Tim's walking sticks

A year and a half ago, Tim cut down several small buckthorn trees and saved the trunks to allow them to dry.

This winter, he bought a whittling kit and gave them a very close shave.

He carved out the letters and then used a woodburning iron to make them noticeable. 

Once he'd finished two of the three, he and Mark used them for their reenactment of Robin Hood and Little Hood.

Here's Daffy with his 'buck-and-a-quarter quarter staff"

 

 Tim says it's his 'buckthorn-and-a-quarter quarter staff."

And here's Men in Tights with quarter staffs

 Enjoy!

Chickburns Delivers

With the lengthening days and the warmer temps, the chickens have started laying eggs- pink, green, and brown ones.

The ones with an X we leave in their 'nest' and the others we collect.

They have decided to start a community nest in the hay bales in the garage, just a few steps away from the kitchen.  

The slightly warmer garage keeps them from freezing quite as quickly and you can't beat it for convenience.

After trying so hard to collect eggs last winter 

only to find them all cracked from freezing,

I wasn't counting on a single egg until spring.

After trying with no success to track the hens to their well-hidden nests in the woods last summer,

I was pleasantly surprised to have them deliver!

Celebrating goodness in action

I received this letter in my mailbox today and was moved by William Sherk's generous response to tragedy.

This kind of genuine goodness in action requires celebrating and I immediately knew I had to scan it and post it for all of you.

How did we unintentionally wind up in a community like this without even thinking or trying?

Grace, my friends.  Pure undeserved kindness.  Beneficence.

As a newcomer, I am so grateful to have been received into this community by those who've labored faithfully for generations to make it such a good place to live. 
And I will do my best to join in the goodness.

First, celebrate.
Then, give.
Always, gratitude.
Pass it on.
 

Hello out there!

It's been a busy fall as demonstrated by my lack of posts in almost two months.

Needed to get over the hurdle of this first return post transition.

I'll be back, I promise.

--Amy

Hard Water Hair Fixes

Add to the seemingly unending list of "Things Amy Didn't Know about Country Life" that hard water minerals can build up and cause hair to darken, mat, tangle, feel stiff, brittle, and/or greasy.  

In a series of serendipitous interactions including a well-informed teenager, I learned that the same shampoo we had used after swimming to remove chlorine also works remarkably well to remove other hard water minerals. 

Holy smokes!  After a couple uses of the Malibu shampoo and conditioner, Anjali's hair lightened several shades and mine is the softest it's been in many, many years.  

Now, it's only Malibu for us.

200 Milkings

We have now milked goats 200 times, 

using up an entire container of filters.

Last week, I went to bed saying, 

"Only 8 1/2 hours until I have to milk again."

Like that "It's time to make the donuts" guy.

 

"Is it worth it?" a friend asked yesterday 

when I had to leave early to go home and milk.

Well...

After thinking about it for 5 minutes, I decided yes.

First, I'm learning a lot.

Especially stuff like consistency which doesn't come easily to me.

Second, the milk is like nothing I've ever eaten.  

Rich, creamy yogurt. 

Tangy chevre cheese with whey leftover for delighted chickens.

Raw cultured buttermilk.

The thought of eating runny yogurt from a plastic tub

and going without whey

and missing all that 9% butterfat...

I get sad just thinking about it.

I can't wait until I have enough milk to try cajeta- 

Mexican goat caramel- 

yummy goat milk dreams.

Third, tending livestock has this Zen quality.

When I have time and am not feeling rushed or stupid,

I find myself sinking into peacefulness.

There is something absolutely delightful about 

watching a goat browse, 

chewing with gusto and this happy grin on her face.

Keeps me grounded.

In honor of 200 milkings,

I offer these jokes made while making cheese.

Anjali: Mom, that is udderpropriate.

Amy:  No whey.

Anjali: Whey!

 

County Fair

Both Anjali and Mark brought projects to the Chisago County Fair July 16-20.

Mark brought a quilt he made at a 4H work day

along with a Brownie is My Friend poster.

He also brought a recipe and photo instructions for Mark's Instant Maple Oatmeal Packs.

He did a demonstration of chicken calls and their meanings which got the audience smiling.
Here he is with the Cloverbud (K-3) judge.

Anjali submitted three fleece tie blankets on the table for judging.

She submitted a hat she loom knitted and two photos.

Her presentation on A Kernel of Truth about Corn Syrup won her a trip to the State Fair in August.

We are very proud.
We are also grateful to Janelle, Anjali's 4H mentor, and Kristen, Mark's mentor along with the many judges and other 4H leaders.  Such a kind and accomplished bunch.