Last Sunset of the Year

Happy New Year!

The Photo Journalist

Just me... taking a picture of myself on the last day of 2010 in the mirror of the cabin.  Adorned in winter attire, my dad's old wool coat that my mom accidentally shrunk in the dryer years ago.  She gave me a blue and red wool coat, she shrunk both of them in the same load.  I have worn them for years, and remember my Dad in Alaska wearing them when I was a little girl.

Blustery Snowy Day

Country Kids

It's been snowing all day, we woke up this morning to a couple inches.  The kids are all having fun playing in the snow and being outside!  We have 3 cousins visiting from Wenatchee, so it's double the fun.

Jason and Jeremy the "Mountain Men"

Tessa practising with her new guitar she got for Christmas. 

Summer say's Hi

Winter Garden

Happiness Over The Holidays

At my daughter Christina's having a Christmas time dinner, our first ever at her home.

I woke this morning long before light,and lay in bed reminiscing about the holidays and how much fun it's been with family and friends.  I'm lucky to have my husband, and children, our home, and all the menagerie that is Applegarth Farm.  We are all blessed to be healthy and happy, and feel warm and safe.

Jarin got up early this morning and put on the coffee, I heard the bell ring and knew I had to get up and get dressed, pull on the rubber boots, and walk over in the dark from the barn to the little house.  We're not on our normal routine with school out for the Christmas Break.  The kids all sleep in 2 or 3 hours later than we do, and stay up a couple hours later, they're on holiday hours.  So our mornings begin with starting the  fire, coffee and chatting about what we're doing that day, then I feed the chickens, rabbits, and cats.  Jarin always takes Sierra and Summer for their morning walk, then puts them in the pasture to eat their breakfast and  play for a couple hours. 

Over the holidays it's been warm here in the NW, the moisture is thick, and it has rained lightly for days.  They're predicting Snow for Wednesday and Thursday, we have cold air coming today, and they're forecasting snow in the foothills and lowlands.  The kids, especially Kaley want it to snow.  Over Thanksgiving the snow we had was really fun to sled and play in.  Plus today 3 cousins are coming to stay for a couple days,  it would be fun to have snow so they could all play together.  I'm hoping for it too!  I love for winter to be Winter, I say... Let It Snow!

With Christmas over, we're onward to 2011.  I have big plans for Applegarth Farm this year.  This spring will be exciting,  we are planning to get a couple Nigerian Dwarf goats, they will be does to milk, sometime I'm hoping in March or April.  We'll be getting their area ready over the next few months.  The new year will bring work on the nursery part of the farm.  I will be grafting apples, pears, plums, and cherries, January through March.  Some work in the garden will also begin around the end of January.  I have several new beds planned, and will be planting more espaliered fruit trees around the garden.   I am also planting several rows of fruit trees I grafted a couple years ago in the new upper meadow orchard.

Over the next few days and weeks we at Applegarth will be reflecting on what we've accomplished over the last year, and what will be priority and desire to work on this year.    I encourage you also to take the time to reflect and write out your dreams for the coming year.  If self sufficiency is important to you, take some positive steps like planning now for your garden, look at seed catalogs, and study books from the library about vegetables, fruits and berries. You will want to dig your beds, and amend them with aged manure first of all.  If  you are interested in bees, January is the time to order them, and get your hives ready before they arrive in April.  If you want fruit trees, plant them over the next few months, order them now.  I have bought mine through Raintree Nursery and Burnt Ridge Nursery, both are in Washington, and do mail order.  If you want Chickens, rabbits, or goats., they all provide self sufficiency for families with food, and compost for enriching your garden.  Begin to think about getting ready for them come Spring.    The thought of all the new life in Spring brings me happiness now in the darkest days of the year.  Onward to longer days and a bright shiny New Year!

Applegarth's Future Farm Truck

On one side of the barn is a woodpile, and our future Applegarth Farm Truck.  We hope to have this 1946 Diamond T fully refinished and driving for special occasions, a dream still incubating for the time to complete someday.  On the left is one of our woodpiles, gathered last May to dry and cure over the summer, and ready to burn in the Fall.  When living in the country off grid, wood for heat and cooking becomes very important and is on the mind throughout the year.  Best to have a good Stihl chainsaw, a maul, and an ax.

Sledding Fun

Winter Solstice

A total eclipse of the moon (a Lunar Eclipse) Monday night will coincide with winter solstice. 

This means the moon will appear high in the sky and be visible throughout all of North and Central America, including Seattle — weather permitting.

Starting around 10:33 p.m. PST, the full moon, normally illuminated by the sun, will pass through the shadow,  created by Earth blocking the sun's light.

Some indirect sunlight still will manage to pierce through and give the moon a brown or maybe deep red color rather than the usual orange-yellow tinge, thanks to recent volcanic eruptions that have dumped tons of dust into the atmosphere.

More stars will appear in the sky as sunlight reflected from the moon fades.

This would be really cool to see, but the forecast for the Seattle area is for mostly cloudy skies, with showers.

Your best chance might be to watch your computer screen, not the sky.

www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies

A nice ritual for the winter solstice is to put  out bird food, squirrel, and rabbit food, for the little creatures to feast during the lean times they experience in winter.  If you buy a large bag of birdfeed like we do from our local feed store you can feed them for the next month.  With many enjoyable moments of birdwatching. 

Another nice ritual is to gather as a family and have a special meal, with a homemade dessert, and celebrate the shortest day of the year with a toast to the days turning lighter, and the hope of the coming year,

You could also begin plans for next years garden, by pulling out your seed catalogs, sitting by the fire with a hot cup of coffee, and writing out your design plans.  Maybe you'll order some new varieties of vegetable or flowers you've never tried growing before.  Or maybe you just want to splurge and buy yourself a new trowel and gloves.  Enjoy the Season!

Cheers to all!

The Handbuilt Cabin

This cabin started as a timber woodshed that J orginally built years before.  When it came time that his mom could no longer live alone, he wanted to bring her to live here.  Thus began the season of building the cabin, that once was a woodshed and from there created  a cozy home for his mom.  She lived and gardened here the last 3 years of her life, they were good years.  She passed away in 2000, but had those wonderful years to be in nature and be close to her son.

Pony Girl in her Pasture

Sierra this morning in her pasture.