Strawberry Season

Vacation Day Friday=Strawberry picking in Trenary=15 pints of freezer jam (and I still have 3 boxes left).  It was a great day!

Knitted Peasant Shawl

I refused to give up on this knitting project, even when I found myself having to start all over again (three times to be exact).  I eventually learned that markers are a knitters best friend (I’m sometimes slow to grasp the obvious).  I love this shawl and have already started another.  Only thing left to do is block it, but I'm a bit hesitant since I've never done it before and worry about ruining the yarn.  

 I have several other knitting projects planned over the course of the summer, mostly afghans and fancy scarves to give to my family as Christmas gifts.  Completing this project has given given me a confidence boost in my ability as a knitter.  Still have lots to learn! 

   

Bonfire and the Full Moon

  
Tonight was the first time my husband and I have been able to have a bonfire since our "Welcome back to Spring" extravaganza on April 21st due to very dry conditions.  It was a gorgeous night and here are some pictures I took.

Living the Dream

(I wrote this in my handwritten journal on July 23, 2011)

"Nature is the living, visible garment of God."

It amazes me how seamlessly new routines can weave themselves into the fabric of my everyday life.  Every morning I head out to the coop, greeted by the rooster’s crows, and the chirps and clucks of the hens to let them outside and give them fresh food and water.  While I do these simple chores, I add my voice to their chatter, reminding them once again what a bunch of spoiled brats they are.  My good-natured admonishments never seem to phase them or motivate them to improve their behavior. 

After receiving the rock star treatment from the cat and dogs when I return home from work, the next order of business is to check on the chickens.  They always rush to the fence when they see me coming and I’ve convinced myself it’s because they're happy to see me again too.

Around 9:30 p.m. or so, I make my last trip of the day to the coop to turn on the 15-watt red lamp that signals the encroaching darkness and that it’s time to get ready for bed, although for the past few weeks, most of the chickens have already been inside, settling themselves in for the night before I even get there.  I check their food and water fonts and perform the routine head count – two or three times for my peace of mind- and once I’m satisfied that all 26 are safely tucked away inside, I hang out a few minutes longer, just enjoying their company.  When it’s time, I prolong my leaving with a stream of “good-nights” and “I love you’s” before stepping outside and securing the door behind me.

From the moment these chickens came into my life when they were just one day old, I’ve known with absolute certainty that they were meant be here.  It was the most natural thing in the world for me to be raising these animals.  I received an inner confirmation to something I’d known all along—that this is what I should have been doing my entire life.  

A few people have expressed surprise at the way I’ve chosen to live my life and when I added chickens to the mix, I really threw them for a loop.  But for me, it’s just another mysterious piece of life’s puzzle clicking into place.  I was that girl raised in the city who always envisioned a rural life for herself.  I was the kid who constantly sought out the natural, green oasis within my urban existence, no matter how small.  The dream I’m living now was a seed planted long ago in my childhood and I took it with me when I left home after joining the Air Force.  It survived the death of my father when I was 18, a move across the country to Idaho and back, failed relationships, the loss of beloved pets and dear friends, and the joy and surprise of finally meeting and marrying the love of my life.  It was a dream that persevered even though I found myself having to pack up and re-establish myself in a new house or apartment every year or two when all I ever really wanted was a small piece of property to call my own where I could finally put down solid and permanent roots.

Now here I am—a 43 year old woman who owns three acres of property and a cottage sized house that is surrounded by miles of woods and awesome hiking trails.  I have my gardens, 26 egg laying chickens, a wonderful man to share my life, and four very spoiled dogs and a cat who have all helped me fulfill the dream and complete the puzzle.  I am content and at peace for the first time in a very long time.

Maybe next year at this time, I’ll be a raising a couple of dairy goats…

Labors of Love

May is going to be a busy month – that kind of crazy, happy busy that will fill all of my at-home moments with seed starting, garden bed preparations, and end of the month planting.  I’ll spring clean the chicken coop and begin work clearing out the wooded area right next door to their fenced-in enclosure so we can expand their playground.  My best friend is visiting at the end of the month for our annual greenhouse expedition and she’s tagging along with me to my first ever Fur and Feather Swap being held in Trenary on May 26^th.  I’m also in the process of working my way through a knitted peasant shawl pattern and the lace border has been giving me fits (I had to start the entire project over again).  My goal is to finish this shawl with my patience and good nature intact and then knit several more to give as Christmas presents to some of the women in my family.   

I have three months worth of vacation time saved up (the last time I took an entire week off was when I got married in August 2007) so at the board meeting in March I proposed that from the beginning of May until the end of September my five day work week be reduced to four.  The motion passed unanimously.    

One extra day off each week may not sound like much, but spread out over the course of the summer and autumn months, they are invaluable to this baby homesteader.  Those extra 24 hours will allow me to get so much more accomplished and give me the time to hone new skills (baking bread, brewing mead, wild crafting, and becoming a MUCH better knitter, are just a few at the top of my list).