Plans and more plans

So much in our minds lately.  We've both been sleeping poorly. Me because of my mind and my sore back, G because of his overactive mind at 4am (coinciding with mine) and he's got a chest cold. 

A few weeks ago we ordered some tracing paper through amazon.com so we could work on plans for the farm.  His GIS buddy from work was nice enough to print out a giant topo map of our farm with one foot contours, after using the original two foot contour map via DNR online.  So bit by bit after work in the evenings G has been drawing out the things we've been talking about for months now.

Our straw bale/hugel beds that will be removed for the pond--you can see the water runoff from snow melt pooling to the right of the photo.  That's where I started digging.  I'll have to consult the topo map but to my eyes it's definitely the lowest point of land before the area that drains to middlefield.

First draft of plans--you can just barely see the contour lines in the topo map underneath in this photo

A few of the ideas we have : 

some new paddock and fencing configurations, many extra swales, many new trees and shrubs, expanded herb garden (my domain mostly--expanding by close to 100 square feet), ponds and pocket ponds, hopefully a new greenhouse ready for fall/winter.  We might get a propagation greenhouse for close to the house, where I can start and care for all of the little plants (instead of lighting up our basement like a grow op).  And we need to decide on a spot for the bee hives.  Unfortunately the spot under the big spruce tree in the veggie garden doesn't give me enough room the work the hives, or enough room for the bees to feel comfortable if we are working out there.  

Granny Rose, fresh and dirty after a nice dust bath.
  She still lives in the house, still has cancer, but seems to be enjoying life still (especially if she can boss Fern around)

Helpful ducks keeping this ditch deep enough to hold water.  We didn't dig this, but it's on contour and slows the flow of water so it's acting as a swale quite nicely!

Oakley sees ducks heading toward his paddock.  This is a mildly traumatic event for him.

Bossy and Daisy enjoying ditch slushies.

Our new cuckoo maran hen.  She must be less than a year old--she's very very skittish.  Still need a name for her!

Shadow dancing for Myrtle, new Old English hen.

One of our beloved barnyard mix hens "Pickle" showing off her shiny green feathers.

Myrtle---looks like she's been scrapping her way up the hen hierarchy.  Crazy thing is that she's just tiny.

Chubby Butter (new hen--maybe ameracauna chantecler cross)

 And sweet little Juniper, the sick hen I had in the basement last week for impaction.  Turns out she likes to eat inappropriate amounts of feathers and who knows what else.  I will have to keep my eye on her. 

Go Chubby Butter!!

This was the first night out free ranging for the new hens.  Carefully tended by Shadow and Shade our big dark roosters. I took this photo so I could send it to G, who's in Denver right now.  It pleases him to see swales full of water.  This is in the sheep paddock, looking southwest across the horse paddock and into middlefield.

I've got to spend some time trying to train the new hens.  They were never trained to come when called, and I just can't deal with that.  It was very challenging trying to get them back to their coop last night.  I really enjoyed watching them out ranging though.  They are great foragers and I'm sure had some stress to work out after over a month in quarantine and then the stress of introduction to a new flock.  For any of you newer chicken keepers out there--don't believe what a google search will tell you.  Putting new birds in with the old after dark will not lead to acceptance of new hens in the morning.  Chickens aren't stupid.  How would you feel if you woke up with a bunch of strangers in your bed and had no idea how they got there?

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Winston had an exam and blood pulled for a recheck this morning.  He was very anemic a few months ago, so after some treatment we are checking to see if his values have improved.  He also has what appears to be a yeast infection in his sheath.  So hopefully we will find out for sure after they examine a slide.  The somewhat gross treatment for the sheath was to take a sample from Oakley, and donate his healthy smegma to Winston.  Try not to squirm in your seat if you don't think microbiology is cool.  It won't hurt him.  It's just like sourdough starter.  (people keep that alive for years!! bet you didn't know that) The vet made a joke that Oakley needed a sticker to wear that read "I'm a smegma donor".  

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Garage pigeon aka Rocket has been trying to bring his new girlfriend back to the garage to roost for a few days, but she gets too nervous at the sight of humans and flies away.  He follows her of course. Last night when I was mucking out the thawing manure from the horse paddock the two of them did pair bonding flights around the property.  It just so happened that the love song "Nest" by Ruth Moody was playing in the barn at that moment.  What can I say? I guess I'm a romantic at heart. Be safe Rocket!

That's all for now.  G has left me his cold germs it seems.  Hoping to kick it fast--I'm excited to get going on our plans!