Sunday, May 2, 2010

                                          

Spring is truly upon us. Our yard is shaping up to be all that we had hoped for. The garden is looking lush, and everything is set up for spending time. For all of our houses shortcomings, it has equal potential and we have equal imagination. Now that we have most all of our outdoor projects tied up, it is time for relaxing in our awesome space.

                     View from the back deck   Photo by Stew Sowers


Tonight Stew and I were out in the garden poking around for bugs and decided that our little plants were in need of some pruning. Our impatience this winter, which led us to start seeding under lights in February, has really paid off. We harvested a couple handfuls of kale, a bunch of radishes, a bowl of spinach and a little arugula (mostly for thinning purposes). I can't wait to eat it.



        Spinach & arugula in bowl. Kale and radishes in background.  Photo by Stew Sowers


The chickens are at home in their new coop thanks to Stew and Colin's hard work. The finishing touch of  a new sliding side door was completed this last weekend and it looks great.  Their run is almost complete after a few hours of fencing by Stew and I, and the area we picked for their run is really great. They will have some shade from a lovely current, a little hill for standing on and a rocky area for picking at bugs. The girls really seem to be enjoying their new found freedom.  They have grown into real chickens in the last few weeks, we even hear adult chicken noises coming from the coop these days. It is exciting to watch them mature and really take on their own personalities.



                                 Tin tin, with Bobbi chicken and Rosie.  Photo by Stew Sowers



                            Mrs. Rose Burns, Tin tin and Bobbi chicken  Photo by Stew Sowers


                            Sliding chicken door  Photo by Stew Sowers


                   Front entrance of cook, complete with screen door. Photo by Stew Sowers




                             Penelope strutting her stuff. Photo by Stew Sowers


 Beer is continuing to happen here at the farm house. Colin S's scotch ale is all bottled up, the Dead Guy is in a keg, as well as Colin K's hazelnut brown. Five out of ten gallons of IPA are bottled up and will be ready to drink in a week. By then it will be time to bottle the red ale that is finishing up.


                                   Twenty-seven 22 oz. bottles of IPA  Photot by Stew Sowers

Stew and I are both really beginning to feel rooted to this place and for me it is a very comforting feeling. In the past few years I have moved a lot and as novel as many of my housing situations have been (farm trailer, sailboat, etc) it feels good to have a space that is big enough to spread out. What is very exciting about having this home together is that we are able to implement some of the lifestyle choices we feel so passionate about. This summer we will not have to purchase any produce from stores, and the carbon footprint of the produce we will be eating is almost nothing. The same goes for the beer we are brewing and the eggs that our little chickies will be giving us. I am a person who often has the moving itch and Stew is the same, so I doubt that this will be our permanent residence, but it is definitely threatening to keep us here for at least another year. And I am alright with that.

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