I forgot to tell you in my previous update that I no longer have the love birds.  Kevin wasn't too keen on them and so I gave them away to the guy from the solar company who was here for the inspection to get the power turned on officially.  They were to be a birthday present for his daughter whose birthday was that very day.  I hope they bring laughter and enjoyment.  Bye Bye Birdie!

But what to do about them?  With 2 dogs and a cat we had flies.  Once a year they would seem to get out of control and I would buy one of those attractant bags.  They drew every fly within a 50 mile radius I swear!  And they stink to high heaven.  

We are currently at 18 animals = more flies.  I was almost at the point of spraying poison on them when I thought "What eats flies" (besides the baby ducks that aren't all that effective yet).  

I found Spalding Labs which has Fly Predators™ beneficial insects.  This sounds MUCH better than poison.  So I ordered some.  I was worried that it would cost too much, but here is the beneficial predator insects that I get for $109.28: August 3rd shipment - 10,000 predator insects, August 24th, September 14th, October 5th and November 2nd - 5,000 predator insects each shipment.  And according to their claims these guys won't bother people, or pets.  

All I need to do is to pour them out of the pouch that they come in.  Or with chickens (Yep, got those.) Hang them above chicken reach.   


The shipment came in - the little larvae look like mouse turds.  We are supposed to wait 2 - 7 days until they start to emerge before letting them go.  I believe today is day 3, nothing yet. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Will I ever stop hurting?  My muscles ache - guess that means that I'm using them.  I found a listing on Craigslist for free dirt.  I went Monday morning early and shoveled it into the truck.  The guy giving it away is building a brick wall in his yard and helped me load half of it.  I did receive a compliment (I think it was one anyway.)  He said I'm a strong woman - I matched him shovel for shovel, then continued while he went inside for a shower.  


The dirt is full of rocks and roots - not good soil.  But I had an idea to sift it.  Kevin is helping of course.  The larger chunks are going into the holes in the blocks for drainage.  The roots are going into a pile for the wood chipper - they will probably end up as mulch.  The soil is so soft... but I'm afraid that it might not have enough structure.  So - part of lasagna gardening - we are adding the fine chippings from the stump grinding of our 2 trees as well as straw which I got for $6.75 a bale at the feed store.  Plus whatever compost we have at the time each bed is getting filled and some bags of potting soil that I have saved.

This is what we're using to sift the dirt.  It's been a very long, slow process.  But isn't it funny how much faster things go when you're working with a friend?  We worked until after 2pm this afternoon and didn't even seem to notice the passage of time because we were together.  We talk and laugh.  I imagine it to be like when families shelled peas or snapped beans on the front porch as a family.  It was quiet 'together' time.  Time to talk and just 'be'.  It may be hard work, but I love my new life.

I came into the back yard Saturday morning to find Kevin sawing, drilling and screwing this grid together that you see in the picture.  It's made of PVC pipe, so it's light weight and should last for a very, very long time.  It fits inside 6 of the beds we have made so far.  Each square is a foot - give or take.  And it's to help with the square foot gardening method which I've done before and truly advocate.  It's amazing how much food you can plant and harvest using this method.  

Each plant needs a certain amount of space to grow.  Most people plant a lot of seeds, then have to go back and thin the seedlings.  That's one of the beautiful things about square foot gardening - there's no going back to do extra work.  

In this picture I've used stalks of straw to help me section off the square foot into 4 inch squares.  This is where I planted turnips and celeriac.  I had 3 one foot squares sectioned off into 4 inches.  The rest were sectioned into 3 inch squares for onions, carrots, parsnips, beets, etc.

Ol' wives tale?  Superstition?  Folk lore?  I believe.

Though the sun is larger than the moon, the moon is closer to the earth and has quite the advantage when it comes to gravitational pull.  Because of this, it is the moon that causes the tides.  During the full moon we have our highest tides and more babies born than other times of the month.  


If the moon can have this effect on water in tides and births, it certainly has some effect in the water that plants absorb.  That is the premise behind gardening by the moon.


So how it works, when the moon is waning (getting closer to the new moon - so less light) this is the time to plant root crops.  When the moon is waxing (getting closer to the full moon - so more light) this is the time to plant above ground crops.  


I like to follow the Farmer's Almanac.  It is my guide for when to plant what crops.  The 7th & 8th were times to plant root crops plus flowers.  Tomorrow through the 13th is considered a barren time - we don't plant at all.  So this would be a good time to sift more dirt, build more planters, figure out what plants I want to plant next - which should be the 16th & 17th of the month.  It advises me that it's a good time to plant peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers and other above ground crops.  If you garden, I would suggest getting a copy, next years guide comes out in just 8 days.

Since this is also a good day for planting flowers - according to the Farmer's Almanac - these are what I planted around the root crops in the holes of the cinder blocks.  A children's flower garden mix, Fairy Meadow mix, fleabane, forget-me-nots, thyme and artemisia... Though some are herbs, they also produce flowers, so I figured that they count.

On Freecycle yesterday I read about these two little kittens that were dropped off in the neighborhood beside mine. Someone saw them and picked them up and has been trying to get rid of them for 2 weeks now.  They are to go to the shelter on Monday and have a short life expectancy should they go there.  One of the kittens was a polydactyl orange male - meaning more toes than normal.  


According to Wikipedia normal cats have 5 toes on the front and 4 toes on the back. With polydactyls the front and rear toes are usually the same number of digits  Toby has a mixed mess of toes.  


Front Right = 7 toes    Front Left = 5 toes
Back Right  = 6 toes    Back Left  = 4 toes


In under 24 hours he is very comfortable in the house and has even charmed the dogs - though at first he was scared of them.

Patch - our resident cat, hasn't warmed up to him yet. When we took Toby outside for the first time he immediately started to stalk the chickens.  Toby thought the litter box was something to play in... and he pooped on the kitchen table. But he purrs constantly and is very lovable.  


Kevin was talking to him this morning and told Toby that he was a freak.  Then told him he's perfect for us.  Oh how true!  He fits right in.

They are in their awkward teenage years right now... between fluff and feathers.  Below is a picture of the same duck just 3 weeks apart.

Not too much of an update, but the inside of the trailer got painted this weekend.  The donut mix arrived and I bought the tiles so I can replace the floor.  Kevin took out the fresh & waste water tanks so I could clean them up and the hot water heater.  All of the hoses have black 'gunk' in them, so I want to replace them all.  

I hadn't posted much about our nectarines - mostly because we kept eating them before any pictures could be taken.  Here are two that Kevin picked today - there are only about 3 left on the tree.  These are so sweet and juicy, we are sad to see the season end.  What I will be doing though is reading up on them to find out how to make it bear more fruit next year.  These are the best we've ever eaten.

Not a pet, but a welcome member to the farm.  Most nights Kevin and I go outside and check on Felix.  He/She is a spider whose web we try not to run into - sometimes without fail.  It is wedged between the roof of the garage and the trailer.  It used to have a web between the trailer and the truck, but each time I drove away it had to remake the entire thing - so I think it got wise and relocated slightly.  

Just above the web is a security light that comes on whenever it senses movement.  With the light comes bugs that fly right into the web that Felix has so carefully constructed.  During the day, it sits just under the roof shingles.  Around dusk it re-creates it's web that gets torn up throughout the day and night as unsuspecting insects become entangled.

We are fascinated when an insect gets caught.  Felix rushes over and wraps the poor thing in a cocoon of silk then rushes back to the center of it's web to await the next unsuspecting victim.  

I love to watch spiders.  They are beneficial insects in the garden, eating the ones that would eat my plants.  However all black widow spiders are crushed when located.  All indoor spiders die.  And when one walks across me wherever I happen to be, I smash and shudder all at once.  

I have my place in the world and they have theirs - outside, and not ON me.  

Good-night Felix.  Happy hunting