Kitchen and Coop

Tassels on top mean corn starting on the bottom.

It's the middle of August, and everything is ripening.  I picked about 5 pounds of basil, which equaled 30 cups of leaves, and a bouquet for the kitchen table.  Tomatoes and green chili are bountiful. Bob helped me carry 20 pounds of tomatoes, and about 5 of green chili into the house last night.

Cukes on the right, and basil on the left.

12 pints of refrigerator dill pickles

The "Coop Mahal" is slowly progressing.  Bob is getting ready for a show, so that is his focus at the moment.  But here are a few pics of the progress.  The large door will have the metal mesh open in summer, and cleverly hinged with a piano hinge closes in winter.  I don't know if I have ever seen a coop with a piano hinge.  We had it, so Bob used it. 

"My" door to the Coop Mahal

The chicken door to their yard. Not open yet.

 Morning mash...love those tail feathers.

The girls continue to bring daily joy to my life.  I bring my set chair in early in the morning, or at dusk for some socialization.  Many hop on my lap for lovin'.  They all preen me, and pick at my clothes. We get about 4 eggs a day right now.  They are all bantams...as that's who is laying.  Irma, the black cochin has a comb that is soooo red, that I know any day, she will be laying.

Thanks for reading.

Each day is a gift. Open now.

xo,

Suz

From The Garden

The Crows greet me daily at the gate.

This spring has been a tough one.  The winds have blown 40-50 miles an hour.  The temps were warm in April, and then near freezing in May.  Gardening in New Mexico is a humbling experience for even the most seasoned gardner.  I had to enclose the large back garden on 3 sides with shade cloth.  Partly for sun protection, and partly for a wind break.  I planted tomatoes, and they were instantly bleached by the sun.  We moved the shade square umbrellas (see photo) to the back. I rotate my tomato crop.

Shade cloth and umbrellas up to brace against elements.

Most of the seeds are in.  Beans, cucumbers, mustard greens, broccoli raab, lettuces, beets, radish, eggplant, green chili, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil, flat parsley, onions, chives, chard, spinach, peas.  There are a few more seeds to plant.  I will have to get more tomato plants from the farmers market, as I think some of mine that got bleached won't make it.

onions,spinach,sugar snap peas, radishes in small garden

A crazy bug of recycled materials

pea flowers...so delicate

Our newest tenants Karen and Lloyd have been a helpful duo from above.  Their yard is really been cut back, and Karen is taking up the grass bit by bit.  I hope to have it with flagstone and perennials by end of summer. Lloyd ("yoid" the Spanish pronunciation) is very tall. He is able to prune trees without a ladder.  Amazing.  Bob and I feel blessed to have them here as friends also.  Karen is an excellent cook and we have shared many a meal and lively discussions on the patio.  She refers to herself as "Prunella" because she has pruned most of the trees and vines.

Karen attacking the grass!

"Yoid" pitching branches in the arroyo

Sadly we lost our big peach tree near the pool.  Our below zero temps and the idiot who planted it so close to the house/pool took it from us.   I will miss it, but not the constant dropping of peaches in the pool area. 

the end of the peach tree :-(

chard, leeks, radishes for dinner

oil lamps I will recycle for garden markers in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for reading.

Each day is a gift. Open now.

xo,

Suz

Future Peach Pie

Gala Apple Blossoms

Today the nursery that I bought the most expensive tree I have ever bought came to plant it.  I can't say they were tip top, like the guy last year.  They were very surly, and not helpful.   I told them they needed to dig a bigger hole, but they would not comply.  I sent Bob out for some testosterone, but he was as helpful as Buddy our dog.  This peach tree  came in a square 20" crate.  It's an Elberta yellow freestone.

I went around the property watering while they were here.  The 3 apple trees I planted last year are doing really well.  It's officially spring, as our big desert ash in front is spring green.  Strawberries are coming back beautifully.  Now to buy some nut trees, and decide where to plant them.  My onions, spinach, chard, and peas are all up.  This time of year is so exciting to me.  I love to watch everything wake up.

strawberries

peas, spinach, onions, and chard

Yesterday we had a huge wind storm.  As usual tumbleweeds are everywhere.  It was the day my son and friend Ami were coming to work on "Fort Chicken."  I have some crud that erased my voice, and makes me cough, and I feel pretty lousy unless I've taken some Ibuprofin.  So I was not going to work at all.  They all showed up in spite of the weather with 50mph winds.  They put the last piece of chicken wire on the floor of the run.  This meant moving tons of rock again, and sewing the seams together.  Out of love for me they all worked in the inclement weather.  I layed in bed and felt very guilty.  I owe them BIG time.

"Fort Chicken" floor 

They are growing!

The chicks are still being brought into our living room at night, as the temps are 30 degrees, and the winds have been brutal.  All doing very well. Except one seems to have a bad leg...I am keeping an eye on her.  In fact it's almost time to buy more feed.  I lay in bed at night and hear them peeping.  Somehow that soothes me.

Spring green in the desert is extra special.

Buddy guards the new peach tree. :-)

Thanks for reading.
Each day is a gift. Open now.
xo,
Suz

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Shipped

A bantam buff cochin posing.

Saturday when we were  leaving to pick up Ethan from the airport my phone rang:
"Hi, this is Ruth from the Post Office..."
 I think I said: "They're here!"  I had received an email from the hatchery saying they would be shipped yesterday and would arrive Sunday -Wednesday.  So much for autobot email.  I was ready with everything but securing the sides of the coop with wood to keep the temp up.  So we went to the airport, got the grandson and went to the post office. E held the chicks in the box on his lap, peeping the whole way home.

Or son and fiance came over and helped put the wood on the nursery. The chicks sat in the bathtub in their box with a lamp over it suspended from the shower rod.  I got the temp in the nursery up to 95 degrees and in they went.  A few still had their egg tooth. Which is used to peck through the shell, and then falls off.  As we were putting them in, it looked like there were more than 24.  Hmmmm.

A crazy brahma doing the chicken dance :-)

I tapped on the feeder with my finger and they all came up and started eating. Then stuck my finger in the water (which has chick starter in it) and wet a few beaks.  They began to eat and drink like they'd been doing it forever.  Pretty amazing.  As the sun went down we had a hard time keeping the temp up.  So Bob and I opened the patio doors and brought them in the livingroom for the night. Switching out the heat lamp for a smaller bulb.  Lola the cat sat on top, and Buddy the dog posed in front.  There was a lot of staring at this nursery from all the animals.  :-)

nap time 

When we changed the papers in nursery we counted the chicks as we took them out.  27 not 24.  On the invoice in the box I noticed that more Langshan  chicks had been added, as well as a "surprise exotic breed."  There is one chick with zebra stripes on it's back and a buff colored head.  I think it's a Seabright bantam.  It would be my first of that breed. 

Tonight they are back in the living room in front of the patio doors.  In the next few days I will work on making the nursery warmer, so they can stay outside at night.  It's still pretty cold here in NM and they need more insulation.  There is still so much work to do on "Fort Chicken.".  The whole family worked outside today. It was back breaking work moving tons of stones, landscaping cloth, and putting down the chicken wire.  But they all lovingly did it, as they know how happy keeping chickens has always made this mother hen.

Tomorrow night is the "Chick Party."  I am baking chick shaped sugar cookies, and egg dishes.  Good night chickens, and good night to you all.

Good Night

Thanks for reading.

Every day is a gift. Open now.

xo,

Suz