Happenings around the Home

Spring gave way to a myriad of projects, new chicks, new coop, new pen, new garden, rebuilding and moving planter boxes, new bees, cleaning out irrigation ditches, building a grapevine arbor, weeding, planting, getting new chicks to replace the chicks that Bentley killed... you know, all in a days work.

Back in April we went to my brother's house for Easter Dinner. I put the month old chicks in a make-shift pen so they could get used to being outside. I figured a few hours they'd be just fine. When we came home we discovered they had been killed. By Bentley. Who had apparently snuck out while Ryan was loading tables and chairs into the back of the car - unbeknownst to us. Needless to say we spent Easter evening cleaning up chicken entrails from the grass. Bentley got the chewing out of a lifetime. Kids were wailing and crying. It was definitely a night to remember but not for the right reasons. 

So, on Easter Sunday we said goodby to Kimchi Cocoa Puff, Marzipan Sr., Honey, and Katsu.

The next night we went out and got 4 new easter egger chicks. These are when they were newbies.

Forgive them, they're now in the awkward teenage months. Meet Marzi Jr., Schnitzel, Rudy (Root Beer) and Buffy our resident wookie (in order from L to R).

But don't get too attached to Schnitzel. We are 99% sure that Schnitzel is a 'he' and therefore will be finding a new home soon. I don't want a rooster and I am sure my neighbors don't want us to have one either. But he sure is cute and has tons of personality.

Ryan built me this awesome coop using scrap wood and lumber. Total cost was under $20. Pretty happy about that. This will be the coop for the new hens.

  

Garden is all planted and so close to bearing fruit. I built a grapevine arbor to keep the vine from growing into my lilac bushes and peony bushes which it does every year. Usually I just cut the vines all back, but I want all the grapes I can get this year so I can bottle the juice it in the fall. Pretty happy with my efforts and the fact that it was an inexpensive DIY ($15) that I could do all by myself.

And these purty girls just keep on laying their pretty blue and green eggs. They love it when they get to free-range the yard.

 

The flower garden was lovely this year. So many tulips and peonies. Wish I could figure out a way to get them to last longer.

This year we have two beehives again. For some reason our established hive and our new hive from last year didn't survive the winter. We don't think they died, because there weren't dead bodies inside. We think they swarmed and left and moved on to greener pastures. Our neighbor, who owned the previous bees is getting out of the hobby however Ryan and I wanted to keep going. So Ryan is now the master beekeeper in this house with our neighbor teaching him what to do. Ryan loves it. 

So far both hives are doing well. Ryan has already had to add boxes on top since they were producing so much comb & honey. The easter bunny even brought him a beekeeping jacket. So he's pretty legit.

And that's what's been happening around our little abode these days.

And so it begins...

the continuation of our yard remodel. The first stage was removing the 7 pine trees back in June (as seen here). 


Now we are starting stage 2:  the removal of our old driveway, the pouring of a new one (on the other side of the house), new walkway around the house, new landscaping, and more. Of course the weather, which has been unseasonably warm this month has decided to get crappy all of a sudden. With all the rain, our yard is now one big mud-pit ... wrestling anyone? Needless to say, Bentley is lovin' it all, and I'm just praying I survive the next 3-4 weeks.


Here are the pics from mid-day Friday (Day 1):

the beginnings of our new driveway entrance.

this is where the new driveway will be (runs the whole way back to the basketball court).

view from the basketball court to the street.

the west walkway in the back (used to be solid weeds and about 1 foot high). This will be all concrete sidewalk - probably my fave part of the project as I wasted so much time trying to keep this weeded over the summer. 

Just some of the ivy, weeds, and debris from the south side of the house.

just another view of the south side of the house.

view of the back of the house & irrigation ditch where the new wraparound sidewalk/walkway is going.

Here today, Gone tomorrow - Final

Well, as of noon today, it's done. And I think our yard might be feeling a bit naked. Or maybe it's me, feeling a bit exposed to the world now. I can't wait to plant some new stuff.

For BEFORE pics, click here.

These are all "After" pics. They are going to bring a truckload of wood-chips back and we'll use them to clean up some areas I have already weeded and have yet to weed.

And here's all the firewood Ryan gets to cut. He doesn't know this yet as we had decided not to have any wood left behind. But I couldn't let perfectly good firewood go, so I had them leave me the trunk of the smallest pine tree. This is what he gets for having the scout 50-miler (which isn't really 50 miles, more like 25) when they took the trees out :)

Here today, Gone tomorrow

I'm a little sad that we are removing ALL 7 pine trees in our front/side yard today & tomorrow, but only when I think of the shade we will be losing. I will most definitely NOT miss the sappiest pine cones ever (all gazillion of them) and the annoying pine needles that are everywhere they shouldn't be. Here's to hoping we can get the grass growing & green again. I've already started planning new trees/bushes for the space which we'll hopefully get planted next Spring.

Day 1 Before

Day 1 After

Tomorrow, these will be on the chopping block - literally.

Front 2 pine trees and ...

One more pine tree by the back deck.