This Week in Review

This week in review is more like the last two weeks in review. We have been working hard and keeping busy here on the farm.  I have been enjoying JoAn's updates from the Philippines, I hope you have also. Their internet is down currently.

Here's what's been happening...

We have had  some company.  These were some of the children of a coast guard family who are driving cross-country to their new station in Kodiak Island, Alaska.  We had a good time.  The children enjoyed running, fishing and ATV riding in the back field.

I have been busy building a spiral rock herb bed.  It has involved a lot of lifting of big rocks, but I really like how it has turned out.  I got the idea from my fave gardening book, 'Gaia's Garden' That I cited previously.

The chicks and turkey poults, baby turkeys, are doing well for the most part.

They seem to be getting along pretty well together.  I need to get the turkeys out so that I can feed them a little turkey grower as they need some extra protein than the chicks.  They grow faster then.

We went to the eagle scout ceremony and graduation party for our friend the D-man.  He had worked really hard to complete his Eagle Scout rank.  His parents were very proud.  

This was their third son to attain that rank.  Way to go guys!  You da Boss!!

They had a very nice cupcake arrangement instead of a cake for his party.  This worked very well.

The kitchen in the old house is coming along nicely.  My DH has almost finished all the flooring.  He is tiling it.  It does look similar to the new farmhouse as we used the same cabinets and granite counter tops.  The flooring is different.

Elizabeth went out and did a photo shoot in the rain.  Everything looked so green and shimmery in the rain.

The pond was dancing in the rain.

The fields are turning green.  We plan to disc them up and plant them next week.

The biggest challenge the last couple weeks has been to keep the starlings out of my garden.  Starlings are small black birds that are not a native species and are deemed a nuisance.  They have been killing my tomato, eggplant, basil, and pepper plants.  I have been so frustrated.  I look out and they are biting off a big piece of the plants and then flying off with them.  I finally put posts around the garden and connected them with fish line around and above the garden.  This seems to be working OK.  I have only seen one in there since I did that.  I had to replant many of my tomato plants!  Hopefully, I will be able to harvest a crop this year.

Here is the finished herb bed.  I got the plants in yesterday.  I was a little scared to do it early as I was concerned that the birds would attack them also.  

All the herbs in my bed are perennials.  The rocks should confine their spread.  I am really excited to have this bed completed.  I will let you know how it works out.

My other project, was to build potato beds.  I put pallets together and then put about 5" of aged manure in them.

We put the potatoes in and then covered them with another 5" of dirt.

We put up the fourth side and screwed it in place.  The idea is to keep them covered and every time they grow up above the dirt a good piece you recover them.  They then will form potatoes all along the plant.  In the later summer, when it is time to harvest them, we will pull down the one side and just sift out the potatoes.  At least that is the theory.  I will let you know how that works out also!

We have been grateful to have our friends the Almonds over to help us with our outside work a couple days lately.  Their children are very hard workers and it seems a job is always easier if you have someone to share it with.  

The hammock is now set up and the temptation is to take a break and enjoy the view.  We frequently work until dusk, but we always pause to enjoy the sunset.