TheBar1 Homestead- From a sword to a plowshare

Well, another month is almost in the books.  This long weekend was much needed, alot of 10-12 hour days this past week or so.  I did have to go to the office for a little while over the weekend but was not for very long.  Other then that spent most of the weekend at home.  Did get some turning in over the weekend, the results of which is at the end of today's blog! Of the 100 plus trees we planted it looks like only 4 did not make it, 3 apple trees and a maple seedling so over all not a bad survival rate I do not think.  The nursery will replace the trees that did not make it, just do not have the ability to replant them this year.  We got the survey on the land completed so that is one more step closer!  It does not look like the neighbor will be selling any time soon so we have been looking at house plans but have not yet had anything that has really jumped out at us.  We are looking for something with three bedrooms and an open floor plan but also something simple. As soon a

Well have been back from Minnesota for a little over a week, two days after getting back I had my second sale.  Unlike the first one that was in the middle of the embassy this one was set up on a weekend during a community garage sale event where it was mostly the local national employees as the customers rather then the American employees of the embassy.  Between the two sales this is what I learned. 1.  Know your audience- For my first sale I did not have enough smaller pens, most of my pens were to big and heavy for the women customers which contribute 1/2 my customer base!   For my second sale my inventory was much to high end, as I mention below I did not have enough low end products for the type of audience I had and honestly I should have had much more of the low end even for the first sale. 2.  Schedule some time after the sale when you will be available to make the custom orders that are bound to come from a sale.  I really did not think I would have the orders I did after

Well first a follow up on my last post, the Jordan Military Police did return my pens after a little more then a week of the Embassy acting on  my behalf and waiting for them to be turned in to their headquarters.  At the end of the day however I did get my pens back and we will chalk it up to some overzealous interpretations to their directions. I have not been on much the last couple weeks due to trying to get the first phase of my homestead plan completed!  The first phase of my plan was to get fruit, nut and berry trees and shrubs planted that would take a few years to start producing.  The purpose pf these trees are to produce food for the homestead, some to sell at farmers market,  to support wildlife and  to feed livestock. All total I ordered about 140 plants  Apple: Breakey 5-6'                          3 Apple: Centennial 11/16                    3  Apple: Chestnut 11/16                       3  Apple: Haralson 11/16                       3  Apple: Red Baron 11/16