When will the Sun come to stay?

The month of May is nearly over and it's been rather cool and rainy. I have built fires in the wood stove the past few days to take the chill off. Sue and I have not totally lost our spirits because we know that the rain keeps us green and helps, many months from now, to replenish the water-table. We're nearly done with a new Western fence enclosure to keep the deer out of the West Orchard and to help protect some chickens we hope to purchase soon. Yesterday I planted three varieties of sweet-potatoes in a newly prepared bed in the Southeast Orchard area. The caneberries are busy beginning to blossom and the strawberries are setting fruit, and, we're eating asparagus - what a treat!

Thank goodness for the Whatcom County Library System. It is so easy to use and they have a very good selection of homesteading books. Sue and I have ploughed our ways through Root Cellering and Gardening When It Counts. Plus I've looked though and taken notes regarding the raising of chickens, building farm structures and home water systems. Some of these books we'll be adding to our home library because they are rather in-depth manuals and we can't retain all the information we'll need and use in the future.

Gosh, the Sun is out - got to close and go play. I'll try to post some new photos shortly ~ John

Strange Spring

When Sue and I got up this morning it was gray and drizzly and 40 deg. F. We hadn't been up long before wind and hail, thunder and lightning came. After 20 minutes that stopped and the sky began to lighten, but that only lasted half and hour and the wind, hail, thunder and lightning returned. Now its 3:25 PM and its nice and sunny - but Sue says there are gray clouds on the horizon so she'll take the silver streak, her bad weather bike, out for her ride.

Today I have been adding photos to some of my old postings. It will take some time but I'll try to get all the old posts updated so you see the fun we've had and continue to have.

As you can see by the two photos above, one of the wonderful sights of spring are apple blossoms. The light pink one is from our Red Gravenstein tree and the red one is from our Williams Pride apple tree.

Thanks ~ John

New Adventures at our Little Farm

May has arrived and excitement came with it. Yesterday, May 1st at about 3:30 PM, I returned home from visiting my Mom and did a little work on the new chicken coop. As evening fell, about 7:30 PM, I heard some noise off to the west. I grabbed my walking stick and went to see what the source was. I arrived at the NW corner marker of our acerage but by then the noise had stopped. I decided to return back to the house by cutting through the woodsy center of the property. I discovered that we had some trillium growing in places. I also startled a Grouse which flew off towards the south. I moved a little south myself in case bird had been sitting on a nest, I didn't want my scent too near the nest. After walking twenty five or thirty yards more I stepped on and snapped a twig. In during so I startled another creature. I heard a rustle and saw a shape move off to my right, behind a birch clump. As it cleared the clump it turned and looked in my direction. It was cougar! For a few seconds we made direct eye contact, the cougar and me, about 15 yards or so apart.

As you can imagine my heart jumped in my chest and I spoke to it - the cougar that is, something like, 'oh, hi there!" I then started backing up keeping my face towards it. After several yards I turned and walked towards the cleared area just north of me. I turned frequently to see if the big cat was following. I reminded myself not to run but to walk with purpose. Once in the clearing I continued to walk, turning frequently to make sure I was not being followed. I made it back to the house and inside the tall fencing we have up to keep the deer out of our garden. I was thus reminded that we are in the foothills and are not to take our safety for granted.

This morning, May 2nd, I had a different sort of adventure. At about 10:30 AM Sue was standing at the south facing glass sliding doors and I heard her exclaim, "there's a rabbit in the south strawberry bed." I went to the door and sure enough a small bunny had some how managed to nose its way under the chicken wire fencing around the bed. But once inside it could not figure how to get back out. I grabbed a sweatshirt, put on my shoes and went out to remove the intruder. After several minutes of maneuvering and a missed toss of the shirt, I was able to get the bunny cornered and tossed the shirt over him. I gathered the shirt and bunny up and tossed both over the 24 inch high fence. The bunny worked its way out the sweatshirt and ran out the garden.

Later this morning Sue spotted a Red Tailed Hawk in a small Alder tree on the other side of the south fence. The hawk was much too big for the top of the tree and so after a few uncertain and wobbly minutes the hawk flew off to find a more secure perch.

Just another couple of days out here in the foothills ~ John