Last Week On The Homestead: Welcome Spring, SNOW, And 10 Years In Business!

 

March 13-19, 2034

Hello friends!

Happy spring!  This past week we had ALL the weather.  Snow, rain, wind, and sunshine too!  After recently receiving a foot of snow, this past Tuesday we were estimated to get an additional 8 inches to 2 feet!  Some areas received 3 feet (thankfully, not us).  Tuesday ended up being declared a state of emergency by the governor of NY with schools closed, many businesses closed, everyone asked to stay off of the roads, and tractor trailers banned from traveling on the highways for a good portion of the day.  Our town was so quiet!

It was a mess of a storm - wet and heavy snow and the ground was not frozen, so it was mud underneath.   Typically, I love the snow, but I'll admit, this was a morale busting storm. Usually, it takes about 3 hours for us to do snow removal so that we can get in and out of our property as well as pathways to the outbuildings cleared, but it took about 5 hours to clean up after Tuesday's storm.  It was very heavy, too heavy to shovel, and the mud made it tough for my husband to get the snowblower through.  We did not lose power thankfully, so it ended up being a win for us!

Despite the fact we're set to enjoy upper 40's and 50's this week, we aren't putting the snow shovels away just yet.  You never know about March in upstate NY!

Although the snow is now melting quite rapidly, we still have piles and piles.  This means that the flora remains in winter mode for a bit longer.  We have a tree that is full of berries (leftover from fall) which has recently become a hangout for robins.  We've also had an influx of crows around the garden and chicken coop areas in addition to weekly sightings of our two cardinal couples.  Mud season began early this year and will likely last well into April. 

I'm hoping that outdoor projects can start up again soon.  Of course, gardening is top priority, but we also have some little things to do around the house and property.  To-do lists never end, do they? 

At Cobble Hill Farm Soap & Mercantile our busy season is just around the corner, so we've increased our production of soap, skincare, and wood crafts.  Sales have been slow this month but that's pretty much expected.  Everything should pick up by May.  This year is our tenth year in business and our fifth year of depending on it solely for our income.  It's really hard to believe!  As you know, there are a TON of soap and skincare businesses out there so the fact that we've been able to make this work is something we honestly never thought would be possible.  You just never know!

The chick photo at the top of the post is one I took a few years ago.  We are not bringing in chicks this year - probably not for a couple of years.  The Coop Girls are laying more eggs but one (or more) is also eating eggs.  This is a problem.  The chicken/chickens seem to be targeting the green and blue eggs and we are estimating to be losing 1-3 per day which is a lot when we're only receiving 3-4 dozen a week.  

Jackson enjoying the warmth of the radiator cover

Oliver is still loving the pellet stove!

Jackson and Oliver are doing well.  Jackson is enjoying any spot in the house that catches some of the ever-increasing sunshine.  Oliver enjoys the sunshine too, but he's pretty set on where he sits and sleeps throughout the day.  So, if the sun enters one of those spaces, he is quite pleased.  Oh, and do you see that patch of shaved fur on his right front leg?  I don't think I wrote about it at the time, but that is from his hospitalization over Thanksgiving.  That was another midnight trip where we didn't get home until 2 or 3a and then I had him discharged by the afternoon.  They don't have enough staffing to take care of him the way he needs to be cared for.  The problem is mostly bathroom breaks (they fixed the other concerns after a lengthy conversation about my frustration over his last hospitalization).  Because Oliver has 2 health issues that cause him to drink a lot of water (and urinate more) coupled with the fact that he was also on an IV, he needs to go to the bathroom a LOT.  They don't take him so he holds it which means I just end up hanging around the hospital all of the time he's admitted so that I can take him out.  So, once his testing was complete, he was diagnosed, medicated, and fully replenished with liquids, I had a conversation with the emergency vet on duty and she was comfortable with my decision.  He came home.  He's been doing well but the poor guy, his fur is not growing back very quickly.

I'm getting ready to start a new book.   These are the two I've chosen to be read next: The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende) and Miss Benson's Beetle (Rachel Joyce).  After these I've told myself that I must read the next 5 books from my kindle app only.  I have soooo many free books on it and because I don't enjoy reading them on the computer, I avoid them.  But it's time to get them read!  If you've read either of these, I would love to hear what you thought of them.

Tortilla "Pizza"

Menu plan for this week:

Jay and I eat differently, so there's meals planned for each of us.  I list my lunch because I almost always have a salad for dinner.  I used to eat the same thing for 2-3 days, but I've been eating the same thing all week and it's working out well, so I only have one item on the meal plan for me!  I've been LOVING whole wheat tortilla veggie "pizzas".  They are easy and delicious!

Jay's meals:

Tacos

Chicken & Veg Teriyaki over Rice

Smothered Pork Chop, Asparagus, and Rice

Cottage/Shephard's Pie

Oven-Fried Chicken Breast, Skillet Potatoes, Green Beans

American Chop Suey

Chicken Enchiladas

My meals:

Whole Wheat Tortilla & Veggie Pizza

That's last week on the homestead.  Hoping you had a wonderful week as well!