jessejames here

[jessejames]

ok we'll try this again
so as usual yesterday didnt go as planned but i still managed to get somethings done.
they stay started abit late for me. i went out yard sailin first thing, to no avail and came home with nothing but got the dogs out for a good long walk at least. when i got home i began reworking the chicken coop. cleaned it out and then started to work on it.
heres what i got done....



just as i was finishing up putting new bedding in my coop one of my neighbors came by with a box of beer. so as he stood around drinkin beer and tellin lies i (while drinkin a few myself) started to take apart the futon frame i picked out the garbage last week in TO and then ripped it up on the table saw till i had ........

also 2 of the windows in top of the coop are the thermals i also got out of a dumpster (i have plans for the other 2)
while we were sittin there my bio dad the musician showed up. he had a couple gigs in the neighborhood so he came by for a quick visit. it is always nice to see the old man. we are more friends than anything else i think of peter my stepdad as being my dad for emotional purposes.
then a bit tipsyier than i would have liked i hit the sack.
now this morning i got off to a real late start due to the bubbly pops i had last night. after draggin my but up to let chickens out i went back to bed till 10!!! lazy bum!!!
an then start to look around the shop for something to make another 10' of fence with. when my eyes fell upon a box of cedar i had bought for $1 at last month auction. after some quick calculations i realized it would be perfect!! so here is my $1 fence in at its glory...


i am very happy with how it turned out i was thinkin of painting it till i made the cedar section which i would not paint so i think i will just leave it for this year at least. i will be able to pull up at the end of the season. and you know i will be grabin any futon frames i see in the future till i have fences for the whole garden. (this will never happen as i will just keep makin more gardens. ma haha (evil laugh!!)
other than that that is about it for the last two days i do have some visitors coming tom. so will prob get some more cleaning up done both in the house an out side.
here are some garden pics i took yesterday and today with my new digi camera




well thats it for me today. i am going to submit this now before it disappears on me again.
yall be well

 

[Farmfresh]

Super cool! What an excellent job of turning nothing into something!

 

[punkin]

Everything looks great! You should be proud of yourself.

 

[redhen]

Jesse,

I just wanted to say that your story really touched me. What you are doing is great! It takes a very determined person/strong soul to overcome the addictions that you are fighting with. I give you my utmost respect AND support. keep on, keeping on!

 

[jessejames]

so i know i havent had much to say lately but well that just cause there hasnt been much going on around here out of the ordinary. watering gardens waiting for maters to ripen (at least we've got some heat and sun now) and watching the chickens do their thing. i still dont know whats up with little miss if she is laying her eggs out in the corn feild where ill never find them or maybe shes just taking a break after the move. ??
then today a lady who has owed me a few at least laying age hens from a trade more than a month ago finally showed up today with 2 black sex links i think the are a barred rock hen x with RIR roo is this right.
here the are

so i am pretty happy to get these birds and so i throw them in the coop (its empty all other chicks are out for the day)till i can get there quarantine HQ set up. after going back and fortha cpl times i notice the one i am calling blue has jumped up into one of the nesting boxes

can you see it

my first egg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am pretty happy
i must say i am pretty disgusted by the condition of these birds though
their feathers are all broken their feet are filthy!!! and so are they generally! i cant wait till they can start to live the good life on the old circle a ranch here.
they are both also really high strung. i i hope i can help with that i thought some of my other birds were high strung well think again compared to these girls. just a poor upbringing i hope.
well thats all for me for today. i took some pics of the spread here the other day and will get to posting them sooner or later too just not tonight after todays excitement i will stick to that
ciao

 

[big brown horse]

Congradulations on your first egg!

 

[jessejames]

so after a week plus of heat and sun, still no ripe tomatoes!!! arrggh!!
but i have been pulling lots of other stuff from the garden in the last few days.....

unfortunately that is my whole potato crop this year, minus a few meals worth here and there. oh well i know what to do next year thanks to modern pioneer!

that is what i pulled out on thursday to send with my business partner to toronto. i am sure i will be able to have a similiar harvest myself tom before I go to the city.
so i thought i would put up a cpl picks of the "ranch"

my one day home sweet home

my current HSH and the upper garden

the lower garden and the barn i hope to take down this fall and rebuild this winter (quietly laughing and shaking head)
well thats about it the rest is feed corn right now wxcept a few acres of woods at the back ill take some shots when i go next to do wood.
i also am going to post a bunch more pic in the me and my SS family section. my mom is going to lurking around and i told her to look there for pics. she has never been here before. (both the site and my new "farm") i did ask her not to read my journal for now though thats why i am posting in the other section. after my last attempt to try to live on the same property "marble rock" with my folks i feel a little hesitant to get to close with her these days. i was really hurt by the way things turned out in the end. i will tell that story anther day i believe.
it is raining pretty thoroughly here today so i am hoping to get insired to start the great clean up in my little house and at least get the work shop a bit organized again. if i dont keep up on it it gets to the point where i cant find a thing.
i also need to do some research into what i should be planting for pasture for my meat birds next year. i am also thinking i will get a couple grazing pigs too so i guess i would rotate them both over about an acre i am thinking. can any of you offer me some advice?
on thursdays night there was a short notice auction at the fair grounds, i was a bit late in getting there but there really wasnt much i was missing out on and i was just about to head out when i noticed a small table of antique tools i ha previously looked over. i will post pics of my GREAT bargains in the appropriate section some time soon so look out. i SCORED!!!
well thats it for now. thanks for listen.

 

[Farmfresh]

What a beautiful place you have to live. I would love an old barn like that ... so many possibilities!

I think after this bad potato year I think a lot of us are going to be trying modern pioneers methods next year.

 

[keljonma]

Great pics, jj! That is some beautiful Swiss chard you got there; one of my favorites. YUMMY! And the chickens love it too!

 

[jessejames]

well here i am back at last
i have been lurking around for a cpl days but it seems when i am most stressed etc.. is when i become the most insular. so now i spew forth i think that this has been helping me not dwell on thing and let them go i just have to remember that it works (journaling that is)
it all started on sunday afternoon with the great escape
due to continual issues with my BP vehicals i offered to lend him my truck for the week till he could sort himself out somy plan was to drive to totronto sun afternoon and catch a train home on monday morning. i will add that there are only 2 trains a day that i could catch and both of them still leave me a 40$ cab fare from home oh well.
so just as i am packing up to go making sure dogs have food and water for the night i start to here blu and bearnice my 2 new black SL making a racket but it was around blues time of day to lay so i wasnt too concerned. trucks loaded up and i go lock the dogs in (someone is coming by to let them out and lock up the birds respectively that evening) and check on my girls before i go. when i notice that both the BBs' have flown the coop. they were in a fully segragated section of my coop but managed to push their way through a rent in the chicken wire. having no time to do anything about it i left an additional note for my sitter and hit the road hoping that all would be alright.

sunday evening i get to toronto all is good i drop off my packages of veggies to a few friends and head over to another old friends and cook dinner for her and her BF. we had a pasta with steamed chard bococinni cheese and tuna with a side of salad of mixed greens carrots basil leaves onion snow peas and a light citrus dressing. after dinner i went for a stroll my friend lives in my old neighborhood in toronto so it was nice to see the changes. on my walk i found a 50 g rain barrel with lid and a bus pan!!!
alas my evening was shattered by work and my BP called and asked a quick favor of me in the morning. i told him i couldnt for i had my dd in the morning until i went to the train. one thing leads to another and i somehow am talked into it.

so monday morning comes i walk up early enough to get to my old house so i can be there when DD wakes up and i can have as much time as possible with her. we have a GREAT visit i cook her and her mom breakfast and m and DD go to play in backyard as soon as we are alone she starts with the jesse come home (in cute 2 yr old voice gege comhom) and cling to me like a leech which i love but it sooo hard. even after we go inside before i leave she says to her ma gege, magpie and moms home in response to ex saying house is just DD and moms this turns ugly with quick with DD insisting it is gege house too!! i am able to calm her down and as they are leaving to i put her in her car seat after a couple more heartbreaking hugs and kisses and nose rubs.

i am so lost as to what the right thing to do here is ex would be happiest if i never came around escept to pay mortgage and car bills. i have been doing everything she asks in hopes of getting more time with DD put it has been more than a month between visits this time. i will go into this more later i should be going to work now.

so i will continue the saga tonight i hope but no promises, except that the excitment is not over yet!!!
be well