Finally, past the hump of winter, we are trudging on to Spring and I couldn't be more eager to see the season. We had a terrible December and early January due to about 15" of wet heavy snow dumped on the region followed by two weeks of bitter cold. Normally, I adore the snow, but the recent blizzard was a little much.
Willow did not find the snow amusing!
Despite the isolating snowfall, lack of electricity, and bitter cold, we did fairly well with our stockpile of food and knowledge of how to cope with no running water or electricity. The gas stove was a godsend and we had hot water whenever needed. I was able to stew up a pot of chicken soup to distribute around the neighborhood to the shut in elderly that had no heat or warm food to eat.
An entire garden on my kitchen table!
But now I am ready to till in the garden and start gardening! I received my seeds recently and was ready to get those leeks sewn for a fall harvest.
Leeks are started early. Then I will plant again in the fall.
I learned about how to make biodegradable seed trays out of paper egg cartons and am exited to see how it works out. This way, I can transplant the seedlings without disturbing them.
North Pasture
My husband has been clearing out the North pasture. All of the trees on this side were completely bent or broken due to the snow and needed to be removed. We realize that we have more land than we thought. We have decided to put the Chickens on this side of the property so that it is closer to the garden and I don't have to cross the creek.
My very first knitting
I am also trying to teach myself how to knit. It is much more difficult than I first thought. I wish I had someone to physically show me the techniques near me, but I will make do with lots of practice! The above peice was done entirely with a knit stitch. I have just learned to purl and am working on the variations that you can get out of the combination. So, just dish cloths for now until I get more confident.
As far as the homefront goes, we are still struggling with Jake's unemployment. We will be getting a hefty tax return this year and hope that will get us by until the Spring when we hope more people will be willing to build and remodel. Until then, I am pinching the pennies until they scream and we are just working through this as a family. My Grandmother once told me that things were better during the great depression. I used to wonder what she meant. Now I finally understand. When there are hard times, the ones you love become closer and you have to work together as a family to make it though.
Willow did not find the snow amusing!
An entire garden on my kitchen table!But now I am ready to till in the garden and start gardening! I received my seeds recently and was ready to get those leeks sewn for a fall harvest.
Leeks are started early. Then I will plant again in the fall.I learned about how to make biodegradable seed trays out of paper egg cartons and am exited to see how it works out. This way, I can transplant the seedlings without disturbing them.
North Pasture
My very first knittingI am also trying to teach myself how to knit. It is much more difficult than I first thought. I wish I had someone to physically show me the techniques near me, but I will make do with lots of practice! The above peice was done entirely with a knit stitch. I have just learned to purl and am working on the variations that you can get out of the combination. So, just dish cloths for now until I get more confident.
As far as the homefront goes, we are still struggling with Jake's unemployment. We will be getting a hefty tax return this year and hope that will get us by until the Spring when we hope more people will be willing to build and remodel. Until then, I am pinching the pennies until they scream and we are just working through this as a family. My Grandmother once told me that things were better during the great depression. I used to wonder what she meant. Now I finally understand. When there are hard times, the ones you love become closer and you have to work together as a family to make it though.
Comments
Post a Comment