Knotilus Daily Pond

Hey there!!

What a stormy evening!

Rain is pelting the side of the house as I write. The wind has been much worse than this in previous storms, so it’s not a huge deal. I still am finding it hard to believe we ever got this much rain in winter when I was a kid. I really don’t recall it being quite this warm usually either.

I do often recall the snow changing to wet snow, and a couple December’s going by with grassy lawns, sad islanders with none of the white fluffy stuff. But usually it was more a problem of having far too much snow instead.

Either way I won’t complain! I’m super stoked to be able to plant some kale in the ground, and get a TON of stuff started in the greenhouse early!

I’ve been busy the past couple days prepping dozens of trays with a nice soil mix, picking out the seeds I want to get started and organizing.

Oh! And a corn update! A while back I talked about some rare varieties of corn I wanted to grow!

Unfortunately the big fat type didn’t sprout. I have some more I can try, but the germination rare was listed as poor on the package when I got them, and they’re super old now so it’s not surprising that they couldn’t sprout.

The golden chapalote sprouted great however, so I’ll have that ready to go in the ground once we are clear of all risk of frost- ya know, in friggin June 😆
Kind of kidding and kind of serious. It’s a late spring here usually.

Oh!

Another exciting happening at the homestead!

That, ladies and gents, is the very first duck egg of the year!

Yay!!

Pretty excited about it! They started laying before New Years Eve last year, so they’re a little later, but that’s just fine.

Duck eggs are quite good, a friend of mine does urban homesteading, she’s always bragging about how much better tasting her duck’s eggs are compared to chickens, I haven’t had one in years so I’m excited to do a comparison!

I can’t wait to have a flock of chickens as well! I have a bucket by the compost bin for chicken scraps already, tasty tidbits that go to my chicken neighbours. I plan to do the same for my own once I have their house built.

I plan on getting good layers that make multi coloured eggs. Ameraucana, Easter egger, that sort of thing. I’d really love to have an Ayam Cemani, those are the ones that are pure black. Apparently if you eat them, their meat is black too! Though I don’t have plans to do that, just the eggs.

My rooster might end up being the neighbour’s silkie chick from last year that could be a rooster. I’m so used to calling that one a she, but she’s starting to look more like her dad now, and if there’s two boys, they probably won’t do great together once it’s a fully grown adult. Which she (or he) basically is now.

This is my good morning crew! Always up for a snuggle puddle!

Most of the cats sleep together, and most want to sleep ON me all night, pinning me in awkward positions. It’s great, because I love them, but it’s horrible too because my back and neck get so stiff and sore. But really, who can resist this adorable little group of black kitties!
Not me! 🖤

Anyhoo!
Hopefully I don’t lose the power overnight, though with a wood burning furnace it’s not that worrisome when I do! I certainly do NOT miss being reliant on a natural gas furnace like in the city, terrible heating source for so many reasons, and the cost was astronomical.

Here’s some memes that were good for my soul this week!