farmhousewife

gah! finals!

2011-12-12T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of the semester. I have officially completed 35 units since beginning in January. Tomorrow, I will laugh at my textbooks. And then post a 'for sale' ad in hopes that someone will buy them.

Hopefully we'll get around to decorating our "outback" Christmas tree by the weekend. The wee one, who isn't really so 'wee' anymore, is really looking forward to it. He's going to be in a Christmas play at one of the local churches this year and has enjoyed his weekly practice of singing. It's the cutest thing. Darn. It makes me want to freeze time.

Kindergarten is going really well for him, except for the 2 colds, 1 round of flu and 2 rounds of a stomach bug he's had thus far. And his "year" of school is not even half-over.

The greenhouse is up, the pig had her piglets and winter is here on the farm. More updates later. I'm going to go read........a NOVEL! Or,...a NEWSPAPER!

Tomorrow: beef stew with vegetables all brought to us by local or homegrown/home-preserved foods cooked right here on the wood-cook-stove.

This Inconsistent Life

2011-10-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

I've been given a warning; the blog-police have issued an invalid citation of bored-blog-syndrome and I must rectify the situation before it becomes contagious.

Admittedly, I've never been consistent with blogging. Or dishes. Or laundry. Or anything, for that matter. I'm very spontaneous, always late, sometimes a know-it-all and always me. So, when it comes to blogging, you can always expect the unexpected. I won't win any blog-awards. I'm okay with that, too.

This last year started in January with me going back to school at a local community college to finish my associates degree and while I thought it would be easy - it has proven me wrong. What it has done, though, is taught me a little bit more about myself. I've learned that I work well under pressure. I can meet scholastic deadlines and while not the best at it, still be a farmhousewife. So far, I've managed to stay a straight "A" student. I'd like to keep it that way.

Also in my other pocket of busy-ness is the volunteering I do with the Montgomery County Farmers' Market. Formed in February of this year, a group of committed and like-minded individuals came together and moved forward with a Farmers' Market. On a weekly basis, we all pack up our goods, meet at the designated location, and put on our tables the heart and souls worth of our life-work. Sometimes we make a few dollars, sometimes we don't. There are some days when we actually lose money. Nevertheless, it has been a most rewarding venture, one which I'd like to continue and mostly because of the nicest people I've come to know and love.

Rounding up the inconsistencies of life, this last summer, my husband grew very ill. While we never did find the cause and aren't likely to, the most important thing is that he's getting better now. Life is precious, and we must live in the "now" in order to truly and fully "live."

Aligned with the theory that life is precious and we must live in the "now" - I and my family mourn the passing of a friend, Vickie Parsons Hayden, and grieve for the family she left behind. The sparkle in her eye and her dazzling smile told me that she lived life, not for then or later but here, and now - in this moment. And so, in her honor I will carry flashy pocket-books, wear my useless high heels and sometimes curl my hair and put make-up on for no reason.

And today, I will not worry about whether or not I can keep up with three blogs, a farmhouse, full-time school, a six-year old and a husband. I will not worry about how to spend the paycheck from my twice-a-week part-time job or the past-due electric bill. I'm going to soak up the colors of the changing leaves. I'm going to go to math class and learn square roots. I'm going to see my friends and fellow vendors at the farmers' market and then come home to a sink full of dishes and be grateful that what I have is now.

Life is inconsistent. I'm going to embrace it.

In Loving and Vivid Memory of Vickie Parsons Hayden
9/27/66 to 10/9/11
23rd Psalm

Throwback to Summer - the Candor Peach Festival Parade July 2011

2011-08-24T16:53:00.000-04:00

I saved the best for last, the horses!!

1st Annual Sandhillls Farm Tour

2011-07-18T18:46:00.000-04:00

Do you like buying local? Do you enjoy visiting farms? If so be sure to take your family on the 2011 Sandhills Farm Tour! Local farms in Montgomery, Moore and Richmond counties are hosting their first annual farm tour Saturday July 23rd from 3-7 PM. This is a perfect family outing where you can tour the farms, sample great locally grown food, and have a day of excitement!

Each farm has a specialty whether it is with local food or providing outdoor sports. Some of the farms will have cooking demonstrations and family fun activities. If you are interested in attending tickets are only $10.00 per car before July 22nd! Tickets can be purchased from Montgomery Cooperative Extension office or you can purchase tickets at the farm site the day of for $15.00 per car (giving you access to all farms).

The list of participating

farms:

Clayton Orchard

289 Research Farm Rd.

Candor, NC 27229

Dewitt’s Game Farm & Dewitt’s Outdoor Sports

443 Jimmy Carriker Rd

Ellerbe, NC 28338

Hilltop Angus Farm

1708 Pee Dee Rd.

Mt. Gilead, NC 27306

Hope Farms

117 NC Hwy 731 E

Mt. Gilead, NC 27306

Shadow Hill Farm & Kennel

1723 Belford Church Rd.

Jackson Springs, NC 27281

Triple L Farms

2205 Derby Rd.

Ellerbe, NC 28338

Vang Farms

189 Beaman Rd.

Troy, NC 27371

For more info or to purchase tickets come by the:

NC Cooperative Extension

203 W. Main Street, Troy NC 27371

(910) 576-6011

Come see us!

They say "canning", I say "jarring"

2011-07-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

speechless sunday

2011-07-03T14:35:00.000-04:00

I survived a family reunion & other useless stuff

2011-06-10T01:44:00.001-04:00

Maybe because it wasn't my own and looking back on the seven days spent with in-laws and out-laws is funnier now than it was then....at least the pictures are funnier. This one, for instance makes me laugh continuously for a minimum of two minutes straight;

It is the product of "hold still Ed, I'm going to take a picture," which produced this glamour shot; the funniest thing I've seen all year.

I recently learned that I have nearly completed an entire math class (64 hours-worth) in just under 10 hours and now have to get an "A" on two tests to finalize it. Okay, the "A" is not technically necessary except for my possibly obsessive motivation to get a 4.0 GPA.

I learned that seven people and one bathroom really can co-exist.

Myrtle Beach, SC can be done in one day - all seven of us, in the MommyVan AKA: FarmVan made it down in one piece. Sorta. There were air-conditioning issues and although it was a scorcher, we all had fun and made it home with our novice driver at the wheel.

Got Sand?

All together for the first time in 15 years. It was a terrific week action packed with fishing, dirtbike riding, horse tending, egg-collecting, farmers' market-going, swimming, flea-marketing, peach ice-cream eating, barbeque'ing and much, much more.

What I did today:

2011-05-16T00:15:00.000-04:00

in somewhat of an order, but not really;

looked at baby chicks in the incubator that hatched overnight
went back to bed and snuggled my son
drank a cup of coffee and checked email
took pig slop to pigs
took pictures and video of Auntie Jenn and Ed and Eddie & Dillion and Andrew ride motorcycles in the driveway
fed and watered chickens
made horse buckets
collected eggs
coo'ed and awe'd at baby Xander and talked to my sister in the kitchen while we swatted at flies
made sausage-egg casserole with lots of veggies in it
talked to Dana and Paula and the new puppy
hung laundry on the line
kissed baby Xander
did dishes
did more laundry (but did not put away any of it)
ate leftovers
did more dishes
hung out with Xander while Auntie Jenn rode motorcycles with Ed and Eddie
messed around in the barn topping off feed and water
got a shower!
Becky, Steve and the kids came over and visited for a while
Jim Bowles came over and visited for a while
met Aunt Betty and her daughter Katrina at the fence in the chicken pasture - talked to them for a while and they gave me a catalog to one of the coolest places I've never been
had a full-on conversation with a three month old
went over to Becky and Steve's for pizza and conversation, some ridiculously funny movie(?) and then came home
told Xander he was a trooper for staying up so late and had another great few minutes with him. He is such a happy baby! So happy to have my sister and nephew here.
forgot to mention the coffee I had at Becky and Steve's which is why I'm awake. While everyone else is asleep. And I'm here. Writing this.

It's ALL good.

Quilted

2011-05-01T00:50:00.001-04:00

There is something about a quilt - handmade, planned, preserved, and well-used - that makes me wish I had a hundred of them.

And when they hang on the line, patiently - soaking up the sun - I want to stare at them all day and ponder: whose hands pieced those puzzles together, and for whom?

Yet they are silent, standing ready for any kind of duty whether an impromptu front yard picnic, or farmers market table covering, or a chilly spring night covering.

Especially connective for me was when, in my English Literature class we read "A Jury of Her Peers," by Susan Glaspell and then another touching and poignant story within "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker. Both of these works of literature played upon a quilt.

The pieces of fabric, however tattered, held together by threads -however steadily or crazily stitched, are so telling of the nature of our lives. And sometimes, our quilts, much like our lives, aren't quite pieced together like the picture we have in our minds.

But, indeed, this is the beauty of a mismatched and hither-thither quilt. And the beauty of a life that was once planned to be a solid color, or black-and-white, even, that is now the many pieces and colors of a life unscripted. Even the worn and tattered edges hold a certain beauty, no matter the light.

getting a jump on WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-04-19T20:58:00.000-04:00

Sleepless Sunday

2011-03-28T00:14:00.000-04:00

So I've done it again, brought in a new week by welcoming 12:00 midnight. I should be sleeping.

But the truth is I've got great news.

I was able to snap a few pictures over the last several days, as you can probably tell.

And while I won't divulge the boring details I will just tell you that it was on clearance, it was just like the old one I used to have, and unashamedly, I am in love with my little blue Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital Elph. It does everything I need it to and more. It almost makes me appear as though I know what I'm doing!

As I said, ALMOST!

And oh my goodness does it feel great to be able to take photographs again! It's like seeing good things come to life all over again!

*Yawn* and on that note, good-bye and good-night!

That Hen from Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-25T00:53:00.000-04:00

She makes no apologies for who she is and what it is that she does.

She's content being content. In the moment. Present.

I just can't help it; I love her. She looks so at rest. I told her she was featured on Wordless Wednesday and she blushed. And then Mrs. Feathers went to the beauty shop and told all of her friends she was famous.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T11:30:00.000-04:00

Thoughtful Tuesday

2011-03-22T21:57:00.002-04:00

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

- Leo Tolstoy

I'm growing mushrooms!!

2011-03-13T17:30:00.002-04:00

I had such a great time yesterday at the Mushroom Workshop and would like to send out a big thank you to Anne Pärtna, Hugh Martin and Greg Bender for being gracious and patient teachers.

With me came home with seven small logs having drilled holes, inoculated with mushroom spawn, and sealed with wax. I placed the logs on the north side of the house, and they will be fine there, for now, but when the days get longer I'll have to move them into a thicket of sorts so as not to expose them to too much direct sunlight.

In between arriving at the workshop and coming home, I met so many pleasant and interesting people, along with firming up bonds with people I've begun to know and enjoy.

I can't wait to get together with some others who are going to continue with their mushroom growing and expand my little mushroom operation. It is said, after all, that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

This year is going to be a busy, productive, more-than-likely stressful at times and entirely fulfilling four-seasons of fun, food and fellowship.

photo credit

what I'm doing tomorrow

2011-03-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

Because I know y'all have been waiting to hear....

I'm going to learn how to grow my own mushrooms! More specifically, Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms. Sometime this fall I'll post an update, as it will take that long to follow and actually see progress.

Rising Cost of Food

2011-03-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or does $2.59 seem a wee bit high for a head of romaine lettuce? Neufchatel cheese has gone up .29 cents. I can't stand the idea of a 10 for 10 deal on Hamburger Helper, so I grab the nicest looking head of lettuce and shove it in the plastic (what is that bag made of, anyhow?) bag and pretend I am NOT about to pay 3/4 of the price of a gallon of gasoline for lettuce.

The greenhouse can't go up fast enough! Now, where is the Ag Review, it seems I saw a Jersey Milk Cow in there somewhere...

On the "to-do" list are all of my lofty goals and among the top 200 are:

grow the five basic ingredients to a lot of my favorite dishes:

butter
garlic
celery
carrots
onions

I'll need help with the celery. I had absolutely no good come of my attempt to grow it last year so I'm looking for tips, tricks, trial-and-error journals, etc.

It's true, though, most things start with these five.

Chicken soup? No problem, saute` some onions, garlic, celery and carrots in a little butter....add cut up skinned chicken from the barn, brown on both sides, add water to cover - bring to a boil, well - you get the picture.

Tomato sauce? Same thing.

Vegetable Beef Barley Soup? You betcha!

I have started in the cold-frame greenhouse so far:

collards
broccoli
lettuce
sunflower
leeks
cabbage
onions (okay, they're not planted yet, but they're there, waiting...)
parsley

Although it feels like I'm off to a late start, I'll take it. Considering that there will be a greenhouse on the property by summer, extending our growing season to YEAR ROUND, I can stand a little lateness.

Left Behind.

2011-03-08T22:09:00.002-05:00

There is a responsibility we carry, as a species, to be conscious of the consequences of our choices. While there are more than everyone's fair share of topics out there to be covered, I can pontificate on one close to my heart (and stomach). Food. Specifically, food that comes from a farm, and the farmers.There are small, medium, large and super-sized farms in our wide world, and from many of them come delicious nutritious food. Some of them, not so much.

What often isn't contemplated, is the farmer who got bigger and better and faster and more industrial in order to pay his mortgage and feed his family, who is proverbially and literally being left behind in this conundrum of politics vs. food vs. a higher consciousness of the people (which is a threat to the great food monopolies that be, and their astronomical yearly incomes!) (We won't mention ~ahem~ the political support they provide).

I'm guilty as charged. I've often thought only of not feeding my family the anti-biotic laden, hormone-laced, arsenic fed and brutally handled animals that are now meats available in the local grocery stores. I've not thought about the farmer who mortgaged his home, land and hence, his children's inheritance in order to build the housing for the aforementioned animals to be raised in. I'm not thinking about the work he or she does daily in order to make the mortgage payment on that burden, so that we American's can eat large-breasted chickens.

It became real to me when I heard a farmer say (after 10 + years of hard farming) that he still had over $90,000 to pay on his poultry houses and by that time, I figured in my head silently; he'd probably have to spend $600,000 more to "upgrade" his houses, or be denied a contract.

So, isn't it great that there is a food movement and a lot of us are cutting out High Fructose Corn Syrup and BHT and MSG and not using Baking Powder with Aluminum in it?

What about the millions of people who are employed by the "monsters that be" and pay their bills from their week-to-week paycheck - do they have a voice? Do they lead food-conscious lives? Or are they left behind also, with their $56.88 balance showing on the ATM receipt, after a balance inquiry (which cost them $1.00, incidentally) to stand in the grocery store, choosing between a frozen pizza for $3.99 or a bag of apples for $4.29 knowing which is better, but what will fill the bellies of their children for now, until the next paycheck is cashed.

It's a conundrum for sure, this 'movement', with a lot of variables and dynamics to be considered.

This is sometimes hard for me to process, and because of that, I revert back to a comforting saying, "If I don't help myself, I can't help others", and so it goes - with my sometimes overzealous and lofty goals of changing the world one bite at a time.

In a sense, we've all been left behind some way, some how. It makes a lot of sense to me that in our participation of this "food movement" that we consider the farmers of the "Factory Farms" and remember that they too have bills to pay, families to care for, and in a lot of ways, deserve as much respect as the organic, humane and certified farmer down the road.

Is it wrong

2011-03-04T22:32:00.000-05:00

to want a Basset Hound, a Welsh Corgi, and a Dachshund simultaneously?

all a-buzz about bees

2011-03-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

As customary, all small-timey farmhousewives keep bees. At least, that's next on the agenda here at Hope Farms. We've wanted to learn about keeping bees and have consulted a well-respected and admired friend about bees off and on for the last year or so.

As always, there is a time and a place for everything and we're almost at that junction. I attended the local county Bee Keeper's monthly Association meeting last Tuesday and thoroughly enjoyed meeting all. I'll be joining the Bee Keeper's Association and look forward to a long life of membership and learning with them. Depending on the requirements and cost, I'm interested in joining the State organization of Bee Keepers as well.

Although we don't have bees yet, we'd like to think we're putting the horse before the cart in our commitment to educate ourselves, with the help of experienced mentors. I'll be doing as much reading as I can on the subject(s) and am grateful to have two local libraries that keep a good supply of books, old and new, on bees and beekeeping.

Because I began to contemplate the importance of bees about four years ago while planting our first garden here on this farm, I realize that without them, we have little pollination, and *gasp* no honey. Both are equally imperative to farming. Well, okay, the honey is not necessary for farming, but as natures finest and original sweetener, it is indeed necessary for bread baking, herbal tea drinking and peanut-butter and honey sandwiches.

As I go about the farm putzing here and there, I wonder where these hives need to be located. In the shade during the hot summer, in the sun while old man winter visits, and far enough away from the house so as not to interfere with their flight path.

A lot to think about. I'm excited merely about the thought of having bees, I can't imagine I'll be able to contain myself when the day comes that we actually place the hives and watch the bees begin to make themselves at home! I'll have to keep my hands in my pockets to keep from wavin' at everyone!!

For the Bees.

In Loving Memory of

2011-02-28T23:07:00.001-05:00

Peaches, our dear beloved bovine friend. A lady to the end.

mudess

2011-02-23T09:42:00.001-05:00

As I was posting a comment to a friend's blog the other day, the word verification process came and I entered the given letters. And then I laughed because it so described me and my boots that day: mudess. Yes, I have a new nickname for myself. Mudess. I like it, it has a nice (muddy) ring to it and looks somewhat elegant when capitalized, too.

"Yes, your Mudess, I will take the wheelbarrow full of manure to the compost pile right away."

(hee hee!)

Because I'm naturally nosy, I went to answers.com to see if I could find a definition for mudess, alas there was none. Perfect! (don't we all want to coin our own nicknames?)

The English student in me wants to add a "d" in there. Muddess. Is this "proper" spelling for a word that doesn't really exist? Or, should it be left in all of it's un-glory of mudess? Yeah, I just made up another word: un-glory. I kinda like it, too.

Speaking of liking words, let's review some of my favorites. Please chime in at any time and add yours, too.

farmhousewife
field-mouse-itis
mudess

Okay, so I admit it. I wondered what the next word verification would be so I went and posted another comment, which served a dual-purpose as I really did want to continue reading her blog because it's been a long while since I've been able to spend any amount of time reading anything except one or the other of two English or Religion textbooks. So, the next word I got was:

~~drum roll~~

ratear

wha? is that RAT-EAR or RA-TEAR or.....RATE-AR. hmm. Interesting.

Not quite as cute and quaint and befitting as mudess, but fun and completely useless nonetheless.

Have a great day!! Anything you do after reading this will be considered productive so have at it!!

camera, thy camera, wherefore art thou?

2011-02-23T09:04:00.001-05:00

It's highly personal, you know, this shopping for a camera. For one, this is an intimate decision. It will be close to my person almost all the time; like my favorite flip-flops. Second, I'm just very particular about my camera - having had a wonderful experience with a Canon, everything else seems less-than, now. Especially considering the much-to-be-desired experience I had with a Nikon and Fuji not too long ago.

But what is one to do when there are six hundred million five hundred fifteen thousand and one options to choose from? And knowing that frugality is first and foremost on the priority list - do we buy used- and trust that it will all come out in the wash? Or will we be smitten and then woe-is-me when it just suddenly stops working? Quality vs. Frugality - this is an excruciating compromise.

Of course all of the above can happen with a new camera. With a warranty, even.

These simultaneously slow and tedious processes are at the top of my field-mouse-brain to-do list.

save for camera
shop for camera

Literally, number two is much more strenuous than number one. Shopping for a camera is stressful for me. I get confused between the SD and the MP and the optical zoom and the MB. Look for a digital camera lately that still has an actual viewfinder window? Not just the humongous screen on which to review your taken photographs, but the little tiny eye ball window.

So, here I am, talking to you, gentle and nearly faithful readers and asking for you to opine with me. I'm not a professional photographer, although I like to pretend to be. I love taking pictures, it is one of the very best ways I know to stay present; to live in the moment, while capturing a corner piece of the past to carry with me into the future. It's my unorganized way of piecing together the visual quilt that is my life.

Why is the choice of camera and picture-taking important to you?

Would you buy a used camera?

What are your thoughts on Canon? Other brands?

Do you pay close attention to how many MP and the amount of optical zoom or just go with an inexpensive price?

Talk amongst yourselves, I'll be back with some herbal tea and we'll sit a spell and watch the clouds roll by.

Hope Farms ~where hope grows wild~

2011-02-14T09:39:00.002-05:00

I've created a blog just for the farm. It will focus more on farming and what we have for sale and less on me my musings. Go check it out and tell me what you think!

http://hope-farms.blogspot.com

Links to Memory Lane

2011-02-10T22:25:00.002-05:00

A dear friend of mine recently posted to her blog after a hiatus of nearly a year, and so when I went perusing I rewound pretty far (in blog-land-time) and found this post and then I found this one, too.

Big sigh.

It's so very special to have great people in your life, no matter how many miles or years apart you are. And this last (or first, depending on exactly how one chooses to walk down memory lane...) post makes my heart overflow.

Dear beloved friends, of past and present, and future: may we learn from one another, lean not on our own understandings, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.

Life is outstandingly better with friends. Thank you for making it so.

farmhousewife