Don't You Ever Get Bored?(1)
25 Aug 2017 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wayfaringwordhackI have so much to share about this new life we've embarked on, so many changes, so many discoveries. So many somedays have now simply become my days. As usual, this post won't even make a dent in it because it way past my bedtime.
My winter garden is growing well, so well that my cabbages have attracted unwanted attention. They are under attack from nasty caterpillars and possibly flies, which are eating the roots. We've already eaten homegrown lettuces and spinach, though. Tasty victory. And warranted, too, I can say, having hauled bucket after bucket of water from our well for it.
I've spent many hours with the kids, harvesting the bounty of the land, and making jams: blackberry, elderberry, plum (mostly from plums given to us by our neighbors). I even bought peaches and apricots and made preserves from those. We have a slew of peppermint in the garden. I wanted to try making mint jelly, but without pectin or a good source thereof on hand, I made lemon & mint syrup instead. Despite it being high summer, I've tested out our wood-burning cookstove and felt quite like a homesteader baking my own sourdough loaf in it. I burned my zucchini bread, however, after it being in the oven for only 25 minutes. Tricky regulating the temperature with wood.
We have chickens, too. Two laying hens, four poulets, and a young rooster. We're far from having to worry about an excess of eggs at this point, what with Junebug's hen, Wazel Peck,(2) on an 8-Day-No-Lay streak. His poor poulet, Lila, got a foot injury and, despite my doctoring, is wasting away. She's the sweetest little Buff Orpington, but I just don't know if she's going to make it. A hard reality of farm life, I know.
We haven't had a chance to explore our environs much, but we have taken the kids to Vulcania twice, and they love it. Paleopolis is next on the list for Sprout, who still says she'll be a paleontologist when she grows up. A visit there will have to wait a bit; I'm home alone with the three kids for three weeks. We have plenty to explore in our own backyard, though. J and Sprout saw a fox nearby, taking a midmorning sunbath. Chooks, beware! My screaming kiddos do make pretty good predator deterants, I dare say.
I've been taking baby steps with illustrating my kids' book, and I've started sketching some ideas for bedding that I want to design for Junebug and Ti'Loup. Sprout has naturally also asked for something personalized.
I wanted to share pics of everything we've been up to, but I still find DW's image posting to be a total nightmare. :(. I guess that will have to wait for either A) me to get more time and grow better brain cells, or B) for Dreamwidth to design a better, more user-friendly program. I'd seriously go back to LJ just for that. :-S I miss my Scrapbook.
_____________
(1) What our neighbor asked me when I said I was home with the kids all the time. Seriously? Why in the world would I be, and how is it that people find themselves in that state?
(2) Junebug calls hazelnuts "wazelnuts." When we first brought the two hens home, his chicken hid under the hazelnut trees, hence part of her name. :D
My winter garden is growing well, so well that my cabbages have attracted unwanted attention. They are under attack from nasty caterpillars and possibly flies, which are eating the roots. We've already eaten homegrown lettuces and spinach, though. Tasty victory. And warranted, too, I can say, having hauled bucket after bucket of water from our well for it.
I've spent many hours with the kids, harvesting the bounty of the land, and making jams: blackberry, elderberry, plum (mostly from plums given to us by our neighbors). I even bought peaches and apricots and made preserves from those. We have a slew of peppermint in the garden. I wanted to try making mint jelly, but without pectin or a good source thereof on hand, I made lemon & mint syrup instead. Despite it being high summer, I've tested out our wood-burning cookstove and felt quite like a homesteader baking my own sourdough loaf in it. I burned my zucchini bread, however, after it being in the oven for only 25 minutes. Tricky regulating the temperature with wood.
We have chickens, too. Two laying hens, four poulets, and a young rooster. We're far from having to worry about an excess of eggs at this point, what with Junebug's hen, Wazel Peck,(2) on an 8-Day-No-Lay streak. His poor poulet, Lila, got a foot injury and, despite my doctoring, is wasting away. She's the sweetest little Buff Orpington, but I just don't know if she's going to make it. A hard reality of farm life, I know.
We haven't had a chance to explore our environs much, but we have taken the kids to Vulcania twice, and they love it. Paleopolis is next on the list for Sprout, who still says she'll be a paleontologist when she grows up. A visit there will have to wait a bit; I'm home alone with the three kids for three weeks. We have plenty to explore in our own backyard, though. J and Sprout saw a fox nearby, taking a midmorning sunbath. Chooks, beware! My screaming kiddos do make pretty good predator deterants, I dare say.
I've been taking baby steps with illustrating my kids' book, and I've started sketching some ideas for bedding that I want to design for Junebug and Ti'Loup. Sprout has naturally also asked for something personalized.
I wanted to share pics of everything we've been up to, but I still find DW's image posting to be a total nightmare. :(. I guess that will have to wait for either A) me to get more time and grow better brain cells, or B) for Dreamwidth to design a better, more user-friendly program. I'd seriously go back to LJ just for that. :-S I miss my Scrapbook.
_____________
(1) What our neighbor asked me when I said I was home with the kids all the time. Seriously? Why in the world would I be, and how is it that people find themselves in that state?
(2) Junebug calls hazelnuts "wazelnuts." When we first brought the two hens home, his chicken hid under the hazelnut trees, hence part of her name. :D
no subject
Date: 25 Aug 2017 11:12 pm (UTC)"Wazelnuts" is great--I'll have to tell Wakanomori; he was just musing on the fact that that nut isn't as well known here as it is over there!
no subject
Date: 26 Aug 2017 05:17 am (UTC)It's great to see you posting again.