Flowers for next Year

There was an old foundation on the property with some nice stones.  Dave brought them up to the house and is making a flower bed for perennials.  Next is the compost and then after it sets over the winter - planting.
It is going to be excellent.

Canopy - for the Dogs?

New canopy - and yes, we built it mainly for the dogs.  With the smaller chain link fence, there was no shade.  Now, our dogs very seldom are out without us - and are usually inside, but just in case...  we needed shade.
20 x 10 canopy up and ready to serve their royal highnesses.  We did not put the bottom half of the legs on as it is for the dogs afterall and this give them more shade longer.  Of course, we can not see anything when we are sitting under it - but they can.  :)

Summer 2011 List

The summer lists are always long (and the Maine summers short).  Three of our top priorities are checked off for this year -

1 - Take a vacation - had a great trip with friends to Montreal.  We discovered that once we leave our drive there is only one big-town between us and Montreal (Sherbrooke, Quebec) - guess I never looked at the map, ha.  Next time it is Quebec City - nothing between us and them and that is the way we love to travel.



2 - Clean up the old animal watering hole near the road end of the driveway.  It ended up being a lot deeper than we thought as the bottom was full of dropped limbs, trees and weeds.  All cleaned up and evened out.  And the good news - the frogs have moved back in already.

3 - remove the stone retaining wall and make a short-cut drive between our house and the back garage.  The snow-removal equipment is all stored back there.  When we have a couple of feet of new snow, it is a real bear trying to get around the present driveway.  This should "ease the pain". 

4 - Enjoy the sunsets

Let's see ---  what's next..............

Whip into shape

Dave got a new weed whip and it seems to do the job well.  The only question is that it doesn't clip close to the ground and we need to watch to ensure Milos doesn't have issues with the stubble.

Truck home and decked out

Dave's new 3500 is home with a new dump bed and a snow plow.   Nothing should get in the way of work now..
Pictures tell the story.

Fall Chipping

Although Dave has used the chipper numerous times, this was the first day that I was home and able to see it in action.


He has a Wallenstein - 6 inch - unit which does the job for us. I hate to move brush (a long time family "joke"). But, I may give in a actually shove those ugly branches into this baby. The grinding sound gives me great satisfaction.

wallenstein
chippers

Labor Day - get ready for winter

The 3 day weekend is almost over and we used it to relax, but still get ready for the winter.  The weather was beautiful with temperatures finally dropping into the 70's and nice breezes.  We all three took a long walk on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Sunday was a little rough as we tramped around the woods looking for a new path to extend our trails.

Today, I baked the first apple-crisp of the season while Dave worked clearing some brush around an area we may use to extend a "water-hole".  He also brought in the pumpkins and all the firewood is ready for the first fire.

I see that the trees are just starting to turn - hope it is a good year for leaf-peeping.

Elderberry weekend

This weekend we spent working on the wild elderberries on the lot.  Its been two years since we last preserved these tasty fruits. It has been a great year for all sorts of berries and the tiny elders are no exception.  Saturday, David trekked to the bush - and brought home lots of snipped clusters. 

We spent all afternoon removing the tiny berries from the tender vines and sorting them into 2 pound bags.  In the end, there were 17 pounds of fruit.  I stored 4 pounds in the fridge for Sunday and put the other 13 into the freezer for this winter.

After breakfast on Sunday, I transferred the fruit into elderberry syrup (recipe on my RecipeBoxMemory Blog).

This was our first attempt at using the press - and it extracted every last bit of liquid from the softened berries.

Technorati Tags: elderberries

August 2010 update

The beds are full of flowers and tomatoes.  There is still a couple of onions and one cabbage to eat also.  The upper garden has been wonderful this year with lots of beans, corn, beets (not enough for me), carrots, and there are many pumpkins turning orange.

I say - year one of raised beds a success.

2010 - Berry Berry Full Summer

As I munched on yet another bowl of luscious blackberry and black rasberry mix, I realized just how abundant the summer fruit this has been. 
How to rate the summer?
Here are the top 8 ways to know it is a good berry year:

1. You ignore those less than an inch long
2. Your dog ignores those less than an inch long
3. You pick you breakfast every day
4. All the animal droppings are full of seed and have a tint of purple
5. You have to quit freezing them so you have a corner left for some corn
6. You have scratches all over your hands and arms
7. Your walks take you three times as long as usual
8. You chuckle everytime you drive by the $4 / pint signs on your way home

And  today I noticed the elderberries are getting ripe.

4th of July 2010

Great weekend

just grilling - cooking -(our pickled beets&eggs)



watering and watching the garden grow...

Raised and Planted

We had been planning some raised beds on the southern side of the house for several years.  This year, we decided to go back to a completely natural (read no-mow) landscape and constructed our first two beds.  Memorial Day weekend, we filled them (peat, garden soil, Maine sea-compost, lime, packaged growing soil) and planted.  The sea-compost is composed of the "remains" from the seafood industry here in Maine - lobsters, crabs, scallops, etc.  I am thrilled to be able to use it to produce more food instead of seeing it in the landfills.

The bed nearest the house has tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, several varieties of lettuce, onions, and spinach.  The other is mainly flowers with some additional tomatoes.  They look great - now if we could just get some rain since we are several inches behind this year, they should furnish us goodies as well as beauty.

check them out:



Technorati Tags: raised beds, Maine

Big Boy Toys

Spring has sprung in Maine and thoughts are on gardens and woods!  The first starts are up in the back garage (love those south windows) and I had fresh asparagus on my salad yesterday!  Sure hope the weather is better this year than last and we get more from the garden.

We have been busy filling the garage with more tools (or Big Boy Toys as I call them).  After you live on a piece of land for a few years, it becomes evident some of the things that really would help in maintaining your investment.  Where there are trees, there is always windfalls - and when you make firewood, there are branches.  Since I hate to "move brush" and sawing everything is really tedious as well as hard on David's back - we have invested in both a lift and a shredder.  The lift is in action today moving some old trees, so I took an action shot.  The shredder has yet to be "taken to the woods".  But when it is, I will get some shots of it also.

In the middle of the winter each year, we talk about an easier (and better) method for moving snow.  When the sun shines, the freezing winds and icy hands are forgotten - but this year we took the plunge.  A new snow blower sits in the garage also.  Obviously, there won't be any action pics of that for awhile (quite awhile, we hope).

Blended stone

Our front door has needed an entry for a long time. Not for guests (usually come through the garage or the study door), but for the dogs to rest, ha.

We decided that it was too difficult to make an even area with all natural stone. So, purchased some concrete patio stones in a natural color. Dave used a bed of sand - can't do much in that area since it is over the styrofoam around the foundation - but that same styrofoam keeps it from freezing and heaving in the winter anyway.

We did use natural stone to finish it off and hope to continue some work in this front with raised beds - maybe next Spring.
There are pictures in our Gallery - check here.

sharonbetts
patiostones

September already?

I just took a quick look at the blog and discovered that it has been two months since our last post. We have been busy with the garden and outside chores, but are now slowing down as Fall approaches. It was a bad year for gardening - very very wet early and cool most of the months. The corn is small and just today we discovered the borers are starting to take their share. The tomatoes managed to contract the blight that has been infesting potato fields in northern Maine as well as tomatoes around us. They rot as they ripen and there will be no juice or sauce made from this poor crop. Dave planted pumpkins and they seem to be doing well - now, what to do with them to save for the winter?

Inside we did make continued progress with only some baseboard and trim to finish before saying, "Done!" The bathroom towel cabinet and end of hall bookcases are nearing completion. That will leave the table in the study and a utility sink at the back entrance. Who would have thought it would take this long to really finish this place?

We are thinking about ways to use renewables to supplement our hot water. Propane is our one fossil fuel use and it would be great to see it at least dwindle. Stay tuned.

I think I have some pictures on the camera and will see if anything is worth posting - hopefully, I can get back to this more regularly.
Technorati Tags: passivesolar, sharonbetts, tomatoblight

In the Swing

The swinging grill is back in operation!  There is just nothing like grilled meat done over an open fire on a real swinging grill!  We started the tradition learning from our friends in the Hunsruck of Germany - and have "carried the pole" ever since.

Memorial Day 2009 marked our first swinging meal at the solar homestead.
A beautiful day and a great meal.  See the chef in action: 

Springing into Action

Wow - almost 6 weeks without a post. Things have been very hectic here in Maine as we move from winter to Spring, Mud and Summer - the black flies have appeared already.
Since the house is nearing completion - still some window trim and doors to install, there isn't as much to report or document. Our pantry is under construction - I'll post some shots when it is finished (goal of July).

Dave did get our oldest son involved with cleaning some brush - one of his first back-hoe experiences.


The latest project is a swinging grill pit - we have missed it so much since we moved. There is absolutely nothing like chicken marinated and then grilled on a wood fire while resting on a swing grill. We have the basics ready:


The other big project we are starting this summer is some "beautification" of the front yard. The plan is to install raised beds for small veggies and flowers, a picket fence and a small patio and entry way (natural stone or some man-made stone). We need to take care in design with the piles of snow in the winter. The material for raised beds is causing some consternation - what is best (natural, of course) but durable?

Any suggestions?
raised_beds
sharonbetts
swinging_grill

Pond in the Maine Woods

As we approach the completion of our passive-solar bermed home (although a home is never complete), we have decided to concentrate on another goal - a pond.

Our hope is to have a medium sized pond (1/2 acre or less) close enough to the house to enjoy but far enough away for wildlife to feel comfortable. Our first choice of location was not possible when we had an inspection completed and discovered it was "wetland". Maine has many regulations about working in a wetland and we were not so set on the location that we wanted to start the 'process'.

So, we went to plan B -
The pond will be behind the detached garage and down the grade (to keep it lower than any house drainage). Of course, this ended up being one of the wettest Falls ever and it has been a muddy challenge to get it shaped in. But, it is presently in good shape for Spring. We hired the digging after David dropped the trees himself.
I will get a few more pictures as the surrounding area gets cleared (still this month if the weather cooperates) and then we will wait for the Spring thaw and keep our fingers and paws crossed for a full basin.
The full sized pictures are in the Gallery. Under Industry>Lot>Pond



sharonbetts
ponds
maine
passivesolar

Adding to the Harvest

The last several years we were working on our garden, which is still a work in progress. And Dave has been mowing strips through the berry areas on the lot to help propogate more harvest. Well, this year it is beginning to pay off. We had fresh veggies to eat most of the summer (carrots, lettuce, spinach, beets etc.) We also were able to fill the freezers with beans, corn and berries.

Not only were the blackberries great, but for the first time our elderberries also gave us a sweet crop. I made elderberry sauce, juice and jam - hope the healing properties are as good as advertised. Only one minor accident which "tinted" both Dave and my tees.

http://www.elderberries.com/

I had forgotten (from my growing-up years) how messy cutting of corn can be. Dave picked up a cutter - which worked pretty well, but we still had kernels all over the kitchen. But, in the end, we will be enjoying fresh corn this winter along with the beans. The cost and additives in grocery store food is going to make it more and more important that we go "back to the soil".


sharonbetts
elderberry
harvest

Snakes in the Grass

Nice day yesterday - exactly the "way life ought-to-be"! Sunny with a breeze and temps in the high 70s. Since there haven't been many of these this summer, it seemed like a great day to bring in some wood for the winter to come. Dave has an plan for getting it much of it out of the weather - he has built several bins in the back garage (enough to hold a winters worth - which for us is less than 2 cords!). That will be for the next year. There is enough space in the attached garage for the coming year. Anything outside (usually on a tarp and a slant for drainage) is for 2 years down the calendar. Should be a good plan. But the cycle is just beginning - so, this was to bring seasoned wood into the attached garage. As the first bucket (using the tractor bucket) was being loaded, a resident made him(her)self noticed. A small snake (2 feet or so) slithered around the pile from section to section as the wood was being removed. Now, this was kind of interesting and even a bit funny to watch. However, on the second load - it slid into the bucket with the wood and took a ride to the garage. Luckily, Dave noticed and unloaded while I stood guard with the broom just in case it escaped (the plan was for me to then scoot it out the door). That wasn't necessary though as we saw it hiding and drove the tractor back outside, lowered the bucket and got it into the grass. Problem solved. Back for another load - oops, another snake! Process starts all over again. Soon - snake number three (or the one we had rescued found the way back home). Anyway, it was like playing hide and seek. Trying to load the bucket, keep them out but not injure either one. Seemed really strange that they didn't just crawl away with all the disturbances. Finally, the pile was gone and we were down to the planks which had been used to keep the wood off the ground. Dave lifted a plank - and there they were, the rest of the family. It really was a reptile home. Slowly lowered the board over the 5 or so "teenagers" and mom and dad to give them time to move away before actually removing the roof from over their heads. Later in the afternoon, we went back and got the boards. Only one youngsters was to be seen, but both parents were all over the grass. After Dave hauled away the remaining planks, I waited around with the camera and managed a couple of shots of mom and dad. Two of the young came up out of holes in the ground, but I was unable to catch them before the hurried into the grass. Sure hope they found a new condo............