Gardening, North Dakota Style

It's still a bit chilly out, but time for us to get our hoop house ready for planting. This winter the guys used a heavier tarp to cover half of the hoop house, and it was used to house half of our chickens since the shed couldn't hold any more. Yesterday the boys dug one of our portable chicken pens out of the snow and hauled to it to a part of the field where the snow has already melted, and loaded it with the chickens from the hoop house. I should have been out there taking photos, as it sounded like an interesting time when trying to catch them. The boys then hauled out the hay.

Jonathan and Peter built a permanent back wall, and will soon set up the small wood stove that someone gave us, to use it to heat the hoop house on our still chilly nights.

Here is a photo of the spring plastic we use on the hoop house, and the green tarp was the one we had over the portion that held the chickens for the winter. Now to find a place to store it until we need it again.

An interesting relationship is developing between our lone goose and our German Shepherd named Samson. A year ago, friends that sold us some goats also gave us their ducks and two geese, saying they would probably enjoy our lake over their pond that dries up over the summer. As time went on, the duck population diminished, and by spring we lost all the ducks and one of the geese.

Well, this goose has taken a great liking to Samson. She will preen him, and snuggle next to him. He is a great sport, and allows her to stay close. We have caught her taking baths in Samson's water dish, and she seems to have acquired a taste for dog food. One problem is that Samson likes to lay on the rug in front of the the door to the basement, so the goose spends her time on the patio in front of the house as well. That adds another dimension to the already muddy front. Geese can make a real mess.

Yesterday we discovered a goose egg next to Samson's softball that he likes us to throw for him, so I guess the goose is a female! All this time we thought she was a male. David had it for breakfast this morning, and he only needed one to feel very full.

Samson is quite a dog!