November 1, 2018 A Necessary Update.

Life goes on apace at Creekside Farm. So much is happening, most of it too small to write about, most of it is fairly meaningless in terms of the bigger picture. But I have been remiss in keeping our history up to date. So here's what has happened since the Summer Supper Party in late August.

The biggest thing is that we finally got all of the readily available trash removed from the place.  But so much has happened, is happening, will happen.

Jack helped me build it.

We got the new septic system installed. It was a big project which might have needed an article of its own, but didn't because it really wasn't very interesting. A lot of digging, a bunch of laying things into trenches, and then a lot of burying. It is enough to say that we got the thing in, saved a ton of money doing ourselves, got it approved by the County, and this past week hooked the tiny home cabin into it so that we are better off right now than we were.

As soon as we got approval to apply for the septic permit we hired Erik the Architect, along with Trena the Intern, to design our new farmhouse. Up to this point the only thing we knew for certain was that my dream of putting the house at the northwest corner of the property had to be changed so that we got a quick land use decision. Putting the house in the corner would have added at least six months to the project and we wanted to get building. I had already done a preliminary plan for the house (and thought myself pretty clever for nearly a year), then these two clever people got hold of it and changed most parts for the better.  We're quite happy about the new design and should get actual plans this month at some point. From there it goes to the engineer, then to the building permit people, then maybe we can build. Since we are doing most of the building ourselves we expect to move in by next November, but we've said this same thing before.

The early version of their design work.

I added in some details.
You can click on this for a bigger picture.

MacGreggor's Garden produced (2) pretty well this summer, but not enough to build the produce stand this year. Next year in Jerusalem, as they say. This morning we began pulling everything that won't Winter over out in the garden. It will look better to see rotting mud than to see rotting plants, and our compost pile looks quite happy.

The chickens (2) have been selling about twenty dozen eggs a month for the past two months. Not much of an income, but we got some business done this year and so we can claim victory even if it is something a bit more hollow than we had planned. Winter is coming and so we expect less of them as the weather turns colder.  They will process the compost pile all Winter for use in planting  in the Spring.  This morning I ordered cartons and labels for future egg sales. Not that I needed to, but it will feel more like a business effort.

Our hounds are doing very well, but we had to put Henri Hudson down in early September. He had taken a turn for the violent crazy and killed a few chickens . . . He's been planted behind the new home site along with our LizziBeth, who was his girl and who went into the ground before him  We did get a new girl puppy, named Grizelda Laffee Taffee, in September and she is both growing well and a double handful of fun. Since we are not going to do any breeding until the new kennel is up and running there is no puppy business. But we are probably looking for another female in the Spring so that she can start growing old enough to put to work.

I am working on a new design layout for the Farm and Gardens since the old one had the house in the wrong place, also since we have some experience which can be put into the plan, and since we already change the plan by putting some stuff into the ground to propagate more plants for the gardens.

The Party Tent, now workshop.

A few weeks back I converted the Summer Supper Party tent into workshop and covered it for the winter's rain. It will be a great place from which we can stage the house building, but the dogs love it to play in when it is rainy out and the chickens like to stay in there for keeping out of the rain too.

As for the rest of it . . . The rains started last week and the lack of old growth weeds makes the place really a big mud pit that one must keep out of, for the most part. We will do what we can through  the Winter and try to keep up the momentum we believe has finally begun to grow faster, but the Farm has its own plans, and its own schedule. There seems no way to rush anything. The Dream of Creekside Farm is still in place and working (for the most part), though changed by time and the needs of Creekside Farm and Washington County.