Happenings at the Homestead...

Autumn has arrived in Las Vegas - a welcome relief from the scorching heat of the Mojave blast furnace. We built six keyhole beds in the front yard this summer and stuff is growing in all of them! It always amazes me when anything I plant grows here.  I'm still an Ohio girl, used to throwing seeds on the ground and everything grows. It's taken us years to "grow" our soil so that it supports something besides tumbleweed.

The Morning Room

Yep, the Morning Room is where we begin just about every morning with coffee, books, conversation and whatever we're working on - I'm usually knitting or writing letters and the Husband is always working on his novel.  You can see to the right that the Swiss chard is pretty happy. To the left is the our volunteer squash vine that appeared one day after I transplanted the fennel from the back yard to the front.

The Mystery Melon

We had no idea what it was until the other day when I discovered a melon in the middle of all that vine. Can you see it toward the upper left of the picture? I found another tiny melon this morning.

Our "gated community" - ha!

I finally found something that will grow in the cinder blocks that line our walkway - Vincas. They seem to thrive on heat and neglect. They also get bushy and full of blossoms. What a deal!

Herb Spiral

The basil growing in the herb spiral I built earlier this year has gone crazy. It attracts a lot of bees. I'm thinking that pesto needs to be made soon before it gets too cold and the leaves turn that sad color of brown...

The three biddies: Chi-Chi, Bela, and Viv

I couldn't write a post about the homestead without including a picture of the girls.  They're foraging in their very own garden bed filled with chicken-friendly plants like red clover, rye grass and hairy vetch (?) I have no idea what hairy vetch is, but I love saying it.

Lastly, here's something seasonal:

Little Witch on the Homestead

Until next time...

The Viking Chickens

On May 1st, I purchased two baby chicks from our local CAL Ranch store.

Baby Bela

Baby Fleck

They were horribly cute, as you can see.  The chicks lived for several weeks in a large tub on our balcony, away from our four-footed creatures (two cats and two dogs).  It was amazing to see how quickly they grew.  After a time, I began to worry that they were over crowded and I needed to arrange a larger space for them. I purchased a small coop that was raised on legs and surrounded it with chicken wire attached to 6-foot stakes.  It was serviceable, but pretty ugly (not that the chickens cared, but I did), and I didn't even take a picture of it.  However, I did take a picture of the babies when they figured out how to walk up the ramp to the coop:

Bela and Fleck, 4 weeks old

After looking at numerous chicken coop plans, pictures and sites, I remembered that I had two Viking A-frame tents in storage, left over from my days in the SCA.  So Memorial Day weekend was spent building a coop and run for the little chick-a-bees.

The Viking chicken coop

While a professional carpenter would take one look at this and roll her eyes, I'm pretty proud of it and it has withstood the tests of the chihuahua, dachshund, tabby and ginger cats.  Since the heat has arrived with a vengeance, I have the run covered with shade cloth and a mister directed into the run.  Both keep the inside temperature below 100 degrees, even when it's 115 outside.  I planted a jasmine between the run and the wall in the hopes that it will eventually vine over the run, providing sweet smelling shade.

The "babies" are now 7 weeks old and looking more and more like real chickens:

Bela and Fleck

They get to free range the back yard every day, but stay close to their Viking mansion.  Often they only come out for a few minutes and then go back inside.  I guess they know where home is.

When I bought them, they were labeled as Araucana chickens, but after doing some research, I have my doubts.  Araucanas do not have tails, and these girls definitely have tail feathers.  Perhaps they are Ameraucanas or Easter eggers.  I guess we'll see once they begin to lay eggs...

I Built a Greenhouse!

Yep, I did. It's 4' high, 5' wide and 10' long.  And it didn't take too long, either.  It would have taken less time if I'd followed the directions here but of course I had to modify things...

It's made with PVC pipe and plastic sheeting.  Pretty easy IF you know what you're doing, which I did not.  But I figured it out anyway.

 

I needed to make three of these hoops:

It's a really good idea NOT to knock over the can of primer and get purple gook all over the work area like I did.  Grrr.  It's also a good idea if you're modifying someone else's plans that you need to think things through completely, which I thought I did but obviously did not because when I put everything together, I hadn't reckoned on bracing the longer sides.  I did not take a picture of that small disaster, but trust me, it was not pretty.  Back to Home Depot for another length of pipe and then:

Ta-DA!!! Thank the gods for zip ties.  What a marvelous creation.

Then things got really exciting because the wind kicked up as I was trying to wrestle with the plastic sheeting...

This is as far as I got and then decided to quit because the wind wasn't going to.  The very next day I had at it again, and

Success!  It gets pretty toasty and my seedlings love it.  I bought an inexpensive thermometer to put in there and found I had to open the plastic a bit because it was 90 degrees inside after just a couple of hours!   It's not beautiful to look at, but it IS functional.

I wish I wasn't so dumb about building things. I'm sure it takes me twice as long just because I have no experience.  But I figure I learn something with every project, so perhaps in 10 years I'll be able to zip through stuff like a pro...

This post is linked to Homemade Mondays

Around the Farm...

Frankenfoot is all healed on the outside and feeling pretty good.

Inside, there is still some swelling around the joint and it lets me know when I need to sit down for a while and rest.  I see the doctor tomorrow and hopefully he'll tell me I'm not overdoing it.

Strawberries in abundance from Bountiful Baskets! Over the past two weeks I got 16 pounds of them.  I put up 8 pints of strawberry jam,

and dried 12 pounds of them in my dehydrator.

It's amazing how they shrink down to nothing...

I've been making some fermented things:  yogurt, sourdough starter, and creme fraiche.  It all sounds very fancy but it's stinkin' easy.

strawberry yogurt, sourdough starter, creme fraiche

In fact, there's no reason to buy sour cream when you can make creme fraiche in 24 hours.  Get a pint of heavy cream (whipping cream) - NOT ultrapasturized, and dump it in a bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons of buttermilk and gently whisk into the cream.  Put a clean cloth over the bowl (I use cheesecloth) and leave it for 24-36 hours.  Our house is chilly in the winter, so it takes a little longer.  When it's thick, it's done.  Put a lid on it and stick it in the refrigerator.

Yesterday I worked in the herb garden, building up the bed and making a (hopefully) dog unfriendly border using some paving stones that have been lying around for ages.  I also transplanted my bay laurel tree from a container into the ground.  This morning I'll plant some peas, nasturtiums, and calendula seeds. (Or maybe not.  I just went outside and it's freakin' cold and windy.)

Murnie checking out the new border.

At the back of the garden, you can see my upcycled bowling ball.  Here's a close up:

I got the idea for it on Pinterest here.

Remember the lace wimple I blogged about a while back?  Well, I got busy with it...

and now it's finished! I learned a lot by making it - provisional cast on, how to add beads to your knitting, and a picot bind off.

I must remind you that I am neither a professional model nor a professional photographer...

So while some of us are buzzing around doing a million and one things, others of us are just lying around taking it easy...

Murnie the Dog

Rosko the Chihuahua

Sophy the Cat

Nelly-cat

Preparing for spring

Looky, looky - something to do with all the empty toilet paper rolls I can't seem to bring myself to throw away!  I found the idea on Pinterest here.  This is my stupid-simple tutorial (like you couldn't figure this out by yourself...)

You need these:

Cut the tubes in half.  No, don't measure them (unless you're that kind of bear), just eyeball it.  Then, squish in half one way...

Squish in half the other way...








Use the fold lines as a cutting guide to make 3/4" (or so) cuts:

Bend the flaps in toward the center,





Then overlap them like you are closing the top of a cardboard box:

Pretty cool, yes?  Now to plant some seeds.  I think tomatoes, since they need a real head start here.







Meanwhile, here's how things are looking in my herb garden...

I've had to bundle everyone up the past few nights due to overnight temperatures in the 20's.  Brrrr....

Snoozing under the blankets are my dwarf lemon tree, lavender bush and rosemary bush. What's going on in your garden?

This post has been linked to Homemade Mondays, Week 11.  Many cool ideas - check it out!

Thrift Store Love and Cookies...

A little voice told me to stop into the Deseret Industries thrift shop this morning while I was out doing errands.  This is the first time I've been in there and I was specifically looking for a bowling ball to create this:

which I found on Pinterest from a friend's page, the tutorial for which you can find here.

Not only did I find a bowling ball (complete with ugly bag, which will go right back to a thrift store, unless my daughter wants it), but also a wonderful glass decanter that I can use for my vanilla extract that I'll be making as soon as my vanilla beans arrive, AND a 100% wool plaid blanket that I intend to throw in the washer and dryer to felt so I can cut out shapes to make a garland.

Total price for these goodies:  $10.  Happy dances.

Now onto my new favorite cookies:  chocolate gingerbread drops.  The recipe arrived in the holiday King Arthur Baking Catalog.  I love these so much!

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

1 3/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. cocoa powder

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. molasses

1 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

sugar (I used the sparkling sugar from Wilton that you can buy at JoAnn's)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets. 

Combine the flour, baking soda, spices, salt, and cocoa. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until light and creamy.  Add the molasses and beat until combined.  Beat in the dry ingredients, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough a tablespoon at a time, and roll the top in the sugar.  Place the unbaked cookies 1 1/2" apart, sugar side up on the cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until their surface begins to crack.  Remove from the oven, cool on the pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Yield: 30-32 cookies

Recipe from the King Arthur Flour catalog

I really, really wish I knew how to put a "print" box around my recipes so that it would be easier for you to copy.  If anyone knows how to do that, please let me know!

Off to mix the ton of documents I shredded this morning into the compost pile... 

Yesterday...

was what every single day should be like.  I got up early and had coffee in the morning room with the husband.

the morning room

 After a bit, Murnie the dog decided she'd like to go for a walk in the park, so into the car and off we went.

3D Murn

When we got back, I needed to get some things out of their pots and into the ground, so Murn hung out while I puttered around and the husband worked on his latest story.  I finally got a climbing rose and planted it along the front fence.  It doesn't look like much now, but I am dreaming of it taking over the ENTIRE front fence.

I am also envisioning the lavender growing to great heights, along with the bee balm, rosemary, and lemon balm I planted.  Grow, grow, grow!!!  Once everything was happily situated, I thought I'd go in and knit.  On my way in, I discovered Murnie the dog sitting in the middle of the strawberry patch, blissfully munching the nice, ripe berries.  It was so funny, I didn't have the heart to fuss at her.  She's such a fruit bat!  And we've got tons of berries from the co-op anyway.

Oh, this new knitting WIP -- I went to my local yarn shop on Saturday (I haven't touched yarn in sooooo long, and there were so many new things.  I just wanted to pull it all off the shelves and roll around in it...).  I settled on two skeins of outrageously expensive Turkish novelty yarn (green and purple) that actually has a bunch of different yarns worked into a skein (viscose, silk, cotton, linen, and combinations thereof).  I decided on a scarf (the world's most expensive, and like I really need another scarf???).  As I said, it's been forever since I touched yarn and I must have started this stupid thing a half dozen times.  I'm so out of practice and I just couldn't keep my mind focused on a simple feather and fan pattern.  Yes, ridiculous.  I mean, feather and fan?  The easiest pattern since garter stitch.  OK, so I finally got it together, and here is the beginning:

Turkish lavender mint scarf

Imagine it much longer and with luxurious fringe of many greens & purples...

Went swimming and did 60 laps in 45 minutes.  I must get off the sugar train and lose at least 15 pounds, preferably 20.  Back pain is no fun.

Finished off the afternoon by beginning an altered board book that will be a prize in Amy's All Together Now online art party.  Do you know Amy?  I love her blog, and her site Flutterbye.  To find out about the art party, click on the button on the right.  I've never done an online party, but it sounds like fun.  So here is the first page of my giveaway book:

altered board book giveaway

And now I'm done nattering.  That's what's up with me.  What's up with you?

Weekend Fun

I just got back from a weekend conference put on by the Art Educators of Nevada.  It was held in Boulder City, a wonderful small town about a half hour drive from my house.  It really felt like a vacation.  Boulder City is so different from Las Vegas; it reminds me of small towns in Ohio, where I grew up.  I spent the weekend with other art teachers from around the state.  We made beautiful things, talked about how to advocate for the arts, and went on a walking tour to see the sculptures on display around the town.  It was very difficult to choose what classes to take because they were all interesting.

These little cuties are made from pumpkin and sesame seeds.  One is a pin, the other a magnet.  My second graders are going to love making these.

 This is a wine bottle that's been fingerpainted with acrylics.  After it dried, the silhouettes were painted on with a brush (fingers just don't do details that well :).

It took two hours to learn to do copper tooling, and because I can't do anything simple, I didn't finish the other copper dangles that I'd cut out.  I brought them home and will finish later.

I think this is my favorite.  We learned about Tiffany and his stained glass.  This is embossed on very thin black foil paper.  We used metallic colored pencils and Gelly Roll pens.  Then we covered a square of cardboard with it (we were supposed to make two, but again, I can't do anything simple, so I brought home my other square to do later).  After the squares were covered, we used them as covers for this folded paper book:

I'm really tired and not looking forward to getting up early tomorrow to go to work (I need another weekend to recover!), but it was well worth it.

When I got home, I found that my scarlet runner beans have started to bloom!

My garden is really happy that the nights are cooler and the days are warm.  Actually, we all are!