The beehives are behind the garden. Those are green beans in the foreground.

Homestead Injury and Why More Hands Help

There's plenty of work to do on the homestead, but an annoying injury slows Pete down. The garden continues to thrive.
It's been so dry the honeybees gather on the edge of the chickens' water to drink their fill.

Bee Stings and Mustard Seeds

Our homestead requires hard work, a little pain, and a willingness to kill as well as nurture and grow.
The sunflowers are in full bloom. Behind it, the beehives are barely visible and you can see one of the raised beds in our garden.

Summer Projects on the Homestead

Summer is a great time for outdoor work on the homestead. I have to put up with sweat and dodge raindrops, but its a productive time of year.
This cucumber is too big for pickling, so it will end up in a salad or fed to the chickens.

It’s Been a Busy Summer on the Homestead

We've been super busy on the homestead with both planned and unplanned chores. It's prime time for outdoor activities.
When covered with a lockable lid or roof, this enclosure will be the bunker where we store our gasoline cans, spare kerosene, and pesticides we don't want in the house.

Bunkers, Bees and Firewood, a Homestead Update

Work on our many homestead projects progresses, despite somewhat whacky weather.
You can see where the ford has washed away. We can still drive around the hole, but no one wants to be there when the side gives way any further.

Heavy Rains Damage our Temporary Repairs

Despite more damage from heavy rains, work on the homestead continues. If we are going to be stuck at home, we might as well get some chores done.
Two truckloads, about 35 tons, of ballast, a large kind of gravel, were spread on our private road. We are delighted to see work starting on the road repair and rebuilding project.

A Month of Wind, Water and Sun on the Homestead

march was a busy month on the homestead with road repairs, solar power, water issues, and wildfire preparation all underway.
This is one load if firewood, 10 feet wide and two rows deep. I had to re-split about a third of them.

Spring and Winter Duke it Out on the Homestead

Spring finally arrives, but winter won't be pushed out so easily. The warm weather lets us do long-awaited chores while the freezing rains drives us indoors.
If you look at the back of the rooster's comb, you can see the black section we think is the result of frostbite. It doesn't seemed to have slowed him down.

A Good Week for the Chickens, but not the Bees

Egg production has risen with the temperatures, but the flock is not entirely unscathed. The bitter cold we experienced also hurt the bees.
We had a load of red oak delivered are are stacking it on pallets to dry. This is intended to burn next winter, but if it continues to be this cold, we may need it this spring.

Fire, Water, and Chickens

The road thaws out enough to become passable, the pipes are no longer frozen, and we take the opportunity to stock up on some critical items.
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