We have this chicken. Her name is Flower.  She is a Freedom Ranger chicken, a breed that is typically referred to as a “meat chicken” since they are grown and harvested for meat rather than for eggs.  Flower is a rescue; Evergreen State College raised a brood of these birds during the Practices of Organic Farming class last summer and she was culled due to a broken leg (lucky her!).  We ended up with Flower sometime in the late fall when her previous owner couldn’t keep her.   Well, you are never going to believe what Flower did last week.

She crowed. Ummm, she is a he! It is feeling pretty farm-y around here now that there is a little cock-a-doodle-do in the morning….and the afternoon…and a little before bed time too.  Hopefully our neighbors don’t mind (and our coop is not really near the neighbors anyways).  How funny, we never expected this to happen, didn’t want or need a rooster, but here we are.  Maybe this is a homestead life lesson; expect the unexpected.

Spring has been pretty good to our little urban homestead and you can really see how things are going to shape up this season.  Our first starts are ready to plant out in early April and I have actually managed to control the greenhouse ok enough not to really kill anything.  Our greenhouse is really not the best set up, it just kind of limps along, but is better than nothing.  One of Chad’s schoolmates just started their own one acre mini farm with CSA (Go check out the Little Big Farm and sign up for fresh veggies if you are in Olympia!) Anyways, I really like the seed starting table they set up with heating wire, sand, and a mini plastic covered hoop. Yes, that is what I would do if I was starting from scratch.

All in all March was a month of “catch up” around here.  I spend Spring Break catching up on some neglected work projects – dusting off my sewing machine and pulling out my glue sticks and scissors felt oh so good.  We have been catching up on outdoor projects too.  Chad installed a back porch awning at last so it is easier for us all to get in and out of the house when the weather is not so cooperative.  He built a simple little bench next to the door to sit on and take shoes off, from pallets and scrap wood.  It is perfect for storing dirty muck boots under too.  Speaking of pallets….he also whipped up the perfect simple playhouse for the kids from a couple pallets and what not he had laying around for free.  The kids have been so much more happy to play outdoors now, even when it is sprinkling.  Avery asked if she could sleep out there (it is a little cold at night for that though).  Our garage is also getting a makeover thanks to free pallets turned into storage shelving.  I can’t believe I am saying this, but I actually look forward to cleaning and organizing the garage now.

(How did we not notice that red comb and tell-tale rooster tail feathers?!?  Must be baby brain)

So that is what is happening around the Brundage Homestead this March. Have you made anything from free pallets? I would love to hear about it in the comments.

Thanks for joining me again this month for an update on our life and adventures around the Brundage Homestead. Catch up on what has been happening the past few months here.