Bee's Guest House

[Aidenbaby]

"Star", is that the thing up on the pole positioned in jut such a way that it's light shines directly through my window and onto my bed if my curtains are drawn? Just kidding. I can take a five minute drive and gaze upon them if I want.

 

[Farmfresh]

That is why I was so excited to see them last weekend. Our entire sky is a lovely pink color .... ALL NIGHT LONG.

If you look straight up occasionally you can see a star or two. Light pollution SUCKS. You country folks don't realize how lucky you are. Imagine having to use room darkening shades so you can sleep at night.

 

[Beekissed]

Slowly getting spring projects completed....er...shall I say...the boys/mules and I are getting them done. My whip arm is getting weak as a noodle.... :/

Garden fence nearly done.
Lumber pile sorted and moved.
Sheep pen cleaned out and bedding spread on garden plots.
Cattle panels cut to fit hay shed door openings.
Shelves and work benches built in shed.
Tiller transported home.
Stone flower bed rebuilt and filled with new soil.

This weekend chores:

Run electric fencing in orchard to establish paddocks for rotational grazing.
Finish garden fence and gates.
Till and plant lettuce, radishes, carrots, onions, peas, potatoes, flowers.
Scrub down porch, ready for painting porch floor.
Trying to remove some wool/hair from the Bettys and Big Moe.

I love marking things off that list!!! Soon...building top bar hives!

My broody is simply LOVING her new chicks and they are growing quickly...I could watch them for hours.

My new borrowed ram stood still and meditated while I pulled handfuls of wool/hair from his coat...he loved it! He's such a big baby....

 

[FarmerDenise]

When you write it down like that it sure sounds like you are one busy beaver!!! LOL

Two of my big chores this weekend are : thoroughly clean out the chicken house and deflea the house/dog and cats
That's beside the normal chores of planting , weeding, pruning, thinning peaches, laundry, etc, etc...

 

[Beekissed]

It does but I have a lazy way about doing things so they don't seem like I'm arunning and asweatin'....just a steady plodding is more like it. I'm also making sure to drive my boys like mules to help.....just on principle!

I don't feel like big, lazy man meat should be lounging on the couch while women sweat in the yard!!! They gotta earn their keep somehow!!!

Anyone else have a hard time getting their children or menfolk to pitch in? I know it's easier to just do it myself but I just cannot bring myself to DO it! I work all day to bring home the paycheck here and I WILL get some help on choring!!!

End of rant.....

 

[Farmfresh]

I must do some of that as well. My Geek son who lives next door made the comment to me the other day that every time he visits I have a hauling job waiting for him. I must confess I DO seem to find him good jobs, but he also bellys up to the family table quite often still as well.

 

[Beekissed]

Farm, I must have said something right in my sermon this morning to the hulking boyfolk....I came home to a very clean house.

It is raining here and we need it muchly.

I got to see my first real "creaming" of a grass paddock this evening. This borrowed ram has been a great addition to my little rotational pasturing experiment because he adds serious competition for food...he is like a sheep lawn mower!

My girls are very picky and don't clean their plates...usually...you should have seen them go this evening on a fresh paddock!!! It was obvious they thought he was going to eat it all before they got any!

I hope to finally complete my rotational grazing fencing this year and have it actually work without clumsy calves blundering through the electric wire like it isn't shocking the fur right off!

I can't wait to finally get the fencing down right and see the system in action.

Anyone else doing intensive rotational grazing this year?

 

[FarmerDenise]

My doelings being my first real grazers, other than the chickens. and us having only one acre, you bet we'll be rotating the grazing. We're getting a movable electic fence, so we can keep the little goats moving onto a new parcel and let one parcel rest and water and seed another. We haven't worked the details out yet. But we know where we'll start. I am also trying to come up with a simple shelter for the goats, that we can also move, kinda like a chicken tractor but big enough for 2 goats.

 

[Beekissed]

FD, I'm pretty lucky that all my paddocks have shade....I guess I never realized how handy that was until you mentioned the shelters. I know Salatin has a large wagon with winged areas on the side that he moves along with his cattle in the summer to provide shade.

We'll have to compare notes at the end of the grazing year to see how it all went down. I tried this last year but just didn't seem to be able to make it work with the cows and sheep together. The calves would just run right through the electric fence and short it out!

The sheep are smarter than cows, so this year should be better.

My grass is very lush right now and I don't want it to get ahead of me...it really helps that I have this mad eating machine, Big Moe...I've never seen anything like this guy! He eats continually and acts like he is simply starving!

 

[freemotion]

My doelings being my first real grazers, other than the chickens. and us having only one acre, you bet we'll be rotating the grazing. We're getting a movable electic fence, so we can keep the little goats moving onto a new parcel and let one parcel rest and water and seed another. We haven't worked the details out yet. But we know where we'll start. I am also trying to come up with a simple shelter for the goats, that we can also move, kinda like a chicken tractor but big enough for 2 goats.

Unless you are in an area where drought kills your grass, or if your soil is poor and the grass is poor, too, one acre should be plenty of room. You may have to mow! I have two acres and four goats, and still put up enough hay last season to feed it generously all fall and into the early winter. My pasture is fairly new (was forest) and the soil is very poor in one area....about a third to half an acre....that I haven't put 3-4 inches of compost on yet. I am doing that systematically after composting the gardens each spring.