Well, spring has slapped everybody upside the head around here and there is much going on. Ms. Prissy (on the right) is broody again so we have put her in the run to try to snap her out of it. She gets it so bad she doesn't even have to have any eggs. She tries to hatch the golf balls we keep in the nesting boxes. Shes' already pretty looney, even for a chicken, but when she gets like this she is really nutty. It takes her about a week of not being about to get to a nesting box and she usually snaps out of it though. Poor little Sheila is having to stay with her because she seems to have a bad cold or something and I want her to stay away from the others while I treat her. It's so hard to diagnose a chicken. She sneezes a lot and breathes hard sometimes. I hope it is not infectious bronchitis but she is getting an antibiotic just in case. I don't like to give drugs like that but I don't want her to die either or spread it. Yes, she's in with Prissy but I'm short on space and better one other get it than everybody. Everybody is getting olive leaf for now, an anti-viral, just in case and because I'm not sure what it is.
We also replanted the main run with grass and it has done well, as you can see. They had eaten every speck of grass here but this crop is doing well and should maintain it's self better as they only go in here for cases like this.
The garden is doing well, especially all the herbs. The flowers on the sage are just this electric blue. Gorgeous! In the background you can see the monster catnip plant but it got severely pruned yesterday. It was already crowding everything around it and will be huge again by summer.
The composted chicken poo in the rows before planting seems to have helped a lot! The broccoli that got most of it is doing great! Maybe I will get a harvest before it gets too hot. I'm really trying to establish a permaculture thing here where all the plants and animals work together. The chicken poo feeds the garden and the garden feeds us and then the chickens too. I have added a little bone meal and some natural fish fertilizer but am trying to avoid most commercial fertilizers, even organic ones. I'd rather build the soil using compost and such and it seems to be working. I dig up lots of wormies any time I plant something, whereas before they were pretty scarce.
Here is the massive amount of catnip I harvested. Not sure what I'm going to do with it though. I mean, we use it for a sleepy tea and Grendal likes it of course, but we don't use a tremendous amount. I've got 3 large bundles drying and maybe I can give some away too. I'll probably just compost a good bit. It should be good for that.
I have a post or so about my pottery and such coming up; I'm working out how I'm going to make my living now that I'm done with the construction. Does anybody have any questions or idea they would like to see a post about? Want to know how I do anything it particular? Just let me know!!
8 comments:
All of what you are doing with your place sounds great and self-sustaining, Annie. As for how to make a living, selling pottery only goes so far, I suppose, but there's also selling some of the eggs and veggies, which may not net a big profit but allow you to remain self-sustaining. Perhaps you would want to eventually do something again in construction, but on a smaller scale? As for suggestions on what to post, I sort of like what you are already doing.
Looks like the garden is coming along well, keep us posted.
Isn't catnip one of the things that's supposed to be good for bug bites? I wanted to grow some last year for that purpose, but I wouldn't know what to do with it after I grew with it either. I think you're supposed to get the oil out of it, or make a tincture, but I don't know how to do either of those things. Maybe you could just crush it and rub it on yourself. Sounds fun, too!
I just love the garden posts.
How about drying the catnip and stuffing cat toys with it. There are a lot of cat lovers on etsy. As a niche market some cats prefer mint to catnip. I don't think I have ever run across toys stuffed with mint. Filling a need or want = $!
Annie, being a knitter/spinner instead of a potter (pottery artist?) I don't know much of anything about how my beautiful mugs got from the ground to my table- I'd love to see a step-by-step photo journey of how your gorgeous pieces go from the riverbank (or wherever the clay comes from) to our shelves and cupboards...
Hey Annie, I always like seeing pix of the land around your house: what wild things are growing, stream life etc. Also, I second the notion of drying the catnip and just stuffing tiny pillows wiht it, like 2X2 inch squares. You could easily sew those by hand, even. I don't have cats now, but when I did I remember that catnip pillows were great inside-house toys for them.
Hey Bea! thanks! well, I think the construction employment is probably pretty much over, even on a small scale.. I'll tell ya'll why in a future post.
Hey Swampy! thanks! I will.
Hey Melissa! I have actually rubbed it all over me as a bug repellent! Didn't work real good but maybe a little. It does make me incredibly sleepy though! lol!
Hey Erin! That's a pretty good idea! I do have a catmint plant but it doesn't get near as big as the nip. I made Grendal a toy for Christmas stuffed with the nip and it was so strong smelling she tried to eat it! I might have to modify things!
Hey Sal! that's a GREAT idea! I'll do that! Although the reality of my clay is not quite that romantic; it just comes from a box! lol!
Hey Pam! I've been meaning to post some pics of some of the new wildflowers and such! I'll do that soon too! Yeah, little pillows would be easy; I think I'll have to do that.
Looks like Easter should around there. It's been nice but windy the last couple days her but snow and gusts up to ninety mph for the three days before that. I still like it here better. Happy Easter.
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