Leaf Love

We've been very diligent on making use of things that were here on the farm when we bought it. Though there are a number of things that we could really use to make life easier, we must wait until we sell the other house. We did break down and purchase an item that we'll build off of in the years to come. A leaf vacuum. After two falls of raking the acreage, dragging hundreds of pounds of leaves on a tarp over to the compost pile then putting armful after armful into said compost pile, enough was enough!

Our 1986 Gravely tractor is running, but has difficulties. It now has a brand new color coordinated ornament to drag behind it (totally not planned that way)! As the transmission is near shot, there were moments of lunacy as Brian was run pushing me driving it, to get it going as we collected leaves this weekend. Like something out of Little Miss Sunshine, quite the picture!

So we can mark one thing off of the wish list, and dream of the other things in the future. The matching tractor w/ ride over mower deck, snow blower, front loader etc, etc, etc. We are very fond of our little workhorse tractor and it has done well by us. Hopefully another band-aid type adjustment will see us snow blowing the driveway this winter.....without the need for the running push start!
Our leaf and grass clipping collection to be turned with our kitchen scraps into next year's compost, Brian said it was even getting really hot in there as of this morning.....the cooking has begun!

One Step Forward

Labor of love, tragedy, and learning this has been our bout with these crazy chickens of ours. It's difficult to discern the difference between pet and food animal. Though we've committed to only layer hens at this point, our little girl is no stranger to the difficult lesson we are taught by the circle of life.

One step forward and two steps back, isn't life full of these moments? But I suppose it would be no fun, and you would learn nothing along the way, if you got there, wherever there is, right away.

We learn from overcoming obstacles, and Sidney's thought process has matured in the last 18 months of raising chickens. Her beloved farm poodle got out on Friday and killed one of her chickens, the newest member of the family our beautiful Dominique.

Far from the horror and hysterics that came with the loss of her rooster last fall, she was contemplative upon hearing the news. Sad even, that it wasn't one of the other ones because they had lived a longer life and "Striker" had just begun hers.

We went upstairs last night and were greeted with the entire families funeral attire laid out and labeled for us. I'm so proud of my girl who has run the gamut of emotions learning how to reconcile her farm animals lives into her life. She has determined that the most important thing is the happy life they have.

We will begin again, allowing our two matriarchs to lead the way. This winter's project is now a large chicken tractor, so they can attempt to free range some, but in a much more restricted atmosphere due to a 7 pound farm poodle with a taste for poultry.
The orange note is simple "Striker's Funeral"

A Root Cellaring We Go

It's been quite a process for us to get our root cellar built. Now that we're virtually done, I thought I'd give you a pictorial update on the construction.

We've researched hi and low the best way to get a storage cellar done and what all of the optimal storage temperatures are for the range of food we want to store. Funny enough, Brian found the most detailed and best information on root cellaring on a website by a group dedicated to surviving the second coming and return of the anti-Christ. Oh God I thought (no pun intended) is this what are friends and family think? That we're trying to prepare for the tribulation, or begin our own militia? I expressed these concerns to Brian who laughed at my sudden concern.

So before I begin with the photo show, we are trying to find a better way to preserve our garden harvest so that we can continue our path down self-sufficiency, sustainability, eating better, knowing the source of our food and saving money while enjoying all of the above. For the record, I didn't even know about the tribulation until he found that site. There, I said it! :)

I must add, that through many of the phases it seemed like a wonderful husband and wife comedy of errors. Lifting, holding, and nailing up things like insulation, ceiling joists, water barrier, then the ceiling itself. I must say that we both maintained good humor and sarcasm as we were standing with our arms constantly over-head feeling the burn, burn, burn ohh is that last screw or staple in yet?? WhewInsulated Rafters
Ceiling Joists
Moisture barrier
Blown in insulation
Ceiling almost up!

A Little Bird Told Me

I'm sorry to say, I've been flat on my back with the flu. Even though I have not felt at all like moving, I did feel like stringing a few words together for the blog. Drat! If only I had laptop to accomplish this. I've been in a limbo of mindless television and staring blankly out of the window. I took a tip out of Martha Stewart Living a couple of weeks ago and placed bird feeders all the way around our wrap around porch to attract different varieties of interesting songbirds this winter. Well I can now say, my blank window stares have been quite entertained by tons of birds speeding across the sky to get to their free lunch.

I can't think of any other circumstance where I'd spend so much time staring out our living room windows. An important lesson learned. Take the time to slow down, and enjoy the little wonders around you. More later, be well!

Taking Down

As much as I love the preparation, anticipation, and each holiday in and of itself, there is something somewhat cathartic to the take down. *oink* I don't know whether it's the taking back of my house from festive paper crafts and the mass of the kids beloved window clings, or the excitement of preparing for the next festive season. *oink*

There are events to prepare for year round, but none is so intensive as the fall season, where one holiday leads directly into the next. *oink* Now I'm not one who relishes seeing Christmas decor in August, I think the retailers are just tapping into our consumer driven society's need for more stuff. I like to get creative with the kids and am trying to make more quality decorations each year rather than purchase. *oink* This year we're also trying to make many of our Christmas gifts. I'd give you a blow by blow of this, but that will have to wait, as some of you may be recipients of these. *oink*

As you can see today it appears that I have turret's. I don't know whether it's sympathy pains for my dear little niece whose under the weather or if it's the fact that I spent large chunks of my week around a combined 150 little petri dishes 1st and 3rd graders, but I myself am under the weather today. I'm wondering, a bit tongue and cheek, if that since I had my regular flu shot and the other one isn't available here yet, whether I have a touch of the swine.

So I have melted myself onto the couch with a hot cup of tea and mindless television to sleep, rest and try not to *oink*