Field Notes Entry 02: Dirt

The deep desire for a slower, more grounded pace is has finally pushed me to jump into... 

✨ g a r d e n i n g ✨

 

I had originally missed my winter cold-stratification window in March, & have been feeling pretty discouraged due to good ol' ADHD procrastination tax.... But recently, a local Reddit plant exchange has changed everything!

I connected with a neighboring homesteader who has the permaculture property of my literal dreams 👁️👄👁️ It was seriously incredible, like… I was in awe of literally everything he’s been building in his farm and gardens. #goals, for sure!! 

I offered him a trade of farm-fresh eggs or a custom 3D-printed item, but he kindly gave me the plants for a simple IOU. What a nice guy!! He generously gifted me handfuls of whole comfrey plants, young elderberries, sage, and yarrow. 

 

Taking the time to process and work with those plants in the dirt was the exact kind of tactile grounding my busy brain needed~  Despite a massive storm rolling through, I got everything in the ground right as the sky turned into the most gorgeous cotton candy sunset.

 

The elderberries are planted out in the front yard to eventually create a leafy privacy screen for the birds, the comfrey is tucked safely by the chicken coop, and the sage and yarrow are settling right into my designated backyard garden.

 

In other news, the critters have been eating up whatever has been left of my time.

🐔 Flock Upgrades ~ I upgraded the outdoor Buff Orpington/Ayam Cemani chicks to bigger bucket feeders, giving the 2-gal feeder to the month-old brooder babies.

Wanna take a moment and admire my big babies?? 

Loooook at demmmm 😍😍😍😍

 

I also upgraded the brooder-babies’ water to the nipple-bucket system, finally, and they caught on quick! All the feeders are made with 3D printed parts that I insert into holes I make on buckets. With the exception of the new feed bowl I just made my house-chicken, Bisky! (He a Serama, smol guy)

He chills in a large bird cage when he isn't roaming the house, so I printed a special feed bowl that attaches directly to the side caging.    Hopefully now this means he’ll finally stop spilling his food all over the floor for the dog to eat!

 

All this critter chaos actually inspired a fun idea: I'm brainstorming a "Meet My Critters" page for my website to add soon! It'll be just like a professional staff page, complete with little profiles and pictures for everyone who lives here.

 

I just ran outside again, before the heavy heat and humidity of the day set in, to check on my new plant babies again. I think they look content in their new homes! And as I did, I saw some resting fireflies in the backyard foliage, enjoying some pussytoes. 

Check out this guy, I had no idea they were hiding all that iridescence under their wings!

I’m so glad I leave as much leaf debris alone as I can for them & the rest of the wildlife (like cute lil salamanders), I love supporting the critters soo much. Really gives me a sense of purpose, y’know? That’s why I’ve been volunteering at my local wildlife rehabilitation center for almost a year now! But more on that another time, I gotta go be strange~

Stay weird, and remember… it’s snail time -  there's enough time for everything. 🌿🍄🦴