Upgrades from the shopping trip yesterday.

Cat got some actual cat food. Ate some but wasn't that keen. Probably weird stuff if you're used to a diet of rodents and kabanos.

Also a bowl with temporarily liquid water, which she did appreciate, as its a long walk down to the river where the only other liquid water can be found now. Fewer big animals sharing it, too.

And a new hose as the old has succumbed to the cold and kinked so hard it broke in several places, despite painstakingly draining the water out of it after each use. We'll see if this one does better.

#Homestead #Homesteading #Cat #Hose #Winter #Frost #Cold

#MOFGA - #PlantCorridors

By Heather McCargo, Photos by Jean English, Winter 2014-2015

"#NativePlant corridors attract #pollinators and #wildlife to your farm by stretching across your property to connect your piece of #NativeHabitat to nearby #meadows, #wetlands or #woodlands. This creates a much larger area for #NativePollinators to #forage, raise young and migrate. Corridors may run along a road, between fields, in a #swale or on the edge of a #forest, connecting habitats off the property and returning native plants to the parts of the farm not suitable for traditional crops.

This article describes two approaches to creating native habitat corridors: changing #mowing habits to favor native species, and planting woody and herbaceous combinations to increase native plant diversity on the farm.

Populations of all native species are in decline across the state. Our human footprint is taking its toll on wild creatures, including pollinators such as #bees and #butterflies that are so important on the farm for crop pollination. Native plant species each share an evolutionary history with indigenous insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, bacteria and fungi. When native plants are gone, many of these creatures go too, leading to a collapse of ecosystem function. Farmers benefit from the services provided by a healthy ecosystem, such as groundwater recharge; clean surface streams and ponds; pollination; a diversity of birds, spiders and amphibians to eat many insects including crop pests; and beneficial soil fungi and bacteria. Fortunately, when native plants are reintroduced into a landscape, many of these other creatures return.

As farmers and landowners, we can bring native plants, and the attendant diversity, back into the Maine landscape in a way that works with a farmer’s busy schedule. Many native plants thrive in dry, wet and shady areas that are poor sites for traditional farm crops."

Learn more:
https://www.mofga.org/resources/pollinators/plant-corridors/

#SolarPunkSunday #GardeningForPollinators #NativePlantCorridors #Gardening #Farming #Homesteading #Nature #NatureConservation #NatureRestoration #Maine

My butt is cold but I've hauled firewood, made fires, cleared the ice rain from both cars, topped up the wiper juice, shoveled the rest of the snow, threw wood ash on the slippery bits, knocked icicles off the roof, fired up the sauna, cleared the drain, patched the well hose and fulfilled @vaviurka's request of airing out her new Vinted find 😆

So basically zero progress on the homestead, just chores.

Stupid winter. Grumble.

#Homesteading #Winter

Winter pruning on one of my espalier apple trees this month. I missed the summer pruning this year, so I had to play a little catch up.

#gardening #espalier #appletree #winterpruning #flowerbed #horticulture #fruittrees #pruning #homesteading #beforeandafter #GardenJournal #SeasonalWork #seasonal

POV clip from todays haul up the hill through the snow.

https://peertube.wtf/w/cscRrG1VvjUdvg1xcJNMXG

I titled what I'm doing with the pedals and levers, maybe useful for someone that has never driven a tractor before.

There are some differences from a car 😁

Yes it's in stupid rotate mode, sue me.

#Tractor #Iseki #POV #Homestead #Homesteading #Firewood #Snow #Winter #Vehicle

Homesteading advice but without "Self-trained cosmetic surgeon reveals SHOCKING truth about carnivore diet!" please.  

#Homesteading