About a year ago a hen named Kitty came to live with us briefly. We were not prepared to house chickens at the time but Kitty had no where to go so she came to us. She had been bullied at her previous home, and previously adopted from another. Miss Kitty needed a space of her very own. I loved Kitty in an instant. Since we didn’t have the space that she needed ready. Our family up the road offered to house her while we worked on it. A place with plenty of chicken friends and a warm place to sleep.
Now that our chicken coop is done. Guess who got to come home on a happy Sunday evening ❤
Miss Kitty
Welcome home to Miss Kitty! She has already shown us how happy she is to be home in the form of egg presents.
And by the looks of it as of five minutes ago… another egg is on it’s way.
watching little chicken butts waddle around and peck the earth is probably a new favorite pastime of ours. As of last weekend our coop became functional to house our chickens; which was good because I had purchased two on a whim from a classified add a couple days before. I know I know. That is a no no. I have heard it said many times, never purchase the chickens before the coop is done. What can I say I am a weak human. Weak! But aren’t they sweet : )
Penelope the Ameraucana & Meredith the Barred Rock
Penelope & Meredith. They were said to be between 8 and 10 weeks old. Fully feathered and ready for the coop. The first two nights they stayed inside the house with us. Immediately I picked up that Penelope is quite cautious and not sure about us, she has this intelligent look in her eye and the way she tilts her head you can tell she is thinking and curious, possibly planning my demise. Not to worry, I will make her love me. Meredith from night one, snuggled in my lap and fell asleep. She is gentle and loving and will come to me when I open the coop, let me hold her. I have always had people say that chickens all have different personalities and now I know that to be true.
Miss Meredith our first nightRolling and fluffing themselves in the dirt. Feeling quite at home.
So why stop at two!? I am happy to admit that I also have 4 little chicks in our living room rolling around in wood chips and pecking at their crumbles. They are almost 4 weeks old. Feisty little things. They are muts to be honest I am not sure what breed they are. They came from a coop with Rhode Island Reds, Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, and who knows what others : )
Thelma, Georgia, Gwenny, and Duck.
Duck
Duck? you say. Duck. A Chick named Duck. Yes when you have an almost 5 year old son you eventually get something like a chick called Duck. It really has meaning; ever since we brought the four home, Duck continues to well duck! under all his siblings usually resulting in making them topple over in a puff of feather fluff and wood shavings. Have I mentioned having chickens is something I wish we had done years ago?
Our goals in the next few weeks are to finish up the coop. While it is functional for them we still need a permanent gate to come and go from. I also have an old doorknob that I found last year at a yard sale that I need to fit to their door. Little things that will eventually happen….when I am not busy playing with the chickens and watching corn grow. Until next time. Stay wild!
It is raining. My day has been nothing but open windows & raindrops. Blankets & books. Every couple hours a trip out to the garden to make sure everybody out there is happy. Tomatoes look good, Jalapenos not so much. I have read that they will perk up and stop looking like they are on their deathbeds when the weather finally turns warm. I got a nice surprise in the greenhouse and noticed the heirloom tomatoes I had given up on are actually sprouting! For some reason starting tomatoes from seed has always been a challenge for me. Bell peppers are starting to pop up too. Sunflowers are next.
Milk jugs to the rescuePeas & Beans
Massive hail had me running out about an hour ago with my milk jugs to cover what I could. I also happily paused the drip timer until the storm passes, can’t beat mother nature watering for you. I think a rain barrel system is my next project. After today’s downpour a single barrel would have been full many times over.
I plan to spend the remainder of my day making plans for our almost completed chicken coop. Some of our chicks have already hatched. I can’t wait to have chickens pecking, scratching, clucking, and tooting about.
Mother nature can’t make up her mind today. The clouds are dark yet every few minutes a golden beam of light warms my face. Minutes later rain. I’m quite enjoying myself. Rain has always made me a little giddy. I think it has something to do with the smell rain brings. It’s a favorite of mine.
Today the greenhouse looks like this. As you can see I have a weird variety of starting trays and cups…Yogurt cups, salad containers anything that I can reuse I try to. It doesn’t make sense to not. One lone tomato plant, I have no room for him so there he sits. Hopefully I can find someone that needs him soon!
Starts in recyclables
Watermelon, zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapenos.
Mellow Daisy
Outside in between the rain and rays, I can see my radishes, carrots, and turnips are finally making a show. I was so excited to see that my onions and beans are also popping through the earth. My gold and red potatoes too! I hope I am not the only one that gets excited like this when a garden starts to grow. There is a definite feeling of accomplishment and wonder that comes along with watching a seed grow. A little water, some sun, and love and soon that seed is a giant bean stalk 🙂
I’m finding myself still babying those cucumbers of mine. Taking care of a cucumber sprout is no joke! They are sensitive little things. I woke myself out of a dead sleep last night and found myself at 3am sneaking outside to grab my cucumbers and bring them in. Have I mentioned we have had a cougar sneaking around? Yea good choice I made huh? I guess that is it.
A short Wild Lane update, a cup of tea, and bed for this tired mama.
On this lazy Sunday our chicken coop got some love. We have been working hard to get this thing in working order and ready for some sassy birds. An old reclaimed wooden door with a window (!!!) is one of my favorite features. I am currently working on making a curtain for it to keep the inside dark for the girls. My husband also weatherproofed the roof, and made their little plank walk today. I can’t wait to share a picture in the next week or two of the finished product. I also cant wait to watch fluffy chicken butts scampering around our property.
It is one of those mornings that I love. A Saturday in the mountains. I can always count on a soft, low hanging, lazy fog. A sun that is just getting warmed up. Dew drops blanket the greenhouse windows, and the birds are already busy, probably have been for hours.
No one is awake but me. I can kiss two rosy cheeked sleepers that have both magically managed to find their way between me and my husband during the night. I can then slowly tiptoe to the front door and sneak outside. Always barefoot. Mornings like this, barefoot is a requirement. My little greenhouse always smells the best in the morning. I can close the foggy glass door and just have a few quiet moments.
Wild Lane Acre.
We live nestled in a small community high in the Sierras. Our property is just perfect at an acre and a half. If you know which dirt lane to turn down you will probably be greeted by our two dogs wagging hellos. A four year old running through the pines, sometimes sans clothing. His little brother, who is just one, usually laughing not far away in his play yard. Our home has always been a little wild. Which will never be a complaint.
We have goals for this little piece of heaven. Goals that are just starting to take shape. My husband and I crave a lifestyle that is less reliant on the grocery store and more comprised of the sweat, hard work, and tears of our own creation. There is something to be said about a fresh homegrown tomato from your own garden. Knowing where our food comes from, choosing to live in a more sustainable, organic way. That is our goal. We have the space, we have the willpower. Cheers to that.
Now as I stand in my greenhouse, over sized coffee mug steaming that amazing aroma, I can see that my little starts have grown since yesterday. Today maybe some of them can be moved into the garden. I love Saturdays.
Welcome to the journey that is Wild Lane.
A small view of the greenhouse happeningsCucumbers
I asked my four year old what we should name our garden and since he had just finished watching The Lorax. Naturally he responded with, “Let it grow!”
It stuck. Let It Grow Garden.
Our greenhouse has seen quite a bit of action the last few weeks. We have six raised garden beds in an enclosed area. Over the years I have used maybe three boxes at once. This year I am determined to use all of the space. Flowers. I do flowers. Vegetables are a bit foreign to me. I am fluent in the beauty of growing tomatoes. Lettuce, cucumbers, watermelon, onions, beans and potatoes not so much. I had success a couple years ago with planting way too many pumpkins which resulted in our very own pumpkin patch. But growing all of these and more at once is a bit daunting. Exciting. But as I learned this morning, while looking at cold sad droopy cucumber sprouts, I have very much to learn.
Apparently starting cucumbers in the greenhouse isn’t usually how it is done. Usually they (and by they I mean google people) plant the seed directly into the earth and when it is warm enough they will sprout and grow, no need to transplant. Starting them as I did, too early means you must condition them? which I gathered meant taking them outside when it is warm, a little windy, letting them hang out and chat with the birds and bugs. But then bringing them back in before they decide to do their death droop. This is done from what I gathered no less than 5,000 times until they are ready to be outside permanently. Sounds like next year I may just do as googsperts say and plant directly in the ground. Lesson officially learned. Until then I will continue to nurse my little cucumbers back to health which I am pleased to say are standing back up and looking happy again.
And by the looks of it as of five minutes ago… another egg is on it’s way.
wild lane acre 