New Chicks and New Bridge!

New Chicks!
Yesterday, our newest baby chicks arrived!  We have several chickens that have given us eggs for a few years, but they are now mostly pets.  So we need more eggs!  Cheryl is planning a chicken tractor of some sort, and in the meantime she is keeping the babies company.  She ordered Dominiques, Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorpes.

Cheryl decided this baby looked like a penguin!

Riley is curious about the chicks too!

New Bridge
Several years ago, Elderberry and our sister community Potluck Community Farm, purchased a piece of land together.  It had just been clear-cut and was rocky and steep.  But OH THE VIEW!  So we bought it, and named it Bella Vista.  We often hike up there to watch the sunset or moonrise, or light a fire, or just enjoy the view.  We also drive up there with either the tractor or Zeke (Dick's trusty Kawasaki Mule) to mow, or to bring people who have trouble walking there.  The two-track that we drive to get there has a big wet mud hole due to a spring on the high side of the road.  So this year we decided to build a little bridge across the road, using OLD (23 year old) lumber that was milled when the road at Potluck Farm was built.  Since we had the lumber (and we cut a tree for additional stringers), all it took was a pipe, some screws, and a dedicated team of trail workers to make it happen.  Watch for a feature story about the bridge in an upcoming Elderberry Newsletter!

Leslie, Dick, Mary and Joan move a log into place (tree was cut that day)

 Dick, Joan and Leslie have several hand drills going and wore the batteries and spare batteries out on all of them.  It took a lot of power to drill holes and sink screws in solid, old white oak!





Phil White driving the tractor across the new bride to mow at Bella Vista.  It didn't break - yea!