Hubby's Christmas Gift, Early!

Paul couldn't wait to give me this year's Christmas gift, and I'm so glad he didn't! It's a non-electric Singer Treadle Sewing Machine! I've been looking for one and had downloaded instructions for building one. We even had a cast iron base just like the one in the photo. What a blessing for Paul to find one for sale locally and at the right price. Now if I can just learn to pump and sew at the same time!

Our babies are three weeks old!

They're all here and doing fine. Our last few eggs were duds so we have just four chicks. One looks just like the mother (pure Ancona from a green egg with an Ancona father) and 2 of the others will look like Anconas, too, one with a possible Buff Orpington mother. The fourth is black with a white chest and will most likely look like a Black Australorpe, just like Smokey Mountain Mama!


We try to handle them a lot but they continue to be skittish. We had them in the house for a couple days because of inclement weather and a loss of power. The cat, Moochie, likes to sit and "bird watch" but sometimes runs when we come into the room. We assume she is feeling guilty for having bad thoughts about birds!

We've finally moved them to the porch again and out of the dog pen. They have a boarded off corner all to themselves and a heat lamp for these cold evenings. We hope to give up the heat lamp at the end of this week and move them outside in another week. So sweet! It will be hard to put them out into the big scary world!

Our Newest Member

Welcome to the newest member of our ever growing farm family! This baby chick hatched on Tuesday the 18th. He is a beautiful auracana with a fiesty disposition. We were glad he only had to spend one night alone, as two siblings hatched the following day. We have three more eggs to go so we'll post photos of the whole brood once they all have arrived.


It was such a thrill to be home at the time of the hatching. We took a break from math and enjoyed a spontaneous science lesson. Wow...we had never seen this before!

Our four hatchlings are doing well and enjoying their home on our porch where it is sunny, warm, and easy to take a peek at any time. We have two with stripes, one dark brown with a fuzzy "beard", and a dark charcoal chick who resembles our brooding mother.

New Life in New York

Nicole found a chrysalis in her bean plants and brought it in the house. We placed the branch into a vase and watched it for several days until we could distinctly see the formed monarch inside. We tried to watch it on that day, but wouldn't you know, it "hatched" while we were all busy. By the time we noticed it was no longer in its tiny home, it was making its way up the screen. The girls took it outside and let it dry in the sun until it took flight and left our little farm. What an amazing thing! I read once that a caterpillar's mass turns entirely to liquid while in its chrysalis. The particles miraculously mix and reform as the butterfly or moth it is to become. This truly makes a new life, as it no longer has any of its prior form. What a beautiful reminder of our creative Creator!!

A day at the Market!

Saratoga Springs, New York, has one of the nicest Farmer's Markets in our area. We brought home several bags of goodies this week, including recipes from Cornell's Cooperative Extension. Here is Nicole whipping up a watermelon smoothie for her family with our fresh organic melon from the market. Yum!

I'm a Tomatoe

I'm a tomatoe!

I have been in love with tomatoes since I was a little girl, raiding my father's tomatoe plants and eating the juicy ripe ones right there in the garden! Whether cooked into sauces, layered on bread with mayo, or warm in the garden, nothing beats the scarlet goodness of this perfect fruit!

I have been growing tomatoes ever since I got old enough to work my own soil and when I was in my mid teens, my father gave me my own plot of ground. Tomatoes went in first, then were surrounded by other yummies like cucumbers and summer squash. I am amazed I did not break out in hives as a result of my indulgences!

I've learned a lot about growing tomatoes over the years. There is more to cultivating a harvest than just putting in plants. Tomatoes grow "sucker" branches which will ultimately grow into new main plants. If these suckers are allowed to mature they will draw energy, moisture, and strength away from the fruiting process. In short...you get more leaves and branches than tomatoes. I've become quite aggressive with these suckers and have seen a tremendous increase in the number of fruits on each plant. Definitely worth the trouble!

This summer while I was suckering my plants I was feeling down about my relationship with my husband. We'd been quite busy with work, projects, children...you name it. I was missing him and losing my desire to keep plugging along. Then it occurred to me....I'm a tomatoe!

I have a lot of good things in my life: five children still at home and still in need of nurturing; a big garden and a number of small flower gardens, all growing wonderfully; a awesome church family; a husband who still takes me out for dinner or coffee or a stroll. These things keep me fed, spiritually and emotionally. But I also have a lot of unnecessaries in my life. These things aren't "bad," they just sometimes take time and energy away from what is most important.

So...I put away my scrap booking materials, and folded up a stitch kit I was working on, and I made myself available. I stopped worrying about the old friendship which has recently ended. I got rid of some of the "suckers" in my life and began focusing on the really important things. I noticed a change right away. And I'm spending more time reminding myself which things need to be put away, which ones need to be set aside, and which ones are ripe for the picking! I have so much more energy to grow and learn!

I'm one saucy tomatoe!

Rain, Rain...

Rain Rain....don't go away! It is no fun to be out in the cold rain, but I have to give thanks for the gentle sounds of dripping outside my window. I have not had to water gardens for more than two weeks now, and that is something to give thanks for! My veggies and flowers are ever so healthy and strong, and our lettuces are crisp and tasty. We will bring in tomatoes and cucumbers soon...Yippee!

And so, while my barely tended gardens flourish, I am enjoying the freedom of lounging in my, oh, so soft recliner reading articles from Grit and Hobby Farms. Another blessing! My neglected library books are back in my hands...such titles as Carrots Love Tomatoes, Four Season Harvest, and Ricki Carrolls' recipes for home cheesemaking. I think I love reading almost as much as playing in the dirt....and reading about playing in the dirt is just the best.

Till later~
Carrie

Never too old!

This is my very first blog interaction! I didn't think I could figure it out, but here I am! I'm proud to display my entry for the MaryJane's Farm Pinkeeper contest, a hand fashioned Hen in a basket with quilted eggs and a couple of handfashioned chicks! A winner in my book!

I am pleased to still have time for sewing in the midst of a busy gardening season. We are attempting to fill a large portion of our food needs from our very own half acre...Not easy with a family of seven, but then I always have enjoyed a challenge! I am enjoying collanders full of lettuce, spinach, and beet greens and have found delicious new ideas for using these luscious greens! We have enjoyed two meals worth of peas and are anticipating some little tomatoes soon. This year I am experimenting with eggplant and celery, two veggies I have never tried to grow at home. I am also experimenting with Lasagna Gardening. I have flowers and hot peppers doing quite well so far!

Till later~
Carrie

Ps...Remember..."Tis better to weep at joy than to joy at weeping!" Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing