Recent doings

I have fallen a little behind on the blog and I apologize. This post should bring us up to date on our recent activities here at Mariposa.

We attended the 4th of July parade in Fence Lake. We met a few more neighbors and had some more good food. The parade of course was awesome :)

Parade video

We helped our neighbors with the branding of their new calves. Our contribution was at the "unskilled" end of the spectrum, moving the cattle around and keeping them in place. All in all it was a fun morning. After the branding.....more good food.

In late July came the Fence Lake reunion. An amazing number of folks showed up; there was a car show, a chainsaw cutting contest (I was the official timer and served with honor), a dance, and of course..........more good food! For a LOT more pictures of this event check out the official Fence lake Facebook page: Fence Lake Breeze

In addition to the various fun activities, we managed to get a few projects done around the place.

Using reclaimed lumber which I got from our neighbor Kenny Monday, I built a cold frame. Hopefully it will extend the growing season for the Swiss chard and tomatoes much later into the fall. I will cover it with plastic and a tarp when the temps start to drop, and heat it with a Dietz oil lantern (designed back in the day for heating greenhouses) when it gets really cold.

We moved and leveled the chicken coop. I plan to cover the whole thing in a 8'x10' canvas wall tent in the winter to help protect the hens from drafts.

Using sophisticated tools (shovels and a wheel-barrow), we hauled several more tons of road base and finished out the circle drive in front of the house.

We have been enjoying the fruits of our garden, such as potatoes, beets, radishes, zucchini, squash, and lettuce. The chard is coming along and I hope to be able to harvest it before the serious cold sets in.

We still manage to find time to walk the dogs, shoot the guns, read our books, and sit around on the porch. Life is good.

Next on my agenda is cutting more wood for the coming winter, never a dull moment here at lovely Mariposa :)