I was doing a bit of a jig and Doug had a big smile on his face as we watched a beautiful sight. A tree company dumping a huge load of woodchips in our driveway! It’s the little things, you know, and this was truly a happy day! We are on a mission to transform…
Tag: farm
Curating Shelves (what story do you want to tell?)
January seems to be natural time to overhaul my house. I decided to start with the living/kitchen/dining room. It is all open and screamed hoarder who doesn’t like to dust, not exactly the story I am trying to tell with my home. So, what story do I want to tell? Tip #1: Utilize the power…
What Ever Happened to Monsanto? (well, let me tell you…)
I think everyone had heard of Monsanto. They were becoming the monster of the ages. Sued by countries and farmers everywhere; they were the profiteering, poisoning mega-giant, successfully putting small farmers out of business and watching cancer rates soar. Monsanto and genetically modified crops were in the news but also protected by the US government….
Hori Hori (such a fun word to say)
Permaculture originated in Japan, along with some amazing farm implements. I have a Japanese sickle that I can never remember the name of and began calling it a Hibachi because I couldn’t remember any other Japanese word! (Not proud of this.) Well, fast forward, and all my farm interns call it that too. At least…
The Foxfire Series of Books
A student of mine gave me a copy of the first Foxfire book years ago. What a gift! I ended up ordering the whole series because that type of wisdom and writing could be gone in a generation. The Foxfire books were started by a teacher and his high school students in the late sixties…
Encanto Sanctuary
Last January, we had an idea. An amazing, wonderful idea! We would start an animal sanctuary. Within two weeks, Encanto Sanctuary; Farm Animal Sanctuary and Learning Homestead had its 501(c)(3) charitable status, a donated logo, and a passion behind it that would push it forward. It started out strong, lots of support and a fair…
View of a Simple Homestead Life
This was the moment that I felt a rush of nostalgia, clarity, and peace come over me. A remembrance of why I fell in love with the homesteading lifestyle in the first place all those years ago. This snippet sums up the sweetness of a simple life. Entering my little art studio, the bluegrass playing…
Why We Homestead (10th anniversary)
How fitting on my tenth blogging anniversary, that I would sit down with my cup of coffee to write why I am returning to homesteading with a fervency and peace I haven’t had in awhile. I entered a space of wondering why I do the things I do. I grew weary and older and wondered…
The Busy, Busy Summer
It has been an incredibly busy summer and here autumn is in full swing. Homesteading here is a pleasure and our first farming season was wonderful. In June, I was terribly discouraged, even considering giving up. I had started gardens six times bigger than any of our previous homesteads and was upset that I wasn’t…
Life on a Colorado Homestead
Colorado can be harsh and it can be breathtakingly glorious. It can be twenty below zero, a hundred and five, with a severe drought, or a wild flood. A month without rain then torrents then clear. A mere few miles to the south and also to the west of me, hail completely destroyed the gardens…
Farmgirl School 