First of all, we would like to thank everyone so much for all the kind words and condolences received on the loss of our cat Samantha. I will have more to write about her soon, but we thought we’d start this week with something a little more lighthearted.
While it’s been a sad time here, there’s still been a lot going on at the farm, and the busy-ness of spring is a welcome distraction. Our weather has not been conducive to getting all the things done outside that we need to, but this past weekend we finally got a break from the rain and cooler temperatures. While we still haven’t seen much sun, it’s at least been dry and up to 60 degrees.
Yard cleanup has begun, with lots of raking of the yard and gardens to do. Early snow last fall meant we never finished our autumn raking, though the truth is we don’t often do a lot. Leaves make great fertilizer so leaving them on the gardens for the winter can be good for the soil as they’ll break down at least a little bit before we remove them. The Dadz also has a leaf blower, which is a big help, especially in Luke’s yard where the leaves gather against the fence.
We’ve started planting early vegetables as well, and I have a whole lot of seedlings started in our upstairs room under grow lights!
Most exciting, however, is that we got our coop expansion done! We’ve doubled the size of the chicken coop and you know what that means – more birds are coming! We’ll be picking up 12 new chicks by the end of the week! While it won’t be quite the same without Mama Cat Sam to watch over them, we will still enjoy it. With the coop expansion we now have a separate area in there, so we’ll be able to bring the chicks outdoors a bit sooner than we have in the past (temperatures permitting).
Our two female guinea hens have started laying eggs as well! We think we have it figured out how to keep them laying using the same nest which is thankfully close to the house where we can watch it. If we collect the eggs daily, just leaving a couple in there, we think they will continue to do so. So far so good. We may hatch some more this year too. We don’t want to add too many more to our flock, so we want to make sure any we hatch will have homes first. We have at least one person who was interested and we’re waiting to hear if she still is. I hope so, because the hatching is so fun!
We also have some indoor projects in the works. I’m always painting one of the rooms and the latest is our laundry room. Once it’s painted, we’ll be having new flooring put in as well. With old linoleum in there coming up, and the walls beat up from goodness knows what, it was in sore need of an update (I had already got a new washer and dryer, couldn’t wait for that – yay!). We’ll be putting in new shelves where we’ll have a little extra storage, and a new door which will match the old doors in the old farmhouse part of our home (it’s half old farmhouse, half newer addition).
Things are just starting to get colorful and we’ll be sharing some photos of our spring flowers on Nature Friday this week. Luke and I are getting out for more walks with the better weather. Unfortunately, spring brings the nasty bugs and we’ve been seeing some ticks! That’s why we like to let the guinea hens in Luke’s yard….we hope they will find the ticks while they’re in there and get rid of them. We use only natural repellents on pet and human around here, and it doesn’t always work 100% (in my experience the chemical ones never did either!), so we keep a close eye out for any that still find their way on us.
The new chicks will keep us busy, and cleanup and planting will continue right through June. We’ll share more about all that is going on as it progresses – and of course share lots of cute chick photos, so stay tuned!
We are happy to be joining the “Awww Mondays” blog hop hosted by Comedy Plus. Please visit them and other blogs through the links below!
Oh wow that new addition looks great!! It has been tick season for a while here already so no walks in the woods for Matt. We get those seed ticks you can hardly see and with his black coat I just don’t even chance it. Can’t wait to see all the updates on the upcoming projects.
xoxo,
Bell Fur Zoo Mama
Thank you! I know what you mean about the ticks….even the bigger ones can manage to hide in their fur and not be seen! Nasty creatures.
I’m so sorry to hear about Samantha and the thought of new chicks without their guardian cat-mother. Good job focusing on the more cheerful things for your blog. I find that difficult after a loss.
Thank you. It’s not easy, but I find that writing about other, happier things is cathartic for me. ♥
Can’t wait to meet the new chicks! Everything looks great!
They should be here when you come over on Saturday! Thanks!
Nice addition!!!! More birds how cool!!!
We just don’t know when to stop! LOL
What a beautiful job you’ve done! I love the little sign.
Thank you!!
I imagine that between Luke and the birds, you get plenty of “help” 🙂
That’s for sure!!
I love reading about your farm life. I can’t wait to see what all you are growing this year. Luke is going to be busy guarding everything.
Especially his vegetables! LOL
Very nice chicken coop. When you wrote the hens put on miles daily you got me curious. I wonder if anyone ever put a fitbit on them to see how far they go 🙂
Ha ha, I wonder too….and now you’ve got me thinking!! LOL
The chicken coop looks amazing! Kinda wish we were chickens so we could live there. 😉
They might have it better than we do. LOL
When do you find time to do your bookkeeping work? 🤣🤣 My goodness, Woman. Seriously, though, the new coop addition looks great! And I’m sure the new chicks will love it when they’re ready to start joining the flock! Good idea to keep busy though. It really does help. Glad you’re enjoying all your projects; and I’m looking forward to seeing the herbs and flowers!!
Ducky sends Luke puppy kisses. 😘🐶😘🐶
I’m not sure I’d know what to do anymore without a whole pile of projects to work on! I’m anxious to get out in the gardens more, but we can’t do too much around here until late May/early June. We might get a frost tonight.
The coop sure looks great and we can’t wait to see the new chicks come onboard!
Thank you!
My goodness! You really have been busy. Love the new coop addition and cute signage. Good luck with progress in the laundry room.
I got my painting done! Now to wait for the contractors to come back to put in the floor. That will probably take longest of all. LOL
Awww, chicks are most adorable and so is Luke. Your coop reminds me of growing up. We had a chicken coop too. Fond memories.
Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous day and week. Big hug to you and scritches to Luke. ♥
I always wished I had grown up on a farm! I’m trying to make up for lost time now. 🙂
Very nice. I thought we had a Tajma-chicken-hall but your’s is way better.
My hubby does not believe in doing things halfway. LOL
My grandmother had a small chicken coop in her back yard. She also built a ramp into the low branches of a tree because some of the birds preferred to roost outside on summer nights. Lots of good memories at grandma’s house. Thanks for sharing your day with us.
Oh, what wonderful memories you have of Grandma’s house! What a neat idea to build that ramp. We wouldn’t dare let ours roost outside though, too much wildlife around here!
That is looking great Jan! I am glad you have found something you enjoy so much.
Thank you, Karen! ♥
it wouldn’t be the same without… yes…. but it is great to see how your farm grows and what a wonderful place it is… specially with the new bed with flowers and herbs…
Thank you! I can’t wait to get started on planting the flowers and herbs! It’s still a little too early for most things here, with an occasional frost still happening.
I think you have gone to the chickens. Who knew there is so much to know and learn about chickens! It seems like you really enjoy it, which is the main thing.
I think you’re right! I honestly never expected to enjoy it so much. I really just wanted a few fresh eggs. 🙂
The coop expansion looks great and will make for even happier chickens! I hear ya on the ticks, Luke. When we get home from walkies, mom immediately checks me all over and always seems to find one. grrrrrrrrrr
We bet you don’t jump around like a crazy dog when she finds one though! 🙂 That’s Luke’s MO.