Winter Getaway Pictures

 Harvesting Macadamia Nuts

Our close friend Rene, explaining the finer details of choosing papayas to pick.

 We played lots of croquet.

 I took this our last morning after doing Yoga Sun Sallutations waiting for it to rise.

We just returned from twenty days in Kaua'i. We timed our vacation perfectly as we were able to enjoy the holidays and have some down time afterwards, and we didn't come back while it was still dark and dreary. Now we are home and the increase in daylight hours and sun intensity since we left is incredible. Today the sun filled our house with bright sunlight all afternoon and we basked in it.

I am recharged and ready to take on the world. Tomorrow we are setting up the first seed starting rack. I'll be starting celery, onions, shallots and leek seed along with some herbs; thyme and oregano. One of my seed starting goals this year is to start some of the less productive crops earlier. I generally pride myself on vegetable seeds at the right time, early enough to get a jump start but not so early that they get leggy or root bound. Now that I have a little more room, I'm planning on transplanting or starting the heat lovers in bigger pots to give them more room, with the intention of having cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers before August - some years we've been eating this crops mid- summer, but not this past summer.

I had a pretty laid back attitude (for me) in regards to the garden this last year (due to hubby away most of the summer and the kids and I trying to maintain balance and harmony around the homestead).... and it showed. My lack of efforts were particularly obvious in regards to soil preparation. Some beds looked good, but a lot of crops could have and should have been bigger and more glorious. It all comes down to hauling compost/er, aged animal bedding, and how little of it I'm up for wheel barrowing up a driveway with kids moaning along behind. See, when we first started clearing land for our garden we did not know we'd be keeping animals, so our hill is poorly planned out; with the garden a work out above the chicken coop and goat pens. How much compost and animal bedding should I be putting on the garden at spring planting? I put on about a dozen wheel barrow full loads, and I'm guessing that needs to be tripled.

I've been wanting to rent a small piece of farm machinery to clear the goat pens, build compost piles and haul bedding up the hill, and I'm hoping that this might be the spring that it gets done. Wouldn't that make my life easier? It comes down to having more money in the spring and for D to get a day or two off with his busy work schedule.

In other exciting news, Dustin brought home our Feed Store's poultry shipment schedule for the spring. Although, I don't know why I'm so excited about it as I'm planning on hatching our own crosses and maybe ordering some Welsummers from a small hatchery. I do know; it is a sign of spring. I've decided to fore go pigs this year as much as I want to take the plunge. I'm trying to practice restraint, which goes for geese and ducks as well, (and sheep and Angoras :)

I will be ordering bees, as well as a handful of turkeys and Cornish cross. And of course we've got bred goats. I've bred six of our seven does, and I'm hoping four or five are expecting kids between April and May. I'm going to try to sell all the doelings as well as a few milkers, with my goal still being to go into winter with four milkers. We no longer have any bucks. We had friends butcher the last adult for meat this month, and we've loaned (maybe permanently) a buckling to some friends. So my morning chores are a piece of cake right now, and can be accomplished in about a half hour; milk two does, feed does grain, hay and water, and haul water and feed to the chickens.

The break from the farm has me inspired to do my best this spring for my animals. I've been holding onto several gallon jars of dried herbs from this summer, and my pregnant does will be getting handfuls of dried nettles and red raspberry leaves on their grain until they kid. I'm also feeding a couple tablespoons of kelp to the bred does along with extra sunflower seeds(1 cup) and alfalfa pellets (2 cups).

The chicken's eggs haven't been as orange as usual, so I'm planning on cleaning out the freezers looking for extra goodies for them, in addition to getting into a sprouting regime for them; time to start sprouting and growing some wheat grass in the windows for the chooks. When I clean out the freezers I put things like Goat stock from 2011, old frozen soups (nothing with poultry), moose scraps intended for dog food, salmon eggs and freezer burnt goat cheese into our backup fridge to thaw, and then feed them over the course of the week.


One last note, I just received an ordering form from a local Goldstream Valley farm selling seed potatoes as well as other vegetable seed; tomatoes, peppers, cukes, turnips etc. I thought I'd share their address for those of you here in the Interior as I was stoked to see a farm offering local heirloom and organic vegetable and flower seed. So here they are: 

Zone 1 Grown 

c/o Pingo Farm

999 Maura Street 

Fairbanks, AK 99709

I'm looking forward to hearing from you guys. What are you excited about? How is your garden and livestock planning going and what changes are you making?

Forty Below

I can't remember the last time it was forty below here at our homestead, but that is what the thermometer is reading tonight. Br. Usually we see several weeks of twenty below and a handful of days at thirty below, unlike town and low lying properties which have several weeks of thirty below, and often a couple weeks of forty to fifty below zero. In the hill we are above the "ice fog" which blankets town heavily, reducing visibility and polluting the air. We usually have a significant temperature inversion, but then there are times like today, that we do not.

At forty below we do not leave the house unless there is some sort of emergency. Usually because if it is forty below here it is sixty below in town with zero visibility. Also, cars just don't run well - if you can get them started, they are sluggish and stiff, sometimes the tires freeze flat where they were resting on the ground and it takes a while for them to round out as you slowly drive down the driveway. Plastic breaks easily, trim, knobs, handles, sometimes doors don't open properly or unlock - so you just don't want to force anything when it is this cold.

 At forty below we keep the fires burning, we toss hay indoors for the goats, we reset their light timers to stay on during the day and later into the night, and we put down bedding and toss extra Alfalfa. Splitting wood at these temperatures is very satisfying as it splits so easy, however you've got to move fast to keep warm, and the hands and face get cold easily. This morning I was showing our house sitter the current chore routine, and talking and breathing in the cold air without covering my face was hurting/ chilling my chest  - that doesn't happen at twenty below. Nose hairs and eyelashes frost over with ice crystals, and if you head outside to do chores without your jacket and your warmest gloves, as did yesterday and today, you won't get more than a few steps before you come back in to search for them.

The house doesn't stay quite as warm as usual when it is this cold out. There are little drafts here and there, mostly near the french doors.When the front door get's opened long enough for someone to go out it, you can feel the cold draft thirty feet away. My hands get chilled easier when I'm cooking and washing dishes. When I'm done with kitchen chores I enjoy putting on my fingerless mittens and my silky cowl. I try and get the kids to wear there slippers, but they are still going bare foot. Not me.

So what do we do on a forty below weekend? Yesterday we had friends over for an afternoon play date/visit. After which we ate chicken and vegetables in gravy with biscuits. Last night Dustin took the kids downstairs so I could have some relaxing time in front of the fire with a good book. Then D, Noah and I played several games of pool together while Avery watched and cheered. D and I watched a movie last night. We started off today with pancakes. I spent the afternoon trying to get beyond my normal tidy/sweeping spree to some deep cleaning. We were supposed to have friends up for sushi night, but they cancelled, so we went ahead with sushi (which I've just finally learned how to make) then we had homemade vanilla pudding (which I know, does not go with sushi - but it's cheap when you have lots of milk and eggs on hand), and then we played Uno and bingo till story time.

The kids have been in a winter funk, and having play dates every few days is essential. Having D around this time of year is awesome as we are able to split the kids up and give them breaks from each other. We are counting down the days till we get a break from winter. We aren't thinking or talking of much else other than our upcoming escape to sun, sand and ocean. That being said, if I could get a little more peace to myself on these frosty, winter afternoons, I would be reveling in their still blue beauty as I dream about garden and livestock summer plans. I'm trying to enjoy this quiet time before life begins to pick up pace again. By the time we get back it will be late winter and the sun will be sparkling on snowbanks everywhere, and the sky will be the bright blue of March and September days.

If you are well prepared and have plenty of wood and water and a well stocked pantry, and you don't have to go anywhere or battle frozen cars and extension cords, forty below can be a special time to just hunker down and enjoy your home and family.

Longing for brighter days

I went to town today and it was sunny out, making this the second day the sun has shone on me this year. Our west facing top of the hill perch is still in complete shade and will remain so for a few more weeks. On sunny days I can see the sun across the valley hitting the south east facing hillside. Every year at this time we dream of living on a south facing hillside. When we do, I will sit in the south facing windows as much as possible during the daylight hours this time of year and just soak up the warmth through the glass panes. Dustin and Noah went to town a while back and the sun was shining. D asked N when the last time he'd seen the sun was and N sarcastically replied "Last year!", and he was right, it had been at least since last year.

My intention for this month was to be more social than usual, and as a result we've spent most the month taking turns with a couple nasty bugs. I think we are in the clear. I have gotten very little accomplished this month other than morning lessons and chores, tidying in circles and cooking and dishes. I've done a small amount of knitting and needle felting in the afternoons, working on making some fruits and vegetables. I've been getting into a daily yoga routine, the kids join in at the end for a few minutes. We've been doing wet on wet water color painting in the afternoons as we tell an ongoing vowel story. I've been enjoying the painting immensely. It soothes the soul.

I placed my Fedco Seed order. If we weren't leaving for a few weeks I'd go ahead and start a few slow growing herbs just because, alas I have to wait until the first of March before we'll be back and can get started, which I fear is going to be too late to get the onions, leeks and shallots going, but I'm going to try it anyway.

We are down to seven does in the doe barn, the lowest number we've had in a few years. Five of them are supposed to be bred and I'm thinking of breeding one more. I'm hoping to sell a few with their kids right after kidding. It would make more sense to sell them before they kid, and I might do that as well, but only if I get around to drawing blood and confirming their pregnancies.

My kids have had the winter blues lately. They are beginning to long for summer and reminisce about being outside when it is warm. Winters are long here. On January days I dream of a homestead with a creak running through it that is thawed year round. I take the kids on daily walks to watch the water flow, and yes there are days where our boots crunch through the snow, but only for a month or two and not half a year.

The sun is still low on the horizon. Daylight wakes us around nine a.m. and darkness takes over again by five thirty or so. Of course on this hill, the day light hours are not bright, but more of a dim gray even during the middle of the day. The first week in February the sun will hit the tree tops on our land, and by the second week I think the sun will shine into our windows. For me that is a big winter turning point and I begin to think spring. Normally I would be comforting myself with daily hot chocolate, pies and bread pudding, but with winter vacation just around the corner I'm more self conscious than ever of how many calories I'm consuming - not something I usually worry about.

I am going to try to embrace the stillness of this month. Doesn't it feel as though this month is set apart from the rest in it's silence and stillness. I think the trickle begins in February and by March it feels as though we are well underway on a moving river of chores and jobs and projects that must be done in their allotted time; spring cleaning, seed starting and farm plans are put into action, but for now, it is still to dark to notice the dust that will eventually be highlighted by the intensity of the spring Sun, and so I will continue to enjoy this slow time of year and the lack of urgency to do much. Wishing you all brighter days than mine. (written with sincerity).

January planning

We have been enjoying a few weeks of mild weather here in the hills of Interior Alaska, by mild, I mean mostly above zero and below twenty degrees. The chickens and goats have enjoyed spending time outside. In general, the first couple weeks of January tend to be some of the coldest all winter. I recall many a forty below or colder New Years Eve. The fire work show has been cancelled on account of ice fog and poor visibility on at least one occasion. I tend to get sick with a cold just about every year right after Christmas. Unlike the past two years, at least I was better this year by New Year's Eve. In between being sick and resting myself, and caring for sick kids, we have been spending our well mornings doing home school lessons. We've been more social than usual, inviting friends over for afternoon visits (possibly why we've had a couple back to back colds). The kids have been getting outside more than usual, Noah to help with firewood or shoot his bow, Avery, to tag along for farm chores, visit the doelings and tag along after her big brother.

My brother came up and butchered a couple goats for me. He says I should be doing it by myself by now. I smile and send him off with more farm products than he can carry, eggs, jam, unmentionables...We butchered a yearling doe with issues and an eight month old wethered male. The female had weak pasterns and or some other sort of possible selenium deficiency or leg issue, so we couldn't breed her, nor could I find anyone to buy her. It is not easy to butcher goats and I don't make these decisions lightly. It wasn't easy. In fact it was pretty lame. Enough so to give me cause to eat less meat and raise less goats. Having said that, I do have a great sense of pride that we don't have to buy red meat, and that butchering a few goats a year and receiving some game from my brother accounts for ninety five percent of the red meat we eat. Thankfully, we now have enough goat meat in the freezer to get us to next fall.

My goat herd ambitions have changed drastically in the past year. We currently have two bucks, two milkers in milk, three dried off and bred does, and two doelings; making seven does. I would have less goats except I had previous commitments to provide our goat shareholders with milk through October, and so I had to keep my four milkers at the time. I have learned over the past five years of raising goats that selling goats and finding good homes for them is not as easy as I had initially thought it would be, and in fact it is quite challenging. I had intended to just breed a couple does this fall but have ended up breeding most of them once more, in hopes that I will be able to sell them in the spring when they are just freshened. I'm hoping to sell all the doelings as well, the boys we will plan to butcher in the fall when the temperatures are just right for hanging meat outside.

I have a local goat expert friend who has always said he hopes for single doe kiddings. And D and I use to think, why not hope for twin or triplet doelings. Well it took a while, but I am so there now, crossing my fingers for single births, which we rarely have. My goal is to have four does going into next winter, and no bucks, no wethers, no doelings. Our two bucks are not that great, so as of now I'm planning on getting rid of them this spring. I have been greedily eying their current large flat pen that has several years of layers of chicken and goat bedding with no weeds. My plan is to till it in the spring and plant something that can withstand the rich bedding, maybe Alfalfa? I was thinking of dividing the section up into grain plots and trying to grow some hull less oats, hull less barley, kamut or wheat and quinoa. I need to do some more research though. We have another empty pen as well with five years of goat bedding and tree stumps. I'm thinking of getting a couple pigs to till it for me this year and then planting something in it the following year. I need to do some fence research. My main question being will woven mesh fencing keep in pigs if I have a couple strands of electric on the inside, with the lower strand being between four and eight inches off the ground? I'm thinking that I might need to move the bottom stand lower so that it will shock their noses or foreheads when they go to dig under the fence. There can be no chance of them escaping, as a small section of fence is adjacent to the garden.

I have been pouring over the seed catalogs. What do you turn to first when you get your catalogs? Each year is different, several years ago I would have said tomatoes and peppers, but now I'm somewhat disillusioned with heat loving crops - well I say that but then I guess winter squash and pumpkins are also heat loving and that is what I turned to first. I am also excited to grow grain and dried beans even though D reminds me that they are things that are not expensive to buy. I have few enough animals that I can feed them ourselves - that is my ultimate goal. So experiments are necessary. Legumes are high in protein. I want to play around with Alfalfa, siberian pea shrub, drying peas and high protein grains as well the standard grains.

So every year we gardeners have our new ambitions whether it is new amendments, crop rotation, gadgets or probably new seed varieties we are trying out. Here's mine. I have always bought onion, leek and shallot sets instead of starting them from seed because I felt that I didn't have enough room to start them myself. Having more room this year, (marginally) I am shunning the outrageously expensive sets by the pound or bunches of starts along with the crazy high shipping prices which  make it just crazy impractical and growing my own! Other than this, I'll write another post on new seed varieties and medicinal herbs I'm planning on growing. I have a few new ideas of where I'm putting this or that, going to start growing tomatoes and cucumbers in our glass tree house (last year's apiary) again, which has been off limits and too challenging while the kids were littles.

I'm feeling extremely optimistic and happy for this dark time of year, and in case you are suspicious, I must confess; we are in preparation for twenty days in Kauai here soon. The last time we headed to Kauai in winter it hadn't occurred to me to diet or workout, being naturally fairly in shape with farm chores and being and active mom, and I didn't look horrible, but looking back at pictures I definitely looked like a pale tourist from Alaska who hadn't noticed the extra pudge under all the bulky winter layers. So, while I'll never look like a local Hawaiin, I am trying harder this year. I've been tanning and yoga-ing regularly and watching how many cookies and chocolates I eat each night :) So, not to rub it in, but if I sound too perky for writing from Fairbanks in January, guaranteed sun, heat and humidity on the horizon would be the reason. I would love to hear about your planning and dreaming for your garden or farm!

Christmas pictures

My kids are at the stage where their cheesy grins and posing turn on for the camera - what can I say?

 The big white blob on the front of the tree is a needle felted angel that Noah made (ah, ornaments made by young children :)

 Our new addition looking a little more lived in.

 My first attempts at handmade needle felted ornaments.

 

Avery got a dollhouse for Christmas, which just so happens to be my dollhouse from childhood. Lots of old memories for me, rugs and quilts and furniture I'd made. Seashells from the coast packed into the trunk, stowed away oh so many years ago.

Look closely. Noah is wearing moccasins that I made, an elk skin vest that my dad made, and a leather quiver that my brother made. And that is his new youth wood long bow.

Noah trying out his new bow with my brother (skilled hunter) giving him just the right amount of suggestions.

Avery's new felted (knitted, fulled and needle felted) slippers. 

Wishing you all a late Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas, and an early Happy New Year. I don't know about you but I'm thinking it is time to relax and curl up with a good book or my first two seed catalogs. Time to take a short break from crafting. Time to reflect on the past year and all the wonderful lessons we've learned. I'm beginning to think of what I want to do differently in the garden. I've also been thinking of how to spend more time in the garden with the kids and less time in town or in the house. Today I started thinking that I'd like to have an open garden day, where we invite moms and kids up to the garden one day a week to visit while the kids run free. I'd even be up for watching kids while their mom's run short errands. I'm all about bribing moms to bring their kids to mine - homebody that I am.

As for right now, I am looking forward to making music with the kids this month. Avery has a new lap harp. I tuned it last night and played a couple songs. Something we can sing to together. I've also been wanting to write some short stories and poems together. What are you guys looking forward to having time for once the Holidays are behind us?

Dark Day Pictures

I have been a mother for six and half years now. My existence before motherhood is blurry and vague, my adult years of carefree frolicking blend together with few defining events. Even since entering motherhood, I have thought of myself as so much more, a gardener, wanna be farmer, cook, baker, food lover, goat caretaker and cheese maker are a few at the top of my list and mother and wife have been intermingled among the rest of my passions. These days I feel like one word sums up my existence; mother. I know I should say wife is right in there as well, but as much as I like to think I am, and maybe I am; a loving, attentive wife, my husband is able to feed and care for himself, and he is often away doing his job, providing for our family. Whereas I am generally with the children every minute of every day from when they rise to when they fall asleep, and thus they direct the majority of my thoughts and actions.

So maybe you've noticed, my posts have been following my evolution as a mother. This past year I feel like I've evolved the most, realizing, (better late than never), that most of my interests will still be there when my children are grown. Not to say that much is changing, except for that feeling of desperation or urgency when it comes to planting, harvesting, preparing and creating. It has taken me a while to realize that preparing five course meals for company is not an o.k. goal to have when I have two little ones who would rather have my attention and don't do well when I'm in the kitchen all day. This last year has been a year of letting go and easing up for me. And somewhere in there I've realized that I'm just now putting my children first in my life, whereas before I was putting the health of our animals or our desire to live as self sufficiently as possible above my role as a mother.

Our family is entering into a complete new world of opportunities. We have left the days of babies and toddlers far behind. I haven't nursed a baby or washed diapers in two years. I'm enjoying uninterrupted nights of sleep more often than not. The kids are beginning to be a significant help when they wish to be. Tantrums are becoming rarer. It is an exciting time. I have been so busy trying to stay on top of the present that there has been little time for looking ahead. After several years of feeling always behind and struggling to just keep one step ahead of the kids, like have their next meal or snack prepped or planned, I'm finally having time to myself as well as time to get creative and seek out fun and adventure with the kids.

This past year we have joined a community of like minded parents and children, which has been so enriching, rewarding and inspiring. Our homesteading lifestyle keeps us in touch with our land and in harmony with the seasons. The Waldorf homeschooling community, inspires us to come together to celebrate this lifestyle. Celebrating year round and making each day special for our family by way of songs, stories, crafts, candles, special food and fellowship has been the missing thread from the tapestry that is our life. Here are some pictures from our dark days. I think they speak for themselves.

Note the goose quill from our own goose that Noah is writing with.

He chopped that himself! (at six and a half, with dad's supervision)

And I should be tying all those thoughts together for a nice tidy ending, but I'm all out of coherent umph, and I'm distracted by an untouched knitting project sitting beside me and thoughts of a novel I'm hoping to squeeze in before bedtime. So goodnight and best wishes for your darkest days wherever you are. 

Finding peace during the darkest days

In the mornings when I'm milking goats or walking my chore routine solo, I think of so many topics I want to write about and so many discussions and debates to begin; Selecting chicken breeds for cold climates; winter hardiness vs. behavior indoors and tolerating coop confinement, or perhaps, Are show goats being bred for production and looks at the expense of other significant traits such as easy kidding? Alas, by the end of the day, which is generally when I sneak in a few minutes of computer time, all I can come up with is what I've been doing daily; chores, lessons, crafts, food, snow removal....

I have fallen off my blog writing routine, and in case you are wondering what I've been doing instead, I can sum it up in one word: crafting. Yep, since early November I've been spending at least an hour and sometimes three, knitting or sewing, after the kids have gone to bed. And I'm pretty proud of myself as it means I've been doing a fairly decent job fighting off the constant urge to sit down and dive into the nearest novel. I often reward myself with some reading after my crafting quota has been filled, and this past week I fell of the wagon completely for a couple nights and did nothing but read, ahem, I read four novels and two novellas in the last ten days and that was without reading during the day, much:)

So what have I been making? Well, I am skin sewing my first pair of high top moccasins for Noah. The bead work just about killed me. I use to love beading and now I no longer have the patience for it, and it shows. But, I made it and am now close to finishing the sewing on the second one. They better fit!!! I have knitted Avery one slipper or "felt clog" and I'm starting second one tonight. After I felt and shape them I'm going to embroider a design on the top. I'm working on a couple other small knitting projects for family members which I cannot elaborate without spoiling surprises. During the day we've been wet felting and needle felting. A girlfriend stopped by with her basket of needle felted amanita mushroom ornaments, crocheted snowflakes and little pinecone acorn people which were all so lovely and special, that I went on an ornament making spree and tried my hardest to replicate them, pictures coming. I'm also hoping to get some wet felted/needle felted doll clothes, and simple toys; fruits, veggies, small dolls, made.

It can be challenging finding the right projects that the kids can do and enjoy each year. Even folding and cutting paper snowflakes can be hard for Avery, and I end up doing most the folding, and cutting... Noah has been doing some needle felting. Avery is big into beads, although only a fraction of our bead stash has big enough holes. I have to sit with her but she has made a couple necklaces for friends lately. She has also been doing some wet felting and is able to complete small projects on her own. She is going to be so crafty as she gets older, I can't wait. I can just see it now, us doing embroidery together, knitting and crocheting, weaving... I've been trying to get Noah to do some knitting and weaving, it is all about my timing.

So I have to brag about our dark winter days as they are just so beautiful and peaceful. We've had some cold weather and some warmer weather, the warm weather (above zero) brings with it snow, which fills out the nooks and crevices of the white Birch and makes for contrasting layers on the dark green spruce boughs. We are in hibernation mode, as much as I try to fight the later bed time, inevitably we are sleeping in and staying up later and later. So my mornings are flying by and by the time I've finished my chores it is often time to make lunch. Dustin is home all day every day this time of year. As he was working too much during the warm months to get our firewood stockpiled, he spends a couple hours a day outside hauling, sawing and splitting wood. He is just now taking a break from working on the house, as we were able to move in to our new quarters and are content with the almost finished rooms.

My favorite times of the day have been our meals which we've been eating all together, usually with the oil lantern or a candle lit on the table. The kids have been playing amazingly well for hours and hours each day, so well that I have to be determined to stick to our schedule and get our lessons done right after breakfast before the kids get down to play, otherwise I have a hard time getting them back up to do schoolwork. Then we've been water color painting, dipping candles, felting and crafting in the afternoons. We hollowed out gourds that we grew with rattle making in mind, but we failed to let them sit and cure for the year they needed to do so, oops. The kids play. I tidy and cook. Often they come join me after dinner for more wool work. I must say that my very favorite time of the day is when the kids have fallen asleep and I'm done being productive. I lay out a few yoga mats on top of each other and prop up some pillows and bean bags in front of the wood stove and lean back and put my feet up, and read. Add to that some hot buttered rum and homemade kettle corn  or a glass of red wine with crackers, goat cheese and olives, and well, I feel slightly glutinous.

 We have been going longer stints without going to the grocery store (about every two weeks) we've been trying to buy less. I've been having fun getting creative and trying to use what we have in the house. We've been eating lots of oatmeal or eggs in the morning, meat and vegetables at night.  We have an abundance of milk, goat cheese, eggs, meat and bulk grains and beans, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, beets, winter squash and frozen berries. We just finished up the last of our own onions, garlic and celery. When we go to the store at the top of the list is crackers for the goat cheese, spinach for fresh salads, apples or clementines and olives for our late night olive addiction.

Our meals have been pretty simple as I've been crafting late into the afternoon. I'm looking forward to our Christmas break where we are going to let go of all thoughts of lessons for a couple weeks, and I'm going to make elaborate meals, I'm thinking of cheese blintzes and bread pudding for breakfast and homemade noodle dishes and dumplings for dinner. So, now it is your turn. I'm looking forward to hearing about your crafts and what you guys are making for gifts or ornaments or what other special things you are doing with your family. Happy Dark Days. Happy early Solstice! And stay warm and let your light shine wherever you are!

Medicine making and miscelaneous

Avery meeting her new cousin Atticus Ezra.

 Noah is learning to play the pentatonic flute.

I played the flute in Highschool and have enjoyed learning how to play this simple flute. I've been thinking of learning to play a string instrument; something I can play and sing to at the same time. I've been smitten with ideas of playing the banjo this month, we'll see.

 

Noah has been very interested in beading lately. He has just been stringing small glass beads onto beading string and making bracelets. After spending a few years of my childhood in a Yup'ik village, I use to do a lot of beading. I'm looking forward to doing some beading projects alongside Noah as he is ready. 

I have been getting really exited about a lot of Noah's recent interests as they align with past interests of mine. He is fascinated by Native American History and pretty much any Indian skills, such as weapon making, bow hunting, beading, tanning and skin sewing. On the way to the library he specifically requested that we pick up some NON- Fiction books about Indians or boys that lived in the past. He has loved the first two books in the Little House in the Prairie series. We just started the book, Sign of the Beaver. He is not huge into arts and music, but working with his interests I think we'll be experimenting with making quills for writing out of geese feathers and possibly making paper. I think we may be doing some skin sewing this winter as well. And I'm wondering if I might have the ambition to make a pair of small moccasins over the coming winter nights.

When I was in high school, I was part of an Inter tribal drum group. In College I danced with the University Eskimo dance group. I minored in history, with my favorite classes about Colonial America and Native American History. And I minored in Yup'ik Eskimo. All things I don't usually write about, but you can see why I might be excited about my son's current interests.

Switching Gears Completely because there is so much to share and I've been writing and posting so little... here are a couple pictures of our new addition which we will hopefully be living in by next month.

 

Both Pictures are of the living room which extends from our current living room. To the right are two bedrooms, a bathroom and someday stairs. Dustin is busy putting in light fixtures and staining trim and doors. The painting is finished and the flooring should be going in next week.

For the record, making sausage links out of fresh intestines from the pig went way smoother than using store bought preserved natural intestines- which was so much of a pain that I gave up last time.

 

Bacon below. The pig we had was not super big, nor did it have a lot of fat. So we have some pretty thin belly slices to work with, but they should start off some wicked Minestrone. I used a dry rub and cured them for six days and then smoked them for a couple hours over applewood chips at about ten degrees, does that count as cold smoking?

 

Yesterday I finally got around to straining my garden tinctures and oils from the summer's harvest. I have enough of most the medicines that I won't need to make those same ones next year.

 

Blurry but... here they are, re- used glass droppers with back up half pints and pints behind. Tinctures: Calendula, Plantain, St Johns Wort, Spilanthes, California Poppy

Glycerites for the kids: Spilanthes, and a combo; California Poppy, Chamomile and Catnip.

Oils: Calendula, St Johns Wort, Chamomile

I am most proud of the St Johns Wort and Spilanthes, as they can be tricky to grow here. This is probably the fifth year I've grown St Johns Wort and only the second time I've gotten it to bloom, and it didn't bloom until late September, just before a hard freeze. I have never used St Johns Wort as an anti depressent although that is it's most known use these days. Instead I've used it as a topical pain reliever and it is one of those treatments that has amazing and immediate results.

I think of Spilanthes as our replacement for Echinacea Purpurea as it does not grow well here and most likely will not come back as a perennial as it does most places. The Spilanthes is not a perennial either but it flowers the first summer. I use it as a short term immune booster as I would Echinacea. For the record, an herbalist friend told my after the fact that Spilanthes does not extract well in Glycerine. Since I've already done it, I figure it will be an experiment. A good reminder to do my research more thoroughly. I have given the kids tinctures before, straight or in tea, but I will feel better about giving them the glycerites, hopefully it is sweet enough and if it isn't, there is always honey.

I have comfrey and Elecampene - Inula root in the fridge that I dug after the ground was frozen solid :)

I'll be making an oil with the comfrey as I think I may have accidentally thrown out the last fresh roots oil I made - but I learned that it heals external wounds crazy fast. The oils I'll be using for lotions and salves. 

We are gliding into winter seamlessly, although there is forever so much to still do. Lotion and Lip balm making are at the top of my list as we are all drying out with the wood stove running non stop. Soap making so that soap will be ready by Christmas for gifts. Other gifts for Christmas, candles to dip, toys to make, knitting, felting... Then there are goats to butcher so that the feed bill will drop. 

I struggle with my need to accomplish tasks and with my children's need for me to be "in the now" with them. We are sticking to a stricter school schedule which takes up a good chunk of the day. Between lessons and farm chores it seems like I go around in circles just making food, doing dishes and tidying up, and then when I finally get a chance to tackle a project the kids want me to play Peter Pan with them - the nerve right? Ha. 

I'm trying to play more, listen better, but it is a job I could never look back on and say I did it as well as I could.  We can always give more, put more in to what is most important. Children can never have enough of our love, our time and attention. I have been slowly letting go of my need to do blank; pick cranberries before the frost, harvest every last plant in the garden before the snow falls. It just isn't worth stressing about to the point that I tend to do. Instead I try to sit and watch, laugh and play.

Zero degree day

As I passed the thermometer on my way to do chores this morning, it read a solid zero degrees. In a few months that will feel warm to us, but today it feels pretty chilly, chilly as in if I hadn't kept a brisk pace through my tossing hay, opening doors routine, I'd have needed to come back to the house and put a jacket on over my sweater and Carhartt bibs. There are certain things you just can't get away with when it is zero outside; such as setting jars of milk out the front door for a few hours, leaving eggs on the front porch for a day or two until I get around to taking them inside to the fridge, leaving any liquids outside whether that is bottles of water in the car or a tank of water in the back of the truck, and as I learned this weekend, if you leave a freshly butchered pig in the back of the pickup, not only will it freeze solid (as I expected), but it will also freeze to the truck bed (I had meant to take a tarp or sheet with me but forgot). Now said frozen pig is hanging on our front porch until author's brother has time to break it down.

On Saturday I stood around at a friend's and at least helped with the planning of how to kill their pigs, who were free range around the property pigs that were not pen -able, (gotta love that - and a word from my own dictionary), without losing the remaining pigs in the woods. There were a couple flawed plans at first that we managed to nix, such as having three men with three guns each shoot a pig at the exact same moment - yeah, recipe for hilarious chaos I'm sure. Finally we just distracted the pigs with scraps and the two remaining didn't blink an eye with their companion was shot and gutted nearby. These pigs were much smaller than our last pig that we helped butcher, I think a third or at least half as big. This pig is maybe in the hundred and twenty pound range. A nice, manageable size. I'm planning on brining and smoking the belly for bacon and the hams. I've already scraped and cleaned the upper intestines for stuffing with sausage. And I pulled the head in to thaw to make headcheese, ahem, pork terrine. I think I'm going to try my first attempt at salami, something I've never been up for since I don't want to use nitrates, but we'll see how it goes.

On Sunday we butchered our last two geese, after taking their mother to a friend's house so she can live another year in the company of other Tolouse Geese. In exchange, hopefully I'll receive a dozen fertile geese eggs in the spring. I put one in the freezer for Christmas and the other I think we'll eat this weekend. I've got a bag of organs and fat in the fridge to deal with still, I'm thinking stock for the necks, hearts, feet and gizzards. Not sure about the liver, pate? Usually I'd cook it with rice for dog food.

Lately I'm not sure which I look forward to more, weekdays or weekends, as the weekends are filled with chores that need to get done, but aren't very enjoyable. The weekdays have become very routine. And I'll have to write about what the kids and I have been doing another day as it is past time to wake up the kids and get us going before we get behind on our day. In a few words here are our weekdays; fire starting, breakfast, candle lighting, song time. math, break, lunch, reading and writing, possible craft or kitchen project - whew - down time, then dinner time. whew!

The last of our Autumn pictures

Alas, these pictures are not recent. These are photos from August and September that I did not get a chance to share. Our world is white now. We have a few inches of snow, most likely here to say for oh, the next six months. We had our first snow a couple weeks ago - followed by a warm spell. About this time of year it doesn't tend to go away anymore. I cannot say that I am enjoying the snow with as much excitement and glee as the children. However, it is lovely coating the branches and sides of the tall bare birch trees. Today, the sun was shining through the glittery snow and woods. The woods and the view across the valley to the west as the sun was low in the sky was gorgeous. I'll have to get out and take some pictures while the sky is still blue and sunny. Dark days are coming fast. I'll fill you guys in soon about all that has been going on here. This weekend we are helping butcher pigs, followed by hopefully butchering our geese. Looking forward to bacon, sausage, lard, goose fat...

Harvesting, mourning and celebrating

 A lesson in chicken anatomy, my son knows a chicken liver, lungs, heart and gizzard. He insisted in pulling out all the organs from each chicken we butchered - just twelve in all, averaging eight and half pounds each. (Not intentionally, just pure procrastination.)

We had about three days where the Birch trees were full and completely golden. A night of wind and now the woods are bare and empty with only the occasional fully gowned tree bringing us to stop and ponder why it still has all it's leaves  I am a frantic squirrel gathering and stowing away, scrambling this way and that. My gathering and survival instincts are strong. I cannot go for a walk or just stand around and enjoy the beauty. Instead every walk is accompanied by a basket on my arm, gloves and my pocket knife or clippers, with me wondering what should be harvested next, Usnea or rose hips? Raspberry leaves or Dandelions? The past two weeks I gave up on carrying or hauling produce or herbs down from the garden and instead I drove the car up and down the hill, filled one day with cabbages, then comfrey tied in bundels, the next day; buckets of beets and carrots.

Dustin is on his sixteenth day straight of twelve hour shifts with an hour commute in each direction. I'm feeling like I've been a single mom for the last five months. The kids and I have had a challenging few weeks with me trying to do too much and they've been letting me know they need more attention.
I'm trying not to panic at everything that still needs to be done before the snow falls - we should have a few more weeks of bare ground, I hope.

 My winter squash, gourd and pumpkin harvest. Not impressive by most standards, but to see me gaze adoringly at my squash pile, you'd think I was gazing on a child I'd just birthed :)

Now for some sad news. We said goodbye to our faithful family dog of nine and a half years. Chana was an intuitive, gentle and hard working dog until the day she died. She was our first child. We think she had lymphoma or some sort of intestinal or stomach cancer. She went down hill quickly over the last couple months. The day we had her put down, I drove her up to the garden to sit in the sun, and took this picture. The kids spent the day writing and singing her songs. We buried her in a deep hole that Dustin spent a night digging, and we covered her with sweat peas and garden flowers. The kids and I have been visiting her and telling her about our days and what she has been missing. The house is strange and empty without her. It has been very sad to say goodbye.
 

We just celebrated Avery's fourth birthday. She had a fabulous day. We celebrated at the park with friends and family.

 

And that has been our September news. Harvesting, mourning death, celebrating life. Our days should be growing less eventful and we turn indoors and begin to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labors. We are just beginning lessons. I'm looking forward to have more time for crafts; knitting and felting, elaborate meals, learning with and from my children, reading and writing. What are you busy with and looking forward to?

Autumn Scramble

It is harvest time in the Interior. Low lying areas have had a few light frosts by now, enough that most zucchini, pumpkins and heat loving plants have succumbed - especially if they were not under cover. In the hills we are safe for a couple more weeks, but it is certainly time to begin the harvest, as much as we'd like to let everything just keep on growing. My bush beans, cucumbers and tomatoes were late this year and are just finally getting going. I'm hoping to make a couple batches of pickled dilly beans and pickled cucumbers over the next week or two. The peas have almost come to a complete halt, and so I should probably begin pulling vines and feeding them to the goats. One of my gardening weaknesses is spreading out the harvest. I just want to keep cutting broccoli side shoots and allow the cabbages and squash to grow bigger and bigger. And that is why I never get the compost worked in the fall - because before I know it the plants are frozen into the solid ground - oops.

This past weekend we took a short vacation. My doe who is due any day now is still due, maybe today? When we got back we killed off our bees :( and extracted honey. We had a very warm sticky kitchen and house for a night. Noah did most the cranking. I had to mop the floor the next morning before we even made breakfast, as it was so sticky to walk around. We are the proud owners of three and half gallons of our own honey - not a great yield or even a good yield, but I'll take it. My bees are still working on building their home; building wax onto their new frames - that's my excuse. I made some medicine this week with plants and weeds from the garden, tinctures of Callendula flowers, whole Spilanthes plants in bloom, whole Callifornia poppy plant and whole Plantain. We've been picking Callendula and Chamomile for tea and oil.

Our to do list is oh so long. It is the time of year where I need to harvest or put something up daily. At the top of the harvesting list are twelve very large crowing Cornish Cross (they've been on the list for a few weeks now.) I was planning on picking crab apples at a friend's today, for making applesauce - depending on how our doe is looking. The freezer is filling up, first blueberries, rhubarb and then raspberries. Next chicken followed by vegetables. It is time to make some lists so I don't go around in circles trying to figure out what to do first. The Golden leaves are falling. The Fireweed and ground plants are turning shades of red and brown. Are you guys feeling the autumn scramble?

Final Summer days

I've just come in from morning chores and am savoring the final moments of silence before my children arise. This has been my week to finally begin waking up and milking goats while the kids sleep on. As a result I've had a wonderfully productive week and more serene mornings. The kids have enjoyed playing in the house all morning while I've been busting out in the kitchen. Yesterday the kids and I made strawberry rhubarb pastries with pie crust for breakfast. The morning before that we made zucchini bread following a carrot cake recipe, which I've decided I prefer to regular zucchini bread recipes. I enjoy a moist well spiced bread. I made jerky this week and it was one of my best batches yet. I didn't follow a recipe this time, just my instincts as I poured in soy sauce, grated garlic, salt, fresh ground pepper, brown sugar and red hot chili paste. I fear I didn't make enough to get us through our upcoming road trip, and horrors; I'm out of soy sauce, so I have to visit the store before I can make more.

We are enjoying a sunny week in the seventies and low eighties - most of us are overjoyed for another week of summer after having such crisp cool weather lately. Yesterday the kids and I went raspberry picking for the second time. I picked about five gallons the previous picking and canned eighteen pints of raspberry jam and put three gallon bags of frozen raspberries in the freezer. Afterwards we met with friends for a water play day at the park. The sunlight is not as strong as early summer. I've been outside in full sun daily from noon to five, slathering myself with coconut oil, and I've gotten some color - not nearly enough.

My "TO DO" List is so long. Trying to decide what to do and what to put off seems crucial. We were going to butcher the meat chickens this week so I wouldn't have to buy another bag of feed, but my husband has been out of town unexpectedly. The kids and I have been spending our afternoons around the house herding goats and guarding free ranging chickens. I am keeping on top of the weeds in the garden. Next on my list is medicine making. I have time to pull things but not the time to do things with them so I'm waiting till next week to make some tinctures and glycerites with california poppies, plantain, skullcap, spilanthes, callendula, lovage and catnip.

We are also keeping a close eye on Rose who is at day 141 of her gestation and is due on day 150, but tends to kid on day 146. She is in her own stall with full access to the outdoors. Up until the last couple days she has been getting out for walks with the rest of the herd, but I suspect she is pretty content lounging around now. Her movements are becoming awkward and slower than usual. Two years ago she kidded to three bucklings and last year she kidded to two doelings and a buckling but we lost the first doeling who was the only light red doeling we've gotten. Two doelings would be perfect. Calla Lilly, Calypso, Coriander, Callendula (Cally). Names that don't conform but I like, Candy, Claire, Coral. Rose is a veteran kidder. She has never needed help. After she kids however, I think she can be overwhelmed with three kids to look after and feed.

The woods are patched with yellow. It happened overnight. I comfort myself by feasting on all the green still in sight. Summer is drawing to a close here. Time to begin the scramble to stockpile and put away all that we can while we can still see it, catch it, pick or dig it.