What a hard lesson in patience I'm experiencing lately! Are you feeling that way too?
Learning to "homestead where you are" (as experienced homesteaders encourage us to do) isn't that easy. I am struggling at the moment to be happy where I am trying to do the best I can with what I have. But, when I go online and see all the amazing homestead hobby farms that other people have with their goats, pigs, and chickens, I get feeling "antsy" to hurry up and get out of the city so I can live out my hobby farm dreams too.
Our "city" homestead in Niagara Falls
My husband and I work from home on our home-based internet business which is starting to do quite well but we still need to save a bit more money before we buy our hobby farm as we do not want to have a mortgage on our new homestead property.
So, in the meantime, I have to homestead "where I am".
So far, I've been able to grow my own flax seed sprouts indoors and plant an outdoor veggie garden each spring with tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, green beans, and radishes. I've also cultivated a couple of blackberry bushes, rhubarb, and a mulberry tree. I've even grown squash and pumpkin (just from seeds that germinated in my homemade compost soil). Obviously the compost bin didn't get hot enough to decompose the seeds but I'm getting better at what works and what doesn't as I learn how to control the moisture level, the heat, and the "brown to green ratio".
I've even started to raise my own red wiggler compost worms. I started with about 100 worms and now I have thousands of them! I keep them in my basement (as it gets very cold here in Canada over the winter) months.
I absolutely love composting and worm farming but I wish I could raise some baby chicks.
Although our city of Niagara Falls is one of the very few who allow backyard chickens, our lot does not quite meet the size requirements to have them. How disappointed I was when I read the city bylaws the other day.
I probably could have a few rabbits because they are considered "pets" but hubby says no... Not until we get our hobby farm. Having a Senegal Parrot and two Great Pyrenese dogs is enough to handle right now. We got the dogs to chase away coyotes from our future farm property but we definitely "jumped the gun" as we are not ready to move yet. About the only thing our Pyrs get to chase away from our backyard are butterflies and robins!...lol
I'm so very fortunate to be able to stay home with my husband and tend to family, garden, and pets, because my husband earns an income from the internet. If you are interested in working from home click this link to find out what hubby is doing to support us from his online home business.
Wondering if it's okay to have "non" farm pets on your homestead?
Most homesteaders will tell you not to have an animal that doesn't pay it's way either in eggs, meat, or horse power. That makes sense if you're budget or time is tight but surely there are exceptions to the rule, no?
Now, before you scold me, I realize that a Senegal Parrot is not a "hobby farm critter", but I just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to have this bundle of joy for a pet when I saw his cute little face "for sale" on the internet. (Note to self: Stay off Kijiji).
Look at his adorable little face!
"Wacky" eating a raspberry treat
I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making healthy meals, dehydrating, and revamping old recipes. It gets lonely and monotonous on occasion as our kids are grown and off on their own now and hubby is busy in his office building our home based business. So, to keep me company, I thought adding a Senegal Parrot to our family was a brilliant idea!
Hubby wasn't quite so enthused but he said that if I wanted him it would be okay for me to get the parrot so off we went to pick up my new little "kitchen helper". It was love at first sight. How could anyone not want a little guy like this?
"Wacky" on his ladder
To our delight, he turned out to be quite "friendly and comical" (although we decided to change his name from "Sammy" to "Wacky" as he definitely displayed quirky personality traits as time went on).
We were going to call him "Psycho" because of his unpredictable, neurotic, behavior but thought better of it as it might not go over too well among our more "politically correct" friends and family members. Thus, the more subdued *new* name, "Wacky," was chosen.
I don't regret (for one minute) claiming "Wacky" as my pet but he certainly is not a hobby farm animal that will "earn its keep" such as a guardian Great Pyrenees dog or a chicken that lays eggs but I figured that if this crazy little Senegal Parrot could make me laugh and prove to be a good companion he'd be worth buying a bag of food for "now and again". Besides, I can put his poop in the worm compost bin so he's a contributor to the homestead after all!
"Wacky" had a bath in the dog's dish!
Senegal Parrots talk, chatter, and whistle yet are one of the quietest of the Parrot species. Thank goodness as some of them are way too loud and often scream incessantly if they don't get their own way.
Senegal Parrots can keep you amused for hours on end. Our little "Wacky" is no exception. He entertains us day and night. He loves having a bath in the dog's dish. He says, "See you later" when we leave the house to go out for awhile. He also says, "Where are you?" if we're out of his sight too long.
I'm pretty sure he says my husband's name, Roger. I'm not 100% sure yet but it really sounds like he is copying me when I call my husband for lunch. He also whistles to get my attention so I'll let him out of his cage if he can see me doing something that he wants to be a part of. He toddles along the counter toward me to see what I'm making for lunch and waits to get a treat. His favourite food is nuts and dates.
He "steps up" on my finger and he loves to get his head scratched and his feathers ruffled. He also takes a drink from the kitchen tap if I leave it dripping for him. He is a joy to have around. I'm really happy I got him. A house is not a home without a "parrot" ahahaha.
Here's "Wacky" drinking from the kitchen tap. (The background noise you hear is the dog crunching on his kibble!)
Quirky Traits: "Wacky" bites on occasion which can hurt quite a bit. He seems to do it when he is offered something he doesn't really want or when he was expecting something different. He also bites if he gets scared or feels threatened so we have to read his body language very carefully. He also pecks at the dog's nose if either of them get too close for comfort.
"Wacky" also growls (sounds like a rough purrr) if he is curious (but scared) to check out new toys or food. If something out of the ordinary is on the counter, or in his cage, his eyes dilate showing agitation or excitement.
He also loves ripping cardboard boxes apart, toilet paper rolls, and paper bags. He climbs inside Kleenex boxes and cereal cartons and peaks out to keep an eye on me.
Senegal Parrots usually pick one person out of the family whom they choose to have a "special" relationship with. "Wacky" chose my husband over me. That was very disappointing at first because the parrot was supposed to be "my" buddy. However, after reading quite a bit of information on parrot forums about this bonding behavior, I have come to understand that this is quite normal and not to be offended.
"Wacky" and my husband, Roger.
"Wacky" loves hanging out with me in the kitchen but whenever my husband shows up he goes all mushy over him. He can't wait to be near him and get scratched and talked to. It's quite pathetic to watch actually....lol I try not to get jealous "after all" I'm the one who feeds him, cleans his cage, gives him all sorts of treats, and lets him roam free for hours at a time. My husband doesn't do anything of the sort but this crazy bird is in love with him anyway. (Well I can't quite blame the bird for acting that way. I love my husband too!)
My decision to start a compost worm bin was one of the best things I did to help me be patient while waiting to find and purchase our "forever" homestead hobby farm.
Living in the city is driving me crazy but we just are not ready to move yet. We're in the process now of cleaning and painting our basement. Once we get that done and a few other minor projects, we'll be ready to put our house on the market.
In the meantime, when I get itching to work in the garden, I play with my worms! Well, I don't actually "play" with them. But, I check them.... the bin's moisture level, the state of the worms, the condition of their bedding, and whether they need more food scraps, or not.
I use "Rubber Maid" type bins to raise my worms in.
I love my worms because I can dig my hands in dirt in the middle of the winter and feel like I'm gardening even though the wind is whistling outside and snow has covered my flower and vegetable beds.
I started composting outdoors several years ago... dropping my food scraps, leaves, grass clippings, shredded newspaper, (and other greens and browns), in my bins several times a week. I just love composting. I am always amazed at how all the junk I pop into my bins turns to beautiful rich soil in just a few months!
One day I went online to look up some ways to improve my composting when I came across information about using compost worms to quicken the composting time. I was very intrigued by the idea of using red wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida) to improve the quality of my soil.
I immediately did a Google search to see where I could buy these wonderful compost worms. To my disappointment, there wasn't anywhere local. The closest place I could find was over an hour away from me. Not only that but they were charging $40.00 a pound for their worms.
At the time, I just wasn't willing to pay $40.00 (plus shipping) so I passed on the opportunity hoping I'd eventually find a place locally some day. To my surprise though, one day in the spring, I dumped some leaves into my bin that I had raked up and bagged during the Fall before. To my delight, I saw some red compost worms clinging to the debris.
I was so excited!
I left them in the outside bin until I was able to persuade my husband to drill some holes in an old Rubber Maid bin we had stored in the shed. He was obliging but thought I was a bit crazy when I told him I wanted to start a worm farm in our basement!....lol
I started with about 100 worms that day. Now I have 1,000's of them. I'm really enjoying this little hobby I have. I have already used my worm castings on my indoor plants and am looking forward to the Spring when I can use my surplus castings in my outdoor garden. I even sell my worms occasionally to people who want to start their own compost worm bin.
If you haven't started your own compost worm bin yet, I encourage you to do so as soon as you can. It is immensely enjoyable. If you have any questions about setting up a bin, what to feed your worms, or how to care for them so they are happy homestead compost worms, feel free to contact me. I'll be glad to help.
I sell compost worms "locally" (Niagara Falls and surrounding area) . Sorry but I'm not in a position to ship worms out of town as of yet.
