"The male red-winged blackbirds spread out strategically in the tree tops around our land. As we paused to watch them on our morning walk, they appeared to rotate locations, like sentinels changing out their guard positions." It's not quite officially spring yet, but the volume of bird calls around our land is definitely increasing as the daylight hours lengthen. The red-winged blackbird males arrived recently, ahead of the females, and a group of them laid claim to the land around our home....
12 days ago • 2 min read
"There's something magical about spring thaw. You can feel the laughter of the earth as it stretches and wakes from its winter sleep, echoing with the trickles of water as they tumble on their way." We're at the conjunction of mud and ice seasons, but the next few days should clear the ice from shady spots and open up the ponds again, making the duck patrol very happy. We had a touch of wild weather again this week, with snow and high winds, but it blew through pretty quickly and there was no...
19 days ago • 1 min read
"The songbirds chirped and twittered in the trees and shrubs on the chilly early March morning, like an orchestra warming up before the glorious chorus of the spring dawn song later in the month." Now that most of the snow has melted, we can navigate our morning walk of "the loop" around our homestead without sinking in. We have 35 acres total. 25 we rent out to a neighbor, and 10 we use for our gardens, orchards, and everything else. The ten is where the loop is, and it's around 1500 steps,...
25 days ago • 2 min read
"They can't watch the forecast, but the animals know when the season change is on the way. Suddenly, the cats start shedding enormous amounts of fur, and the duck and chicken courtship dances kick into high gear." I don't know if it's the slight temperature increase or the incrementally longer days, but spring fever has set in here on the homestead. Most of February has been chilly, so today's above freezing temperatures are a welcome respite. I won't miss dealing with the ice, though I don't...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
"The bright blue of the sky and dazzling sunlight tempted one to believe it was a pleasant day outside, but the cold was so intense that it stole your breath away. Warmer days would come, but winter seemed determined to grab us and shake us like a pup with a favorite toy, refusing to let go." I made liberal use of magnesium cream on my sore back this weekend after three days straight of snow shoveling. I didn't see the list of official snow totals, but the snow is about to mid-calf where it's...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
“As the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen.” - old time folk saying shared by a friend on February 2nd It appears that the old timers are spot on this year, at least in our area. We have more snow in the forecast for the coming week than we've had all winter, and high temps predicted to be in the teens with lows in the single digits or below zero. (Meanwhile, my southern friends are sharing photos of their spring flowers in bloom.) I'm not exactly looking forward to more...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
"I was brushing my hair the other day and came across one of my "crazy hairs", as I call them. Coarse and grey, sticking out all wild while the hairs next to it were smooth and cooperative. I paused for a moment, considering pulling it out. Then I thought about those I've lost who won't have a chance to have more crazy hairs, and I let it be." I submitted my introduction and first chapter to the publisher this week. Now it's time to celebrate - by writing more chapters. It's a different way...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
"Our mainstream medicine culture would have you believe that every illness is best treated with a pill or a procedure. Likewise, mainstream farming practices would have you believe that every pest or disease is best treated with a targeted chemical concoction. If these options work so well, why are more and more chemicals required each year in both industries to achieve the same (or worse) results?"I've been reading and researching for years, looking at trends in food and medicine (and how...
2 months ago • 4 min read
"Sometimes the solution you've been searching for is right in front of you, if only you look at the situation with different perspective." For years now we've been hunting for the "right" pizza crust recipe. We tried about a dozen and had one that was okay, but it was a little awkward to make and still not quite right. Then, earlier this week, I was thinking about making garlic cheesy bread, but was a little tight on time. Instead of baking the bread and then slicing it and baking it again...
2 months ago • 3 min read