The Front Porch Swing

[LeslieDJoyce]

I found a bunch of pieces of old cast iron in one of the barns ... likely from one of my great grandparents. I use it all the time. Love it. The big pots with the flat tops can be used like ovens if you put hot charcoal on the top.

 

[LindaB220]

AHH! I've used one of those thingies!! They are awesome! I made a 2-hen nest box for my hens using one of those and some wood scraps! They're called the noisy portable saw thingies.

I'm hopeless.

Bahahahaha. You are so me!!!! Never can think of the right word.

(But thingies is a proper word, I use it all the time.)

 

[LindaB220]

Well I thought DH knew how to grow a garden, we have had them on and off for a while. He always got them set up and said he would take care of them, then lose interest and it would all die before I knew it. Well, just found out today that I think the reason he loses interest is he does not set it up right, so things don't go right and he just abandons it. Well pulling out the one book I have and doing research, since I know I don't have a clue. Any good books out there? I have "How to grow more Vegetables" by John Jeavons and just bought "Square Food Gardening". Plus I signed up for "Gardenate" so that is a start at least!

Rachel, look up the garden method of using milk jugs with holes needled in and bury around your vegetables. Being in Austin, you need to conserve water and this does a lot. I have bought a lot of Azomite. A bunch of minerals in rock dust. For the garden and chickens. Search for it.

 

[lindz8504]

Reminds me of an incident where I had bought a huge bundle of lumber from a lumber yard, seconds to be used for firewood. I was over there cutting it up with the chainsaw and some yahoo came over and was mouthing at my boys about how that wasn't my bundle and that this particular bundle had been reserved for someone else. Well...the bundle I bought had been taken by someone else and this one was the only one left, so I was going to take it. So, I turned to him with that chainsaw still running in my hand and asked, "Is there a problem?"

He started yakking about the lumber and I revved that saw and said, "Take it up with the lumber mill, buddy...this stack is mine, I paid money for it and it's going home in that truck today. Anymore questions?" He walked away.

What is it about men that makes them think that tools will only turn on in their hands and that women couldn't possibly figure out how to use them? It's weird! It's like us assuming they can't use a washing machine if they were so inclined.

That is hilarious!

My husband bought a new chainsaw last fall, so we could start cleaning up the huge brush pile they left with whole trees in it, from clearing our land to put our house..... Well, he primed and pulled the rope... It started and died.... over and over... Finally, I was like, here let me try... First time it revved right up! I had never even tried to start a chainsaw before! Anyway... he can never get it started. I have to start it and hand it to him to use! ROFL!

 

[LindaB220]

Our weeds are so outrageous...they should be in TX where everything is bigger. I actually had a mint patch for 2 years but the weeds over took it and killed them. Even my mom - 80+ years of gardening was shocked at what our weeds do. I still keep trying. Last year the squash bugs made me give up - those new-fangled imported ones from china. So this year I get guineas. I am not getting out there every morning and picking off squash bugs. Then I'd have to weed. It would take all day. Every day.

Vegetable Gardener's Bible is pretty good. Just keep in mind he's up north - Vermont I think. Another good one is The Resilient Gardener. I like Carrots Love Tomatoes - but that may be a little too far on the organic side - interesting though. I was looking for a picture of my favorite Organic Gardening book and found this one: Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening. You might take a peek.

Maybe at the library. I checked Amazon for Texas gardening and they were expensive. I'm so close to Texas it's not even funny.

 

[lindz8504]

One of my BCM pullets... they are roughly 23 weeks old


Youngest daughter wearing my mom's bf's hunting hat!


The youngest 2 throwing scratch to the chickens!

Youngest daughter! I think she is having fun!


Hubby working on new nest boxes for our new coop...... Do you think those holes are big enough?


This is the front of the cabinet.... The top cubbies will be split in half to make 4 nest boxes. He bought me 2 of the cabinets... One for nestboxes and one for storage! He's awesome! Oh, and he keeps up with his tools too! It is driving him crazy that he doesn't have a workshop here yet and all his tools are still in the building at my grandmother's where we lived before!

 

[LindaB220]

One of my BCM pullets... they are roughly 23 weeks old


Youngest daughter wearing my mom's bf's hunting hat!


The youngest 2 throwing scratch to the chickens!

Youngest daughter! I think she is having fun!


Hubby working on new nest boxes for our new coop...... Do you think those holes are big enough?


This is the front of the cabinet.... The top cubbies will be split in half to make 4 nest boxes. He bought me 2 of the cabinets... One for nestboxes and one for storage! He's awesome! Oh, and he keeps up with his tools too! It is driving him crazy that he doesn't have a workshop here yet and all his tools are still in the building at my grandmother's where we lived before!

Your Munchkin with the hat.....cutest ever!!!

 

[lindz8504]

Your Munchkin with the hat.....cutest ever!!!

Aww thanks! She is so quiet and so serious! Totally different than her siblings!

 

[Regin]

@lindz8504 could your kids be any cuter?

I don't think so

 

[wyoDreamer]

It looks like those nest boxes are going to be pretty high. Are you going to have a board outside them for the birds to jump onto before going into the nest? Is it normal to have nest boxes 4 feet up?
I don't have chickens yet, so I guess I never really considered how high to put the nestboxes.
The cabinets look like a pretty cool idea.