The gift I didn't know I needed

Does it ever happen that something comes to you that so deeply fills you up, and you didn't even know that particular hole was there, needing to be filled?  Well, that just happened to me!  My amazing mother-in-law (whose birthday it happens to be today... happy birthday Aurora!), fabulous and intuitive woman that she is, sent me a giant box of roving for my birthday. 


A few years back, while visiting my beautiful East Coast family for a special 90th birthday celebration, I discovered the most amazing little fiber farm* in a neighboring town to my mother-in-law.  This particular farm raises Icelandic and Shetland sheep, two breeds I am pretty keen on and whose wool I really enjoy spinning.  Well, despite the fact that we had precious little time to spare, I carved out an hour or so to go visit that spot and arrived to find not only the most picturesque, dreamy 100 acre rolling farm, but also a fiber and yarn store where they sell their self-produced and processed goods!

Needless to say, I was in heaven.  A giant Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog named Ranger greeted us in the driveway and escorted us into the shop.  There I found rack after rack after rack of the most lovely natural color and dyed roving and yarn. Yum. And through the back doors of the shop, a mirco fiber mill where all of the farm's wool is processed.  And just outside the front door.... that's right, 100 acres of rolling pastures crisscrossed by streams and dotted with sheep.  Oh my.  I kind of get a little fluttery just thinking about it. 

So, anyway... back to the box of fiber.  Mother-in-law extraordinaire sent me 40 oz of beautiful Shetland roving in the most lovely natural colors from the above farm for my birthday.  In all honesty, it's been quite a shamefully long while since I sat down at my spinning wheel.  But today, with that gorgeous fiber peeking out of the box at me and a baby who happened to take an oddly long nap, I dusted the wheel off and got to spinning.  Oh my goodness....

I had no idea how much I needed that!  As soon as my foot began treadling, the wheel began spinning, and the fiber began sliding through my fingers, I just felt a sort of peace and contentment that I've been lacking these last few weeks.  The simple joy that comes from just making, doing, creating.  As that wool spun up into yarn, my breath deepened and much stress and tension that I've been clinging to seemed to soften and slip slowly from my shoulders.  Ahhh... yessss....

Sometimes I get so caught up in the everyday this's and that's that I forget to create.  I am slowly learning that allowing myself to be creative and artistic and giving myself that time is so very crucial to my happiness.  It feeds my joy.  And without it, I get a little lost.  So thank you, Aurora!  Thanks for a gift much, much greater than the physical gift itself.  I really needed it... and I didn't even know!

*I'd post a link to the farm, but I cannot seem to find a website for it.  Sorry!

When darkness settles in

My goodness, it's been grey here the last few days.  So dark that it seems the light never changes from the low light of early morning.  It just sort of stays that way all day long into the low light of nearly-dark.  So, what have we been doing in such conditions?  Well....

There have been some kitchen trike shenanigans....

Some hunting for forest treasures....

Some knitting....

Some planning and dreaming.... 

(That's the pasture at mid-day! See what I mean about the darkness?!)

And, there have been many other things too, for which I have no photos.  It's hard to capture much when the light remains so low.

Have a great weekend!
xo

Thirty Six

a little summer color and light on this grey winter day

I tuned 36 yesterday!  Yay! And in celebration, I'd like to list 36 things that I am grateful for on this lovely day.  In no particular order....

1. discovering a new passion for aerial acrobatics. oh my goodness, yes.
2. huevos rancheros filling my home with amazing smells as I snuggled in bed yesterday morning
3. sweet cards made by even sweeter children
4. a new knitting pattern book full of delicious potential
5. emails with a sheep breeder
6. homemade gluten free cookies made for me by my baking wonder kids
7. so many new words spilling from the lips of my nearly two-year-old munchkin
8. the wild giggles that explode from deep in his belly as he plays with his pops
9. my rapidly increasing strength and flexibility due to diligent aerial practice
10. new babies on the way, growing in the bellies of ones that I love so very much
11. finding time to read books again
12. lengthening days
13. the occasional decent night of sleep
14. the trust and companionship of good friends
15. a partner who makes me my favorite breakfast and dinner on my birthday
16. sparkling blue eyes of my three amazing children
17. finally getting my pullover on the trapeze
18. a toddler who finally naps consistently on his own
19. a partner whom I trust with all of my heart
20. his hugs, which warm me to my very core
21. fresh eggs from our chickens
22. fresh milk from our cow
23. fresh kale still coming from our garden
24. the soon-to-be drying off of our cow, which will offer me one less thing to do each day
25. the night out I am treating myself to tonight with some dear lady friends 
26. a house that sometimes stays tidy for an hour before the next whirlwind moves through
27. soups... warm, hardy soups that fill my belly and warm me from the inside out this winter
28. the big smiles that greet me each morning as I open my eyes to Jade leaning over me saying, "play?"
29. big ideas and plans for our home and land this year
30. my beautiful daughter sitting across from me as I type this and her magical smiles
31. the powerhouse wood stove that is the heart of this home all winter long
32. birthday wishes from loved ones that brought smiles to my lips throughout the day yesterday
33. the tiny juncos that visit the feeder just outside my window 
34. the fact that Jade does not want to touch his runny nose, but rather runs through the house shouting, "bubble!", every time he needs his nose wiped
35. a thirteen-year-old son who still offers me hugs every single time he thinks I might need one
36. the year to come and all that it will bring!

xoxo

long time, no see... and Zinnia!

Hi there folks!  Yes, it's been quite some time since I have written here.  Life is so full, and every moment so precious, with a toddler, two big kids, a small farmstead, homeschooling, and animals - both big and small - concurrently tugging at my every spare moment.  To all those parents out there who seem to magically pull it all off every day and make it look so easy.... I tip my hat to you.  Damn, this sure aint easy.  Ahem.  Onward!

Allow me to introduce to you, Zinnia cow, our latest family member and supplier of all things dairy.

She's a rather petite Jersey cow with a sweet, if not a little pushy, personality and just the right amount of milk for our little family of five.  Zinnia joined us back in June and to be totally honest, I'm still adjusting to life with a dairy animal, especially as the weather has turned cold and wet and the days so very short.

I'm still getting used to the invisible milky tether that keeps me within arm's reach of the farm at all times, the achy muscles in my palms that I didn't even know existed until I began hand milking every day, and loads of rich, creamy milk that occupy nearly all of the real estate in my refrigerator and requires near daily processing to keep up with.  As a lifelong vegetarian and former vegan, it still cracks me up and shocks me to open my fridge door and discover So. Much. Milk.

Despite how much work this beautiful animal has added to my life, it's pretty awesome to watch my family consume and thrive on her raw dairy goodness.  The milk, the butter, the yogurt (oh my god, the yogurt), and the cheese.  My cheese making skills are still in the budding stage, but I have high hopes for full blooming maturity someday.  Ah, yes, someday.

I'll leave you with this rough video taken with the camera clenched between my knees as I attempted to simultaneously milk and record.  Enjoy!

And, I hope to see you again here soon!

Lunch

Ummm, yeah.  I am going to write a post about my lunch today.  Because it was that good.

My midday meal consisted of a scramble that was made, pretty much entirely, of things I grew or raised (the exceptions being the oil, salt and pepper I used in the cooking).  I had a veggie scramble made from: eggs collected from my chickens, milk from my cow, and broccoli, spinach and three types of kale all harvested from the garden moments before being tossed into the pan.  I washed it all down with tea brewed from calendula, lemon balm and mint harvested as the water boiled.  And for dessert... freshly made raw milk yogurt from our cow with raspberries still warm from the sun-drenched thicket.

Oh yes.  This was a lunch for the record books!

What a day!

I am so bone tired after the most amazing day. 

I spent the morning and most of the afternoon working alongside and learning a ton from the manager of a local dairy.  We bought one of her beautiful Jersey cows last weekend (more on that later!) and she graciously welcomed me under her wing today to indoctrinate me into the world of cow care.  I know the simple basics from keeping our Dexters for the last year, but thanks to my experience today, my knowledge and confidence have taken a major soaring leap skyward!

My day at the dairy began with this sweet boy... a little bull calf born two days ago.  This poor little guy wandered off from his mama yesterday and got lost in the heat.  It took a couple of hours of people searching high and low for him before he was found hunkered down in a small space between two buildings.  Today he was somewhat worse for the wear and was suffering from a bit of heat exhaustion.  So, I got to learn about signs of weakness in a calf, how to assess the severity of weakness and lethargy, and how to treat such symptoms.  Having him adorably suck on my thumb while waiting for his bottle of electrolytes wasn't so bad either!  He was so soft and floppy and cute, I could hardly tear myself away from him!  And yet, there were shots, IV's, rectal exams, oral drenches and more calling my name.....

Without going into the grizzly and (at times) gross details of my bovine education, suffice it to say that I learned so much.  And I am so very grateful for the bump up the learning curve.  I feel so much more comfortable in my role as cow owner and caretaker.  (I can't wait to share more about our latest family member!)

My day plowed ahead through the unusually hot and humid evening air as I milked out our new cow, grateful for the box fan blowing on both of us and keeping the flies away.  I raced back up the hill after milking and evening chores to do a quick change of clothes and head out to the Hood Canal for a wonderful sunset dinner by the water, overlooking the Olympic Mountains, with both immediate and extended family.  And then, I had the wonderful pleasure of laughing hysterically as our minivan, stuffed to capacity, rocked our backwoods country roads as all six people over the age of 16 months sang nonsensical children's songs at the top of our lungs for the entire car ride home.

And now... to bed, to sleep... in a house full of open windows inviting in the cooler nighttime air... with a head full of newly gained knowledge... and a heart full of gratitude for such an amazing day.

Mountain of Dreams

A week ago I dumped and mixed 45 pounds of seed in my trusty, rusty old wheelbarrow.  A veritable mountain of dreams took shape in the gaping maw of that rickety work horse....

  

 The dream of a pasture of our own took shape right before my eyes.  Now I look on in hopeful wonder and watch carefully as the tiny green sprouts rooted in passion reach for the light.