Farming and Schooling: Mix and Match

This week has been a good blend of farming and schooling. The weather is warmish by afternoon and we have been getting outside to do projects when the schoolwork is done. 

 We spent an hour one afternoon hoeing away all the spring weeds in last years potato patch.

  Seeing the lovely rich soil full of tilth and nutrition makes me so happy.  Four years of manure and compost have transformed this clay land.

  The next afternoon we planted four rows of sweet corn in this bed. I think it is just warm enough. The extension agency calendar says May 1st for planting sweet corn.  I chose to do a big corn patch because I hope that it will be somewhat "easy" to maintain for the kids and I with new baby etc. Nice straight rows that the kids can hoe/weed between was my thinking.

 The following afternoon we hoed another section along the outside of the fence and planted these lovely sunflower varieties from my French family. 

The broccoli made heads instead of going straight to seed. They are tiny, but at least we have something to show for them.  I started them under the grow lights in January, but still it gets too hot too fast.  Maybe next year I can plant them in the high tunnel.  

The rhubarb plants are getting big and flowering.  I am taking a free bee-keeping course online and all I can think of lately is "I wonder which kind of bees like those blossoms?"  I know I should cut off the flowers... 

I can see all 9 of my asparagus plants now. They shoot up so fast. Time for weeding. 

Our big patch of lily of the valley came up and is blooming, a sure sign of May weather. 

The new muscovy sitter, Sunny, abandoned her egg nest after we candled them. Sad. I would have put them into the incubator, but we already had these 10 guinea eggs in progress. 

Saturday we used the whole day for family and farm projects.  The kids helped me get this dresser (bought on craigslist right as the quarantining started) sanded and prepped for painting.  The kids did the first coat of painting and I did the second coat.  I think it may still need a light 3rd coat in some areas.  The kids LOVE helping with painting projects.  It is always a little stressful to get everyone a brush, old daddy shirts on, latex gloves on, etc.  But I know doing projects like these now will give them confidence and experience going forward. They are already doing a great job for their age. 

 Brother S and I cleaned out the all the cats' straw insulated beds from this winter and got the barn swept.  We recycled the clean straw as bedding in the duck house.

Then Brother M helped spray out and empty all the rabbit poop trays.  The big ones are hard for me to lift with my belly in the way.  Then I put together three new rabbit cages.  I need to separate/wean some rabbit kits. I haven't been advertising on craigslist because of the social isolation etc., but a lady who already had talked to me last year called about buying 4 rabbit kits for 4H.  I told her that we can work it out, just have to be careful to keep our distance.

 Big sister A cleaned out the coop portion of the duck house earlier in the week and dumped all the poopie bedding in the high tunnel. We rolled up the sides yesterday. It was 70F outside and about 100F inside.

So much compost. The baby pool is in the tunnel since we dumped the duckings bedding out there too. 

Realistic photo of what the coffee table looks like right after schoolwork is done.

 We studied WWII in history this week. We spent a couple days on it because I wanted to make sure that we did most of the activities that went with the chapter.  I think the mapping out of the two sides (we also colored Pacific area maps) really helps put the things we read in perspective.
Big sister A surprised me by saying that she was ready to get going on her pre-algebra math with Teaching Textbooks. We are waiting a week though.  I decided that we will spend this last week before baby is due doing "spring cleaning". 

 Brother M earned a lot of money helping clear the logs and sticks.  He has been saving it all toward this programmable Lego robot.  He has also been watching sales on eBay and was able to get a new one with a damaged box for about 30% less than on Amazon. It came in the mail a couple days ago, but he had to wait for this week's payday to officially pay for it and start using it.  He and daddy are playing with it now.

 Big sister A is losing molars. Kinda gross and yikes, she is old enough to lose molars!?!