New Ideas and old pics

One of the most peaceful looking flowers I have ever seen.




Ever seen anything so proud to just be what its supposed to be?

I'm making seed packets for myself and friends of my most successful flower and veggie adventures from this year. Just some pics from the flowers around the yard that I plan to regenerate next year! I really loved my flower adventures this year. I think I could get as addicted to flowers as I am veggies. Most folks say they don't serve a purpose as veggies do, but they make me happy just by looking at them so thats enough for me!

Fall and sadness

Never is it more apparent to me where I should be than when I'm spending a beautiful Friday afternoon inside a dirty building at work rather than in my garden that is in dire need of maintenance. I was slightly productive this weekend. I managed to weed most of the beds and planted some lettuces for fall. I found a pretty large pumpkin that I'm hoping is going to turn white. I've got tons of little Baby Boos (mini white pumpkins) and a Sugar Baby pumpkin. I was hoping for a bigger turn out. The pumpkins are going to get their very own plot next year because they kind of took over everything. I've already started planning the layout for next year and the expansions. (sorry Hubby, more boxes, more digging)

-More space for pumpkins
-More tomato plants
-More cucumber plants
-Different variety of green beans (yucky)
-Adding some new herbs (going to try some teas)
-Spaghetti squash did awesome but had a few problems (troubleshooting and solutions added later)
-Potatoes NOT recommended for my small raised beds. I had a great yield, but I think I can do better in open groundrather than confined in beds. (12lbs of reds, 10 lbs russets, 10 lbs yukon golds) I'm also going to try a few new varieties. http://www.potatogarden.com
-My onions are also going to get a new home. 2010 will have a few new varieties but I will definitely plant less. I'm still trying to give those things away even after freezing about 5 lbs worth of chopped onions.

This year was great for experimenting. I had fun watching new things grow and trying to learn what not to do next year to help the things that didn't grow get a better start. Hopefully my chickens will help me do a little composting and insect control. Don't tell Hubby, but I was thinking of adding a few bunnies as well.

As my beds are being cleared of old plants and I prepare for Fall and Winter, I'm a little sad, but also very excited for next year. I'm planning on some shut-in time with my knitting needles and scrapbooks and daydreams of chickens.

Farm City by Novella Carpenter

A friend got me this book for my birthday and I haven't put it down since. Reading about urban farming makes what I have look like a real farm . Carpenter managed to keep bees, chickens, rabbits, 2 pigs, turkeys, ducks, and as she puts it "two monkeys" in a small apartment and an abandoned concrete lot across the alley. Along with making me appreciate the space that I have to work with, reading this book has opened up the potential for, and I'm sorry if I offend anyone, the idea of raising animals for more than just companionship and a few eggs. When I first started venturing off into the idea of having my own chickens the only things I thought of were eggs and compost. Novella vividly paints a relationship between animals and humans as it was intended; to raise animals, to respect their life, and to be thankful for their gifts. Once upon a time, knowing my food would have seemed morbid and I wanted no part of picturing my fried chicken's former life of clucking around a yard, pecking at worms and dust. Fast food, grocery stores, and any other modern "conveniences" have cut us off from the reality that what we eat was alive. We have no connection to how those animals lived. Were they confined in tiny cages? Or, were they roaming free and allowed to be cows or chickens or pigs before they became our nourishment? At least with my chickens, I can ensure they will live as chickens should with sunshine and scratching dirt and chasing grasshoppers. This book reminded me of the waste and carelessness of our convenient world. I find myself avoiding as much as I possibly can at the grocery store if I can make it myself or buy it at my Saturday farmers' markets. The more books I read about homesteading, the more ashamed of myself for living the way that I did for so long. By leaps and bounds or by baby steps and caution, I will become more self reliant. I will provide for my family. I will show my daughter the beauty and rewards of growing your own food.

Late Summer Blues

I miss the mornings in early Spring, watching the baby plants relaxing in the morning sunshine, stretching what seemed like inches by that night. I miss drinking my coffee and reading a good book for awhile before it was time to go to work. And, by the way, I am a terrible blogger. My lapse in posts is ridonkulous. I'm going to work on that. But I miss the newness of Spring. This winter I'm going to plan some big changes for my garden. Here are a few pics from the past month...

Lord have mercy!

No posts in June. Shame on me. Busy stuff at work. Crazy stuff at home. Addy needs a break. Enter vacation...Just left work for the last time at least for the next week. Instantly my mind has gone into "vacation to-do list" mode. You'd be amazed how quickly I can fill a notebook with wishful thinkings of cleaning out the garage or reorganizing the office. But, alas, I promise to spend at least one day of this vacation alone and just being thankful and mindful of what I've got. The garden is getting out of control with weeds. I had no idea that squash vines could travel as far as they do. Seriously...ten feet guys??? Is that necessary for only one little squash?

Anyhoo...some pictures from June

Early June (note that the *volunteers* are only about 4ft tall)

I love the little tendrils on the squash vines. My lettuces are taking over. I let them bolt because I like their flowers.

Potato flowers

Empty yard just beggin to be dug up! You just wait till next year.

I've got rocks! Hubby finished shoveling out the rocks for me. Thanks, Hubby!

So do you ever just have those days where you can breathe and everything feels nice? After several failed attempts at knitting, I was finally able to learn this weekend, which I know is just knitting, but I am ECSTATIC!!!! I've got a good foot long something going on. I'm considering this practice so I'm just gonna keep going until my little ball of yarn is finished. On top of that, I made bread from scratch tonight and got to beat the dickens out of some dough. Repressed aggression...taken care of! Knitting, bread making, the garden is doing well, and my rugrat is learning tons of new words everyday! This is going to be a good week.

The last of the babies waiting to be planted.


Lettuces 4 weeks ago, 3 weeks ago, and today!


My first "volunteers" and Mr. Twisty!

Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life

So I just got finished with a new book. "Made from Scratch" by Jenna Woginrich is AMAZING! Its all about how to make small changes in your life to live more sustainably. Her story hit me right in the gut. It gave me the courage to make the decision to get chickens! I have been pondering for awhile now and doing some research, but Jenna's book really breaks it down for me. She even includes resources to do anything and everything. I've spent my entire life feeling like the odd one out. I've always enjoyed nature and making things. I figure if someone made it then why can't I. I never considered why I was like that, but now that I think about it, being connected to what I came from, learning to take care of myself from the land, it feels wonderful. Everything today comes pre-made, pre-packaged, pre-cooked. You can itemize and pick out every detail of anything these days with the click of a button. What happens when its all gone? What happens when there are no more instant mashed potatoes?

In the morning, before I even begin to think about work, I sit out in my garden picking tiny weeds, plucking away the caterpillars, and checking on my seedlings' progess. It fills my heart with joy that is almost choking. It makes me thankful for everything I've got. And now, my quest...urban chicken farmer!