HAPPY NEW YEAR

OK I KNOW IT IS CHEATING!

But I can't afford a new roof on the chicken house. I just can't leave the shed as wet as it is. I hope it will hold up to the winter winds and spring storms.

I can not believe how heavy this plastic is. If this doesn't work I will get a 30x30 tarp and cover it. This is the first big item of my list of things that I want to get done this weekend. I left the side plastic long and will move all of the fire wood tomorrow and stack it and cover it with the overlapping plastic. I am tired of wet wood.

I have enough of the roll of 6 mil plastic to lay under the garden area. I will lift the raised beds up and dig out and move the dirt onto a tarp. Then use the weed wacker to cut the bermuda down to dirt. Then I will lay the plastic down and put the raised beds back on the plastic. Fill the beds and go get mulch to put on the plastic and provide a walking area that won't get muddy.

Before I do this though, I was given a large roll of wire from a good friend along with some t posts. I will put up a wire fence on the right side of the shed going from the turkey pen right to the fence and in the back from the outside chicken run to the back fence. This will keep the chickens out of the garden.

After that I will pull up the posts and wire that form a circle where the prior owner had his garden. I have never moved it or done anything with it. I know now what I want to use it for. It will be my duck pen. I have decided to raise Muscavoy ducks in the orchard as part of my organic bug control. Their house will have a wire fence around it. The orchard will also have a wire fence around it. I will clip their wings to keep them in the fence. At night I will close the small wire fence to lock them in and keep Bull from killing them. He doesn't know what his job on the farm is yet. And that way he can patrol the orchard and keep the varmits out of the duck house.

I also am makinng war on fire ants and locust trees. I don't want to mow the grass any more. I want to use it for feed. But I can't because of the lucust trees. I will have to use both round up and a shovel to remove them one at a time. There are millions.

I will be planting 5 hardi kiwis on the fence behind the garden. These plants will produce around 100 pounds of fruit each and each fruit has 8 times the vitamin c as an orange. This is a great vine to have on any self sufficient farm.

I will be planting 1 more apple, 2 asian pears and 4 nut trees.

I can't wait to tell you what my plans are for my non working hot tub. You will laugh.

Well I am waiting for the Advil to kick in. I am so out of shape. I see lots of sore muscles in the next year. Hope you do too.