Negotiating

I'm always negotiating time and how to spend it, establishing lists within my lists and setting priorities. What is more important, the fence repair or transplanting? its a tough call, it really is.

The thing is multi tasking is out of the question most times. That's what I loved about the restaurant biz, I could have five things going at once; soup on the stove, meat roasting in the oven, dough rising, chopping onions and talking on the phone. A life of farming requires one project at a time. The fence project for example is way off far from the rest of the farm so the fence is all I can work on. and lets face it multi tasking on a farm just leaves a lot of projects unfinished. But in the same breath I have to say that fencing is one thing that is never done. That's what has been so hard for me to get used to. In the restaurant the end of the day was the end of the day. On a farm the end of the day comes when you are dead asleep, and for however long you remain that way. This is more true when hundreds of animals are in the picture as well.

I'm just starting the busiest time of the year and I'm tyring to strike a balance and at least eat dinner before 9:pm, it makes for a slow start morning. Every year I go through this. How can I do all I need to do within 8 or 9 or 10 hours? The answer is always the same. I cant! I try to wrestle my thoughts and desire to control every moment of the day and wind up defeated every time, so I realize I have got to chill the fuck out! Lovingly. I'm starting to slowly change my expectations, but its a struggle at times. I love this life and I wouldn't change it for the world my challenge is simply to shift my expectations and my old way of thinking. To feel OK when I just have to stop for the day and breathe.

Out there yesterday working on the fence, I was alone with the frogs and all the life around me. The wild dogwoods filling my nose with a sweet honeysuckle scent. The warm sun on my shirtless skin, felt like heaven. The loud quiet was beautiful. and I almost finished the fence repair. I'll go out this morning put some finishing touches on it until the sheep tell me I've missed a spot, then I'll go at it again.

Not a good day to put greenhouse plastic on

We have a saying around here. It's a saying that measures the strength and brutality of the wind. We simply say it is, or, it is not a good day to put greenhouse plastic on. Last week was a good time to put greenhouse plastic on, but.... let me just say that today is not a good day to put greenhouse plastic on. Really that's anything over 5mph. We know this because we've tried. There was cussing involved. kicking the ground and shitfits! There was a time, a dark time that if a little lady had a shitfit she'd be rushed off to the sanitarium. Thank god times have changed! at least in that manner of speaking. I've had a few shitfits in my time.

Back to this ain't a good day to put greenhouse plastic on....

We are not putting greenhouse plastic on, however we are trying to plant and I am trying to put a tarp over the new chick hoop house and let me tell ya I am a woman on the verge!.....of a flipin'shitfit. The thing is, it does no good. The wind just laughs and sends in another mighty gust. I just end up on the ground sprawled out and defeated.
Otherwise it sure is a purdy day init?

Headin' off to the feed store before the thunderstorm comes rolling in, that's another fun thing to work in. Verge, I tell ya! A woman on the verge!

Behind every farm is a princess

I start the morning off bright eyed and bushy tailed. I should say, as bright eyed and bushy tailed you can be in your mid 40’s that is. I have my hot cup of coffee served to me (because I’m a princess). I start out like any princess would by writing the to-do list for my kingdom. “Ah, what shall be done in the magical kingdom today?” I enquire to the gods and angles. “Muck the barn you say?” And a couple hours later after chores and milking, princess here is ankle high in muck. I don’t know what it’s like in your kingdom but mine has muck! Some farms have queens and the difference is they are much better decorators than the princesses’, and they will be the first to tell you this!

Let’s get real here, the real princesses are the milk goats. Shameless too! And demanding….. I mean sometimes I feel like Cinderella working my tail off for my older sisters so they can go to the fancy ball! GET ME SOME GRAIN!, MORE HAY! CLEAN OUT THIS BARN IMMEDIATLEY! But we know how that story ends now don’t we. Wait, mine may not end quite the same! (but fear not, I make out just fine)

I’m now milking three beauties, two more hopefully by tomorrow, so the milk is finally flowing. It will be several days before I start making cheese, there is still a strong taste of colostrum in the milk. Can’t wait though I’ve missed it.

Today I’ve got chicks on my mind. Every time I try to think of something else it goes right back to chicks. Chicks, chicks, chicks! So today it’s going to be all about the chicks. They are getting quite big, quite fast and are growing right out of their brooding pens. Today I’m constructing a hoop house for them so they can go outside and still have adequate protection from predators and weather. Then in about three more weeks they will go to the school bus with the ¼ acre of electro netting. The bus hasn’t arrived yet. As soon as there is no risk of the delivery wrecker getting stuck it will be here. A week of dry warm weather could help that along.

Well, I guess it’s time for this princess to get out there and get dirty.

.

Today, I'm up. Palms sweating. My stomach is in my throat. Cant quite get my hair right and I don't know for sure if this natural deodorant is going to hold. My shirts too loose and my pants too tight, My left foot keeps tripping me and I have gas!

I'm giving a talk today at OSU's Seretean Wellness Center (this is where I work PT) The talk is for Wellness Wednesday a lecture series we offer once a month on subjects mostly based on nutrition. My talk is on what I call the Sustainable Kitchen. I'm excited about the subject and more than willing to let it flow but talking to a sold out house of 120 people seems a little overwhelming. I have lots of pretty pictures though. Mostly I'm afraid of making a complete babbling fool of myself and scaring people away from even attempting to bring sustainability to the kitchen.
But I'm going to do this.
I'm gonna keep it simple. Three points: Eat well. Know where your food comes from, Eat and cook with joy.
Joy has been left out of the sustainability conversation for way too long. Hear me now. Joy should be the center of the sustainability conversation period.

So if my talk is any good and I don't get boo'd off the stage I'll share some of it here. Let you be the judge.
Wish me luck and .......grace and that I don't let one rip in the middle of the grow your own demo.

New kids!

Two girls and a boy!

after the storm

I'm down with a cold. It took me on Saturday after a night of back and forth to the barn checking an a Doe who I was sure going to kid. The weather was cold and terrible. and for a while I just curled up in the barn next to Sugar and dosed off until my own shivers woke me up. She finally kidded yesterday at 2pm go figure.

Aside from the cold I'm feeling mowed over and bent, Last week was one of the more physically enduring weeks I've had in a while. We planted 250 pounds of potatoes and on Friday it was a race against the clock to get the last plantings in before the storm. I'll say like many I was not at all pleased to see the snow. Snow=mud period. It makes chores heavy and icky. But as I'm sitting here looking east I see the most beautiful sunrise, there is a rooster outside the window singing some tune I recognize, and I'm seeing blue skies all around!

There is something magical happening right now. Something completely profound. Spring, new life, new ways, new ideas, new experiences, new growth. I'm giddy with excitement thinking of the farm table dinners this summer. Breaking bread with familiar and new faces all in the name of food and our expression of its profound meaning in our lives. From the microbes in the soil to the sun. In spite of feeling like I have a bowling ball for a head I feel great. The sun will do it to me every time.
I'll post pics of the new ones later this morning.

What lies beneath

Found this on my walk yesterday and thought it was spectacular! The photo doesn't quite do it justice. It was an overcast day but this clump of earth glowed with bright vibrant color!