Puttering around

By CHRISTINE TAILER
HCP columnist

The animals do hold us captive. It is hard to travel east to visit family in the winter.

The rabbits’ water bottles freeze and need to be thawed, sometimes twice a day. The same is true for the pigeons.

And leaving the chickens cooped up in their small chicken tractor just does not seem fair.

The short days of winter mean that they return to roost early, and once inside the open coop, they are sitting prey for raccoons and coyotes.

We need to be there at dusk to raise and lock the coop ramp. Only then, are they safe for the night.

So I often make a few quick trips back east by myself to visit family, leaving Greg and the animals behind.

I really do not like to leave my dear husband, but in a way he has me quite spoiled.

I never know what he will get into while I am gone.

This past week, I traveled east to visit my father and, as always, it was a wonderful, though short visit.

Each evening that I was away, I called Greg to see what his day had been like. I would describe the day that I spent with my father, and then ask what he had been up to.

Greg responded each evening with the same reply, “Nothing special, just puttering about.”

Perhaps he had taken the dogs for a walk, or even done a bit of laundry as the sun was shining and the washing machine could run right off of the solar panels, not the batteries.

Greg assured me he was mostly just relaxing.

The last day of my trip, I left the east coast shortly before noon.

By seven that evening, I was driving down the creek road towards the cabin. 

As soon as I parked my car, the dogs were by my side welcoming me back. I looked across the field and could see the chickens congregating by their coop, but when they saw me they came wobbling over at chicken breakneck speed.

They milled around my feet, but when they realized that I did not have any treats, they quickly dispersed.

Greg came outside onto the cabin porch. A big smile was spreading across on his face. 

“Well, what do you think?” he asked.

“I am glad to be home,” I happily replied, as I took my bag out of the back of the car.

“No,” he shook his head.

“What do you think of that?” and he turned to look across the yard at the chicken tractor.

Suddenly, I saw what he meant. He had installed a solar-powered chicken door that would open each morning and close every evening on a set timer.

I did not even bring my bag inside. We headed together over to the chicken tractor. The door was beautiful.

Greg had mounted the solar panel to the roof. The electric motor was mounted to the wall just beside the door.

Greg showed me how to set the timer. I was thrilled.

We would now be able linger away from the farm, perhaps over dinner with friends, or perhaps out to a far away auction, without fear of losing our chickens to the creek’s predators. In the warm weather, we could easily take trips away from the farm together!

Still, I could not help but wonder what my dear husband would come up with the next time I left on a trip by myself.

You see, he really does have me quite spoiled. When he just putters, he comes up with some pretty nifty ideas that he actually puts into action.

Perhaps one of these days, we will have a self-operating farm where Greg’s gadgets keep everything running smoothly, and then we will both be able to travel together.

Or, perhaps, we will just sit on the side deck and do nothing as the farm takes care of itself.

I have no doubt that Greg has quite a few more ideas puttering about in the back of his mind!

Christine Tailer is an attorney and former city dweller who moved several years ago, with her husband, Greg, to an off-grid farm in south-central Ohio. Visit them on the web at straightcreekvalleyfarm.com.