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Preparing for a Power Outage

12/31/2015

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Bear says:  
"Don't get caught sleeping before a storm.
Be Prepared!"
We just had a big Winter storm that was predicted to include freezing rain that could lead to falling branches and power outages. As we prepared for this possibility, we took photos of Bear hamming it up, and put together a list to help you prepare for your own storms.

Click to see Preparing Your Homestead for a Possible Power Outage.
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The Many Uses of our Wonderful Wood Stove

12/23/2015

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Our instructions on how to cook with a wood stove continues to be one of the most visited pages on our website. With this in mind, we've added a main wood stove page, which brings together all the information we've previously had about our wood stove into one place, and have added more key information if you're thinking of getting your own:
  • the many uses of a wood stove (heating, cooking, drying laundry, dehydrating food, helping bread rise, etc.)
  • how to build a fire
  • how to make your own firestarters
  • buying & storing wood
  • an easier and safer way to chop kindling
  • how to clean a chimney
  • wood stove accessories
  • tips for buying a wood stove
All this information is here:
Our Wood Stove

May we all be warm this Winter!

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Happy Winter Solstice!

12/22/2015

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Here is our Solstice fire,
which kept us warm as we dreamed before it
during the longest night of the year,
after which we arose before dawn to watch the light return to the sky
and greet the reawakened Sun.
May you all know many Solstice Blessings!
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See more about celebrating Winter Solstice.
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Building Our Catio: a patio for our cats

12/22/2015

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Dude... come on in, bring treats.
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Two for one... Jungle gym and Tanning spa!
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Any bets on when the next bird is going to fly in?
Cats love to be outdoors as much as dogs. Sometimes you can teach them to walk on a leash, but other times NOT. If you aren't in a place where you can let your cats out to roam by themselves, consider building them a catio- an enclosed outdoor patio they can access through a window or door. Your cats will love you for it.

Catios are becoming increasingly popular and come in all shapes and sizes, home made and store bought. We've added a page with a photo essay showing how we built ours: ​
See Our Catio Construction page.
Our cats use the catio year round, in sunshine, rain and snow. It gives them more room to run, more exercise as they jump from level to level, lots of views of the neighborhood, and places to nap in the fresh air.

Don't your cats deserve one?
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This is a coyote  and car free zone!
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The Hawk in the Bird Condo

12/19/2015

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Even in a tiny yard, you can get some big wildlife. Theresa had just gotten up from the computer to warm her hands at the woodstove when she saw a flash outside the bay window that her brain interpreted as a hawk chasing a small bird. She looked out the back door in case she could actually see what was going on, and found a hawk perched on our brush pile.

We estimate there were between 50 and 100 song birds in the pile at the time. The hawk was obviously looking for dinner, but was too big to make it further into the pile to get at his prey. After a few minutes, four or five birds took off and the hawk was after them in a flash, and was quickly out of our sight. A couple more minutes went by and the smaller birds left the brush pile in two waves, dozens of them rising up together. Others stayed put.

It makes you wonder- were the first few birds that left putting themselves in harm's way to protect the rest of the flock?

We were surprised when the hawk came back a few minutes later- his chase must not have been successful. Perhaps our brush pile has been his hunting ground recently and we haven't noticed. We decided to go outside, in an attempt to get better pictures, and to encourage the hawk to leave. We don't want him to feast regularly at our backyard smorgasbord. We also thought about seeing what would happen if we threw him some meat from the fridge (Bear wondered about mice in the basement), but decided we shouldn't...

Below are some fuzzy close ups of the hawk. Maybe a red-tail?

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Needless to say, brush piles like these provide a lot of good cover for small wildlife. If you'd like to have one in your own yard, click to see more about our Accidental Brush Pile and Gardening for Wildlife.​

Hope you're having some great wildlife sightings in your own yard,
Theresa & Bear
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    Theresa & Bear's Blog

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Copyright 2020 by Theresa & Rob Berrie