Still waiting...

On the house, that is. We supposedly only need one more signature and should be signing ourselves this week. I surely hope so. We were supposed to be in the new house before Christmas but honestly, we needed the extra time. We are getting quite antsy though!

Speaking of Christmas, I received some great gifts from the DH. A breadmaker and a KitchenAide mixer. The breadmaker will really help out - I hate feeding my family bread loaded with preservatives and other chemicals. I've also never really gotten kneading down right so I'm really happy with it. The mixer will help me to make so many more things from scratch as well. I'm looking forward to really breaking them in.

I contacted someone on Craigslist about some chicks they have for sale. They are asking more than hatcheries do, so I'm hopeful that they have truly purebred birds. I would prefer to buy local due to the small number of hens we need. I have planned for 4, one Easter Egger, one Buff Orpington, one Black Australorps, and one Cuckoo Marans. Starting with a variety will give us more of an idea about what we need - it'll also make things a little more interesting. There is a nice little place in the back yard where the coop and chicken yard will go - this will be one of Chris' first projects.

I have been re-thinking our rabbits and for now have nearly decided to go with a breed of Angora for meat as well as fiber. We will be building pens for the does and youngsters in our little red barn. There is someone locally that sells a few breeds - I plan to check him/her out sometime in the next week. Rabbits are a ways out yet, I'm afraid.

I don't think we'll be ready for bees this year but we'll have to see. Chris is going to build me two of those top bar hives. We aren't too worried about production, more about pollination and bee health so top bar hives seem to be the way to go. I haven't yet figured out where we're going to put them - more pondering to do.

Trees - we'll be looking at fruit trees this week. I want apples and peaches at the least. We have pomegranate and walnut trees already on the property - both need pruning badly. I wonder if the walnut trees have a disease as many of the branches are dead. Guess we'll be finding out.

Chris has met our soon-to-be neighbors and said they seem like nice folks. I hope to meet them myself very soon.

Well, it's about time to get this house ready for my amazing husband's return from work. Fried pork chops for dinner tonight :)

Moving soon?

I hope so. We put in an offer on a house that was accepted about 2 weeks ago now. We are in escrow and things seem to be moving right along. This house was a compromise between the husband and myself - he wanted a house that was large that was very sound structurally so that he could immediately start remodeling (beautifying). I wanted a house that was large enough without being too big, with land to have the animals, trees, and garden that I would like.


The house that we are buying has about an acre and a half. It has a small pasture (maybe half an acre) that my horse will use. Because I am keeping the horse, we will not have goats - another compromise between hubby and I.


One of the first things I looked for when we went to see the house was fruit-bearing trees/bushes/vines. There are two walnut and a pomegranate. I would consider keeping the walnut trees but they don't look very healthy - several large, dead branches on each. We'll make the final call in the spring but right now it looks like they may have to be removed. I would rather have other trees than pomegranate so it may be removed as well. Wish-list trees include tangerine, apple, and nectarine. There are a few small oleander bushes that will have to go. They are nice-looking but I don't want poisonous plants on the property.


In the back yard, there is a very nice fence to grow grapes on. In a very shady corner (too shady?), I noticed some brambles growing. Not sure yet what kind they are but my guess is they are blackberry - they grow wild around here. I haven't yet figured out where to plant the blueberry bushes.


There are two rather large outbuildings, the largest of which will be used for hay, feed, etc. The other will likely be used for tools. There is even a small building that will be modified into a chicken coop. The current plan includes 4-6 hens, including Buff Orpingtons, Easter Eggers, and perhaps Black Australorps.


I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep rabbits as hubby is now acting odd about them. I would like to keep two does and a buck in an outdoor, colony-type setting. I have the perfect spot in mind if I can re-talk Chris into it - he may be wondering what our friends and neighbors will think.


There are several possible spots for the garden, but there's still a lot of time to figure that out before spring. I would like to grow heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and a few types of cowpeas next year.


I still would like to have a honey bee hive or two. Chris has agreed to build a top bar hive for me sometime this winter. I realize that we will get less honey with these hives but from what I've read, it would seem that it's healthier for the bees to build their own comb. Guess we'll find out.


That's it for now, I'll write again when there's something to talk about!

Big plans

<--- My new canner!! (and accessories!)

It's been a while and I'm sure it seems like I was taking the summer off. While that's true to an extent, I have also been busy reading, learning, and making plans.

My garden was basically a bust this year. Partially my fault (not getting it tilled early enough, not keeping up with watering and weeding), partially due to our new puppy. Even though the garden is fenced off from the rest of the yard, she continued to break in and destroy the plants - first chewing down every single corn plant, digging up my beans, chewing off the vines on my squash. Recently she has begun to remove grapes, one bunch at a time. Thankfully, she is also getting too large to fit through her usual (and consistently blocked!) holes. She's also slowly learning that doing things like this only results in bad things later. She's extremely smart but also extremely stubborn. One of these days, she's going to be an amazing dog.

My grape vine is going gang-busters - I have many bunches of grapes that are finally starting to ripen. In preparation, I have picked up a brand-new All American pressure canner from Craigslist for an amazing deal! The plan is to make grape jelly when the time comes. I can't wait to use it, though I'm nervous at the same time. There seems to be a tough learning curve on a lot of things involving self-sufficiency. It's too bad I wasn't one of the lucky ones who learned these things growing up. I have also found an apple tree at an unoccupied house in my neighborhood. If there are enough usable apples, I'm going to make my Mom's apple butter!

Doves - too much work without enough in return is the conclusion I have come to. Especially since DH only wanted me to have one pair! I finally just requested that when he starts hunting (have to get the gun and license first) he hunt dove for me, as well as deer.

So, that's the basic update, on the to plans! The hubby and I are finally in the market for a house to call home. Musts include 1+ acre of usable land, a fireplace/wood stove, a kitchen that's easy to work in, and a large pantry or room enough to put one in ourselves. We've seen a few that fit the bill but we seem to find these properties 5 minutes too late. We're going to keep looking.

In the meantime I have started to use my dehydrator for fresh foods that we can't seem to use in time - one of our biggest problems is waste! I can't wait to have a few chickens to help with any leftovers. I plan to start with 3-4, maybe up to 6 hens the first year. Then I'd like to buy 5-10 straight run chicks the following year allowing a roo to two to mature a bit. If one of my hens go broody, let her raise some chicks, butcher the roo and do the same the following year. I don't want to keep a permanent roo for many reasons. These are my current thoughts on the subject anyway.

I have finally talked the hubby into letting me have a few rabbits as well. I would like to have a colony, and raise the fryers in grow-out cages as they get bigger. Big reason for the grow-out is I plan to have Californian, NZW, or a cross between the two and I don't know how I'd keep them all straight if I let the youngsters get too big before separating them all. Besides, I'll need the poo for the garden. What I've read suggests that rabbits in a colony breed pretty fast, so I'm thinking only 2 does and a buck should keep us in meat pretty well. When it's time, we'll keep a doe or two for replacements from my stock and buy a outstanding buck from other stock. I really like the idea of keeping the breeders in a more natural setting.

Now, for goats. I plan on getting two dairy does - breed has not yet been determined. All bucklings will go into the freezer, along with most of the doelings. After a few years, I plan to breed my best doe to the best buck I can find in the hopes of getting a doeling to keep as an eventual replacement. The other doe's kids will all be sold/butchered. I have no desire to show or keep registered animals - I'm already busy - so the buck may be of a different breed. I don't really care as long as he comes from a long line of exceptional dairy animals. All kids will be separated at night, I will milk first thing in the morning, and kids will be allowed in with the does for the remainder of the day. I realize this will cut down on the milk that I get for my family but it will also significantly cut down on extra chores as well as help keep me from getting too attached to the kids. From what I've read, it makes for some pretty tasty meat as well.

I also plan to have a hive or two of honey bees. I want to use the 'top bar hives' I've read about for several reasons. First, natural is always healthier, both for the animals and for my family. Second, the cost of bee equipment is rather inhibitive. Finally, we don't need that much honey - I don't plan to sell it, just want it for personal use.

Besides all this, we'll have a large garden every year, lots of fruit trees, a strawberry bed, and blueberry bushes. We may also plant butterfly bushes around the property for the bees and aesthetics.

I realize that things don't usually go according to plan, so this is a rough outline, subject to change.

Some pictures

My pride and joy, a grape vine! We moved here over the winter of 2006 and saw this random vine growing from under the house. Naturally, we cut it as far back as we could - we would have removed it completely if we'd have been able to. Imagine my surprise when it started leafing out in spring and I realized we had a grape vine! It was cut back too severely to produce anything last year, but it's now covered with flower buds. Can't wait for fresh grapes. (Forgive the riding lawnmower - we have no where else to store it).

Not much to look at but these two pictures show the future garlic beds. The soil in this spot seems really nutrient deficient, though the roses do very well. I plan on adding some compost to get it ready.

Future strawberry patch! Last year this bed was full to the brim with begonias but many of them did not make it through the winter. This seems like the perfect spot for them - right by the front door, lots of sunlight, easy to observe. I decided to grow Alpine strawberries because they come true from seed but what I've read recently makes them seem rather difficult to grow. If nothing else, I can buy some strawberry plants from Wal-Mart, though I hope I won't have to.

As you can see, this bed houses five miniature roses. This is most likely where I will plant the chives that my hubby bought. This spot was full of small river rocks when we moved in. I removed most of them but the soil still doesn't seem very nutrient rich. This spot will also benefit from some compost. The bricks are going to go towards another project.

The hubby has agreed to help me make a composter. I know it seems ridiculous but I'm pretty excited. Buying dirt just seems so ridiculous somehow. Until mine gets going though, that's just what I'm going to have to do. These are the plans we're going to use: http://http//www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Tumbling-Composter

I hope it's going to be as easy as it looks! There is a fella on Craigslist selling drums, so that will be our first move.

I haven't talked about animals. The eventual goal will be to have some laying hens, dairy goats, meat rabbits, a few pigs, and perhaps a Jersey cow. Every spring we'll order some chicks for meat and perhaps buy a calf or two to put on the cow, as well as breeding her back. We'll probably drink the goat milk and use the leftover cow's milk (if there is any) for cheese, butter, cream. This is all a long ways off - when we finally get to buy our land. I tried to talk the base into letting me have a few laying hens but they were having none of it. As for the rabbits, I could probably get away with it if I had somewhere outside to put them. Luckily, I have a friend who raises rabbits for show. The ones that don't make the cut get sold to a processor so I'm talking to her about buying them myself. I figure it will save her a trip, I just hope she doesn't think I'm too weird.

The hubby is getting into the self-reliance groove a bit too - we bought a bow and he's going to learn to hunt. He's so excited. We're also going to buy him a shot gun for bird hunting - if you've ever had dove, you know that they are worth the time and effort. We're also looking forward to trying some quail - they seem to be everywhere here. He's going to take a safety course over the summer in order to get his license. He's acting like a kid at Christmas.

That's all for now, kids gotta get to school!

Here goes nothin'

For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals and plants of all types. I also loved stories and books that included self-reliance in the storyline...Some of my favorites as a child were The Boxcar Kids and the Island of the Blue Dolphins for that very reason. Finally, last year (hey, I never claimed to be intelligent!), I realized that I could put all of these things together. It even has a name - homesteading!

I joined some forums and started reading all that I could and am starting to form some ideas on how I want my eventual homestead to function. There is a problem however - I'm in the Air Force so I can't exactly put down roots. Not only that, but I live on-base meaning that there are many rules that I have to follow regarding how my yard is supposed to look, what animals I'm allowed to keep, etc. For now, I plan to stay in until retirement which is 12 years away. This leaves lots of time for planning but is also immensely frustrating somehow. I've never been a very patient person and dreaming and planning for something so far off almost hurts. Another thing is it's going to be so hard to start from scratch every time we move. You've gotta do what you've gotta do though.

So, here goes. I'm getting a late start this year, but better late than never. Two weeks ago I finally got some seeds in the ground - jalapenos, sweet peppers, tomatoes, cuke. This weekend, I'm hoping to get the beans planted (Blue Lake and Romano). Tonight I started some Alpine strawberries and cauliflower seeds indoors.

Future plans include digging a bed on the east side of the house for the cauliflower, as well as broccoli, spinach, and lettuce. It gets so hot here in the summer that I believe these vegetables will do best if shaded from the afternoon sun. I'll also be starting them indoors for the most part. I plan to plant garlic on either side of the roses in the front, as well as chives. I'm also going to plant a small herb garden - most likely in the back. This weekend we're going out to dig up a few wild blackberries. These will go on the west side of the house. We would also like some blueberries but finding them locally is proving to be tough.

I would love to plant some fruit trees but we'd have to leave before they got large enough to produce anything. We've been looking at dwarf trees, but I'm not sure that any truly stay small enough that we'd be able to take them when we leave.

That's it for now, as it's getting pretty late. I would leave with a few pictures but can't figure out how to move them where I want them (they automatically show up at the beginning of the post?) and I'm too tired to play with it tonight. Ciao.