Happy New Year! I expect that most of my regular readers point in fact stayed home and have a very quiet new years. 2023 is here.  There is something about a new year, its feels like opening a new blank book, it seems all fresh and new in some way. 

Of course we are dragging the past with us and the odds are good that when you put up your 2023 calendar that like me, you transferred a number of appointments into the first month or maybe even the first two months.  I promise you that our bills and must do’s all rolled over as well.

Still it is the slow time if you live in the same zone as me, the winter has arrived and with it snow and storms. The outdoor time has been spent shoveling/snowblowing and snowshoes laying in paths for the hounds in their run area all done by Dear Hubby as I am still very much in recovery mode. My work is far more simple, pick a basket or a tub or a cupboard and try and finish cleaning, tidying it in one go without needing naps between lol.

Its the time of seed catalogs and thoughts turn to garden plans, what will we grow, how much do we need to put up, what do we need to do in the food forest, what do we need to do in the fruity boogaloo, after the big spring push to get the new layered hedgerows in “park” garden, what and where do we need to focus on next. 

I think the big project for the spring is do dig a pond in the “park” garden where the natural low slew area is. as well as while the equipment is here to do so, have them dig out and expand the big pasture pond in a big way.

That pond is already used in a big way by the ducks and so much more.  Two Sides will be Blocked off with brush piles/limbs to prevent the horses/sheep from access from all directions and then the inner edges will be planted for bank stability and water quality, while the water access point will get a truck load of sand put in place. 

The park pond will be a bit different, it will be longer then wide, I have already edged that area with bushes that can handle and or like wetter feet at times, its naturally the same with the plants that are there and doing well. I will pull some for edge plants because they have already proven themselves to be productive there. 

This will be a pond will be a collection point due to the natural slope of the land and will help hold the water there to do a slow feed out for a number of trees which will help their production for years to come, it will also be a way point and draw for so many kinds of local wildlife, it will not take my regular laying eastern red painted turtles long to find it and start using it, I plan on creating a dust bath spot with sand on one edge for the local wild birds, where on the other side, I will create a small but cleared clay area for the nature bees to use. 

The most exciting part to me is that I plan to put in a built in photography blind with seating for wild life /bird photography. This will be a year round spot (well most likely not used in winter) but early spring to late fall for sure. 

This will put a total of four small ponds on the farm, one in the food forest, one in the park garden, one in the small pasture and one in the big pasture. Do you have small ponds in your yard? Do you have small ponds on your homestead?  Is it natural or did you build it? How many do you have?