July's post

Been awful busy here with the new chicks and getting the garden in. Everything always happens at the same time during planting season. The garden is doing well and so are the weeds. Just can't keep ahead of them this year. Can hardly see my tomato plants

Chicks we picked up at the end of May. Tiny little things but growing quickly. Have to make sure they are warm and eating and drinking. They all have names now and actually tell them apart, except the Buff Orpingtons. Might leg band them with colors when full grown.

After seven weeks we needed to move them outside. Was dividing them in two groups every day.Finally to the main coop. More room for them to stretch their wings and strut. 

After some time in the coop so they know where they live we let them out. It was close to two weeks they were inside. Cozy and secure and learning how to roost. Beside thats where they get their special salad Margaret makes them. She talks to them and they sit and listen. Chicken talk. 

 

The trench has been dug for water and electricity. Very easy digging as it was all sand. Pulled in 15 conductors so I can switch lights from the house shed and coop.  Was an easy pull with the help of a good friend Fenton. Would still be out there if I was alone. Water has been installed at coop, greenhouse, and shed. Just an upright faucet at each location . Nothing fancy,just convenience for me.

Its nice and warm outside so we decided to let the girls out early. The pop door was opened last Sunday and they were coaxed out be Jenny with some scratch. I guess they are real chickens as every  morning they go out and are back in the coop in the evening. Their safe place.When I'm out back working they watch me and yes I do go over and talk with them. No chicken talk regular conversation. Maybe thats why I have nothing to say at dinner. Used up all my talk with the chicks and dogs. So some time in late September or October I should start to see some eggs. Until then have to just take good care of them and watch for any signs of predators lurking around. So far so good. Take care all my friends gardeners and all you chicken people out there. Its a lot of work but keeps us young and active. Better than going to the gym and have to pay to get your workouts. Home grown workouts.

WELCOME TO THE CIRCLE M COOP

Been awhile since I posted. Its been a very cold and snowy winter. When I wanted to work on the coop I had to shovel around it. But Its done now with some much need help from the family. Putting on the board and battens was the easy part.

 

All started with Oscar helping me square the base frame off.

Built the walls off site and found out I couldn't carry them. So Brian and Sara came over to bail me out. Moved them to their location and fastened them down securely.

Once the walls were in place Jenny came over and put the middle supports in with pocket screws. Sure did stiffen the building up and a place to nail our chicken eire on.

Ridge bean and rafters went on next. Its getting cold out and the weather is not going to hold up. So Jason came over and we put a tarp over the building so I could work through the winter.

During the nice days of our cold winter I worked on the coop part itself. Finishing the interior with tar paper and then pallet wood so the girls would be draft free during the cold months. Even though it was a nice day my fingers were always splitting open from the weather. Some days it was only an hour or so. Not to mention I also had to keep the driveway open and the run for the dogs.

Next some board and battens went on and the electrical went in. Yes spring has arrived. Nest box installed and ready to roof.

Finally roofing day has come. One phone call was all it took. Family showed up and it went fast. Jim,Jason on the roof putting the plywood and tar paper on along with shingles, Erin Sara Brian joining in after it get started. For those that don't care to be on the scaffold doing the high work the nesting boxes had to have shingles also. Even Murphy had to help carry the lumber. One very productive morning.

As you can see from the last six pictures it came out well. A painted blue ceiling to a vinyl floor. Three insulated nest boxes and some nice secure windows to keep them safe at night.The eleven birds have been ordered and will be here by the end of the month. It was a great project and made me feel good to see the family jump in to help. Could have never put that roof on by myself. Age has caught up with me.  Thank you everyone for the help.

February in upstate New York

  This winter has been a cold one. Once the snow started it never stopped. Not even a January thaw. With all this snow its going to be a late season for starting seedlings in the greenhouse. It seems everyday me and Margaret are out there with our carhartt's on shoveling snow or using the snowblower. Had over 55 inches this month alone. The cold temperatures with wind chills at -25F don't help. the wood stove has been working overtime. Being a short month we still went through 2 1/2 chords of wood. It seems like I'm filling the porch every 4 days. You all know how it is as we are all in the same boat sinking this winter. One thing though a day with sunshine makes you feel a whole lot better. Today is one of those days. Good day to be ice fishing. Enjoy a few pictures of the season and think spring.

 Looks like it will be awhile before I get to the greenhouse

Rabbit looking in the dining room window waiting for Margaret to feed her.

Nothing getting done in the coop                                                                                     

Dogs having fun in the snow.

December's Post

  So far Mother Nature has proven herself as unpredicable. A snow storm which has dropped a mere 24 to 30 inches of snow on us in a very short period of time. This has happened on the 10th of the month. Schools were closed and the interstate was closed to tractor trailers. But for us that live here no big deal just a slight inconvenience. The end of December we had a heat wave with temperatures hitting the high 50's for Christmas Eve. No snow green grass and some trees starting to bud.
   With the nice weather I went and spent some time on the project. Started to finish the interior walls with pallets that were free for the taking.
I guess I'm going green in my old age. I'll call my decorating theme "Early American Pallet". Time to get more pallets to finish the long walls and inside doors.

   Hoping everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to spend time with family and friends. Pieklik family had the traditional polish meal Christmas Eve meal started many years ago by our grandparents and kept up by our parents.  Pierogies being the main headliner of the meal with other side dishes. Doesn't take long to make the pierogies when you have experienced help.


   Wishing all of you a prosperous New Year and hope all is well with everyone. Have a good year.

 

 

November's Post

Good morning followers,
  Today is a very bright day with the sun shinning over a slightly white landscape. Its cold though but nice. The girls enjoyed their walk this morning with their noses to the ground with all the scents they can take in. We do have night creatures out there, digging all over.

   The garden has been covered with a layer of leaves that Margaret chops up for me every year. She is quite the wheelman on the tractor. As she dons her sunglasses and sombrero she is tractor ready.

   Just finished putting all the summer tools away. Yard has been picked up and our 16 cord of wood covered. Now we can sit back and enjoy the heat from all that wood.

   Had the grandchildren over one day so I thought I'd have Oscar give me a hand out back.  Clara was busy with Margaret with a tea party so I let Oscar use my tape measure. If you know him he always has to use it when he comes here. So out we go to the back yard to check to see if our new project is square. We were dead on the money as our diagonal measurement was the same. A little adjustment with the sledge hammer was all we needed.

   The project continues off site. Built the walls in the shed. Found out they were way to heavy for me to carry over. So now I need more help. Its a bitch getting older. So I arrange for Sara and Brian to come over and help put the walls up. Had it done in no time at all with the young blood. Walls were square and level. This is going too easy. Lots of planning has been going into this.

 Now come the roof. 6/12 pitch, lots of you tube videos. Book out learning how to use the framing square, reaching back into history for the pythagorean theorem. How will I get the ridge board up there? With the help of two tall ladders it went into place.

To my good fortune Jennifer shows up to help with Kate for the day. She wants to help on the project also. So I take a break from stacking wood and cut a few boards for her to put up as blocking. Easy with two people.  So she does the rafter supports also.