Homesteading Notes

January 2006

It is time to gripe about the West Inland Energy. They have the oil wells in this area and are currently drilling many new wells. About a year ago it was a new one in our neighbor's field but it was also in our backyard. Noise you could not get away from. Constant big equipment sounds and pipes clanging together. Smell of diesel and bright lights blaring all night long. It takes about 2 weeks to drill one well and when it is over, I was so happy. This time it is not in our yard, it is across the road and down a spell. But that's still close enough to hear it even inside the house. It takes keeping the TV on and volume up to cover it. We have had lots of wind lately and I was sure surprised to smell the diesel when we had a calm evening. Close enough to stink. This should make 2 new wells across the road now. It was supposed to be one well for no less than 20 acres but the neighbor now has 3 in the field in front of his house. His cows don't mind. But the wells are sure getting close. The newest pump is squealing so bad that it will soon become a fire hazard. If I report the noise to West Inland, the method of repair makes the problem worse. The people who knew what to do for the problems are no longer around. I need to find those who took the secrets with them. 

I looked out the window this past Friday to see an American Robin at the water pan having a long drink. So pretty. And spring is not so far away. We have the gardening fever and are gearing up to plant seeds and get the new greenhouse going. We'll have a descent start for the tomato plants this year. Not nearly so many but much better protection from the terrible oak trees.

Click here to see what the eNature website says what my spider is called. Ours was huge and not the less than inch to 1 1/4 inch the site describes. Guess they don't count the legs. Go and see.

Today was a wonderful 65 degrees and much too nice a day to stay inside. So I got more done on the new greenhouse. Randy had bought lots of humus for the beds and I hope to get things ready to plant. We'll need a little heater before I do anymore but I am oh so ready. I want to try some greenhouse cucumbers. Yum. Spinach and lots of others. We had 89 degrees the other day and that would have sent most cool weather crops to making seeds. We have to figure the grasshoppers will be worse than ever so we can garden while it is cold and they are dead.

Hard to believe that today is winter and the start to a new year. It can't be below 50 degrees F and no heater on at all. We've had it windy but such nice warm temps that we can stay outside all day long. The forecast shows we'll stay this way until Thursday of the week. Didn't have snow for Christmas and we rarely do. Some winters we get no snow at all.

Randy says he will have the new greenhouse finished this weekend and I am oh so ready to plant some seeds. Fresh spinach sounds good. Randy has offered to help with the new fenced garden. The only space close by where there are no oak trees all over the place.

We sure learned a lot from last year's lousy garden. Wish we had a tiller for a few days but this will be another by the shovelful garden. The area has no briar and is clear except for the stinky weed that comes up every summer. Doesn't deter the grasshoppers and there is a lot of nut grass but

I can deal with that. No large piles of leaves to fight with. Lots of things I'd like to try growing in the winter... long before the next generation of grasshoppers appear. I will build shade trellises and forget about planting things in the shade of the oak trees.  

I've had to start watering the yard and driveway. We've not had any rain in over 2 months now and even the periwinkle looks dry and burned from freezing with no water. By watering the driveway, no one got stuck when we had company yesterday. Now it's such a good idea that I have been asked to water all the way up the incline to beside the house so Randy can drive the truck up to where he can carry supplies from the truck downhill to the new house. Save pulling anything uphill. We cannot find a cart with big tires so a different approach is in order. 

Randy had mentioned starting to replace the oaks around our living space with ornamentals and shade trees that are friendly to other plants. He did the ooh and aah through the catalogs. I suggested we go back to the local county coop spring sale. They have small native varieties and the are very cheap. So, I will do some calling this next week and see what will be available. We started with the Cedar and Pine but now realize how brutal the Mountain Cedars can be. Cough, cough... wheeze. The Wall of China is a HUGE tree and we can take cuttings and plant where we can protect them from the rabbits. Trimming the top creates an intense hedge otherwise, they can reach 30 feet or so.

Angela Billings had written an article about gathering pine cones and decorating them for the holidays. We have some but they are 20 feet into the sky at the top of the pine trees. I have several that have fallen to the ground but they are tiny. Cute but not the huge ones you see in photos. Someday perhaps but not yet. These are trees that love the acidity of the oak trees. They will get watering and a ring of leaves to help them through the winter. Thank you Angela.

Arlene Correll has been helping me with my questions about Internet advertising to sell the items we will have for sale. She has given me great details about PayPal and eBay. I read through what PayPal and had a list of questions that were not covered in the Q&A section. She has been such a help and I have learned so very much. My thanks profusely.

I finished my Christmas Scrubbies Tree. I took it apart a few times and rearranged it but it was completed and well lit for the big day. It was a fine festive addition to our otherwise crowded living room. Thank you Kathy Vilseck. Keep making those Scrubbies and Bags and Baskets and Decorations and Magnets. I was looking through a box of leftover decorations and found the Basket I had bought last year and never sent it along. Wow, now I can save it for next year.

Narita Siegel has been delighting me with her cute animals. Sheep, goats and now the cat brothers. And they raise the Australian Shepherds. What beautiful and smart dogs; real working stock.