Meyer Chicken and Varmint Farm

2009-06-24T07:23:00.001-07:00

planning a solo ride from Fallon to Mammoth. Just in case anyone needs to find me...

Vina Del Mar, Chile

2009-03-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from Vina Del Mar, Chile. The night shots are from the balcony of my hotel room, and the view is about all it has going for it. The old pier is pretty cool, the crane dates back to the 30's. It was a tourist attraction for a while, but was shut down a while back.

Raised Bed Garden

2009-03-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here we are building a raised bed garden from alfalfa bales we bought from a local farmer. They were $7.50 ea for first cut hay, and each bed uses 8. We built one today, and have enough materials for one more. The soil is a mix of aged cow and horse manure, and kitchen scrap compost. In the background is the frame of our hoophouse, which has been in the making for quite some time.

Panamanian Indian

2008-11-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

I returned from Panama last night after spending 4 days down there working for the First Lady. I picked up a few Christmas presents from this native indian who told me proudly that she made everything by hand. This trip really got my travel bug going again. Now if I can just convince Kori to start riding.....

2008-05-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon grubbing down on the largest corn dog either of us have ever seen!

2008-05-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is similar in concept to Kori's fingerpaint Jeep, except this one is a Lego Jeep.

2008-05-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here is some inspiriation for Kori and all the dead pens we seem to collect.

2008-05-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Life size moustrap game, complete with a full size safe. You have to feel the ground shake when it falls to believe it!

2008-05-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Governator as an earth hugging solar powered walking robot cart thing...

2008-05-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

2008-05-04T12:05:00.001-07:00

This is another sculpture, made entirely from recycled cable!

Maker Faire

2008-05-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I are here at Maker Faire in San Francisco, demonstrating our "Homemade Hydroponics." What a blast. This is a great sculpture at the end of the maker commons, where our display is. On the left is the fantastic "Electric Giraffe" that wanders around the Faire.

Great weekend

2008-04-14T20:14:00.001-07:00

We just had a really great weekend. While I went to work for a few hours Saturday morning Shawn and Brandon met up with a couple of guys and rode quads and dirt bikes and found some exciting new spots. We all got home around 1 p.m., the other guy went to pick up his daughter and we headed out into the desert behind the house to search for geocaches - little hidden containers that you find, take an item out of and put another item back into. You then sign and date a small notebook kept in them for that purpose, close it back up and hide it for the next person to find. We had four dirt bikes, the quad and, really exciting for me - my Jeep, top off and all. It ran really well and we all had a blast. That night we fixed carne asada burritos and ate on on the deck with friends - a great end to a great day.

Sunday was another beautiful day - temps in the low 80's. We got a lot accomplished - I enlisted Shawn and Brandon to help me haul railroad ties to the back of the deck and I built one of my rose beds, then got five planted. We cleared out the bolted lettuce and cleaned the hydroponics system, then replanted some new lettuce. Transplanted some tomato seedlings for traditional growth in containers, along with some sweet pea to plant where it can climb up one of the deck posts. OH! AND we have cherry blossoms! To see one of our dreams progressing was one of the happiest moments of our lives since we have come back to the States - being in the military you yearn for a place of your own where you can do what you want and now we have it and can make it into what we want.

We ended with a dinner of grilled chicken breasts with melted pepper jack cheese and avocado slices, steamed artichokes and grilled green onions. Dessert was strawberries dipped in melted chocolate with an apple wine from Washington state that we found - all out on the deck again under all of the stars. Perfect.

Mountain biking Rainbow Ridge

2008-03-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Moutanin Biking Rainbow Ridge

2008-03-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Mountain Biking on Rainbow Ridge

2008-03-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

We went mountain biking up on Rainbow Ridge yesterday, a set of foothills before the Stillwater mountain range. The ridge rises straight up out of the desert, providing spectacular views for miles in each direction.

First Day of Spring

2008-03-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of spring! It's been a long time since I've posted any news on our blog. I started a new job about three weeks ago and I am adjusting to the big changes it has made in all of our schedules.

Last weekend I started a BUNCH of new seeds - more tomatoes and lettuces, basil, plus some sweet pea, marigold, morning glory, bee balm and purple coneflowers. And then there are the ones we grew to love in Italy - radicchio (chicory), rucola and artichokes. Shawn also started building a raised bed to put outside the back door for various herbs and a few flowers. We have some really busy weekends ahead of us!

Shawn re-enlisted last week for three more years. He is on his 19th in the Navy. The plan was for his det and any family members who wanted to, to head up to Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe, do his re-enlistment and then snowboard for the rest of the day. Due to various complications only two other people from the det made it, but one of them has a son Brandon's age, so he has a new friend to hang out with. I had a good day on the slopes - I even tried going over some ramps and went down the half pipe. The awareness of how much it hurts to crash as I get older held me back a bit...

We are getting more eggs than we know what to do with from our birds. Shawn and I have both taken eggs to work and given them away and we still have dozens. I think we'll hold off on those chicks we were thinking of buying...

Duck Duck Goose!

2008-02-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

Our neighbors Ted and Jo gave us 5 ducks and 3 geese, as their dogs were slowly decimating their flock. We brought them down and introduced them to our pen, but so far they are very "clique", apparently for good reason. You can tell the turkey in the foreground is up to no good. Of course, turkeys usually are.

Chicken coop residents

2008-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

Don't they look overjoyed?

Chicken Coop

2008-01-26T15:48:00.001-08:00

After three weekends of working on it, the Chicken coop is finally finished! No more turkey poop on the porch! No more chickens getting eaten by dogs!

Ryker

2008-01-24T08:09:00.001-08:00

Sunrise

2008-01-24T08:08:00.001-08:00

Lettuce Roots, nutrient change

2008-01-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

A shot of the root system from the underside of the lettuce raft. Today was the first nutrient change for the lettuce system.

Hydroponic lettuce

2008-01-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased with the lettuce raft system. It just keeps growing! A small aquarium pump runs 24/7 to keep the nutrients aerated, and we have two regular fluorescent fixtures on a timer for light. As far as human intervention, all we have to do is change the nutrient solution every once in a while, and pick and eat the lettuce!

Tomatoes in their new home!

2008-01-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

Here's the tomatoes in their new home!

A new home for the tomatoes!

2008-01-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the new ebb and flow tomato system. The long rectangular pieces are a 12' piece of PVC fence post cut in half with caps on both ends. The right side has flood and drain fittings fitted to each. Underneath is the 28 gallon nutrient reservoir. It contains the submersible pump ($10 from Harbor Freight) and the supply and return lines. It rest on a PVC frame that serves several purposes. It elevates it above the nutrient tank so it will drain, it is slightly higher on the left so all the nutrients drain out, and it serves as an anchor for the trellis system that comes down from the middle. The lighting system is also new. I bought 4 fixtures from Wallmart for $8 each, and hacked them together to make two ultra bright fixtures. Each individual tube is receiving twice the current from it's own electronic ballast. The only downside is that the bulbs only last 1/2 as long, but at $3 each, it's not a huge issue.

Winter's Setting In

2008-01-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

We have had some really cold days here - down to 8 degrees one night! Brandon's new dog, Ryker, got a bit exuberant and killed a chicken, so Brandon got to do the honors of cleaning it and becoming a "chicken plucker". Then we had two more disappear in a week, so we are down to three, and the turkeys. We are in the process of building them a small run around their coop - no more "free ranging" for them! (And no more turkey poop on the deck to clean up or worse, to step in when I walk out the door...)

Our hydroponic garden is coming along well, but we really need to separate the tomato plants, which have taken over the basil and squashed it. The lettuce just grows and grows! We are having some great salads with it.

I love the peace here. I am looking for a job and know I am really going to miss my mornings with my coffee when something comes through. It is beautiful when there is a bit of snow on the ground, and it brightens my day immensely to see the dogs run and play in it. We have also had freezing fog for the last few days, and it forms the most beautiful crystals on everything - fence wire, tree branches and leaves and things. When it builds up more I will get some pictures of it and post them.

Tomato nutrient change

2007-12-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

Changed the nutrient today. The plants were starting to droop, a sure sign that they need a nutrient change. I'm not sure though if they needed a change. For almost 3 weeks I did not add any water, just to see what the effects are. The nutrient salts concentration may have just become to high for the plants. At any rate, they have a fresh 40 gallons of nutrient. I received a shipment of hardware today, so I plan to transplant the tomatoes into a 4" x 5' PVC fence post ebb and flow of my own design. It's all an experiment, so here goes.

Lettutce

2007-11-13T06:46:00.001-08:00

One half of the lettuce is started in a bubbler raft system. It is floating on 20 gallons of 1/4 strength nutrient, with a fluorescent shop light over the top. I have to buy more Styrofoam some aquarium tubing and a couple of check valves to complete the other half. I could also use another shop light, a good time to compare light output of various bulbs, as they will be two separate systems.

Hydroponic Cleaning/nutrient change

2007-11-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

Changed the nutrient tank to day. Moved up to full strength vegetation formula. While it was empty, I took the time to clean all the algae and Hydroton dust out of the system. Kori took the 30 or so gallons of old nutrient out to the fruit trees, one bucket at a time.

lettuce update

2007-11-09T06:49:00.001-08:00

Lettuce seedlings are doing quite well after one week. The fluorescent light is rigged up over the top, and I take the humidity dome off in the mornings so they can get full light. I replace it at night to help keep the temperature up. They are drinking 1/2 strength olivias rooting solution.

Hydroponic update

2007-11-09T06:44:00.001-08:00

Tomatoes and basil are doing really well. I'll change the nutrient solution this weekend to full strength, and add a fan to keep the air moving and strengthen the plant stalks.

Duck!

2007-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Driving home last night, I spotted something strange on the side of the road. I turned around to investigate and found this little guy on the side of the road. We are going to feed it until it's ready to fly again, and then take it to Soda Lake to release it. Mom thinks it's a she because of it's bland coloring. Kori just thinks it's funny because it's webbed feet are waaaaaay to big for it's little body.

Eggs!

2007-10-31T22:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the eggs our chickens have laid so far. To celebrate Kori going to Florida tomorrow, and to showcase our eggs, I cooked a special dinner of Spaghetti Carbonara using all of the eggs. It was delicious, although I need to find another source for proscuito. It cost $10 at Safeway for enough to make one course of pasta. Ridiculous, as I would have payed that much for a Kilo in Italy. Oh well....

Hydroponic update

2007-10-31T22:32:00.001-07:00

Here's an updated picture of the ebb and flow system. Almost all the plants that have been transplanted are doing very well on 1/2 strength nutrient. The 400W Metal Halide (MH) bulb is 24 inches above the top leaves. I definitely had it too close when I switched lights from fluorescent to HID, and it burned some of the smaller leaves, but they all seem to be recovering nicely. I also transplanted all of the tomatoes in 8" pots to 5" pots so there is more room in the grow tray. PH is being maintained around 6.5 as far as I can tell. I have a digital meter on order that will give me more precise readings.

2007-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

We started a lettuce/ salad green mix today. The goal of this project is to see how cheaply we can grow hydroponic salad greens. The seeds were free from heirloom seeds, the tray is recycled, and the jiffy peat pellets that the seeds are planted in cost $2.79. Of note, is that I forgot to buffer the water to start the seeds, and that the seeds are so tiny that there are probably from 3 to 8 per pellet. They are being stored in a dark place, on a heat mat for the next couple of days.

Transplants

2007-10-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

We put the plants in the ebb and flow hydroponic system tonight. The 40 gallon reservoir is full of 1/2 strength vegetative nutrient. The light has been moved up several inches to help the transplants. The 12 net pots are full of the expanded clay pellets with the transplants in the center of the pot. It appears that our 4' x 4' watering tray can handle 16 8" net pots. We will probably also try to grow one of our tomato's in the easy grow system. Currently, our watering cycle is:
12:00 - 12:20
06:00 - 06:20
12:00 - 12:20
15:00 - 15:20
18:00 - 18:20

2007-10-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from the pig roast. First Brandon, Ian and I dug a pit in the sand, next we filled it with rocks we collected on the property. Friday night, Brandon, Bob and I threw all the pinion stumps in the hole and lit them on fire around 9:30. We let them burn down to coals until 12:30 AM Saturday. Around 11:30 Brandon and I prepped the pig, which consisted of rubbing it down with salt and stuffing the cavity with garlic and onions. We put down a layer of wire, followed by wet burlap, and then several layers of Ti leaves. Then we took it out to the fire and dug some of the red hot rocks up. We placed 4 or 5 inside the cavity, and set some aside. We then wrapped up the pig/leaves/burlap inside the wire, and put it down on top of the hot rocks. Next, the rocks that we had put to the side we put around and on top of the pig bundle. A piece of 4 x 8 plywood went on top of the hole, and around 1:30 we finally got it sealed by burying the edges with sand dug up from the pit. Brandon deserves a lot of credit. He was a huge help! Without him, there would have been no pig roast. Thanks Brandon! Whew!! time for bed.

Small Scavengers

2007-10-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

I guess I forgot to put the lid on the can for the chicken feed this morning. When Brandon went out in the evening to feed them for me he found these three small "dinner guests" in the bin. They are the cutest little things aren't they?

Soda Lake

2007-10-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

We took a drive around Soda Lake. It was unexpectedly beautiful, despite all the wrecked cars at the bottom. Molly had a blast randomly swimming around. Our house is about 1/2 mile the way Brandon is facing.

emigrant trail

2007-10-14T19:39:00.001-07:00

We stopped by the emigrant trail marker today, took a picture and uploaded it to panoramio.com. It will be included as a link in Google earth. The trail marker is at the far east end of our property. You can read about the trail here, and here.

Ted and Jo

2007-10-14T11:40:00.001-07:00

Local celebrities and our neighbors, Ted and Jo came over and had Gumbo with us last night.
They have a web page at: tjs-djs.com

Pellet Stove

2007-10-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

We bought our pellet stove and hearth on 24 Sep 07, and had it installed and operational two days later. It took a few trips to the hardware store to get it plumed, but it was done before the first frost. Total cost was $3,232.52. Pretty expensive, but we think it will pay off in the long run. It has a thermostat set for 65 F, and it is on a timer, so if it is colder than 65 F in the house, it comes on at 5:15 AM and turns off at 9:00 AM. Then it comes back on at 7:00 PM and turns off at 10:00 PM. Pellets cost $240 for 1 ton, or 50 x 40 lb bags. Each ton of pellets is supposedly equal to 1 cord of firewood. So far we are very happy with the stove. It's a little noisy as it feeds the pellets, but not obnoxious. It does an awesome job of heating the house and there's nothing like waking up to a warm fire. Plus we are saving big on our propane bill.

Seedlings

2007-10-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

The seeds are starting to come up! Today I started feeding them a weak solution of Olivia's cloning/rooting solution. (1/2 a cup nutrient to one gallon water)

Grow lights

2007-10-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

I picked up a 2 bulb 40W shop light fixture @ $10, and two GE plant and aquarium bulbs @ $10 ea. and set them 3" over the top of the seedling tray. It's on a timer set for 18 hours on and 6 off. I will hook it up to my kill-a-watt meter and see how much it cost to run a day vs the 400 W High Pressure Sodium light. Also, I can see lots of little white roots down in the growing medium, which means lots of seedlings soon!

what I've been doing...

2007-10-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

I am thoroughly enjoying being in a place of our own. I hope that when everything is situated and I find a job that I still have some time to enjoy my photography and drawing and to continue learning to knit. My days start at sunrise, which is beautiful here, when I go out and feed the chickens and turkeys while Brandon gets ready for school. After one of us takes him to the bus stop I will let it warm up a bit and go and water the plants and the fruit trees that we planted. My biggest problem is keeping the chickens and turkeys from eating all of my young plants - today they totally denuded a chili pepper plant that we had growing! I have put chicken wire over my "baby" lavender plants, but they step on top of it and crush them. It is definitely getting easier to think of them as a food source - and I don't just mean eggs.

I am hoping to set aside one corner of the shop for me - my drawing and related items. I really don't want our sunroom to turn into the room where we put everything that we don't want in the house.

sprouts!

2007-10-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

We have sprouts! Several basil seeds and one tomato seed have sprouted, and it's only been two days! They are still on the heat pad, drinking buffered water, and have natural light. Hopefully tomorrow, they will start on a 50% rooting solution, and I'll be able to rig up the grow lights.

Ceiling Fan

2007-10-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

I installed the ceiling fan tonight. It's a very nice unit, 5 blades with a remote. I got it on sale at Home Depot, discounted from $189 to $89. It's mounted over the top of the pellet stove, so when it runs in reverse, it will help to distribute the heat throughout the house.

Cutting Firewood

2007-10-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I cut firewood with Bob Frew and his father-in-law . We went on the east side of Fairview Peak around 6,000'. In the background you can see some snow left from the storm Thursday. We filled the white Toyota with pinon stumps, planning to burn them in the pig pit. We went to lunch at Middlegate Station, where Brandon ate the 1 lb. "Monster" Burger.

Started Seeds!

2007-10-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Put 1 seed each in starter tray.
3 x 12 heirloom tomato varieties
5 x 2 basil varieties. Italian large leaf and a variety we brought from Sicily
4 x cilantro

placed on heating mat and covered with the dome.

Tomato seeds were from Heirloom Seeds.

Starting Hydroponics Supplies

2007-10-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Anything Grows Hydroponics in Reno to pick up some supplies to start our heirloom tomato and basil seeds.
Purchased:
12 x 8" net baskets @ 3.50 = 42.00
PH test kit @19.98
propagation dome@ 4.98
heating mat @27.98
ready grow seeding tray @ 16.98
50L hydroton expanded clay pellets @ 30.98
Total with tax: 153.44