The problem with building up the hill is that there is a very long and large stone shelf running through the hill. It would require some jack hammering. We are exploring both options and talking to people more experienced in this sort of thing.
In other news, the old chicken coop has a new addition to it. Last week, Aaron and I created a larger outdoor space for the chicklets. We had to put netting over the top so they wouldn't fly over the fence, which they seem to love to do. I wish we could let them free-range all over the farm, but for a variety of reasons this solution is the best. They have plenty of outdoor space to run around in and since we've expanded they have calmed down considerably. Before we did this, there were about 2 or 3 fights a day going on up there. It was too small a space for such young, active chickens. Their eggs are getting bigger as they mature and almost all of them are laying now. There are six of them, if you remember, and we have three nest boxes for them. That's plenty, in case you were wondering. They don't each need their own. They like to share and put all their eggs in the same nest box. It's sweet, but every once in a while we get a broken egg because it's just too many in one spot. If someone lays an egg in a nest box that's not where the others have laid, someone will move the egg to where they think it should be. When I first put them in there I placed two dummy eggs in the nest boxes to encourage the girls to lay there. They moved those dummy eggs to the preferred nest box.
Speaking of chickens and eggs, I should go collect today's offerings. Here are some recent photos:
The girls exploring their improved yard.
Aaron (and Callie, who came to stay with us for a week while our parents were in California) in front of the improved chicken run. Those two tall beams in the middle are holding up the netting.
Callie sleeping in my truck on the way home from her farm vacation.
Callie needed a bath before Mom and Dad came home. The farm is a dirty place for pretty little dogs!
A silk painting I'm working on. I'm still not sure what color the wings will be....
I have a mouse problem in my house so I've started letting Chairman Meow come in once or twice a week in the morning to ward off the mice. So far, no more mice!
A very handsome and excellent houseguest! No scratched furniture, no peeing on the rug! He barely even shed!
A baby quilt I made for my friend Alyse.
Me and Atticus. I'm showing off a shirt I got from this year's Reddit gift exchange. It says, "Woofing you a Merry Christmas". Wiley wouldn't sit still for the photo. Atticus is a good boy. Wiley is mentally ill.
The photographer with the boys.
Aaron got some jellybeans and Atticus had to inspect them to make sure they weren't poison.
That circle in the middle of the photo is a post hole Aaron dug in the lower field where we were planning to construct the aquaponics buildings. He came back the next day and it was filled with water. He says the post hole was at least 3' deep.
