I feel like I’m cheating a little bit as I wrote the last weekly wrap-up only five days ago.  That being said, I want to get these back on track for Friday publish dates.  The last few days have been somewhat busy and exciting.  Let’s check into the going-ons at the Suburban Steader Homestead for Week 16 of 2017!

This Week’s Milestones

Uninvited Visitors At the Suburban Steader Homestead

I’ve begun daily walks through the garden after work now that I have actually placed crops into the beds. It’s a moment of relaxation for me every day after work.  We also benefit from the walk because I’m checking the garden daily and noticing any changes (good or bad) as they occur.

A few days ago, I was doing my walk and had quite a scare.  A mama rabbit came running out of the straw mulch.  I took a look and noticed a little burrow in the straw and there were a few kits in it.

Needless to say, this discovery will cause my planting goals to be delayed a week or so as they mature.  I stopped by yesterday and it didn’t look like they were there.  I’m hoping Mama took them out and found a new home.

Tis The Season

I love being outdoors.  I grew up on a lake and, while we didn’t have much money, we found tons of ways to have fun.  One of those ways to have fun was fishing.  My father is an avid largemouth bass fisherman and that apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.  To that end, I went and got my fishing license this week and am looking forward to getting my line wet this year.  I’d love to learn how to fish for trout as well since there’s a pretty good stocking here on Long Island.

Note that Mike over at The Backyard Pioneer correctly pointed out that I’m missing a few endorsements on my license.  Gotta get that Hunter’s Safety Course done so I can go deer hunting with him this fall!

Next Week’s Goals

Gardening

There’s a lot of tasks that need to be taken in the garden.  I have to spend some time with my blueberry bushes and give them some nutrients.  In addition, I have a lot of items that need direct sowing.  I think that will all occur this coming weekend.

Workshop

I haven’t spent much time in my workshop.  There’s a lot that needs to be done in there.  First and foremost, I need to get it cleaned up – again.  It seems like I always need to clean up my workshop.  But, it’s an important task and makes it easier to start projects.

Once I get the shop cleaned up, the next tasks will be taking my grandfather’s old wooden toolbox and reworking it.  I’m looking forward to seeing how nice that box can be after it’s restored.

Blog

The blog will be back with an article next week.  Most likely I will be reviewing a book next week.  I have a few in the queue as well as some other post ideas.  We shall see – I always like to keep it a surprise for you guys!

Family Time

Saturday is looking to be an adventure day for the family.  We’re planning to head up to Bear Mountain in Harriman State Park to hike up Bear Mountain.  It’s not a terribly difficult climb, but it’s a great view at the top.  In addition, my daughters are so excited that, on the return from the peak, we’ll be hiking on the Appalachian Trail.  They seem to be infatuated with that trail – for good reason – and I’m happy they are so excited!

That’s it folks – Week 16 is in the books!  How was your week?

Thanks for reading!

Dan

Founder/Owner at Suburban Steader

I am a middle-age guy with a wife, two young kids and a crazy dog. We live on Long Island, NY and had an interesting experience with Hurricane Sandy. That experience led me towards the self-sufficiency movement and eventually led to the founding of SuburbanSteader.com. I aim to provide suburbanites with the confidence and know-how to become more self-reliant by providing content on topics such as gardening, personal health, financial responsibility, cooking, self-preparedness and self-protection.