bringing a bit of the farm home

oh i have grand plans. GRAND, i tell you.  and maybe i may even be overwhelming myself a bit.  too ambitious, some might say.

in my heart, i’ve known for a long time that the key to my happiness would be self-sufficiency.  i would read books and dream and visit farms and dream some more.  but, it always seemed like life got in the way, that other people were getting on in the world while i stood by.  so unsure about what to do, i gracefully started to bow out of living.  it was easier, i think, to let life happen around me, instead of taking charge and making things happen.  so many people i knew and loved began pursuing and achieving their dreams.  many involved higher education, and everyone wanted to know when i would go back to school.  better hurry up and do it before kids arrive on the horizon.  but the kids arrived.  and still i felt lost because i knew, deep down, that the things i wanted to do in life could not come out of an ordinary classroom, or a traditional education.  i wanted to MAKE my life.

knitting was a large part of that.  and sewing too… providing clothes and blankets and other various things for those i loved dearly, and for myself.  it was a start.  an intro.  but, it wasn’t enough.

so, i had a heart to heart with d.  i told him we needed a garden – we needed to bring the farm to us – needed to.  and i think one look in my eyes was all it took.  sure, the dollar signs were probably adding up in his head (he wouldn’t be himself if they hadn’t – so frugal is this man that i love).  but there was so much meaning here.  too much to let go.  and so he said okay.  as a family, we could do this.

i didn’t jump in to it.  i borrowed every book i could from the library.  i read up on various things on the internet.  i researched all kinds of things – every angle of this project.  i used the garden planner on mother earth’s website.  i configured and reconfigured the beds.

when it was time, it was i who jumped in the car and drove to the home improvement store, selected all the wood for the beds, had the boards cut, and then loaded them in the car – which was no small task for nine beds.  NINE.  and mostly, it was i who conceived and assembled all the beds, one by one, screw by screw.  it seemed that the more physical labor i put in to the project, the more i received in return.

i sourced free compost and manure, fill dirt, even ‘end rolls’ from the dispatch to help block the weeds.  i bought tomato and pepper starts at the local farmer’s market from a man who really seemed like he knew what he was doing – aka his hands told me a lot.  i like these kinds of people.  it felt good buying from him.  d began bringing home load after load of the sourced soil.

and finally, one sunny morning, i was able to put plants in the ground and line the walkways with straw.  adelaide helped carry a pepper plant to the beds.  she laughed when i told her to tickle the plant’s roots.  this was it.  it was the beginning.

and so, from this moment on, adelaide will always know where her food comes from.  she will always understand honest labor.  she will always know that i did the very best i could for her and her sister, and that i loved them so much.

and if they play their cards right, there might be a chicken or two in their futures!

i will keep my intentions for this process simple – that i learn about myself and the art of living simply, that i fall in love myself and with the grandeur of the world all over again.

and i hope to update you regularly on the progress being made here – spiritual or otherwise.

did i mention that gardening is messy work?  especially when you like to run through the water from the hose and sample a little compost along the way…

*in case you’re wondering – the beds are made from untreated lumber.  cedar was too pricey but oh so dreamy.  they are 2 x 8 boards in various lengths cut to make 4 4 x4 beds, 4 6×3 beds and 1 6×8 bed. then simple 1x2x8 boards were cut to join the top and bottom stacks of the beds.  this makes the beds 16 inches deep – but they’re not filled to the brim with soil.  we used teflon decking screws to hold everything together.  the beds are filled with a three part ratio of 1/3 each of composted horse manure, peat moss and fill dirt.  the mix is lovely.

strawberry picking

it’s a yearly tradition.  we go to schacht family farm and pick strawberries.  this year, knowing the weather has been strange, we caught the picking in the first weeks.  the fields were lush.  even with kids strapped to our backs, the picking was easy.  i always make strawberry jam.  some years it has been good.  others were not so good.  last year was especially runny.  the set was poor.  perhaps not enough pectin.  or i was daydreaming while the jam cooked.  i ended up using it as a topping on ice cream and pancakes, due to my pregnancy cravings.  and it was perfect for a new eater and her pb & j’s.  so things worked out in the end.  still, this year i was determined to get things right.  i tried a new recipe from food in jars. this strawberry recipe used vanilla beans.  i was intrigued.  and i must say, it is HEAVEN in a jar. if you stop my way, i might be kind enough to give you a jar.  (but maybe not… it’s THAT good…)

i didn’t get good pictures of picking.  i was all business in the fields this year.  but i did get lyla eating her first strawberries.  seems to like them.

at the farm

now that the weather is nice, it’s time to visit slate run farm.  this time, d’s father joined us.  it was a nice afternoon.  adelaide is interacting with the little bits of farm life so differently than last year.  the water pump, not surprisingly, is holding her attention.  oh, and the chickens.  birds, in general.  geese.  turkeys.  hmm… maybe there’s room for a bit of farm life in our backyard too… what do you think?

getting it done

look who is mastering the utensils.  it’s nice to see adelaide be a little more independent.  feeding two girls spoonful by spoonful was getting to be a bit much.  and luckily for this mama, adelaide decided to declare her independence at the right time.  so good strides are being made in the kitchen.  and little lyla bean has been practicing using a cup.  a cup a cup a cup!  unfortunately, more is ending up on her tray than in her mouth.  it makes me giggle, especially when there’s so much glee to be had splashing in the puddles on her tray.  but we’ll keep at it.  they’re getting so big, aren’t they? :)

at the doctor’s

 

adelaide in the morning

ridiculous

who owns a cat who tucks herself in to bed?  i seriously thought this was a trick being played on me… but no.  ridiculous.

6 months

i owe you.

i apologize.

sometimes i am completely terrible about being ‘on the ball’.

nevertheless, here is lyla’s 6 month photo.

dan says i’m in total baby denial, as i keep wanting to call it her ’4 month’ photo.  maybe it’s true.  any way. there were several shots this month.  but none were as good as this one.  showing lots of character here.

easter 2012

styling

trying on floppy hats at the store? yes please! (while wearing a mama-made sweater she NEVER wants to take off? oooooooooooh yessss!)