While We're Waiting on Nova

Nova, due date is next Sunday.

In the meantime, here are some cute baby goat pix while we wait. The black kid is a little buck, while the two salt-and-pepper mix are girls.

While We're Waiting on Nova © March 2021

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Rain Catchment for the Buck Barn

It's been awhile since I gave an update on our little buck barn, so I have lots to show you. We've had some uncooperative weather, but there have been plenty of good work days too. 

Here's how it looked at the beginning of February. 

One important job now done is rain catchment.This saves a lot of walking back and forth to fill water buckets!

To start, the tank was placed on the back to catch run-off
from both roofs. Eventually, we can add tanks as needed.

To make a filter, Dan used gravel and a piece of window screen.

The screening keeps the rocks in place and
blocks mosquitoes from entering the tank.

The clean-out plug (on the right) gets the roof flush. Then the
cleaner water enters the tank through the rock filter. Very simple.

Hard to see the slope on the pipe; it's one inch per ten feet.

Dan elevated the tank on block to get a small bucket under it.

Only a few details left, and then we can move the boys into their new home. Continued here.

Rain Catchment for the Buck Barn © March 2021

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Happy Agrarian New Year!

 A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about why the old agrarian calendar makes more sense to me than our modern commercial calendar. The roots of that old calendar go back to the ancient Hebrews and Babylonians, and trace their way up until the mid-1700s, when the new calendar was finally adopted by the last of the hold-outs—farmers. Follow the link above for details. Because most of what Dan and I do is so seasonal, this old calendar makes sense. Plus, I confess that the commercial new year in January holds no emotional significance for me. So, the agrarian calendar just feels right.

In my part of the country, March 1st makes a good beginning of the food growing year. We're roughly six weeks out from last frost, so it's time to get in gear. We're just coming out of winter—the season of rest (Ha!)—which is a good time to reflect and evaluate. It's also a good time to plan. When March dawns, spring is in the air and it's time to get busy!

Everything revolves around seasonal chores, of course. In spring, it's soil preparation and planting, which includes both garden and pasture. Summer is busy with harvest and preservation, and is also when Dan works on wood for the following winter. Toward the end of summer, there's a fall garden and winter pasture to plant. Harvest and preservation finally taper off in autumn, which is the season to prepare for winter.

After the week's seasonal chores have been tended to, it's project time! Here's what we hope to accomplish this year:

• Fencing. This includes maintenance, repair, and new. The new is around the buck barn and chicken yard. Maintenance and repair are everywhere else.
• Outdoor Kitchen. We've talked about this for years, and the ideas and plans are finally coming together. Details soon.
• Heat stove. We're looking at replacing our soapstone stove with a masonry stove. More on this one of these days.

Of course, everything is weather permitting. However, we have a nice mix of both outdoor and undercover projects to always be working on something. That's a good feeling. :)

Happy Agrarian New Year! © March 2021

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com