Independence Days Challenge..or is that interdependence?

First, because I have been so busy there are a couple of links I want to share with you. The first link is just wonderful. Meet your farmer ..er...Maine Farmer. These videos are just wonderful. A true slice of the food and farming tradition I am so fortunate to have access to.

The second link is more sobering but I think equally important. Stoneleigh is one half of the dynamic duo who write for the Automatic Earth, a finance website that addresses the broader issues of peak oil and climate change and how they are inter-connected. I really think she has a great understanding of what we are facing and she does a fine job of distilling the issues down to its basics. She also gives some great advice. Well worth finding a cool corner to listen to it.

As for life here at the mobile farmlette-stead, it is still busy. The garden is just a mess. There just isn't enough time in either place to give both gardens the full attention they need. Work has picked up a lot. However, after this week, the old house should look like it is missing furniture and the new house will have a new bathroom wall.

But I am still trying to keep the IDC going. I figure that even if I am not doing as much as I may have done last week, checking in here weekly at least keeps me on task.

Plant: nope

Harvest: oregano, broccoli, peas, scallions, yarrow, swiss chard

Preserve: 14 quarts of broccoli and 1 gallon of strawberry wine.

Local food systems: we brought home gleaned potatoes from work and I was given a bunches of free broccoli from work.

Eat the food: broccoli, scrambled eggs with swiss chard. local steak on the grill and boiled new potatoes.

Waste not: still making piles for the thrift store

Want not: Tristan found a metal scrap pile on our new property. He has been sorting some of it for is own uses but we may be able to get some roofing for our coop in the new place from the pile. I am making another rag rug from scraps from my winter rug endeavors.

I am going to add a to-do list at the end. While working in the fields I think of things I would like to do and then I forget.

To-do:

I need to buy a couple of small bars of bees wax the next time I go to the health food store. I want to make a salve with the calendula, comfrey and plantain that are available in the garden.

I need to get another peck of peas from the farm. I think we may be able to glean from the field and get a better price, so I need to check on that.

I need to buy a bottle of cheap vodka for tinctures

pack pack pack move move move....swim:)

Homesteading 101

We are writing to-do lists these days. There is work here at home, there is work we need to plan in the future. Priorities and dreams. While contemplating all our plans we can refine what we started in our current home for our new home.

When we first moved here the first improvement we made to the place was our clothes line. It can fit three loads of laundry. It receives good sunlight most of the day. The one refinement we will make on the next one to fill our holes with concrete before putting the posts in the ground so that the posts do not succumb to the whim of frost and thaw.

We also plan to build a woodshed that will keep our wood dry. Each fall we stack wood. I love this task. Evan and I go out each morning and stack. We collect any kindling left from the wood Mark has chopped. By December the wood is all stacked on top of pallets and covered in tarps or makeshift tarps constructed from feed bags. By January we are trying to keep the tarps on the wood or they are frozen to the ground. By spring we are chasing tarps freed by March winds. So a woodshed would be definite improvement.

Our compost bins were constructed from wooden pallets, chicken wire and barn boards from a barn we salvaged a few years ago. Some years I am very diligent about turning those piles every 21 days. I keep my piles of green and brown around and construct the pile as it should be. But the last year the piles have been more passively built. When we get to our new place I would like to construct our bins to look like log cabins; basically a box made from logs, that can built up and taken down while building or turning the piles.

We have capacity to collect 330 gallons of water from our roof. We put the 50 gallon whisky barrel up first and then found the 280 gallon industrial container. We had to put up new gutters. We use this water for watering our animals and garden in the summer. If we lose power we use this water for washing. In the new place we would like to increase our water collection efforts and connect some of them to soaker hoses in the garden. Our new place also has a hand pump in the kitchen that is connected to a hand dug well that we will use when ( it is not an "if" in Maine) we lose power. There is also a drilled well with an electic pump. I love redundancies:)

Mark made this cold frame for me before we moved here. It has served us well. It has been rebuilt and refined several times during it's life. When we move to the new place we would like to build a small greenhouse to help with seed starting, season extending and a spot for growing some of those veggies that like the heat.

Mark and Tristan built our barn a couple of years ago. We had a chicken coop a few years ago that was functional but a little scrappy looking and it fell prey to the elements easily. So when we built the barn I had the stipulation that I wanted it to be pretty. But our budget was a little tight so we decided to put T1-11 on as siding and, well, we started with 4 inch wide and that became unavailable, so there is some 8 inch on it too. It is post and beam construction and very sturdy but we are going to try something different with our next barn. We just haven't decided yet what that will be. We like the pole barn idea and our hayloft can store a fair amount of hay but not all the hay we need for the winter so we are going back the draft board for the next one.

Mark fenced in the pasture and this has worked really well. It has different sections that can be opened or closed depending on how the tall the grass is. In the spring we spread oats on top of the pasture grass we grew so that there is early grass for the wooly critters. The next place has more open spaces so we will be able to mostly grass feed our sheep in the summer.

Finally, we have a big double sided refrigerator with an ice maker. It came with the house when we bought it. We have been meaning to replace it with something more efficient. The new house has a built in cold room and a vintage fridge circa 1960's. We are thinking of getting rid of the fridge. We have a small chest freezer. We might get a small dorm fridge for things like milk and leftovers but we would learn how best to use the cold room. Also, when we put in our woodstove in our current home we stopped needing to use so much propane gas. We have a hot water heater that uses propane now. But the new place has an electric hot water heater. We would like to install an on -demand hot water system. We think that this will save us a ton of money.

Well, big plans...gotta go sharpen the pencil:)

To-do list

Mark came home on Friday evening. We spent the weekend with our heads together with paper and pen. There were numbers to figure, ideas running around in our head. We have yet to write it all down but plans are forming.

This is what a lay-off comes down to for us; we feel like we have to move beyond the paradigm of expecting our life to be paid for by the grace of an employer. Between the two of us we have many skills. Among all those diversified skills we should be able to make a living.

In the meanwhile I have some things to add to my to-do list.

1. I have a lot of research to do. Starting with this program.
2. I have registered for an orchard care class through our cooperative extension. There is also an organic orcharding class with Michael Phelps that I need to register for.
3. This organization seems like a good resource for some of our plans.
4. Oh and well, I gotta clean the house today, plant more seeds and bake bread:)

Storm is coming

Our first big storm of the season is expected tomorrow. We are forecasted to get 6-10 inches of snow. Along with the snow will be high winds. Power outages are expected. We have a good to do list today.

Bring snow shovels in from the garage.

Top off any water storage containers. When we lose power, we loose the power to the electric pump in our well.

Bring in anything out in the yard that we do not want covered with snow until spring.

Fill bird feeders.

Bring snow shoes in from the garage.

Check batteries in flash lights and top off oil lamps. Check batteries in emergency radio.

Vacuum rug. Well, okay, not an emergency essential. But with 2 cats, a dog and a 3 year old; the carpet can get nasty quickly.

It has fairly warm for the season but should be getting much colder by the end of the week. It is time to put the extra blankets on the bed.

I'll do some laundry today.

This afternoon we will bring a big pile of firewood. We will also make sure that all the wood is covered well.

Give the sheep extra hay tonight to keep them warm.

Review recipe for homemade hot coco:)

Independence Day Challenge Year 2, The Second week

Hmmm...I think this may have been a lazy week.  I don't have a memory of last week being full of many activities of the IDC variety.

The teen was away for the week.  The wee one and I were the dynamic duo: reading many books, taking long walks, washing dishes together ( and then mopping the floor). It was a rainy week and that perennial pest, the black fly has appeared.  There were a few days in the car running errands and keeping appointments. We had company coming so so extra tidying was in order.

okay ...let's see...

Planted:  carrots, cabbage, leeks, elderberry, more onions, yellow finn potatoes, caribe potatoes from saved seed, carolla potatoes from saved seed. Transplanted more herbs and flowers.  I have visions of flowers blooming all over my yard one day. WE have been here a few years now. Each year I add a little more to the edible landscape, and perennial plants.  I had planted an herb garden last year. But, I have decided to disperse them around the garden to serve as pest management. I think the texture of the garden with different heights of green and blooms will be pretty to look at when the garden is full with summer.

Harvested: Spinach, chives, dandelion greens, jerusalem artichokes.

Preserved: dehydrated dandelion greens.

Eat something:  spinach in our sandwiches,chives with some potatoes, fiddleheads gifted by a friend.

Reduce waste/ manage reserves: Just cleaned the house for company...oh and primed one metal chair that I found in the garbage.  Also, worked on another project.  So our dryer died this past winter; which was perfectly fine with us.  It was sorta like a crutch when you have a sprained wrist.  We were using our drying racks and clothesline most of the time anyway.  so no big deal.

Except that it was dead and we had to dispatch of its carcass.  Later today I will post what we have done with the dad dryer. Let's just say there are many great parts to a dryer that can have  a myriad of uses.

Preparation and Storage: I found some clothes in larger sizes for the wee one at the thrift store.

Local Food systems: A neighbor gave us some eggshells that I use in the garden to add phosphorous Hubby brought home fiddleheads from a friend at work. I bartered eggs and blueberry wine for childcare one day.  I shared Jerusalem Artichokes with Wendy at Home Is...;) 

I think I need to make a short to do list this week.

Finish planting potatoes, plant more carrots, rutabaga and onions.

Pick Dandelion Blossoms for wine, make vanilla extract

Inventory pantry and make a list for a bulk order.

Wash fleece of Rama- lama and  Sploge-Bob Wooly Pants

Stock up on some canning lids...they seem to be hard to find...hmmm.

Start mulching the paths of the garden to keep the weeds down.

WEll...that should be enough..

To do list

I need a kick in the pants.  I can't believe I am going to write this but...I was really groovin' on the winter mindset.  After 3 winters in the country, with long stretches at home, I had finally found the quiet of winter to be restorative.  I've fed some creativity this winter.  I've spent some nice quiet time with the kids.  I've found some community/ and woman's camaraderie with my knitting group.  

Now it is spring and the work of the outdoors beckons.  Don't get me wrong,  I have spent some time out in the garden this past week.  It feels great to use those muscles that have been dormant for the last few months.  The wee one spent a long time in his sandbox the other day while I built up hugelkulture; a milestone that will make the work of the coming season easier.  I am thrilled to have more daylight.  I still marvel at the garlic sprouts hidden under mulch...just like a Christmas surprise.  I can spend long minutes wandering the garden with plans and revised plans in my mind.

But today...I just wanna sit by the woodstove and knit.....

So I need to make a to-do list:

Finish starting seeds indoors and hang up a second grow lamp.  The kids will help me with this.

Hang laundry outside. It is pretty windy out there they should dry quickly.

Make bread and plan on lunches for Tuesday.  I have errands to run in Bangor tomorrow and work at the bookstore, so I will pack lunches.  It will save us some money.  If the weather is nice we  can have a picnic.

Finish cleaning up the yard.  There is still a lot of snow in the back yard but I can get the rest of the beds cleaned up, put some snow shovels away ( because it is Spring right?)

That is enough for the day.  But for the week I need to:

Spread compost over a part of the garden I am going to sheet mulch.

Finish transplanting herbs

Clean out the front corner of the sunroom. We are going to replace the front door and big windows in the front of the house. It will be more efficient.  A friend from church is coming by next week to give us an estimate on the job.

We have family coming for a visit in a couple of weeks so a good excuse to get some deep cleaning done.

Help teen get his art work ready for his opening at a local artisan coop.

Well....better get to work...

To Do list... Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning?  Well, yes, I am sorta doing the spring cleaning because there will be no time to do the spring cleaning when spring arrives.  Who wants to be indoors when the weather gets warm....cleaning. Ugh.  

But things pile up, cupboards get cluttered, clothes get outgrown, spiders spin in drafts, dust gathers. The rest of the year is busy with the garden, canning, and holidays.  This is the work of now.  

Taking care of these chores now, makes the summer to do list easier to figure out.  Do we need to build that shelf in the kitchen?  Do we think about building the addition this year or do we take care of another project instead? When we get rid  of the dead dryer in the bathroom do we put a cabinet in its spot or do we put a shelf?

To do:

Clean off the top of the refridgerator, clean the inside of the fridge and freezer.

Organize the cupboards in the bathroom.

Move knitting machines and accessories into spare room off the workshop. Set up knitting studio.

Make bread, yogurt, cook up some winter squash.

Find a way to keep the kitchen counter by the back door from become a catchall for EVERYTHING.  Ugh clutter ...

Finish painting the freecycle dresser I found for the teen and put on the handles.

Sew window quilts for the back door and front door.

Make a bulk food order for buying club.

Well, that seems more than enough to keep me busy.

I am seriously going to do everything on the to- do list this week....seriously

     Well, I need to make this to do list because I have no idea what I need to do.  I have a vague idea (the incredible amount of clutter on the counter is a good place to start) but I've been so busy lately that things have piled up....( housework deferred?).  I have found myself with the unexpected pleasure of just taking care of the regular everyday stuff like housework, unfinished crafts, ritual cooking, end of season garden chores.  There is no wood to stack, no food to preserve (except those beets!), no knitting for a craft fair, no work at the bookstore for a couple of weeks.  I get to think about getting ready for the holidays,  spending time with my kids, maybe a date with my hubby, craft my Christmas presents.  I have a busy end of November ahead of me.  I am giving a sermon at our UU church, I have a craft fair the beginning of December and the bookstore will probably want me for some holiday shifts.  The teen begins a leadership program and the Junior Maine Guide program so there will be more time in the family taxi.  But for the next couple of weeks... I get to catch up and I am reveling in the idea! Okay, I admit it, I am weird.

To do:

Can some of those beets and find some recipes to use the rest.

Manage my reserves.  I must check my winter squash and make sure that there are no soft spots. I will also check the canned goods and plan the menu for the week using preserved food.  We have done pretty well with this but meals have not been very inspired lately.

Sew PJs.  I have several pairs of pj bottoms I want to give as Christmas presents.  They are cut out I just have to sew them.

Finish special order of knitted socks.

Tend the compost bins.  Bin number one  has finished compost that I need to side dress the hops and grapes with before I mulch them. Bin number two needs to be turned into bin number one. Bin number three need to be turned into bin number two.  And I need to make a new pile in bin number three with the last of the raked leaves, garden waste  and mucked stalls.

Top to bottom  house cleaning.  You know the spider webs that have wrapped around the aloe plant and caught those last diehard fruit flies. The dried soybeans when hubby was shelling them and spilled them and keep showing up every time you sweep the floor. The pile of summer clothes that have yet to find their way into the box in the closet ( we may still have an Indian summer..yeah sure...).  Wash the shower curtain because It  can stand on its own and may have voting rights if you don't stick it in the washer soon.

Hang the curtains that you did wash.  The neighbors really don't want to see your business.

Well, that is one thing per day for a week.  That should do it.  I hope.

Company is coming

    We've been in this corner of Maine, now, for two years.  The little town I live in boast 2400 souls.  Smallest town I have ever lived in.  I grew up in Salem, Massachusettes.  Moved to Portland Maine and lived there for the better part of my adult life.  So, yup, I'm a city girl. Or, is that was a city girl?  

     In the city you can bring your book, knitting needles or notebook walk down to the coffee shop and be surrounded by people.  If you are reading the latest and greatest topseller, then more than likely you will have a conversation.  

     In the country, if you walk out in the yard, or down the road,  your likely to run into a flock of turkeys, chase sheep around the yard. 

     In the country, if your a square peg it is harder to find other square pegs.

    But there out there.

    And they are coming to our house for a potluck fete this Saturday.

     I look forward to having folks come over because I get to clean the cobwebs from the ceiling, pull the weeds from the garden, hang that curtain rod and curtains that I have meaning to get to for weeks now.  Yup,the domestic diva takes over and she can be really demanding sometimes. I look forward to cooking mostly local food from my foodshed or garden.I look forward to sharing this new life out here with old friends.  I look forward to connecting with the community I have found in the country.

  

What to do? What to do?

Oh the forever to do list:

•   Go back to the pick- your- own blueberry patch...1.00 a quart  compared to the 4.50 a quart place.  Although, when you buy the already-been picked you don't get  stung by yellow jackets or spend  an  hour cleaning them.
• Still have to plant spinach in the garden for fall harvest.                                             
• Friendly neighbor gave me some cucumbers that I have to make                                                        some  bread and butter pickles with.
• Learn how to download pictures for this bloggy thang.
• Finish knitting baby hat for new niece.
• make dinner, do laundry, vacuum...yadda, yadda, yadda