December 2013 Ranch Hands

The month of November gave us some unique experiences....  we "mid-wifed" a problem birth of a new lamb, Angel got a visit from the Parrot Sanctuary & Leslie's enjoying her new lawn tractor!!

One of first sheep born on the ranch last year had problems delivering her first  lamb...  a quick procedure by Leslie & we got both our mid-wife merit badges and a healthy new ram!!  In that picture "Chesty" is 30 seconds old.  We have 7 other pregnant sheep so hoping no others need help!!

Angel joined us in April from a Parrot Sanctuary on the other side of the island.  Dorothy, who cared for him, visited and the whole flock had a very loud reunion!!!!

While Mike keeps clearing trees & rocks on the side and back of the Hacienda, Leslie is making the front areas more civilized.  She added a riding lawn tractor to her arsenal to manage it all!

This month has a new list of projects as the long side fence goes in, oh & the holidays too!!  

November 2013 Ranch Hands

Leslie's sister Pat spent almost two weeks of October at the ranch, we added a new dog, and our plants and trees continue to grow!!

We started the month at a local Oktoberfest party. It wasn't Germany, but they had lots of great beer and food. 

Leslie went to the Humane Society down the street and found a beautiful 3-year old black German Shepard. He loves to play fetch (all day) and chase the neighbor's pigs!!

Pat gave us one of her fantastic paintings - this one of Hilo Bay. She found a dealer here that will sell her paintings for her. She better start painting more, because they take months to dry. 

The poinsettias that we planted in the ground after Christmas last year are already starting to turn red. They look like they will be in full "bloom" by Thanksgiving. They obviously love it here and require no strange rituals to get them started as we tried to in Virginia. 

October 2013 Ranch Hands

September saw Leslie touch the mainland to visit friends & family.... and her sister Pat came to visit again at the end of the month. 

The front half of the ranch finally looks like we've hit the tipping point from clearing/ building to maintaining....  that means Mike's hard work is shifting further back on our acreage.

Leslie got to see her fiends & family on the mainland for almost two weeks....  so Mike had to go to 5-H camp with 142 critters....  that put a dent in the Big Island's beer supply!!!

Les's sister Pat came to visit again & had to see the black bamboo tree they bought last year...  it was a 5 foot starter when they got it...  we think the latest shoot is 18 or 19 feet tall with more shoots growing 2-3 inches a day!!!

Our fruit trees are growing & some even flowering...  starting to think the low number of bees in our area hurt pollination....  so yup, just put together several hives & plan to bring in a bee colony soon....  stay tuned!!!

September 2013 Ranch Hands

Aloha all!!  August was a steady blur of adding new fence & always more tree cutting for fences!!  The critters meanwhile decided to reproduce like....  well, rabbits....  but also ducks, chickens & sheep!!!

Having the house complete just means the ranching tasks consume Mike's time.....  and for quite a while it's back to clearing land....  first for fences & then converting that acreage to pastures.

The top left pic is the "work face" as we reduce an overgrown strip, 410' long and 20' wide for the next fence project.....  that allows new chicken pens & garden expansion!!

Our ducks have been hatchings so there are always new batches of ducklings around us.

An island acquaintance called us before she moved "off island" so we brought another small flock to join our sheep.....  interestingly in 3 hours, they stormed &  normed.... we now have a  well behaved flock of 15 sheep out in our paddocks!

Boars: VI

Mongeese: CXIV

August 2013 Ranch Hands

Boars: V

Mongeese: CII

Aloha!! July focused us on the " back side" of da' ranch......  oh so many trees to drop & chip for each new fence line!!!  Steady progress out here!!

The first picture gives an idea of the overgrown saw grass behind the house.... we started the process of cutting it down to clear the next pasture for the growing sheep flock.

The sides of the pastures are densely packed guava & trumpet trees...  they are all coming down to put in the fences.  The many wood chip piles are going into many more beds for Leslie's vegetable gardening.

Our chicken flock is making more eggs as they mature...  the record day was 22 fresh eggs (plus 1 from the ducks!).  Les sells them at our local Farmer's Market!!

The critters continue filling up more of the ranch....  28 new rabbits & 10 new ducklings last month...  with more on the way for August!!

July 2013 Ranch Hands

 Aloha!!  With the Hacienda finished we spent June focused on the acres of tasks & projects around da' ranch......  yup, many more months of work to go!!!!!

While we like to think we can plan our days, the batches of critters can keep us reacting....  rabbits popping out little ones, sheep getting sick so "Vet Les" swings into action.....   never a dull morning doing chores around here!

We mowed pastures, built sheds & worked to expand the gardens....  planting fruit trees & shade trees in the pastures kept us busy.

A major task was clearing trees behind the Hacienda to put in the next fence line.....  we luv our new wood chipper....  the trees become new beds for bananas!!!!

While fruit trees usually need 2-3 years to bear fruit, the intense sun down in the tropics amazes us as they grow at amazing rates.....  our first papaya is already fruiting after 7 months!!!!

It's the "hot season" in the tropics, but it's clearing & fencing all the next month!!

June 2013 Ranch Hands

May saw the worksite become "home"...  all the finish tasks are "pau!"......  so we had a housewarming BBQ!!!

Our Housewarming BBQ was the perfect "forcing function" for Les & I to get the Hacienda finished!!!

The Hacienda is no longer the work site, so we actually can rest there now!!!

 The animals keep us occupied in many ways.   We got 4 more Toulouse geese and they've already made nests & laying eggs!

All of our ewes delivered lambs within 32 hours....  3 new ram lambs and a ewe lamb....  they are now the streaks we see racing thru the pastures!!!

Our first experiments with pineapples are even starting to bear fruit.....  the sun down in the tropics allows tremendous plant growth...  we're still learning to harness it!!!

We declared June as "Ranch month" to tackle all those projects we talked about while building the Hacienda....  chainsaw & tools ready to go!!!  

One Year Later

    Saturday was the anniversary of the day we flew out to the Pacific for good.....   caused plenty of reflection & talk as we drove 55 miles to another small farm up the east coast where we got 4 more Toulouse Geese from a couple that hated to part with their pets, but they were eating the new watercress crops!!!!!   So the CGR has more waterfowl & they are adjusting well.....  our one prior Toulouse Goose however has NOT adopted to the new comers yet.....   fun to watch the dynamics!!!!
    But here's da' picture.....   one year since shipping out....  Bunkhouse & Hacienda fully running, the front ~2 acres cleared & fenced....   5 geese (as just discussed), 9 sheep working 3 different paddocks in front of  our house....  couple dozen chickens, couple dozen ducks, couple dozen rabbits & 2 very vocal parrots......   plenty more projects on the "to do" list but very happy with what's done.....  

Mike

May 2013 Ranch Hands

April was lots of finish work & continued tiling... for a change of pace we also tackle other projects (clearing & fencing) around the ranch for all the "critters"!!

Our "punch list" of smaller finishing tasks is getting whittled down so we scheduled the house warming BBQ for 25 May.

Leslie is done tiling the master bath & is now installing a wall of glass blocks which is the last task.

Our dog "Buddie" has been making new friends around the ranch.... And runs loose most of the time.

We are our own city water department... there's now a 10,000 gallon water tank behind the Hacienda, with a pump, multi-stage filter system & UV sterilizer!

Our buffalo followed us around half the world, and finally has the best seat in the living room out here in the tropics!!!

The guest room is where we've hidden all the boxes we haven't unpacked yet. We should have that done by the 4th of July!!!!!

April 2013 Ranch Hands

March saw us move into the Hacienda on St. Paddy's Day & with cold ones on the lanai...  water's flowing, just a long list of finish work for the next month!!!!!!  Barb & Emily arrived for a warm visit!

Tons of plumbing & electrical progress let us move in on St. Paddy's Day ...  making the old schedule after all!!!!!

Leslie is still tiling the master bath while Mike does all the trim & finish work.

Leslie got her "dream kitchen" and Gwen got her "birdie dream"......  there is now a walk-in free-flight aviary, it's 5 feet wide, 15 feet long & 6 feet tall.....  Gwen & her new "roomie"....  a Moluccan cockatoo male named Angel share it......  listen to "Jurassic Park" and you can guess what we hear in the evening!!

We celebrated getting the Hacienda IOC with a couple days on the island of Kauai, where they filmed "Jurassic Park"!!!!   Amazing scenery & boogie boarding!!!!

March closed with Barb & her daughter Emily visiting the Big Island to thaw out from Pennsylvania!!!

Ranch Hands March 2013

February is the shortest month, but it was a long sprint on da' Ranch...  the Hacienda now has decks on every side & a massive water tank... we're almost in there!!!

Animal adventures galore.....     one duck had 18 ducklings!!  It's gettin' a little crowded around here!!!

Our rescued Border Collie "Buddie" is now the "Big Dog" of the ranch.... he's healthy, gained weight & is an endless bundle of energy... we both try to keep him occupied!!! 

Over 1,200 square feet of decking now surrounds the entire Hacienda....  The decks are "pau"!!! 

 Leslie's been creatively tiling & even had a local craftsman etch petroglyph designs in some!!  Two rooms done & she's on the last!!!!

Another adventure was constructing a 10k gallon water tank on the lava flow behind the Hacienda....  lots of new skills learned!!!

Next month the plumbers finish our water system & Mike finishes the kitchen!!!

Boars: x

Mongoose:  LIV

Ranch Hands February 2013

Statistics: Boars: I. Mongeese:  LVII

January saw continued changes as we work multiple projects across da' Ranch...  the Hacienda now has the back side decked, the guest bath tiled & appliances going in...

More animals joined us, but the biggest change was "Buddie", a Border Collie. We now have company no matter where we work on the Ranch!!!

Leslie is now tiling three rooms while Mike has been painting supports and laying down the deck which goes completely around the Hacienda.  No rest here!

We added another stretch of fencing to enclose "the front 40".  The 3rd paddock will get fenced in February & the "back 40" starts the month after!!

The chickens started laying eggs in January so less things we need a grocery store for.  The largest meat chicken dressed out at 9 lb, 2 oz!!!  They are luvin' the weather here too!!

The next big step is building a giant concrete water tank & then all the plumbing goes in!!!

January 2013 Ranch Hands

December was another month of steady progress...  the Hacienda now has flooring, is painted, has base boards & even kitchen cabinets!!!

December was 24/7 of steady progress in the Hacienda so we could get the furniture delivered!

The Hacienda got laminate flooring throughout, the lights were installed, every room got painted & the kitchen cabinets got installed!!  Next month it's countertops & tiling bathrooms!!

Out on da Ranch Leslie stays busy with critters and plants. The rabbits had another litter of 10 bunnies, the ducks are all sitting on big nests of eggs and the sheep are getting larger all the time!

Leslie's first bamboo experiment has a new 30+ foot shoot of black bamboo!!

Our surprise was catching a 150 lb Boar in the back side of our land that she dressed out - adding another 50 lbs of meat in the freezer!!

The next big steps here are water tanks, pumps & finishing the plumbing!!  No rest for us!!

Tally:
Boars: I
Mongeese:  XXXXIV