Whoa....

Newborn bantam chick next to a quarter.

Here I was, sitting at the pc, about to post the above pic.  Suddenly, the guineas started an awful, frantic squawking...their "something's in the yard" squawk.  Then a chicken ran across the patio, squawking even louder than the guineas, followed closely by a red streak.  I jumped up and looked out another window just in time to see the same chicken, running like mad, from a fox!!

I knew we had foxes on the property, as well as in the surrounding area.  I'd seen the dens, and lost guineas and other critters to what I assumed were either fox, owl, or raccoon prowlers.  But I had never, until today, actually seen a fox.

I suppose the critters will have to stay locked up until a little later in the morning from now on.  It's time for kits (fox puppies), and the other predators will also be bringing forth new life, or splorting out spawn...depending on how you want to look at it.

A lot of people are under the impression that wildlife will not come near humans.  Ha!! We've had a coyote right on the patio, as well as a baby groundhog that actually stood up and looked in the window.  The fox, of course, ran right up against the house.  I've had deer peeping into my bedroom, raccoons and 'possums knocking at the front door, and a few too many close encounters of the skunky kind..  It only makes sense that, when animals live in such close proximity to humans, they just get used to us.

So...back to that cute little pic at the top of the page...

Two of Little Sis' pet bantams are currently broody and sharing a nest.  So far, two chicks have hatched, and the mother hens are still sitting.  She put a couple of guinea eggs underneath them, in addition to a few heavy breed chicken eggs.  We're all anxious to see what hatches. 

It's a good thing the free range bantams are so prolific, considering the hungry fox....

Life happens

A great way to start the week: I woke up yesterday morning with hives.  I have no idea what caused them, but they sure do itch.  A dose of antihistamine and I was ready to move on with my day.  A shower, coffee, and then I sat down to check my email...but the modem wasn't working.  grrrrr!  It was cold and rainy when I headed out to work.

Things did improve, though.  The sun came out.  Eöl managed to fix the modem.  I worked overtime and came home starving.

Remember when I mentioned the auto industry/earthquake in Japan, etc?  As a result, Eöl is now officially laid off.  Not that big of a deal, really, since it turns out that unemployment pays more than he was making on the reduced work schedule.  Ok, not a lot more, but still...at least he's home to take care of things when I am at work.  I'm now free to volunteer for all the overtime I can get, knowing that Eöl is here to get the potatoes planted, split firewood, and all the rest of the homesteading fun stuff.  Thankfully, we are headed into the busy season at work, and there's plenty of overtime to be had.  Ten and twelve hour days are most likely going to be the norm for me.  I won't be getting much done at home, other than wolfing down a meal and falling into bed.  As I may have mentioned before, my job is physically demanding.  I'll be dropping my winter weight and toning up for summer, so I can't complain.  At least I get paid for my workout, rather than the other way around.

Once the weather improves, I'll be biking to and from work again.  For now, another plus to Eöl being home is that I can get a ride on those snowy, rainy, windy or cold days.  Pretty much every day lately. lol  Of course my boss has always been nice enough to offer a ride on inclement days, when I'm piling on earmuffs and rain gear for the bike trip home. But I feel that it was my choice to remain a one car family, and I should not be an imposition to others as a result.  Ok, if it was actually hailing or threatening a tornado, I'd have taken her up on the offer.  But a little rain or snow or wind, though uncomfortable, certainly won't kill me. 

In other homesteading type news:

• Eöl and Little Sis have most of the potatoes planted.
• We picked up onion sets over the weekend and I hope to get those in the ground next weekend. ( I'd like to do at least some of this homesteading stuff myself, ya know.) 
• Little Sis has been taking great care of the seedlings we started, turning, brushing, and watering them as needed.  Remember, if you are starting seeds indoors by a window, that turning them a couple of times a day will help keep them from getting too leggy.  And don't forget to brush your hand over them a few times a day, to help simulate wind and stimulate the hormone that strengthens the stems!! 
• I'll be adding a few seeds to make up for the ones that didn't germinate, and hopefully starting the squash and cukes, etc, pretty soon.

And now that I've finished my second cup of coffee, it's time to start another busy day.  Leave a comment and let me know how your spring is going.

Randomness

• The weekend was amazing. I actually wore shorts!  In April!! In Ohio!!!!  Guess you have to live here to understand how bizarre yet wonderful it was.  Of course now it's cold, windy, and damp.  Ah, spring in Ohio!

• I finally got the peas, rutabaga, turnips, and beets planted.  Along with about a zillion flower seeds, which I put into a section of the garden that I'm "resting" from veggie production.  Nothing seems to grow well in that area; if the flowers do well, that will mean more flower seed for next year: lots of calendula, lemon gem marigold, french marigold, and cosmos.

• The daffodils are blooming; it's time to plant potatoes.  Hopefully, we can get those in the ground within the next week.

• Getting up at 4:30 a.m.  is NOT fun.

• Snow in the forecast for the upcoming weekend.  I am sicksicksicksick of snow!!!!

• This tiny post has taken me three days to finish.  

I'm a sucker for seeds

I love seeds.  I guess you can tell.  There are a lot more not pictured here.  I have seeds from various seed companies like Johnny's and Bakers Creek.  I have a LOT of the 20 cent seeds packs from various retailers. If you read the labels, they are open pollinated, though I don't have a problem with hybrid seed, either.

Open pollinated and heirloom seeds can be saved from the produce you grow.  Hybrid, however, cannot.  Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with hybrid plants.  They are usually a cross of two varieties, carrying on the best of both lines.  But if you save that seed, you end up with a parent plant instead of the variety you saved the seed from.  Still, food is food, and I have had several 'volunteer' plants where hybrid tomatoes have gone to seed.  Some of them have been pretty darned tasty.

I've only recently started my tomato and pepper seeds.  I should've had them in flats way before now, but things have been hectic, to say the least.  I have no doubt they'll be ready in time for planting.  I'll probably be starting the rest of the seeds either this week or next.

Plants that have a healthy start have a better chance of survival in the garden.  Putting out a plant vs planting a seed directly in the ground: the plant can withstand slug damage far better than a freshly sprouted seedling.

See all those paper bags in the pic?  Those are seeds I saved from last year's harvest.  Saving seed is simple.  It took me a while to figure that out, though, thanks to all of the articles and books that make it sound like rocket science.  I never had much luck with their methods, either.  Go figure.

To save seed, select the best of the best produce.  Remember, hybrid plants won't give you true seed, and forget GMO seed...it'll be sterile, or you'll end up with something bizarre, like tomato plants with arms or something (I wouldn't eat that fruit, but it'd be a great conversation piece in the garden).  It's best if you don't use seed from grocery store produce; it's pretty rare any of that will give you true or even viable seed, and even then, it may not be suitable to your climate.  Farm market produce would be better, but be sure to ask if it's hybrid.

Our grading method went something like this:  The very biggest, prettiest, and healthiest produce we saved for seed. Next best went to market.  The rest we ate and/or preserved, except for anything too far ripe or too bug bitten; those we gave to the chickens and rabbits.

So..back to saving seed.  Let's take squash as an example.  Scrape out the seeds.  Put them in a colander or strainer, and rinse well.  Shake them around to get the water out.  Now, simply put the strainer in a dry place.  I put mine behind my wood stove, where it's not too hot but very dry.  If you don't have an extremely dry place, spread the seeds on a screen (an old window screen works fine) and shake them regularly to keep them from sticking together.  Do NOT put them in the sun, on the roof, in the dehydrator, or any place that will reach above 90 degrees.  It's a great idea to jot down what the seeds are from, and clip this note to the drying screen or strainer; a clothespin works great for this.

Once the seeds are dry, put them in a paper bag.  Not plastic.  Paper. This will allow any leftover moisture to escape.  LABEL them. For the love of Pete: LABEL THEM!!  Unless you really like a mystery garden.  *shrugs*

See? Easy!!  You'll be amazed at the amount of seed you end up with.  Seed packets have less than a dozen squash seeds; you'll have hundreds out of one squash!  Woooohooo!

Sorry, I get a little excited about seeds.  Can you tell? :)