*sigh*

[mousme]

:::Only whingeing in this post. Nothing to see here. Move along.:::

Maybe it's because I spent the whole weekend lounging in the sun (with friends and beer), but I'm feeling a little fresh air and sunlight deprived these past two days.

Right now that homestead (with a pond with ducks and frogs and maybe fish and turtles) is seeming awfully far away. The whole oversleeping thing this morning made me miss out on groceries and a little time I wanted to spend out in the garden weeding and/or puttering.

I want a pond.

Right now I want to be in the middle of my garden with a bunch of goats and chickens and to not be concerned with arrest warrants and taking calls and being stuck in a windowless room for eight to twelve hours a day. I love this job, I do, but it's in the city and there's no daylight, ever.

Maybe I'll go and research heritage chickens some more.

Comments

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

Don't forget, pond = mosquitoes. It can also mean lots of frogs and a phenomenon described by a friend as "the applause when you use the outhouse". ;)

How about other critters suited our climate, e.g., Highland Coos:

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Gives a whole new meaning to "throwing a hairy cow," doesn't it? A friend of the family raises those. I would love to have cows, but going it alone, I don't think it's a good idea. Especially not since I'll still be working full-time as well. Cows need someone there full-time.

I am willing to put up with mosquitoes if it means frogs and ducks and turtles.

[ai731.livejournal.com]

Chickens eat mosquitoes. And most other flying insect pests.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

I guess they would. Hadn't thought of that. Do they get a good percentage of the mosquitoes? Do you have to have them near the pond. Are there ducks that eat mosquitoes?

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I don't know what percentage of the mosquitoes they would eat, I suppose it would partly depend on what other interesting food was available to them. If you let them free range, they will go to wherever the food is. Muscovy ducks and Guinea hens are apparently particularly good bug-eaters. I know that some organic apple growers use chickens in their orchards to control the wide variety of flying things that attack apple (and other fruit) trees.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

Kewl

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

Mostly, I wanted an excuse to post that picture ;) I thought you wanted goats. They need someone there at least every 12 hours to milk them.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Every twelve hours I can do. Cows intimidate me for some reason. Also, I think they might need more space than goats. :)

[bodhifox.livejournal.com]

Bathouses. Bats eat skeeters.

[bodhifox.livejournal.com]

Best I could do, getting your goat.