Things have been busy as usual, but I have found myself taking a step back and taking it easy over the last couple of weeks. I’m very good at being busy… Which usually results in very little actually getting done, I have found!
So here’s what’s going on at the farm:
First, we have bumblebees. Lots of bumblebees! These are enjoying pollen from some ornamental kale I planted back in 2014 (I think).
Spring is a great time to sit and enjoy your front porch…
And perfect for springtime roses! This is Mrs. Peggy Martin. A rose with a very unique history. Google it!
It’s a time for eggs of all kinds. These are bluebirds which have taken up residence in a flat of empty pots in my front yard.
And from eggs, we of course get baby birds! (Or kittens, so my daughter thought for years. I couldn’t bear to tell her otherwise!)
While you’re sitting on your front porch, you may as well catch up on some good old fashioned snail mail and then write back to your pen pal. Yes, I love to write letters!
Last of all, spring brings back the honeybees to our farm. Talk about something that works around the clock! I’ll take the hint from the bees; when you work all the time, your lifespan is a few months long. No thanks!
Now if you need me, I’ll be out in the garden, impatiently waiting for my tomatoes to grow.
I haven’t posted since April! So what’s been going on at the farm?
We (again) tore up the front yard and flattened out the garden we had made. After almost seven years of fighting weeds, I’m throwing in the towel for real this time. I lost my husband to that battle three years ago when he declared he’d never touch the front yard again. I guess he’s that much smarter than I am! Or perhaps, I’m just that much more stubborn. Anyway, all of the perennials have been dug up and are sitting in pots, awaiting the day I decide where they’ll live. We’ve decided on a small, fenced-off, raised bed garden, with an attached greenhouse. Easy Peasy. That’s what I’m all about these days.
As far as the chickens, I don’t have too much to say. No funny stories, no cute baby chicks, nada. Boring, right? This was the first spring in over five years I haven’t bred chickens. I’m tired and over-extended. So like I almost always do every fall, I review the year and decide what stays and what goes.
Staying: Farming, gardening, cooking, learning more about herbs/essential oils, chickens (though reduced in number), crafting. I should add “husband and kids”, but surely that’s obvious.
Going: Extraneous chickens, things that interfere with family time, too much time spent on computer/phone, Facebook (except for business activity), huge garden.
So there you have it! It’s been a very fast summer. I had no real spring or summer garden again this year, so no nice photos of that, either! Boo! But be on the lookout! I think you’ll enjoy what’s coming up!
Now, now, certainly you weren’t thinking about that book, were you?
I have wanted to paint our bedroom grey ever since I saw this photo:
The windows are the same as they are in our room, and yes, I already hung up two quilts on the bar, just as displayed. Sadly, I still lack a brass bed. I bought a gallon of paint a few months back (okay…maybe a year?) and I did a test patch on our wall. Yes, I know…I know…that was stupid. Always buy a sample first, right? So then I went down to our Sherwin-Williams yesterday and grabbed these samples. As I was comparing them to the color I already had (and paid for), I thought, “Y’know, I really didn’t do too bad there.”
So maybe I’ll stick with what I have.
Anyway, my real question is this: Have you ever picked a color, or were strangely attracted to a color for its name alone? And conversely, have you been repulsed by said color, even though you really did LIKE it, for crying out loud, and just couldn’t commit to it due to the name?
So it goes with Sherwin-Williams’ color names. Grey is a very popular color right now and I have no doubt that thousands of people across the nation have repainted their bedrooms with it. Let’s take a look at some of the names, shall we? Let’s start out with the less offensive ones then delve into the more…disagreeable ones, and keep your bedroom in mind, m’kay? And yes, these are all very real color names.
Reserved White: okay.
Nebulous White: mmmhmm
Functional Gray: That’s always good…
Online: That could be good or bad, I suppose.
Unusual Gray: Well…
Night Owl: I haven’t seen you very much lately.
Passive: Hello?
Attitude Gray: Well, I don’t think I really…
Gray Area: Wait, I really didn’t mean…
Analytical Gray: Now don’t take it that way!
Dorian Gray: There’s certainly no need for insults here.
Anonymous: Who was on the phone?
Aloof Gray: ….
Ponder: ???
Frosty White: (crickets chirping)
Big Chill: (really?)
Thunderous: !
Rock Bottom: Yes, really.
So I would like to know, where is “Icy Reception”? Or perhaps “Separate Room” or maybe even “Alimony Gray”?
I think Sherwin-Williams really needs a new person to name these colors. I searched longingly for anything with ‘Darby’ or ‘Pemberley’ in it, but sadly, these are not available in any tint or shade at SW. Frankly, ‘Darby’ could be hot orchid and I would consider it. However, I was somewhat excited to find a ‘Wickham Gray’ with Benjamin Moore, though I have doubts as to how long that shade would stay on the walls and how much money it would cost me.
Heck, even a ‘Foggy Morn’ or ‘Glistening Dew’ would suffice:
or ‘Dampened Muslin’ or ‘Pemberley Pond’:
But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
As for the actual book of “Fifty Shades”, I have it stashed in my car in the deepest recesses of my trunk. I like to be prepared for all possible situations, and I heard it was always a good idea to keep around something in case you become stranded and need something to wipe your tush.
Today didn’t start out so hot. I didn’t get a chance to get rid of the hawk that’s been plaguing my chicken yard for the past week, despite getting up when it’s still dark outside. I am NOT a morning person. I have been getting up early for two days now with no success. Then my dog faked me out with an untimely death scare. Francesca Buttons isn’t just any dog. She is like our third furry child who pees on the rugs and loves to eat dirt. So basically, a tiny furry toddler. She has a smooshy monkey face and the happiest personality. Here is a photo: She’s the most awesome dog we’ve ever had, and two days ago she started having a sniffly nose, and I didn’t think much about it since she was otherwise fine. Fast forward to this morning, and when I picked her up, she was sneezing so much, she had doggie snot from her nose to her shoulder. Of course, it’s a Saturday and no veterinary offices are open with exception to the emergency clinic, so with a snotty and sneezing dog in one arm and a phone in the other I frantically call Jason to tell him Fran may have contracted something fatal and horrible and I was at fault.
As I drove through town, I was trying to come up with the correct verbiage on how to break Fran’s imminent death to my children (who, of course, are not at home) and simultaneously come up with a proper dog eulogy and burial procedure. (Would it be odd to invite friends? Are they still cloning dogs? Are people who stuff their dog really all that strange?)
I call my friend Rachel while trying not to choke on my words to see if she can bring some wood shavings to my house since I am on the way with a rapidly declining dog to the town 30 minutes away, and I need those shavings because the stupid hawk won’t leave my stupid chickens alone and now everyone has to stay in their way-too-small chicken houses and my poor chickens will be swimming in their own nasty poo thanks to the dumb hawk and I couldn’t make it to the dumb feed store because my dog is dying in a laundry basket in the back seat of my car.
Rachel says, “Sure.”
As we are leaving town, I notice Fran got quiet. I look in the back seat and she looks back at me as if to say, “What? May I help you?” No sneezing, no lolling tongue, no panicking. As I got to thinking about it, I remembered her only having a runny nose out of one nostril. Hmm.
My rusty brain gears get to squealing and then I thought: Maybe she has something shoved up her nostril? Maybe it isn’t the Parvotemperfluenzatella virus? As we are at the final red light just before turning into the clinic, Fran goes into a violent sneezing fit and I turn around. I see an eighth-inch long piece of green protruding from said nostril. OH. MY. GEEZY.
We pull into the emergency clinic parking lot (a 40 minute trip), and I rip open Fran’s door and extract a good one and a half inch long piece of grass from her nose hole. Sigh. SIGH. And, double sigh.
Maybe my dog is as frugal as I am; either way, she saved me an $80 visit by sneezing out a piece of Bahia in the parking lot. I tell this story to tell you: It ain’t been a great morning for me. It was definitely a “Boo-Yay” kind of day, but I hate the stress rollercoaster. I hate it a lot. And mornings aren’t my thing, and neither is this cold yucky weather.
Enter my friend Rachel.
Rachel is my funny, thoughtful, list-wielding, introverted friend who never forgets anything. She is the person responsible for me wearing skirts and cardigans. Yes, so I totally stole her wardrobe ideas
. She loves Anthropologie, good wine, and delicious food. She loves books, musicals, coffee, chickens, and gardens. She can’t stand inefficiency (Pickle, pickle, bun, bun—-inside joke there), large crowds (especially festivals), or people who steal her hand soap.
Actually, the first time I met Rachel, she DID forget something, and that was to order some chinchilla food for me(she worked at a feed store). I think that was the only thing she has forgotten in the ten years I have known her.
Anyway.
So with all that mess going on today, I was feeling low. Just snake-belly low.
Then she brought me an estate sale find. A vintage Neiman Marcus coffee mug covered in……mushrooms. I love mushrooms and I love owls. I now have mugs with both! It is strikingly similar to my other favorite mug: Bonus points for the inside of the mug being a perfect shade of a mushroom cap or perhaps a nice mushroom bisque.
Now today has become a “Boo-Yay-Yay” kind of day thanks to an extracted piece of grass and a dear friend who knows me all-too-well!
Much love to my friend who thinks about me at yard sales and brought a little bit of sunshine to me on this cold and dreary day!
For another post about a shared adoration of owls, mushrooms, and snails, head on over to Rachel’s blog post she wrote last month.
See you later, friends! I’m off to make some nice hot coffee in my ‘shroom mug….and hopefully tomorrow will be a lot more boring.
Hello, my name is Amanda, and I have an IKEA addiction.
I have been consumed by the desire to decorate my house in Swedish simplicity ever since the first time I walked into one of these stores. They are a minimalist’s dream come true. Need form + function? Need endless organizational ideas? Do you wish to make the most of the space you have? Need easy to clean surfaces, intelligent design, and durable materials? Then IKEA is the place for YOU!
Almost two years ago, we decided to renovate our kitchen. It was a typical American 1950s home-built design; too many cabinets, a lot of wasted space, and annoyingly low upper cabinets that blocked your view when you walked into the room. The work surfaces had been re-done in tile, which I hate as a weirdo clean-freak. A full third of the kitchen’s flat workspace was unusable since the low cabinets rendered them useless (unless you LIKE to hit your head on cabinetry and take out your eye with a knob).
We started looking at DIY cabinetry options at your typical box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. It was a no-go. The construction was disappointing and the hardware was pretty crappy and weak, easy to wiggle, and had a cheap feel. If we were going to re-do the kitchen, we were at least committed to doing it the right way and spending a bit more if necessary to get quality hardware and construction. Still, we can’t afford custom cabinets, so whatever we bought had to be DIY. Enter IKEA: The DIY Kingdom with Scandinavian Flair.
First off, IKEA uses Blum hardware, and it ROCKS. This means that when pulled out or opened, drawers and cabinet doors have a nice, solid feel. Door and drawer ‘dampers’ mean no more slammed drawers/doors! Self-closing drawers mean that you push them back and they close on their own! The hinges allow for a nice and wide opening for your doors, and they are high quality and solid. Ah, and the hardware allows for up and down adjustment for the drawer facings, so you can tweak them to look just right! So, there’s Round One. Ding ding!
Round Two: Construction of said cabinets is well thought out, and materials are definitely higher quality than the box stores. The drawer and door facings are very heavy and tolerate a lot of abuse. I think we’ve all had that melamine furniture that chips on the edges at the slightest whack. Annoying. Not so with these; instead of side seams, these facings are fully wrapped with a thick coating, so much less likely to chip. I DID manage to chip a tiny bit off of one of them, but it was after accidentally really whacking the crap out of the top of a door by dropping a glass lid. Winner! Ding ding ding!
Round Three: Price. Pricing is honestly comparable to both Lowe’s/HD, especially when confronted with the fact they are much higher quality. Do I remember the price breakdown of all of our cabinets? No. But I do remember it was very close to what was offered at the box stores. Per square inch, the biggest cost is going to be your facings. The ‘base’ of the cabinet is quite inexpensive, really. The facings are where you spend the money, because that’s what will take the majority of the abuse besides the hardware, which is not a problem here. Our base cabinetry was in the AKURUM family, and I believe that is being phased out in 2015 with the SEKTION system.
Here is a quote from IKEA website: “SEKTION will build on the great innovations that the AKURUM system has such as soft close drawers and doors, a wall mounted rail system for easier installation, and a 25 year limited warranty. However, SEKTION is a more modular system which will offer new opportunities to use the interior space inside each cabinet. Plus, it will offer a new system for integrated lighting. You’ll be able to see the new SEKTION kitchen system in your local IKEA store on February 2, 2015.”
You can bet your buttons that I will be going in and looking at the new kitchens in a month, just to see! But anyway, back to our kitchen. Here are some before photos:
And so it begins. Day One.Enter the crowbar…it’s about to get real.We get by with a little help from our friends….Lovely ceiling to countertop cabinets…not.
So the decision was made to free up some countertop by ripping out some of the upper cabinets, which we weren’t really using anyway. Then came Phase Two. Here are some before pics of the kitchen. Note the tile floors (HATE them), tile countertops (ditto), and obviously, I was in a red mood when I picked my paint!
At that point, we had already removed the dishwasher (ugh, never again), and of course, ripped out that big cabinet. As usual, we had dishes to be put up! Note the distance between the cooking range and the lower drawers. Lots of wasted space there, for sure. Also, the cabinet beside the drawers was a total space waster as you could only access the back by crawling on the floor and burrowing into the cabinetry. Keep this in mind! Now:
Buh-bye you darn space-hogging sticky-outie cabinet! Every time I opened the refrigerator door, no one could pass through the kitchen since the door cleared the cabinet by about 2 millimeters. YE SHALL NOT PASS. And then:
Away with ye, Cold Tile Floor of Bone-chilling Propensity! Frozen feet no more! (I love that we got to rip it out with a shovel…) The progression continues:
Goodbye, cabinets! The cabinetry on the other side of the room was left in place, as it was still functional and didn’t pose any issues, except for the lower cabinets by the fridge. Those were torn out, too. Now for some “prime time”:
Priming the walls, not really sure what I was doing? All the old flooring has been ripped out now.
Now for some paint! All ceiling and walls were painted a lovely WHITE to make the most of the light since this is an interior room that needed brightening up! Color is Westhighland White by Sherwin-Williams (SW 7566).
Note the plastic underlayment in preparation for the laminate flooring:
Making laminate angels….see the homemade laminate flooring tool Jason made? It helps to pop in those flooring pieces. Yeah, you could BUY one but why should you when you live with Bob Vila? This pic just goes to show that EVERYONE in the house was excited to get rid of the tile!
Now for the fun part; planning the kitchen out fully and shopping at IKEA. I had already plotted out the entire thing by using IKEA’s free kitchen planner tool. It’s online and it worked like a dream! There was not an inch in this new kitchen that wasn’t thought out! Now time for shopping. I will do another post on HOW to shop for your home at IKEA. Yes, it can either be an absolute hellish nightmare or a good time…it all depends if you know how to do it!
Everything at IKEA is based on the flat pack, so you can get it home easily. It also costs less to ship and transport for the company since they can get a LOT more in a smaller area. So the big box is my apron front sink. For obvious reasons, it’s the biggest box here. Everything else you are looking at is cabinetry and flooring (from Lowe’s). People make fun of IKEA’s assembly directions (there are no words, just images), but I found that they were simple to follow. Yes, I did some things backwards because I was not paying attention, but it was easily remedied. So here comes the AKURUM lower cabinets. Remember that wasted space by the drawers I told you to make a note of? Well, the RATIONELL cabinet insert takes care of that! It swings out and FULLY EXTENDS so you can now reach those pots/pans in the far back reaches of your cabinet. No more crawling on the floor with a flashlight. Woohoo!
NO WASTED SPACE. CAN I GET AN “AMEN”?All work and no play make Jack a dull boy…Okay, maybe just really, really tired.
Now the cabinets are in and it’s time to put in the kitchen island and freestanding counter we bought:
VARDE base cabinet (free-standing). See the mineral oil? This is what I use to condition the top.Cabinets have a temporary top of plywood until our granite is ready. This island is called GROLAND. I put felt pads underneath so I could move it easily. It also gets a mineral oil and sandpaper treatment to keep it conditioned.
And now for the backsplash! We chose the faux tin from Lowe’s. It’s actually plastic and easy to cut and put up. I think we used Liquid Nails to put it into place…whatever was recommended was what we chose. The faucet was also courtesy of Lowe’s. It has the extendable faucet head, which I ADORE.
Time for granite. We went with granite since it is a really durable and nice material. Plus, we are amateur rockhounds who appreciate a good chunk of crystal…this is particular granite is called “Lennon”. It has HUGE chunks of crystal (I assume it’s quartz?) and I swear I have a nice big garnet in mine, too. Jason and I both immediately were drawn to it for its splashy look. A huge shout out to Berry Marble and Granite of Tyler, TX and more specifically: Jennifer and Casey! It came out to perfection.
So the drawer set above was able to be widened, thanks to IKEA’s wide range of cabinet widths. I gained 3 more inches in countertop space here. Yes! And now the backsplash, granite, range hood (IKEA’s LUFTIG (Whirlpool)), and lighting is IN:
Ahhhhh….now a big deep sigh of contentment! I waited a few weeks to add any of the wall storage to see where I wanted what. Then we put up some FINTORP wall storage rails to contain our coffee mugs:
I also put up a FINTORP rail by the range to hold the white basket containing our cooking oils. And now friends…my fingers are bleeding and my eyes are hurting from writing this three hour blog! I hope you enjoyed the metamorphosis of our kitchen. Functionality was restored to this tiny space, and more changes have happened since these photos were taken, but I’ll have to finish up in another post.
It’s that time of year when I have to tuck in my garden with plastic, order my seed catalogs, and try to hang onto my sanity until January, when I can plant some onions. Okay, so it’s only about 8 weeks, but even so, I don’t like being cooped up indoors and I don’t like cold weather!
We just arrived home yesterday after a 3 day stay in the woods of Arkansas. There are many things I love about Arkansas: It looks like home, just add some mountains. It appears to be sparsely populated, which can be both negative and positive, but given my recent introvert streak, it’s a ‘yay’. The geologic makeup of the state is awesome…it’s nice to have something other than iron ore rocks and sand.
This makes our third trip to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murphreesboro, but only our first in the “Snoozy Cruiser” AKA our Pace Arrow motorhome. I have to say, I MUCH prefer travel in a motorhome versus tent camping. MUCH PREFER. The past 2 times we had gone, we were in a tent and it rained the entire time. Did I mention it was also very cold? Yes, I am a spoiled brat; I accept the fact! Gladly! The first day and a half we were there were absolutely glorious. Highs in the 60s-70s and nights in the 50s. The last day and a half were cold. Of course, if you travel in spring or fall, it’s always going to be a crapshoot when it comes to weather. I was just glad that this trip did not include tornadoes, as our last vacation did.
Life in a motorhome takes some adjustment. When you have four bodies in a 8′ x 34′ box, life gets interesting. I have the bruises to prove it. For the record, I do NOT have a clotting disorder; I just look like I do. After bumping into every possible corner, I have bruises from head to toe. We have coined a new phrase for the Snoozy. It’s called the Pace Arrow Side-Step, and it’s what you will be doing as you are trying to avoid bodies, books, pillows, open cabinets and drawers, etc. I feel worse for my husband, who fills an entire doorway with his enormous shoulders. He also wears size 14 shoes, and frankly, I have no clue how he didn’t end up falling head-first over a child or the kitchen table.
It is also interesting how a single cup or pen out of place can make the whole motorhome look messy. Becoming a minimalist whilst traveling in an RV is just a must. Even as we were driving, I found myself sweating a little (okay, okay, a LOT) when a child dropped a marker or left a crumb on the carpet. My chi (or qi, if you will) was instantly thrown off and I had to do some front seat soul-centering mantra repetitions to retain my balance. I may be just a little neurotic? Anyhoo, we did manage to keep things cleaned up and put up throughout the trip without anyone losing their mind or becoming cranky. Made beds are a must. Clean dishes are a must. Wait, wait, wait, I thought this was vacation? Turns out that a homemaker is a homemaker wherever she goes. Oh well.
The cool thing about Crater of Diamonds is that you get to keep any diamonds you find. Oh, don’t you worry, you likely will not find any! You also discover that there are about 90 other minerals that look suspiciously like a diamond, so prepare for your heart to pitter-patter a lot. In all seriousness though, I am a rock hound at heart, so I was happy to come away with some nice pieces of agate, jasper, calcite, and little bits of quartz. We always have a good time because you know there are diamonds in that field, so hope springs eternal. You also get to bring home a 5 gallon bucket of washed rocks with you, and you can continue the search at home! This picture is at the entrance of the 37 acre field that you get to dig through. Take my advice and DO NOT go in summer. I have no clue why anyone would choose to dig in an unshaded field in 100+ degree heat, but I assure you, it would be horrid. Don’t do it. That is, unless you like being sunburned and dehydrated. Go in the spring or fall months, but make SURE you check the weather since these are our most volatile months as far as weather goes. Southwest Arkansas sees its share of tornadoes and flooding, after all.
This time around, we decided to hit some of the trails around the park. Here are some things we saw:
The fungus among us! TONS of fungus around the woods. This is an homage to my friend Rachel, over at The Wicked Chicken.Path along the Little Missouri river.Is this a cool tree or what???Hello there, little Tussock moth caterpillar! I haven’t researched you yet, but I think that’s what you are.Not only am I a sucker for fungi, I LOVE moss.Zoe (on the left) loves her big sister very much. It’s tough sometimes when you’re a cuddly person and your sibling isn’t! This is a rare ‘together-and-physically-touching-each-other’ photo for them!
We really enjoyed our time together! I hiked more than I have in….well….forever. We walked from the campsite to the crater every day, twice a day. We went on walks in the woods once or twice a day, too. Every night there was mass S’more consumption. We ate much more than should be legally allowed. Jason and I slurped down cup after cup of fabulous French-pressed coffee, and I somehow managed to come up with meals only using what my tiny cupboards and microscopic refrigerator could hold. Truly, even though the trip ended with Zoe communicating to us by only using a slide whistle (seriously), and we lived in a tiny box together for several days, we feel closer than ever. I will leave you with this photograph. It is one that I think is very significant, because I feel that it symbolizes the next phase in our lives where our girls ride off into their own sunsets, only to return home for visits. Our time together is so very short, but so precious. Hold onto it while you can.
Yes, it is all of these things and SO MUCH MORE. If my children were still in public school, I wonder if I would have ever heard statements/questions presented to me by my younger daughter, such as: “Mommy, those pants make your booty look big.” and the gem: “Mom, are you trying to grow a beard?”
Let me tell you about our atypical schedule. Yesterday, the day started off with some math worksheets, and then onto Arty English (designing a card for a friend, while using proper letter writing techniques as well as addressing an envelope). Then as the morning progressed, it morphed into Exterior Landscaping and Drainage Solutions class as Dad took them into the woods to gather rocks to line our driveway before the onslaught of expected rain. After lunch, we had a Literature moment and read more out of our assigned novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Dad went back into the woods and it was decided by the eldest child that it was a great time to fish. After pulling up about 25 perch, she decided to eat one. The classroom moved outdoors once again, where Firebuilding 101 was underway. After I reviewed about 5 YouTube videos on how to filet a perch, we were ready for Panfish Preparation and Panfrying. Soon, we had two of the tiniest filets you have ever laid your eyes on (perfectly proportioned for an American Girl doll), and after dipping them in a seasoned flour, we fried them over the fire in a brown butter sauce. After that experience, everyone decided it was definitely fish for supper, so we went back to our pond classroom, where we resumed our lesson in Advanced Perch Jerking, and then on to Panfish Preparation and Panfrying 1302.
So in a single day, you can see that we learn a great many things; math, art, literature, engineering, science, A&P, cooking skills, survivalist/wilderness skills, etc. No two days are the same, though I try to do math, reading, language arts, and history every day. It’s critical that my children can read, write, and solve mathematical equations, but above all things, they MUST love to learn. I feel that the worst tragedy a teacher can inflict upon his/her students is to extinguish the natural passion for learning.
If I only pass this one single thing onto my children, I will consider my time as a teacher a great success. So get out there, grab a book or watch a video, and TRY SOMETHING NEW!!!
As of Saturday the 18th of October, we have been living on our little farm for six years. Starting in January, here are some pics from the last 10 months:
Poor Churchill. We still miss him. Best cat evah.
A rare snowy day here in E. Texas:
Let’s sing it out loud: “I always feeel like somebody’s watching meeeee…”. Francesca hates when we are gone too long.
I tried (really unsuccessfully) to capture the coldness outside and the warmth radiating from within. I love nighttime photos.
One evening in March after a particularly nasty storm:
Spring is definitely one of my favorite times of the year:
Here’s a chick, there’s a chick, everywhere there’s a chick chick:
Baby praying mantises that we hatched from an egg case:
Always be sure to thoroughly water your ducks….
I’m happy being a ‘square peg’. Someone has to love Nature’s creepy crawlies!
Love one another.
There is NOTHING like homemade! This is our peach jam.
It’s been a good year here on the farm. I planted a fall/winter garden. This is the first time I’ve had one in two years. I don’t know that I have any new farm wisdom to share with you this year that I haven’t said before. Maybe just this one:
Never stop learning, never give up, never give in. I always make it a point to learn something new each and every day. It’s what keeps me sane…my never ending quest for knowledge! I won’t ever consider my life really ‘done’. There won’t ever be a time that I will feel as though my life’s work is finished.
Life here on a farm can drive you crazy. Yes, we have set fire to our yard (literally), completely undone years of work in a weekend, watched our garden wash downhill, and I have WANTED to quit. I have wanted to slap a ‘For Sale’ sign by the road, throw everything I own in boxes and just say “To hell with this!”. I have wanted to sit and cry and throw a toddler tantrum and move away to some mythical place where raccoons, fire ants, wasps, drought, grass burrs, Bermuda grass, hail, cabbage worms, and the like do not exist. I have dreamed of this fantasy place, but I know that it doesn’t exist. As P.D. Eastman once wrote, “THIS nest is best!”. My farm, for all of its shortcomings, is right where I want to be. When I’m having a bad day, I think about our ancestors. You know, the ones who DIDN’T have a washing machine, running water, electricity, and the like. Of course, there are millions of people even now without any of these things. I think how spoiled we really all are and how my ‘problems’ are honestly silly, self-made, and insignificant. I don’t depend upon our farm to feed us, I don’t have to raise crops to make my paycheck, and really, I’m fortunate beyond belief.
Once you put things in perspective, it does make it easier to get up in the morning, slap on a smile, and make the best of your day.
Be stubborn. Be determined. Never lose sight of your dream, and never stop asking questions.
My Little Country 