Move the Coop and Run

In preparing for winter, which will be here before we know it, I moved the chicken coop and the run to its winter position which is closer to the house, which means less shoveling once the snow starts falling. It also means easy access for the girls to get to the greenhouse, their dust-bathing spa and winter hangout.

This past spring I made a greenhouse. My wife says it worked out very nicely for seed starting and for giving a jump to the seedlings. So now I'm making some modifications for autumn to winter.

I made a mobile chicken coop too. It has detachable wheels so it sits flat against the earth. The chickens are quite taken with it.

Drawings

It's been a while since I've done any artwork, but today I got out the pens and some photos and did some drawing. It felt good to create these little cards.

Puree Garden Tomatoes

Today I pureed more garden tomatoes. These will be canned and put by to enjoy in the cold months.

Find Old Paintings

While I was looking for something else completely different, I found this old painting of our old cat, Herb. She was a good kitty.

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Fix Things

The old faucet fixture failed. I replaced it. Just one of the many, many joys of home-owning. It seems there's always something that needs maintenance, fixing, improving, enhancing, replacing, and I'm glad I have the skills, the books, and the willingness to ask lots of questions, so that I can do most of these tasks myself.

This spring began the "south-side-shingle-replacement" project. We were going to repaint the shingles on the south side of our home, but during the prepping I discovered early signs of dry rot on a few, so we decided to replace all the shingles on the south side. I'm sure there will be photos of that project at some point.

And as the days grow toward summer, I hope to squeeze in a little time to do a little sketching.

Paint the Wren House

"Wren House" was one of those quick sketches I enjoy doing from time to time, this one is oil on watercolor paper.

This little bird house has been visited every spring for many years now, by the wrens who clean it out, fix it up with fresh bits of grass and other bits, pausing only to share their joyous song of the season. Things quiet down a bit when the eggs are laid, but the song returns, along with frantic chirping, when those eggs hatch.

I'm looking forward to the wrens' return.