This Moment

Over on Soulemama, the weekly "this moment" post is a sweet ritual that I have never taken part in.  However, this week I feel quite moved to share a single photo that captures a moment I wish to remember forever....

xoxoxo

Chasing dreams

We are off to a good start this year.  We decided that after a year of falling way behind on projects around here, we'd hit the ground running in 2013.  And, so far, we have!  It's great!

New Year's day felt like an omen to me.  A foreshadowing of the productivity to come... January 1, 2013 commenced with 20 trees coming down in the new garden and pasture area.  The final trees that have been holding the project up since December of 2011.  I know that probably sounds harsh, the ending of 20 lives here on the land.  But I assure you, they were all trees unlikely to remain standing for long.  They were either pioneer species reaching the end of their natural lifespan, or trees that had been damaged in some way that left them likely to be downed in a good gusty windstorm (of which we have many here on our howling windy hilltop homestead).  And now, not only can we safely erect the perimeter fence without risk of falling trees, but we also have a good few years' worth of firewood to feed our woodstove harvested from right outside the front door.

A few short and busy days later, Jim, the ever-patient fencing expert we have been working with, came out and gave us our final "go ahead" and quote to order the fence supplies.  Woo hoo!  We are finally doing it!  The supplies have been ordered and will be arriving here sometime in the next couple of weeks.  The perimeter fence should be up by the end of the month!

I have spent the last few days researching pasture seed mixes and brainstorming the best ways to keep the chickens out so the pasture can get established without them scratching it up and eating all the seed.  I keep designing and re-designing the layout of cross fencing for future rotational grazing.  I day dream about the new garden space and all the wonders that will grow there.  I can see it all in my mind's eye and it's beautiful!

Our 2013 chicks have been ordered and seed catalogs can be found in just about every room of the house.  I'm considering getting a few ducks this year.  Maybe? I could certainly use a little help from some fowl friends in keeping the slug population down to give our rainforest-dwelling garden a fighting chance. Plus... they're so damn cute. I'm thinking either Khaki Campbells or Runners.  We shall see.

And, speaking of hitting the ground running in 2013, Jade has decidedly jumped on board.  Little man started walking on Christmas day (at a mere 10 months of age!).  Once he discovered the world of a biped, he has not looked back.  Rarely is there an instance when he opts to crawl rather than walk.  Watch out world.... Jade's coming!

Time to stretch and warm up... this mama is ready to chase down some dreams....

Around the Homestead

Hello!

My goodness!  It's hard to find the time to write here.  Life is just so busy!  But, I'm trying to take inspiration from the many spiders around here these days and get back on the writing train.  After a long hiatus, I think I'd like to continue with the "Around the Homestead" posts each Monday.

After a rather hectic and all-over-the-place summer, we are beginning to settle into a nice rhythm this fall.  And it feels so good.  Our days have been full of autumn activities such as splitting and stacking firewood, getting the animals housing and food ready for winter, mushroom hunting, and harvesting apples for cider, applesauce, pies and so much more.  This weekend we'll be planting garlic and building a new mobile chicken coop... can't wait!

splitting, splitting, splitting... and more splitting

and still so much more to go!

Birch and Sarsaparilla have been hunkering down in the barn quite a bit since the rain started.  I'm working to get the barn nice and cozy since they've been spending so much more time there.

 

 

 

Been enjoying perfecting vegan/gluten-free apple pies this fall.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spending time in the old growth while hunting for mushrooms has been nothing short of divine.

And we are embarking on our annual fall cleaning spree.  I know that most folks do spring cleaning but, around these parts, the major push occurs in the fall.  It feels most needed when the weather turns cold and wet and we begin spending more time inside.  There's an undeniable need to massively clean house... and purge, purge, purge!

It feels SO good to be pushing things out the door.  It's downright amazing (and ridiculous) how much stuff amasses.

So, here's to autumn, spiders, writing, and getting rid of stuff....  Cheers!

Herbal Healing Salve

Our new cows are settling in so nicely.  They are becoming more and more comfortable everyday in their new home.  The barking dog that lives across the street that they can hear, but cannot see, is still a bit of a stress factor for mama Birch.  But, other than that, she seems as relaxed as can be.  The best we could have hoped for!

Birch came to us with a few small, but painful looking, nicks on her teats.  There was a yearling in the herd that she came from who thought she'd get some extra milk (round two!) with all the newly freshened mamas this spring.  The yearling rendered many of the milky mamas a little beat up in the teats.

So....

Sequoia and I set about making some healing salve for our sweet mama cow.  It was a great science week for Sequoia's homeschooling - botany, chemistry and health in one week!  She studied all and harvested most of the herbs we used for the salve.  The only herb we were not able to harvest and dry ourselves is the echinacea root.  The salve is so soothing and healing I have also been using it on Jade's teething-related rash.  It has all but cleared up the rash in less than 24 hours!

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp dried and finely chopped plantain leaves
• 4 tbsp dried and finely chopped chickweed
• 2 tbsp dried and finely chopped comfrey leaves
• 2 tbsp dried and finely chopped calendula flowers
• 2 tbsp dried and finely chopped echinacea root
• approximately 1 cup coconut oil (enough to cover the herbs well)
• enough beeswax to get the consistency you want
• 3 capsules of vitamin E (the ones I used are 400IU's each)

Method:

• finely chop all your dried herbs
• measure out the desired amounts
• add all the herbs to a crock pot or double boiler
• add the coconut oil (adjust the amount accordingly so that your herbs are sufficiently covered)
• heat the oil/herb mixture for a minimum of four hours on very low heat, checking on it frequently to make sure that it is not too hot - the herbs should not burn or overheat or some of the medicinal quality is lost
• strain out the herbs through a cheese cloth, squeezing out as much of that liquid gold as you can get
• return the oil to the crock pot or double boiler and reheat over low heat
• add as much beeswax as you would like to get the salve consistency you want (you can take little spoonfuls out and put in the fridge to cool rapidly to check your consistency - adjust accordingly with either more beeswax or more oil depending on if you need it thicker or thinner)
• poke holes in the vitamin E capsules and squeeze the oil into the mixture
• at this point, you could also add any essential oils that you might want for fragrance or healing properties (I split our batch in half and left one half plain and added peppermint essential oil to the other half.  Peppermint is good for mastitis.  Plain is good for a nursing calf. Peppermint for her udder, plain for her teats.)
• once you have the consistency that you like, pour your warm salve into little jars.  I used two 4-ounce canning jars.
• let your jars sit over night until the salve is thickened and set
• use liberally and enjoy!

From teats to tushies, this stuff is really great.  My hands love it too, especially this time of year when they are all dried out from time working in the soil.  I strongly encourage giving some salve making a go.  It's really easy, lots of fun and really satisfying.  And feel free to mix it up with your herb, carrier oil and essential oil selection!  Next time I think I might add some yarrow or Oregon Grape root.

Happy concocting! 

Daily Gratitudes ~ 3 ~ Holy Cow(s)!

Sorry for missing a couple days. The following should explain why....

I am so grateful to be welcoming our latest family members!  Welcome to the tribe miss Birch and baby Sarsaparilla!  We are so happy you're here!

Daily Gratitudes ~ 2

I am so thankful for baby smiles!

Daily Gratitudes

Hello lovely people.  It's been a while.

In an effort to get myself coming back to this space on a regular basis again, I am going to try to post every day for at least two weeks.  The posts will be short and simple.  A photograph and a gratitude.  Simple as that....  Something this new (again) mama can handle.

Thank goodness for a break in the rain!