Free Fire Wood!!

Blessings Abound!!

Last Spring we had to have a Very large tree removed.

It was over 65 years old and over 70 feet tall. 

 Our Problem was that is was a Spruce and WAY to close to the house. We had seen a local Ad for a company called  perfectrees.com  So we gave them a call.  They came out the next day and gave us an estimate.  They explained that the tree would be professionally taken down..

that they were fully insured.

 Also, they would cut up the wood, remove it if need be and mulch the smaller branches.  

All for a VERY reasonable price.

We were very fortunate.. because 4 months later we had a SEVER storm that took down several trees on our property and left us without power for three days.  Had that tree been there..I am sure We would once again be replacing our roof!

This past week, almost exactly one year later, We received a phone call.

Jean Lecasse

Of

perfectrees.com 

Had taken down 3 large trees from a local client.

But they did not want the wood. And Jean himself already had as much as he needed.  As an alternative to it going in the landfill..we were asked.. "did we want the wood?"

It was already cut up..we just needed to haul it away and split it!!

What A Blessing! When we arrived on the scene..it was to discover the wood was mostly hard wood..of Maple, Birch and some poplar!

Even with the truck and trailer it took 7 trips to get it all!

What  blessing! Now we just need to split it and pile it! When that is done..we should have fifteen cord of wood for next winter!

So remember folks..if you burn wood for heat..Get to know you local tree removal company!

Even if you live in the city..they don't always have a ready source to dispose of the wood.  It is one of those things where EVERYONE benefits!

Thanks to Howie, my husband, Briar, my son and Briars friend Alex. For spending all day Saturday loading, hauling and unloading wood!!

Again, a special Heartfelt thanks

to 

Jean Lecasse

Of

perfectrees.com

For next winters firewood! We appreciate it more than we can say!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z4PL0YG7c8

CHEERS!!

January 2012...Plans for the year.

The Year Past...

The Year to come...

Hey Everybody!

Sorry It has been so long since I posted..winding up the year was a LOT of work..and I am now just beginning to think about spring.

I deemed last year a success because I managed to fill my pantry..However I did make some mistakes and will learn by them for this year.  Planting tomatoes in hanging planters requires more than just good soil and determinate tomato plants!! A lot of mine got blossom end rot..this was due to a lack of minerals in the soil..SO..THIS year I have been collecting my egg shells and will crush up a good 1/4 Cup to add to the soil in the planters and give them another shot!

The year before..I planted a three sisters garden..and I planted to many squash..they over ran the beans and the corn..

so I didn't attempt it this past year..I planted my Squash in containers.

They did really well..but all of the of the plants 

I started from seed ended up being pumpkin..

which goes to show...you can't just harvest seed from ANY

Plant..it has to be an heirloom plant.

Our Rabbits finally bred in the fall...AFTER I learned how to sex rabbits and found out my original 5 were ALL female..Once we added a male we were off and running!! We Ended up with 19 kittens from 3 does!!!

The original breeding stalk I had were not fussy on any food other than the pellets unless I gave them and apple.

The Offspring However..once they started eating pellets..I would add a slice of cleaned pumpkin or a half of a sweet potato or a sliced apple.

It got so they really looked forward to the fresh veggies and fruit ever day!

When it Came time to harvest them..We made the decision to harvest the adults and leave 4 of the female does for breeding..for two reasons..One..they were used to eating raw veggies and fruit WITH their pellets..and this allows me to save money on feed and to feed them a more balanced diet.

And two..I was not sure how old the original mums were.  We also kept 3 smaller males for fattening up.

If you are breeding rabbits for meat...I recommend that you do NOT breed them past August 20th because near the end of their growth the weather is cold and they expend much of the feed consumption on keeping warm rather than bulking up meat.

We harvested 15 of them and I learned how to de-bone rabbit and we made some of the most DELICIOUS sausage!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTSGd7oPRUo

We also harvested our Meat Chickens and put 40 or so in our freezer..

And they are DELICIOUS ( the links I add are from my youtube and usually are films of us doing, or how to process)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY2sqtLC0oI

And I did a LOT of Canning!!

One of the two Bee Hives we put up did not make it..but the other exceeded our expectations!! 

And we ended up with enough honey for the year if we are careful in it's use!

Our Goat Bizzy gave us two beautiful female kids!!

She Continues to give us almost a litre of milk a day..and we are planning on breeding her daughters Clover and Blossom this year!

I Made my own soap this year..some from drippings  and some from lard..but all turned out really well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIljW0imZA4

I made Butter from the separated goats cream...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otZOMbffkZw

And Cheese as well..although I have some work to do before I get that just right!

We Made our own Bacon without nitrates...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmH3LVLWrcg

It Turned out so well that we are SERIOUSLY considering raising a pig or two this year!

All in All it was a successful Year!  

I learned a lot! So This year I hope we will be better organized..and will go from the learning stage to the "putting our lessons to use" stage!

I have already ordered some of my garden seeds from an AWESOME place called "Baker Creek Seeds"

They have all non GMO heirloom seeds...and as I am going to attempt ( again) to save my seeds this year..I learned my lesson and will go organic heirloom all the way!

I AM going to attempt a 3 sisters plot (again..)

And I am moving my squash and pumpkin from containers to a hill we will build up between to road and the Goat paddock. 

Instead of sweet corn I am going to grow pop corn ( cuz I eat it almost everyday) and feed/flour corn for the stock  and for grinding into corn meal.

Along with the regular snap beans..I am going to grow some beans for drying..that way I will have my own beans for baking and chili.

It is going to be another busy year for sure! However a better organized one!

It   takes a couple of years when you first start out..you learn what works and what doesn't..what to plant for a more balanced pantry..and what to plant to subsidize you animal feed with fresh organic. So I have a lot of hope for this coming year!! I invite you to come along as the journey continues! And I WILL be a much more faithful blogger this year!

This is Bev From My Half Acre Homestead saying...

Life is what you make it..so enjoy the journey!

Article on Organic Fruit tree Protection From Mother Earth News!

Awesome Article From Mother Earth News!

Organic Fruit Trees


1/26/2011 10:42:05 AM


By William Woys Weaver






Tags: organic, fruit, trees, pest control


I want to raise apple trees organically, and I’ve read that you can protect apples by enclosing them in sandwich bags. Does that really work? I’d love to harvest some bug-free, chemical-free fruit!






I have personal experience with this technique and it does work, although not perfectly, and I’ve found an alternative I like better.






I have more than 20 heirloom apple, pear and quince trees on dwarf rootstock in my garden, and I’ve been fighting a long, drawn-out and — until recently — losing war against codling moths, the insects that cause worms in fruit with cores.






By luck, an organic orchardist visited me last year and he suggested I stop my annual angst and respond to the problem with something simple and practical — bagging the fruit at petal fall, thus protecting it from all sorts of attacking insects. His simple advice was to use Ziploc sandwich bags, which seemed like a good idea.






The practical problem with using sandwich bags for this purpose is that, while you can zip them tight around a cluster of fruit, you must also snip off the bottom corners so moisture doesn’t build up inside. However, the open corners don’t drain water quickly enough after a heavy rain, and I’ve found that if too much water remains in the bag, the fruit starts to cook in its own steam on hot July days. The holes in the bags also provide access for curculio beetles, another obnoxious fruit pest. (They leave brown, smile-shaped scars on your apples, which means the apples have been impregnated with beetle babies.) By using plastic bags, I had some perfect, unsteamed apples, yet I thought there must be a better way, and, indeed, I’ve found a strategy that I recommend to small orchardists.






I decided to make drawstring bags out of row cover fabric, which is sold by garden supply companies. I sized the bags at 6 by 6 inches, which allows room for fruit expansion. This plan is better than using plastic bags because the fabric exposes the fruit to natural light that ripens it; the bags dry out quickly after a rain so the fruit isn’t subject to a contained, humid environment; and there are no holes for insects to exploit.






The success of such a bagging operation must include the successful control of wildlife, because raccoons and squirrels are extremely adept at destroying both the bags and the fruit. I’ve solved this problem by using Tanglefoot, a sticky, gluelike substance you paint on the bark of your fruit trees. After the critters touch Tanglefoot or a similar product (there are several), they won’t attempt to go up the trees.








Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/organic-fruit-trees-zb0z11zblon.aspx#ixzz1KOAmNez4

Gordie Howe Takes a HIT!

In the days before helmets and mouth guards!

click image to enlarge and read

Real Estate in 1960-61 in Ottawa

Check out these Prices!

Just click on the picture to enlarge!!

Sales in 1960

A Floor wax applicator!! WOW!

On Sale!!

Some Of the Prices back then were amazing!
And these are Grade A Birds..funny..I don't see it printed anywhere whether or not they are hormone free..free range..or organically fed..do you?
And I MUST have the pattern for those aprons!
To DIE for!

In The News Dec 1960-Jan 1961 The ENVIRONMENT!!

Today I found two Ottawa Ontario Newpapers from Dec 1960 and Jan 1961. It is amazing to see How things have Changed over the last almost 50 years!
Priorities have changed radically! Here is what was posted on Evironmental issues from both papers!

Riveting informative stuff huh?