Let's Get Real...

Perhaps it is because I grew up on six acres of mid-coast Maine countryside with stone 

walls, a small apple orchard and idyllic summer nights, that I romanticize this farm life. Let's get real...it is a lot of hard work, but very rewarding! Today is the first day that I feel like there isn't a huge impending chore that needs to be done outside! Beyond my meal planning for the week, party preparations and little weeding in the gardens, I feel like I am on vacation!

So here's what's growing in our gardens:

Veggies:

We didn't plan on planting a large garden...the surgery and timing just wasn't right. What you see in the photo are two rows of herbs, some of which we haven't identified yet, rhubarb, lamb's ear, horseradish and some berries! I finally weeded around them and then started tilling the rest of the garden. 

Matt planted buckwheat today in the majority of the tilled space.  Our hope is that the buckwheat will increase the nitrogen levels of the soil and really get it ready for a big garden next year. Our home school preschool group planted two of our six raised beds with lots of goodies including strawberries, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, eggplant, okra, sunflowers, lettuce....that is all in addition to the pumpkins, heirloom 'maters, acorn squash and basil I had already planted! We'll have plenty to harvest!! The horseradish we inherited with this grand home is growing everywhere...including along side the rhubarb. They are good friends in the garden, but in my mouth I think they'd be foes! I have no idea 

how to harvest horseradish, so thank goodness for my master gardener friend, G, and the internet!

Flowers:

Of course we haven't had much time to devote to the flower beds, but they

 really haven't needed it either!

The previous owners were fabulous gardeners and landscapers and there a few amazing perennial beds that "simply" needed some thinning and weeding. I really didn't anticipate pulling weeds to be such a struggle

for me during the healing process, but it really was up until about two weeks ago. I could carry Arlo, but yanking a good thistle really hurt! So the beds had to wait...but they are lookin' good now! 

The photo below was taken in what we call "the back 40", a big farm term referring to the back 40 acres. Of course we don't 

have 40 acres, but the north acre and a half or so is mostly meadow and trees, some berries and wildflowers.

 I love being back there as long I keep moving...the skeeters

 are awful!

Fruit:

As many of  you know, along with the amazing house and acreage, we also purchased a 27+ tree fruit

orchard. We weren't aware of it at the time, but there are also black walnut trees, a variety of berries and we discovered six small trees in the 

north end of the orchard that we thought were currents, but are actually Nanking Cherries or Manchu Cherries! 

They are a semi-tart little berry originating from Nepal and China and are great for making jellies and pies! We also have lots of apple trees and a few peach or apricot, cherry, and pear! Sam keeps asking when the fruit will be ripe and I keep reminding him that when he starts school, we'll start picking the fruit! He had a blast picking the Nankings, even though we had to be soaked in the nasty bug stuff to make it out there long enough to pick three quarts!

Aside from what's been going on outside, not much is happening inside....other than lots of cooking! I feel like I am in the kitchen 90% of the time I am in the house....

I even joked with Matt about buying the commercial kitchen floor mats for my aching feet. I am trying to make everything from scratch which means I have to be more organized about my cooking. I have been planning 3-4 meals in advance and then buying what I need for those meals. It works out great, but I have to devote an hour or so each week to thinking ahead and planning. Our CSA share is forcing me to try new things and we ate lots of Kale last week and Kohlrabi! It was really good.

This Friday we are hosting a huge 4th of July party. We've invited just about everyone we know here and hope it to be akin to those parties the Skertich Family hosted in Jardine, MT for many years...music, kids, good food, a scrabble game here and there, and friends enjoying each other. We have tents up for folks to stay the night and we're having a brunch on the 5th to make the party last even longer. It should be grand.

Just a Minute...

....to let everyone know that we are still existing here on our little homestead. In fact, it is keeping us so busy, that I feel guilty sitting down to post on this blog! I have lots of great gardening pictures and video of dancing kids and stories to share......SOON...I promise.

It is raining pretty hard this afternoon and the rain is welcome! I am going to focus on the inside of the house for a change and let my body rest a bit (let's just say that the tiller and I have become good buddies)....more later!

Our Dads

It has been an exceptional 18 months in our family. We have had so many hardships and challenges and changes...

When I think back on the time, I realize how close our families are and how well we pulled together to help each other. Very emotional times in the Barrett-Grieshop clan and they are spanning a country from coast to coast.

Both Matt's Dad, Jim, and my Dad, Ken, have been incredible sources of support for 

us. From general back-breaking labor, to babysitting, chauffeur, to confidant, silly grandpas, to silly pappys...they've done it all and they haven't complained! Thank you Jim and Dad! 

Happy Father's Day!

Of course, Matt deserves a Happy Father's Day pat on the back, as well.  He's been so torn between the strong pulls of his new job and social expectations of the work (lots of driving to various organic farms or farms interested in going organic all over Michigan) and his family 

ties.

Our little trip to CA last week was just what we needed as a family. A mini-vacation and plenty of time for Matt to spend some good quality time with Sam and with Arlo. I know he enjoyed it and now the jet-lag has worn off, we are feeling so good together.

Allergies

After a few weeks of guessing that Arlo has allergies, our beloved doc confirmed it. It is pretty amazing to watch...within minutes of stepping outside his eyes water up, clear, runny nose begins and the sneezing ensues! Poor guy! Though, on the up side, within minutes of being inside the symptoms subside.

While in CA he had no troubles with the allergies. Although the dry air caused terrible eczema on his belly. Upon returning home, allergies kicked up, eczema gone!

Both boys had check-ups yesterday: Sam's 4 year and Arlo's 18 mos. Here are the stats:

Sam: 45" tall!!!  and 40.5 lbs.  A big boy!! 

Arlo: 33.5" tall (he grew 2.5 inches since Jan.) and 25.5 lbs! Another big boy!

Both boys had MMR shots and that was a bummer! They both cried and then both were awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night! I think it was a combination of jet lag and the shots.

An ice cream cone and some snuggles and they seem to be doing just fine today!

Busy as Bees *Photo Update*

We have been busy as bees around here gardening, working on the chicken house, mowing lawns, weeding, keeping up with the laundry, hosting parties and going to parties....need I go on?

The chicken house is coming right along 

thanks to the help of my dad, Dave and Matt! The three of them (with help from Sam) put shingles on the roof, tar papered and cedar shingled one side this weekend. 

Tomorrow (should the rain let up) my Dad will put up the permanent pen and life will be a bit easier when tending the chicks. They are getting really big too and developing personalities. We have one feisty Barred Rock we like to call "Bad Chicken" because she will peck you with full force when you least expect it. Sam seems to get the brunt of her mean spirit, but we've all had a taste.

I've had a rush of energy and am feeling really good, so I planted a small garden in three of the 

raised beds we have. I planted pumpkins, acorn squash, three varieties of tomatoes, and basil. I also weeded and mulched around some existing thyme, chives and mint. We have lots of mint growing everywhere, different varieties. I've had some help from my dear friend and master gardner, G, with identifying things 

that are growing around here. I have lots of poppies and peonies and I found some Echinacea about to blossom today. 

I have lots of weeding to do and the garden proper needs some serious tending. We decided to join a local CSA through the MSU Student Organic Farm in lieu of a garden here. We knew with the surgery and kids it would be a big challenge to get a good one going this year. 

We also really need to replenish the soil. Matt has done some research and we've decided to till and plant some buckwheat as a cover crop. It will help with nitrogen levels and by next year we should have a great beginning for a large garden!

We just returned from a very quick trip to California to help Matt's dad celebrate his retirement. It was a 

fun visit filled with great food, bike rides, and sun! We borrowed a trail-a-bike for Sam from the neighbors and he loved it! Within a half an hour of returning from a bike ride, he would be asking to go on another! It was great and I rode a bunch, too...the first bike ride since the surgery. It went well, though I couldn't bike as far as I could before the surgery. My side would start to hurt, but after a quick break I could keep on going. I really enjoyed being on a 

bike again and will definitely be cleaning out our bike buggy this week!

My Dad is still here helping out with lots of projects (shingling the chicken house being the major project) and I love having him here. It has been years since I have really been abe to hang out with him. The boys love having him here too. He's planning on staying until late next week and then he'll keep on truckin' on his way. He has big travel plans this summer all centered around his motorcycle!

There isn't much coming up beside a big 4th of July party here, bonfire and all, and then a multi-family camping trip in the middle of July. Matt's folks plan a return trip in late July and my Dad and uncle may return for a day or two in August...mostly I plan on trying to get more organized with my cooking, experimenting with lots of fresh, local foods and really enjoying the boys and this land we have!

Sicko

If you care about your family, friends, and loved ones; set aside two hours of uninterrupted time, grab a box of tissues, and watch Michael Moore's film Sicko.

A couple quotes I really enjoyed:

"If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help people."

"In a country where you can get a plumber in less than an hour, then the same should be true of a doctor."

Healing Music

A new friend gave me some of his music to help me through the healing process and I have been listening quite frequently. I really enjoy his voice and words. It is very emotional music for me.
Please listen and enjoy. Visit his website to hear more and if you like it, buy a cd and help support him as he pursues his musical career.