Raspberries and a Chicken Coop!

Things are progressing at a good clip down at the Golter farm!

 

I'm going to turn into an Aunt McMolly farm girl before I know it, out sheering sheep, shoveling manure and raising wild turkeys.

 

Oh wait.

 

I think I am already kind of doing that when I cut Mark's hair, clean the dog poop out of my shoes and raise the two children who keep referring to me as "Zooey Mamma" (Owen's got Caleb doing it now too!).

 

I have no idea where they came from but they don't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Wild Turkeys indeed!

 

While I've been off playing in my classroom Mark has been busy on his days off here around the house. One day I came home and he had the raspberry part of our "berry patch" all planted and ready to go.

 

The raspberries will be the start of it and soon we will build some beds for the strawberries and then throw in some blueberries as well. The blackberries we will leave down by the creek since they are doing AWE-some there.

 

The first row and a half of raspberries all came from my cousin Johanna who swears by them. She said that if we aren't happy with them, we can go to her house and shave her bald.

 

At least that's what I think she said...

 

 

At the end of the second row, we planted some in a bush like format that will grow into "Black" raspberries. These starts were given to us from a good buddy of Mark's and he swears by them as well (lots of swearing by these raspberry people I tell ya!).

 

He said that if we don't like them, we can go to his house and hang him by his toes and tickle him with his wife's feather boa.

 

I'm pretty sure he said that anyway...

 

Our 3rd row of raspberries were also given to us and they are a thorn less variety that (can you guess?) the giver swears by. He said that if we don't like them, he doesn't want to hear about it because we were obviously too stupid to recognize a good berry when we saw it.

 

Hmmm... I think I like this guy!

 

Everything looks so puny, thin and small when it is just planted!

 

 

 

This is the front part of the orchard. The gate isn't quite done yet and I am going to be planting a few climbing flowers along the front of it but I do like the way it looks so far.

 This is around to the other side of the dirt mound (which will someday be landscaped) looking towards where the pig pen is going to be. Mark has buried fence about a foot and a half down and we will also be burying some railroad ties that were given to us along different parts of the fence to help keep those little piggies in.





 

Here is another shot from the back. I am totally prejudiced but I think it is one of the best Orchard fences I have seen.

 

Granted, I have only paid attention to about 2 of them but ours has to rank in the top of that group! My blister tells me so!

 

 

 

Our next project is in the works already. A friend from church called us up and told us that a lady she knew was wanting to get rid of all her chickens. They are a year old and already laying eggs and everything. Best of all - they are free!

 

I quickly called and got it all set up. All I needed now was a chicken coop!

Turns out Aunt McMolly had one that she gave us so Mark repaired a few boards on it, built me some nesting boxes and then brought it into the garage. He then gave it two coats of primer and turned the rest of the painting over to me.

 

I'm standing on the landing to take this picture so it looks a wee bit small but I bet it stands close to 5 feet at the peak.

 

 

At first I was having to paint all by myself.

 

It's lonely painting all by yourself!

I channeled my inner Karate Kid and practiced my "hidden" karate skills by waxing on and waxing off. (Or painting up and down but whatever. I remember it one way, you may remember it another).

 

I sang along with all the country songs on the radio that I had blaring. Apparently I am really good at Miranda Lambert's song "This Ain't My Mamma's Broken Heart". The dogs only howled twice during that one.

 

Finally, the boys heard all the commotion and came out to help me. Owen helped by shooting some baskets and talking non-stop to me (aka - himself). This was a great help because Owen + paint = a HUGE mess! Caleb actually picked a paint brush and got to work.

 

 

 Little Miss Curiosity wouldn't stay away and I accidentally dropped some paint on her when I tripped over her. Somehow in the process I also got paint in Caleb's hair as well but I managed to keep myself very clean and free of paint.

 

Thank you very much. 

 

(I keep trying to take a picture of Mercy where she doesn't look seriously ticked off but I am finding it to be quite the challenge...)