a gardener

I was once asked the question from someone I didn't know that well, "If you could describe yourself with one word, what would it be?"  hmmm... well I barely pondered it at all and blurted out "a gardener".

What a loaded question, how could I possibly describe myself with one word.  I have thought this over many times, why would I ever allow myself one word, I am so much more than just a gardener.  Then I would think, well I do like to nurture things and help them grow, feeding good food to children and animals or good soil to the plants I grow.  Am I not first and foremost a "Mother"  well that is one of my many variegated sides, but "a gardener" does feel quite noble too I must say.

A friend once said if he could come back as anything, he would come back as a peasant farmer, that sounds good to me.  I just want to live a quiet peaceful life in a place of my own, and a garden to grow flowers and good food.  I want farm animals for milk, eggs, butter, and meat, and the richness they add to our lives.

I don't need to travel to faraway places to find happiness, I find them right here at home being a gardener,

 a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. 

fireside chat

I've been wanting to write and catch you up on all that's been going on around here.  We've had some big changes, and I even have a new place to be on the computer, right by the fire.  I took this picture before sitting down this evening. After the coals died down a bit, Kaley roasted me a couple of marshmallows, she's good at getting them just right.  We're all adjusting to going to sleep in new rooms, and waking up to new routines.  Moves are both exciting and nerve wracking.

This last week has been a whirlwind of activity getting moved from the barn to the big house.  It's all for the good, but is still a ton of work.  I can't believe how much stuff I had gathered and stashed away, just like a pack rat.  Well, now I'm going through it all, and either keeping and storing it, giving it away, or throwing it away.  I only want to move in just what we need to be cozy and comfortable. 

J has been getting the sink all set up and running, so I don't have to wash dishes in the bath tub anymore.  We still have a hose coming through the window, but the sink drains.  The new stove still needs a psi regulator, whatever that is, so I haven't been making bread... I know I said not long ago  that I wanted to make all our own bread, well now I'm letting the move take over for a few weeks until all settles back down, and I can get back into a good cooking routine.  Then I'll resume making bread again, there needs to be a certain peace in the home for bread baking.

We needed to make a reason to get the big house finished, and by moving in, it created the motivation to begin at a faster pace getting it all up and running.   Patience is a good thing, then when you've been patient long enough, bold action seems to do the trick.  We  have been gathering supplies to finish it , as items were found, or there was extra money to buy them, we did. 

We have the stone tiles to lay the floor, and the metal tubing to lay under the stone tiles, the floor will be heated.  We have a new Wolff range that has 2 ovens.  I am working on bringing the salvage sink back from years of a rusty leaking faucet that stained the enamel, bought at a salvage yard in Seattle.  Yesterday J spent an entire day sanding down and cleaning a butcher block table that I'm using as a center island, it was black and now looks like new, he also spent a long time scrubbing the metal base and drawers.  We have gathered wood for laying the wood floors, and granite counters for someday finishing the tops of the counters and cabinets.

For now I'm just happy everyday to see the sun and even on cloudy days the light coming through the windows, I can look out on my garden from the minute I wake in the morning.  There are big plans to finish taping the walls, and to get ready for painting.  I bought a couple gallons of paint, a butternut color, then got it home, and found it was too dark, I went back down to Lowes and bought a gallon of white paint to lighten it some.

In the farm news, Henrietta should be hatching out her clutch of baby chicks, there are twelve eggs, I put all of one days eggs under her, so hopefully they all hatch out in one day.  I sat near her today listening, and could hear the baby chicks peeping, still in their shells under her, pecking their way out.  I'll take some pics tomorrow if they begin to hatch.  Then 4 days later the cuckoo maran should hatch out, she has a dozen eggs under her too.  What will we do with that many chickens?   We'll raise the young roosters up until they're butcher weight, or if their nice enough looking we will try to find a good home for them with somebody who wants a nice rooster.  The hens will be for next years layers, as they lay the best in their first 2 years of life, so replenishing some every year is wise to do. 

Regarding the goats, I spoke with Kristi the owner of the goats I've been planning to get mine from, we talked about a month ago.  Her first planned breeding's didn't take, she was disappointed, and said she'd have a couple that may be kidding the beginning of May.  I still haven't heard from her, and will email tomorrow.  I wonder if any of her breeding's worked, she said something about re breeding.  I have been looking for nigerian dwarfs on Craigslist now, and also have the names and numbers of several known breeders in our area. 

The 2 pregnant mini rex rabbit does kindled several weeks ago, and the babies are already running all over with their eyes open.  I plan to sell them all when the babies are old enough at 9 or 10 weeks old.  The future plans are to change breeds to Silver Fox, and Champagne D'argents.

In the garden, I've been working on weeding, and getting beds ready for planting.  The cold frame J made several weeks ago has been wonderful for protecting plants.  This coming week is the time for me to get most of the garden seeds in the ground and planted.  Warm season stuff will stay in the cold frame for several more weeks, until the weather warms enough.  We've been having a spring like last year, very cold and things much later than normal.  The moon is still waning, so tomorrow I'll be planting root crops, carrots, beets, radishes, parsnips, and onions. 

I spent time today looking at my garden designs over the last few years.  Just double checking my notes, to see how to rotate crops and take advantage of rotational planting.  I have 6 large garden plots, 4 are for rotational crops, and I have each bed labeled A, B, C, D.  The other 2 beds are for perennial vegetable, grapes, strawberries, herbs and flowers.  There's another big new bed, I'm working on, it's where I'm currently building my mountain of compost.  Weeds, chicken/ rabbit manure, old straw, grass clippings, and leaves make up a large part of my compost.  I will be planting the new big bed with corn, pumpkins, sunflowers and green beens.

I hope you're enjoying this spring, and getting outside.

Happy Gardening to you!  Jewel

Tightening the belt a little more

I know I haven't talked much about how the economy has affected our family, but it really has on many different levels.  I was a realtor for 12 years, and J was a carpenter for over 30 years, these industries have been hit hard in our neck of the woods .  We've had quite the change in lifestyle, some new doors have opened, and some old ones have closed.  

We've had to make decisions over the last 2 years on what to cut out to keep our monthly overhead balanced.  TV was the first to go 2 years ago, when they made you have the black box or LCD tv's, we decided we didn't need it, nor did the kids need the distraction.  We still can watch movies, I miss it at times, but mostly I think it's been positive, especially for the kids.

We let the cell phones go next about a year and a half ago when I left the real esate business.  With the two oldest girls, my husband and I on one cell phone plan, that monthly bill was one of the first to go. After 12 years of being attached to my cell phone, this was a freedom I actually enjoyed.  We are happily back to a land line only, kind of like going back in time :)  We are also too far away to have high speed internet, so just a dial up connection.

We decided to simplify on many levels, our entertainment stays closer to home, with things like trips to the library for movies and books, going to the river to swim and pick blackberries in the summer.  We hang out at home more now, enjoying our work here, and getting together sometimes in the evenings with friends for conversation and a meal.  We also go out a several times a month, just Jarin and I, to enjoy dinner and an artisan brew at a local grill/pub.  People in the community gather here, some that we've known for years, many that greet us have known J for 30 or more years.  This is what happens when you stay put in a community and let your roots go down deep, you make friends and will know and see them as you all grow older.

I think it's healthy for families to be together at home, doing things like cooking, gardening, tending animals, and doing chores.  I will tell you though,  it is harder with teenagers, they don't want to just hang out at home like I do.   They want things like cell phones and cars.  We help them get their license and first car.   However after that they have to get a job and pay for their car insurance, cell phone and gas if they want to drive their car.  Because they have to work and make money, it gives motivation for them to learn self sufficiency at a young age.

It's important to me that my children have time for books and learning things on their own at home.  I've learned they will get creative given time.  Last year my son Jason was homeschooled, he was 15 and wanted to study many new things on his own.  He has a great attitude and is a self manager so I agreed.  In that year he learned to make his own gun ammunition by melting lead, filling the bullets and reloading.  He learned to tan hides, hunt, studied guns, passed his hunter safety class, and learned about our native species of plants and animals.  He ran the rabbitry, and  learned survival skills, he even made his own garden area that he tended through the summer and grew corn, green beans and pumpkins.  Learning what the soil takes to grow things, he worked hard weeding and watering all on his own piece of land.  I don't think these things would have happened if he'd been sitting in front of the tv.

Our daughter Tessa is 13,  and for 4 years she played year round soccer, she used to be a goalie for a select soccer team, this is a major time commitment (for the kids and parents), along with the gas bill for driving all over to tournaments.  She has taken the last year off, and is now looking forward to doing school track this Spring.  This is in our budget, select soccer no longer is.  Tessa is also learning guitar, and is our biggest reader, she is enjoying her time, reading, learning and growing.

Kaley our youngest at 10 is just happy to have everyone around her, she loves to help me in the kitchen cooking and baking, and helps me around the house with a happy heart.  She is our funny girl, and keeps us all entertained and laughing at her jokes and little shows she puts on.

We've also cut back on how much meat we eat, and are planning to grow more of our own this year.  We want to get 15 or 20 cornish cross chickens, and raise them for the freezer.  Our plan is to produce as much of our own food as we can to carry us through lean times, and all be well fed.  I make almost everything I cook from scratch, and cook many things like soups, stews, corn bread, rice, eggs (many different forms), salads, casseroles, potatoes, rootcrops, and winter squashes.  Foods that are nutritious and filling that aren't too expensive.  Growing a vegetable garden and having fruit trees and berry bushes helps us to eat like royalty  during the growing season.   

Over the years we've never invested in the stock market, but we have invested in honeybees, fruit trees, chickens, rabbits, fencing, and building materials.   Most of all we've invested  in our home and land to have it all paid for, always building with cash as we went, this has been the priority for years.  Living frugally is just what we do and has become a way of life.