Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

I found a ton of old water pipe in my garden yesterday. Since it has thawed out here and rained a bit I figured to get the garden worked a bit. I found a wheelbarrow full of glass and pipe sitting on top of the mud not to mention the 5 gallon bucket of small chunks of metal. This is year 5 of putting the garden in the same area and every year there is more crud in it. We have found old mattress Springs and rusty tools even an antique car jack.

On the good side of it we have also started to build a rock wall around the garden with all the NY rocks we have dug up. It's starting to look nice.

It's a shame what you find isn't it? I try to recycle anything I can. I've used the hunks of broken sidewalk to put waters on so they're not sitting right on the ground. As soon as I get my sawsall I'll be dealing with the tires that got tossed.

Does anyone have any tips on saving money on electric? During the fall my bill stayed around $150, last month it was $320! I live in an old farm house. My roommates moved out so I've got all the extra doors shut and blocked off now, got the pellet stove up and running, it had been broken (but I hate buying pellets, my parents own the house, I'm trying to convince them to let me put a wood stove in), and my dad's coming out next week to blow insulation the ceiling because it doesn't have any. So it's going to drop significantly, but I'd still like to get it lower.
Also, does any one have any ideas for a cheap fence that still looks cute? (Pallet fences tend to look ugly, also need it to keep little chihuahuas in)

I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas. One thing though if there is no insulation you'll be heating the outside. Perhaps gut the house in the summer and insulate as money allows. Block off all unused rooms. I figure if it were just me, I'd put the TV, bed in the kitchen.

Oh and I'd hook up the computer to the TV that way I'm not running two "monitors" and I'd watch things on line. Consolidation is key.

Rustic fencing can look nice if done right. I've run 2' poultry wire that isn't noticeable so much. You could use taller but it should be enough to keep a Chhauhua in . I'm sure you can find better examples on line. Just google "rustic fencing". I wish you success.

 

[abigalerose]

Thanks! I got a lot of good ideas.
Some of the house is insulted. It's weird. I'm not sure how well insulated my room is, but because I can shut the door it stays the warmest, I wish I could put my bathroom and kitchen in there!
The kitchen and living room is all open with no insulation in the ceiling but my dad's putting the insulation in, hopefully this week. I'm not sure how well insulated the walls are, probably not very well.
And I don't have a computer. And just a litttle tv I'm gonna keep in my room that way if I have a friend over we can watch a movie, but I don't watch (or pay for) tv so it'll be unplugged most of the time.
I blocked off all the unused rooms as soon as my roommates moved out and I can already tell it makes a huge difference on how warm it stays! My dad had some ideas on cutting back as well, including ways to replace the fridge, so I'm excited to see how low I can get it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Have you looked into the option of blowing cellulose insulation into the exterior walls? Depending on the structural integrity of the building, that might be a good option for you.

 

[MistyMountain]

We have a new predator to add to the list. This is only the second nearby sighting in 6 months, and it has never shown interest in the flock. Anyone else have experience with bald eagles showing interest or attacking your flock?

And Miss Penny taught the pullets some bad habits. Hopefully they give it up soon. They are not going to be as slender and aerodynamic as she is.

(edited because my typing is not good on the mobile device!)

 

[lazy gardener]

On pic #1, YUCK! I'm a nimby when it comes to eagles. I enjoy watching them at the lake, but... would not want one in my back yard!

 

[I Love Layers]

We have a new predator to add to the list. This is only the second nearby sighting in 6 months, and it has never shown interest in the flock. Anyone else have experience with bald eagles showing interest or attacking your flock?

And Miss Penny taught the pullets some bad habits. Hopefully they give it up soon. They are not going to be as slender and aerodynamic as she is.

(edited because my typing is not good on the mobile device!)

They have but our dog chased them off. They haven't come back since

 

[Beer can]

Bald eagle's seem more interested in road kill and dead stuff when they ain't fishing. Pretty buzzards :-D
I've never had them go after my birds. 'Alaskan' in Alaska had one go after her moscovy's, her big male actually fought it off, was injured but lived.
They are HUGE though. Our oldest DD got some good pics of one eating a opossum in the field next to our house where I threw it after shooting it in our coop...
Our local TV news featured it that night for the pic of the day, she submitted it online. Some people asked her what it was eating? "Opossum guts" Lol! :-D

 

[Beer can]

The small hawks is what I usually have 'issues' with. Never even had a red tail hawk bother my birds.

 

[I Love Layers]

I'm going to have to wear coveralls again!

 

[lcertuche]

Yikes! I reckon. I got DH a pair of coveralls at the local Trade Days for $5. They aren't pretty but mighty warm.