There is so much, I can't do it justice. Suffice it to say, it's been a full month or so. So full... so full indeed.
I shall not, I shall not be moved
I shall not, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
I shall not be moved
The highlight of my last few weeks, by far, was having the amazing opportunity to see Maya Angelou speak. She is such an inspiring being. I literally had goosebumps for the entire hour or so that she spoke, and tears for most of it as well. Not tears of sadness, but those of immense admiration and overwhelm of so many feelings at once. To sit with someone who has experienced so much and overcome so much and has lived a life so rich... who can fold those experiences into such beautiful prose... well, I was moved. Every word she spoke that evening went strait to the center of my heart. Singing these words with this 82-year-old powerhouse of wisdom and compassion while the vibrations echoed off the walls shook me to my core. You could have pushed me over with a feather. And yet I sing....
I shall not, I shall not be moved
I shall not, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
I shall not be moved
Thank you, Maya Angelou, for sharing your genius, your strength and your love with the world. Just as you spoke of, you openly offer your talent, and what a gift it is. I am forever grateful. I will strive to remember that, always, someone is watching and learning, so be mindful of what I inadvertently teach. When I get, give. When I learn, teach. And never should we hide our gifts inside. For gifts, after all, are meant for giving....
I shall not, I shall not be moved
I shall not, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
I shall not be moved
mama's learning to follow her heart...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Season of change
This winter has been very busy. So much has happened since I last posted, I don't know where to begin. I really need to make the time for regular posting! I am currently laid up with a (yet again) thrown out spine. So... I have time a plenty. The last couple of days have been spent in bed with books, seed catalogs, my laptop and knitting needles. It just dawned on the me that perhaps I should take advantage of the down time for an update.
Our house and property have been experiencing some big changes! As you last saw, we have a new kitchen floor! We also now have a new wood stove. We took advantage of the 30% tax rebate offered as long as you purchased an energy efficient stove by the end of 2010. So... in the classic Steve and Nicole Style, at 4:25 (5 minutes before the store closed) on December 31, we ordered our new stove. We are still learning the ins and outs of this giant new beast. It is HUGE compared to our old tiny Vermont Castings work horse. And it burns very differently. In time we will adjust and get to know the intricacies of this monster and it too will become a reliable, domesticated member of the family. The only photos I have of it are terrible, so once I have some decent ones, I'll post them.
The biggest and craziest changes happening around here are that we have taken down a bunch of trees. And more are scheduled for harvest. As it turns out, we have (or, had, I should say) a lot of unhealthy hazard trees around our place. Particularly around our landmate/tennant's house. Around his house alone, there were nine trees identified that needed to come carefully down, before a storm brought one violently down on the house or one of his cars. Plus, the twin to the one that fell on our house needed to come down as well, bringing the total to a nice round ten. So, over the course of three separate days, ten lives were taken (nine actually since one of the trees was standing dead as a doornail). I had a very heavy heart going in to it. Three of the trees slated to fall had a very special place in my heart. But, as the sadness crept in, I reminded myself that I do not wish to relive this:
So, "Timber!" it was. The tally included: one alder, one grand fir, two hemlocks, two big leaf maples, and four doug firs. The two big leaf maples and one of the doug firs are the ones leaving a stinging ache in my heart. On the up-side though, we now have three huge piles of chips - two softwood and one hardwood. The softwood chips have already been getting used in new paths through various gardens and trails. The hardwood chips are being saved for mulching projects and mushroom inoculations. And, we now have more firewood than we can really wrap our minds around. The wood will need to season for two years before it can be burned, but we should be set for several years once it's ready. And we are keeping our fingers crossed that some of the maple will prove to be fiddle wood. If so, it sells for a pretty penny and we should be able to recoup the cost of the felling and then some. There should be someone coming out to assess the wood this week. Wish us luck on that front.
While I know all that I have told so far has been thrilling, the really exciting news is that soon we will be making some major steps in the direction of livestock! Livestock other than chickens and turkeys, that is. The whole reason the discussion began in the first place about the hazard trees was that we had someone give us a quote on deeply thinning the land that is on flat ground on our little hilltop. We are going to thin the trees, establish pasture beneath the remaining trees, and finally get livestock grazing! While I'm sure many of you reading this are shaking your heads and thinking, "What the hell are they doing?", this is something that we really, really, really want. We've been quietly talking about it for years and we are finally going to make it happen.
The surveyors will be out here this week to find the corners and mark the boundaries of our property. Once that has been done, the tree crew will be back to thin the trees. They will be taking down all the scrappy, unhealthy trees and leaving all the big, healthy ones, which should make for stronger ecosystem in the long run. Currently our land is a badly mismanaged, overgrown second-growth forest that needs some help to become healthy again. Hence so many sick hazard trees. Once the trees are down and hauled out, we will be fencing and cross-fencing the freshly thinned flat land. Once fenced, we will be planting pasture grasses and herbs. I still need to contact our county extension to find out what species will do best in our climate/ecosystem. Once the pasture is established, healthy and strong, up go the loafing sheds and in go the animals! Woot! Woot!
The plan at this point is to get alpacas and icelandic sheep. Not too many of either. We plan to start with two alpacas and three sheep. On our small acreage, we need to keep it small and simple. The point is to improve the health and productivity of the land, not damage it! Sequoia just burst into tears when I read her this post, because she wants horses and cows, not alpaca and sheep. Honestly, I share her horse and cow dream. I would LOVE to have both as well. But, this small farmstead just can't support them. Maybe someday we'll be on more land with a sweet old farmhouse and more pasture, but for now, those alpacas and sheep sure will make me happy. Oh so very happy indeed!
Our house and property have been experiencing some big changes! As you last saw, we have a new kitchen floor! We also now have a new wood stove. We took advantage of the 30% tax rebate offered as long as you purchased an energy efficient stove by the end of 2010. So... in the classic Steve and Nicole Style, at 4:25 (5 minutes before the store closed) on December 31, we ordered our new stove. We are still learning the ins and outs of this giant new beast. It is HUGE compared to our old tiny Vermont Castings work horse. And it burns very differently. In time we will adjust and get to know the intricacies of this monster and it too will become a reliable, domesticated member of the family. The only photos I have of it are terrible, so once I have some decent ones, I'll post them.
The biggest and craziest changes happening around here are that we have taken down a bunch of trees. And more are scheduled for harvest. As it turns out, we have (or, had, I should say) a lot of unhealthy hazard trees around our place. Particularly around our landmate/tennant's house. Around his house alone, there were nine trees identified that needed to come carefully down, before a storm brought one violently down on the house or one of his cars. Plus, the twin to the one that fell on our house needed to come down as well, bringing the total to a nice round ten. So, over the course of three separate days, ten lives were taken (nine actually since one of the trees was standing dead as a doornail). I had a very heavy heart going in to it. Three of the trees slated to fall had a very special place in my heart. But, as the sadness crept in, I reminded myself that I do not wish to relive this:
 |
| The scene the day after the tree fell on the house in Jan '09 |
 |
| The maples after being felled The tall stumps on the left are being left that way until they can be assessed for fiddle wood. |
The surveyors will be out here this week to find the corners and mark the boundaries of our property. Once that has been done, the tree crew will be back to thin the trees. They will be taking down all the scrappy, unhealthy trees and leaving all the big, healthy ones, which should make for stronger ecosystem in the long run. Currently our land is a badly mismanaged, overgrown second-growth forest that needs some help to become healthy again. Hence so many sick hazard trees. Once the trees are down and hauled out, we will be fencing and cross-fencing the freshly thinned flat land. Once fenced, we will be planting pasture grasses and herbs. I still need to contact our county extension to find out what species will do best in our climate/ecosystem. Once the pasture is established, healthy and strong, up go the loafing sheds and in go the animals! Woot! Woot!
The plan at this point is to get alpacas and icelandic sheep. Not too many of either. We plan to start with two alpacas and three sheep. On our small acreage, we need to keep it small and simple. The point is to improve the health and productivity of the land, not damage it! Sequoia just burst into tears when I read her this post, because she wants horses and cows, not alpaca and sheep. Honestly, I share her horse and cow dream. I would LOVE to have both as well. But, this small farmstead just can't support them. Maybe someday we'll be on more land with a sweet old farmhouse and more pasture, but for now, those alpacas and sheep sure will make me happy. Oh so very happy indeed!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Oh, the floor
Well, the kitchen floor was installed in just one day! Fantastic!
However....
There were some installation flaws that occurred, so the guys are coming back on Monday to rip up about half the floor and re-install it.
None-the-less, the floor is beautiful! And it is so much fun to have the room completely empty. We are fantasizing about how to put it back together, totally differently than it was before.
Not to mention the sheer joy of sliding as fast as we can across the floor in slippery socks and seeing how many bouncy balls can be kept in motion at once.
I'll post more photos when it's all put back together (in some wonderful new way!).
However....
There were some installation flaws that occurred, so the guys are coming back on Monday to rip up about half the floor and re-install it.
None-the-less, the floor is beautiful! And it is so much fun to have the room completely empty. We are fantasizing about how to put it back together, totally differently than it was before.
Not to mention the sheer joy of sliding as fast as we can across the floor in slippery socks and seeing how many bouncy balls can be kept in motion at once.
I'll post more photos when it's all put back together (in some wonderful new way!).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Kitchen floor, Baby!
That's right! Our kitchen floor is being installed as I type this! Finally! The years of ripping my socks and stubbing my toes on broken tiles and sub-flooring are over. I can't wait to slide my bare feet across a smooth floor. To be able to mop without shredding the mop-head. Oh baby, it's going to be pure bliss....
Part of what took us so long is that we were hoping to be able to install radiant in the kitchen/dining room floor, since there is no heat in that part of the house. But, that would require an entire kitchen remodel because it would raise the floor ~4", which in turn would lower the counters ~4". So... if we didn't want the counters down around our knees, we would have needed to install new cabinets/counters. Needless to say, it was all too expensive. But, we kept holding out for it. We finally decided enough is enough! We instead concluded that when we rebuild the room that was formerly our solarium (before the tree smashed through it!) we will put the woodstove down there which will be lower than the kitchen and, therefore, heat the kitchen. So, no need for the radiant. At least not right away. Maybe someday....
Rather than the expensive radiant with tile and a whole kitchen remodel, we went with easy, less-expensive marmoleum. Tile would, of course, be our first choice. But, with no heat on a slab foundation, it would have been way too cold. Wood would have been an easy second choice, but since there is already SO much wood in our house, we looked again for alternatives. Next, we decided on cork. Then we found that cork fades over time when exposed to sunlight. Well, only half the room gets sunlight ever, so we would have ended up with a two-toned floor. Not so appealing. Then we started playing around with marmoleum. We brought home lots of different color swatches and laid them all over the place. We had the dog practice walking on them, dropped all manner of objects on them, spilled things on them, danced on them, put them to the test.... So, marmoleum it is! We opted for a click-together floating floor. It is backed on the underside with cork which is nice and insulating, and no adhesives are used to lay the floor, so no off-gassing!
Like I said, marmoleum would not have been my first choice. But, I can't tell you how excited I am about it. I think we'll love it. I can't wait to post photos of the final product.
Part of what took us so long is that we were hoping to be able to install radiant in the kitchen/dining room floor, since there is no heat in that part of the house. But, that would require an entire kitchen remodel because it would raise the floor ~4", which in turn would lower the counters ~4". So... if we didn't want the counters down around our knees, we would have needed to install new cabinets/counters. Needless to say, it was all too expensive. But, we kept holding out for it. We finally decided enough is enough! We instead concluded that when we rebuild the room that was formerly our solarium (before the tree smashed through it!) we will put the woodstove down there which will be lower than the kitchen and, therefore, heat the kitchen. So, no need for the radiant. At least not right away. Maybe someday....
Rather than the expensive radiant with tile and a whole kitchen remodel, we went with easy, less-expensive marmoleum. Tile would, of course, be our first choice. But, with no heat on a slab foundation, it would have been way too cold. Wood would have been an easy second choice, but since there is already SO much wood in our house, we looked again for alternatives. Next, we decided on cork. Then we found that cork fades over time when exposed to sunlight. Well, only half the room gets sunlight ever, so we would have ended up with a two-toned floor. Not so appealing. Then we started playing around with marmoleum. We brought home lots of different color swatches and laid them all over the place. We had the dog practice walking on them, dropped all manner of objects on them, spilled things on them, danced on them, put them to the test.... So, marmoleum it is! We opted for a click-together floating floor. It is backed on the underside with cork which is nice and insulating, and no adhesives are used to lay the floor, so no off-gassing!
Like I said, marmoleum would not have been my first choice. But, I can't tell you how excited I am about it. I think we'll love it. I can't wait to post photos of the final product.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Getting crazy
Things are starting to get a little crazy again! I have managed not to work much over the past few months while we have been settling into homeschooling. It has been oh so very wonderful! But, in the past couple of weeks, work is sneaking its way back in again. Each day a little more than the day before. I am actually blogging right now as I await a response from my boss via email. Need to email the boss, then post to the group, then organize the research plan, then organize that other research plan, then pack that order, then make that extract, then contact that lab, then research those grants, then convene with the group again, don't forget to communicate with the other group - oh, and that other one, then make those 20 other extracts, then coordinate that other massive project, then get all those samples out.... RIGHT AWAY!
Oh yeah... and homeschool my kids. And care for all those animals. And tend to my home and land. And squeeze in some QT with that guy I love. Hmmmm.... Can someone remind me how I used to pull this off? Because I forget.
Oh yeah... and homeschool my kids. And care for all those animals. And tend to my home and land. And squeeze in some QT with that guy I love. Hmmmm.... Can someone remind me how I used to pull this off? Because I forget.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Well, jeeze... I haven't posted in a long time. December was pretty busy. All my spare time was spent crafting, cleaning, organizing and baking. What an exciting month though! We had family visit, finished lots of projects and made lots of cool things.
On the hot topic of projects worked on, we have been so productive! Yes! We have had some unseasonably dry weather here in western Washington lately. It's been beautiful, cold, sunny and DRY! Steve and I have been taking full advantage. We got the kids' trampoline assembled (thanks grandma Linda!), got all the firewood neatly stacked in the woodshed, tarps dried out, folded and put away, finally cut up the trees that had to be felled to clear space for the woodshed, thinned out our raspberry patches, cleaned up the hoop house, cleared the brambles out of the orchard, and started some new sheet mulching projects. The wood stacking took a few long days of hard work, but it feels SO good to have many cords split and stacked up off the ground and ready to go... a goal several years in the making.
Ha! I just looked out the window and it's snowing! How wonderfully exciting! What a crazy winter! The usual months and months strait of grey, 45 degrees and raining has been frequently and extensively broken up with snow and sunshine. I love it! I'll take cold, snowy and sunny over mild, wet and grey any day!
The November chick, Napali Jr, is settling in with the flock nicely. She spent a few weeks in the house by the woodstove when the weather got really cold and her true mama was no longer interested in keeping her warm. She happily adopted the kids as her new mama. It was adorable. She would contentedly perch on the side of her box and watch the kids all day as they went about their activities, but would peep loudly for them anytime they left the room. On occasion, she would even work up the nerve to take flight from her perch and fly clear across the room to land on someone's knee or shoulder. She became so attached I was concerned she might not transition well once she had to move back outside. Her first night out she peeped and peeped and peeped for the kids. But then she settled in. She still loves to be picked up and snuggled, of course, but she seems to enjoy her new place among fellow poultry.
Well, I need to get going on some lessons with the kids. But, I will try to get back to posting regularly. Hope you all are staying warm and cozy and happy!
On the hot topic of projects worked on, we have been so productive! Yes! We have had some unseasonably dry weather here in western Washington lately. It's been beautiful, cold, sunny and DRY! Steve and I have been taking full advantage. We got the kids' trampoline assembled (thanks grandma Linda!), got all the firewood neatly stacked in the woodshed, tarps dried out, folded and put away, finally cut up the trees that had to be felled to clear space for the woodshed, thinned out our raspberry patches, cleaned up the hoop house, cleared the brambles out of the orchard, and started some new sheet mulching projects. The wood stacking took a few long days of hard work, but it feels SO good to have many cords split and stacked up off the ground and ready to go... a goal several years in the making.
Ha! I just looked out the window and it's snowing! How wonderfully exciting! What a crazy winter! The usual months and months strait of grey, 45 degrees and raining has been frequently and extensively broken up with snow and sunshine. I love it! I'll take cold, snowy and sunny over mild, wet and grey any day!
The November chick, Napali Jr, is settling in with the flock nicely. She spent a few weeks in the house by the woodstove when the weather got really cold and her true mama was no longer interested in keeping her warm. She happily adopted the kids as her new mama. It was adorable. She would contentedly perch on the side of her box and watch the kids all day as they went about their activities, but would peep loudly for them anytime they left the room. On occasion, she would even work up the nerve to take flight from her perch and fly clear across the room to land on someone's knee or shoulder. She became so attached I was concerned she might not transition well once she had to move back outside. Her first night out she peeped and peeped and peeped for the kids. But then she settled in. She still loves to be picked up and snuggled, of course, but she seems to enjoy her new place among fellow poultry.
Well, I need to get going on some lessons with the kids. But, I will try to get back to posting regularly. Hope you all are staying warm and cozy and happy!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Giving Thanks
How does one go about putting into words feeling like the luckiest person in the world? That's exactly how I feel each year at Thanksgiving. See, my Thanksgivings are like no other. This year, it involved homemade goodness in the form of so much food it might actually hurt to look at, four types of gravy, more Bailey's than one could shake a stick at, an impromptu big band orchestra in the living room, jump shots, ping-pong, toiletries of every variety flushed down the toilet by mischievous twins, dance parties, Italian feasting, pounding ocean waves, talent shows, Thriller, gut-busting laughter and, most importantly, the beautiful smiles and warm hugs of so many people I love so very VERY much. I got to spend four days strait raging it with people I love so much it makes me feel dizzy. Four days that repeatedly lasted into the wee hours of the morning because I just don't want to miss even a second of it. Four days of cheek-cramping, belly-aching, how-is-it-possible-to-laugh-this-much moments. Four days of feeling blessed to be adopted into such a wonderful, raucous, rowdy, ridiculous, open-hearted group of freaks.
How incredibly lucky am I? Giving Thanks doesn't even begin to sum it up. After all, those are the fleeting moments we live for... and I just got FOUR DAYS!
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