Would These Chickens Care?

I was tossing, turning, and gnawing on some stupid issue that had my panties in a twist the other night. For some reason, chickens came into mind (yeah, it gets pretty strange in there) and a question arose: would the chickens care about this issue? Really?

Answer: No, they would not.

I about busted a gut laughing.

See, here's the thing: Mother Nature does not give a flying leap about our human dramas. It doesn't matter your color, your wealth, your connections: if you're in the wrong place at the right time, you'll get attacked & eaten, or rained upon, or frozen regardless. The sun shines on the just and unjust alike. This fact is one of the few things in life that gives me a sense of peace and reassurance.

So the next time I'm fretting about something, I'll just bring to mind this picture of Nutmeg and ask myself: would these chickens care?

Weekend Ahead

[Still getting a schedule down to where I can write on a regular basis again. Almost there... ]

Last week's backhoe delivery was postponed due to rain and flash flood warnings. Permaculture consultation was postponed due to same. I'm off work tomorrow (Friday) and plan to rest up as much as possible, as this weekend will be wonderfully, hectically busy.

Saturday & Sunday, backhoe projects:

• Fill in big hole where a former in-ground tub used to be.
• Dig out second, bigger goose pond.
• Fill raised veggie beds.
  
• Test dig holes in various parts of property for next phase of fruit/nut tree installation.

Sunday evening, after work: Joy will be teaching me how to butcher roosters. My poor hens will be glad of their riddance. Still considering keeping one roo (they're good at warning when there's a raptor), but not sure yet. Guess I could keep one, and if That Lucky Roo acts too much a fool, I'll have the skills to dispatch him personally.

Monday at lunchtime: Lyn is tentatively scheduled to come by and look over the land to get an idea of layout for permaculture project. We had a great phone meeting last weekend, and am excited to see what kind of ideas her visit sparks!

I'm reading this and the words are starting to flow together, not making much sense. Time to hit the sack.

[Pic: Salt & Pepper shakers at Linda Allen's.]

Geese in Pool and Mother Nature

Not the greatest quality photo, as this was a taken a distance away with the cell phone, but here's the geese enjoying the new pool. Before the week of Noah & the Flood.

When I (or was it Spouse? Can I blame Spouse? No?) got the bright idea to put the pool on the side of the hill, neither of us took into account rain runoff. This week, we've had about 8 inches (or more) of that wet goodness, and the pool received about the same in quantity of muddy runoff from the hill. Oops. The filter just couldn't keep up. Spouse had to pump out the water twice: once to empty the pool so he could shovel out the mud, and once again after re-filling, as the mud hiding under the floor pavers came swirling out.

It looks like we've come to the end of this particular weather system, but we're all hoping for more rain in the weeks to come. Think I might need to invest in some sandbags to place a few feet in front of the pool to prevent more mud collection during the next bout of rain. It's either that or Spouse just might make me shovel next time.

Goose Pool - Somewhat Finished

There's a couple of things left needing doing: trim the pond liner, better rock/step setup, clean up the work site, and arrange the pumps/hoses/rocks in a more aesthetically-pleasing manner. Beautifying aside, the goose pool is complete.

Spouse came up with a three part system to keep the water clean. A large flat filter that lays on the floor of the pool, a pump that pulls water through the flat filter first, then pushes the pre-filtered water to an outside canister filter that has a UV purification light. Everything but the flat filter was from recycled equipment. The canister, for example, has a filtering system as well, but certain parts are busted. The UV light still works however, and should help keep the bacteria in check. The pump was another piece that we used to use, but often had to tweak because the goose feathers and such would clog it up. We must have burned out three pumps last year. With the flat filter as the first medium the water goes through, this pump shouldn't have any problems with large particles & clogging.

The bottom of the pool is lined with cement pavers to keep the dogs nails from punching through the liner when they dig in the water.

The water stays nice and cool in the shade. Geese and dogs love it alike. I don't have to replace water every day, saving a good chunk of time and effort. Win!

Lessons learned:

1. Need more surface area. It's a snug fit for the seven geese, and I still want to get a few more females for the harem this Spring. Our next goose pool will be much larger.

2. Pond liners are not impervious to gnawing. The geese have already chewed & frayed folds in the corners. Next goose pool will either be a metal stock tank set into the ground, or rebar mesh with concrete liner. I'm leaning more towards the latter, as we can create slopes and steps without having to buy & arrange pavers and rocks. Hmm, I wonder if we can rebar/concrete this pool as well?

We have a backhoe/loader rented for the upcoming weekend to start on the next pond, and to dig test holes around the property for the next installation of orchard trees. We've also a permaculture consult this Saturday as well. Another busy/exciting weekend coming up!

Permaculture Adventure

The new job at the nursery is going great! The biggest challenge is to not spend my paycheck every day. My green thumb is glowing neon being around all these plants, and the new plants we get three days a week leave me drooling, "Ooooh, we could put THAT on the porch, and THAT in the side yard, and THAT in the flower beds..."

The main things that keep me level-headed is the realization that whatever I buy, #1 it has to be protected from the geese & chickens, and #2 it has to work in the overall scheme of the property. So, I'm in negotiations with a local permaculturist to come up with a sustainable design plan for the land. We have plenty of challenges at our place, but also much potential. I'd like to install a medicinal & kitchen herb garden, several raised beds for vegetables, and trellises for vining plants (grapes? Passion fruit? Or just flowers?) to help keep the house cool in the summer. Areas of pasture grass for the geese and hens. Then there's the fruit trees, too. I also want to keep a privacy buffer of trees & vegetation around the property, but also thin out the invasive cedars a bit. All in all, it's overwhelming, and therefor the desire for an actual plan. Another project, but with professional assistance this time. Nice!

P.S. pics of the completed goose pool will be up either Friday or Saturday, once we have the pump in & working.

[pic: almost "farm dirty" - feet after day of work at nursery]