Can't Sleep

Insomnia.  It is NOT fun.  I remember reading (or hearing, it's been so long I can't remember) that a good way to fight insomnia is actually to keep a journal by the bed, and before laying down to write down everything that's on your mind.  Supposedly one of the reasons for insomnia is that the mind refuses to shut down thinking about whatever.  So writing it down helps the mind to relax, because it no longer needs to agonize over remembering those things.  So here I am, I don't have a journal by the bed, this will have to do.  You get to read about all the things running through my mind tonight.  It's mostly ideas I want to do tomorrow and Sunday... IF I can get some sleep!!!

First, the turkey pen, I keep trying to design it in my mind, figuring out how to fit everything together.  Trying to make it big enough for the birds to live in comfortably using supplies I already have on hand.  My wire is 3' high, and I think the lumber is 4', so the top wire will have to come down on each side an extra foot.  That shouldn't be a problem since I think the length of the wood is either 10' or 12', so I'll need to run 3 sections of wire over the top, but it will still leave either 1' or 2' of extra wire on the side.  The pen itself will actually only have 3 sides and a top, as the 3rd side will be the barn wall.  I plan to attach the pen to the barn with hooks so when the turkeys are finished with the pen this fall, the chickens will inherit it as their outside pen.

I was also thinking about the 2 large dog crates I have sitting out there and how if I were to connect them together, it would make a perfect chicken coop for the Marans, of which I have only the pair.  I'm not sure where all the connecting rods are, so I might need to wire them together.  I used one of the sides and the back of one crate for the big-bird pen gate, so I'll need to figure something else out for that.  I do have the door to the crate now, and will use the steel hanging water bucket for their water, but the nest aspect is harder to figure out.  I could use the standard rubber bowl, but if it rains, that's no good.  I need to be able to get to the nest regularly to collect, so I need to have it near the front of the run for that.  I have a wooden box, but that might be too small for them.

I really want to get the gardens planted this week-end.  I'm running out of time in more ways than one.  I want to plant English cucumbers at the back of the big garden, so they can run up the heavy trellis back there.  Then tomatoes through the bottom of that garden I think.  Peppers above those, then squash and cucumbers above that.  Onions and garlic around the periphery of that garden to help deter the groundhog a bit.  It's worth a try anyway!  It's the one thing he didn't touch last year.  In the secondary garden will be sweet potatoes at the very bottom for that heavy trellis, then beans just above those, watermelon and cantaloupe above that, and potatoes at the top.  I also have beets, green onions, eggplant, and carrots to plant, but I'll fit those in somewhere.

I took Aydi with me today to buy some flower plants for her to have her own little garden.  I picked up a cheap bag of mulch and several pretty flowers for her to tend, including a pair of gardenia bushes.  I have no idea where we'll put said garden yet though.  Between the buildings and the "orchard" and the gardens and animals, I'm running out of space!  I also have several trees to plant.  I know the blueberry will go next to the fence with the other one from last year.  I think I'll put the elderberry there as well.  I do think I've finally figured out what to do with the Concord grape.  The useless giant metal poles in the middle of the yard will become the grape trellis.  I thought about just stringing wire there, but I could seriously see the kids running hell-bent through there, forgetting about the wire and getting hurt.  Instead I'm going to put a section of welded-wire fencing for the grape to grow upon.  I think it will be safer for everyone in both the short and long run.  That really only leaves the Pawpaw tree.  Those supposedly can get quite large, so I really need to think about it.  Maybe behind the garage, next to the swingset.  I do think I want to mulch around some of these trees though.  Last year the weeds were terrible and are the biggest reason 2 of my little blueberry bushes didn't make it.

I also will need to setup my new watering system.  I got some nice metal raised sprinklers, a brass 4-way divider and a nice commercial grade hose, so hopefully I can get things the way I want for the most efficient watering of the gardens.

Sometime this week-end I need to mow the front yard, wash laundry, clean cavy tubs and cat box, sort through the bags of wool I was given, go get some llama fiber from a lady, fix some rabbit cages and move 2 others to the trash area, and help David whenever I can to get my building up.  But as you can plainly see, my plate is full of things that cannot wait anymore.