Worm Bucket and Shoe Bin

In order to get the tractor down to the lower pasture to free the chainsaw, Phil spent the morning forking hundreds of pounds of wet hay.

He cleared a room-sized area (barely visible in the photo, but about 10" in depth or so), and spread the stack on the acquired mud and muck in the dry lot.

Then we moved a fresh new hay bale into the original confines of the dry lot, and all the animals went it. We put the gates back, and the additional area they'd accessed during our time away, our farm road, was then accessible.

He drove the tractor down. The tree that had trapped the chainsaw had fallen during the night: the wrong direction. A bit of the chain was still pinched, so Phil tugged the tree and rolled it a bit. It rolled so much that it fell off the stump and crushed the bar and chain of the chainsaw.

It could have easily destroyed the chainsaw itself. We're grateful it didn't. But since that was the second bar and chain ruined in the last two years (one ruined by a friend who was borrowing it: Phil isn't that destructive), lumber jacking was done for the day, until we get to a repair shop.

I finally got around to making holes in my worm bucket. I drilled seven holes in the bottom, and an array all the way around. I have the lid beneath it, to catch any of the valuable worm liquid. They live in the bathroom (where it might get a little below the ideal 40-80 degrees), and I have covered the bucket with a towel to keep it warm, insulated, and away from the light. Worms don't like light!

I am not feeding the worms any animal products (Bitsy appreciates those, and if not Bitsy, the chickens). Sepp Holzer says that he thinks his earthworms don't like garlic and onions, so I might avoid those, too.

These red wrigglers are supposed to be isolated from "wild" worms. I'm hoping to get a good quantity of naturalized worms, too, in their own bucket. But those might need to wait for warmer weather: my bathroom is full enough.

Sepp Holzer actually has four varieties of worms. Maybe I'll even try nightcrawlers one of these days!

My Mom had a bin in her closet to keep shoes. On our return, I realized that I now have 29 bins, that held 10,000 daffodil bulbs, that I can use. One of them fit perfectly in the available space, and I have a much cleaner entry.

And, just because it's pretty: a necklace my sister made for me during our bead nights. Very chic.