Shed and Chicken Fancy

Ski: around 4 days old

It's time for me to start planning a garden shed. I have collected the windows, a door, an old ceramic sink and counter and the metal roof for it, now all I need to do is think about what kind of design I want. My wish list is long; my budget short, so I am counting on creativity in using materials to get me there. Of course the shed is to hold tools and to dry flowers and pot up seedlings; but I would like to have a built in cold frame or mini greenhouse so I can get a jump start on spring food in winter. I wouldnt mind having a little deck around it so I would have a hang out place. Eventually, I will run power out to it; or maybe hook up a little solar panel to run some lighting.

This shed will be a kind of shrine to my Mom as well. She left me a tiny bit of money and this is how I intend to spend it. She would love my plans - the seed of Chickory was planted back when I was in high school when Mom bought a small river property and we used to talk and dream about what to do with it.

When Easter was a baby

I would also like to attach to the shed a field pen for the chickens who spend most of their time around the barn and in the woods. I take them out to the garden to work with me, but they always inch toward the tree line and run (they are so funny when they are really running; only Easter flies) to the safety of the canopy. And they are right: overhead predators are their biggest worry because the dogs handle all ground threats.

Lately I've been looking at some lovely photos of chicken pens and housing:

I like this "mutt and jeff" fencing - reminds me of the coyote fencing in Moi's neighborhood only using the sticks horizontally. The only downside is it looks like not enough light is getting in. Light is critical for egg production. Though my hens spend a lot of time in the forest, they have loblollies where they lay in the sun, stretching their wings out like solar panels to absorb heat.

This is wonderful. It reminds me of my grandmother's house. I've sourced this double loop wire fencing. It is expensive! It runs about $300. per 100 foot roll. We actually have about 30 feet of it on our back fence which I plan to take for the garden. I look for it all the time on Craigslist but never find any. I do see it around in older neighborhoods. With all the tear down and in-fill they are doing here I might try and vulture some from developers. I found some antique wire garden gates on Ebay too.

This is kind of what I am thinking for the greenhouse section of my shed. I check the Habitat for Humanity thrift store about once a week for windows. Its getting slimmer as I think more and more people are into recycling then just going to Home Depot and getting new windows. The quality is actually better on the old windows anyway. Once my truck gets repaired I can start ranging out in search of old building materials.

You know, this isn't what I had in mind, but I could live with it. Chandelier is a nice touch. I could use the plexi chandelier Boxer made me in the shed though.

Chickens at Saint Agatha by Gustav Klimt

I am open to suggestions, ideas, links about interesting materials that I might incorporate into the design that would look cool and be affordable. And then we will tackle the matter of the goats.

Haiku Monday: Birth

Caterpillar. Then,
a transforming chrysalis
makes Black Swallowtail

*************

I counted 47 Black Swallowtail caterpillars on my parsley crop. They love any plant in the carrot family; dill, Queen Anne's Lace and of course parsley. I've harvested plenty and am leaving the rest for the butterflies. I saw the eggs nestled into the cup like leaves before I went to California; when I got back to Chickory, the 'pillars were fat and fine from heavy feeding. When they are alarmed, they discourage predators with their osmeterium; a forked orange gland that makes a horrible smell. That's why the chicks won't eat them. (They love tomato hornworms though)

Here you can see the osmeterium "stink gland"

I froze my parsley in ice trays and bagged the cubes. When I make soups and gumbos this winter, I will just drop a few parsley cubes into the mix.

While clearing the garden in preparation for fall, I startled this Mantis who flew into the hedgerow 

Back in Atlanta this afternoon, Koby broke out of the yard and was brought home by the POLICE. He said that he followed her home from about 5 houses away, and that she was a pretty big dog and could "scare somebody". Scare them with a big dose of affection, maybe. We found the problem: a dead tree fell way in the back of the yard and smashed down the fence. V got to use his chainsaw; chopped up the tree,  repaired the fence and now she is stuck at home with her boring ol' pack tonight.

Now I have one autistic dog and one outlaw dog. And four "shitresses". And 47 caterpillars and one praying mantis.