{"id":3763,"date":"2021-02-10T22:05:46","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T06:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/?p=3763"},"modified":"2021-02-10T22:05:46","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T06:05:46","slug":"weekly-wrap-up-4-rain-planting-trees-and-berry-bushes-first-day-of-school-hunting-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/?p=3763","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Wrap-Up #4: Rain, planting trees and berry bushes, first day of school, hunting and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019m baaaaaaack!  Did you miss me? I’m still not RIGHT ON TIME for the Weekly part of it… I think we can still call it “weekly”, though, don’t you?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a busy week in the yard and garden (see below)!  We\u2019ve had another spell of rain \u2013 in fact, we\u2019ve had five inches of rain so far this month \u2013 and it\u2019s only February 9th<\/sup>.  The ground is so saturated, and there are puddles everywhere\u2026 you definitely find the low spots in the yard in weeks like this!  Farm chores in the morning and evening are a little more precarious than usual with all of the slippery mud, but I haven\u2019t fallen this week!  Wooohooo, yay me! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today is the start of a big freeze… and the kids and I are hoping for snow! Forecast says 40% chance… so we’ll see! Snow would mess up some plans we have for the week, but it’ll be pretty and fun! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some pretty pictures from the homestead this week:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kid and Family News:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shaleigh did an amazing job with her sugar cookies this week for baking club \u2013 she had a recipe in mind, but it required chilling for three hours and she doesn\u2019t have the patience for that so she found a recipe that didn\u2019t require chilling\u2026 it did call for two teaspoons of baking powder, though\u2026 is that why you don\u2019t have to chill it?  We\u2019ve been wondering that all week and we will find the answer! She wanted to do heart cutouts for Valentines Day but she couldn\u2019t find our heart cookie cutters (I think they\u2019re with the play dough, but she apparently didn\u2019t have time to look there), so she made do with diamonds, stars, and circles, and frosted them with pink frosting and sprinkles!  They were yummy! (And I didn’t get a picture before we ate them all up! Oops!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our school district brought 4th<\/sup> and 5th<\/sup> graders back for in-person classes this week for this first time in a year.\u00a0 Shaleigh and Braden are part of the school district\u2026 in normal times, the kids go to school one day a week for about four hours, and the rest of their school is done at home \u2013 they\u2019re technically public school students but they are homeschooled.\u00a0 Braden has opted out of the one day a week at school, and Shaleigh lives for her one day a week!!\u00a0 She was so excited to go back this week, and had such a great time seeing her friends and teachers and the new school building!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Braden and Carson went hunting last Saturday with our friend Wayne and closed the season. (I think there’s another mini-season opening this month, but I’m not sure if they’re planning to go or not.)  They had a good time and saw lots of birds but didn\u2019t come home with any of them!  (Photo credit to Carson and Wayne)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I have been taking a Bee Bootcamp class through Jennifer Short of Camano Island Honey, and I\u2019m hoping to get certified through Washington State Beekeeping Association.  I\u2019m still a very new beginner (like VERY NEW!) but this is something I\u2019ve wanted to learn and do for a long time! I talked to Jennifer about being a foster parent for bees so I can learn by watching and doing, and we will be talking about that, soon!  She\u2019s also interested in having her honey at our farm stand!  Wooooo hooooo!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been doing a lot of alpaca fiber prep lately and trying to build up inventory of dryer balls! I\u2019m looking into other places to sell the dryer balls, and anticipating a big rush when we open the farm stand!  They take a couple of days to get ready to go, so I\u2019d like to be as ahead of the game as I can be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also working on my medicinal herb stuff\u2026 I have a few more tinctures and glycerites in process in the pantry, including chamomile and lemon balm and I plan to make more salves in the next week or so, too!  I have a lavender hops combo that I think will make a nice relaxing, sleep combo.  I\u2019ll keep you posted!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal News: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carson and the kids did a big chicken coop clean out this week\u2026 between the mud and rain and the fact that chickens are gross, the coops are pretty nasty this time of year.\u00a0 I was supposed to help but I got called away on other projects and errands and by the time I finished, Carson was already done!\u00a0 Phew! \u00a0\u00a0The chickens are always freaked out while we\u2019re doing the cleaning, but then they get right to work exploring the new materials and making it their own!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shaleigh did the bunny hutch clean out yesterday\u2026 it\u2019s never done as well as when I do it, but I\u2019m grateful for the times I don\u2019t have to do it, and the bunnies don\u2019t seem to care!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alpacas are getting tired of the rain\u2026 and they would really like to have some better grass growing in their pasture!\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I remember this time last year, I started to panic about the lack of grass for grazing, but then as soon as we got some warm days, the grass grew and all was well!\u00a0 I still feel like I need to put down some seed this year, and I think I will next time rain is in the forecast.\u00a0 Looks like below freezing temps and perhaps snow this week so I\u2019ll hold off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the sheep are enjoying their field!\u00a0 They probably could use a shelter clean out, but the ground outside the shelter is so wet that we wouldn\u2019t be able to get the tractor (or even a wheel barrow) to get through the area.\u00a0 Another layer of clean, dry straw on top of the old, wet stuff it is!\u00a0 They don\u2019t seem to mind!!\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Neither does Sparkle the Rooster!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Garden News:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I told you in last week\u2019s Weekly Wrap Up that we got some new fruit trees!\u00a0 Four Frost Peach trees, two apricot trees and two cherry trees!! We\u2019re so excited!\u00a0 It\u2019ll be 3 to 5 years before we get any fruit from those trees, but then it\u2019s going to be amazing!!\u00a0 We got the trees planted last week and they seem to be doing great even with all of the rain!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m hoping they\u2019ll do well with this week\u2019s freeze, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through a couple of my homesteading and garden groups on Facebook, we heard about a blueberry farm that had been sold and the new owners were planning to grow a different crop so they are giving away the blueberry plants for free \u2013 you dig!\u00a0 They\u2019re planning to till or burn the crop next week. Wednesday was a beautiful day and we loaded up in the truck with our shovels and boots to check it out.\u00a0 It was a field of thousands and thousands of mature blueberry plants.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we got there, there were about 10 other trucks and people digging up the plants.\u00a0 We got right to work \u2013 we did have to watch a few other people to see how they were digging them up and how much of the root we needed. \u00a0\u00a0We learn by watching and doing.\u00a0 We ended up digging up seven plants!\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was hard and muddy work, and when we got home, we had to make a spot for them and dig up a holes big enough and plant them!\u00a0 I\u2019m so glad we did it that day because the rains came back the next day and it\u2019s been pretty miserable since then, but it was hard work!\u00a0 Worth it though!\u00a0 We should have blueberries from those plants this year!!!\u00a0 I cannot wait!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I also ordered my seeds!!!  I am still missing a few things, but I have all of the main ones \u2013 or will in the next couple of days when they come in the mail!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was looking for strawberry seeds and trying to figure out if I can grow them from seeds, when I got an email from a friend offering several varieties of strawberry plants \u2013 you dig!  Perfect timing!!!!  So we SHOULD have lots of berries this year!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carson started pruning the many apple trees we have in the yard.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is lots more to do, but we didn\u2019t even start this process until March last year, and then it was too late because the trees had blooms! \u00a0We\u2019ll definitely be better this year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product News: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you checked out online store?  https:\/\/stevenshomesteadonlinestore.square.site\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know that we have Stevens Homestead merch? T-shirts, hoodies, \u00bc zip sweatshirts, and trucker hats, all with our logo!\u00a0 Sizes ranging from child Small to Adult XXXL, Red, Gray and Navy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can order through our online store (above) or send me an email at stevenshomestead@hotmail.com<\/a>, or a message through Facebook Messenger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never miss a new blog post or website update! Enter your email address below and we’ll make sure you’re alerted when we have news! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Weekly Wrap-Up #4: Lots of rain, planting trees and berry bushes, first day of school, hunting and more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[55,8,11,12,17,21,22,23,25,27,28,30,33,34,35,40,42,43,45,49,50,53],"tags":[61,68,77,84,108,110,111,114,129,130,132,148,149,155,156,196,197,199,200,204,208,213,221,231],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Weekly-Wrap-Up-of-Homestead-Happenings-banner.png","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3763"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevenshomestead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}