Triskeles Farm

[Jo] Since the last post I’ve finally gotten some pics uploaded. Despite Juney still being in the hospital, we’re getting work done. She’s doing beautifully and should be home within a week, maybe sooner! She’s cute as can be–see pics.

 

 

 

On the farm, we’ve been putting in irrigation lines, working on the new rows for the grapes, getting the bathroom tiled, logging and more. Alyson never stops! She laid a dry stone wall around the cistern and planted it, among other chores in her “spare” time. It’s beautiful, and stable enough to sit on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Jo] Always surprised to see how much time has passed since last post! So much is always going on. Big event was the birth at 29 weeks of Juniper May, 3 lbs 5 oz, a beautiful little girl, still in the NICU but hopefully coming home in a couple of weeks. Anna is doing great, tho tired from spending all her time at the hospital. (pics to follow!)

We have been joined by another family member, Alyson, who has been pressed into the work gang before she fairly caught her breath.

We’re all really working hard trying to catch up on all the planting. The apricots are still coming along, but will remain in the nursery bed at least till fall. But we’ve set out more apples, pears, plums, peaches, and some ornamentals as well. We took up five grapes that were well grown in pots from the preceding year–and had a late freeze on the 24th that set them back. We’re getting ready to put out the 75 grape cuttings from Davis when they finish callusing off. Eric, friend Stu, and Aly have been setting up the posts and deep irrigation pipes, and in the next week or so, we’ll have to get them braced, strung with wire and install the drip irrigation.

More irrigation line is going in down the hill in the apple orchard. Got one line in place, and more to come. The windmill has to be repaired and we’re being especially careful with water tho we still have thousands of gallons in the big tank from rainwater. When the plantings are well established, the water won’t be so crucial, but we don’t want to lose any more than we have to at this critical time.

Set out another 25 berries to replace those lost over the winter. Got adjustable drip emitters to try to balance the amount of water each plant is getting. Still need to compost and mulch all of them. Soon…

The building is also coming along. With Aly’s help, we’re making roads on the interior. The bath is framed in. Will get the shower and composting toilet installed in the next couple of weeks. The floor tile turned out very nice–a whole lot of mismatched tile was given to us by a friend, but we found a pattern to make it all work. The tiled mosaic was installed behind the stove and looks great. Another joint effort. Aly laid a drystone wall around the big cistern, and is filling the resulting flower bed with plants.

Eric, with a little help from friends Deb and Tom, finished wiring the solar panels (sorely wounding his finger in the process). We’re producing a lot of great power now, and only need to get the rest of our vintage batteries online to really take advantage of all that electricity.

We just heard from the forestry dept that our thinning project was passed–a great relief. A horrendous amount of work that involved reducing the basal volume of timber across 5 acres. The trees had to be felled, limbed, the brush dragged to piles along the road for the chipper. All big wood had to be trailored out, both logs and firewood, and the chips spread. The remaining trees will have access to more resources and so will better resist disease and the beetle that is devastating pines here. And we’ll be safer from wildfire. That acreage looks much better–amazing how quickly the wildflowers are reseeding up there, and the grasses are coming back. Hopefully we’ll see a deer or two someday soon, maybe even wild turkey!

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