Spring Chicks! by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring has finally sprung!

I am so excited!

The snow is melting and the phoebes have returned.

It has been a long winter and so I'm eager to share some pictures of our first hatch of chicks.

Spring is all about renewal, and chicks really help us get over Winter and ready to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

Beta Grapes, by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beta grape is a cross between the Concord and Wild Riverbank.

The skin is sweet, the flesh is tart and they have an intense grape flavour.

 

This past summer one of our two vines was blown over when a bad windstorm came through.

Andrew and I took the opportunity to espalier the grape vines properly.

We used steel t-posts in between and on either end of the vines and then ran steel wires to run the vines on.

I lost a lot of young grapes while pruning, untangling and hanging the vine that had blown down.

The other vine was loaded with grapes and still standing so I decided to wait on pruning it until after harvest.

A couple days ago the kids and I harvested the grapes and off the one vine and we got nearly a bushel of grapes!

We will be busy in the kitchen this week making fruit leather and grape jelly.

 

 

 

 

A Visit to Sky River Meadows Farm, by Kira.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through this Fall and the coming Spring we'll be readying our land,

putting up fencing and building housing.

There have been farm visits and extra research.

Yes, we are expanding our homestead next spring,

with goats!

Specifically, we are purchasing Nigerian Dwarf goats.

3 to 4 does and 2 buck kids.

These goats are a small breed but they have a lot to offer.

Their milk is exceptionally rich in butterfat, which makes their milk ideal for cheese, soap and ice cream!

We recently visited Sky River Meadows farm,

where Angee and Geordon gave us a tour of their goat farm.

While Andrew and I were checking out the goat buildings, milking station and fencing, our kids played with the goats and their toys.

I can see now that both the goats and our kids are going to entertain each other.

They may be out for hours on end, playing.

When we sat down to have lunch, we were offered some goats's milk

and ice cream!

If you have had goat's milk from a grocery store you will know that it has a very distinct 'goaty' flavour.

But this milk was delicious!

It was thick, creamy, and to my surprise, didn't have that 'goaty' taste.

The real taste test was up to our kids, who loved the goat milk.

We had orange and mint chip ice cream, which our kids ate eagerly.

Nigerian goat's milk is so high in butterfat that you don't need to add any gelatine or other additives to thicken homemade ice cream.

It is made simply with milk, sugar to taste and your favourite flavouring.

How great is that?!

The goats were playful, friendly, and each had a personality of it's own.

Our visit to Angee and Geordon's farm eased any hesitations we had left about getting goats. We're ready!

And excited about our own milk, ice cream, cheese, and goat's milk soap!

There is much to learn between now and when we get our goats,

like health maintenance, feeding, birthing, milking, hoof trimming, raising kids, and more.

It's another new challenge for us,

but we know it will be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

In the Morning Light, by Kira

 

 

 

 

Early morning sun.

 

 

 

Tomatoes starting to ripen.

 

 

 

Beta Grapes.

 

 

 

Lush meadow.

 

 

Collection of calendula and chamomile for drying.

The beautiful bowl is made by Homestead Pottery.

 

 

 

Heritage blue corn.

 

 

 

Gold Laced Wyandottes.

 

 

 

Dew on Bouquet Dill.

 

 

 

Little Cucamelons.

 

 

 

Beautiful Strawberry Blonde Calendula.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful. by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was snake catching, water play, and fort building followed by snacks from the garden.

This was how the kids spent most of their day.

When the kids were occupied, I worked on the gardens.

We're starting to prep some pasture and gardens for next year.

Although it seems that everything had a late start,

my gardens are starting to thrive.

Most plants are in bloom and starting to fruit.

The pollinators were busy buzzing from flower to flower.

The sun was hot and the breeze was cool; prefect for being outdoors.

There was talk and thought of next year's projects, pasture, animals, and gardens.

There was rhythm to our day as we worked, played, and rested together.

For days like this, I'm thankful.

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh Chicken, by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Building Permit

Now that Christmas has passed and Winter has settled in,

I have run out of excuses to put off completing my building plan application.

If you aren't up on old news, we were caught building the schoolhouse without a permit.

The neighbour complained and had the inspector come down here to set us straight.

Fortunately, I followed building code and the structure is well within our prescribed property line setbacks.

The building inspector was relaxed and only asked that we file a proper application.

The cost was never an issue, but the permit requires a site plan and building drawings.

Both take desk time and I had no intention of spending more time than necessary sitting down during the good weather before Winter.

I kept going with the building despite the visit from the inspector.

He never told me to stop.

The roof needed to be finished and walls closed in before Winter.

So that was done.

But to carry on, I need to cover walls up and hide the structure.

It's best if I get my permit done so that there can be a formal inspection.

It's understandable to finish the roof, but perhaps I should leave the walls open until I get the green light from the municipality.

That means getting the permit application done.

It's taken two days of measuring, and calculating,

drawing, and cursing.

Building a structure according to drawings is one thing.

Doing it the other way around is more frustrating.

The site plan was a tricky piece of work.

There are long measurements and strange orientation.

If the building layouts were all square, it may have been easy.

But alas, everything is on a crazy bearing.

I have a few new grey hairs to show for trying to orient everything as correctly as possible.

Now it's done.

I hope.

The application has been submitted and now I wait to see what happens next.

There shouldn't be any major problems other than omissions in content.

I realized afterwards that I missed a few details.

But it's not like a school project.

The municipality simply needs something on file to show that there has been due process.

The schoolhouse is properly constructed and we're not even close to crossing any property lines.

This isn't the city where a few inches of error could mean a major court battle.

To be honest, I will feel a great relief once the permit process is through.

Even though I made a calculated decision to not apply for a permit,

the fear remained that I would be found out.

Now that I have been, the pressure is off.

It's all for the best really; having been caught.

Perhaps I should thank my neighbour for that.

 

 

 

 

 

Turning the Page

One more rainy December day gave me enough time to finish the roof.
The schoolhouse is covered now and can be worked on from underneath shelter.
It's a major deadline to move beyond.


Though the wind still whistles through, it won't take much to seal it all in.
And now I have a protected place to work on the remaining stages.
The pressure is off for the moment.

The first thing to do is to get some electricity and light.
Just a little temporary power for the time being.


I'm looking forward to making a lot of sawdust.
Nearly every surface will be dressed with wood of all different kinds.

Some bright light during these dark months is welcome.
There's time in the late evening for some work.
Jobs that are more fun than laborious.


There will be more than simply building going on.

Other woodworking projects are on the list.
This space will help those new beginnings.

Oh!
What's that you ask?
It's a Shopsmith Mark V.


A multi-purposed woodworking tool that was developed sixty years ago.
They were made for decades and can still be purchased new.
However, there are many used units available these days;
if you know what you're looking for.


I'll enlighten you as I learn about it myself.

So it's time to move on.
Or at least, inside.