Random Thoughts

The last ice of winter

Today the last of the ice melted off the pond.  You can see where the morning snow landed on the last little piece of ice and coated it.  The temperature never got above freezing today.  It doesn't feel like spring yet.  We had snow on Friday and today. It isn't in the weather forecast, but it just keeps coming!  Gotta love Ohio weather!

Mallards on the pond

One thing I have been enjoying is watching a pair of mallard ducks on the pond.  They stay near the edge and get scared if anyone comes outside.  They quickly fly away.  They are definitely wild.

Chicks at 2 weeks

Friday was a long day in Amish country.  I think I saw more patients on Friday than I ever have before in one day.  I felt pretty good doing it, especially considering how sick I have been with the flu the last three weeks.  I may have had a birthday last week, but I am still feeling young!

Chicks at 2 weeks

My DH has been working hard to get the kitchen finished at the old house.  It is looking really good.  We still have to go over there and take apart the dugout shed and the old chicken coop.  The chicken coop is too big to move intact, so we will have to take it apart and repurpose it in some of our out buildings here.

My two favorite homesteading books

My time has been spent lately planning and learning everything I can about gardening and poultry.  A lot of the ideas of permaculture and guild culture, and the biodiversity are appealing to my philosophical understanding of the world.  It was interesting to me that when I went to Amish country on Friday, one of the organic farmers brought up how he felt that the ideas being taught in this way of farming was really cutting edge.  He is looking to incorporating more and more of them on his farm.  I didn't ask him anything about them.  He was just telling me what he would do if he started on a new property.  It was good to hear that these ideas make sense from somebody who makes his living this way.

Thomas's Cream Puff treats

 Thomas has been experimenting in the kitchen.  He made these on Friday while I was gone.  Michelle didn't even help him.  They were pretty good.  The stinker did siphon off quite a bit of cream off our milk though.  Hmmm.  Can't be a regular occurrence, as I can't give up so much cream.  I am happy that he is finding something to occupy his time with other than debate!

This evening I spent most of my time putting together the AWANA slide show for the closing program.  When my DH and I went over our schedule for the next few months we realized that our lives were pretty well booked up through the WHOLE summer, and that's before we add in farming!!  It will be interesting to see how it all works out.