Tom Turkey

No matter what the weather Tom is always outside!

The first load hauled home.

So I figured out how to get those giant logs home. I didn't want to haul my log splitter out there, I hate pulling the log splitter, it is so small you cant see it behind the truck. And it makes the front of my truck shimmy. I have access to trucks and trailers I work, so I borrowed a trailer with a fold down gate. I rolled the logs up the gate, then rolled them back off. Easy Peasy!

I could only haul half of it home. I put about 15 pieces on up in the front of the trailer and I realized the front wheels of the truck were barely on the ground. Oops! Explain that one to the boss!

And...........more firewood!

I just may have an addiction! I gave my little 18 inch chain saw a work out today, and my back!
I think I need a bigger saw and a bigger truck!

18" saw 24" log!

32" log!

These are the small ones!

Have not figured out how to get these home yet!

She doesn't want any more!

Check list

10 hours at full time job...check
The girls fed and eggs brought in...check
Recyclables taken to curb...check
Trash taken to the curb...check
Hose turned off so it don't freeze...check
6 arm loads of wood brought in...check
2 garden beds, weeded...check
5 wheel barrow loads of spoiled straw hauled to garden...check
Straw put on beds for winter...check
Coop measured for insulation and plywood...check
Material list made to fix leak and install window in coop...check
Glass cleaned on wood stove...check
Fire started...check
Fire started again...check
Long johns and sweats off and jammies put on...check
Eat homemade spaghetti...not completed yet!

Putting garden beds to bed

As mentioned in earlier post, my garden is starving for attention. I have been working so much that I haven't been in the garden and it is a mess.

These are suppose to be my garden boxes!

3 boxes weeded and the pile of weeds for the chickens!

Here we are, all tucked away for winter. I have been trying the Ruth Stout method of no weeding just adding layers of mulch. It seems to work if you have time and the material to keep adding as the weeds poke through. I have been doing this for a couple years now and it works really good, just as you get that layer on and keep adding. 3boxes done about 20 more to go!!!

Garlic planting time!

I planted some garlic today. I usually plant garlic from bulbs I saved from last year. Well, I never planted any last year. I lost track of time and before I knew it, it was to late. So I had to order all new garlic to plant. I ordered all my garlic from Territorial Seed Company www.territorialseed.com. I don't get paid to endorse this website, so order from whomever you choose. I just thought I would list it in case someone didn't know where to get garlic.
My all time favorite is Music garlic, but this year I am trying some new ones plus the Music garlic. Spanish Roja and Duganski. I can tell you am not impressed by the Spanish Roja, the cloves were very small. Maybe that's just the variety but it seems you would have to use three or four cloves compared to one of another variety when cooking. I planted it any way, we will see what happens. All three varieties are heirlooms. That's all I plant in my garden.

MMM....Good

Homemade apple pie! My wife is so awesome!

Yep!More firewood!

As the title suggest, more firewood! You can never have enough firewood. Last year we went through about six cords. I have six cords stacked and split. But last year was not a bad winter, we had our cold and snow but it was a mild for Ohio. And the two years before we have had almost no winter, so I am thinking we are due for a bad winter. And last year I had to buy some fire wood. So if I can find the wood I am going to hoard it. I am a fire wood junkie! Besides if I don't use it this year it will be nice and seasoned for next year. Who knows maybe I will go into the selling firewood business.

Thats pile of poo!

I got a truck load of spoiled straw delivered the other day from Happy Trails Farm Sanctuary. www.happytrailsfarm.org. This was suppose to be project for this weekend. I use this straw on the garden. I put everywhere. I do not till my garden any more, I just add more and more "mulch" on top. If I see weeds poking through, I put more mulch on it. I have been doing this for years. But it takes quite a bit of mulch material to do it this way. I use grass clippings, spoiled straw, and leaves this time of year. But it rained all day yesterday and the garden is soaked right now.

Fall is here!

I love this time of year, I am not crazy what comes next. But I do love the chilly weather for working outside, and the beautiful colors of fall. I have had to light the stove the last few days to keep the furnace from coming on. I hate paying the propane man! I need to figure out how to get my cooking stove and water heater switched over and I wouldn't need propane. The water heater can be switched over to electric but I think I m maxed out in our electrical box. The cooking stove is a different story my wife like gas over electric. But with the stove as heat we only go through a half a load of propane a year. We use to go through 4 to 6 full loads of propane a winter for a grand total of $4800.00 a winter. Now we are paying about $608.00 a winter. The stove has paid for it self in the first year and it has paid for the log splitter also.

Garden Therapy!

So I went out and weeded a couple beds to get ready to plant some garlic, and then it started to rain. Dang it, I finally get time to get some garden therapy in and I get rained out!
So early this year I turned my traditional row garden into a raised bed garden, but I only made my beds 4 inches high. That's because I have been mending my soil for probably 10 years now. I get a big truck load of spoiled straw delivered  from Happy Trail Farm Sanctuary www.happytrailsfarm.org. And I throw this on my garden, every where. Especially in the aisles. But the black gold that is left over on the bottom of the pile I put in the beds, and that is what you see below.

I have been doing this for years, so I didn't want to build deep beds and then add mixed soil on top like all the books talk about. I add all this organic matter in then I turn the soil over and there you have it beautiful soil. The worms are in heaven, and my soil is almost to the point where I can dig in it with no tools, just my bare hands.
Now if it would stop raining and dry out I could turn this over and plant my garlic.

Garden neglect!

This what happens when you don't go in your garden for a month!

It turns into a weed mess! It is too bad we don't eat weeds, my beds are full of oxalis, lambs quarter, and purslane. I have actually tried all 3 before. The oxalis and lamb quarter are not bad, the purslane is another story, yuck! My chickens love the oxalis also. Hmm... I wonder how many people out there eat lamb quarter and oxalis n their salad? I wonder if that would be a niche to get into at farmers markets? Who anyone pay for a weed? Than again why would you pay for a tomato when you can grow your own? I might be on to something!

Above is the picture of my beds ,full of lambs quarter and oxalis,  if I could sell it I wouldn't have to weed anymore.

Old man winter!

Another chore for today that I didn't mention earlier was get the stove ready for winter! So I swept the chimney, vacuumed up the mess in and out, wiped it all down, brought the fire wood bin in, brought firewood in and filled the bin, and brought in some kindling wood. The only other thing that needs done is the gasket on the stove door needs replaced. We can still have a fire I just replace it every year to keep a tight seal on the stove, it seems to burn better if everything is sealed up nice and tight!.

To all the Fracas Farm fans, I apologize for not posting lately. That nasty 4 letter word(work) keeps getting in the way. I have been pulling 12 hour shifts at work and coming home and pretty much feeding the animals and crashing. What a pain in the butt! I need a way to make the money at home doing what I love to do! My wife says  I should just do it, that we will figure a way to make things work. We just have quite a few financial obligations that I don't have the confidence she does. I don't have the time to even get things set up to start our own thing. We both are working 10 to 12 hour shifts, then when we get home we are dead tired. I know it sounds like I am making excuses. I need to suck it up butter cup and get this farm wagon rolling.
Well let's start rolling, todays projects, clean the coops, clean out some garden beds, add compost and plant my favorite fall crop, garlic. We love garlic, my wife uses it in all her cooking. Another project for today if the rain holds off and it warms up a little is check the bee hives, I know there is more honey out there. I need to go get some straw and build a wind break around the hives also. It seems like they survive winter much better when I do this. Well off I go I will post some pix later.