evan's ant village log

Your fences and gates are gorgeous! I especially like the bermed gate for the ducks. Your most established hugelbeds are so lush, it's very inspiring. I'm going to have to come back so I can appreciate all the changes, however my new car is electric with a 90 mile range, so it would be a slow trip. . .

Thanks for taking us along, Evan! This adventure is so much fun... ;) Is your's the first 'home' with it's 'dry earth' roof? Can't remember if the Wofatis got that far.

Thanks Julia! It was great working with you on cobbing the Abbey last year and I'd be happy to give you an updated tour if you make it back out this way!

You're so welcome, Nancy! I'm glad to have such enthusiastic folks along for the adventure! I think that Allerton Abbey technically already has a dry earth layer, but I'm hoping that I can get the dry earth layer on Siesta to be even drier!

Y2, Spring (40)

We started building a solar dehydrator! This one will be a downdraft "three passive forces" design, sort of a smaller version of the design illustrated on the 3 of diamonds in the permaculture playing cards.

In an effort to minimize toxicity we charred the wood backing of the solar collector part until it was black, instead of using paint. And we're currently looking into getting some stainless steel mesh for the screens that the food will go on, instead of using aluminum.

We had a nice window that fit our solar collector perfectly, (well, we designed the dehydrator around the size of the window,) but unfortunately it broke. Instead of redesigning everything we went ahead and ordered a piece of (thicker) glass that was the precise dimensions. As much of a bummer as it was to have to spend another $30 on glass, I think this will actually turn out better than the window would have since we'll able to get an even tighter seal.

In the meantime, Kai couldn't wait to start dehydrating stuff so he's been using the dashboard of his truck. Dehydrated lamb's quarters and mustard greens are pretty much the shit.

Y2, Spring (41)

One of the hands-on sessions for the PDC was held on Ava. We went over the construction and use of an a-frame level, and then we dug three sort-of-micro-swales in Avalon about 20 ft long and then planted a polyculture of a bunch of different annuals. Thanks for the help, you guys!

We got a chicken! Oryx leGuin. She's a real purty barred rock and so far she seems to be integrating well with the ducks. The duck coop already had a roosting pole built in and now Oryx has claimed it as her own. The hope is that she'll help to fill a niche by eating the bugs that the ducks turn their bills up at, while also laying eggs. And even though she'll be able to fly out over the low paddock fences, we're hoping she'll choose to stay in most of the time to be near the ducks. So far so good, but we'll see how it goes.

Speaking of birds, a bluebird has taken up residence in the little birdhouse down at basecamp and hatched out a little clutch of hungry babies. Mama bird can be spotted flying to and fro the birdhouse delivering tasty bugs to her squawking offspring.

If you use scissors to cut Oryx's flight feathers (you spread out a wing and cut the longest feathers, usually right next to the ends of the next layer of shorter feathers lying over them) you would greatly reduce the chance of her ranging out of your paddock. I do this for my hens a couple of times a year and when I do it I usually leave the last couple of feathers alone, so that when the wing is folded up, all the cut feathers line up under the intact ones.

Cutting the feathers doesn't hurt, as long as the feathers aren't growing ("blood feathers").

Evan, thanks for posting.

I wanted to thank you for taking the time to post here. You spoiled the rest of us with your "daily" postings of your adventures last year. It was the first thing I looked at each day. I found them entertaining, thought provoking, informative and fun.

Although your posts have been less numerous as your first year, they have nevertheless been as profitable and enjoyable. I must say that I do miss your daily reports.

I know that's not your problem but mine. I should go work harder on the garden or some other mind numbing thing, but change is hard and I find myself longing for more of your pictures.

I understand how hard it is to keep up the "herculean" pace you set last year, and this is not a plea for more but rather an idea for you to ponder.

On this side of the cyber world, I DAILY, receive a daily report of the happenings of the website from Pauls "This is Paul Wheaton's daily-ish email ..." Now I am not suggesting that we get the same kind of thing like Paul's but perhaps you could persuade the other members of the ant village to post more as a cooperative. ie: this is chris, I drove the tractor today, ie: this is evan I dug for water today.

Perhaps by sharing the load of posting by everyone you can get some relief and we can hear what others in the village might have to contribute to the conversation.

Thanks for listening.

-lorance

Thanks for the tip, Julia! Seems like a useful thing to know how to do. I think I won't cut Oryx's feathers yet though, and just observe how she interacts with the combination of the fencing, the available forage, water, feed, shelter, and duck company inside the paddock for now.

Lorance, I'm so glad you're enjoying these posts! Thanks for being part of the open conversation / peer-review process that is this thread about my ongoing experiences in antville. I agree that it would be great to see more content from all the other ants and folk up here in the village and all over the labs.

Y2, Spring (42)

We picked up a new gapper, Ben, and he's been super industrious and creative. Thanks for all your great ideas and helpful enthusiasm, Ben!

We got an outdoor shower tipi started, Kai and Ben got some more of the fence done next to Gigantor's Gate, and we played with rocks in Anarcadeah to increase useful edges and microclimates.

Loads of sunflowers, (2nd generation seeds from Ava,) are coming up just inside Petunia's gateway in the northeast corner.

Y2, Spring (43)

Growies!

Y2, Spring (44)

We heard a tip that there might be stinging nettles growing in a park in missoula, but despite our explorations we didn't find any. Spotted some neat fungi and met the park guard though.

You know, the (admittedly very short) plant in your first mushroom picture, at about 11 o'clock (just to the left of the center top) looks like it could be a stinging nettle plant. If it was, it would be a baby stinging nettle plant. My stinging nettles are three foot tall, and that's after I cut them back a month ago.

The same jagged edge leaved plants are at about 10 o'clock and 7 o'clock in the same picture.