Other than sharing a few photos, I’m a little speechless. This bull calf is only 10 days old, purchased from a friend who got him from a Dairy. He has such spindly legs. He is very sweet, and people friendly because he has been bottle fed other than the first week or so with his mama getting the Colostrum that is so important for a … Continue reading We bought a Cow!
Ben described the Jam as “Mushed Awesomeness.” This, I believe, is a compliment. I can say that this Strawberry Jam was the most delicious I have ever tasted in my life. Perhaps it is because the Strawberries came from our own garden, and have been tended since last season to get them to produce a harvest. There is a lot of work that goes into … Continue reading First Fruits from the Garden – Strawberries and JAM!
The Corn is in the ground and so are the Broccoli plants. Let’s see. Yesterday we got in the tomatoes, onions, carrots, kale, jalapeno, lemon cucumbers, and watermelons. Even with knee-pads and gloves for gardening, my knees are aching, and my hands are caked with dirt and soil amendments. Bean played in what will eventually be one of the duck ponds, and pretended to fish. We … Continue reading Here’s to Gardening Imperfections, and Joy in General Messiness!
What a rewarding day! We made Mozzarella Cheese today. And then made pizza for dinner with our own pizza sauce from the garden last year, homemade pizza dough, and homemade cheese. I feel like a rock star! Continue reading Cheese, Glorious Cheese!
It seems completely crazy to me that our friends back in Fresno are having Hot, Hot days, and their gardens have already been in the ground for months. I only have starts in my laundry room, and we are just now digging up the weeds that have been covering the garden all winter. Scott got the plow out on some of the rows – but … Continue reading Chance of Frost Tonight – But we are So Close to Planting!
Yesterday, Bean got a chance to ride around the back field (under supervision from dad) on the back of our pig, Lily. The kids know not to go in the back field unless Scott is with them. Pigs can be cantankerous and they are huge animals. This one is only a few months old. There is also SweePea, who is pregnant and hormonal, so we … Continue reading A Few of the Joys of a Country Childhood
Last year’s Super Garden was basically our first. Yes, we dove right in. We had done some raised boxes in California, but didn’t get the soil right, so everything bloomed and then died. Last year’s harvest was spectacular, and completely overwhelming, when we started getting everything canned. I was canning before work, and after work, and on weekends. By the time we had finished, we … Continue reading Garden~Palooza
Suddenly, I’m not tired anymore. My last day at my job was a week and a half ago and I’ve been sick, and voiceless ever since my first day home. That was not the entrance into this new life of working from home that I was expecting. But it was a transition period. I needed some sleep. Tonight, we watched, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, with … Continue reading “Your Life is an Occasion: Rise to It!”
Never before have I been so turned upside down by setting the clocks ahead one hour. On Sunday morning, my iPhone alarm went off at 4:15, as usual. The rest of the clocks still said 3:15 am – which really does seem like an unnatural time to be awake for a day worker. We had even been up late the night before roasting hot dogs … Continue reading It feels like the Time Change punched me in the face this year
We just picked up seven more bottle babies this morning. Scott and I just fed them their bottles and then the boys went into their pen to snuggle with them. The youngest is four days old. Some of them are so fluffy, they look like plush dolls. To clarify, these babies are in constant motion, as are our boys. A nice, crisp picture may just … Continue reading Another Round of Bottle Babies
It turns out, our goats are not pregnant. Yes. We are beginners, and we thought they were, and didn’t really know what to look for, and were confused by how not fat they were. Birthing time came and went, and went by a long stretch, and nothing. We talked to our Goat Mentor, Sue, who had them out to her property for breeding, witnessed the … Continue reading A Happy Little Symphony
Of all the garden books I have, this one has become my favorite. More than anything, it is a poetic journey into the soil and into the very heart of how things grow. Most of my other books have lots of pictures, and how-to elements. This one speaks to my soul, and my heart. I routinely finish reading with tears in my eyes, reminded again … Continue reading Dinosaurs and Dragons in the Garden
The animals have a large area to roam, but they really like to be walked by one of us. Here, Benjamin is walking the pigs and the goats. In the first picture, SweePea is getting really close to Ben, hoping there might be an apple or something in his back pocket. She’s the cutest, sweetest, 800-lb animal we have ever been around. Still, you want … Continue reading You Got Something in your Pocket?
That is Madrone (or Mama), one of our goats due to deliver any day, being super curious. These are not the clearest pictures, because those babies won’t stay still. But this shows how tiny they are right now. Continue reading Bottle Baby Goats are Here!
