They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
This week has been too busy, we have only had a grand total of two hours to work on farm projects all week. One of those hours was spent gathering information. In the garden beds, in direct sunlight in the middle of the day, soil temps are about 50 degrees. Under the cold frame the… Continue reading Hoop Bender
We have learned a few important lessons these past few weeks. One is that Christmas time is really busy for everyone, so very little gets done on the farm. The other is that the project of installing gutters on the chicken houses is long overdue. We recently picked up a trio of sapphire gem hens… Continue reading Gutters
So far behind on posting, likely won't catch up because it's a National Guard Weekend coming up. But here's a quick update. https://youtube.com/shorts/lhwnyNE1_-A?feature=share Thanks to our good friend, the electrical pump for the rainwater collection system is hooked up and running. It is even now providing water for the animals on pasture.
If there is one thing I have learned from working on the farm it is that you don't know what you don't know. You can plan and plot and run the scenario a dozen or a hundred times in your head, but still find out when you actually go to put it together that there… Continue reading A disappointing day
Homeschooling is a lot like farming. You never can tell how long it is going to take. The job that took 5 minutes last week might take 5 hours the next. The kids that did all their school perfectly without any need for input yesterday might not be able to manage 2+2 without asking for… Continue reading Odd Jobs
When you set out to be farmers, what that really means is that you are setting out to be a steward of a comprehensive, living, evolving organism, and of the physical infrastructure that supports it. This means that carpentry, plumbing, concrete work, electrical work, mechanics, small engine repair, horticulture, animal husbandry, and who knows what… Continue reading Running Wire for the Pump
Tuesday was the day we installed the pump. It was not a particularly smooth process. As the saying goes... Measure once, Cuss twice. When I measured for the box I was planning on using a simple sheet of plywood for the walls, then halfway through building the box I decided to make them out of… Continue reading Installing the Pump
We continue the electrical/plumbing project behind the shop, a little at a time, as we have an hour here or there. We really should try to hit it hard this weekend, but it is always hard to get time away from all the urgent things to get to the farming. We have deepened and widened… Continue reading Putting in the Conduit
We had a bit of an issue last winter during a particularly cold and windy rain-storm, with water seeping through the roof of the shop. We could see it soaking down the rafters on the walls (the underside of the roof is insulated and sealed with plastic) about every 3 feet or so. Going outside… Continue reading I hate shoddy work
Monday, after the pigs had left for the butcher, Daddy got a call from Papa to let us know they were heading down to return the shoes Seppi left at their house. "Oh, by the way, do you have an upright jack I could borrow to pull out some posts?" Papa always has the tools.… Continue reading An unexpected job
Little Farm in the Big City 