We got snow last night and the picture shows it on the mobile chicken coop. Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. (Proverbs 6:6-8) Can you learn from ants and […]
Funny & Humble Chicken Lessons Read More »
A year ago next week we drove from our winter sabbatical spot in southern Texas to Arizona. We arrived with windy snow and freezing weather at Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch, a very hospitable working ranch near Coronado National Memorial. We stayed and helped out for a few months while scoping out properties for Sabbatical Ranch.
Donations From Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch Read More »
Many the projects we work on here at Sabbatical Ranch are experimental as a demonstration site for the benefit of everyone. We’ve been developing a variety of experimental gardens in the last month or so and I suppose it’s about time I report on them. Here’s the list so far:
– Rain garden
– Hugelkultur
– Critter gardens
– Caliche gardens
– Chicken garden
– Greenhouse garden
– Courtyard food forest
– Chicken jungle
– Sunken garden
– Shady place
– And there are more in the works!
Gardens, Gardens, and More Gardens! Read More »
Oxymoron? Contradiction in terms? If that’s your opinion of microbes, I hope to change it as I share some revolutionary discoveries you may not be completely aware of! Microbes are one of the marvels of creation that demonstrate intelligent design and pretty much every surface on earth is covered with them. It’s estimated that our
Marvelous Microbes!? Read More »
Rats and mice! These rodents are legion on the desert. I am mostly a live-and-let-live kind of guy – except when it comes to rats and mice. So I declared preemptive war on them. This is a war story. Who will win? Read to the end to see how we turned a problem into multiple
We just got a small flock of adult chickens! We got three hens and six roosters from Echoing Hope, a local nonprofit ranch that is chemical-free and similar to Sabbatical Ranch in a variety of other ways. Even though the chickens are beyond their prime for meat or egg-laying, we plan to make good use
Mold-Free Chickens Read More »
Hardly anyone wants to live in a desolate desert. Everywhere people settle they usually cultivate the land and plant things. The Arizona desert is no different. We moved here because it’s a desert, but who wouldn’t want to make it more livable for people, pets, and plants? We’ve experienced many types of harsh weather here
One of the things I said I’d include in this blog is some of the simple, DIY projects we work on. This one is really cool! I combined a rocket stove with a rocket mass heater and created a hybrid of the two. These are extremely efficient compared to a conventional fire (eg. wood stove
Rocket Heater + Pictorial Read More »
One of the most important needs of any farm or ranch is water. Without water life is impossible. But not all water is created equal. City water is loaded with chemicals so we’re thankful we’re not in the city. We’re on a well-share with three other properties and no chemicals are used. This satisfies our
Water: A Blessing or a Curse? Read More »
We have a lot of mesquite trees at the ranch and we love them! They are edible, medicinal, and beneficial in a variety of ways including the wood that can be used for fuel or other purposes. As a legume they fix nitrogen and feed life in the soil which helps prepare it for other
