Kitchen and electricity.

Seth keeps telling me that before we do anything, we need to address the basics-- get the "infrastructure" set up and *then* I can worry about the garden. Sounds good, but geez, where to start?
Recently we had a great upset over the sink. We have a shallow, stainless steel standard indoor kitchen sink and I detest it. Dishes pile up over the course of the day, or when we have dinner guests, and it just makes the entire kitchen, and thus the entire house, look awful. Also, since the sink is so shallow, water sprays or spills out of the sink on to the counter when we're washing dishes and the cheap particle board has started to swell and buckle underneath. Its just nasty looking.

The other day the sink drains were clogged from food getting caught down in there. Yes, and easy solution to this would be to get a strainer so the food doesn't go down the drain, but at the time I packed up the dirty dishes and went outside to wash them and it was so much more pleasant.

I had the sun on my face, and the water goes into the ground and waters some of my trees (we use ivory soap, not detergent, so it isn't as nasty for the ground). It reminded me of backcountry camping and it felt good.

We've been talking about having an outdoor kitchen. What we'd start with would be a big, deep basin sink and dish drying rack. We may switch from the ivory soap to something else, and the water could be directed directly to water the plants.
It's kind of silly that we had to put down a treatment plant out here because ultimately I don't know if we will even be using it in the long-run. I'd like to recycle our gray water and have a compost toilet and everything... but... oh well. It was a parish requirement or we couldn't do anything at the time. It does still drain out on the property.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I just got our electricity bill for this month. Last month we were using an average of 31 kWh/day and this month it was closer to 35 kWh/day. ACK!
That may be close to average, or maybe even a little less considering we've just gone through an extensive heat wave with temps in the 100's for the past 3-4 weeks... but still I think that's pretty high. Especially for "homesteaders."

Since we're talking about moving the kitchen, I am looking into the possibility of kerosene cook stoves. There's a great discussion on kerosene cook stoves at endtimesreport.com-- and frankly a decent discussion on a lot of other survival/self-sufficiency related items.
I'm trying to determine now whether that really would be a more efficient option. Better in emergencies or disasters indeed, but is it really more cost-effective?

I will be looking into some of this stuff and plan to come back with some more information to share on my research.

The Snake, and other photos.

We had something of a humbling experience with a snake yesterday. While Seth's dad was moving a pile of old building materials he uncovered a snake. The snake was molting and its behavior was confusing and more aggressive than we would have expected from a non-venomous snake. The human mind can play tricks on you in moments of fear and uncertainty. None of us knew what a young cottonmouth looked like and we misidentified it as a viper... though in retrospect we aren't sure why we did except that we just didn't know.

I snapped a few photos of the snake and came inside to identify it. One of the local lensmasters in my area keeps a great set of lenses about all sorts of creatures, so I found the lens Snakes of Louisiana and quickly realized that this little guy was a Garter snake... not a moccasin!

Great news... except some tragedy had already occurred outside that I won't disclose. It really does save a lot of trouble and grief to be knowledgeable and experienced with your surroundings-- whatever they happen to be but *especially* out in the country.

A few more photos to share...

The building of the chicken run last week.

The three figs growing healthy and ready to be planted.

... and a little bird's nest with a single egg.

Another day on the farm.

I feel like things were going well for about two straight weeks. I managed to have quite a lot of time to update the blog and go on little adventures around the property. Now it seems like everything has changed--

Oh yeah, my husband got another job. Instead of him being home to share the duties of baby-rearing, I'm back to full-time during the days and along with it have come the blues. I started this blog knowing that I was going to have to admit to some setbacks and long periods of no productivity-- but actually admitting to it almost feels like a failure.

Of course there is no true failure here. I'm taking care of my baby and everything else around here as best I can-- absolutely worth it. It's just that in the process I've had to neglect a few things that would otherwise help to keep me motivated and keep my spirits up. It will take awhile to balance it all out again.

Callum is teething. Over the weekend he also had a low fever and seemed a little ill, then a doctor's appointment on Tuesday (regular checkup) and last night he broke out in a rash. Now he's miserable and teething.
Also over the weekend Seth and I were *both* sick. Seth more sick than I was, so I tried to help him and care for the restless little baby all day (I think it was Sunday.. or Monday).

Perhaps I'm getting used to it again. I wish I could take Cal outside and walk around but it's been in the mid- to upper- 90's here all week and it's just miserable. Early mornings are okay because we can find a few spots of shade at times. For the most part it's like walking out into an oven and just not pleasant.

Anyway, Seth is working! We aren't living off of our savings anymore so we might afford to spend a bit on some of our projects (yeah, or finish paying the bill for some of our old projects...).

We still have to finish the chicken house. We haven't lost anymore hens, and what we have works for now but it could definitely be better. It seems like we've hit a wall with this project. I suppose its because we've been trying to work out the cheapest way to do it. There are still some materials available around the property for us to use so maybe we can get it done without spending anymore... We will see.

Some rosemary that I started from seed are coming up. I only started a few because I didn't think it was a good time to start them, but there are two precious little seedlings now. All of the other plants are doing well. I'm looking to mulch everything soon because the heat is getting bad and I didn't have enough mulch to begin with.

All things coming along slowly... I hope to get some time for a very thorough update soon.

Business Plants, Homestead updates

What's been going on around here the past couple of days?
We've made a more permanent chicken coop by tying a tarp over the hay ring that we were already using. Then we fastened the wire around the ring to make it more secure. It's a good little run area for the 4 hens we have now and it will be easy to move. We had planned on constructing a chicken tractor but I'm actually more pleased with this because it was essentially free.
We are still moving them from the run to the little chicken house at night. Soon we are planning on fastening some nesting and laying boxes to the run so they'll have somewhere safe to go at night.

In the next few days we will probably be cutting down some of the Tallow trees. I think it's important that we cut them down before they go to seed. Some already have little green seeds forming.
Callum and I walked around yesterday morning pulling up dozens of little seedlings near the fenceline. They come up very easily when they are young.

I planted two longleaf pines that I had dug up from another area of the property. They are so tiny right now. One is about 4 inches tall and the other is maybe 7-8 inches.

I also have 3 figs I'm going to be planting soon, now that they've got some healthy leaves. These were given to me a few months ago as root cuttings. I thought two of them were going to die but they are doing great now.

Hm... other news is that we are looking into business options, such as becoming an LLC. It was Andrew's idea and I'm exploring that idea. I think it would be a great thing to get started. Not sure what all we would produce but I have QUITE a few ideas.

Abrupt end.

Squidoo broadcast.

I've been doing quite a bit of work over at Squidoo building my pages which focus on the homestead, the property and different aspects of the whole project.

Please go over and take a look at what I've been up to...

Okay, this first one is just about the blog, but there's so much more! My lens sort of "fleshes out" the whole idea behind the blog and shows the big picture. I'm quite proud of this one and I've been working at it for a couple of weeks now.
The Wild Homestead Blog

A new lens about the old farmhouse that I hope will serve to document the idea Seth and I had of turning that into an "art project." This one is a work in progress, but we'll see where it goes.
The Art of Preserving an Old House

Tallow trees! If you don't know about Tallow Trees, you should learn :)
Controlling the Spread of Chinese Tallow.

And a little Bio I put together that's kind of silly, in my opinion, but whatever....
The Wild Homestead- Who Writes It?".

Little Ladies'-Tresses

Well, there's been another identification, and this one I'm quite excited about. The ID was made by naturegirl7 at squidoo (she has a lot of great 'lenses', so be sure to check them out!).

This little flower is a member of the orchid family. I think the species we have is Spiranthes tuberosa, also called Little Ladies'-tresses.


If you want to see how gorgeous this flower is when it's actually in bloom, the Connecticut Botanical Society has some great pictures.

I've spotted the flowers in 3 different places right around our house but I think they've been mowed now :-\ Next time I find an interesting little plant like this I'm going to mark its location so it can grow and bloom in peace.

Community.

When I write, I'm usually nursing or wrestling with my 6 month old. Now that he's crawling we've worked out a system where I have the laptop on the floor and he chases me around, or I chase him around. My work is punctuated by cuddling and kissing and constant tug-of-war with the objects he just can't wait to sample.
He is always happy for a break, though-- a trip around the yard, visiting the chickens, or just sitting on the porch. It's a good life we have.

One of our friends came over last Friday and Seth played his guitar as the sun set behind him. The light faded out of the sky and Brennan joined in, singing some lyrics he had written down. The vibes were so positive.



"This is what it's all about. This is what we're doing," I realized. Seth nodded with understanding.
That moment illuminated this whole "dream" that I have. This is the human aspect of the dream. Moments like these are the reasons, on a personal level, for seeking self-sufficiency and preserving nature.

I spend a lot of time thinking about this project and that project and trying to figure out how to get things going and how to make things work out. Even though I know that the whole point of all of this is each individual moment I can't help but get caught up in the planning. It's not even the final outcome that I am considering, because I never envision a final outcome... just a constant, steady work-in-progress.

On that note, I'm going to get a little more reading in while the little one is asleep... so I can spend time with him when he wakes up! :)

Layout

Just a warning... I will be experimenting with the layout of the blog for a few days so be prepared for some changes until I get it right. Thanks!

More documentation...

I walked around the property again, just to get a good idea of what's going on in the places that I'm not visiting every day (though even in the few acres immediately around us, I find myself surprised to see whats growing!). Here's an example of things right around my house that I forgot to include in the last post...


Some of the flowers have died, but it's a really pretty little plant that Ive spotted in a few locations.

Here's a tour of the places we don't visit as often but are right around us.

This is one of the most beautiful places on the property. We have a grove of live oaks, water oaks and a few pines. Its nice and shady during the day and so far hasn't been heavily disturbed by the tallows.

A pine tree killed by pine beetles.

A surviving pine tree.

A live oak hidden in a tallow forest.

This area is often wet and boggy and was also heavily fertilized for decades when the cows were here. As a result things grow very well and there are tons of butterflies, moths and dragonflies.

I stopped along the way to eat some fresh blackberries :)

That's it for now. Another update coming soon!

Overall land survey.

I've been busy researching the few different species that I can identify out here. The purpose of doing this is to try an catalog any native species we may have growing. It has slowly sunk in that because this is old pastureland, the chances of any healthy remnants of prairie being out here is pretty slim. The original composition of this area was probably pine forests anyway, so it's very unlikely that native prairie plants would suddenly show up in a heavily grazed field.

Here's a quick description of what I have identified (sorry, my pictures have come out blurry):
Around us:
-Horse Nettle

-Bahia grass

-tallow tree, of course
-dewberry, blackberry

-smartweed

-thistle (bull thistle I think)

In the bog:
-lizards tail
-pickerel weed

Some other things I *may* have identified:
-little quaking grass?

-vasey grass?

Without having identified everything, at least a few things are pretty clear. Almost all of these species can be considered invasive *but* most are especially common in disturbed soils, or land that has been overgrazed. No big surprise there, but it's useful information because that means with a good management plan, we can get some more native species established. Eventually, after several years, some of the plants that rely on overgrazing to be competitive will back off and some of the native grasses and wildflowers will start to take over. According to the Meadow Makers, when the natives get established, controlled burns can be used on a regular basis to manage the health of the prairie.

Our neighbor Rodney came with a bush hog yesterday to mow the area around our house and he also cut some paths through the fields and cleared the areas around my newly planted trees. A little bit of lawn makes the place seem so different and I won't deny that I kind of enjoy it. Especially for now, because it gives me a better idea of how much room we have and how the different gardening areas (wild grasses vs vegetables vs some ornamentals and shade trees) can be arranged. He left two huge patches (maybe 2500 sq ft each) out front with a path bording them. The path gives it kind of a "neat" look, plus makes it nicer to walk around and look at things.

I am thinking if we leave those areas for the native grasses and wildflowers, we can even have a border. Ronnie has a bunch of piles of antique bricks that are behind the old hay barn (lying beneath the bamboo forest). I think those would be beautiful as a border, though I'm not sure if there are enough for that whole area.

This is what I've been up to the past few days. A lot of my time is spent on research and walking around looking at things, trying to visualize and plan the best arrangement.

I also tend to have a problem with excessive enthusiasm. In other words, I'm easily distracted so it takes me quite a while to finish different projects.

Even writing this blog has taken nearly two hours because a little yellow songbird came and sat in my window and I spent awhile trying to figure out what it was at whatbird.com.
Then I got sidetracked again by Cornell University's Project FeederWatch.

I'm a huge nerd.

More on Tallow

An excellent point was brought up by Thais over at Port Hudson Organics, that the bees love the Tallows!
Earlier in the spring when the weather was a bit cooler, Callum and I were walking around the field and made our way over to one of the tallow tree circles (I'll tell you about these in just a minute). The trees had just begun blossoming and as we neared the trees we heard a constant electric hum. Upon closer inspection I saw that the trees were buzzing with wild honeybees! This is quite a reassuring sound amid reports of declining honeybee populations.
The American honeybee is a welcome presence in any garden and the long, golden, chain-like flowers of the Tallow are a honeybee favorite.

Any Tallow management project would have to take into account the benefit of these trees for wildlife. Not only do the bees love'em, but the birds do too. Of course, the birds end up being part of the problem when they spread the seeds to surrounding natural areas.
It is most likely that our project on the farm would be a management project rather than eradication. The Tallow tree problem in some southern states has gotten to the point where landowners are advised by the state to remove these trees from their property entirely. However, as young and energetic as I am, I can't imagine the cost and energy required to rid the property of these trees (nor do I want to think about all the herbicide that would have to be used if we found ourselves forced to take that route).


Here is an idea of what we are dealing with. The picture above is the property immediately in front of our house. Every tree you see, besides the lonely maple sapling up in front, is a Tallow. While the cows were here, they grew up along the fence lines. The "Tallow Tree Circles" are 3 big circles next to our house where the trees were cut down and piled up about 20-30 years ago. The area was not mowable because of the huge debris pile, and the seeds of the "debris" trees were able to germinate and grow undisturbed. In the back of the property where there are still a few old oaks, gum, pine and maple growing, the Tallow is busy taking over the understory and competing with the younger versions of these already established trees.

Ultimately it would be nice just to clear out patches of these trees at a time and establish and nurture the growth of other species that are equally hospitable to the wildlife. It would probably be a good idea to start with the areas where seedlings of other species are already trying to establish themselves. Help those along first, and clear out the Tallow competition. Later, we could move on to the mini Tallow forests themselves.

We are still thinking of ways to approach this issue, and any suggestions or feedback are certainly appreciated!

Tallow Tree Daydreams.

Occasionally I find myself absorbed in daydreams of eradicating the Tallow Tree. I spent some time earlier today wandering around photographing the Tallow for a new web lens I'm creating that focuses on managing Chinese Tallow. Control of this species is critical to preserving the property. Take a look at the link to find out more.
Also, after I wrote the last entry I decided to go out and get a few things done. I made the border for a vegetable bed in the front and moved some gravel from under the trailer to make a path so I don't end up walking through mud while trying to get to the veggie bed. I also repotted some of the young cacti that Ronnie gave me.

I took tons of photos this evening of the various grasses and plants growing out in the field. I will organize it into a photo tour in one of my upcoming entries, so stay tuned!

Accomplishments.

Things are slow going with a six month old. Especially now, the little guy has taken to crawling and he's just all over the place! Not only that but it's getting up to 90 degrees during the day now and we're sitting in the middle of an open field so it's HOT!

Outside work and exploration is usually reserved for the mornings or the evenings. I was reminded of something very important the other day when I went out to water some plants. I turned the hose on and the water was BOILING hot just from sitting in the sun. Why use a water heater when the sun alone will make your water that hot?
I am going to spend some time reading up on DIY solar water heaters and hopefully this will be a project we will start on soon. Another cool idea is the solar oven. Save money on cooking, and you can keep the house from heating up so if you are using the AC it won't have to work as hard.

Well, I'm not getting out as much as I'd like but here are a few things we have accomplished in the 1.5 months since moving in....

-I haven't had a single plant die on me yet. We've got all sorts of things growing, mostly gifted ornamental plants, but I've got to get my green thumb somehow. There's a rose, a mandevilla, a sword bean, a tub of catnip and spearmint, a tub of wildflowers, scarlet sage, chives, shallots, croton, 3 young figs started from root cuttings earlier this spring, 2 pine trees that really need to be transplanted soon, aloe vera, some cactuses, 2 parsley plants, tomato and pepper seedlings, one little nasturtium, a few four o' clocks, a gardenia, and rosemary seeds (I'm trying but I'm not sure if these will come up.) Also, we went to visit Seth's great grandpa and came home with cuttings of Turk's Cap.
-Also I've planted a red maple and a bald cypress in the field
-We've built new stairs for our porch.
-Raising 4 little hens in a temporary run.
-Harvested some blackberries
-Explored and photographed the property. May not seem like much, but a critical first step!

Wow, is that all? I feel like I'm missing something but I'm probably not. I suppose we're just getting adjusted and I'm trying to find time to do things while looking after the baby.
By the end of the summer I'd like to be growing more veggies, have the pine trees and other potted plants planted somewhere, finish the permanent chicken tractor or coop. For now, I'll keep it at that.

Come Fall, I want to plant the figs, work on getting the tallows under control, get ready for a winter veggie bed and set up better fencing to keep my dog on our land.

Ah yes, I will also be starting school either in June or in September (haven't quite decided on that yet).

Slow and steady work is all I need to focus on, otherwise I will overwhelm myself with all that needs to be done.