Tag: Life on the Farm

A Day in a Small Town

Posted on by Farmers Blogger

Hi friends!

I wanna chat some more about my fun Labor Day weekend, so please have some patience with me. This post will be more about the fun things we did around the local area. Maybe it’ll inspire you to hunt down cool experiences in your neighborhoods too!

So, the big thing we did: Fruit picking! We specifically we picked peaches, but we also came home with pluots, tomatoes, jams, grapes and some assorted berries! Plus, apple chips! We had so much fun picking from the trees, and our intention had been to just pick enough to eat and turn into a cobbler the next day (spoiler alert, we went overboard).

Honestly, I highly advise finding a “U-Pick” orchard and/or farm near you, especially if you have kids, because it’s such a fun, wholesome experience, it can be socially distanced, it can be educational, and then you get to eat the evidence! 110% recommend, I’ve been to the fruit stand a bunch before, but had never indulged in picking my own fruit! I wanna plant all sorts of fruit trees now! Somebody block the plant-start sites from the router please, I have no self-control!

We also stopped by so many of the little shops around my town and snuck into our closer mid-sized city for a little Bargain Center hunting too! I found a couple nostalgic games, had a ton fun hunting through everything, and made a friend of the cashier. I love second-hand stores in general, but I highly advise stopping by them when on vacation, because the “junk” is always different than the treasures you can find at home. We were briefly worried my friends finds wouldn’t fit in their carry-ons.

I think I’ve mentioned before that there was a magical little bookstore in town with a shop owner that knew every item in stock and shelves and piles so tightly packed you had to shimmy between them? I think I probably also mentioned that this last year he, unfortunately, passed away, and we all thought that was the end of that magic little store. BUT! Good news prevails! As we were having lunch at the candy shoppe (they sell… real food… there as well, don’t worry, we ate a lot of candy, but we also had substance), we noticed the open sign on the door, and it turns out his friend had taken up the reins! I was so happy! She hasn’t learned the stock yet, and the shelves meet safety codes now, but she has for sure added her own magic with some happy upbeat tunes playing and three cats who alternate between posing in their various cat trees for pets and hopping along the tops of the shelves judging your book choices. It’s a different cozy, but very effective. And we all know I am a big fan of cozy reading nooks. The new layout allowed for a couple little nooks that I will definitely be trying out in the near future.

I also bought two books, because I have legitimately no self-control. One was a Nancy Drew flashlight cover, because I have been slowly collecting antique Nancy Drew books since the plucky detective radically changed my life in the second grade (that’s a topic for another day, remind me), and one was a total impulse, Jimmy Buffett’s “Where is Joe Merchant?”, mostly because I didn’t know he wrote a book. Guys, I don’t even know. I wanna suggest this book, because I enjoyed it, but it’s so unlike anything I’ve read that I don’t know if anyone would love it like I did.

 It’s a slightly older book, and definitely a product of its time, that is, be prepared for some political incorrectness, outright cringe moments, and if you are about my age, you’ll have to google at least two political conflicts that I don’t remember being covered in GenEd History. You should also be prepared for the craziness of a 90s action film mixed with a 60s acid trip (or at least what I would guess it’s like, since I am entirely referencing popular media for that opinion). It’s a ride. I’m a casual parrothead, and even Fruitcakes didn’t prepare me for the ride that is this book. Although some of the characters make appearances in both which was delightful.

After a full day of thrift hunting, we stayed in and chilled on Sunday, which allowed us to make some cobbler! It was so fun being in the kitchen with my friends again, we used to have monthly dinner and game nights where we’d cook and play boardgames, and we sorta got to re-create that. So much fun! We ate so much candy and cobbler and had a huge Sunday lunch and ended up crashed on the couches in the den by 7 pm, playing video games together while fighting off food comas. I’ll try to find the original cobbler recipe I used, although I’ll admit, it’s more of a guideline now because cobbler always has its own mind and plans. (Editing Amanda’s Note: Found it! https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easy-peach-cobbler)

(Side note here to say, remember how I said we went way overboard picking peaches? I just made three more cobblers and after I finish writing this up and they have cooled, I’ll be taking off to deliver those to family members who need surprise cobbler. Always gotta have a plan B for leftovers haha)

  • The dry and the wet
  • Peaches, sugar, and some lemon juice
  • Making a mess chopping peaches
  • Cobbler!
Angles are awkward so that those who didn’t want to be pictured aren’t 🙂

Overall, it was a jam-packed, super fun, crazy weekend and I started missing my friends before the plane even left. But that just sounds like a good excuse to go visit them and have them come back here! I’m so blessed to live in a place where I can have a little guest space, and there’s fun experiences to be had.

I better head out on my cobbler-based journeys now, but I hope you are all having a lovely day!

Until we chat again my friends!

Farm Visits

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Hello friends!

I’ve been thinking a lot about visiting farms. Mostly because I have some guests coming soon, and lots of friends and family who are asking about visiting next summer, but also because my dad came home after a long back porch chat with my great uncle and said, “we need to do that more often, it reminds me of when we used to come visit”.

Every summer during my school years we would spend a few weeks out helping my uncle on the family farm. I loved it so much! It was always warmer than the coast, I would get to play in the dirt all day long, and I loved the house and staying on the farm.

See those two upper windows on the front? That was my room. I loved it. This house is well known in the area for it’s beauty. I’m sure you can see why I loved it.

For most of my growing up, my dad talked longingly about returning to the valley to be a farmer. Don’t get me wrong, he had a strong sense of duty to his community and was a proud LEO, but he always wanted to return to his family roots. My mom and dad moved here my senior year of college. I didn’t realize I would be moving in about 6 months later.

I always knew I wanted to live here as well, I love being outside, playing in the dirt, and the possibility of farm animals. I caught the horse bug on my uncle’s ranch. Little twelve-year-old Amanda fell in love with a BLM mustang that my uncle was housing for a friend of his. I spent hours upon hours out with this horse, I was the first to get pats, and of course, I cried when we had to leave, and I haven’t been away from horses for more than a six month stretch since then. And that’s honestly only happened once or twice.

I called him Sagebrush, for what it’s worth, and my little cousin (who is not so little anymore) called him toothbrush. The horse that started it all. (“Editing Amanda” butting in to say that if I ever find the photos of Sagebrush, I will share, but my archives got put “somewhere safe” and for the life of me I cannot find them)

My uncle also loved to tell ghost stories. I admittedly don’t believe in ghosts, but I definitely think it’s close-minded to assume we know all about our universe, so who am I to say conclusively? I will say, while most of his stories rang of silliness, there were a couple stories where I saw the… weirdness… myself, and I hold those warm nights on the back porch being completely sketched out as very dear memories.

Unsurprisingly, my love of photography (which has been poorly represented on this blog thus far, but I do hope to remedy that) comes from summers wandering around with a camera, usually dragging my little brother or cousins around with me

One such story started when I pointed out a fire down by the river (the house sits on some bluffs above the river, so we could see the shore and stand of trees). I was concerned, as most 9- or 10-year-olds would be, about the farm burning, but my uncle was absolutely not concerned. He told me that happens sometimes, a young man was killed on the banks in the wild days, and that’s his fire. The second time I saw it I made my dad walk down in the dark with me, I don’t have an explanation. I really doubt a ghost needs a fire to stay warm, and I highly doubt… ghost… in general, but that experience lives in my mind, and pops up any time I see a weird light on our farm or out in the valley at night. Although, my uncle also teases that my great-great-grandmother lives in the attic every time the wind blows the doors shut, so maybe take his stories with some skepticism. And also, don’t swear and be sure to mind your manners in the attic… just in case.

I also had my first confrontation with coyotes on that farm. Another creepy nighttime experience to ballast all the lovely farmer’s market days and hay climbing adventures. I walked out to get some water from the garage fridge (Anyone else’s family have garage fridges? For extra water, soda, popsicles, and farm things? Just us? Hmmm) and heard lots of scurrying from the large doors (which are always open short of major storm or snow), but I didn’t think much of it because Simba the Cat and Freckles the Dog liked to sleep on the cold concrete floor at that time. Nothing to worry about, I got my water and turned to see Simba and Freckles staring at me from their respective spots under the workbench. So, what had run out into the yard? I shined my flashlight out (phone flashlight, so not the most powerful) and saw the telltale red eyes shining from the nearby stand of trees.

And then something growled a little closer.

And I made tracks for the house door.

Best part of this tale? I told my aunt what happened, and she sagely said, “The wild animals own the valley at night, stay inside unless you have a companion”, like she just had that quote ready to go. Guess what advice I live by now? I almost never go out after dark alone now. Lessons were learned. Especially now that my little plot of land is smack in the middle of open range and a pretty well-travelled game trail.

I love that house and the land it sits on, and I absolutely adore my great aunt and uncle. I need to take some time this week to stop by and see them again. Marking my calendar right now!

Until we chat again my friends!

August 20th is Fascinating

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Hello friends!

It’s fall, y’all!

Okay, it’s not, and I’m sorry, but now it’s out of my system. But I’m fully bought in on flannel, coffee, pumpkins, baked goods, and sitting down to write the next great American novel (because that’s what you do all autumn long yes? Along with crocheting cute things and cuddling everything with any body heat at all?). I’m preparing, I’ll be ready for the full autumn experience.

Realistically, it is not quite yet fall, and realistically, I’m very okay with a longer slope into fall that allows me to hold on to my summer times just a little longer, but August 20th has hit, and despite the fact that it catches me off guard every year, I’ve learned that’s the cutoff day.

Do I sound crazy? Let me explain.

When you live in rural areas, you learn very quickly to put little stock in your tv forecast and much stock in your local farmer’s feelings on the subject. Most TV forecasters are lovely humans who are primarily focused on the areas in which their prime viewership lives, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact, it makes sense to share information about where it will do the most good, but it doesn’t always help us that live way out in the boonies. So, often our weather is a little different than they suggest on the tv.

On the other hand, the farmers, ranchers, and random old gentlemen who make a habit of coming into town to have coffee and reminisce? They have it on lock. They can tell you what the forecast will bring, if it needs prepping for, and how much snow you should plan to shovel just by the look of that one tree on the south side of their farm or the way the crickets chortled that morning. One guy will say the arthritis in his knee says rain, and the other will tell you the cattle talk of storms rolling in.

“Mooooom, it’s too early to wooooork, and it’s coooooold! Moooooom, you’re the woooooorst!! ….Can I have cookies and a brush though? I’m awful cute and definitely deserve it” – Nellie, anytime I try to work them before 8 am lately

My family has its own legends on how to tell the weather, there’s a specific mountain peak I wait to clear before I plant my garden, and I learned to listen to the wind’s whistled tone for potential storms coming, as well as watching how the animals act to see if it’ll be a dry or wet storm. When the birds’ nest in, you should too, and if you walk out and the air is just all sorts of wrong, it’s time to secure everything, high wind is on its way. But the biggest and by far the most reliable legend, says that the weather fundamentally changes on August 20th each year, at least here in the valley, and no matter how long the summer lasts, after that day the nights really start getting longer and colder in earnest, the plants make plans to rest, and your sunny warm days are numbered. It’s been right on time every year thus far, and I don’t think it’ll change any time soon.

Ro wants you to know that she was totally justified in trying to steal cookies through the fence, and alsoI’m very mean for not moving the scary tarp that came undone in the wind storm again.

The valley is that orange soft fall wrapped up in warm nostalgia and slightly burned coffee. Absolutely full of fresh harvests, warm drinks, farmer’s markets and hayrides. Fall festivals and bazaars and anything else you can think of. I am very excited about the prospect of peach cobbler. I make it homemade, and not many each year because it’s a lot of work to peel the peaches, but it is my uncle’s favorite thing. Last year I prepped all my peaches, got everything put together, it smelled so good, everything was perfect…… and then I dropped it pulling it from the oven and spilled the whole unset thing on the bottom of the oven. I cried, my house stunk like burning peaches, and I didn’t try again. Luckily the dish itself survived to bake another day. So, this year, everyone is very excited for my peach cobbler since it’s two years waiting, and I’ve had several people offer to put it in and take it out of the oven for me, so I’m all covered there.

I’ve also got several requests for pumpkin bread. That isn’t a specifically fall recipe, but it is a much more common occurrence in the fall. The flavors just make sense during the cooling, blustery months. It’s my mom’s old recipe, I think she probably got it from my grandma, but I am honestly not certain. It’s super easy, I made the mistake of teaching my younger brother to make it and every once in a great while, I come home to a disaster kitchen and loaves upon loaves of bread. At least he’s good at it so it’s tasty.

My brother has a much appreciated habit of sending me animal photos when he knows I’m in a scary or stressful meeting. This was a rare Joe-Scooby cuddle, when they share a bed, you know it’s getting chilly. Photo Credits to Christopher

Well, I’ve thoroughly made myself hungry, so I think I’ll wrap it here. Maybe when I get around to some baking, I’ll also get around to some recipe sharing, and some photos. Life should be slowing down, and I should be out of the sling and more independent again soon, which will hopefully mean taking my actual DSLR out and about again. Such a pleasant thought.

Until we chat again, my friends!

A Little Late Summer Ramble

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Hi friends!

We had the briefest respite in the heat, and I am riding that high for as long as I can. Although it does look like the cooler (think high 80s low 90s) will become the norm more and more. I’m not quite ready to give up on summer, I am a summertime baby and relish my warm lazy summer days, early sunny mornings, and the smell of fresh cut alfalfa. That all being said, I am learning, in my advanced age (I jest), to look forward to the trappings of each season. I think it helps that the seasons are usually really distinct here. I love the PNW, don’t get me wrong, but we had four seasons there: rain, heavy rain, just sunny enough to get your hopes up, and the two warm weeks where literally everything was under construction.

I am excited to decorate for fall, it is by far the coziest season. And late summer has such good veggies at the farmer’s market. Ideal for soups and sides. We are hopefully going to have some of those delicious veggies for ourselves from the garden pretty soon. I love the pumpkins and the warm afternoons but chilly mornings. When the seasons are distinct and have their own flair, about the time you start needing a change, the weather complies.

Jury’s still out on winter. Unless it’s Christmas morning your girl is not snow friendly. I’m trying… but I don’t do cold very well.

Work has been absolutely nuts, and when you combine that with my elbow (and the absolute glacial pace at which it has decided to heal), my poor girls have gotten lots of cuddles, but not a whole ton else. I feel so bad, I did get to hop on sneakily Saturday before my little cousin’s riding lesson, only at a walk, and only for a few minutes because I am trying to follow most of the rules. It made my heart happy, so it was worth it. Ro doted, though, like a worried mother after, which was adorable, but also a little inconvenient for teaching purposes.

Just one of many photos off my phone where I’m plopped in the grass and the girls have decided I’m boring and wandered away

June is doing so good, by the way, and I’m thinking I’m going to need to brainstorm some puzzles and games to play while we learn. She’s got balance, and she pays really good attention. We work for about 20 minutes, I don’t push it much past when she starts rubbing her eyes and yawning, because that’s a lot of thinking for a Saturday morning and we want to always end on a happy note. At least while they are young, and I can control that. Her favorite games right now are red light, green light and round the world. She asks her Uncle Jeff (my dad) and Nellie to come out and be a team for red light, green light too, which is really good for Nel as well. Last lesson her little sister came out and she and my brother were a team as well. Junebug grinned from ear to ear. It’s a family affair.

Been doing some work on the house. I’ve got some friends coming into town (don’t worry we are being covid safe) and I needed to get the guest space in order. It’s amazing what finally getting a light fixture and moving out some clutter can do to a space. Even just adding bedsheets to the bed can totally make a room feel finished. I’m mostly just finishing up cleaning the clutter, picking up some extra towels, and adding some doodads like extra power strips and scent diffusers. They are coming for the weekend over Labor Day, and I literally cannot wait! I haven’t seen these friends in three years, thanks to moving states unexpectedly and then the plague. It’s going to be so good; we always get up to shenanigans and they’ve never been to this part of the world. I am planning a couple rural exclusive activities like meeting a cow and a couple small town exclusives like going to our semi-famous candy shoppe.

I also started a new book… and finished it in one afternoon. It was really good! I haven’t been much of a reader since Highschool (funny how all that homework can kill reading for fun… hmmm) but have been slowly making use of the amazon prime reading books. It was called Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell and it’s the first in a series. I’m now seriously debating purchasing the next book. I saw some complaints that the descriptions are long-winded and the story predictable, but, especially when I read mystery (my fav genre by far) I’m not looking to be wowed by the most elegant writing skills ever, I’m looking for a cozy book with just enough suspense to make me jump if a shutter slams, and that the bad guy gets justice served in the end. This book ticked all those for me and I highly suggest you give it a go. It’s a little less than 300 pages according to Kindle, so not a huge commitment even if it isn’t your jam. It’s a historical piece incorporating some real-life people with fictional characters, really neat stuff, perfect for back porch reading on a Sunday afternoon.

This image has nothing to do with anything except that Joe is ridiculously cute and I needed you all to see how he sat across from me whilst I did a puzzle this weekend. Heavily vignetted because my house is a disaster of in-progress DIYs. Also, accidental photobomb courtesy of Christopher

Time to go ice this elbow again, patience is not my virtue, so I’ve been typing as though it isn’t a banned activity. I miss the good old days when I bounced. Now when I fall, I apparently splat.

Advice for the day? Padding, always err on the side of padding.

Until we chat again, my friends!

Storm a’Comin’

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Hello friends!

We had quite the storm the other day. It was super fun, but only because it came with a downpour and soaked everything. Some much needed moisture. Unfortunately, we’ve had some crazy humidity since then, which we are not super built for around here, but that’s the price you pay, I guess.

I was home alone for the very beginnings of the storm, and while I love those rare moments when I have the whole place to myself, I swear it’s a whole different ball game when you live on a farm.

(For the record, I love my family, I definitely am not complaining about never having the house to myself, I’m more just saying that sometimes I like to belt out a terrible Janis Joplin impression while making high calorie food choices and watching trash tv, and I try not to subject other humans to that. I’m going to need you to hold your judgements.)

It’s amazing what shenanigans the animals can get into when you’re the only one home, so I definitely make more rounds than usual. Once Ro wrapped part of the fence around her leg while I was home alone. How? Solid question, not a clue in this world. Once the chickens were just out walking about. How’d they escape? Again, only the universe knows. But now I check obsessively on all the animals. I also have others help me settle the farm in for the night early if I know everyone else is getting home late or there’s a storm coming. So, before the storm got close the animals were all safely tucked away, or at least they were in the safest place with the options to go inside. Frankly, my mares are crazy and like standing out in the rain.

I also learned to take my house key, because occasionally the lock on the door falls, and you only have to experience that once to learn that lesson. When you live on a farm, even a small farm like mine, the neighbor’s house is a walk away, so you either hoof it and hope someone is home and will share a phone or sit pitifully on your own porch while the dogs mock you from the window, or you resort to violence and break into your own home. I’ll leave you to decide what you think I chose.

But I was home alone when the first little whispers of the storm started to come in. The clouds started building, the sky darkened and the animals all visibly started to prepare. It’s most eerie when the wild birds settle in and stop their constant chatter.

The wind came first and buffeted the house. I’m very lucky to live in a very solid house, so when you feel the wind lean in you know you’re in for it. We live in a pretty windy area, but there’s a different between a standard blustery day and the meanness of a storm rolling through. You can tell when the wind means to do damage. A lot of storms blow a lot and that’s it, so for the most part it doesn’t concern me unless it’s actively doing damage. The wind last year that took off part of my roof was frustrating, but it doesn’t often blow that hard.

The thunder and lightning were gorgeous, and I really wish I had thought to set up the gopro. I was chatting with a friend on discord and was more excited to show her the storm over gathering content. I’ll get better at that eventually. We had a couple of close-ish strikes that worried me, but I didn’t hear of any new local fires. Thank goodness.

The rain was the unusual part, we don’t always get rain. It came in blankets. I never understood that phrase as a child, because even though I lived in Seattle, which is known for its unmatched drizzly days, it rarely truly storms in the Puget Sound Area. But let me tell you, when we get a stormy rainy day here, it comes down in blankets. Like, worrying to step outside because it’s crazy blankets. Like, knocks out internet, tv, and cell service blankets. Like, have to yell over the noise in the house blankets. Nuts.

The good news is that the aftermath was some wet ground and clean air. It was muggy as anything, super, super humid, but we appreciated the day of clean air. It did not last as long as we would have loved. The nice soft ground was ideal for disking up and turning over though, so the girls get a soft corral and arena again. The pasture grew in overnight because of it, and the garden loved it as well. I’m sure the firefighters in the area appreciated the deluge as well, I just hope it was enough.

Until we chat again, my friends!

In lieu of pictures this week I took a couple video snippets of the tractor running. A change of pace felt appropriate.

Garden Days!

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Hello friends!

Still stuck in the sling and getting progressively more annoyed at it by the moment. It’s my own stupid fault, but that fact isn’t helping me be any less whiny and overdramatic about the whole thing.

Watson is my editor this week, and some good moral support

So, shorter post, but I did take lots of garden photos! I think we are probably a couple weeks out from getting some okra! I have never grown okra, but from what I’ve read and been told, the little pods grow upwards and when they’ve laid over and point towards the ground, that’s when they are ready to pick. If you have them, send me your best okra recipes, because I have never tried to cook them, and had only middling success with eating them. For those who have never experienced an okra, if not prepared correctly, they get slimy…. Very very ick.

Okra!

We also have eggplant growing now! Five healthy plants, no blooms yet but I think they are a later veggie, so I am not too concerned. I love eggplant and cannot wait to enjoy some out of the garden. My mom used to make the yummiest roasted eggplant; I wish I had gotten her recipe. We talk a lot about the foods my mom used to make, and how if any of us had paid attention we’d know what was up. I often threatened to follow my mom around with a pencil, because she was an eyeball-it cook, now I really wish I had.

Eggplant!

Anyways, I think the peas have given their all for the season, and the beans are just starting to bud, so we know summer is in its height. It’s still warm here, but manageable. Still smoky, but also somewhat manageable.

The pumpkins have gone off like gangbusters, all though some are looking a little sadder than others. I really dunno what’s eating at them, since there’s no signs of rot, bugs, or drought. Maybe it’s just a phase, or they hate the heat, or a wild critter I haven’t met yet. Haven’t laid eyes on the opossum in a while, but I know he’s still around, because others on the farm have seen and interacted with him. He’s not subtle about leaving a whole mess. He’s made an unwelcome menace of himself, going so far as to come onto the porch and hiss at us through the windows.

I do wonder if we’ve had some other unwelcome critters eating in the garden, because I’ve seen signs of things hunting around the farm at night, we’ve heard noticeably more coyotes, and the deer have returned unseasonably early. I wonder if there’s a new fire pushing them out of the foothills. Not something I really want to consider.

I got my hands on some buddy stirrups for June and she worked a little off lead on her own this last lesson. Ro was very clearly still listening to me, because June’s legs are just not long enough to do any cues that Ro understands. She will get there in time. Right now, we are all about balance, confidence, and paying attention. Eventually we will be tall enough to learn equitation and all the other fun nonsense that comes with riding. Her smile is my favorite thing on a Saturday morning though, and makes it easier to give up sleeping in.

Although I do really miss sleep.

Until we chat again my friends!

Ehm, Oops

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Hello friends!

So, short post this week, because I did this:

I took a pretty solid fall off Ro, and am not super keen on the slow, one-handed typing that is currently happening. Work has slowed down so much due to my hunt and peck.

I feel the need to point out, the fall was entirely my fault for making a poor choice, Ro did everything she’s trained to, she listened to exactly what I asked, and when I fell, she stopped and checked on me. She did so well that she even refused to move when I asked for some help getting her back in the arena (we were out trail riding) until I walked along with her, she was not going to leave her rider. She was, once again, a dream of a horse and I don’t deserve how amazing she is.

She also gave my little cousin her first ride this weekend. I felt bad, because I was not super prepared to handle a ride, but definitely didn’t want to cancel again, so there was a lot of low-key walking around. Ro and June did so well together though, June was having a blast and Ro took her job so seriously.

June was so brave too! I was worried the height of a horse and the wobbly motion would spook her (it does a lot of little ones) but the only tears she shed were when we told her to say goodbye so she could go home. She wants to ride every day, but her mom’s sanity, and my healing, we are starting with once a week.

I am actually in the process of planning out her next lesson so it’s more organized and sling friendly, and I splurged and bought “buddy stirrups” which are fit over the horn of the saddle and make for tiny tike sized stirrups so she can learn to use her leg aids and sit correctly in the saddle. She’s using her bike helmet for now, but as soon as I pay off my doctor’s visit, she will be getting a safer equestrian helmet. Unsurprisingly, after my oops, I am really harping on safety stuff more than usual. My helmet saved my brain.

Okay, that’s all for me, ice and ibuprofen are calling my name.

Until we chat again my friends!

Open for Baby Cow Photos!

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Hi friends!
I have new baby cow photos! Not many because obviously the mamas did not want me anywhere near, but baby cow photos nonetheless!

Honestly, do I even need to write a post this week? What could I possibly say to top baby cow photos? The all black one is a little 5-day old boy, and the other is a little 3-day old girl. Such cuties. My uncle is the absolute best too, as soon as I stepped out of the flatbed cab because goes, “You have to go see the new babies” because he knows me so well. He also knew I’d forget while we were talking and loading hay, so he made a point to lead me up to the correct corral so I wouldn’t miss them.

My biggest piece of advice? Surround yourself with people as excited about baby animals as you are.

Anyways, its still hot, and unfortunately a lot of the west is on fire, so photos and working outside have a new element of hazard. But the sunsets have been very red and gorgeous, so that’s the only brightside. This time of year is a little sobering, because I live right next to brushland, and realistically, I’m one cigarette-carelessly-tossed-out-a-car-window from a very, very, very bad day.

I don’t talk about work on here much, and I prefer to keep it that way, but I will say that I work for a very news centric company (which is a blessing/curse for a news junkie like myself) and the amount of fire warnings and evacuation alert notices that are popping up is just borderline unbelievable. It’s not a cloudy day out, but it’s smoky enough it feels like a rainy day. Honestly, just in the time it’s taken me to rough out this opening set of paragraphs, I’ve lost sight of the surrounding hills and mountains. The smoke is getting intense.

We had the farrier out to see the girls. I don’t know if I have talked about Jimmie before, but he is one of the loveliest humans you’ll ever meet, and I count him more as a friend than just my farrier. He does absolutely wonderful work on the girls, I keep them barefoot, and he keeps their toes able to do that.

He has also pulled me out of a couple scrapes, sold me a lovely trailer for too good a price, and allows me to pick his brain constantly with horse questions. I absolutely adore him, and I love weeks where I get to see him.

Honestly, some weeks just feel so magical, when I get to see family members I don’t normally, and friends I haven’t chatted with as well.

Speaking of, due to the heat and smoke, it’s almost been like wintertime in terms of being stuck inside, which at first threw me way off because I like doing outdoor things, but it has now settled into building out some projects and getting a few things done. Not anything helpful like laundry or dog-grooming (which I am trying to work out how to do myself since this area seems to lose groomers faster than they can be hired), but things like cleaning up the DVR and organizing the spices. Busywork.

My favorite thing though, since my outdoor work has to be severely limited and mostly finished my about 10 am, is that I have been able to find more time for game nights with friends. We used to play almost every night in college, but adult life has knocked us down to once or twice a week. Which is still supremely better than not playing at all, since I was out of luck before we had a decent internet setup. We used to play mostly board games, whereas now we play online (although tabletop simulator has helped, virtual board games for the win).

We have so many new pumpkin blooms and the plants have mostly merged together into one ginormous plant, which hopefully means lots of pumpkins. One of my little plants is struggling, and I am really not sure why, just overnight he seemed to get really miserable, but I am hoping he will come back and join his siblings.

My peas are just about ready to eat, in fact we may end up picking some for dinner tonight and the lettuce is looking fantastic too! We should have some wonderful summer salads soon. I know we planted some other things, but I’ve lost track of what is where, so I’ll have to consult Dad on how the eggplants and tomatoes are doing. I am hopefully for the watermelon and eggplant, as those will be fun to cook with. We also have a volunteer mystery veggie, I think it’s jalapenos but I am not sure.

Nellie had some more fun with a swollen leg, but I think we finally got it under control. It’s just the extra strain on that bad leg of hers, but she’s so happy-go-lucky that she forgets to be a little careful. I really don’t know how to tell a 900-pound animal not to jump for joy when they are happy. So instead, I just call the vet and ask for the equine equivalent of ibuprofen and they laugh and write me a prescription. Speaking of my sweet girls, we are having a serious fly issue and I’m massively unimpressed with the fly spray I purchased, so if anyone has a preferred brand they can suggest or a recipe for effective homemade fly spray, please share, I would love to hear about it.

We are officially in the lazy days of summer, which is always fun, although admittedly not usually this warm, so we’ve taken lazy to a whole new level. But the kiddos are starting to worry about the next year of school (they go back in August here, and get out in May, which is so weird to me because I always started in September and got out in June), we have a brand new college student in the family who is very nervous and excited to get started, and generally we are settling in for those pretty sunsets and sweet tea and cozy mystery style evening… assuming it cools down.

And while I am not inviting it in any way yet, as I am still enjoying the summer, I am starting to mentally plan for the fall, which will bring baking and decor changes and lots of holidays and harvest activities. This is my favorite time of year, the calm before the winter-based storm.

I did also finally (very late) get the blog turned to summer theming, it took a while to get a decent photo and the colors right but now everything should be pretty and yellow! Hopefully you guys like the change, because I sure do! I am already thinking about the fall theme so I can get ahead, but that will obviously need to wait until the farm is dressed in fall colors.

Until we chat again my Friends!

You Just Have To Wiggle It

Posted on by Farmers Blogger

Hi all!

It’s a sunny, warm day today, and I am sitting out on my back porch enjoying a breeze. It’s really lovely, I’m very lucky to be living here with my family and friends. That being said, I’m going to need to move inside soon, because I need to plug in my laptop, and while there’s some plugs outside, for some reason, a week or so ago, they stopped working for no discernible reason.

And that, my friends, is the joy of living in a 1945 farmhouse. Things just are weird sometimes.

I always laugh when watching Green Acres (which has started happening a lot for some reason, that show is always on), and they have to do things like climb the power pole to answer the phone or unplug the dishwasher to run the fridge. Luckily nothing in my house is that dire, but when you move into an old house, sometimes things are just odd. Currently the craziest issue is with my plumbing, every toilet has a “special” way you have to wiggle, hold, or otherwise cajole the lever for a proper flush, and my bathroom sink pours just about as much water out of the handles as the actual faucet itself. Funnily enough, in the summer it leaks from the cold water handle, and in the winter, it leaks from the hot. Also, luckily, so far it pretty much only leaks when the water is running. Since it’s an integrated pedestal sink, I can’t super easily pull it all apart, so I’ve learned to not leave anything on the side of the sink.

I figured that you wouldn’t be interested in a picture of my bathroom sink, so please enjoy our first pumpkin blossom! I’m very excited!

Another hilariously common issue is the door handles on this property, as my back door deadbolt likes to lock but refuses to unlock without copious effort, and my tack room door won’t latch at all anymore. It’s not just door latches, you all have heard my gate latch saga, I’m sensing a pattern. Possibly one of my favorite stories actually involves a cousin of mine. The front door handle was really sticky and hard to use when we purchased the house, so we had intended to switch it out eventually, but we had to expedite the process when, during thanksgiving our first year (my first time hosting Thanksgiving too) the door handle came off in my cousin’s hand, effectively locking her out of the house. We put it back together temporarily and it happened to two other people before the night was out.

This has also led to the interesting task of occasionally breaking into our own home, which has now occurred a few separate times. Possibly the most dramatic was my dad taking out the entire laundry sorting system trying to get into the master bedroom window, and most recently was my brother and his friend launching themselves through my front room windows. I have to replace a window screen now, but honestly, I should just focus on fixing the latches and this nonsense would slow…. maybe.

Gardens are in bloom!

Another fun quirk to my vintage farmhouse is our kitchen cabinets. Not only are they weirdly set up (there’s drawers IN cabinets, and none of the “snazzy” lazy susans work properly at all) the doors like to randomly pop open. I had invested in magnets to function as closures at one point, but really that didn’t help much because they open with a stupid amount of force. I’ve gotten smacked in the knees a few times with these cabinet doors. I’d swear we have a mischievous ghost if I believed in those kinda things. One day I’m going to overhaul those cabinets, that’s one of those win-the-lottery plans. Along with updating my grumpy appliances and maybe fixing up the harvest gold linoleum flooring. It’s glorious.

Honestly though, this house is lovely, it needs some love, and maybe some updating, but we got really lucky nabbing this one when we did. We have fantastic water, which is a little tough around here, but we were very blessed with the well we have, and the water rights and mineral rights are ours too, which is becoming less and less common.

One other important thing that we’ve managed to fix about the farm is the internet situation. When my parents first moved in, they were told internet was already up and running, so it would be no worries to set up an account. To be fair, I don’t think anyone lied intentionally, I think the little old people who lived here thought we meant a phone line. So, we found out really quickly we couldn’t get internet, which is a major bummer when you work remotely, like I do. We made do for a couple of years by paying for a connection at my grandma’s, and I worked from there, but it was still so frustrating to not be able to google things. Especially considering cell service is a little hit or miss out here with the hill.

My Dad: “Amanda, did you get a picture of my girls? They are looking really good!” (I took a bunch but chickens are camera shy)

We tried a particular satellite internet company that I won’t name because I don’t want to be associated with them in any way, but they were rude, and the service was so poor we really paid a lot of money to have a house decoration because that’s all that crazy dish was good for. I was completely unhappy with the whole experience.

Luckily! Just this last March I noticed my neighbor putting up a weird radio pole in their yard. Being the avid sleuth (snoop) that I am, I googled the company name and it turned out to be a small radio internet company that I had not heard of. I, again, am not going to share the name, this time because I don’t have explicit permission to and they are actively rebranding as they grow anyway, so I probably would goof the name as it is.

I was highly skeptical because of previous experiences, but so far, I have been really, really pleased with the service. I can google recipes, write and post this blog, and occasionally play an online video game or two with friends.

My favorite part of all of this is that I can now work more often from home. This has been especially important with the serious heat wave. While I miss hanging out with my grandma all day, it makes it a lot easier to shift work around the farm schedule, I can start a little earlier in my day, and if I’m not feeling great, I can log in from the couch. It’s wholly pleasant.

I also love how much easier it feels to “see” my friends with an internet connection. I am very lucky to have friends all over the globe, and it’s fantastic to catch up!

More Blooms!

Overall, I love slowly fixing what I can, and learning to love the quirks of this little farmhouse. Everything from replacing the roof to adding another shelf in the linen closet makes it home and adds that more personal touch.

Sometimes I wished loving this home was a little cheaper though, and required less petty crime (although, is it a crime to break into your own home?). Oh well.

Until we chat again, my friends!

It’s Getting Hot In Here

Posted on by Farmers Blogger

Hello Friends!

How are we today? We survived another week, so that’s cause for celebration in my book. It’s been 100+ degrees for a while now, ranging up to about 109 so I can say with certainty that surviving is a massive accomplishment.

I have garden pictures this week! The beans are taking off like crazy, only to be outshone by the pumpkins! I can’t wait to roast some yummy garden fresh green beans and I really, really can’t wait to see if the pumpkins come in completely. I’ve not been able to get pumpkins to grow in this soil, although I did have some luck when I lived in the PNW. If we get enough pumpkins, we are going to let the little ones in the family come pumpkin picking, which will be super fun. So hopefully they come in plentifully.

The weeds are coming in plentifully, that’s for sure. My poor dad is out every morning weeding the lines, they come back so fast it might be a losing battle. The chickens are helping too, they love weeds, but they also love the veggies so we have to be very watchful.

Chickens never stop moving! Phone cam + hyper subject = blurry photos

Ro and Nellie are slowly getting used to working first thing in the morning. It’s definitely not preferred, neither of my girls are morning critters apparently, judging by the amount of yawning coming from the loafing area this morning. They take after their mom, I am not a morning person at all.

The other morning there was a miscommunication and the girls got to be out in the pasture super early in the morning before exercise. Ro came running in when she saw me, and she was actually super excited to work, which was great! But she also came in ridiculously muddy since the pasture irrigation was on. She was so, so, so proud of herself. I just had to laugh and take some pictures. We had a spa day Monday, so the girls were especially clean and nice for that muddy morning run. Can stay clean for too long, you see, it’s a cardinal sin.

Look at this smug pony!

The heat has officially pushed the limits of our air conditioning units these last few weeks. We have what are referred to as “room units” in the front room, living room, and master bedroom, but in general they do a pretty good job at keeping the whole house livable. It’s just not fair to judge them when it’s 108 outside and every room has huge windows. We also have some ceiling fans constantly running (here’s your reminder to switch your ceiling fans so they are spinning the right way for summer, because I forgot) to help move air around. Also, keeping blinds closed where we can and working early in the morning helps. But still, I’m fully over it. I miss my warm but pleasant 80s.

It’s also officially mosquito season, which is officially the worst thing in the history of ever (it’s not, it’s absolutely not, but I’m feeling incredibly dramatic today, so bear with me). The county does spray for them usually, which helps somewhat, but they just hired a new guy and he’s not quite up and running yet. In the meantime I am living in bug spray and trying to figure out how to de-mosquito the barn. Also, I bought these super odd bug traps that I need to put up that I am hoping will help, but I just scrape 5′ tall so I need someone taller or a ladder to put them up.

The bug spray is so drying, my poor skin is suffering. I am not the queen of skincare routines to begin with but it feels like I really need to step up my game this year between the glaring sun, insane heat, and aggressive sprays. I’ll let you know if I find something magical, or not so much. I also have a fantastic farmer’s tan going on, and as it is July I think the chances of my actually getting to wear shorts in public are rapidly plummeting. I know I could theoretically sit out in the sun to even the tan, but I burn and I’m way too busy to just sit and not feel guilty. Unless I have a good book. If you all have book recommendations, I love murder mysteries, so anything Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes is a big ole win for me.

Otherwise, it’s still kinda slow, the heat really slows things down. They did pull the bales out of the alfalfa field across the canal, and did so in a wind storm, as luck would have it. They only lost two bales which is about average I think, if you are rushing to pick up bales in a windstorm. Major bummer though because obviously split bales are hard to sell, if you can find someone who wants them at all. But he didn’t really have a choice because we have had a ton of wind lately, so things can’t just stop and wait forever. In any case, it’s tempting the local wildlife, and some of the local livestock too, so I am curious what they will do with those giant broken bales. Did I mention they are big one ton bales?

Anyways, I think I’ll leave this here. I hope you guys are having a wonderful day and are having a great and safe summer!

Until we chat again my friends!