Here come the peas!

After a week of dancing with the IRS, Sunday mornings are for the homestead.  There is much to do, and a span of hours to get it all done.

During the week, my husband cares for the kids, animals, and house, so indoors, it is only the once weekly necessities that draw us in.  Bathrooms, ironing, vaccuuming - all tackled before 7 am.

Glad to have that behide me.

Once the kids, and the sun, was up, it was onwards and outdoors.  Cleaning chicken coops, hauling wagons full of composted hay to the garden, continuing the annual spring extravanga of raking gravel off of the front yard.  Oh, yeah.  That's the fun stuff.

And lets not forget about those guinea pigs - who need their giant condo of an adobe cleaned out every Sunday...  Not the fun stuff.  But, they are soft, and randomly cute as they beg for carrots everything single time I walk by them on the way to the fridge....

Wonder if that means I am walking by the fridge too often....

Today was also the day to rack the 4 half gallon containers of soon-to-be hard cider.

Or, at least, I hope they will be hard cider....

Really hope.

The seedlings started last weekend are popping up - broccoli, kale, onions.  Tomatoes, however...well, I don't know.  Hidden, they are.  But hidden, I hope they do not stay.  This is the first summer that our garden's bounty will be feeding more than our own family. 

Those tomatoes have a job to do.

And now it is 8am.  And I will probably continue the morning by begging my kids to get dressed, and heading back outside again.  High temps are in our future, and I was to get my share before it is back to the office this afternoon. 

'Cause, that's just how we roll ;)

Wednesday again?

Holy goodness, it is Wednesday already.  Shocking, I know.  Or, maybe you already realized it...

Tax season is here with its gleeful array of documents and forms, so postings here lately are sparse...  So goes the days. 

But these are days made ever sweeter by the knowledge that every hour worked now is an additional hour home in the summer, with family, chickens, and wild expanse of garden.  I may be tired, but I am also very blessed and happy.

It is a good life.

And now, it is to bed I go.  Sleep well, friends :)

It's official - gardening has begun!!

Yarning along, with a throw back in time...

Hi everyone.  It is that time again - we are Yarning Along with Ginny and joining in with Tami's Amis' Work in Progress  and Ambassador Crochet !

As you can see from the picture, my scarf is growing.  It is being done in a spider web lace pattern, and the fiber is a Lions Brand wool. 

The new addition to the line up is a gift for a little one.  The fiber, Paton's Silk Bamboo blend is delightful - so incredibly soft.  The pattern is a bit of a granny stitch, reminiscent of by son's blanket, and is growing fast.

For reading, I have been going back to some old favorites.  The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  Love, love, love it!

Did I say love?

Favorite scene?  In Voyager, when Claire travels back in time to Jamie, entering his printshop, only to have him faint in shock from the sight of her.

Ah, love...

Jamie and Claire can make anything better.

Have you read this series?  What is your favorite scene?

  Head on over to Ginny's, Tami's, and Ambassador's Crochet other interesting ventures of fiber fun. 

A week gone by...

Well, the week got away from me.  I meant to post before now, I REALLY did!  But, I did not.  A blink, a wish, I don't know.  The week as gone by....

March is here.  The start of spring, or so I thought.  However, temps in the 40's have given way to the single digits, and our poor chickens are back to shivering in their coop.  I, however, think that I am adjusting to the temps - a thought made obvious by the fact that I continue, dispite efforts to the contrary, to leave my coat in the car.  Oh well. 

Last weekend, I racked my second batch of hard cider, and I wonder if it might be ready by the end of tax season.  I hope so - it would add to the celebration.  A celebration that is a bit odd, I am realizing.  See, my children have begun referring to the end of tax season as if it was a holiday to rival Christmas.  Easter is has gone by the wayside, and my coming birthday does not get a thought.  But, the end of tax season?  Oh yes - they are excited :) 

This coming weekend, I hope to start some seeds for the garden.  Onions, sweet peas, broccoli...delicious delights.  I ordered the seeds when grass could be seen in the dead of winter.  Now that spring is around the corner, and snow is here, I am not feeling enthused yet.  But, action will bring reaction, and the inside spurt of gardening will be a delightful rousing event. 

Can you tell I am looking forward to the warmer days?

Onward to a new project!

Hi everyone.  It is that time again - we are Yarning Along with Ginny and joining in with Tami's Amis' Work in Progress  and Ambassador Crochet !

I am happy to report that I finished my daughter's sweater over the weekend - Hurrah!!  Such a relief.  I am really happy with how it turned out, and am thinking that another (maybe in a bigger size....) may be in my future.  

AND....drum roll please....she EVEN wore it!  Well, for about 5 minutes, but in my book, that totally counts!

Next up is a scarf for myself - selfish, I know ;)  *giggles*. 

I am using the spider web lace pattern that I used for a holiday gift back in December.  Something nice and easy.  And a tad bit relaxing :)

  Head on over to Ginny's, Tami's, and Ambassador's Crochet other interesting ventures of fiber fun.



Winter in Vermont...a little late...

And here I thought Spring was right around the corner... ;)

Fiber, seeds, and trees...

It was a good day. 

I finished my daughter's sweater, which was a huge relief.  She has been asking for it daily since I began work on it 3 weeks ago.  Foolishly, I did not use a pattern, so the process entailed many, many bouts of trying on the interim project.  Next time, though, I will have more of a clue and will know where to start.

Now, I wonder what to do next....socks, anyone?

Our first order to seeds arrived today.  March is typically my seed starting month, so soon I will be spouting greens and turning my dining room into a Chia pet... I ordered 100 Jiffy pellets for seedlings, but I am now realizing that my starting order should have been closer to 200... I will use 100 on onion sets alone.  Oh well.

The logging has begun on our property across town.  Since the land is part of the Vermont Land Use program, there are certain things that need to be done to increase the health of the land and habitat for natural residents.  This year, that is includes a large amount of logging.

We drove by the property today and saw the progress.  The stacks of cut wood was shocking.  I wish I had my wits about me enough to have taken a picture.  Huge trees that used to tower above us...

After seeing the sight, my six year old son immediately cast in to a lecture about how awful we were for having cut down those trees.  It hard to understand how such an act can be good for the land.  But, we know that it is...and dream of a green and lush wildlife preserve of sorts that may occur once the sun is allowed to shine down on more of the ground cover.

It will be a beautiful sight. 

Coming along...

Good morning everyone!  It is Wednesday, and we are Yarning Along with Ginny and joining in with Tami's Amis' Work in Progress  and Ambassador Crochet today!

Just a super quick update.  As you can see above, I am working hard to finish my daughter's sweater, which will be a larger version of the sweaters we made for the ladies last week ( picture at left). 

I am not following at pattern, which means that I constantly making my daughter try on the sweater over and over again....but we are getting there!

I am just shocked that she is actually planning to wear the sweater....this, from the girl that I have to BEG to wear a coat during the winter... but that is another story ;)
Cross your fingers for the grand finale this weekend!!

  Head on over to Ginny's, Tami's, and Ambassador's Crochet other interesting ventures of fiber fun.

Not your typical Vermont winter...

Now, I am not complaining - no, not at all - but this is not a typical Vermont winter.

Spike peers out the back screen door and grasps a scent of fresh air.  'Cause it is 38 degrees.  Seriously!!  This time last year, we were stuck in FEET of snow.

Not today.

Sugar is tramping on the strawberry patch.  I just hope the warm weather doesn't take that patch out of winter hibernation too early....

The ladies are enjoying a nice graze in the sun.  Not a normal occurence, which makes it all that much more special.

I can now see the ground that we will be planting in a few short months.  I placed the first seed order yesterday, and am eagerly awaiting the excitement of starting my seedlings.

Spring is truely right around the corner...