Around the Homestead

Sara, over at Farmama blog, has invited folks to do a weekly "Around the Farm" post on Thursdays to show what we all have going on around our farms, gardens, homesteads, etc.... I think that I'll happily join in!

It's been a cloudy and drizzly few days, so I had to jump out there with the camera when I had the chance.  So not as many photos as I'd like, nor as light-filled.  But, hey!  Let's get on with it, shall we?

poppies are blooming

and so are the peas!

and the water irises

spinach and baby spinach is bountiful

broccoli heads are forming

the comfry is nearly as tall as the hoop house

the asparagus is as tall as me!

strawberries are coming on

and so are the wild roses

We're working hard to help this little swath come back to health, and teaching Doug (the owner of the greenhouses) about sheet mulching.  I hope we can convince him to get rid of the old tires too... and not grow food in them!  I wish we could convince him to also get rid of all the landscape fabric he has covering every square inch of his space, but that's not going to happen.  He is quite proud of and attached to his landscape fabric.  Who knows... maybe by the end of the season he'll see the wonders of simple sheet mulching and choose to do away with the fabric.  Here's hoping!

About half of the bees swarmed.  That brown blob is them festooning on a branch in a Hemlock outside our shop.

these Johnny-Jump-Up's greet me at the greenhouses every morning

garden fresh salad lunches!
yum.....

the cucumbers are loving their home in the greenhouse

the onions do too!

beets are up and on their way!

I am off to the greenhouses!  So much to do there... it's kind of overwhelming.  But, I just have to remember to take it one step at a time, check things off the list and keep moving forward.  It helps to be somewhat tunnel visioned and task oriented, not big picture.  This is challenging for me....  I am such a big picture kind of girl!  Time to be like an ant or a mouse on the ground seeing only what is right in front of me, not like an eagle in the sky taking it all in....

Later this morning the kids and I get to go milk our friend's goats, then go pick up a bunch of alpaca fiber in trade for my willing and helping hands at last week's shearing.  I am so excited!  I also have some thrilling news to share regarding fiber.  Tomorrow promises a fiber and photo filled post!

When Opportunity Knocks....

When opportunity knocks... for goodness sake, open the door!

This last week has been crazy!  In the best of ways.  So very much has changed since this time last week, I can't even believe it's all real.

That lovely greenhouse is but one of the two greenhouses that we just acquired for the season.  And, believe it or not, it is the smaller of the two!

Steve and I working to amend the soil in the small house

the big greenhouse - before amending the soil

In addition to the greenhouses, Doug, the owner offered us full use of this propagation house:

the propagation house

and all the outdoor bed space we can revive and plant!  And, here's the kicker.... it's all for free!

I had approached Doug back in the early spring and asked if he'd be willing the rent the greenhouses to me for the season.  They are only a half-mile down the road from my house and I had known that he was looking for someone to manage them.  He was interested, but the price was way too high.  So, I just let the idea go.  But, I started way more seed than I could possibly grow here in hopes that maybe something, somewhere might work out....

Last week I got word through the grapevine that Doug wanted to get in touch with me.  So, Thursday evening I gave him a call and he asked me to meet him down at the greenhouses Friday morning.  Of course, meet with him I did!  Turns out, a fellow had paid him in full for the season for the greenhouses but did nothing with them.  Poor Doug had no idea why nothing was being done in them.  Finally, just last week, the guy left Doug a note saying he wasn't into it.  So... Doug offered them to me, free of charge!  "Just put them to good use, take good care of them, and give me what you can't eat," he said.  The excess we can sell from a roadside stand in front of his office.

And even better... Doug is the person that we get our organic composted dairy manure from.  He owns an organic soil business.  So, he has been bringing up unlimited loads of manure for us to use in the greenhouses for free as well!  And that gigantic white bag you see in front of the propagation house is full of his organic potting soil mix that we are also free to use.  Crazy right?!

It is quite late in the season to be suddenly trying to get the greenhouses going, but we are doing our best.  The hardest part is prepping the beds for planting.  They are tired and neglected and need lots of love.  So far we have all four of the big beds in the little house amended with manure, minerals and nutrients and partially planted with tomatoes, peppers, and basil.  In the big house we have one 5x40 foot bed amended and planted with onions, broccoli and beets.

happy tomato!

planting onion sets

As of this evening when we went to water and close up the greenhouses for the night, the beet seeds that we sowed on Monday were already up!  It's amazing what a difference some heat makes!  Here in our cool, shady garden, we never get germination that quickly.  I couldn't believe my eyes!

And, oh boy, it gets even better!  Sometimes, when it rains, it really does pour....

I also contacted my neighbor just down the hill from us about renting her pasture.  She was rather surprised and overwhelmed when I asked, so I figured it was a "no".  However, she called me Monday evening and said, "You know what?  I would love to have you put some animals down here.  And I'm not gonna charge you rent.  I just need an extra set of hands around here.  And, if you're willing, I'd like it if you would teach me how to spin.  So, you go ahead and get yourself some sheep.  Get yourself a horse if you want to!"

Seriously folks, I almost passed out.  Right there on the spot.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  Was it possible that this woman who I don't even know was really telling me that my age-old dream of having farm animals (larger than chickens) was really possible?  Like, right now?  I could put animals on pasture the next day if I wanted to?  By the time I hung up the phone, I was shaking like a leaf and had to walk in circles taking deep breaths for about 15 minutes just to calm myself down.

In addition to the pasture, there is a good-sized 4-stall barn with electricity and water that we are free to use.  Her horse and old angora goat are very sweet and mellow and would be more than happy to share their barn with some new wooly friends.

And, in trade for me teaching her to spin (which I feel really funny about given that I've spun for all of a week), she would like to teach me to weave!  She has an 8 harness loom and would really enjoy showing me the ropes.  Please somebody... pinch me.

And then, just to add icing to the cake that I am both having and devouring....

I got to spend all day Tuesday and Wednesday helping with the shearing of 20 gorgeous alpaca!  I got to be the fleece skirter and weigher.  This means that, as each fleece came off the animal, I took it and laid it out on a skirting table (a high table made of wire or plastic mesh that allows debris to fall through).  I got to carefully examine and go through each fleece removing any dirty or coarse fiber, straw, pinecones, whatever I could find that would lower the value of the fleece.  The most important thing that I was looking for and removing was second cuts.  This is when the shearer travels over an already sheared section of the animal with the shears, therefore making a second cut.  The second cut fiber is less than an inch long and is unusable.  Therefore, it needs to be removed from the long, usable fiber.  Then I took the fleece to the scale and weighed it.

Do you have any idea how lovely and deliciously soft an alpaca fleece is?  It's heavenly.  They were so beautiful.  The colors ranged from pure snowy white to deep earthy brown to silver grey.  Again, they were so beautiful.  Mmmmm....

And, in trade for my helping hands, I get to go back to the ranch next week to pick out some fiber to take home!  How's that for a deal?!  As if the experience alone wasn't enough.  We were so busy during the shearing that I did not get any photos, but when I go back, I'll be sure to snap a few of those funny looking little alien animals!  They're so cute and too funny looking now that they're naked!

Well that was my crazy week summed up.  Now, I'm bed bound with some nasty springtime virus.  But, I'll be sure to be moving through this bug as quickly as I can so that I can get my hands back in the soil again and get those greenhouses planted.  I've also learned this lesson... put intentions out there, plant the seeds, and good things will most definitely happen!

Springtime

Spring is definitely in full force here on this little rainforest homestead.  I have to keep reminding myself not to get ahead of the season.  I am so longing for the warmth and sunshine and abundance of summer that I forget to enjoy all that springtime has to offer.

the comfry is up to my shoulders!

unpredictable skies

the last of the tulips

the bees flying and the art cottage still waiting to be finished

strawberry blossoms

baby greens!

blueberries setting fruit

the raspberries are loaded with buds!

peas!

yummy borage blossoms... if only some could make it out of the garden and into a salad before the kids eat them all!

copra onions looking good

bumble bees loving up the comfry

water iris about to pop!

ooo... calendula

chives! 

We are way behind on many springtime needs here on the land.  So many big projects that I thought we would have finished by now, plus just the usual demands of spring.  But, it's OK.  One step at a time, right?  I need to remember to stop and smell the spring rain and take it all in... and revel in the satisfaction of the things that are getting done.  There is much beauty to behold among the work that needs attention.

Spring is a time of growth and new beginnings... and there are many fresh new opportunities knocking at my door right now.  Now, it's up to me to invite them in!

Solarium Progress Report

Things are cruising right along on the solarium/greenhouse rebuild.  Oh boy!  It is sooo satisfying and exciting to see it finally coming together.

All the old rotted wood and broken glass has been removed.

The framing is all rebuilt and stained.

The ceiling panels of glass are up and in place.

The long wall of glass is up.

Yup.  Progress feels good.

Alpine Love

Friends of ours have a little community farm on some borrowed land just a short drive from us.  It's a very sweet spot and their arrangement is great.  A small group of folks all work together to tend to the greenhouse, gardens and animals and all get to share in the bounty and learn as they go before making the big step of committing to land of their own.

I've been visiting a bunch lately and have been loving up on the horses and goats.  Getting my farm animal fix while we continue to work toward suitable pasture here on the homestead.  There are three beautiful horses who are the most loving and affectionate beasts you could ever imagine.  They snuggle.  I'm not kidding!  If you scratch them along the neck or behind the ears, they snuggle up and massage your back with their lips!  It's the funniest thing!  As someone who has dreamed of having horses since I was about six, not only getting to spend time with them, but also getting loved up in return is about as close to a perfect moment as I can get.... face buried in horse mane, fingers scratching as fast and deeply as I can, grease and dirt building up and caking my hands, horse hair covering my clothes, and big wrinkly soft-as-butter horse lips rubbing my sore shoulders in return!  Heaven!

And, if I thought that was as good as it could get.... oh dear!  I had yet to fill up on baby goat magic.  There are two mama Alpine Dairy goats on the farm, Derby and Sassafras.  They both kidded last week and I got cuddle up both sets of twins just a day after birth.  Derby's kids were born on Monday, and Sassafras's were born on Saturday.  Oh my goodness!  They are so sweet!  If you are ever having a rough day and need a little reminder of the goodness in the world, hold a baby goat.  Seriously.  My heart melted right there on the spot and I honestly question if I'll ever be the same again.

To that end, of never being the same again I mean, Steve and I are seriously considering purchasing the female babes.  They are so incredibly sweet and I am so very smitten.  I can't even believe that I am writing this here... actually putting it out there into the world.  It would be a dream come true.  Goat cheese any one?  If the kids turn out anything like their mamas, we will be up to our eyeballs in goat milk someday.  They are some seriously milky mamas.  Just looking at their udders made me ache.

Sassafras's baby girl, Ginseng.

I know that it sounds crazy, as I began this post with the point that I was getting my animal fix while we work towards suitable pasture, but with this particular acquisition, it could work out quite nicely.  Our friends who own the mamas are in no rush to get rid of the kids.  They would happily hang onto them until we are ready.  Plus, we need all the brush cleared for the new pasture area.  And who is better at brush clearing than goats?

Who knows?  Only time will tell.  As I've said in previous posts, Steve and I don't make big decisions quickly.  We ponder and mull, hem and haw, discuss and deliberate.  Hmmm....

What do you think we should do?

Kiss the Moon

Between a tweaked neck and so much going on around here, I haven't had much time to post lately.... And I'm sorry for that.  Writing here is something that I really enjoy and I would like to get back to a more regular rhythm.  That being said....

Last weekend was so full and so wonderful.  I got to see Medeski Martin and Wood and dance until my heart swelled with that goodness only dancing brings, have a delicious breakfast alone with my mom, learn to spin wool into yarn (!), watch Sequoia participate in her first ever gymnastics meet, and (of course) work on the land.  Wow!

Shallots awaiting their new home.

Sequoia's meet was so sweet!  She is not actually at competition level, but the gym where she practices holds "mini-meets" a couple of times per year where all the kids, no matter their level, are invited to show off their skills.  There were routines as sweet and simple as three-year-olds working hard at awkward somersaults, and those as technical, complicated and breath-taking as you might see at national events.  I am so proud of Sequoia.  She was really, really nervous and almost didn't participate at the last minute.  But, she chose to push through the nerves and give it all she's got.  And she did beautifully!  I wish that I had photos to share but, alas, I do not.  Way to go, girl!

And spinning... oh spinning!  I knew I would fall in love, and fall hard I did.  I am taking a two-part class in Seattle at The Weaving Works.  Part one was last Saturday morning and I nearly had to pinch myself to believe it was real.  I felt giddy and tentative and shy as I sat down for the first time ever in front of a wheel - an Ashford Traditional.  The instructor told us all to start treadling and get used to how it feels.  I was so in awe of the timeless beauty in front of me, I was afraid to put my foot on the treadle.  I managed to overcome my silliness and began treadling away.  The steady whirring of the wheel was hypnotic and soothing, and I thought to myself, "Wow, this is so relaxing...."

Then I actually tried to spin.  Oiy!  It was no longer relaxing at all!  It was hard and awkward and confusing and oh so frustrating!  I would pinch too hard and the yarn would twist so much that it would clog the orifice, then pinch so lightly that the roving would fly through my fingers without twisting at all.  I would draft too much and the wool would wisp into nothing and I'd loose the end of the yarn to the bobbin.  Or, I didn't draft enough and fat chunks of barely spun roving would squeeze its way through the orifice to cover more than its fair share of my hard work.

I did finally kind of get the hang of it and was able to relax a little.  By no stretch of the imagination did the yarn I was creating even kind of resemble what most would think of when they think of yarn, but I was actually spinning nonetheless.  And as those luscious wool fibers slid through my fingers and spun up into yarn, my heart strings twisted right up with them.  My dear friends, I am hooked.

my first ever bobbin's worth of homespun yarn

bobbin number two
 getting better!

I was allowed to borrow a wheel from the shop for the week until my next class this Saturday.  I have been practicing every chance I get.  It's surreal to see a spinning wheel in my own living room.  I have to say, I really like it... a lot.  I'm going to have to work on making that a permanent reality I think.

Tonight I have a date with a friend to spin with her.  I can't wait.

Last night I worked in the garden until I could no longer see what my fingers were touching just before my eyes.  I got to watch the swollen, golden glowing moon rise above the garden with my fingers still plunged deep in the soil.  At first glimpse, my breath caught in my throat, my heart pounded and the blood rushed in my ears.  My family close to my side, a wheel by the wood stove, earth on my fingers, and a full moon so close I could kiss it.... love.

Building with Cob

Cob building is another passion of mine.  Having spent much time working with clay in a ceramics studio (and loving every second of it), building with cob was a natural fit for me.  It feels so good to shape and sculpt a dwelling... the ultimate functional piece!

One aspect of cob construction that I was completely amazed by is the incredible feeling of community that is created as well as the building itself.  And that community is built right into the walls... each conversation, the laughter, the songs, the stories people share as they work together to sculpt a home.  I absolutely love it.  It is all massaged right into the cob and the house is a home before it is even lived in.  It has a feel of something ancient with stories to tell long before history has been created within its walls.....

So, here is another lovely and inspiring video for your viewing pleasure.  It allows for a little chat with Ianto Evens and Linda Smiley of the Cob Cottage Company and authors of The Hand-Sculpted House, and some great views of some very beautiful cob creations.  Enjoy!