Farewell 2021

An entire calendar year through a pandemic. Can you go back in your mind’s eye to March 2020? Did you ever think it would last this long? I remember going home March 16 and thinking, “Sweet, telework for the next month or two, this will be so great!” What I hadn’t figured in was daycare closing, grocery shopping becoming stressful, job security becoming an oxymoron, and the shroud of uncertainty and constant change that would envelop our entire existence.

There have been so many ups and downs for all of us.

There have been months of despair and questioning followed by hopeful horizons that renewed our spirit.

This past summer felt like things were finally taking a meaningful turn for the better. We could be outside, places were open with limited capacity, you could meet a friend for coffee or let your kids have a playdate and it didn’t feel so scary or risky. Work was getting back to normal and plans were in place for kids to return to school in person for real.

The Fall was holding our collective breath. Waiting to see how the numbers would tick. Will this last? And by most accounts everything was going fine. A new sense of normalcy was developing. We even got to look happily forward to holiday get togethers with friends and family.

And then Ka-Pow! Sucker punch to the gut. And here we go again with restrictions and shortages. It’s the worst kind of déjà vu.

We can all look at the small wins and silver linings. If you’re reading this, you’re still alive and hopefully healthy. That’s something to be grateful for.

All of this isn’t to say it hasn’t been really hard. I am not a positive psychology prophet. I think it’s the dark and discomfort in life that shows us the direction we need to go.

I will say this pandemic has shown me faster and more clearly what is important and valuable in my life. Things I probably wouldn’t have taken stock of for another 15 or 20 years are already strongly at the top of my life priorities list.

Cheers to 2021! I propose a toast:

To the sunny and the rainy days.

To the flowers and the weeds.

To the still waters and the waves.

To the breakdowns and good deeds.

It’s all what makes a life a journey,

the things that test our mettle.

We’re made of more than we ever knew,

don’t give in, give up, or settle.

Stop and Smell the Daisies

Phew, it’s about the halfway mark of the summer growing season. How are you feeling? Eager? Overwhelmed? Excited? Disappointed? Surprised? Probably a mixture of many emotions on any given day. I’m out in the garden about an hour every morning and I love it. Can’t think of a better way to start my day with whatever coolness the day offers, the birds singing, and all my plants looking fresh and supple. But there are some days I just want to lie in bed.

I think it’s like a lot of things in life that take time and dedication, the midpoint can sometimes feel like a lull. The finish line still a ways away. So I’m trying to absorb the experience. Soak up the process. Take lots of notes, ponder what’s going well and what I might want to do differently next year. I’m learning that no matter how much I plan, no matter how much I read or how many videos I watch, and no matter what I do – nature makes the rules. And Momma Nature can change the rules at any time.

Just like everything else in life – training for a sports competition, preparing a presentation, catching the curveballs of parenting, and driving to the store – there will always be elements out of my control. I’m a planner and an organizer but all of my efforts still stop short of guaranteeing an outcome. If I’m only focused on the numbers or pounds of each crop harvested, I’m missing the point. The garden is wise. No matter what is happening, there is something to learn. And that’s why I’ve chosen this hobby. I’m always learning, and mostly about myself. There’s something to be said for quiet time in nature and appreciating its beautiful complexity.

I made a point of planting flowers this year, mostly perennials, as a visual and physical reminder to stop and smell the daisies, susans, and cosmos (not a rose kind of girl). There’s always work to be done. And in equal measure there is time to simply be. And if I can’t remember that, seeing my dog relaxing in the grass is as good a reminder as any.

I hope your gardens are flourishing and I hope you are remembering to lie in the grass and watch the clouds float by.

Fall garden update

With only about a month to go before the first frost, here’s how my fall garden is coming along. Now remember, I did not plant anything at the right time (i.e. late July to mid-August). I didn’t have the space in my garden due to tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, green beans, and squash being all over the place, so I waited for a few things to peter out before I uprooted them. Hence, I planted my fall crops at the end of August and beginning of September.

AND, I had the challenge of bunnies and/or mice coming in and eating seeds the day after I put them in the ground so I had to come up with a solution. Not sure how you pronounce it (klotch? cloach? whatevs), but I went the route of water bottle cloches and that seems to have worked. To outsmart these little garden critters, I cut the bottoms off of some plastic water bottles (not mine of course, cuz plastic water bottles are so six years ago) and twisted them in to the soil and then dropped some seeds in and then sprinkled a little more dirt on top. Worked like a charm!

So here is how things are looking towards the end of October, maybe 45ish days in. I’ll be honest, I’m concerned there isn’t enough time to see a harvest before it gets really cold so I may be constructing a quick low tunnel (cliff hanger…)

Peas and sugar snap peas (far right)
Golden and ruby beets (bottom middle)
Broccoli and cauliflower (top middle)
Russian and regular kale (not pictured)

Six brussels sprouts plants with three that have been eaten by cabbage worms

three each of golden and ruby beet plants

Pea and sugar snap pea plants trellising up

And my test run of brussels sprouts (left above). I bought six seedlings to start and three plants were devoured by cabbage worms. It was so sad. I came out every morning to squish the worms I could see and spray the plants with soapy, cayenne pepper water for about ten days and I still lost the battle. But I’m dumbfounded why only three of the plants were attacked. Anyone?

I did a little cover crop section of buckwheat that is so pretty in pink but I need to chop down. You may have also noticed that there are wood chips everywhere. I signed up for chip drop and we have tons of wood chips to use in the garden, flower beds, around trees, and in the chicken coop. So exciting!

four rows of ruby buckwheat planted for a cover crop

Plant-based progress and year of enough #4

If you recall, I set out this year to work on two “self-improvement” projects. Not resolutions per se, but changes to my lifestyle and mindset that I thought would be valuable. For the first six months, I’d say I was doing pretty well. These last few months – July, August, and September – I’ll be honest, haven’t been as strong on both fronts.

In addition to all of the other uncertainties the external environment has presented, I’ve had some significant changes in my personal life. I know we are all dealing with a lot and I don’t think my load is any heavier or more difficult than another, but it’s my load so I’ve got to figure out how to carry it. That’s where the “year of enough” is more apropos than I could have ever anticipated. It’s a shift in mindset that runs counter to most of what has been drilled into me my entire life. Achieve X, then feel happy/fulfilled/good. But in reality, I need to start from a place of contentment and fulfillment in order to achieve the things that are meaningful. It’s sort of a blend of mantra’s from Deepak Chopra (I am whole, I am loved, I am enough, I am worthy) and Neil Pasricha’s Happiness Equation.

And while I thought I was making good progress the first half of the year, nothing like a pressure cooker to test the strength and “stickiness” of my new habits. I hope I’m not the only one like this, but it seems like when one thing goes off track, and then another, and another, all the “good” habits I had like journaling and meditation and eating well and exercise go out the window and I’m a frazzled mess mumbling in a corner. What was the point of those healthy habits if they run out the door as soon as times get tough? Well, I’m probably being a little harder on myself than I need to be because I usually only let myself wallow a day or two before I get back on the horse and that’s not too bad. So what is my point? We are all handling more than we probably want to right now. And some of it has to get done well and the rest can just get done. I’m giving myself the space to not get it all done perfectly and to let go of some things entirely. My expectations of myself and others are really high and that’s just asking to always be unsatisfied with the outcome.

Ironically, plant-based eating should have been easier than ever during the last few months with a great summer harvest and I just didn’t have the time or energy to focus on it. Lentils, salads, veggie burgers, and pasta are staples in my weekly lunches, but dinners are where I need to improve so that my whole family benefits from more colorful eating and I’ve really wanted comfort foods (read: fatty and salty foods). But soup season is upon us and throwing in tons of leafy greens, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and tomatoes is so easy. Yay for soup! One pot meals are my FAV-O-RITE!!!

Waves crashing on the beach with blue skies

Pallet Projects

I love Pinterest. Who doesn’t? Something that caught my eye a while back and has stuck with me is the utility of pallets. Oh my word, there is nothing you can’t do, build or use a pallet for. Was that a double negative? From the simple vertical herb planter, to lawn furniture, to a wine rack, to yard art. The possibilities are endless. Wow, I feel like I’m on the home shopping channel doing an infomercial. And if you call in the next 15 minutes, we’ll throw in an extra pallet…

Over the last month with driving my Mumsy to her treatments on a near daily basis, I had noticed that a house near us had a pretty sizable pile of pallets in the front yard. And, like a good neighbor, I thought let me help them help me. On a drive home one afternoon I pulled into their driveway and was jotting a note to leave in their mailbox. I highly recommend this method (Disclaimer: I do not recommend this method. It’s a total crap shoot for more reasons than I can list. Use your judgement and don’t ever assume people aren’t crazy. For example, there is another ‘neighbor’ with signs in their front yard that say “No Trespassing” and each sign includes the image of a semi-automatic weapon. They had a bunch of cardboard put out on recycling day that I could have used for my garden. I did NOT leave a note in their mailbox.) Anyhoo, major tangent, but I looked like a weirdo the entire time and took long enough writing the note that the female head of household came out to the driveway to ask if I needed help. Why yes, yes I do need help. I explained I had seen her pallets and if they were just planning on hauling them to the dump, I would happily take them off her hands. She said sure, we exchanged phone numbers, and agreed I would reach out later that day when I had access to a truck.

I have about seven projects that immediately come to mind for these pallets and I’ve pretty much decided pallets are the answer to everything. I’ve advised Cactus that if he ever sees pallets, he must get them.

First, I wanted compost piles closer to my garden. Five pallets, boom. Done.

Second, I wanted my garden tools organized. One pallet, kapow. Done.

Third, Cactus had started a treehouse for the girls last summer. He pretty much only built the ladder and floor. My geniusness said “What if you use pallets for the walls?” Sha-zam. Done.

five wood pallets nailed together in the shape of the letter M

single wood pallet standing upright holding garden tools

I’ll keep you posted on future projects.

5 things to know before you get a goat

Last weekend we went to see some baby goats at Buckhorn Run Farm. The owners, Barb and Jack, were so delightfully generous with their time and explanations. Talk about a whole new vocabulary to learn. Gee whiz, I could barely keep up. But that’s the case with nearly all new hobbies, right?

Baby Goat on a cinder block at Buckhorn Run Farm

When we bought this property 18 months ago, nearly every person we knew said “get goats!” and Cactus and I had no idea why that was a recurring theme. I know goat yoga has gotten lots of hype and there are hilarious videos of goats screaming on youtube, but it was funny to me that goats were this quintessential symbol of farm life. Umm, chickens anyone?

However, over the last year and half, mowing the back yard was something Cactus decided he would love some assistance with, which resurrected the goat conversation. To help us think this through, here are some questions you may want to answer to help guide this decision of whether or not to get goats.

1. What’s your main reason for wanting goats? Will they be a family pet, do you want to breed them for income? Will they be a source of milk and cheese? Will they be a source of meat? Are you gonna rent them out for goat yoga parties or to clear areas with invasive species? Think this through. They live 12-14 years and they are only cute and little in the beginning. The answer to these questions would very much impact the breed you choose. We did very preliminary research on Nigerian Dwarfs, Nubians, and Boers. Turns out, goats are ‘browsers’ not ‘grazers’ meaning they are not going to mow the lawn. They’ll climb on things to eat branches or tall grass but sheep would be the better bet for our mowing needs.

2. Can you afford their feed and routine care needs? The cost of their food and care doesn’t seem to be too substantial, certainly less than a horse, but only you know your financial arrangements. Of course, depending on how many you have, this could be quite a range. Considerations on feed costs include hay, alfalfa (for females you are milking), a mineral supplement, and grain as a treat. This article from Thrifty Homesteader was very helpful. Don’t forget bedding as well.

Mineral station - a wood box with three sections - about 4 feet off the ground — Mineral station at Buckhorn Run Farm

3. How much time are you able to dedicate to caring for them? Again, your answer to this question would be different than mine. If you are milking twice a day, that’s definitely something to think about in relation to all the other things on your schedule.

PVC and wood milking station for goats at Buckhorn Run Farm — Milking station at Buckhorn Run Farm

4. Do you have the space for them – both to sleep and exercise? In addition to where ever they sleep, I learned goats hate the rain so you need a sheltered place for them during the day. And they need space to romp about, browse, and ‘kid around.’ A conservative estimate is at least 20-30 square feet for daily living and less for sleeping.

5. Can you keep them entertained, contained and safe? As cute as the babies are, these guys can get into mischief and need to be well contained. Cactus has a huge fence project on the horizon but not in the immediate future. They need stuff to climb on for fun. I’ve seen some elaborate play areas and some simple tree stumps or goat rocks. And when considering the space requirements above, definitely consider how you will keep them safe from predators (mainly coyotes and dogs).

Hope this was helpful. It was valuable for us because it’s easy to be swept away by the cuteness of any baby animal initially and it’s always best to make the responsible decision that works long-term.

Pandemic productivity

Well, time marches on as they say. Depending on where you live, you are likely still sheltering in place to the fullest extent or starting to see some of the restrictions loosened. Very strange times and I feel like I’ve experienced such a roller coaster of emotions. I’ll be energized and positive for a few days, and then feeling demoralized and tired the next. I hear lots of people trying to focus on the positive, which I fully support. I’m a firm believer that what we focus on and give energy to is what our days and life become. However, I also think there is some value to admitting “This is hard” or “I’m worn down.”

So in that vein, to give myself some small “wins” and energy boosts, it’s been helpful to me to identify some small projects that make me feel like I accomplished something in a few hours. To be clear, this list is in no way meant to make you feel guilty. If getting dressed and brushing your teeth is all you can handle each day, then do that. If however, you find you get more done when you stay busy, then here are a few suggestions that have surfaced in my life. [You’ll notice a theme around organizing and cleaning. I think that somehow fools me into thinking I have control over what is happening, when I truly don’t :)]

Clean out and organize your closets; donate to good will the stuff you haven’t worn in two years
Practice that instrument you haven’t picked up in <insert number> months/years
Start learning/brush up on a foreign language through podcasts or an app.
Organize your pantry. Use this list of pantry staples to do an inventory of what you should always have on hand.
Sort and organize all your recipes. If you have plastic sheet protectors and a few binders, great. But you can also just punch holes in the papers and tie together with some string or nice ribbon.
Got a pile of old magazines you are holding on to? Go through them, pull out the one or two articles you like and recycle the rest.
Sign up for an online class through your local community college or Parks and Recreation division. If you are feeling really ambitious, start one of the great courses.
Listen to some audio books. No need to pay for a subscription service (IMHO). Your local library likely has some sort of online option and I recently learned about RBdigital.
Paint an accent wall. Amazing how fresh a room feels with just a new coat of paint. I’m a huge fan of the ‘oops’ section at Home Depot where you can get discount paint because they didn’t mix it exactly to the customer’s liking.
Clean and vacuum your car and add a new air freshener. That way, when we do go back to daily life, you’ll feel like you just bought a new car.
Make some face masks! I have been dragging my feet on this. Maybe I’m in denial. If there’s a tried and true pattern you recommend, give me a shout.

No matter what, just hang in there. This will pass. It’s not fun and some days probably feel like we’ve reached our limit. But you will undoubtedly find a new source of strength, mentally and emotionally, that will prepare you for something to come.

First Year Garden Learnings – Part Two

Howdy again. I’m back with part two of my first year garden learnings. I’m glad I took notes and will continue to do so. Doing this lookback is also helping me think through some of my plans a little more deeply, which is good.

What I hope to improve next year:

The blueberry ambush. We will have to rewire our electric fence. The deer in our area are out of control and they are not taking my blueberries again. The Deer Chaser was not enough of a deer-terrant. Ha ha ha, I had to.

The single blueberry that the deer left behind on Farm Charm — The lone blueberry that the deer left

Carrots and cucumbers. Total flop. Nothing ever sprouted and I tried carrots twice – once in the spring and fall. Grrrr!

Starting my seeds in an egg carton. The cucumbers never sprouted. — Every other seed I started grew, except the cucumbers and carrots (which were directly seeded).

Fig Fail. Wah! I believe a few things worked against us. I don’t think we pruned enough of the old growth or insulated the roots during the colder months. I reached out to the previous owner as well and he said that some years were a miss as well for them.

Kale caterpillars. I had to rinse all my kale like 9 times before I used it and I’m sure I still ate extra protein without knowing. Not that big of a deal, but it did slightly lessen my enjoyment of the salads. However, not worried about worms at all from the bags of kale I froze and am putting in smoothies. I’m trying to keep my garden chemical free so will need to figure out how to keep these caterpillars out.

Tomatoes a-go-go. Since I hope to do more canning next year, I am not going to exclusively plant the small guys.

The layout. I feel like the location for where I planted squash and lettuce could be improved. The squash needs room to spread but also needs to be contained somehow. The two butternut plants took over the entire corner of the garden and grew through the fence. For the lettuce, not sure if it was due to soil or sunlight, but my lettuce leaf varieties did not take hold the way I would have hoped.

Spacing. Green beans need their space. So do tomato plants. This is true both horizontally and vertically. I will need to create better trellising configurations. For the green beans, I made a teepee that was not tall enough, only about 3 feet tall. Next year I will make it at least 5 feet tall and just plant 1-2 plants at each leg of the teepee. Personally, I don’t think tomato cages get the job done. The plants get tangled in them and they can still tip over. I’d really like to have some sort of bar suspended above them that they can grow up to.

No compost bed. I will not be dedicating a garden bed to composting. It became intractable and overgrown and my garden does not have extra space. Plus we have three other compost piles.

Take pictures of everything! Since I’m out in the garden so much and my memory is so, so spotty, I want to put a reminder on my phone to take a picture once each week. This will be a great visual record of where stuff was planted, how quickly it grew (or didn’t grow), etc. The challenge will be remembering to take my phone. I enjoy my gardening time as a way of being outside away from screens.

New veggies I want to try to grow:

Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Collard greens
Golden beets
Spinach

What I will NOT be growing next year:

Strawberries – I had four strawberry plants and as you know they were a great source of sustenance for what I guess were a local bunny family. I think we only ate 10-12 strawberries tops. I’m sure I could learn more about caging them in a way that allows them to spread while being protected, but they seem like more trouble than they are worth at this stage of my gardening game.

Farm Charm tomato cages wrapped in netting to protect my strawberry plants — My strawberry plant cages. These were good in theory but didn’t allow the plants to spread.

Farm Charm Barn Gets Winded

We’ve had some unseasonably warm and windy days here the past few weeks. We’ll get a few very cool days in the low 50s and then a day that shoots up to high 60s or low 70s. I think those weather fluctuations contribute to the crazy wind. On Halloween night, the winds were 30-40 mph I think. As a result, our beautiful old barn sustained some damage to the roof. I didn’t notice the chunk of the roof that was blown off until two days later and called our insurance right away.

I’m not exactly sure how old the barn is but the house dates back to 1890 so I would have to guess the barn isn’t that much younger. I LOVE this barn! It’s truly one of the things that makes me inexplicably happy when I pull into our driveway at night after work or when I walk out the door on weekend days as we are doing chores in the yard. I’m not exactly sure what the right word is to describe how it makes me feel, but something about it’s age, structure, heritage, simplicity, and traditions evokes stability and the feeling that I am home.

Farm Charm Barn after some strong winds — Oh beautiful girl! You are so impressive.

We’ve had a few contractors come out and one barn specialist to get their opinions on repairs. We want to take care of it and maybe someday turn it into something that other people can enjoy too. Cactus wants us to have some sort of children’s attraction on our property with a petting zoo, seasonal activities, etc. I say absolutely not to that idea but perhaps there is some other option we haven’t yet considered.

In the meantime, we’ll be figuring out what to do for the roof, and any other maintenance for the siding and foundation. If you know any good barn repair people, please send them my way. And if you’ve seen any beautiful barns, please send a picture my way.

First Year Garden Learnings – Part One

One of the things I have heard and read over and over from other gardeners and homesteaders is to take lots of notes throughout the year so that I’ll know to adjust things a few days/weeks earlier or later for next time. I’m curious how helpful this will be with the climate changing as much as it seems to be in such a short period of time.

I feel like all I hear is “this isn’t typical” or “the unusual weather we’ve been having” or the “unseasonably warm/wet/dry…” etc., etc. So I guess we’ll see what the next cycle of seasons brings for my gardening endeavors. Here are some of the big takeaways from my first year and I feel pretty positive on the whole.

What Went Well – the dubya dubya dubya

Arugula: My two arugula plants are more like bushes. I have done absolutely nothing in the way of nurturing them and they just keep flourishing.

Beets: Oh heavenly sweet beets. They were huge and juicy. If only I had pickled them to preserve the bounty.

Berries: Taking no personal credit, the black raspberries were insane and the raspberries were quite good. I will just have to make more of an effort to collect them routinely.

Butternut squash: By far the MVP of this year. Holy moly I think I had about 20 butternut squashes from two plants. They grew all over the place (which I will need to work on next year) but every single one of them has been 1000% delicious. Better than any I have ever bought from the store.

Green beans: I had more than I knew what to do with all to be harvested at the same time. Next year, definitely going to try canning some.

Peppers: I had jalapenos and bell peppers. Not too many, could probably plant one more plant of each to have extra that I chop up and put in the freezer for the winter.

Tomatoes: I did all small varieties because I love them on salads and as salads (caprese, cowgirl caviar, etc.).

Watermelon: This was just an experiment and we got three watermelons! The location will need to be re-thought (similar to the squash) but I was surprised anything even took.

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