I hesitated to order the book, having read all of the stories, but I am glad I did. I will find someone special to gift it to. It is a beautifully presented book and the drawings are an extra! Now to rate it on Amazon, 5 stars!
I am enjoying your book and find myself using some of the practical ideas in my backyard. I don't have any livestock but I am working at making my garden soil and raised garden bed a 'living' piece of earth to grow nutrient rich vegetables and strawberries.
I would love to have a farm, but at this point, I'm sick and tired of paying property taxes and getting absolutely nothing but regulations for what I can do on my own land in return!
Brings back thoughts of my days volunteering in our zoo's bird department. The ducks and geese were my favorites. The hooded merganzers and wood ducks were special. Got to admit the flamingos were a trip. Things we had to worry about were hawks and feral dogs. The zoo did have a large machhine to help hatch eggs and a large building devoted to caring for the hatchlings.
That said one concludes property or a sympathetic community is needed to launch even a small chicken flock.
Will be looking forward to learning how your emu and other bird enterprises are coming. So glad you get to enjoy their company and antics as you go along. Thanks for sharing!
Was just discussing Canadian geese with my Aussie friend. They are now in Europe also. (According to Wikipedia). Hopefully not causing as many airplane bird strikes as here. 😊. Edit. If you want or need an aggressive bird? From personal experience I can think of none better. 😂
Peacocks,can be terminally vain. My grandfather had one and when his dog relieved it of those beautiful tail feathers it went under the,house and stayed there until it died.
This is very cool. In another lifetime, I would have loved to do this. Need to start in your twenties or thirties latest, I think. With a good climate. We have 35 acres in MI upper peninsula and I considered doing it just for chicken for ourselvess that give eggs and you slaughter each year, but it's too cold, too many bears and coyotes, so that thought lasted about half a second. And too many trees, too. And I know I'd kill them off. Took me a long time to get the partial green thumb I now have. Ha. But we keep it for a camp now and moved near Traverse City in our family home/town where we've been since 1830. I'll have to buy your book, live vicariously.
Ya mean you didn't get the birds to sit still while drawing them? LOL!
Nice article. I have been reading your homesteading book a bit by bit. Will read with more intensity in late winter as we prepare for what we will do the next growing season.
We are sticking with raised beds because of being old and my wife really no long can lean over on the ground well, and because living on the lake bed of the extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin we are on sand up to 150 feet deep. Gardening soil sinks into the ground quickly. The large crop lands need annual inputs of top soils and fertilizer to keep going. (unfortunately they are also intensive herbicide and pesticide intensive.
You need some bigger geese or even swans to clean the clock of any future predators that happen on the property!
I am enjoying my book. Thank you for sharing your experiences on the homestead. .
I hesitated to order the book, having read all of the stories, but I am glad I did. I will find someone special to gift it to. It is a beautifully presented book and the drawings are an extra! Now to rate it on Amazon, 5 stars!
I am enjoying your book and find myself using some of the practical ideas in my backyard. I don't have any livestock but I am working at making my garden soil and raised garden bed a 'living' piece of earth to grow nutrient rich vegetables and strawberries.
I would love to have a farm, but at this point, I'm sick and tired of paying property taxes and getting absolutely nothing but regulations for what I can do on my own land in return!
I hear you on that!
I am in the coda of my years but I gifted the book to my oldest grandson who is into organic farming. He does the no dig gardening thing. ❤️
Thank you for this interesting discussion.
Brings back thoughts of my days volunteering in our zoo's bird department. The ducks and geese were my favorites. The hooded merganzers and wood ducks were special. Got to admit the flamingos were a trip. Things we had to worry about were hawks and feral dogs. The zoo did have a large machhine to help hatch eggs and a large building devoted to caring for the hatchlings.
That said one concludes property or a sympathetic community is needed to launch even a small chicken flock.
Will be looking forward to learning how your emu and other bird enterprises are coming. So glad you get to enjoy their company and antics as you go along. Thanks for sharing!
I love the book! Your illustrations are wonderful. Great gift idea!!
They will make wonderful Christmas presents!
We purchased several and have them already
Wrapped. Thank you so much for sharing your
Life and happiness.
Was just discussing Canadian geese with my Aussie friend. They are now in Europe also. (According to Wikipedia). Hopefully not causing as many airplane bird strikes as here. 😊. Edit. If you want or need an aggressive bird? From personal experience I can think of none better. 😂
Love to read about your homesteading!
Peacocks,can be terminally vain. My grandfather had one and when his dog relieved it of those beautiful tail feathers it went under the,house and stayed there until it died.
This is very cool. In another lifetime, I would have loved to do this. Need to start in your twenties or thirties latest, I think. With a good climate. We have 35 acres in MI upper peninsula and I considered doing it just for chicken for ourselvess that give eggs and you slaughter each year, but it's too cold, too many bears and coyotes, so that thought lasted about half a second. And too many trees, too. And I know I'd kill them off. Took me a long time to get the partial green thumb I now have. Ha. But we keep it for a camp now and moved near Traverse City in our family home/town where we've been since 1830. I'll have to buy your book, live vicariously.
I bought 2 books, one for me and one for my daughter. The illustrations are wonderful. Dr. Jill you are quite the artist.
What a delightful essay! I'm way beyond the age for homesteading, but you sure do a magnificent job of "selling" the concept. Bless you both.
Ya mean you didn't get the birds to sit still while drawing them? LOL!
Nice article. I have been reading your homesteading book a bit by bit. Will read with more intensity in late winter as we prepare for what we will do the next growing season.
We are sticking with raised beds because of being old and my wife really no long can lean over on the ground well, and because living on the lake bed of the extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin we are on sand up to 150 feet deep. Gardening soil sinks into the ground quickly. The large crop lands need annual inputs of top soils and fertilizer to keep going. (unfortunately they are also intensive herbicide and pesticide intensive.