Winter Goals

I just couldn't rip this plant up yet!

Well it's come to the end of a beautiful weekend. My chickens are molting, at least Cheryl is; Gayle still looks enormous with all her plumage compared to Cheryl's tiny sparse body. I wonder why chickens go through molt when it's turning cold? That seems like a strange time to lose heat. The picture above is of a cherry tomato plant in a plastic pot. The chickens have claimed this plant as their own since the summer and it's still supplying them with fresh tomatoes!

Don't let the image fool you, Cheryl's body is now half the size of Gayle's!

Today at work I was thinking of my Winter Goals. I have always dreaded the winter and losing light and warmth. I completely understand Seasonal Affective Disorder. Last winter I had lost my job and while working odd jobs I decided to learn to do more for myself. I had lots more free time than I was used to and was getting extremely depressed not finding work in my field.

My friend Megan & I created homemade cleaners to give as Christmas presents. I learned to bake bread and although I'm not great at it I can make a decent loaf. My sister Camellia (hi, Camellia if you're still reading!) says Goodwill's and thrift stores are great places to find used bread makers which knead better than hands but I have yet to find one!

Almost a year ago I decided I wanted to live differently and there have been large strides towards that end. Sometimes I feel frustrated that there's so much more I want to learn but now ironically, instead of losing jobs I seem to have too many! Not that I'm complaining! A few years ago an employer said 'These are your money making years' and that's always stuck with me. My career has gotten a better foothold in this area but the trade off is I am rarely at home or when I am I need to rest and recover.

This season I'm trying to view Winter differently. Instead of dreading the cold I want to embrace it. My Winter Goals this year are:

• Finish my Nanny's scrapbook
• Learn to knit
• Learn to make yogurt
• Transfer my family's old VHS tapes to DVD
• Have Redwood make more raised beds for our garden
  

There's more I want to try but I know if I list every single thing I want to do I'll feel overwhelmed and not do anything! These projects will keep me occupied through the dark months until I can play in the dirt again next Spring.

Putting My Garden To Bed

A few days ago my friend asked for the link to my blog and I freaked out for a minute! I haven't been on here for so long and I was embarrassed by my lack of posting. Jamy, if you made it over here, hello and welcome!

Yesterday afternoon Redwood and I closed the door on another year in the garden. It was a wonderful cool Autumn day. I've been reading about "putting your garden to bed" in order to preserve soil integrity over the winter and prevent erosion. I finally pulled up my bare pepper plants and covered all my planting locations with extra hay. The good thing about hay is that it's super pretty and it also composts very well.

I put my fences back up to prevent the chickens from playing in here. That didn't work!

My dog loves to rummage through leaves, piles of dirt, pinestraw, the litter box, you name it, so I don't think I can save my tomato area from her since I don't have fences here yet.

The chickens love to scratch through hay. Very entertaining!

If you like reading Mother Earth News you should take advantage of the $10/year subscription they've got going on now! I love that magazine and I save the old issues. I also saved both my seed & poultry catalogs from this past Spring. I'm really wanting one of those floozy headed chickens (Crested Polish) but we don't have the room I'm afraid.

Smith keeps a close watch on his sisters

3 Years

My favorite wedding photo

Next week is mine & Redwood's 3 year anniversary. 3 years doesn't sound like a lot but you have to start somewhere!

For this anniversary we'll be on a roadtrip taking a great friend up to his own wedding in Vermont. We've christened our trip Tomfoolery Tour '09.

Love, friends, experiences...all these simple things make life a wonderful journey.

Is Money a Taboo Topic?

Lately I've been thinking about money and the role it plays in our lives. I've always been very open with the subject of money, salaries, rent, bills, etc and haven't thought much about it. Most of my friends know the current balance on my VISA and know Redwood and I are working on a budget to get it paid off. I tell whoever wants to know my salary for my 3 jobs without any trouble.

I've got 3 jobs: one where I love the people but it's not exactly where my talent lies and the pay is very low but steady; one that involves lots of driving, good pay, but is not regular; and one that is more like a hobby-it's fun, random and the pay is good but also irregular.

I asked a friend yesterday if it was rude to talk about money. My family was always very open about it and my friends and I are the same way. I never thought it was strange but I've never really given it too much thought.

I can see where talk of money could lead to judgments of being irresponsible and that ties it to feelings of self worth. Some of the free podcasts I listen to (Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman) are educational to me because people freely discuss their fumbles with money and what they are doing to change it.

If I had been as conscious of my money back when I had the really great job I would be in a much better place! I think I have shared before that I didn't even know how much I made until we did our taxes!!

If we all knew exactly what others made would it change how we view them? Would I think they were worth more since they made more money? I certainly feel I am worth more than I make.

I also know plenty of people who have fancy titles that allow them a bigger paycheck but they don't work very hard.

My motivation for my family is to pay off our debt, build an emergency fund (which would have been handy when I lost my job last Oct.), begin our savings and live simply. I do love to travel and experience things and I know eventually I'd like to move somewhere with more space.

Money isn't the root of all evil, it's a tool that gets you where you want to be. As with most things, I am for open communication and community support for those on a similar journey. I am inspired by my friend John who is also on this path and open about his experience. My friends and inspirations Gary & Kiki, who live simply and well, take trips and enjoy their time on the planet.

I hope discussions about money aren't focused on status and shame but rather learning, sharing and accountability.

Making It Work

The 1st egg of Maywood Farm
(can we have a moment of silence please?)

3 days ago Maywood Farm welcomed it's very first egg.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even express how happy this made me. On the surface it's such a small thing (literally & figuratively) but this egg represents to me how much my life has changed since December 08.

Way back when I was just dreaming of chickens I never could have imagined the feeling of stepping outside my downtown home and getting a warm egg from the nest box. I didn't know it would feel this good.

This egg represents to me the promise of a different kind of life. A life that measures success in moments, a life that appreciates simplicity, a life that I am making happen instead of happening to me.

It felt like Christmas morning going outside the past two afternoons. I was tired from work and wanted to let the hens have some free range time and opened the coop. ('Coop' is used here very vaguely, this is a very small structure as I only have 2 ladies) There sitting in the nest box was a perfect brown egg. For 3 days now I've had a gift waiting for me and it makes me smile to myself and swell with pride.

Good work ladies

I've called friends and relatives to tell them of my bounty and some are excited, some think it's cute but the one person I really want to talk to I can't. My Dad would be proud of me for being true to my ancestors and heritage and learning to do things on my own. Somehow, I think he knows.





I've gardened in my backyard for 3 seasons now and each one gets better. Each year I learn more and take bigger risks. I have a long way to go but I feel good about the progress I've made.

Harvest

Redwood & I are making inroads on the financial front as well. It feels good to pay off debt and gain control. To know where my money is going. We are using a budget and I'm listening to both the Dave Ramsey show & Suze Orman.

It takes more work to live this way than I imagined last December but making it work is well worth the effort.

For Real?

Have we gotten so lazy we can't even squeeze the toothpaste ourselves??

Check this out!

Saturday Night

Right now there's a breeze blowing away the lingering 90* temps we've had the past few days. I've got a snip of a headache so I came outside with a glass of water to sit in the garden and watch my chickens free range.

I must say, this is an enjoyable Saturday night. Gayle & Cheryl enjoy a little game I call "Bluff". Bluff involves one or the other zig-zagging her way to a confrontation that never completely occurs. They both puff out their feathers and swing their necks around as if to say, "Oh no she didn't!"

Does anyone know why they do this?

It's been a long day at work and I'm really comfortable sitting here watching these chicken antics. If you've never seen a chicken scratch in the dirt you're really missing out!