Farm update April-May

Oh Dear, where to start. Well, several months ago Jeremiah and his students were asked by the city if they would like to make the new time capsule. Since the opportunity only comes along every, oh, ONE HUNDRED YEARS, you can imagine that was quite an honor that they wouldn't want to pass up.

It was documented along the way by write ups in the paper and finally last week the box was delivered for a test fit and then officially put back into the corner of Memorial Hall, with a ceremony lead by Masons and sealed up with brick and mortar last week. The box came out beautifully! It's the same size as a shoe box  with a lid to match all welded closed with the contents inside

Jeremiah's students actually made and welded the box, Jeremiah oversaw it all.

Last Thursday was the Spring recital at school. The theme was "Rock and Roll Forever".

I'll post the videos at a later date. 

Our chicken coop was done enough to haul out of the shop and put in the barnyard. We've lost quite a few good size butcher roos and some pullets to night time creatures. Getting over 50 birds into a coop at night is somewhat of a problem when they didn't start out there. We couldn't very well lock them up during the day in it with the temps we've had recently so those that weren't going in to the coop were picked off, nearly 30 birds in one night!

It still needs trim and paint, a covering overhang over the door and nesting boxes (that we plan to build off of the coop to access from outside  so the children can gather eggs without having to go inside). We himmed and hawwed about putting a small door in one lower corer for chicken access and we may just do that and put up an enclosure as well outside. So far the chickens seem to only be picked off at night so I think it's safe to say they can free range during the day. The dogs can only be in one place at one time and when there are bigger howling creatures sounding off at the far end of the property, it gives crafty creatures free reign on the small feathered critters who reside here.

The dogs have gone nuts over the past couple of nights and I've gotten little sleep listening to them go on and on. I've found several dead critters that they've caught and killed. I don't guess the dogs like 'possum. As for other night time marauders, either it's just 'possums that are creating problems or the dogs like to eat the other ones. Either way, they've irritated the dogs and eaten enough chickens that I am not at all sad to see them go! Oh, and one of our cats is missing too, one of the joys of living in the country...

I tilled the garden on Friday, after 6 months of goat manure and well used bedding piling up, the earth is so nice! The children and I planted sunflower seeds so far. It got too hot to stay out there long on Saturday morning. Today, Sunday, is supposed to be much nicer in the 70's and the plan is to get out there early and try to get the plants we started from seeds in.