The cellar

Onions in a basket in the cellar.

I just took the pictures for this post, wandering with a flash around our mostly dark cellar.  

Last summer's onions are still good.   About now, a small number will try to start sprouting, beginning with a little area of yellow in the middle of the onion.    We try to eat the early risers first.  

The new onion seed is planted in several small boxes, with two rows of seed per box.    I start onions later than some.   Our clay soil stays wet so long, that we often get the seedlings in late.   But, we still get good onions.

Onion seed flat

Work space

 












My work space for starting seed flats is
basic.   I use a piece of scrap wood to make the rows for the onions.

About the time I run out of space for various kinds of seedlings, the small greenhouse outside will warm up, and some of the seedlings will be moved there.

Pumpkins in the cellar

We still have blanched and frozen string beans, broccoli, and carrots in the cellar freezer.  There are also several remaining New England Pie pumpkins in the cellar, and some other squash.   

The winter must be ending, because the wood pile that feeds the wood stove is mostly gone.

Marsh Island Express

Check out a new publication, the Marsh Island Express for local news.   It is based in Orono, and has a nice local events calendar.

Last year's leftovers

The first spring colors are the colors of last year's leftovers. 



The picture to the right is of bedding from the sheep pen that has been tossed out a small barn window.   The bedding got wet in a snow storm. 

The bedding hay will break down very quickly.

The picture at the bottom is the remains of a small compost pile - the parts that didn't compost.

The wonderful clutter of life OR cleaning out old boxes, cont.

1. Menu from the Mercury Steak House in CA.   Anyone know where?
New York Steak $5:00.  Broiled Australian Lobster Tail  $6.00.  Chateau Napoleon Champagne $4.00/bottle.   House wines $0.75/glass.

2.  Three lucky rabbits feet.  

3.  Metrobus schedule (Washington, D.C.)  1979.

4.  1981 Alameda County Fair, Daily Schedule of Events

5.  Flight navigation logs (maybe 25 years old?).  Flight from Stockton to Sacramento.  97 knots.   Cesna 152.

Treasure boxes

Old farmer toy

George and I have been culling through old storage boxes.  

Some of these boxes have not been opened in several decades.  We're looking for things we can re-use, give away, sell, or throw away.   

Kangaroo toy (wind up).   

Wind, wet, and poop on the noggin

We were visited by a big wind this weekend, which kept going hard through Monday.    The wind hit the cedar tree windbreak behind the barn, bounced off, and ran up against the long wall of the barn, shooting skyward, as well as straight into the sheep pen through two small windows that don't close.

There was a big drift in a corner of the pen, several inches within 10 feet of the windows, and 3 to 4 inches up on the rafters!

Good news is that the back half of the sheep pen stayed dry.   The old wether sheep slept in the back.   The old eye kept to her normal favorite sleeping spot up front, and got covered with snow.   With all her wool, she is fine.

I'm just back in the house from working to dig the snow out of the pen.   Got most of the deepest stuff out, and took about 10 inches of hay out of the top of the feeder (it all needs to come out).   Also started forking out wet bedding.   More needs to come out tomorrow.

My back is sore!   I guess this is the official "starting to get in shape for spring" exercise.

I was digging while melting snow was dripping off the rafters on to my  head.   About half way through it occurred to me how much barn swallow poop was on those rafters.   Yuck!!   Now have cleaner rafters, but a dirtier noggin.

After the storm

Note:  click once on photo to enlarge.

 1. Damage to the barn roof - lots of broken shingles on the ground.   That one will need a home equity loan.   Oooooof.   Not in the budget.
2.  Snow blew under the metal garage rolling door, through a 1/2 inch crack, and piled up 2 feet deep inside (with a nice drift shape) (dug).
3. Snow blew in between the door and the door frame of the hay barn.   Probably will lose about 10 - 12 bales that got damp (enough left to get through until spring, and the damp hay will get used in the garden).

4.  One snow shoe blew off the porch and got buried (found).
5.  Farm sign blew off the house (found).

6.  Lots of digging.

7.  Beautiful snow patterns.   Lots of beautiful snow patterns.

Driveway before we started digging

8.  Percy (orange cat) sought out the front window basket today, which is the first sign of spring.

George working on the driveway

Percy in the front window today:  sure sign of spring to come.

This is more like it

This is more like it.  Picture at left is an upstairs window screen, with snow blown into it by the winds, making nice, curvy, waves.

The picture was taken during the early hours of the storm, on Saturday morning.   They are saying now it may start winding down around midnight.

The picture immediately below was also taken early morning from an upstairs window.  That is the small greenhouse.    Not too long until seedling time.

Last picture:  window frost.

Bare ground in February

Looking across back yard toward hay field

First day of February, and we have bare ground out in the hay field.  I took the picture at right yesterday, around sunset.  The snow in the picture is in the back yard, which has some shade.   The hayfield beyond looks dark, because the snow is gone.

The picture below is looking toward the vegetable beds.   Most of the snow in this picture is still there because it is in the shade of the barn.

This is so weird. 

I always mean to get some good December pictures for the website, and then December goes by.

The shortening days and muted colors lie heavily on my ambitions.

But, there is color in December and January.   The first picture looks across part of an uncut swale near the back of the farm, across hayfield, and on to woods.

The picture below looks along a path that I bush hogged through the edge of the swale last summer.   The tracks in the path are mine (snow shoes) and those of one coyote.   I try to go a bit further each day.   I go so far, and then he (or she) goes further.

At some point we will get more snow and I'll be breaking trail again.  But, for now, the broken path makes walking easier.