Building our bawk bawk barracks!

Today we started building our chicken coop.  I think it looks amazing and I can't wait to get out there tomorrow and finish it!

 

 

 

The frame for the floor.

 

 

It might look crooked as hell but it is level :)

 

Starting the floor.

 

 

The floor almost finished.

 

 

Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to screw something!!!

 

 

The blue prints for the chicken coop was all in Norseman's head.....I kept erasing some of the lines on him :)  I got quite a few of these looks today, while I was peppering him with questions.

 

 

Here he is lining the bottom of my nesting boxes with linoleum, so they are easier to clean out and they are pretty.

My nesting boxes being installed on the outside of the coop so I don't have to wade through shit everyday to collect my eggs :)

 

8 nesting boxes almost completed!

 

 

Hopefully tomorrow, after a quick run to the lumber store we can get it finished.  Our chicks are only 2 weeks old right now, so they won't need the coop for awhile.  I am planning on getting a few older laying hens until my chick's begin their own egg production, then it will be into the stew pot for the old biddy's.  :)

 

Also today, Norseman and I started a bunch of our garden seeds indoors.  We started broccoli, cauliflower, celery, red onions, cabbage, watermelon, pumpkins and 5 types of peppers....green, red, sweet,  poblanos and jalapenos.  Soon we must get back to finishing the green house before our home turns into a *little shop of horrors*.

This is the life!

 

 

Chance found her a nice quiet place to roost.

 

 

Buri, he is to cute!

 

 

Buri checking out his lady Ostara.  He is in love :)

 

 

 

Lovely little green sprouts!

 

 

 

Today we finally finished our garden!  Now we just need the frost to end.

 

 

 

 

Next project, finish the green house.  Norseman's *honey do list* is never ending!

 

 

 

 

A new assault on the gophers??? 

Nah, he is chopping down young sapling for our greenhouse :)

(would make for some cool pictures though ;)

 

 

Poor sapling!  Is nothing safe from Norseman wrath!

 

 

Probably should have helped him instead of taking pictures.

 

 

 

Can't wait to have this finished.  It looks amazing!

 

 

 

After a hard day of work we kicked our feet up and enjoyed a few beers together.

 

 

Fun in the sun?

Thought I would share a few pictures I took of the things that we did today.  I love taking pictures!.....it gets me out of work ;)

We went out this morning and finally agreed on a design for our garden!  We wanted it attractive, accessible and cheap.

 

 

Then it started to snow!  Actually it was more like hail, wonderful little white balls of pleasure (as seen on Norseman's face).

Didn't stop Norseman.  He is determined to get the garden ready, he didn't even mind when I quit working to enjoy the snow and catch it on my tongue.

 

 

Baby girl started throwing snowballs at dad that she had collected from the sides of the tent.  They ended up being more like iceballs though! 

 

 

After lunch, and our freak snowstorm, Dad put her to work as punishment for the sneak attack on him ;)

 

 

Norseman welding our greenhouse shelves together.

 

 

 

 

 

The sum total of todays efforts! 

 

 

 

 

My stupid foo foo dog drooling over the baby chicks.  She would like to eat them!  Any suggestions on how to make them "best friends" would be appreciated!!!!!

 

 

Yet another recruit in the war against the mighty gophers! 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed my photos as much as I had taking them!  I am pestering Norseman to blog again himself, but all I get is a grunt from him when I ask :) 

Angel

 

 

 

Norsemans better half?????

Guess it's time to introduce myself and say Hi.  My name is Angel, I'm Norseman's better half :) and 
I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to blogging!  I probably won't say much, I will leave that to the old man, but what I can do is show you tons of pictures of all the cool stuff that Norseman does on a daily basis!  We are new to putting down roots in one place and are now trying to figure out how to build our self-sufficient Homestead!  It is very exciting!  If anyone has and tips, tricks, recommendations, or past experiences, please share!  I would love to hear from you!  :)  Here are some pictures from the past week or so for you to enjoy. 

My guys building a brooder box for some baby chicks.

My finished brooder box!

A couple of my peeps!  I started with 6 Araucana and 6 Silver laced Wyandotte's for my egg layers. I then added 12 Buff Orpingtons for my meat/dual purpose birds.  I hope I picked a few roosters so I can grow my flock at home.  Yes I picked all 24 chicks out personally :)  I wanted the prettiest chicks!(pictured above Henry on the left and Jr. High on the right)

My Heathen Rabbit hutch that Norseman and our son David built.  I have 2 doe's and a buck, they are about 8 weeks old right now.  I have never eaten rabbit before, hopefully I will like it.  Any recipes would be appreciated!!!

 

 

My rabbit hutch opened.  The divider can be pulled out from the back to make one large hutch.

 Our garden freshly plowed, thanks to our neighbor and his tractor!

Our greenhouse we are building from junk laying around.

Farmer Norseman says......Fork You!  :)

 

 

 

 Dangerous Norseman!  He has declared war on the gophers!

Gophers dig shit, Snipers kill shit.....ya can't change nature!  
Norseman 8.......Gophers 0

He has recruited our boys in his blood feud with the gophers!  Good shot Leif!

 

 

 

A little play time!......(between you and me....I think they are gearing up for a new assault on the poor little gophers)

 

 

 

 

A great evening with great friends!  (pictured from left to right.  David, Cory Rinaldi, Karen Hood, Paula Rinaldi, Trace Rinaldi, Me, Sasha, Norseman and Egil).  Photo by Jesse Hood!

Holy Hail Idaho!

Don't you know it's Spring!

Ya can't change nature!

Whats up in the Survivalsphere

Well it has certainly been a while since I last posted.  The level of frustration that I have felt since last October has been virtually overwhelming.  I think that I have my bearings back and thought that this would be a good time to let you all in on the many changes that have taken place in the past few months.