ORGANIC GARDENING - SELF-SUFFICIENCY - CHICKENS - BEES - WATER CONSERVANCY/RECLAMATION - WILDLIFE - LIVING LOCALLY - KNITTING - FRUGAL LIVING - CONSTANT, CONTINUAL LEARNING

Friday, January 29, 2010

The pond should be frozen again this time tomorrow~

Our email system is down, so I have a few minutes to write.  I started a new knitting project last night.  It is a blanket for my brother and his wife.  They just redid their den/kitchen so that they are now more of one big room then they already were (sort of).  Anyway, I am happy to be into a new project.  After my tragic affair with my sweater, of many stitch types, that turned out to be the size for a linebacker with pads on.  I have frogged that one and now have a large store of maroon yarn that will make something some day.  In my greif I knitted kitchen towels out of pure cotton.  It's what I do until I am struck by another must do project.  Enter the Harvest Blanket from Bernat, being done with Vanna's Choice solids.  It is multicolor/patchwork.

I am trying to fit this blanket into my goals for this year.  For which my updates are sadly lacking.  Guess I will expound on those below, but as for knitting.  It seems like a good indoor sport for a sustainable type such as myself.  Another hobby by which I end up with something useful, and that is my goal.  Spend my time and my money only on things that are useful!  Oh, yeah, or chocolate. Funny how I come to that now!  I could have used this kind of inspiration a few years ago, but then progress comes in its own time. 

Okay, onto the years goals...what were they again???

Oh yeah,

1.  On the job front I have put in several more applications since my last update.  I have also communicated with my supervisor at the temporary job that I have now and she says their are things on the horizon for me to apply for. So that's good.

2. I have nearly finished the veggie bed in the front garden.  It just needs a little more compost and it will be ready for planting. 

3.  I have sold a couple of things on eBay this week.  Not enough to really brag about though.

4.  Nothing on the solar power front.

5.  I did get another lesson from my website guru for future website administration.

6.  Clutter.....I have cleaned up some things, but I don't think anything new made it out of the house.  Maybe that will be a priority this weekend.

7.  The switching of the dining room with the den.  That is the low man on the priority list, so not even the vaguest thought about it has passed through my mind this week. 

Plans for this weekend:

1. Laundry, laundry, laundry ..... ugh!
2. Clean up the bedroom and the bathroom, and then do some laundry.
3. Knit, while doing laundry.
4. Send eBay items to auction winners.
5. Work on DOGC website.
6. Go to the library.
7. Clean up the living room and the den.

Just a great list of stuff for a cold weekend indoors here at Powell Cottage.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

10 Things I Like About My Home

I was reading a post from Melissa @ Inspired Room called 10 Things I Love [about Farmhouse Style].  I decided to post about 10 things I love about my home.  It's not a Farmhouse, but it is my suburban home and I feel like celebrating it.

My house in general.  I fell in love with it when it had nothing but grass and dark brown trim.  I love it more even now.

The stone my house is built out of.  The first thing that caught my eye and the best part of the exterior of my home.

 My dining room wallpaper.  20yrs old and I still love it and all its color.

My kitched even with its old fake butcherblock formica counter tops I still love it.

My bathroom tile.  The '50s weren't kind to many people regarding bathroom tile color, but they were great for me.  I love my blue tile.


My mantle was hidden under many things when I came to look at my house for the first time.  I was so pleasantly surprised when I moved in and saw how terrific it really was.


My front beds, very new to me and a terrific addition to just plain grass.  I am grateful to friends who showed me that a front yard can be more!


Hotbeds, not quite yet finished, but I have high hopes for the increase in production these should add to my garden.


My water reclamation system.  Some working and some standing by.


And to finish off these 10 things, cuz there are many others.  I love my access to public transportation.  That sign post two yards away near the curb is how far I have to go to catch the bus!

Well that's the first 10 of may tens of things that I love here at Powell Cottage!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

New Garden on the Horizon


According to the calendar it is time to plant Carrots, Leeks, Leaf Lettuce, Parsnips, Radishes, Shallots and Spinach here at Powell Cottage.  The Leaf Lettuce and maybe even the Spinach will be going in the new veggie bed in the front yard...which means I had better finish it!  Carrots, Leeks, and Shallots will go in the bed with the newly planted Onions. 

I am going to mow the yards this coming weekend.  No, the grass hasn't grown, but the latest set of Red Oak leaves have fallen and I am going to use the mower to cut them to bits before using them as mulch.

I need to put start some seedlings in my hotbeds, too.  They aren't too hot right this minute, but they will be soon. 

The new greenhouse has been somewhat of a success, but I am still going to have to use the windows to get all my seedlings started.  It's mid January and I need to get a move on.

So much to do, so little time here at Powell Cottage.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Peas and plumbing!



The onions and the peas are in, yeah!  It was a beautiful day to plant today and clean up a little bit around the garden.  I transferred compost into the new veggie bed out front.  It is 5:24p and the sun is still above the horizon so that's a good thing. 

Today I read more about an outside shower.  I am giving it serious thought.  A 5 gallon bucket painted black and a little construction doesn't seem to difficult.

Time for an indoor shower right now tho.

It's sweaty work being an urban farmer here at Powell Cottage.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Worms in the Compost! What could be better?!


Today, I decided to start using all of the precious chicken manure I have built up in the chicken run to give the new veggie bed a little push.  To my surprise there were a load of worms in the most composted area of the run.  And in one of the pictures you will see actual worm holes in the chunk of dirt I dug up.  Very cool!

Okay, for the working on goals report:

1.  I put in about 8 job applications between the middle of last week and the end of the week.
2.  To increase my food production...well...it was the coldest week in a while here, so I only got outside just today and the worms will have to do for this goal.
3.  Ways to make money at home.  Augh!  I haven't done a thing....next week!
4.  Improve my water reclamation...nothing...not really the right kind of weather for that lately.  Unless you consider that I should have saved the water that dripped off my frozen window when the thaw occurred!
5.  Solar energy:  I have a few books from the library and I requested a Harbor Freight catalog, aaaannnnddd I have going to do more internet research.
6.  Increase about my knowledge of webpages I have further training scheduled with my website guru and I did work on the Dallas Organic Garden site and my work was successful which makes me very happy!


All the good here at Powell Cottage.

Monday, January 4, 2010

A couple of pictures of the new bed in progress.






The results are in.

The results are in to my new year's beginnings and they are:

1. The frame for the new vegetable bed in the front garden is there tho' not yet held together with anything. and most of the ground is covered by cardboard and hay.

2. I bought 60 small plastic cups for growing seedlings in @ $2.89.

3. I went to Harbor Freight, but now I am going to see if they have a catalog, because they did not have as much solar stuff as I was expecting.

4. I did nothing to switch the den and the dining room, but I was sick all weekend and I am going to use that as my excuse.

5. I did clear out more clutter if you consider trash clutter.

6. I did laundry, but three loads really hasn't made a dent.

Things that I did this weekend that weren't on the list.

1. Reduced the dogs floor space to just the den. No more going into the kitchen unless on their way to the bedroom. What freedom I felt cleaning the kitchen without dogs under feet!

2. I put up the poles to the trellis in the back garden.

3. I cut out this week's coupons.

4. I looked for a book about solar systems (enery, not universes), but didn't find one that satisfied me.

That is it for results here at Powell Cottage.