Posted by TheMundaneOne on June 16, 2010
Peck & Poke
It was too rainy today to do much of anything outside with tools, but we had a break for long enough to take a few pics.
The first is our two girls standing on their roost watching me. These chickens are called Red Shavers, and they are a Canadian breed developed somewhere near Cambridge. Their colour is sex-linked – the pullets/hens are red and the cockerels/roosters are white – so sorting chicks is really easy. At least we know we’ll be getting all hens when the chicks arrive next month! Poke is on the left, and Peck is on the right. It isn’t the sharpest picture, but I was hurrying since it was sprinkling.
Next shot is of the back of the coop. Poke is still looking out the window being curious. I always heard that chickens were a bit thick-headed, but these are very bright and curious. They aren’t budgies by any means, but they’re definitely friendly and interested in us, and not the stupid birds my great uncle had in his coop. Maybe it’s because he had 30 or more and didn’t see people as part of their flock, while we have only 2 who think we’re just funny-looking chickens.
The last 2 shots are the front corners of the coop. We’ve got a padlock on it because we’re a little concerned about a couple of neighbouring kids – one in particular who comes across the back field and climbs the fence. After all the work, we don’t want the chickens getting out and lost. The other shot shows the nest-box side. Our two girls are using an old kitty litter pan for laying eggs at the moment, but when we have more pullets we’ll need more space so I’m making a box which can be attached to the side for them to share. I haven’t made the pegs for securing the door/holding the box yet, so the blocks of wood will keep it tight.
The roof isn’t weather-proof yet, and couldn’t be done in the weather we had today, so the tarp is keeping the rain out a bit. Tomorrow, we’ll get the roof done properly and put the whole thing up on stilts (it’s currently resting on the base without the legs attached to the bottom.
Anyone wanna chicken-sit tomorrow while we finish?
SIT. I said SIT.
-The Mundane One
Posted by SuperADDMom on June 5, 2010
the house we bought has a l shaped garden, long and thin, and a back area to garden in. I didn’t get to it last year, things got away from me, and it became too late. The Mundane one was very disappointed about it, as he love the garden, even thought he cannot do as much as he used to be able to do before he got sick.
So when I went to tackle the back garden area there was 3 foot high grass and old dead brush to clear first.
So I raked the dead brush and burned it, and then started with getting the grass cut down.
then I cut the grass…i tried digging with the shovel to trn the roots, but it killed my back, after sweating my butt off, i grabbed the lawn mover and mowed the tall grass with the lawn mower tilted up, to keep it from stalling out…like in a chomping motion. finally got it all chopped down, and then had to rake it all out to be able to start tilling.
then I tilled it over a few days, in between fixing the tiller 3 or 4 times. ( hubby did most of the tiller fixin’ work.)
This evening I took it back to the guy I bought it from and he’s gonna tinker with it. He plays with them and fixes up old stuff. If he’s not ADHD at 81, i’ll eat my shirt. He’s got unfinished projects everywhere, and a barn that screams ADHD organization. Every flat surface is covered, and there are piles everywhere. but he’s happy and it’s his space, and it’s been that way all his life, and he knows where EVERYTHING is. He stood around talking to me for a good 20 minutes, which *I* personally find funny, cause I can shoot the shit with just about anyone, but *I’m* usually not the one trying to get a word in edgewise and making motions towards needing to leave without being rude while the ADDer rambles on about 20 different topics that go from one to the other “stream of consciousness” topic changes. It, didn’t bother me a bit but it was a neat thing to witness and realize as I’m standing there.
I think I could sit and talk to him and his wife for hours. She is a Mini Pearl impersonator, and she is GREAT!
The sweetest, funniest thing I think I have ever seen, is that in red nail polish she has written on his barn door “We eat at 12 noon and 5 pm SHARP, for an HOUR! Thanks Hilda” he chuckled and said she did it cause people come by and he just can’t be rude and not chat or see them. So, now people just know NOT to come by then. 
with most of th4e tilling done we strung string across the garden to mark north and south so we can lay the 4 by 4 foot squares facing south for optimal sun.
Hubby was there with a compass and getting down to fine points on the north and south, I told him “it’s a garden, not rocket science dear!” he rolled his eyes in that “you and your ADD” to me, while I rolled my eyes at him in that “you and your OCD” this is why we’ve managed to make it 11 years…we keep it interesting butting heads constantly 
then we strung thre areas for the 4 by 4 foot squares. We will have 13 in total. I wanted to start slow, and go with 4 or 6 this year and then add them as we go, but Mr perfection that he is made a plan and even hauled out the graph paper, named the squares and areas of the garden, and planned EVERY single plant in the 13 squares. i mock in a kidding tone, because this will help us save money, but currently I’m in massive pain, frustrated as hell that it is taking so long, and feeling a bit overwhelemd at the idea of getting in & caring for 13 squares! Gardening and ADHD don’t go well together. I’m anxious at the thought of the arguments of having let lettuce go to seed accidently, or killing plants be forgetting to water them. I’m going to have to make gardening a morning daily chore. once I get into doing it, I don’t mind, I find it meditative, but I have SOOO many things to do already.
so, this picture was taken this afternoon, just before I took a break to eat something, and then take the tiller to the old guy to have a look at it. 5 squares edged. the 6th being measured out to I can dig, and the white sheet of plywood marking where the 7th will go. after that I still have 5 more to till again, rake, de-root, mark out, and edge before we can start planting.
Back at it again tomorrow. I hope it doesn’t rain! I’ll be out in it anyway.
Posted by SuperADDMom on May 5, 2010
(click the picture to enlarge it so you can read the easel)
On the side of our house that people see most when walking past on the small piece ( and only sidewalk) in our little hamlet, there is a “flower bed” that was there when we moved in. it had nothing but dirt and some crappy low weedy plants in it. It was more of a dumping ground.
The Girl cub claimed it as her flower bed, and this year she sprinkled wild flower mix in there, a few misc bulbs from other places in the yard we removed them from.
Late last fall I tore up a peonie bush that was poorly placed on the other side of the house under the bathroom window and just tossed it in there…it was cold, and I said. “well I guess it’ll take or it won’t, let just see.”
Well it rooted, and it’s growing and soon there will be peonies there. which she is delighted by.
I’ve noticed that the walls don’t contain the lily of the valley she transplanted in it, and the clover grass is growing through the holes in the walls of the wood. To keep the wood edging clear, when I walk by I pick out the grass growth. But I smile when I walk by that side to cut the grass, because it was nothing before, and it’s growing into a little while and crazy, beautiful bed of flowers that she loves and waters diligently ( too much).
So the saying on the sign just came to me this afternoon, so I grabbed some chalk and wrote it down on her easle and stuck it in her garden.
For those of you who don’t know I started a “blackboard blessings” last year in my front window, to thank a neighbour for the mystery gift that was left at my door, and now I make new signs on a rotating semi regular basis of quotes or what I’m thinking, or what I feel blessed by.
So this is the sign out side in that flower bed. I’m going to make a “permanent blackboard” for that flower bed with the sign, because since it spilled rain while I was out this evening , the writing it gone now of the easel
Posted by SuperADDMom on April 25, 2010
Because being poor and not creative would really be hell!
a lot of the stuff we have, are things we recycle, build fix.
This week I rescued an old dresser that is all busted up and was set to burn in a garbage pile at the dump. I saved it, and am currently re purposing it, into a garden arrangement. I’m painting it white, adding chicken wire to the top dressers on the front, filling it with dirt and going to grow flowers and herb out of it.
It’s going in my tea garden on the front of the house.
Also, today I salvaged a skid/pallet “shed” from the local hardware store. i think it had come with garden center supplies on it, and the local hotdog wagon vendor guy had put a roof on it to hold his supplies, and then dumped it off in the “free wood” pile near the store.
The kids saw it yesterday and mentioned it would make a cool clubhouse.
So today when I went into town, I took the trailer and grabbed it. it was HEAVY, and awkward to move around but I did it. it is now in the back yard waiting for some reinforcements, paint, and fixing up with other scrap wood, singles and windows etc, I have salvaged, or will in the near future.
Rural life was meant for me…this is ME, I am in my element when I’m doing this stuff
I’m pretty sure “rustic” as a decor, was invented by people with ADHD
I can’t wait to post pictures of the dresser, and show the ongoing progress of the clubhouse
Posted by SuperADDMom on May 7, 2009
We are clearing off the back fence of grapevines that are causing the fence to actually be pulled down. So Instead of burning them all, I decided to make wreaths and baskets of them. IT’s a great ADDCraft because you don’t need to worry about attention to detail. the more messy and half thrown together they look the better they are I hope to post a basket picture soon, but right now the wreaths are only getting a small amount of my attention. I have been falling behind and I need to break ground on the garden before the strawberry plants die! The basket in the workshop, almost finished. I’m thinking I’m going to tag them and put them at the end of the driveway with a sale sign and see what happens. People are starting to go on those slow Sunday drives in the county now that it is Spring.
