Well... it goes something like this..
{Warning: This is rather rambling and I may lose you somewhere along the way. Of course, if you've been following me in the past you're used to this :) }
January started out on a rough note with losing my mother and Merlin on the same day. Then we got several offers on our home in Keller that took a couple of weeks to deal with. Late January I picked up the first new additions to our small flock of one hen, two bantam roosters, and 8 guineas. February brought about visits from family, more chicks, more projects. In March we closed on our Keller home, moved the remaining furniture to the ranch, and started looking for a place for Michael, and more chicks. In April, we closed on a condo just down the road from Michael's office in Las Colinas and got him moved in. Now we have one day left in May and three days left until I celebrate living here for 9 months. And... more chicks.
I got bogged down with the losses, move(s), etc. and mentally overwhelmed with what should be done first alongside keeping up with the growing number of responsibilities around here. It took a month of mowing to get the yard mowable. It didn't help that the rain kept interrupting mowing opportunities. Being in the country should mean that you don't worry about having a manicured lawn beyond what's around the house, the 2 acres I consider our yard. Michael kept threatening to mow out between the pond and the drive. We added a finish mower to our growing collection of tractor implements so I mow for about 5-6 hours a week as long as it's not too high (if it is then it takes longer). It does look nicer. I still have the pastures for the grasses to get tall, blow in the wind, and allow the wildflowers to grow. The hay wasn't cut last fall so I spent about three weeks in February (a few hours here and there) cutting it with the shredder so the new growth would have sun. We lease part of our land for grazing cattle and hay cutting. The first hay cut was early last week.
Michael built an enclosure for the tortoises. They were moved in as they woke up from hibernation this spring. I'm slowly adding plants. No, it doesn't tilt, I was being creative....
He also built a run for the chicks to hang out in after they are ready to move from the brooder but not yet ready for the coop. It sits right next to the coop and is pretty nifty.
This is really nice as I can open the large doors and get to all the nest boxes at once. And, those cans hold feed. I keep it in plastic buckets covered with a bit of plastic that sit inside the cans. This keeps the feed dry, protected from rust, and safe from critters....
Michael has brought azaleas and trees home from the nurseries in the city. We made one trip to Longview returning with an overloaded truck inside and out. He has planted 33 trees, including 5 potted maples that we brought from Keller, dogwoods, maples, camelias, a lily magnolia, redbuds, and a weeping cherry, 30 azaleas, only 4 hydrangeas so far, and numerous other flowering shrubs, iris, lilies, etc. (Thank goodness it's mostly sand out here!) That'll only be the beginning as we're constantly coming up with something we want to do. It's a great start! We got the tiller too late in the season but I imagine there'll be an attempt to plant a fall garden now that we have one. I haven't decided what I want to do along the front porch yet so there are only a couple of gardenias for now.... I just found out I can plant around the septic system so that'll probably be started soon. Or next year. We have plans for a cut flower strip at one end of the garden area... So many plans! See why I get overwhelmed with what to do first?! That doesn't even touch on the list.... Oh!!! I forgot the 10 pecans along the drive and the 6 weeping willows and 5 cypress that were planted at the pond. That makes 53 trees. There'll be more...
As for what's really keeping me busy besides trying to find places for all the decor, knick knacks, etc., and make it work (btw, we have plenty leftover that won't work so if there was something you'd like that was in the old house let me know!)....
Chicks, chicks, and more chicks. I adore chicks. I love watching them grow, develop personalities, change colors, etc. They're just fun! When we first started this adventure Michael said we'd have 30-40 and he'd sell the eggs at work. I flat out said, "No!" I enjoy the relationship I have with my girls and didn't want to lose that. Most of you know we had 4 chickens in the city. The city allowed them. The HOA did not. Our wonderful neighbors didn't mind so... Now it doesn't matter! Anyway, I knew the feed store wouldn't be getting the breed I really wanted so every week I'd get a text, "the chicks are here!" Off we'd go to see what breeds they had and I'd decide whether I wanted them or not. I wanted more often than not... I have two of quite a few breeds, 4 of a few, and accidental choices along the way, like the Rhode Island Red.
For more on the chicks, which is what has really absorbed my time, in the next blog....
