Homestead Happenings! August 31, 2016

Every Wednesday I will  post what kept me busy during the week and share my pictures.  I admit, technically we do not live on a homestead but we have the mindset of one.  We endeavor to use our land and animals to sustain us and growing each year in faith, knowledge and developing a deeper, self-sustaining lifestyle.

This week was a hard work week!  The weather cleared and warmed up so we took the opportunity to bring in  our winter wood.  Each winter after the logging roads freeze, we haul a couple of trailer loads of wood  for the following year.  It's not free wood, but at a hundred dollars for all you can load on your trailer it's a frugal source of heat.

Wood trailer and splitter

There is about three cords of wood on the trailer.  The mechanic did the grunt work of unloading the logs and bucking it up.  I split the wood, hauled and piled it up in the woodshed.  We pile our wood because our wood heater works best with short blocks.  In it's former life our wood stove was a coal burning stove on a rail car.

All done!  

We were also able to bag up all the sawdust to use in the chicken coop this winter for their deep litter method.  We had a bit of spare so we tossed it into the run so they could scratch in it.

Stormy, sawdust and chickens

Stormy and I picked the last of the raspberries and rhubarb for the year.  It was just enough to make a pie.  Earlier this summer we transplanted some rhubarb to encourage new growth,.

New rhubarb shooting up

Last of the raspberries

I started pulling up the rest of my garden and adding new compost and fertilizer to the tires.  I covered the tires with black plastic to speed up the compost and kill the weeds.  Next spring it should be ready to go.  I am planting a lot more tires next year and a potato bed.  We live in a cool climate so using raised beds really helps to heat the soil.

We now have two broody hens.  Hopefully in ten days we will be blessed with chicks from the first one and the second hen should hatch her chicks about a week after.  This is my first experience with hatching chicks and hope we all survive the experience.

Cherry the chicken

Mama Vanilla

There is my week.  Now I just need to heal up these sore muscles by a warm fire.

Lovin' life!