Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Warmth

There is nothing like being warm. Being a southern gal living in Alaska I don't feel this way all that often. The past few weeks have been cold but I've had a wonderful spot in front of the wood burning stove. I love the heat on my face as I watch the flames dance. Most mornings I have the company of 2 dogs with me. The mornings that I can sit there with my pups and take in the quiet or read makes a long winter bearable. At the moment I'm sitting here sipping my hot chocolate preparing to go out there..... to a cold car... and my thoughts are on my warm spot on the floor. If I could figure it put I would have another woodstove upstairs so that I could glance at the flames throughout the day. Don't get me wrong I am loving Alaska, I would just like to thaw out for a while. The snow covered landscape is beautiful, especially when the moon hits it. Hot chocolate seems to be consumed a little more often and the oven continues to be used longer than when I lived in Virginia. So where is to a warm fire, a mug of hot chocolate and dreams of ocean breezes..... have a wonderful night and keep warm.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Back to my Basics

I can't believe how long I have been away. I've been working off the farm to be the past 2 1/2 years. My farm to be regressed to a home with chickens. I've not given up on my farm/homestead dreams we just needed to step back and re evaluate. So here is an update of the past few years. I went back to work part time at first in order to help cover expenses on the homestead and to get us caught up after my hubby's surgery. I ended up going more than full time. During this time I was still homeschooling thanks to online programs but it was a huge struggle. We ended up getting rid of our sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens. I can tell you this place isn't the same without the animals. I tried to garden but for some reason it wants time and attention that I didn't have. About a year ago some friends of ours were moving out of state and we inherited their chickens. The start of my farm to be again. I left work at the end of August this past year. It was too late to salvage my garden attempt so I started going to farmers markets and a local u pick farm for fresh produce. My hubby and I started canning. It was a first for us.... potatoes were great, pickles not so great. Hubby and I attended an all day bee class to learn about the ins and outs of beekeeping. So that is about where I am at. This year we are looking to expand our garden, add a few apple and cherry trees and fence it all in. (I'm also toying with a cottage garden in my head with a combination of edible plants). We are also looking at building a permanent greenhouse instead of my little tent one. As for livestock we have talked about turkeys and goats. We will hatch our own eggs once we get back into the 30s on a regular basis. So those are our summer plans to revive my farm. While waiting on spring I've been busy crocheting, teaching my 17yr old how to sew clothing, we are learning to make natural cleaners for home and for body. I've been learning about and using essential oils in place of harmful chemicals, and to top it all off still homeschooling on a daily basis. The latter is the best choice I have ever made. So that is a quick catch up. I'm looking forward to adding regularly again.