First Days of Summer 2013

No matter how tired or stressed I am after work, watering my garden, snapping a few photos of plants, trees and animals makes me feel peaceful.  I love the feel of the leaves: the sage's fuzzy, bumpy leaves, the smooth plum leaves, the tickling asparagus that has grown to go to seed. Okay, the wild blackberries, not so much.  And the smells.  Is there anything more summery to a Midwest girl than the smell of a fresh tomato? I think not.  Or the best combination is lemon balm-soft bumpy leaves with that energizing aroma. 

  Take a walk with me in the 8 o'clock hour.

The cucumbers are blooming and we have had several jalapenos added to some dishes already.  I used our one good-sized green pepper in tonight's salad.

 

  

The strawberries are doing okay.  I know I am not doing what I am supposed to.  I am letting the runners run and picking a few berries to share with the family even though this is the plants' first year. The blackberries (thornless variety) have a few berries.  The wild blackberries are OMGoodness plentiful.  This will definitely be my first year to try blackberry jam making.

The bee balm/Monarda is doing very well-yet I have not seen more than two bumblebees on them.  At least they are beautiful.

 We had a surprise this year.  One of Cherry's (my goat that passed away over a year ago) favorite trees to eat turned out to be this fabulous plum tree.  I had no idea it was there or where it came from, but it was a most wonderful surprise.  We have a purple plum tree to that is producing small fruits.

The girls were none to happy with my intrusion as they were preparing for bed.  I got quite a few evil eyes.



Our peach tree produced a peach this year.  Just one, but it is it's first year, so no complaints.  I hope it continues to mature so our family can cut it into fourths.

This year the rain has been
good and the pond is full. 
The frogs are very loud
tonight.

The bees are still bearding.
It is a very warm evening.

It's time to head back into the house for a shower and get ready for bed.  I check the large blooming basil that is in with the container tomato on the porch step.  I got another tomato today-but it was put in our salad along with that pepper and a couple of radishes.The lantana that has overgrown onto the old front steps is blooming bright and beautiful. 

 

The Bees' New Lifestyle

Admittedly, I gave our bees sugar water and dusted them with powder sugar as is the normal practice of beekeepers in the two different clubs I belonged to.   I wouldn't dream of putting chemicals on the bees, yes, even if it meant their demise.  But as I read and listened to various blogs and people, it made sense that GMO sugar (because I was not going to buy organic cane juice) was no better for the bees than us-if not worse!

So this winter, we decided not to feed them.  We hoped that they hadn't become dependent on us.  They did make it for a number of years without us, you know.  So far the four hives that we had remaining in the winter have all survived.  And, with the long spring and wonderful blooming season, they seem to be doing exceedingly well. 

This year our honey robbing will be minimal.  What we do take off, some of it will be saved for "just in case."

Spring Blooms

 

Sometimes words cannot express the feelings of peace, joy and beauty.

 

Attitude Adjustments Needed

I think if you have caught the homesteading bug, it is not something that you can squash by hitting the big cities and shopping malls or by getting a consistent paycheck from an outside source.

I will admit that sometimes that bug can be overshadowed and leave us with a small fever, a slight achy feeling about wanting to fit in or 'keeping up with the Joneses.'  That feeling of guilt or inadequency when our kids are saddened by their lack of the most up to date  electronic gadgets or the most "bedazzled" jeans bought at a high-end department store.  Envy really is not pretty.

 

These are attitude problems that need adjustment.  Just like your paid-for automobile, your attitude needs an occasional tune-up. 

 

Am I the only one out there who has this innate satisfaction in putting away freshly starched and ironed shirts? Or the immediate joy in seeing a dirty dustcloth that has done a good job? Oh, and let's talk about folding towels or that first night of laying on sheets just off the line on a sunny Spring day! Am I the only one who really likes her "paycheck job" but only feels satisfaction every other Thursday at midnight when the check is automatically depositied into the bank?  Maybe I am.  But how is that I seem to forget the delight in these daily tasks.  Why do I fall back into seeing the "big picture" of life, instead of the little moments that make life...life!  Attitude.

 

 

It is true, I have a part-time job and plan to keep this job to help cover expenses and to get this homestead back on track.  Sometimes I wish I didn't have a job and stayed home full-time, sometimes I wish I had a full-time job because I think it would get me to where I want to be faster (but in reality we know this is completely opposite), sometimes I want to go back to get a "career," now what the heck would that accomplish other than selfish satisfaction?  I am on a path that I will continue on to see where it leads before veering through the poppy field just because it might be a bit more colorful.  As previously mentioned, I had an epiphany of sorts in the realization of dreams.  This has catapulted my goal-setting tendency into full-fledged monarchy, possibly even dictatorship when it comes to our home and homestead.  All I can say is, oh well.  I have let it ride and been nonchalant about little goals here and little goals there and now I can see how that has worked for us. Not too good... So, along with my attitude adjustment, everyone else will be forced into dealing with their own adjustments and tune-ups.  Oh well!

 

Long live the Queen :)

I Have a Dream

As the New Year and my 40th birthday approaches, I realize that I am on the back side of life, and I am okay with that.  But one thing that struck a chord, a very loud, off-key chord, with me was a letter in one of my magazines from a lady in her 60s who talked about still holding on to her homesteading dream. 

Admittedly, this scared the bejesus out of me (forgive the Irish).  Oh, no, there is no way I am going to be like this lady who has a 30-year dream unfulfilled, a dream that has the potential to be a reality, yet never has come to fruition.  No, my dream is not a dream, it is a goal, it is an ultimate goal with subgoals already planned in my head and even written out, somewhere, probably on scrap paper stuffed in the secretary desk.  Nope, not me.  Sinking in my chair, I thought, that could SO be me.  My flippant attitude about certain responsiblities and procrastination, (mine and my family's), my impatience, my fickleness, you know, all those good qualities one wants to exhibit in onself, very Jekyl and Hyde qualities that most of the fairer sex possess anyway. 

How am I am going to assure that I do not fall prey to this horror?
Sorry, Asics, but Nike has the answer this time-Just Do It...

I feel assuredly that this letter was printed to inspire and uplift an older generation to carry on, not give up.  But in me it has welled up an urgency to not take life so lightly and get my butt in gear!

Old Dog, New Trick

Sew, I am going to attempt to sew.  This is not an easy task as the nightmare of 8th grade home-economic sewing keeps popping in my head, sending me to a corner in the fetal position.  Well, maybe not that bad, but the 20 year old sewing machine that my mother got for me when I first got married is in pristine condition from no use. 

Well, here goes my first project - a pillow case.  I am loving these mix of crazy colors and patterns that I see on homemade pillow cases.  Of course there are fancy ribbons and embellishments that are beyond my current capability, but gives me a goal.

So a trip to a local Wal-mart produces these combinations for 4 cases.  Being a beekeeper, I decide to start with the bee pattern, but I will use the zebra stripe as the main case, just in case I totally mess up, a very high probability.

A little ironing, a little cutting, a little matching up. Oh, dear, I have got to learn to cut a straight line!  Time for a grid and fabric marker, me thinks.

Well, at least the pillow fits, sort of, could probably fit my king size pillow in there.  Now that I have the basic down, it's time to work on proper technique and hone my skills...a LOT!  But at least there may be hope. 

Merry Christmas!?!

Wow!  Where has time gone this year?  It was just summer, and now it is officially Winter.  What the heck?  How did I miss it?  Hmmm.  Time for some serious reflection.  Excuse me while I reflect for just a moment.  I will be right back...