Archive for March, 2007
March 31, 2007 – March In AND Out Like a Lion!
This year March came in and went out like a lion. March came in with the double-whammy of the ice storm and snow storm and left with powerful winds in the neighborhood.
We barely missed watching this garage, whose remains are pictured above, explode. It was a big errand day (I drove 165 miles today, with ...Read more.
March 30, 2007 – Mushroom “Planting”
Today was the second time we “planted” shitaake mushrooms in logs. The logs we did last year have not yet fruited, but the time-frame is usually 12-18 months, so we are still waiting.
This a log before the process starts. The ideal log is about 3-8 inches thick and about 40 inches long. Oak is the ...Read more.
March 29, 2007 – Thingamajig Thursday #65
Here’s this week’s Thingamajig Thursday entry. This week we wander off on a different track, so to speak. It’s “identify that animal track” segment of Thingamajig Thursday. The shiny object is a quarter for scale.
Also check out the last thingamajig answer
Move mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer.
As always, put your guess in a ...Read more.
March 28, 2007 – The Goose Gets a Gander
Today, our two geese have a chance for a more complete and fulfilling life with the entrance of a gander! He’s in the middle, we’re thinking of calling him Mr.Toulouse Goose, or Mr. T. for short, but our shortest human rejects Mr. T. Martin prefers the longer version.
You can read about the utility of the geese ...Read more.
March 27, 2007 – Boundary Fence Up
The boundary fence was completed in short order.
“All” that is left boundary fence-wise is to re-string the electric wire around the perimeter and this new line. Eventually, if the planting goes as planned, a new fenceline along the east edge will be in order as well. But that is a much bigger project.
one year ago…
March 26, 2007 – Moving Fencing Material into Place
Another nice June-like day in the upper 70’s. Started working on some more fencing (it will never end). Went to town to pick up wholesale buying club order, got some cardboard sheets and more cattle panels and T-posts. Martin is a great 5 year-old worker. Sometimes he asks what work we can do outside.
Here he ...Read more.
March 25, 2007 – Ice Storm Cleanup
Another task that had been weighing heavy was the messy yard from the ice storm. We had done some of the cleanup, but today, took three hay wagon loads and a couple of truckloads of branches to the burn pile. It reached 80 degrees today, but with a strong wind!
All five of us worked and ...Read more.
March 24, 2007 – Getting Piled up Chores Done
The weatherman promised rain most of the day, but it really didn’t seem to come as heavily/often as we were led to believe. That gave us a chance to get some much-awaited spring chores done. First was overseeding the back pasture.
Martin’s job was to reseed the cow trail. He did a good job and seeded ...Read more.
March 23, 2007 – Guest Lecture
Today was a day of errands and more errands. At noon I was a guest lecturer to a business class at MCC talking about the benefits/process of forming a LLC. The errands continued until 9:00 as I needed to drive Claire to Ames for a meeting at church regarding their trip to Boston this summmer.
one ...Read more.
March 22, 2007 – Thingamajig Thursday #64
Here’s this week’s Thingamajig Thursday entry.
Also check out the last thingamajig answer – (I missed last Thursday – forgot, or something like that, when I was at SXSW).
Move mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer.
As always, put your guess in a comment below.
one year ago…Â
March 21, 2007 – Committee Work
Today, I attended two meetings in Ames. One with Practical Farmers of Iowa to talk to them about the system design of their new food cooperative. It is one of the missing links in a local food system. The press release about the project follows:
Practical Farmers of Iowa to launch Iowa Food Cooperative
AMES, Iowa—Iowa consumers ...Read more.
March 20, 2007 – Life and Death on the Farm
Sometime last night, Paullina gave birth to two kids. The boy has the waddles, like his daddy, Sugar. These kids are a Nubian/Alpine mix.
Here’s Emma holding the boy with under the watchful eye of Paullina. Sadly, we lost the girl kid. We have some pens made up of cattle panels in the barn and one ...Read more.
March 19, 2007 – When I Grow Up…
We need to keep asking ourselves what we want to be when we grow up. I don’t think the options are necessarily limited to one choice, or that a choice is anchored like a corner post of a long fence.
I recently learned that Iowa State has started an MFA program in Creative Writing and the ...Read more.
March 18, 2007 – Back to the Farm
Now that vacation is over, it’s back to work! One of the first orders of business is to clean up the mess from the ice storm. The snow is almost all gone and the branches are released from the grip of the snow and ice.
Maple sap tastes sweet right out of the tree! Here Emma ...Read more.
