So I just looked at my blog and realized that my last post was in April, and this is freakin' JUNE already. And it's not like I can use pregnancy as an excuse, because the truth is that I've felt pretty awesome this time around. Which is nice for a change. No, I don't miss puking my brains out. Thanks.
Of course, all that means that I'm actually able to get out and DO stuff again, like work in my garden, which is lookin' totally sweet right now, if I do say so myself (which I do, so there.). Only problem is there's these pesky green caterpillars raining death and destruction on my greens. Collards - gone. Turnips - nothing but stems. Now they've moved on to my kale, and I'm not too happy about it. I'm trying to do this garden all organic-like and stuff, but I'm really not sure what to do about these caterpillars. So far I've just been pulling them off by hand and feeding them to the chickens. Fun times.
Speaking of the chickens, we should start getting some eggs here soon. I can't wait to cook my first saturday breakfast using our very own eggs. Awesomeness. I also got me some fancy new chickens that lay blue eggs (or will, when they get big enough). Call me a dork, but I find that totally exciting.
So, life on the farm is good. We're slowly trying to accumulate more understanding about things we all should know already, like how to grow our own vegetables, and how to be less consumer-driven. Hopefully all of this will be a big help when I quit work in the fall, because we're gonna have to start cutting back on our spending in a major way. Self-imposed "poverty." Yeah, baby, yeah!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
big changes on the farm
So this past month has been kinda crazy-like. We went thru about a week and a half where critters were dying on us. First we lost a chick - he figured out he was small enough to hop out of the fenced-in chicken run, and the dogs figured out that he made one tasty little snack. (The dogs also got a lesson in not eating the chickens, one which I hope they learned well.) Then we lost Steak to causes unknown. Just woke up one morning and he was a goner. THEN we lost a duck when they tunneled (totally 'Great Escape' style - I think they had little WWII helmets and everything) out of their enclosure and made their way down to the pond. We were planning to move them to the pond anyway, they just got a wee bit ahead of us, and now there is only one. Still -so cute to watch him? her? paddling around the pond in the morning. I named him Plucky. Plucky is NOT for eating.
But, we learned some lessons in all of this. Like - we need more ducks. Ducks are fun. And chicks are way smarter than we gave them credit for. And one cow cannot possibly keep our front pasture under control alone. We either need another cow, or some goats or llamas or something. For realz.
We also found out this month that there will be a new baby critter added to the farm sometime this winter. Of the human persuasion. Wait. Didn't we just do that? Oh yeah. Here we go again.
So funny how the reaction to this announcement differs from the first one. My parents: "Are you kidding me? What are you going to do?" My brother-in-law (to Davey): "Way to go, dumbass."
Me: "Oh no. Again? All summer? You've GOT to be kidding me." and then to Davey: "This is all your fault!!! I was going to go KAYAKING, dammit!!!"
Seriously, though, it is a good and happy thing, even if it's waaaaaay sooner than I would have planned. I just hope these kids are at least a year apart (I'll find out for sure on May 11th). If this one is born before Punkin's first birthday, that's like whoa of Neo proportions. I just cannot deal.
Now, if I can just stop puking long enough, it's time to get the garden going. I built a couple of small raised beds a few weeks ago before the icky-fest of pregnancy sidelined me. Hopefully this weekend I'll be getting a few things started in them, and getting a few other beds built. Last time gardening and pregnancy totally did not work for me, but I'm hoping that this time will be different, and I won't be sick for 8 or 9 months straight. Hope springs eternal, and all that.
Speaking of - that's what we decided to name the farm- Hope Springs Farm. Hope is kind of a big thing for Davey and me, so it seems like the perfect fit.
But, we learned some lessons in all of this. Like - we need more ducks. Ducks are fun. And chicks are way smarter than we gave them credit for. And one cow cannot possibly keep our front pasture under control alone. We either need another cow, or some goats or llamas or something. For realz.
We also found out this month that there will be a new baby critter added to the farm sometime this winter. Of the human persuasion. Wait. Didn't we just do that? Oh yeah. Here we go again.
So funny how the reaction to this announcement differs from the first one. My parents: "Are you kidding me? What are you going to do?" My brother-in-law (to Davey): "Way to go, dumbass."
Me: "Oh no. Again? All summer? You've GOT to be kidding me." and then to Davey: "This is all your fault!!! I was going to go KAYAKING, dammit!!!"
Seriously, though, it is a good and happy thing, even if it's waaaaaay sooner than I would have planned. I just hope these kids are at least a year apart (I'll find out for sure on May 11th). If this one is born before Punkin's first birthday, that's like whoa of Neo proportions. I just cannot deal.
Now, if I can just stop puking long enough, it's time to get the garden going. I built a couple of small raised beds a few weeks ago before the icky-fest of pregnancy sidelined me. Hopefully this weekend I'll be getting a few things started in them, and getting a few other beds built. Last time gardening and pregnancy totally did not work for me, but I'm hoping that this time will be different, and I won't be sick for 8 or 9 months straight. Hope springs eternal, and all that.
Speaking of - that's what we decided to name the farm- Hope Springs Farm. Hope is kind of a big thing for Davey and me, so it seems like the perfect fit.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
chickenhaaaawk!!!
(I just love me some WDVX in the morning.)
We got our chicks from the co-op last night, and they are so cute! Thirteen pullets (that's girl chicks) and one lonely rooster. Hopefully when he gets bigger he'll protect the ladies from the aforementioned chickenhawks. It just so happens that we have a pair of hawks that have a nest on our land, so we'll have to be extra vigilant. Although, I don't know if they're chickenhawks or not. I figure any hawk would think these little gals would be a tasty snack.
We got our chicks from the co-op last night, and they are so cute! Thirteen pullets (that's girl chicks) and one lonely rooster. Hopefully when he gets bigger he'll protect the ladies from the aforementioned chickenhawks. It just so happens that we have a pair of hawks that have a nest on our land, so we'll have to be extra vigilant. Although, I don't know if they're chickenhawks or not. I figure any hawk would think these little gals would be a tasty snack.
Even at this very young age (3 or 4 days old) they show all the stereotypical characteristics of hens, pecking and clucking (well, more like peeping right now) and then picking up their skirts and running to the corner when they're even the slightest bit scared. So cute to watch.
Right now they are living in our guest bedroom in a brooder box we built out of a plastic bin:
It was pretty simple to make, just cut the top out and then we put a piece of chicken wire on top, secured with craft wire (so I got to practice my rusty wireworking skillz a little) to keep the kitties out and let some fresh air in. Speaking of the cats, they've set up a base camp outside the bedroom door and are currently plotting the best way to get into this strange and magical box with all that tasty goodness inside. Dream on, suckahs.
Once they're big enough and/or the weather is warm enough, we'll move them (the chickens, that is) out to the coop to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, and hopefully start getting their egg laying on.
I still can't believe we have chickens. It's waaaaay crazy. But in a good way.
Monday, March 8, 2010
spring cleaning
(that's one full dumpster, ya'll!)
Check one more off the list of things to accomplish: we got ourselves a dumpster.
And spent pretty much the entire weekend loading it up.
One of the first things we noticed (I mean, it was hard to miss) was the enormous amount of trash on the property. Piles of junk everywhere.
(this was the yard before)
We assumed it was all just old stuff that had been left sitting out and never picked up properly, but we very quickly learned otherwise. Everything in the outbuildings and on the ground was broken TRASH. Just absolute garbage. Nothing salvageable except 2 bowling balls and a handful of carabiner clips, and a frame with a broken mirror I'm going to repaint and fix up. There were tarps buried in the leaves out in the woods, with cinder blocks on them, and under each one was piles of disintegrating bags of household garbage. I mean, I get that driving your trash to the dump is a pain in the ass, but come on. Diapers, motor oil, car parts, beer cans. It was absolutely disgusting.
I didn't expect cleaning up the yard to be an emotional experience, but I was alternating between absolute rage at the sheer laziness and ignorance, and heartbreak for the land, the poor, abused land. At least one tree that was growing in the garbage is dead. Under the piles I found daffodils and daylillies struggling to come up. It made me want to punch someone. And it made me more determined than ever to love this land and care for it.
It's the most awesome feeling to pull up the drive now and see a nice clean yard. It looks and feels a thousand times better.
(the yard after)
We still need to do some repair on the two buildings we kept, and put sides and doors on them so no one can see all our junk when it goes in there. But our junk will be nice junk, organized junk. :)
The only one who was maybe a little sad about the cleanup was the dog. Lucy's part labrador and she LOVED going thru the trash to find "toys" to play with, which of course ended up all over the yard. No more old paint rollers for you, suckah! Ha ha!
The only one who was maybe a little sad about the cleanup was the dog. Lucy's part labrador and she LOVED going thru the trash to find "toys" to play with, which of course ended up all over the yard. No more old paint rollers for you, suckah! Ha ha!
Friday, February 26, 2010
One down, ten billion to go
So, what to do on the first sunny Saturday since the mid-18th century? (Ok, maybe it wasn't really that long, but it felt like it. anyhoooow.) What to do, you ask? Why, get thee to the woods, of course.
Yep, I can knock one thing off my to-do list for the month. Davey and I put on our hiking boots, grabbed our hiking sticks and strapped the kiddo to our (his, cause she's getting soooo heavy) chest, and went exploring. And I have to say, we bought ourselves a super sweet piece o' land. I wish I had remembered to take the camera, but I was too freakin excited about being outdoors. There are about 5 creeks (some wet-weather, others spring fed) that converge in our front field, hence the mucho flooding we've had down there. Definitely going to need to dig the pond out deeper and/or do some serious groundwork. The whole ridge dumps it's water there.
Just past the pond/field, there is this really beautiful little valley crisscrossed with streams and pretty trees (including a GIANT ironwood, which is one of my favorite trees. Love!) and two little hills covered in vinca, which this spring will have lovely blue flowers all over them. Seriously, this spot feels downright magical. Someday Davey and I want to build a guest cabin, and this is totally the spot. We'll also need to build a few bridges for easier access. Creekhopping with a suitcase might be a little rough on some folks.
Further back in the woods it gets pretty steep and hilly, just lots of trees and QUIET. We found an old deer feeder, and a dead coyote. I don't think the two were related. Aside from the coyote, which was fortunately still frozen, so no stinky, it's really gorgeous land. I still can't believe we own it. Seeing how awesome it is makes the house seem a little more worth it.
We spent the rest of Saturday cleaning out the chicken coop so it's ready for chickens in the spring. We found out that chicks are available at the co-op on March 8th. That's like, a week and a half away!
Also on Saturday (it was a Big Day), our cows got here! And (gulp) they are so cute! They're little black and white holstein steers, still just calves. I mostly try to keep my distance from them, because I know that if I really wanted to, I could get attached to them. Still, it's nice to look out the window and see them grazing in our pasture. I feel very self-reliant and farm-y. I like it.
It will be interesting over the next 6 months or so to have this relationship with my food, rather than just going and buying the finished product. It makes me realize the value of my food a lot more, at the very least. Hmmm.. There will be more on this subject again, I'm sure. In the meantime, another weekend is here. Time to accomplish something. I just love a good sense of accomplishment.
Yep, I can knock one thing off my to-do list for the month. Davey and I put on our hiking boots, grabbed our hiking sticks and strapped the kiddo to our (his, cause she's getting soooo heavy) chest, and went exploring. And I have to say, we bought ourselves a super sweet piece o' land. I wish I had remembered to take the camera, but I was too freakin excited about being outdoors. There are about 5 creeks (some wet-weather, others spring fed) that converge in our front field, hence the mucho flooding we've had down there. Definitely going to need to dig the pond out deeper and/or do some serious groundwork. The whole ridge dumps it's water there.
Just past the pond/field, there is this really beautiful little valley crisscrossed with streams and pretty trees (including a GIANT ironwood, which is one of my favorite trees. Love!) and two little hills covered in vinca, which this spring will have lovely blue flowers all over them. Seriously, this spot feels downright magical. Someday Davey and I want to build a guest cabin, and this is totally the spot. We'll also need to build a few bridges for easier access. Creekhopping with a suitcase might be a little rough on some folks.
Further back in the woods it gets pretty steep and hilly, just lots of trees and QUIET. We found an old deer feeder, and a dead coyote. I don't think the two were related. Aside from the coyote, which was fortunately still frozen, so no stinky, it's really gorgeous land. I still can't believe we own it. Seeing how awesome it is makes the house seem a little more worth it.
We spent the rest of Saturday cleaning out the chicken coop so it's ready for chickens in the spring. We found out that chicks are available at the co-op on March 8th. That's like, a week and a half away!
Also on Saturday (it was a Big Day), our cows got here! And (gulp) they are so cute! They're little black and white holstein steers, still just calves. I mostly try to keep my distance from them, because I know that if I really wanted to, I could get attached to them. Still, it's nice to look out the window and see them grazing in our pasture. I feel very self-reliant and farm-y. I like it.
It will be interesting over the next 6 months or so to have this relationship with my food, rather than just going and buying the finished product. It makes me realize the value of my food a lot more, at the very least. Hmmm.. There will be more on this subject again, I'm sure. In the meantime, another weekend is here. Time to accomplish something. I just love a good sense of accomplishment.
Friday, February 19, 2010
"For five hundred years I've walked the world of men and now I have no time..."
(Oh yeah, I just quoted me some Gandalf. You know you love it.)
Perhaps the #1 challenge I've faced since jumping into the role of Mom has been time management. It's never exacty been my forte. For one thing, I'm the world's most terrible procrastinator. Never do today what you can put off til tomorrow. It's made me an excellent multitasker, but it's also led to a 'crash and burn' more than once as I tried to bake all 50 dozen of those yummy Christmas cookies in one night (oh yes, I've tried). That was how I got things done. Waaaaaiiit, and then work myself to death. I've not been able to function that way since Punkin was born. Actually, since before she was born. But to be fair, when I was pregnant, I pretty much couldn't handle doing anything except maybe getting dressed in the morning and puking.
So, in the midst of all the crazy that is going on I'm trying to learn how to keep everything going, get everything done, and still somehow, maybe get some sleep every once in a while. Sadly, my need for sleep has increased since I turned 30 (it's because I'm old now) and I can't just stay up all night hammering away at a necklace or working on Punkin's quilt. There was a time, but those days are long gone. (See, this changed from an "I have no time" rant to an "I'm getting old" rant. Fun, huh?)
So today, I am making myself a list (I adore making lists) of things I want to get done in the next month. And then I'm going to do them, dammit.
1. For starters, I'm going to take a walk in the woods we bought 2 months ago and I have yet to walk in. I don't even know what the back of our property looks like. But to be fair, some of that is because of the stupid weather we've been having. It's like it's winter or something.
2. Paint the bathrooms. This should have been done already. It's gonna happen. It's GOT to happen.
3. UNPACK. FINALLY.
4. Use my brand new sewing machine that I've had since last Christmas for the first time, and by doing so finish Punkin's quilt.
5. Give my kid lots of hugs and kisses. Oh wait. Check.
6. Make time for friends, and not care if the house is messy over the weekend.
7. Go to the mountains! Punkin hasn't been to the mountains yet. That is inexcusable.
8. Rent a dumpster and un-redneck the yard. For real.
I'm afraid to add any more, because already I feel my palms getting all sweaty. Eww.
Moving on.
I have started trying to keep my hands busy at night while the blasted TV is on (pretty much this whole rant could be discarded if I would just shoot the damn thing already) and I've made some fun little baby slippers from a pattern I bought on Etsy:
I used to not understand why people were always making baby things, but now that I have my own kid, I totally get it. In fact, I don't know why I didn't have a line of baby hats and mittens and slippers before (not to mention that baby sizes are so much faster! Bonus!) I have yet to incorporate kid stuff in my jewelry, but then, I have yet to make any jewelry, so it will be interesting to see how being a mom colors that creative process. I'm sure it will somehow. Maybe some sweet and simple baby birthstone necklaces? We'll see.
Perhaps the #1 challenge I've faced since jumping into the role of Mom has been time management. It's never exacty been my forte. For one thing, I'm the world's most terrible procrastinator. Never do today what you can put off til tomorrow. It's made me an excellent multitasker, but it's also led to a 'crash and burn' more than once as I tried to bake all 50 dozen of those yummy Christmas cookies in one night (oh yes, I've tried). That was how I got things done. Waaaaaiiit, and then work myself to death. I've not been able to function that way since Punkin was born. Actually, since before she was born. But to be fair, when I was pregnant, I pretty much couldn't handle doing anything except maybe getting dressed in the morning and puking.
So, in the midst of all the crazy that is going on I'm trying to learn how to keep everything going, get everything done, and still somehow, maybe get some sleep every once in a while. Sadly, my need for sleep has increased since I turned 30 (it's because I'm old now) and I can't just stay up all night hammering away at a necklace or working on Punkin's quilt. There was a time, but those days are long gone. (See, this changed from an "I have no time" rant to an "I'm getting old" rant. Fun, huh?)
So today, I am making myself a list (I adore making lists) of things I want to get done in the next month. And then I'm going to do them, dammit.
1. For starters, I'm going to take a walk in the woods we bought 2 months ago and I have yet to walk in. I don't even know what the back of our property looks like. But to be fair, some of that is because of the stupid weather we've been having. It's like it's winter or something.
2. Paint the bathrooms. This should have been done already. It's gonna happen. It's GOT to happen.
3. UNPACK. FINALLY.
4. Use my brand new sewing machine that I've had since last Christmas for the first time, and by doing so finish Punkin's quilt.
5. Give my kid lots of hugs and kisses. Oh wait. Check.
6. Make time for friends, and not care if the house is messy over the weekend.
7. Go to the mountains! Punkin hasn't been to the mountains yet. That is inexcusable.
8. Rent a dumpster and un-redneck the yard. For real.
I'm afraid to add any more, because already I feel my palms getting all sweaty. Eww.
Moving on.
I have started trying to keep my hands busy at night while the blasted TV is on (pretty much this whole rant could be discarded if I would just shoot the damn thing already) and I've made some fun little baby slippers from a pattern I bought on Etsy:
I used to not understand why people were always making baby things, but now that I have my own kid, I totally get it. In fact, I don't know why I didn't have a line of baby hats and mittens and slippers before (not to mention that baby sizes are so much faster! Bonus!) I have yet to incorporate kid stuff in my jewelry, but then, I have yet to make any jewelry, so it will be interesting to see how being a mom colors that creative process. I'm sure it will somehow. Maybe some sweet and simple baby birthstone necklaces? We'll see.
Monday, February 15, 2010
crafty things
Snow snow snow! The Florida girl in me still gets all worked up when there's snow on the ground. I don't think it will ever lose it's magic for me. And what a great view to enjoy with my morning coffee!
So this past weekend I was getting myself all worked up to start painting one of the 3 bathrooms in the new house, so I could finally hang some towel bars and what not(not to mention cover up that disgusting wallpaper). Naturally that meant that Saturday morning I would wake up with the mother of all migraines. And migraines and oil-based primer do nooooot mix. I blame it on staying up too late to watch the slooooooooow opening ceremonies in Vancouver (though I admit I liked the whole punk celtic fiddler thing. FUN.) Anyhoo, I ended up spending pretty much the whole weekend camped out on the couch, watching the olympics and working on crafty things. So, not a bad weekend after all. In fact, pretty flippin' sweet.
First, I did some work on a pile of hat orders I've gotten in the last few weeks. Managed to get 3 of 5 completed before my poor wrist gave out on me. Some of these hats weren't as enjoyable to make as others because I didn't pick out the yarn, and well, I think they're just ugly. But then I'm not the one who has to wear them. Here's one I actually like:
Pretty sweet.
I also finally got the mobile made for Punkin's room, 3 months or so late. I got the pattern for the birdies on design*sponge, one of my fave websites, ages and ages ago. Probably the best fun of this project was foraging in my woods (I have woods!)for the branches to perch the birdies on. It took me forever to the the whole thing balanced just right, but I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out:
Isn't it cute? I got the fabric on Etsy, and someday, someday, there will be a quilt and other things to match. In the meantime I feel like it was a huge accomplishment just to get this done.
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