It almost seems unnecessary to explain my absence anymore – it’s pretty much a given that there will be a good month or more between posts these days. Here’s a brief update.
We’ve been busy working on “outside” things while the weather is good, namely the chicken coop.
The coop during the framing stage.
There’s a lot to tell you about this little project, but I’ll save it for the big reveal post (which will be soon – we’re almost done!).
Bella (named for Bellatrix, our favorite Harry Potter “baddie”).
The chickens are growing like weeds, and they’re loving their new coop. I didn’t want to move them in while we were still working on it because I thought the noise would be too much, but I couldn’t handle having them in the basement anymore – they were starting to free range! They tolerate the sounds of construction better than I thought they would though, and as my neighbor joked, their only complaint about the new coop is that they no longer have cable TV.
The garden is doing fairly well, with some things faring better than others (isn’t that always the case?). This is the first tomato of the season, a Cherokee Purple that I harvested a few weeks ago. We’ve also had a few Speckled Romans, and there are a lot more out there that are getting close.
Bonsai garlic of 2009.
The garlic was one of our major failures, with the lack of rain and fertile soil leaving them rather stunted. Considering that they started out as volunteers from last year’s neglected crop, I can’t really complain. My daughter is thinking about turning the tiny bulbs into earrings and wearing them as Edward Cullen repellent (unlike most girls her age, she’s not a big fan of the
Twilight books).
Last month we had a major thunder storm pass through the area – the sky was the most amazing golden colour right before it started. We sat with the lights off and watched the fork lightening dance across the sky all evening. The only one of us who wasn’t impressed was poor Princess, who stayed under the bed for hours after it ended.
Today we’re heading to the beach, to squeeze the last bit of summer out of the remaining days of August.
I hope you’re having a great summer too!
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The garden is doing fairly well, with some things faring better than others (isn’t that always the case?). This is the first tomato of the season, a Cherokee Purple that I harvested a few weeks ago. We’ve also had a few Speckled Romans, and there are a lot more out there that are getting close.
Last month we had a major thunder storm pass through the area – the sky was the most amazing golden colour right before it started. We sat with the lights off and watched the fork lightening dance across the sky all evening. The only one of us who wasn’t impressed was poor Princess, who stayed under the bed for hours after it ended.
Well, it's good to hear from you..stunted garlic and all.
Aren't chickens just grand?!
Just wait till that proud moment when you get your first egg…then you realize they are pets with benfits(:
Love that chook (chicken) house, we are finishing ours off too, not anywhere near as fancy as yours tho LOL
Can't wait for more about that chicken coop!
Michelle – Yes, I'm loving the chickens, I can only imagine how much I'll love them when they start earning their keep. Congratulations, again!
Molly – Thanks, although I'm not sure it's looking too fancy at this point!
Annie – I'll hopefully have more to show you after the weekend.
I find your blog very interesting. In some ways I am you only much later in life. I canned and gardened for years, sewed all my family clothing, etc. Now I am at a differentplace as a business owner. I have sold Joan Hassol's book for years. I was sad to see she had passed on. I read her book every summer. Thanks for your blog!
Bernideen's Tea Time Blog
Laughing at the Cable TV comment! Chickens in the basement–now I have heard everything LOL I love the look of the coop so far. Did you by chance see the chicken coop in the Hannah Montanna movie (my 9 year old son is a fan) I LOVED it. Now I am on the lookout for coop designs to possible dress ours up π
Bernideen – Thanks for taking the time to say hi! I do love Joan's book, and have recently gotten my mother hooked on it as well. It's a real treasure.
Shawna – Oh yes, I saw it! My daughter is a huge Hannah fan and was pushing hard for a rainbow colored coop. π
Have you been to backyardchickens.com? Lots of great ideas there.