.
I did shovel most of it in the run,
so that they could stretch their legs.
The Eglu coop is surprisingly warm inside.
When I open the nesting box in the morning,
I stick my hand in the roosting area 
and am assured that it is toasty warm.
Amazing!
 
 
On a side note,
we made a discovery this week with one of the chooks.
It was the middle of the day and I went out to check on them,
and Queenie was sitting on two eggs in the nesting box.
Hmmm...
It seems we've discovered why she has been acting so peculiar lately.
Unfortunately, we aren't set up for chicks just yet,
so I took the eggs.
We are hoping she continues to be broody for another month,
when we will have another coop to use for spring chicks.
It will be our first time caring for baby chicks 
and we are all very excited.
 
What's happening on your homestead?
 

10 comments:

  1. Better you than me! (the snow that is)

    It's funny, I used to start seeds but have opted instead for direct sowing these past few years. Seems to work out fine. The only thing that might benefit from starting is tomatoes and they are cheap enough to buy from the big box. What seeds are you starting?

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  2. I decided to start some flower seeds in the homemade pots. I usually direct seed as well, but I wanted to try something different this year.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. We also had a day in the mid 60's. I changed my plans, and got outside to do the first of the winter sowing. I prepped a dozen or more jugs and filled them with soil. Only 4 jugs got seeds in them before I ran out of time, but it's a start. I should look at diverting water around the coop areas too, as a couple of areas get standing water if it rains a lot. It sounds like you're having a good, productive week.

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  4. I'm set to start sowing this weekend, if the weather ever allows! I wonder what you're sowing?

    Thank you for visiting.

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  5. We got some snow too! Your yard projects are wonderful.

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  6. Hi Daisy,

    Glad you are enjoying your snow! I like the snow, too, but here in NYS, I'm about done with the cold. Ugh. Back to single digit temps. We have a good coop, but it still gets cold. :-(

    Those newspapers are awesome! It's so cool that you were able to donate them. I bet they were very much appreciated. :-)

    More power to ya on cleaning up the yard. Never the most fun part, but certainly important. Hope you are having a GREAT week!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we've had a colder than average winter, as most of the country has. Hope you get some sunshine soon!

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  7. Hooray for snow!!! The photo of your house is beautiful. And hooray for a broody hen! That will be great if she'll stay broody long enough for you to hatch eggs. Our flock has a strong dislike of the snow as well. You can hear the disappointment in their chatter when we open the doors and the white stuff is freshly fallen. Amazing find with the newspapers and so nice of you to donate them.

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    Replies
    1. I'm looking forward to the experience of being a witness to one of life's miracles.

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