So long Xanadu

One of the difficult parts of being an Urban Farmer is having to say goodbye to livestock that has served you well. Our beloved Americauna chicken, Xanadu died last night. She was a lovely girl. We only had her for about a year. We got her as an adult. She layed the most beautiful robin's egg blue eggs. She was so funny and friendly. Death is a part of life. A big part of Urban Farming. Knowing when to say goodbye to our beloved chickens. Truth be told my girls are really treated like pets. I name them an spend a lot of time with them in the garden. They are like mobile lawn ornaments. I haven't had to cull any of them yet. The ones who have died have gone by God's hands not my own. All good things must come to and end and so did Xanadu's life. It was an honor to have spent the short time we did with her. She was a special bird. She will truly always hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life. Blessed be Xana!

On a lighter when I went outside this morning my neighbor was covering her lawn with mulch. Had she decided to create her own front yard farm?? She is removing her lawn to plant all Dahlias. She said "well you have a vegetable garden. I thought I could have a cut flower garden" Right on!! Dahlias being one of my favorite flowers I couldn't be more pleased. I am bringing her cardboard home from work to help her sheet mulch her lawn. She said she saw the catalog of Dahlias and couldn't resist.

So I am thankful for new life... the Dahlias and my new little chicks in my studio. So although there has been sadness happiness is always sure to come.

Is Spring here....?

Well it certainly feels like spring is here. As Oregonians we are so excited to see those first few sunny days. Boy have we had some nice ones. People scramble to the feed stores and nurseries. Scared they will not get the first pick of seeds or that all the baby chicks will be gone.

We were busy little bees in our garden today. Clearing out beds. Planting a few things. I have a stack of seeds that I look through nightly. Dreaming about those hot summer days. Enjoying the fruits of our labor. I enjoy picking a few new varieties that I have never tried before. This year I picked out a melon called Golden Midget from Seed Savers Exchange. It is s small melon. Yellow on the outside and a beautiful salmon color on the inside. MMMMM. I also started some Zeppelin Delicata Squash. I have had it before but never planted it. I am really looking forward to that. Being surrounded by the seeds daily at work makes it tempting to try so many new things. Although I find myself running out of room. Although we have found some room for a few new chicks. We love the eggs and know a few people that will buy them. Our new additions are Judy a Black Sex Link, Shino a Silver Grey Dorking and Coco and Cuckoo Maran. Coco will lay chocolate colored eggs. I had to explain to Danny that they wouldn't actually be chocolate eggs. Fitting that Coco is his chicken.

Time to Plant those Peas

My friend Rois pointed out that I hadn't written on my blog for a loooong time. So I thought I'd write a quick reminder that if none of you had noticed it feels as though spring has sprung. The daffodils are blooming, the cherry blossoms are blooming and the sun is shining. So what better time to plant your peas. It is time. So run to the nearest farm store or dig out those left overs from last year and get those wonderous peas in the ground.