Just Another Homestead Update

  It's been so long since I've updated here that I'm trying to figure out how I went about it before. I've come to the conclusion that serious regular blogging is going to have to be a wintertime sport for me. I've resorted to facebook's quick postability, because I'm addicted to talking about what's going on. Regular menus and meal plans long since flew out the window...but, we had a sneaking feeling that would happen. Life is way to short spending it being over structured and fussing over no one caring. I also have come to the conclusion that being organized is a wintertime sport too.

This is our current weekend hang out: Downtown Troy Farmer's Market.

We can't seem to get any really good photos of our set up. This market only lasts for three hours and it is fast paced and very busy. I rarely sit down, I am always talking to customers and our neighbor vendors, so there doesn't seem to be much time for taking  glamor shots.

 This is an amazingly hard job for one me who spent the winter being lazy and daydreaming. I'll have to say that last week was the first one that I didn't spend all night baking. Everything went as planned...except forgetting to put the salt in a batch of really good bread. I guess it just takes getting used to, and falling into a pattern. Such as: don't get in my way Thursday and Friday, I'll mow you down, a woman with a mission- mission being having my eyes closed before midnight, oh, and that the sourdoughs may raise yet one more time! Oh, pattern; working on it. All the soap I made last spring to prepare for this is about gone, as well as the salves and lip balm. Fortunately we have been getting nice rain and the comfrey is bursting forth again. On top of this way too busy-ness, plumbing work has really picked up so my woodworker/hoophouse helper/harvester man has been working 5 days a week - OK, so that is a plus in a huge way, but we need more stools, sir, and spoons!

Our view from the kitchen window drastically changed last month and left a hole in the woods where the sycamore once filled the sky.

It was a sad loss. But we are making plans for all the really neat wood that we have just laying around everywhere! 

Everybody seems to be thinking about starting school. Not me, I vaguely know what the kids are doing, and at this point Abigail is the only one going to start anything new. The others might just take up where we left off. My plate is way to full right now than to be thinking about opening a school book. Anyhow the lessons they are learning right now with working with us to pull this Farmer's Market off are more than most children get to experience, and will serve them in many ways. Working together as a family, as I am not Julie Andrews, is tough. Bryon lets things be fun but I am all business and quite the boss. The boys are making birdhouses and learning about carving and Abigail is getting a weekly lesson in baking and teamwork. We all work on the garden together. When Abigail overworked her shoulder (she had a lazy winter too) the boys took over granola and cookie baking. I thought that was especially good for them, and her too, trying her patience, and theirs, as she told them how to follow the recipe. I am very proud of Nathanial, my nonwilling reader read The Hobbit and is now 1/2 way through the Fellowship of the Ring. I'm not a movie fan but I did understand that The Hobbit is coming out after December, while we won't be going to the movies (and after Bryon and I watch it) I told everyone else that they have to read the book first then we'll watch the film.

Our garden is coming in fairly well in spite of the lack of rain. I will be catching up and canning tomatoes Monday. It always is so nice to have all you want...and my eggplant and basil are to good to be true.

We took this years goat kids to market so we are down to 5 does with three in milk. Yes, Millie is still giving us 1cup shy of a half gallon, that makes her in milk 13 months straight. The price of corn and hay might become more than we can deal with this fall so I'm appreciating what I have now while I can. 

The heat has been terrible in the chicken house, causing the mites to get completely out of control, affecting egg production and several setting hens to abandon their nests. I was ready to get rid of the birds all together, but we will see how a serious DE dusting and putting in new roosts does for them. 

Everyone has enjoyed good health and a huge bottle vitamins from Granny keeps us going. It's still hot (duh! summer's just getting going good) and my heat tolerance dwindles. We've had quite a bit of sadness in our circle of friends, making our hearts heavy, but times like these only draw friends closer. 

Well, I think that scratches the surface of our current state of affairs. I'll close - it's time to get the little fellers to bed.