Morning Sun

The sun came out this morning. It’s a little magical in the Pacific Northwest for it to come out before about 2pm this time of year- and at that point I’m getting ready to go to work. So it’s not often that I get to smile up at the warm sun on a winter morning. I was quite excited about it. I walked around the yard, and saw glimpses that yes, spring is coming. The Camellia bushes are full of buds, and and the first brave souls have burst into bloom. We all are enjoying the sunshine.

Goats

Homestead Update:

Yep, we’re planning on getting goats. The blackberry patch (*cough* forest *cough*)  on the hill has got to go, and goats are the chosen solution.

Note the seemingly impenetrable blackberries

As an awesome bonus, we’re planning on getting dairy goats, which will provide our little family with an amazing supply of local, organic milk (that I can drink! – Something about the protein the the cow’s milk and my stomach don’t jive). We borrowed goats from the neighbors all of last summer to help with the blackberries, so we’re used to their general needs. In the next few weeks the plan is to set up electric fencing to keep them in, and construct a hoop house barn to shelter them. Something like this one from Ohio Farm Girl – except picture goats inside, not turkeys.

Neither of us have owned a dairy animal before, so we are both a little nervous, but excited for the challenge! I’ll let you know how things progress.

Berries

We have a beautiful hedge along the front of our property that blocks the street from view. We love it, and so do the blackberry vines that have moved in. We have been whacking them back all spring, but they don’t seem to want to go. I’m not a fan of chemical herbicides, especially with a toddler, so we are just living with them for the time being. The upside to the snagging thorns are the tasty blackberries that have started to ripen. Miss M has discovered the wonderful world of berries this summer, and is very excited about them growing in the front yard. Every time we go out I hear a chorus of, “Bewwies? Bewwies?” And she dashes off towards the vines. I love the taste of blackberries warm from the summer sun. Yum.

Fall Garden

We have (what I consider to be) a large garden at our farmhouse. We have nine 8’x4′ raised beds and additional space for squash. It’s been wonderful not having to buy any vegetables all spring and summer, and yesterday I planted the garden for fall. Here’s my produce line-up::: America Spinach ::
:: Red Russian Kale ::
:: Paris Market Carrots ::
:: Long Island Brussels Sprouts ::
:: Romanesco Broccoli ::
:: Calabrese Broccoli ::
:: Bull’s Blood Beets ::
:: Red Romaine Lettuce ::
:: Apollo Arugula ::

All our seeds this season are from Seed Saver’s Exchange. We used them for some of our Spring and Summer plantings, and were very happy with them. Ken and I tend to favor Territorial because it’s based in the Northwest, and Seed Saver’s. Between the two of them, they cover any seeds we’ve wanted to get, and have had very good results.

And a few flowers to brighten your day:

Look closely for a special guest

Good luck with your fall gardens!

Art

I’m a super visual person. I get very inspired by art, and am always on the hunt for new prints to have in the house. I’ve been thinking about getting some new artwork for Miss M’s room, and have been really inspired by the works of Jessie Willcox-Smith. I love her depictions of young children with their round cheeks, and innocent curiosity. Here are some of my favorites. Maybe a few of them will end up in Miss M’s room.