Note the very sturdy new kickplate, support crossmember and doggie door.

Every sharp edge of that kickplate is covered and secure.

Fun Fact: the dog hates the doggie door. It’s too tall for our little dwarf. *sigh*

Planning out the bed: see the yellow chalk

The crew tests for concrete depth

Jackhammering within the cut lines

The concrete is clear!

Our old lemon tree came down in a storm (and then was helped, but we’re not getting into that). So this new keyhole-shaped bed will be a perennial bed, the large circle in the back for the lemon tree (probably another Eureka) and a modified herb-spiral down the rest of the ‘key’.

Fun Fact: herbs can be perennials. Even in Washington State the temperate-loving Rosemary can live for decades.

The doors into the coop have big vents with two different layers of welded wire. Also four points of security on them… but we’re going to add another. We have The Local Animal Wildlife Highway (creek) running through the backyard, which means raccoons, opossums, deer, foxes, cats, dogs, goats, sheep, rats, mice, voles, moles, and other fun things walking about regularly. So, yeah. Another cane brace. Maybe too.

Coop doors

Roost, next buckets, and future brood box with added hay

Cool roost made from lemon tree limb over sandy poop boards

All happy and snug

Thirsty chooks

Glurp glurp

Aaahhhhhhh

They are my absolute favorite frogs in the whole world. They used to send me to sleep at night. I’m planning to create a habitat for them next rainy season!

Anyway. Here they are — sorry some of the pics are very fuzzy. There are two, and here’s me peeling back the planters to find them….!

This planter sure is noisy

What on earth is making so much noise?

The noise is coming from down in the well?

There are TWO of them!

Poking their little heads up

Fun fact: frogs enjoy still water, so I’m going to have to control my fear of mosquitoes (and mosquito larvae) to get frogs. Cross your fingers for me.

Alert, Agnes and Alice

Alert (AKA Neurovore), Agnes (AKA Bossy), Alice (AKA The Stoner). Alert is crazy aware of possible threats, Agnes is even bossier than I am, and Alice is ANYWHERE THE FOOD IS OH YEAH MUNCHIES MAN!!!!!

You have to use a flash??? It's entirely too early.

Agnes, the smart one, is out first. She has a beard.

Alice, Agnes' twin, joins her in the scary scary run (which they explored yesterday).

Unnamed joins the twins

And so tired. We spent a long time picking the girls up and finishing off the run and coop, but it’s done, and they’re here, and they’re hilarious and perfect. Agnes is the smartest and boldest. Alice is the sweet, gentle one, I’ve picked her up a bunch. Unnamed will get an A name soon (all chooks we get this year will have names beginning with “A”, next year they’ll be “B”s, and so on). All three are about two months from laying eggs. They haven’t figured out how to use the waterer, but I’m hoping they’ll get the idea today or I’ll have to think of something else.

Fun Fact: I kinda feel like a ‘real’ farmer now. Isn’t that funny?

New chook run behind beds

Front wall of chook run, behind lemon tree debris

new patio on far side of chook run

Fun Fact: had lunch on the patio yesterday. Doing it again today. LOVE me some picnics, especially where nasty ankle-twisty weed-infested slope used to be.

Here they all are, including a very strange albino cardoon:

sprouts

Artichokes need to be very warm to sprout, 70 – 85 degrees… but the seedlings don’t need that heat. Some folks thing that colder temps are actually good for them (as is the case for almost all seedlings). So the unsprouted seeds are segregated from the seedlings:

seedlings only

Those that have sprouted are moved off the seedling heat mat and given a big drink of water from the bottom. Once they’re a goodly size, they’ll never be misted from the top again. Bottom watering encourages deep roots and keeps down the mildew/dampening off problems. A good big watering helps them hydrate and prep for their first fertilizing, which will happen tomorrow or the next day with half-strength fish fertilizer.

Seedlings drinking

Those that haven’t sprouted are given a second chance in the new seed-starting tray on the seedling heating mat (next to the traditional Lettuce seedling huge-a-saurus pot). I think the remaining cups will be filled today… not sure with what though. Squash? Poppies? Must ponder.

second chance

Fun Fact: I’m pondering whether to grow out that albino cardoon. It might be pretty. It might also be a waste of space. Hm!