Tom got home last night from a couple of days in the Cities for training with some of his staff and some others from work. They had a late-season snowstorm Thursday night that made driving a bit messy and slow yesterday morning . . . about 4-6" of heavy, wet snow, I think he said. Here at home, we are still very firmly ensconced in winter - despite Thursday being the first day of spring. I'll post some pictures (illustrating that) later.
The house is an ABSOLUTE disaster. I kid you not. It's bugging the heck out of me, but I either haven't had the time nor energy (yet) to get to it. I'm still not supposed to vacuum, and it seems that I forget to nab Tom for the job when he's around. But, by hook or by crook, SOME improvements will be made today 'cause I simply can't function in it the way it is any longer!
I did an abbreviated "town day" Thursday afternoon. And, it being Easter time (doesn't it seem REALLY early this year??), there were extra eggs to deliver to my customers for coloring. So, in preparation for the deliveries, I washed and packed 9 (that's nine!) dozen eggs that morning! I saved all the lightest colored ones for the folks who wanted to hard boil and dye them. Even though the deep brown ones are beautiful, they certainly don't take on much of a hue when colored. The picture I've posted here is of a cool little egg anomaly. I think the "bumps" are a concentrated calcium deposit from the formation of the shell.
One exciting upcoming project I haven't yet had a chance to write about it is the semi-permanent greenhouse we're going to put up this spring! Here's the background to the story: we've always had plans to put up a real (glass & perhaps Victorian style) greenhouse . . . probably somewhere near the barn (or, more to the point, where the barn will go). We've also had plans to put in a field garden across from the pond. The greenhouse project was going to wait a couple of years, but I wanted to get the field garden started this spring/summer. Buuuut, after some discussions about all these plans - and taking into consideration all the other things that need to be done around here (and should, perhaps, have a higher priority) - and the fact that I'm still recovering from being sick for a couple of years . . . Tom talked me into NOT starting the field garden this summer. But, the fact remains that I need garden space. Enter the compromise: the "first" greenhouse.
We'll build it off the front side of the chicken house, using that (outside) wall of the chicken house as the back wall of the greenhouse. It will be 14' wide (the width of the chicken house) by 10 feet deep. The height will be 8' (the height of the front of the chicken house) with a shed roof dropping down to 5' to help the snow slide off in the winter. And, besides serving as an actual greenhouse, the space will perform a double duty: helping keep the chicken house warmer in the winter months! So, that's one of the main reasons I can't WAIT for the snow to melt so that we can start construction! (I took this picture last Saturday, the 15th, from the pub balcony [upstairs of the garage]. It will provide a great location to document the greenhouse construction!)
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you are familiar with me and where I live, please respect my right to retain some anonymity by not referring to me by anything other than Chicken Mama nor mentioning city/town/villages by place names. Thanks!