~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~

[tazcat70]

Linda it sounds like everything is falling into place perfectly! So happy for you!

 

[gryeyes]

NOW it seems everything is starting to move more quickly. I went to the County and got the permit for the propane work ( boy, that was an interesting process & experience), came back to the house and the contractor had dug the trenches for the propane pipe and for getting electricity to the garage/coop. All the interior Romex, outlets and switched have been installed in the coop.

We were standing and admiring the progress, when the contractor asked, "How will you water your chickens?"

With a hose and buckets.

"Well, wouldn't it be nice to have a faucet in that coop so you can have an automatic waterer, and also to be able to clean feeders and stuff? I can lay PVC in the same trench, just extend the trench to that outlet and tap off there for you..."

That was a "you betcha" idea, for sure.

Electricity AND water to my coop!!!!

Of course, first I have to HAVE water.... And as soon as I do have a working well and pump, I am moving up to the house full time, chickens, dogs, cats, ducks and geese.

 

[sfw2]

Linda, it sounds wonderful! And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your contractor! A brain and a sense of humor!

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
… and a partridge in a pear tree!

 

[tazcat70]

Quote:
… and a partridge in a pear tree!

Note to Linda:

Get pear tree and partridge.

 

[HHandbasket]

Well, she's already got an apple tree. Close enough.

Here's a picture I took Sunday of Linda's place from the far-right lower corner of the property.

You guys have no idea just how awesomely cool her new place is.

For that matter, you have no idea just how awesomely cool SHE is!

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
… and a partridge in a pear tree!

Note to Linda:

Get pear tree and partridge.

Hey, that's an idea!! Will partridge colored chickens do?? I could use a pear tree....

I am really curious as to how TJ and his 3 Joesettes (White Leghorns hatched from Trader Joe's eggs) will deal with ALL the trees on my property; they really like to go up into the trees during the day. But the ones at the rental house are really, really ancient yews with many, thick trunk-like horizontal branches.

Over the weekend, the contractor took down the robin's nest from it's location on the breaker box.

He asked me if I wanted it, and I didn't (although that empty eggshell is SO adorable!) so he will be giving it to a friend of his who makes things out of natural stuff "like that." Cool. Then we got into a discussion of wild birds and their nests, and he showed me a bird house he'd made for tufted titmouse birds - which apparently live up here. Then he handed me the bird house and said I could have it if I "wanted it." Well, heck yes! I asked him if he knew anybody who made bat houses, because I like bats. He likes bats too, and researched 'em on the Internet quite a bit. He'll check out what bats need for their houses, for me. And later he'll hang the tufted titmouse bird house wherever it "needs to be and can be seen easily from the house."

Before he left for the day on Monday, he installed a new, double-keyed deadbolt lock in the French doors.

Now, as to progress: Wahoo! LOTS of phone calls today dealing with getting my house ready for occupation.

D Fence Man (really, that's his company name) will start the fencing project on Monday. The propane piping project and tank installation will also start on Monday. Somebody (that would be me) needs to be there to let the propane guys into the house on Monday AND Tuesday. So, I asked for the days off and my supervisor approved my request.

My friend Farmer Lew went over to the property today and put together a metal, 10 "occupant" nest box unit for me, then hung it in the coop on the back wall of the former garage. I have a little sign I want to hang over it: "Furnished apartments for rent." I don't know if my chickens can read, but *I* think it's a nice, silly touch.

This is the completed nest box unit, sans nest pads, as it was assembled out in the sunlight.

The well and pump situation is the last big project - and the pivot point upon which my impending move depends. I hope it won't be too much longer before that problem is resolved.

 

[Carols Clucks]

Oh I LOVE those terraces with the stone! How fabulous to have them!

What are you going to do with them?

Me....I would probably do some kind of veggie/flower garden in them.

Moms neighbors have had their formerly weed lot filled with terraces and dry-stack stone planters. I love the way theirs looks. Some day that is what I would like to replace the old collection of saved "junk" that makes our hillside garden-rail road ties, telephone poles and cinderblocks.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Well, I have this 300 gallon stock tank for the ducks' pool (in addition to the kiddie pool) that I want to place up against one terrace, so the ducks and geese can just walk right into it and get out of it easily, without having to build a ramp for it/them to use. I will then gather more big rocks to use to cover up the green tank and make it fit into the landscape better.

I have some poppy seeds I will be scattering once I have water with which to nourish plantings. And maybe some more wildflowers..... There's a whole lot of shade from all the trees, so I don't think I can plant many veggies, but I might try pumpkins and melons. Once the fence is up, I want to plant climbing roses and honeysuckle to grow up into/over the fence material.

Those terraces make the front yard absolutely fabulous, I agree!

 

[Carols Clucks]

Wonder if you could get things like spinach or lettuce to grow in the shade? I think we did pretty good with the peas in the shade last year and our zucchini did okay. The gourds did pretty good too