Turkey's and Trees

Turkey's
  I am so excited, after we went to the farmer's market on Saturday, we stopped at big acre feed store and they had turkey's.  Of course we bought some silly!!!!! Two of them to be exact.  We named them George and Martha Washington.  We're big on history over here.  We brought them home in a carboard box and they hung out there under the heat lamp while I got the brooder all ready and set up for them.  That's them in the picture, Napoleon doesn't understand, why they can't come out and play.  So, far they have weathered the first 24 hours just fine.  I love to watch them run across the brooder with their little wings extened.   (FYI- baby turkey's are called poults)

Farmer's Market
  Saturday morning, we headed out to the farmer's market in Flint, MI.  It has both an outside and an inside section.   Sadly, the indoor section was not really that impressive, they had some bakery's, a few stands that sold produce and flowers but it was basicly the same stuff you get in the store.  The few art booths that were there, were pretty cool and had some really cute stuff.  We did score a few local items, Cherry Wine made and bottled here in Michigan, My son got a cookie and we got some meatloaf mix and brat's made with Angus beef raised here in michigan with no hormones and no horrid living conditions.  We had the brat's tonight with some salad and the cherry wine for dinner.  It was very good.  After the market we went to tractor supply and of course big acre, where we got our wonderful turkey's.

Apple Tree's
  Well, Sunday we were just gonna hang out and relax and maybe hit the grocery store.  But, after breakfast we decided to go to our new all time favorite store, Tractor Supply (LOL) and get some fence posts, so we could start working on a fence for the turkey's and chickens.  Ended up going for a mini country Sunday drive (we missed our turn and decided to just keep going, you end up seeing the coolest things that way).  After lunch and the grocery store, the hubbs went back to the big acre feed store in Brighton and picked up 16 apple tree's (they were having a big sale).   We bought 8 Joanthan Apple trees and 8 Honeycrisp apple trees.

Ridgetop Farm
 Exciting things, are happening here at Ridgetop we are really on our way to having a farm.  Still to come is the chickens they will arrive in 5 weeks.  Also, still working on our garden plans and perhaps some bee's to help pollenate the orchard and the gardens.   We'll be planting the tree's and gardens once the ground warms up some more.  The hubbs and I are very excited about our farm, things are going well and my son is enjoying everything too.

Gophers and Weekend Plans

It's Friday!!!!!

Both the hubbs and I have the weekend off.   What to do, what to do?  Well, we had plans to work in the yard, removing trash and big sticks, cleaning out the horse trough (that's the chick brooder) and maybe starting on the raised garden beds.  Mother nature on the other hand, had other idea's and the temps will be in the low 30's not exactly conducive to digging up dirt, since our yard is now frozen mud as opposed to just mud.  Never fear, we always find something to do, and we did,  the hubbs, my son and me are gonna head to an indoor farmer's market in Flint, Michigan, I will post a review and maybe some pictures later this weekend.  here's the link for the Flint Farmer's Market if your local.  http://www.flintfarmersmarket.com/



Gophers have big teeth!!!
 this past Monday, my son discovered a dead gopher out by Napoleon's tie-out.  Since, we couldn't put the dog out, until the gopher had been moved, I had to move it, (insert suspense music).  So, your gal Helois, bundled herself up in some muck boots, coat and gloves and trucked out to the barn to get a shovel, back to the gopher and tried several times to get that little guy onto the shovel, it just kept rolling over (ugh!!!).  There I am in the yard rolling a gopher around, thinking to myself I hope this guy is really dead and does not jump up and try to attack me, cause I really didn't want to have to bash it with the shovel, long claws and big teeth, could have done some damage.  Finally found a stick that I used to roll the gopher onto the shovel with.  Poor thing it's side was all crushed in, I think it must have got hit by a car and attempted to make it's way back to it's home. ( which I discovered under the back porch).  Anyway, once the gopher was on the shovel I carried it to the back of the property and lightly buried it in the compost.  Whew, all this before 8am. 

Chickens and Seeds

chicken coop in progress

I finally get my chance to start being a farmer/homesteader.  That's right people, chicks have been ordered, seeds bought, plans started and the hubbs is building a chicken coop.  That being said, I am both nervous and excited, up to this point the only animals I have been responsible for have been dogs, cats, fish and 2 lizards, the lizards however didn't live very long. I will admit that I did not do enough research into the care of lizards before jumping into buying them.  So, when it was decided that we would start our farm with chickens, I took to research like a moth to flame.  (Research, is highly recommended by this gal, who is still upset about the poor lizards).  How do you research chickens you ask?  Well, I started with the Internet, you tube videos, and bought a few books, called hatcheries and  asked people who have chickens some crazy questions.  "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow, was recommended by the women I talked with at Murray McMurray Hatchery in Iowa. This book has become chicken bible, it is packed with loads of information on different breeds of chickens and how to properly care for them.  Armed with this knowledge and help from my hubbs and son.  We (hopefully) will be prepared for our chicks who arrive, May 2nd, 6 weeks away.  Also, up for the next couple of weeks, is to set up the brooder box in the laundry room.  Chicks need to have enough space so, they can get warm and have space to cool down and have access to food and water and room to run around.  Pictures and an update on that later this week.

 It is, also, time to research gardens and how to grow things, cause let me just tell you that I have a very black thumb.  Anytime I have tried to grow flowers, plants or pumpkins they have all just withered.  I really feel that gardening is really going to be a big challenge for me, albeit one that I am looking forward too.  I was told by several people to start with peas, because they like cooler weather and grow easily, is this true???? Does anyone out there know anything about growing veggies and fruit, that can help a gal out?  Right now I have a tray of peat pellets waiting for me to put something in them, and research to do, to find the right place for me to put my garden.

Yes, there is still work to be done to the house, the land and the outbuildings to make this the place of our dreams.  But, you have to start somewhere. This is our start.

Our farm census so far:

1 woman, me Helois

1 man, that's the hubbs (he prefers his name is not online)

1 10 year old boy, (my son who is growing so very fast)

1 cat,  Romeo (who thinks it's his job to sleep 19 hours a day and rub cat hair all over everything)

1 Dog, Napoleon (that's Bonaparte not dynamite) Napoleon a black lab and Burmese mountain dog mix

and in 6 weeks there will be 25 chicks added to that.

Welcome to Tales from Ridgetop Farm; stories of everyday life and the journey into self-sufficiency

the day we moved in

I have wanted to be a farmer/homesteader, ever since I was a little girl and first read the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Ok, perhaps not always, as there were several points in time I wanted to live in big cities like New York and Boston.  But, since you can't have horses in the city I have always come back to wanting to live in the country on a big farm.  Lucky for me I found a like minded Fellow, and together we found a 120 year old farm house on about 5 acres.  So, it's not enough for a big farm, but, it's a start. My goal is greater sustainability and self-sufficiency in a world where those two things seem to have gone out of style. 

  This will be a place that hosts all farm-related posts,things about rural living, and (hopefully) local farm events, recieps and encouragement for those of you also, longing for sustainability.   So thank you for taking time to check up on the homestead in the middle of nowwhere, but a mile from everything. Check in often.