Nature’s Cathedral
We talked about the power of nature to heal our souls, to refresh them, and cleanse them from the dust of every day life. Continue reading Nature’s Cathedral
Category: Country Life
Today in Adorable-Land!
Yesterday, we got our first batch of chicks for this year. Scott brought one in to sit on Bean’s shoulder, with the resulting overload of cute! And our goat, Madrone, our very first goat – had two baby boys. It is difficult to get good pictures of the babies out in the barn this soon, with the light and everything. So Scott brought the one … Continue reading Today in Adorable-Land!
Where to from here?
For the last week, I’ve been mulling over the reckless idea of a Singleness of Purpose. It floors me, the thought. I’ve been wondering about it almost nonstop – as if the quest for a Singleness of Purpose has been my purpose lately. Who are the people who seem to have one? People who dedicate large swaths of time to writing a book, who research … Continue reading Where to from here?
Calvin & Hobbes… Erm… I mean… Ben & Bean
This weekend, in fairly typical fashion, Ben created about a bazillion new paper-craft projects. His imagination never stops. I spoke to Bean about doing a project with him every day when he gets home from Kindergarten. It dawned on me that Ben has always been able to come up with ideas for projects on his own. I never have to give him any direction whatsoever; … Continue reading Calvin & Hobbes… Erm… I mean… Ben & Bean
Full Moon, Valentine’s Day, Werewolves and Baby Goats
This Valentine’s Day was a Full Moon. We couldn’t see it because of the outrageous downpour of rain we are experiencing, but Ben felt it. He has been a little obsessed with werewolves lately. I made the mistake of explaining that the moon actually has a pull on us – same as the oceans’ tides – because we are 70% water. When I was younger, I … Continue reading Full Moon, Valentine’s Day, Werewolves and Baby Goats
Winter Storm Driving
It has snowed a whole bunch in our area. (I am so cheating with this photo. It’s from a photo site and not one I took of our current storm.) Our snow is bad, but not this bad. It’s packed, it has stayed on the ground for almost a week, in six to eight inch depths mostly. The roads are icy and dangerous. Some parts … Continue reading Winter Storm Driving
Farm Chores in 3 Degree Weather
FAIR WARNING: This post discusses actual farm chores of a working farm – not just the feeding and watering of animals. We ended up with a cold weather system coming in that Southern Oregon hasn’t seen anything like in 30 years. Our town got 8 inches of snow in about 2 1/2 hours on Friday. The day started out sunny and bright. While the kids … Continue reading Farm Chores in 3 Degree Weather
Holiday Crazy and Some Beautiful Desserts Made by Kids
The night before Thanksgiving this year, I was up until the wee hours of the morning, cleaning things that didn’t really need to be cleaned – like my Washing Machine. When I reached out on Facebook to see if any of my friends were similarly acting unhinged, I got this response “OMG – just cleaned my Washing Machine!” I was not the only one. The … Continue reading Holiday Crazy and Some Beautiful Desserts Made by Kids
Gratitude, Grace and Green Beans
The way I am learning to meditate, is to be still and quiet, and allow my mind to settle onto something, whatever it wants to settle onto, and keep breathing. It is a very low-key, no stress kind of meditation. I don’t beat myself up for doing it wrong, because there is no wrong way to do it. I read somewhere that given the opportunity … Continue reading Gratitude, Grace and Green Beans
Unexpected Up-Side of our Organic-ish Farming Venture
We say Organic-ish, because we do use Wasp Spray. Other than that, we don’t spray anything on our garden, no chemicals, no weed-killers, and it turns out, that’s a really good thing. Our animals love all those weeds. At first we were pulling weeds, now I’m out every morning Clipping Weeds. That’s right, I clip them because I need them to grow back. Our turkeys, … Continue reading Unexpected Up-Side of our Organic-ish Farming Venture
Those Star Thistles are Vicious, aren’t They?
Weeds in the garden. You don’t water them, you don’t tend them or nurture them, you certainly don’t plant them. You basically work hard to starve them of any nutrients so they will go away, and they are just as hardy as the day is long, and pop up continually. Some of the weeds in my garden are lovely, actually. They have delicate purple flowers … Continue reading Those Star Thistles are Vicious, aren’t They?
Independence and the Food Chain
As I worked in the kitchen this morning, I was thinking about the Independence we sought as a family regarding a food supply. It has been almost a year and a half since we bought any bread. Scott was making it while I was working, and when we switched to me being home and him working, I started making bread. We received a letter from … Continue reading Independence and the Food Chain
Monkeys Flinging Poop, Friends Visiting and other Poetic Adventures
“Not Cool, Robert Frost!” It has been all the rage on the internet, at Ted Talks, on the Late Night Circuit – all over the place. If you have not yet seen The Pep Talk, by Kid President, please, go see it now. I will wait. My kids and I have watched this so many times, we have it memorized. We have gone on to … Continue reading Monkeys Flinging Poop, Friends Visiting and other Poetic Adventures
Midwife to a Pig, and Assistant to the Midwife
So SweePea had her babies yesterday. Scott and I were there for the whole thing, helping. Scott was the Midwife. I was the Assistant to the Midwife. I watched over the babies and rubbed that enormous tummy, and kept the babies pulled back in a quick jiffy if SweePea needed to move. She ended up with six in all, 2 girls and 4 boys. Somehow … Continue reading Midwife to a Pig, and Assistant to the Midwife
Kitchen Gone Wild
Bean and I have discovered a website full of delicious, healthy, easy, snacks and meals to make (mostly with veggies), and in the last 2 days, I’ve been constantly cooking recipes from there. We’ve made homemade wheat thins, a delicious green pasta, black bean salad, broccoli-cauliflower-carrot salad drizzled with maple syrup – Who Would Think of This – and yet it worked. Beautifully. Tomorrow we are making hummus, date squares, Twix Bars and a 3 bean salad. … Continue reading Kitchen Gone Wild
We bought a Cow!
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!
First Fruits from the Garden – Strawberries and JAM!
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!
Here’s to Gardening Imperfections, and Joy in General Messiness!
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!
Cheese, Glorious Cheese!
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!
Chance of Frost Tonight – But we are So Close to Planting!
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!
A Few of the Joys of a Country Childhood
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
Garden~Palooza
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
“Your Life is an Occasion: Rise to It!”
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!”
New Happy Chicks
It feels like the Time Change punched me in the face this year
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