With the year winding down, it is time to take stock and review. I enjoy thinking back on each year. I find my memory is not as good as it used to be, and that all of the projects we take on tend to blur together. A review also gives us insight into what we would like to try next year.
This year was the 'Year of the Chicken', a chance to add animals to our homesteading mix. Broadly speaking, it was a success, with Maggie shouldering most of the work. I spent last fall and this spring building the coop and getting a brooder ready, and turned the project over to her. She negotiated the purchase of a dozen day-old chicks from a local Amish store, was able to keep eleven of them alive to transfer outside, and got to the point where she was collecting nearly a dozen eggs a day. We lost two chickens in the fall and so are down to nine, but that loss was due to our chickens' wanderlust and not neglect.
We have had plenty of eggs to share and to cook with. Strata, chocolate mousse, pudding, cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, and pancakes have graced our plates this fall. Topping things off was pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, made with our own eggs and garden-grown pumpkin.
Winter is always hard on animals and people. We will need to be vigilant in keeping water fresh, and a closer eye on predation. The coop is solid, so hopefully the chickens will make it to spring.
The other big project we have been working on has been the remodeling of the basement workshop. This project has been a little less successful. I pulled up the old and worn linoleum flooring, and put down a floating floor. Due to an uneven floor and what I believe to be an inferior product, the floor is a work in progress. The floor tiles did not lock together as they were supposed to, with the result being lifted corners (lippage, in the tile world). I have taken to using glue to connect the tiles, which seems to be slowly working. The lesson learned is that I should have done more homework on the product. I could also have used floor leveler, but it seems like there are sections where the floor is level but the tiles are not. It is frustrating to spend time and money and not have a good outcome, but we move on and learn from the experience.
The garden is its own story, and we will review separately. Suffice it to say that the absence of rain will play a big part in that story.
2024 will soon be here. We have decided on a theme, and will be rolling that out soon. The calendar will reset, and our experimenting will continue.
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