The gold star chicks are a month old now, and have acquired some skilz. They can fly up to the top edge of the brooder pen. They can fly from the top edge of the brooder pen to the floor outside the brooder pen. They can poop all over my garage floor. They cannot always find their way back inside the brooder pen, but most of the time they do.
Next up…the best. wheat bread. evah.
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The pigs are enjoying the gradually warming sun (and some fall apples they found when the snow melted.)
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…wanted to say “Happy Birthday!” to him.
(Happy birthday, babe!)
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1 year ago:
Despite the springlike conditions above ground this week, under ground things – specifically, the water line to the shed – are still very winterlike and still very frozen.
So daily, out come the hoses. And once the watering is done, the hoses have to be rolled up again and hauled into the garage so they don’t freeze.
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This warm moon, and the warm weather (40’s today!), and tonight’s thunderstorms (thunderstorms!) could almost convince a person that spring is on its way.
But I won’t be fooled. I’ve lived in Iowa long enough to know better than to get my hopes up about spring. Not yet.
There was a time when I’d be more than ready to kiss winter goodbye by now. But nowadays, for the most part, I enjoy winter. Cooking comfort foods. Farm conferences. Snuggling on the couch under a quilt, watching movies. Catching up.
“There’s a point where you can give up on winter–when temptation can enter your soul, prying its way in like cold air through the cracks in your cabin–around January sixteenth or so, and this can make you realize that February’s coming, and beyond February, March.
See, I don’t yet realize that March will be the hardest month. Early February’s the coldest, and often the snowiest, but March, strange, silent March, will be the hardest.
The danger in yielding to thoughts of spring–green grass, hikes, bare feet, lakes, fly-fishing, rivers, and sun, hot sun–is that once these thoughts enter your mind, you cant get them out.
Love the winter. Don’t betray it. Be loyal.
When the spring gets here, love it too–and then the summer.
But be loyal to the winter, all the way through–all the way, and with sincerity–or you’ll find yourself high and dry, longing for a spring that’s a long way off, and winter will have abandoned you, and in her place you’ll have cabin fever, the worst.
The colder it gets, the more you’ve got to love it.”
~Rick Bass fr. Winter -Notes from Montana
(HT: Wish Jar Journal, Keri Smith)
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I’ve written before about what music means in my life. So scenes like this thrill me beyond measure. (Get it? Measure? How punny of me 🙂
Rafe asked Santa for a guitar for Christmas, and Santa delivered. And Rafe has been kind of enough to share his gift with Olivia, who in turn bugs her dad to teach her new chords as soon as he gets in from chores after work. And what’s the first song she wants to learn? Smoke on the Water.
*~*~*
On another note, I was given this nice accolade:
I’m supposed to list 5 addictions, so here goes:
1. My Bloglines feed reader. I think subscribing to 78 blogs might qualify as an addiction.
2. And I suppose The Internet in general qualifies as an addiction. In my heart I want to be Ma Ingalls, but I’d need wireless internet access in that log cabin.
3. Sugar, in all its various baked and/or processed forms.
4. Photography & scrapbooking. I’ll lump those together for the sake of keeping this list to 5. Right now my dining room table is completely covered in pictures and albums.
5. And it seems fitting to end this list with…music. I love to play it, listen to it, discover new stuff, sing it, study lyrics.
And now I’m supposed to pass this on to some other lovely bloggers. And I’m going to pick on some of my favorite bloggers who have been a little absentee, in hopes of prodding them for an update. I’m conniving like that.
1. Between Plow and Wood. They bought a farm, and then seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. I can relate.
2. Gracious Acres. They sold a farm, and then seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. My internet-turned-real-life friend, Matt calls “L” my long lost twin.
3. Farm Aspirations. They moved, had a baby, and then seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. I can relate.
(Are you sensing a theme here?)
4. Diary of a Farmer. A farmer and a full-time firemen. That more than explains his absence, but he’s a very enjoyable read when he does write. And I’m insanely jealous of their farm setup.
5. Clodhopper Farm. Peter is less absentee than the rest of this list, but he still doesn’t update often enough for my tastes.
So there you have it!
Tomorrow I’m hoping to actually write about farm-related stuff! Maybe get some footage of Matt’s insane watering routine, now that the water line to the shed has frozen, or an update on the chicks.
Just wanted to give all you Iowans (and even southern Minnesotans) a heads up about the upcoming INCA (Iowa Network for Community Agriculture) 14th Annual Local Foods Conference. It will be held Saturday, February 7 in Clear Lake.
I won’t be able to make the Saturday morning sessions – I’ve got a volleyball tournament to be at – but on Saturday afternoon I’ll be facilitating a session with Chef Kurt Michael Friese of Iowa City’s Devotay entitled “What’s So Big About Local”. He’s also the featured guest at the Friday evening Slow Food event. (I do plan to attend the Friday afternoon session and evening Slow Food event.)
There’s something for everyone – producer and consumer alike – at this conference. Check out the links below for event and session details. I know you’ll find something of interest! (And the Saturday potluck lunch is fab. u. lous.)
Conference overview: click here
Program details & events: click here
Registration: click here
Sorry for the sporadic posting around here, but there’s been a lot of this…
Olivia on the right with the ball
and a lot of this…
Madeline in the middle, on defense
The girls, they love their sports. And I love that concession stand popcorn.
Today was Madeline’s last game. Olivia’s got a couple of months hiatus before her last tournament. So regular posting may resume.
Or not…winter volleyball league started Sunday 🙂
to fire up my photo-snapping mojo.
Isn’t this spectacular?
The creek was beautiful.
I loved the contrast of the red gate against all that white.
Even common weeds turn magical.
The grand oak tree at the end of our drive.
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What is it about peeling and dicing potatoes that calms me, soothes me, centers me?
What is it about making something so simple as soup?
Some humble vegetables, some chicken bones boiled in water to make broth, some salty ham…
Something magic happens when you combine these simple things…a tonic for the soul.
Ham & Cabbage Soup
1 onion, diced
3 potatoes, peeled & diced
2 carrots, peeled & diced
4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 lb. diced ham
Combine all ingredients in stock pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer 30 to 60 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Serves 4-6.
NOTES:
* I doubled the recipe, and then some. I used a whole head of cabbage, which I’m sure was more than 8 cups. And I used 3/4# of ham.
* So I just added equal parts water and chicken broth until it barely covered the vegetables. The cabbage will give off some water, making the final product more “soup-y”.
* I used a ham steak, instead of leftover regular ham.
3 years ago:
Practical Farmers of Iowa conference
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