Theme Reveal for A to Z Challenge

Have you heard about the A to Z Challenge for Blogs? It starts on April 1st, really no fooling, and it runs the entire month. The deal is that you will post a blog every day but Sunday, they do give you a bit of a break. And here's the kicker.. Each day has a corresponding Letter, the 1st is A, 2nd is B and so on. As if that wasn't crazy enough they also have an additional Challenge to stay within a theme.

Not only have I decided to join the 1044 bloggers who signed up this year but I also signed up to do the Theme. Today is the BIG REVEAL..lol... and this is my post to give you a sneak peak at what the month of April will look like on CluckCluckBuzz.

I'm planning on talking about something near and dear to my heart.. nah it's not a whole month of the Abbey Doo but it's one of my other passions. Small Scale Farming/Gardening and all of the joy, headaches and craziness it entails. It's in the planning stages still but I hope to have some recipes, practices, gardening tips, lots of pictures and perhaps some information on other local farms.

There will be the obligatory chicken pictures, maybe the dogs or cats being cute but we are also hoping for new sprouts, tips that we hope help your garden and other great ideas.

I have plenty of letters still open so if you have a question or would like to know more about something plant, dirt or chicken wise speak up and you might just see an answer here!

Be sure to click over to the sign up list and see all the great bloggers who have signed up! You might find your new favorite blog, it could even be mine!

Thanks for coming along on this crazy challenge with me, I look forward to a fun and busy month!

Cat Traps

I know you have all see the pictures of boxes "catching" cats. If you have have a cat or two you know how much they really love bags, boxes and anything else they can hide in.

I submit these pictures to show that paper bags and boxes aren't the only domain of cats.

You can often find Yoda napping in a nursery pot.

 Lucky for him we keep a few around for the green house. 

Silly guy is wedged in but it obviously makes for a great sleeping spot.

Sisi, one of our Daughter's cats has found a great hiding space.

How she ever figured out that this would be a great napping place is beyond me.

We have cats who love boxes, others that sleep with the chickens in the coop, and another who spends all day laying on the water barrel in the garden. Do your cats have a strange or creative space to sleep?

Only Here...

 

This was not quite a headline for the local news but it has been a Hot Topic at the local lunch place.

EMU on the loose.. Yes, you read that right. We have a 24 year old Emu on the loose in Eastern North Carolina. Some how I wouldn't be surprised to wake up to see this humongous chicken bedded down with ours.. On the other side I do hope they find her soon, it's going to be nasty tonight..

How much is that ... Chicken?.. in the window..

You know you live on a farm when this is what you see first thing in the morning..

That window's not dirty it's our Dogs Artwork! 

Book Weekend

I'm so ready for spring, I'm not asking for 100 degree days but sunshine and 75 would be wonderful!

I'm ready to get the garden started too. We have about a dozen flats started for tomatoes and peppers and I might have gone a bit over board this year with seeds but we hope to really expand the garden this year. and on that note I did a bit of research and found a few books that i hope will help.

The first is straw bale gardening. When you don't have a huge amount of workable land you do the next best thing, go up or create new environments for growing. We are lucky enough to be in an area that has easy access to cheap local straw bales. Here's the first load we've brought home. Did I mention we are ready?

Straw Bale Gardens  is the first book that came in and I've skimmed it and we've got an area picked out and I'm trying to figure out if we'll mulch in between or use cardboard. We'll also need a good amount of organic fertilizer for a good price to get them started, that's on the list for next weekend.

Since I really wanted to maximize my small spaces I also ordered this:

 

Great Garden Companions, I actually found it at the library, which is rare for our library, it's kinda small, and enjoyed it so I decided to order it. It has all kinds of great ideas not only about companion planting, but what to plant together to ward off bugs and which plants work together for a healthier garden with out chemicals, Which is always a challenge at out house. the chickens do what they can but they just can't get them all.

And the last one, just o help keep the seasons straight, and to help me plan for that fall/winter garden that I hope to add this year. Backyard Harvest,

I think it will help us get the most in the ground at the right times and then help plan ahead to make sure we make the most of the area we have by stretching the seasons in the same spaces. Beautiful photography and written for any level of gardener. 

Today is damp, grey and chilly, so I'm probably jumping the gun a bit but it doesn't hurt to dream about (and plan for) warmer days.

Do you have a favorite Gardening/Farm magazine or book? Let me know I'm always on the look out for my next favorite book!