A lovely day for the boys to go out and play! Spring is very welcome here.Until next time,
What Defines Us
A job is a job. It's a way to pay for a living, but that's it. Don't let it define your happiness. You work to live, not live to work. Work on what makes you happy.Boy, what a punch those thirty six words pack!
This is a concept that has been weighing on my mind as of late. Yes, I work. Yes, I need to use money for everyday living. Yes a job that pays cashy money is essential to my ultimate goals. But I will not let my worldly job define me. I don't want to come home from a day of work and collapse onto the couch, ne'er to move again. What a waste of a day.
I don't want to be the 'girl from the store' or 'the check-out girl'. That is not who I am. How dare someone generalize me? How dare they generalize you? I realize that this is something I cannot directly change, but I have been consciously not referring to people by their jobs of late, and whenever someone calls me 'the check-out girl', I politely say, "That's not all I am!", or "Yes, but I also like to garden, and I love dogs!", or something of that nature.
I think it's very important for someone to be constantly reminded about who they truly are, and what matters the most to them. I think that because, unless we are in touch frequently with our hopes for the future, our dreams, people lose sight of them. They become deeply involved in the superficial world. It is so very easy to do. I think it has always been, but I believe it's even easier to get lost in it now.
In a large way, technology has saved us. It lets millions of dollars be raised for the needy in a matter of days, able to reach hundreds of millions of people in mere hours across all sorts of platforms. Technology lets doctors perfect their craft through ever-detailed scans and images. Technology lets loved ones who are far from each other talk face to face. It lets people show and share the beauty of the world with each other.
But in the same way, it has doomed us. It has made us greedy, always needing or wanting the newest things. The best ones. It has corrupted our innocence. It has corrupted us. We are exposed to everything all at once, at the touch of our fingertips. Constantly connected and wired, constantly barraged and set on edge until we want to explode.
Doomed us, that is, unless we can break free from it like a drowning person breaching the surface of the water. A violence of water and gasping, flailing and reaching for the nearest life preserver.
Unfortunately, many of us will never realize we are under the surface in the first place. Some of us will try to stay above it, and fail for lack of willpower, or for lack of knowledge how to survive this brave new world. A few of us will grab our preservers and be towed to the boat; here we can swim in the pool at our leisure, but never fall back into it - out of control. Able to strike a balance between floating and sinking.
But because of the need to have the best of the best, people will work as much as they can, to pay for things they don't need, to impress people they don't even know. They will let work define them. They will come home to their families and then use their technology to make witty posts and hope people respond. Essentially, these drowning people are tugging on apron strings, looking for validation and attention.
That's not who I am. That's not who I want to be.
To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing it's best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.Until next time,- E.E. Cummings
Homestead {Yard/Garden} Plan - 2014
I will make note of month changes or plan changes so they can be compared for next year.
January
February
March
April
May
(Last frost date is May 19th)June
July
August
September
October
(First frost date is October 2nd)November
December
Good Cheer!
Well, where is yours? Are you one of those that is ready for Christmas in September, or is it more like you turn around and wham! There's Christmas Eve? Somewhere in the middle?
I certainly am in the middle. I used to agonize over what to get my family that would be useful and practical at the same time that it was desirable and beautiful. While a present or two might fit all those requirements once every few years, it's nearly impossible to recreate a perfect gift each year. What's more? If you do find that perfect gift, who's to say you can afford it? I mean, I'm sure own desire for a milk cow is well-known in my family, but it's such and impractical gift as to make it ridiculous.
Instead I strive for simple gifts that are practical for the person. Each member of my family receives what I think they'd like best. Failing to find a physical gift, a gift card works very well. Nothing extravagant, but it allows whoever to freely make a choice of gift. Though, I do try to avoid gift cards when I can, as I see them as somewhat of a last-minute gift. Or a sign that I was unwilling to take time to think of that person and what they may like.
You know what's a fool-proof gift? Food. Everyone eats. At least, everyone I know does. Nearly everyone likes cookies, especially homemade ones so close to the holidays. Even diabetics can have cookies, in moderation of course.
I like tailor each gift to the individual person, and I thought you might like to see what I gave each family member.
And so, she has no use for frippery. What are you supposed to give a person like that? Well, in my estimation, she thoroughly enjoys spending time with her family, and takes that as her gift. She enjoys seeing the family together, spending time with us. We play Rummikub and try to beat her, even though she is the far superior player.
Just small things that are practical, or that allow the receiver to choose what's best for them. It feels good to give others something, especially something they may have wanted, but wouldn't have bought for themselves.
Of course, the real reason for the season is the celebration of the birth of our Savior. He came humbly into the world, but left it a far better place. Thank God! He is ever merciful. I am ever so grateful for the gift of Salvation!
I'm hoping you had a Merry Christmas too!
Until next time,
I certainly am in the middle. I used to agonize over what to get my family that would be useful and practical at the same time that it was desirable and beautiful. While a present or two might fit all those requirements once every few years, it's nearly impossible to recreate a perfect gift each year. What's more? If you do find that perfect gift, who's to say you can afford it? I mean, I'm sure own desire for a milk cow is well-known in my family, but it's such and impractical gift as to make it ridiculous.
Instead I strive for simple gifts that are practical for the person. Each member of my family receives what I think they'd like best. Failing to find a physical gift, a gift card works very well. Nothing extravagant, but it allows whoever to freely make a choice of gift. Though, I do try to avoid gift cards when I can, as I see them as somewhat of a last-minute gift. Or a sign that I was unwilling to take time to think of that person and what they may like.
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You know what's a fool-proof gift? Food. Everyone eats. At least, everyone I know does. Nearly everyone likes cookies, especially homemade ones so close to the holidays. Even diabetics can have cookies, in moderation of course.
I like tailor each gift to the individual person, and I thought you might like to see what I gave each family member.
Gramma
Gramma has long since stopped giving gifts, and for the most part, we (her family) reciprocates. I know she much prefers to have a clutter-free home. What's the point in keeping something in storage if it's not useful? I'm not talking about the spare bed we keep upstairs against the wall, I'm talking about decorations, redundant kitchen items, and the like.And so, she has no use for frippery. What are you supposed to give a person like that? Well, in my estimation, she thoroughly enjoys spending time with her family, and takes that as her gift. She enjoys seeing the family together, spending time with us. We play Rummikub and try to beat her, even though she is the far superior player.
Mom
Mom likes practical gifts, but she's a sucker for penguins. So, I got her a Christmas card, and a small stuffed Ty brand penguin. A pine-scented candle, since those are her favorite, a few pieces of candy, a homemade candle holder, and plenty of tea-lights to go in the holder.Siblings
Siblings are, by far, the most difficult to shop for. Holly got a candle holder like Mom's, along with candy. Ben got an Amazon gift card and more candy than the other two (Mom and Holly), because his little box was empty feeling. Becca did not come home for Christmas, and so has not received her gift. I'm choosing to keep quiet about that yet!Friends
With friends I like to keep it simple, so I limit gifts to my best friend. I gave her a tin filled with her favorite candy (Reese's), and at the very bottom, a gift card to Panera Bread. Panera was recently put in the nearest city, and she's been enjoying the heck out of it.Just small things that are practical, or that allow the receiver to choose what's best for them. It feels good to give others something, especially something they may have wanted, but wouldn't have bought for themselves.
Of course, the real reason for the season is the celebration of the birth of our Savior. He came humbly into the world, but left it a far better place. Thank God! He is ever merciful. I am ever so grateful for the gift of Salvation!
I'm hoping you had a Merry Christmas too!
Until next time,
Pumpkin Roll Scones
Mhmmm...
Don't these look good?
Who am I kidding? I know they do!
I saw a trick to make food photographs turn out better, and I think it worked! Awesome.
I have never made scones before, and so this was a real adventure. One of the local coffee shops makes some excellent cinnamon scones, so they're next on my list to try! Definitely make sure you have some people to share these with, because you'll be tempted to try and eat them all!
I saw this recipe over on Buttered Side Up and gave it a try for brunch one morning. Need I say it? Excellent! If you'd like to see all the in-progress pictures, click above. To go directly to the recipe, click over here.
Until next time,
Don't these look good?
Who am I kidding? I know they do!
I saw a trick to make food photographs turn out better, and I think it worked! Awesome.
I have never made scones before, and so this was a real adventure. One of the local coffee shops makes some excellent cinnamon scones, so they're next on my list to try! Definitely make sure you have some people to share these with, because you'll be tempted to try and eat them all!
I saw this recipe over on Buttered Side Up and gave it a try for brunch one morning. Need I say it? Excellent! If you'd like to see all the in-progress pictures, click above. To go directly to the recipe, click over here.
Until next time,
Winter Projects
...in the house of course. It's much too cold now to do outside projects! It was 10 degrees Fahrenheit last night. 10! That's -12.2 degrees Celsius! Brrr.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving. All the family was home except for Rebecca, my sister, who is in Virginia. She came up for the holidays last year, but decided to wait until summer to visit when it won't be so cold and you can actually go outside and do things.
Some things can't be attempted until winter because if lack of time during the warm months, but something's just don't feel right until winter. Like major sewing projects. I'm planning on making another skirt. Also, a lot more baking and soup-making goes on here during the winter, so maybe more recipes will be forthcoming. I tried a new one just today that was excellent. I'll have to get pictures and share it!
Also, since it's now winter, I should be able to finish my post on how we make it without a dryer all year, all seasons, and all weather.
I need to get slats for my bed now that I have finally been able to measure it. (A certain tool was missing for a long time!) On the subject of wood, I took measurements for a certain size of table that mom would prefer, and so I may try to build one. But again, it's cold and we don't have a heated outdoor space big enough for that project, so it'll probably get tabled (haha, did you see what I did there? ;)) until warmer weather pops around. If I find a reasonably priced one in the correct size range, I won't be too upset though.
I want to cart all the big blankets to the laundry-mat and give them a wash. That's one thing we just can't wash here.
Beyond those things? General organizing is pretty high on the list, but nothing specific. Those are the ones I can think of right now, more will probably get added to the list!
Until next time,
We had a lovely Thanksgiving. All the family was home except for Rebecca, my sister, who is in Virginia. She came up for the holidays last year, but decided to wait until summer to visit when it won't be so cold and you can actually go outside and do things.
Some things can't be attempted until winter because if lack of time during the warm months, but something's just don't feel right until winter. Like major sewing projects. I'm planning on making another skirt. Also, a lot more baking and soup-making goes on here during the winter, so maybe more recipes will be forthcoming. I tried a new one just today that was excellent. I'll have to get pictures and share it!
Also, since it's now winter, I should be able to finish my post on how we make it without a dryer all year, all seasons, and all weather.
I need to get slats for my bed now that I have finally been able to measure it. (A certain tool was missing for a long time!) On the subject of wood, I took measurements for a certain size of table that mom would prefer, and so I may try to build one. But again, it's cold and we don't have a heated outdoor space big enough for that project, so it'll probably get tabled (haha, did you see what I did there? ;)) until warmer weather pops around. If I find a reasonably priced one in the correct size range, I won't be too upset though.
I want to cart all the big blankets to the laundry-mat and give them a wash. That's one thing we just can't wash here.
Beyond those things? General organizing is pretty high on the list, but nothing specific. Those are the ones I can think of right now, more will probably get added to the list!
Until next time,
Alfredo Sauce
I know.
We're all supposed to be "healthier" by eating food that had its natural fat rendered, skimmed, separated, or chemically removed. But you should know that fat is your friend. My favorite food-information website, Food Renegade, has some very good articles: Butter As a Health Food and More Fat in Your Diet should get you thinking if you didn't already know.
So, alfredo sauce, while rich, isn't bad for you. Moderation and fresh ingredients are the key.
Until next time,
We're all supposed to be "healthier" by eating food that had its natural fat rendered, skimmed, separated, or chemically removed. But you should know that fat is your friend. My favorite food-information website, Food Renegade, has some very good articles: Butter As a Health Food and More Fat in Your Diet should get you thinking if you didn't already know.
So, alfredo sauce, while rich, isn't bad for you. Moderation and fresh ingredients are the key.
Printable Version / Adapted from All RecipesWe make this about one a month with some pan-seared chicken breasts cut into slices over hot fettuccine. Add fresh bread and it's comfort food that can't be beat. I read some where that Alfredo was "grown up" macaroni and cheese, but I don't know, I like macaroni and cheese an awful lot to relegate it to "kid food"!
------------------------------------------------
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup BUTTER
1 cup HEAVY CREAM
1 clove GARLIC, crushed
1 1/2 cups fresh grated PARMESAN CHEESE
Over medium heat melt the BUTTER. Add CREAM and gently simmer for five minutes. Then add GARLIC and CHEESE, whisking quickly. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until CHEESE is melted.
Serve immediately, preferably over hot fettuccine noodles!
*Note: Parmesan cheese is not a fast melting cheese like cheddar. It will take some time and patience for it to melt into this delectable sauce.
Until next time,
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Last night I finished A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck. It's one of those required reading books in school, and I think I have a vague memory of some of the action in this book. However, re-reading childhood's requirements always give me a better perspective on the lessons they were supposed to teach us. This is a very short journey, only 139 pages, but Mr. Peck sure does pack a lot into those few.
I was in the mall sometime around the middle of October looking for a present for Rachel. Recently a little used book store opened right in the middle, and I can't resist looking for a good book. I pulled this gem out and read the back. This edition has only reviews on the back, but they're what sold me.
The boy, Rob, has an innocence that most children at his age (12), don't have now-a-days. It's sad to see and even sadder to realize. One of my very favorite parts of the book comes from Rob, on his way to the fair, when he thinks of something to ask his neighbor, Mr. Tanner, who is taking him to the fair, but thinks better of saying it out loud:
The boy, Rob, gets a pig as a reward for helping a neighbor, and becomes friends with that pig, whom he affectionately names Pinky. He even takes her to the fair, where she of course wins a ribbon for best behaved pig. Most of the book is the innocence of childhood personified in Rob. Even so, we see the subtle grooming of the boy to become a man like his father. It is mentioned a few times in the book that the only reason Rob's father (Haven Peck) goes to the slaughterhouse everyday is so they can buy their farm and own it outright, and they only have five more years before it's theirs.
Another quote I found particularly intriguing is when Rob is talking to his neighbor, Mr. Tanner, after Mr. Tanner has asked him about school. Miss Malcolm is his teacher:
Until next time,
I was in the mall sometime around the middle of October looking for a present for Rachel. Recently a little used book store opened right in the middle, and I can't resist looking for a good book. I pulled this gem out and read the back. This edition has only reviews on the back, but they're what sold me.
"It will leave you better than it found you." - Book-of-the-Month Club NewsI'll say that it catches you off guard. Even though it's a young boy's coming of age story, it is in a large way, autobiographical. It shows a depth of character that few have and even fewer find. In today's society of fear and victim-culture, this book rings out with self-reliance. The father works his hands to the bone at a pig butchery and comes home to run a farm too. He teaches his boy the hard truths of farming and life in general. They are hard lessons, but this man's words are more real and sobering than today's idealized and romantic notions of running a farm.
"A lovely book....Honest, moving, homely in the warm and simple sense of the word. ...It isn't trying to move mountains and it has no quarrel with life.... It is perfect!" - The Boston Globe
"A small, rich, wise book full of pathos and an essential home-bred humanity that is becoming more and more scarce in the world. It lights up a way of life that is not so long past and shows...how very much we have lost." - Winston Graham
The boy, Rob, has an innocence that most children at his age (12), don't have now-a-days. It's sad to see and even sadder to realize. One of my very favorite parts of the book comes from Rob, on his way to the fair, when he thinks of something to ask his neighbor, Mr. Tanner, who is taking him to the fair, but thinks better of saying it out loud:
"Never miss a chance," Papa had once said, "to keep your mouth shut." And the more I studied on it, the sounder it grew."I know I never miss a chance to open my mouth, and it often gets me in trouble, or I come across as a know-it-all. I'll be taking this to heart.
The boy, Rob, gets a pig as a reward for helping a neighbor, and becomes friends with that pig, whom he affectionately names Pinky. He even takes her to the fair, where she of course wins a ribbon for best behaved pig. Most of the book is the innocence of childhood personified in Rob. Even so, we see the subtle grooming of the boy to become a man like his father. It is mentioned a few times in the book that the only reason Rob's father (Haven Peck) goes to the slaughterhouse everyday is so they can buy their farm and own it outright, and they only have five more years before it's theirs.
Another quote I found particularly intriguing is when Rob is talking to his neighbor, Mr. Tanner, after Mr. Tanner has asked him about school. Miss Malcolm is his teacher:
"She says I have potential. It means that someday I could do a lot. Miss Malcolm says that I could be more than a farmer."Rob has to learn hard lessons. It's so difficult to read and not think of how young he seems; not put yourself in his place. I promise your heart will break for this family. It's an excellent book. Heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. It doesn't hold back. Farming reality is not hidden or sugar-coated, but neither is it illustrated to extreme. It is quite beautiful and I would highly encourage you to read it.
"More than a farmer?!" Ben Tanner looked a bit red. "What better can a man be? There's no calling higher than animal husbandry, and making things live and grow. We farmers are stewards. Our lot is to tend all of God's good living things, and I say there's nothing finer."
Until next time,
A Very Good Article
Joel Salatin is an innovator in the world of sustainable farming. In this article he has some really excellent points. Please, give it a read.
Some (okay a lot... like 15) of my favorite quotes:
Until next time,
Some (okay a lot... like 15) of my favorite quotes:
"Farming should nest gently into the landscape rather than dominating it."
"If the earth is anything, it’s a loving partner, not a subdued enemy."
"The thing you have to understand is that every time, every time, every time the government regulates something, it always, always, always hurts the small players and helps the big players."
"Why do we feel so helpless? Why must our first cry of foul send us running to a federal government bureaucrat to make all things right?"
"I pretty much stay disengaged from the farm bill because I don’t participate in it; I don’t want violence used to give me someone else’s money (try not paying your taxes and see who gets violent); all I want is to be left alone to practice consensual commerce with my own tribe."
"The people who think the government needs to participate in America’s food system need to understand that it was the government that promoted chemical fertilizers and pooh-poohed compost (no pun intended), who said that manure was not even worth hauling to the field, that developed and encouraged DDT use to cure all bugs, that subsidizes high fructose corn syrup, that promotes mandatory irradiation, that told us with the food pyramid in 1979 that the foundational pillar of a healthy diet was grain-based carbohydrates.
The food pyramid, you may recall, made no distinction between Twinkies, Cocoa-Puffs and Pop-Tarts versus fresh-sprouted quionoa bread. The government promoted feeding dead cows to cows and gave us bovine spongiform encephalopathy—mad cow. Why would anyone in their right mind want to give the government any authority in our foodscape?"
"As a result, we have a generation of bored, childish young people prowling the streets at night getting into mischief and wondering if they are worth anything. This is an epidemic, and a blight on our culture."
"To those who still can’t buy the no-regulations idea, I propose a hybrid: at least allow those of us who, as consenting adults, want to opt out of the industrial system, to be free to do so. If we’d rather live in teepees, heal with medicinal plants, and conduct meetings using talking sticks and chiefs, why does that harm the folks who prefer brick and mortar, blood-letting, and Robert’s Rules of Order? Why must the non-conformists be summarily rounded up, hunted down, and marched to reservations? How a society treats its unorthodox determines whether it is a tyranny or free society."
"You see, our culture is where it is not because of what someone else has done to us, but because of what we’ve done to ourselves. We are not victims; we’re the problem."
"...and that means waking every morning knowing our future is not up to someone else; it’s not up to a government program or paycheck..."
"Now to the veganism “saving the planet” concept. Because most vegans are on a physically degenerative trajectory, if eliminating humans is the path to saving the planet, I suppose you could make an argument that veganism does indeed save the planet since it rids the earth of humans. But I don’t think the earth was meant to exist without humans; in fact, I think humans heal the earth better than anything—they also destroy the earth better than anything. Most of the time really good stuff has a really bad counterpart—like sex and wine."
"It ultimately comes down to values and priorities. Yes, I know the Kardashians are crazily interesting, but so is what’s going to become flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone in a couple of hours. Our privilege to participate is a choice we exercise. And that’s the most important exercise of all."
"These credentialed folks who wield guns via their enforcers have decided that Pop-Tarts and Cheerios are safe and should even be subsidized, but raw milk, compost grown tomatoes and Aunt Matilda’s home-canned sweet pickles are hazardous substances."
"In the cycle of history, that system made us rich, wealth corrupted us and turned us into wimps, wimps made us victims, victims made us dependent, and now we’re just a bunch of babies looking for another government nipple to nurse. Enough already."
"I don’t trust anything from Vilsack or the USDA. That outfit has been demonizing truth for decades. If they had their way, Polyface would not exist. I don’t have time to fool with their chicanery. They have an agenda that as evil for this civilization and the sooner they get neutered the better. Yes, there is a time for anger. We’ve been gentle long enough, giving the benefit of the doubt, trying to play on the team. Forget it. The team is heading the wrong way and destroying the earth, our food, and our freedoms."
Until next time,
Whirlwind
It's been a whirlwind here lately, and I don't mean the weather.
School started and I am now taking two classes - Contemporary Math and Introduction to Chemistry which includes a three hour lab one day per week. This year I'm paying out of pocket (last year I did too, but I had more pocket to dig in), and it's expensive! Some days I'm not even sure if it's worth it, but I do want to learn, so I slog through it. Easier said than done. I'm pleasantly surprised by my Chemistry course average so far - a 93 - even though it's easily the worst combination for my brain (difficult math and seemingly random symbols). It doesn't help that everyone is eight years my junior and "just did this stuff last year." I expected to do well in Contemporary Math, as it's very easy, and so far, I'm not disappointed. I am maintaining a 99 in that course.
As soon as school started, I practically abandoned the garden. I was supremely disappointed in how my garden did. I think the first (and foremost) problem was that I chose a very bad spot. One end received far too much sun and the other nearly drowned in water. I chose my plants carefully because I suspected this, but I wasn't prepared for the harshness of it all. The peppers didn't do much of anything until very recently. The only reliable plants were the green beans (and much later, the purple podded pole beans), the carrots, the snow peas, and the herbs. There is some garlic growing, but it was only planted this summer, so it won't be ready until next year.
So I'm left considering my options. Should I grow a garden? I know my grandmother was not happy with the way I kept it (too weedy), so moving from that bad area could be a challenge. I also disappointed myself with my own struggles against laziness in the last stretch. I was so good (out every day to check, weeding fairly regularly, etc.) from March through about September, but then I lost my drive for the care and upkeep. It doesn't help that I feel limited by my own skills and my want/need to please my grandmother.
Some to-dos are still left, and there's no telling when or how I'll accomplish them.
- I really really wanted to finish cleaning out and then installing the pipes for the rain water tank. It held some kind of food grade goo in it, but there's still a small residual amount left and it needs to come out. I've been trying all summer to find someone with a power washer to borrow, but I'm having a hard time getting people to help. I may break down and buy one.
- I really really wanted to build a chicken coop for chickens in the spring, but who knows now? My grandmother is not so keen on the idea and believe it or not, sometimes I find her intimidating to ask.
- I need to weed the strawberry patch before it goes to bed for the winter. It looks tremendous now that I stopped pinching off the runners. Only spring will tell if I've done harm.
Until next time,
School started and I am now taking two classes - Contemporary Math and Introduction to Chemistry which includes a three hour lab one day per week. This year I'm paying out of pocket (last year I did too, but I had more pocket to dig in), and it's expensive! Some days I'm not even sure if it's worth it, but I do want to learn, so I slog through it. Easier said than done. I'm pleasantly surprised by my Chemistry course average so far - a 93 - even though it's easily the worst combination for my brain (difficult math and seemingly random symbols). It doesn't help that everyone is eight years my junior and "just did this stuff last year." I expected to do well in Contemporary Math, as it's very easy, and so far, I'm not disappointed. I am maintaining a 99 in that course.
As soon as school started, I practically abandoned the garden. I was supremely disappointed in how my garden did. I think the first (and foremost) problem was that I chose a very bad spot. One end received far too much sun and the other nearly drowned in water. I chose my plants carefully because I suspected this, but I wasn't prepared for the harshness of it all. The peppers didn't do much of anything until very recently. The only reliable plants were the green beans (and much later, the purple podded pole beans), the carrots, the snow peas, and the herbs. There is some garlic growing, but it was only planted this summer, so it won't be ready until next year.
So I'm left considering my options. Should I grow a garden? I know my grandmother was not happy with the way I kept it (too weedy), so moving from that bad area could be a challenge. I also disappointed myself with my own struggles against laziness in the last stretch. I was so good (out every day to check, weeding fairly regularly, etc.) from March through about September, but then I lost my drive for the care and upkeep. It doesn't help that I feel limited by my own skills and my want/need to please my grandmother.
Some to-dos are still left, and there's no telling when or how I'll accomplish them.
- I really really wanted to finish cleaning out and then installing the pipes for the rain water tank. It held some kind of food grade goo in it, but there's still a small residual amount left and it needs to come out. I've been trying all summer to find someone with a power washer to borrow, but I'm having a hard time getting people to help. I may break down and buy one.
- I really really wanted to build a chicken coop for chickens in the spring, but who knows now? My grandmother is not so keen on the idea and believe it or not, sometimes I find her intimidating to ask.
- I need to weed the strawberry patch before it goes to bed for the winter. It looks tremendous now that I stopped pinching off the runners. Only spring will tell if I've done harm.
Until next time,
Loved
To be beautiful is to be loved. I like to think of it more like to be loved is to be beautiful.
I get caught up in the pettiness of the workplace just as easily as everyone else. I judge based on looks, clothing, speech patterns, method of payment (it happens when you spend a lot of your waking hours working in the grocery store). I see everything that is superficial. Sometimes I do it to make myself feel better, especially when I'm having a bad day. I am paid to serve customers with a smile, but I often feel like it's a burden and act like it too.
Then there are days when I feel and act like the child of God I claim to be. I feel love for everyone. I once read that if you love Jesus, you love everyone that same way. So if I love and follow Jesus, I need to look on everyone with love. Oh, is it hard sometimes.
Like the angry man who is also deaf. He practically screams and doesn't ask, but tells you what to do and how to do it with regards to his groceries. Or the woman with a sour expression who answers when you ask how she is today, “Terrible!” What are you expected to say to that?
Well, I'm happy to say that the woman and I have made friends. Every time she comes in the store, I make a special effort to go over and say hello. I once asked her why she always said she was terrible. Her answer was a long list of medical problems that almost prevent her from getting out of bed, and do prevent her some days. She wears a neck collar (a softer one than the EMT's use) most of the time and I used to think it was so she could garner sympathy. (Talk about seeing your faults in others! But that is another post all together.) It's part of her illness though that creates pain and weakness in her neck. She loves to grow tomatoes and has several of her own strains. So we talk tomatoes and I have a friend where before I saw a burden.
I am a work in progress, and I'm happy to say that God's love wins most of the time. It should be one hundred percent. I should be able to show kindness and understanding, overlooking the petty, all of time. Yet I am human, I am not perfect. There is only one person I know of who is perfect and His name is Jesus. I am not perfect. I fail. But I have the love of God on my side, and I only need to look to Him.
To be loved is to be beautiful.
Until next time,
I get caught up in the pettiness of the workplace just as easily as everyone else. I judge based on looks, clothing, speech patterns, method of payment (it happens when you spend a lot of your waking hours working in the grocery store). I see everything that is superficial. Sometimes I do it to make myself feel better, especially when I'm having a bad day. I am paid to serve customers with a smile, but I often feel like it's a burden and act like it too.
Then there are days when I feel and act like the child of God I claim to be. I feel love for everyone. I once read that if you love Jesus, you love everyone that same way. So if I love and follow Jesus, I need to look on everyone with love. Oh, is it hard sometimes.
Like the angry man who is also deaf. He practically screams and doesn't ask, but tells you what to do and how to do it with regards to his groceries. Or the woman with a sour expression who answers when you ask how she is today, “Terrible!” What are you expected to say to that?
Well, I'm happy to say that the woman and I have made friends. Every time she comes in the store, I make a special effort to go over and say hello. I once asked her why she always said she was terrible. Her answer was a long list of medical problems that almost prevent her from getting out of bed, and do prevent her some days. She wears a neck collar (a softer one than the EMT's use) most of the time and I used to think it was so she could garner sympathy. (Talk about seeing your faults in others! But that is another post all together.) It's part of her illness though that creates pain and weakness in her neck. She loves to grow tomatoes and has several of her own strains. So we talk tomatoes and I have a friend where before I saw a burden.
I am a work in progress, and I'm happy to say that God's love wins most of the time. It should be one hundred percent. I should be able to show kindness and understanding, overlooking the petty, all of time. Yet I am human, I am not perfect. There is only one person I know of who is perfect and His name is Jesus. I am not perfect. I fail. But I have the love of God on my side, and I only need to look to Him.
To be loved is to be beautiful.
The photo belongs to Brendan Bell on Flickr.
Until next time,
It's Official: Cortlands!
I've always thought apple trees in bloom were beautiful, but I've always thought that apples (and all you can do with them) were even better.
I have fond memories of buying bushels of apples in September to keep in the shed. Then Mom would bring in a bunch at a time and peel and slice and dice and make the whole house smell of apples and cinnamon. She'd make apple sauce and apple butter. Sometimes she'd add little cinnamon hearts to the applesauce and turn it pink. For weeks we'd have apple pies, apple Brown Betty, apple pan dowdy, apple cobbler. Sometimes she'd dry the apple slices too.
I think we liked best when she'd peel the apples with her knife, deftly removing the entire skin in a corkscrew. She'd put these in a bowl and how we loved them! We'd sit at the table and snack away!
Armed with these memories and my desire for more self-sufficiency, I convinced Gramma (property owner) to let me get apple trees! I spent a good long week considering everywhere on the property that I could plant a few, and I started research on types. After a long week of research, I talked it over with Mom, and we both agreed: Cortlands!
Not only are they Mom's favorite cooking apples, they are self-pollinating (very rare in the apple world), and were developed right here in New York State! They are a cross between the ever-popular McIntosh and the less known Ben Davis. They are known for their excellent multipurpose flesh and as fair keepers.
I'm planning on planting two in the spring about a foot inside the property line. The neighbors have some pines along there, but there is a nice gap where two will fit nicely. I asked our lovely neighbor and she said she wouldn't mind at all! I promised her I'd share when they started producing.
Even though there's years until a decent crop will come in, my mouth is already watering.
Until next time,
I have fond memories of buying bushels of apples in September to keep in the shed. Then Mom would bring in a bunch at a time and peel and slice and dice and make the whole house smell of apples and cinnamon. She'd make apple sauce and apple butter. Sometimes she'd add little cinnamon hearts to the applesauce and turn it pink. For weeks we'd have apple pies, apple Brown Betty, apple pan dowdy, apple cobbler. Sometimes she'd dry the apple slices too.
I think we liked best when she'd peel the apples with her knife, deftly removing the entire skin in a corkscrew. She'd put these in a bowl and how we loved them! We'd sit at the table and snack away!
Armed with these memories and my desire for more self-sufficiency, I convinced Gramma (property owner) to let me get apple trees! I spent a good long week considering everywhere on the property that I could plant a few, and I started research on types. After a long week of research, I talked it over with Mom, and we both agreed: Cortlands!
Not only are they Mom's favorite cooking apples, they are self-pollinating (very rare in the apple world), and were developed right here in New York State! They are a cross between the ever-popular McIntosh and the less known Ben Davis. They are known for their excellent multipurpose flesh and as fair keepers.
I'm planning on planting two in the spring about a foot inside the property line. The neighbors have some pines along there, but there is a nice gap where two will fit nicely. I asked our lovely neighbor and she said she wouldn't mind at all! I promised her I'd share when they started producing.
Even though there's years until a decent crop will come in, my mouth is already watering.
The photo belongs to Jonathan on Flickr.
Until next time,
Wonderful Rain!
We got a wonderful rainstorm on Monday. A couple of inches all together, and weren't all the plants just wonderfully happy! Me on the other hand? I was certainly grateful for the rain. It started as soon as I finished watering the entire garden. That's always the way though isn't it?
Gramma's amaryllis bloomed again. None of us have ever seen an amaryllis bloom in the summer! I was just reading a care article that stated that if kept in an evergreen state (where the leaves are allowed light and water all year instead of storing the bulbs for the winter), amaryllis will continually bloom. Plants are boundlessly interesting aren't they?
When I had decided that none of my pepper plants (from seed) where going to grow in time, I bought some pepper plants from the nursery. This is one of them, and its already got this beautiful little pepper on it! I can't wait to taste it, but it's got a little more growing to do.
The Boston pickling cucumbers are growing. Just a few so far, but there are lots of flowers and buds.
A handful of blueberries that I pulled off yesterday. They were a little tart still, so I'll be waiting a little longer to pick them. The second bush is going strong now that we caged it away from deer and bunnies.
We got our first yellow squash just today! We fried it up with some onion and zucchini (from the farmer's market) and was that ever good! (We also got corn, canadian bacon, cucumbers, peaches, and red onions. Yum, yum, yum!)
These are the garlic heads, going to seed. They're even growing already! We learned from a farmstand at the market that in order to get bigger heads, we need to pinch off the scapes when they grow. That will prevent all the energy from going into the seed and instead encourage it to grow larger bulbs! Guess what we'll be trying next year!
Until next time,
Gramma's amaryllis bloomed again. None of us have ever seen an amaryllis bloom in the summer! I was just reading a care article that stated that if kept in an evergreen state (where the leaves are allowed light and water all year instead of storing the bulbs for the winter), amaryllis will continually bloom. Plants are boundlessly interesting aren't they?
When I had decided that none of my pepper plants (from seed) where going to grow in time, I bought some pepper plants from the nursery. This is one of them, and its already got this beautiful little pepper on it! I can't wait to taste it, but it's got a little more growing to do.
The Boston pickling cucumbers are growing. Just a few so far, but there are lots of flowers and buds.
A handful of blueberries that I pulled off yesterday. They were a little tart still, so I'll be waiting a little longer to pick them. The second bush is going strong now that we caged it away from deer and bunnies.
We got our first yellow squash just today! We fried it up with some onion and zucchini (from the farmer's market) and was that ever good! (We also got corn, canadian bacon, cucumbers, peaches, and red onions. Yum, yum, yum!)
These are the garlic heads, going to seed. They're even growing already! We learned from a farmstand at the market that in order to get bigger heads, we need to pinch off the scapes when they grow. That will prevent all the energy from going into the seed and instead encourage it to grow larger bulbs! Guess what we'll be trying next year!
Until next time,
Everything is Blooming!
The cucumbers finally set flowers, and we are so happy! Anxious is more like it. They are climbing and sending out their little climbing tendrils, so they must be a vine-type. Gramma was concerned that she'd never seen a cucumber that wanted to climb, but the neighbors have climbing cukes too. These are also pickling cucumbers, because I've always wanted to try dill pickles. Mhmm... my mouth is watering just thinking about them.
The yellow squash are setting flowers like no one's business. Mini squash are growing, growing, growing! I am very glad I gave their plot extra compost this year, the plants are going to need it if they keep going like this! Gramma's yellow squash got aged horse manure and they're just as happy.
On Sunday after church I went to Rachel's house and got to use their new pool! It's 14' diameter by 42" deep and it's fabulous. We were in it for five hours, almost. Halfway through we were out and wandering around the yard for a break. I love going to their house. They have a real farm, with cows and sheep and chickens! They have a huge garden this year and Momma R and Rachel's sister Kate were snapping the ends off green beans. They let me reach into the bag and munch as many as I wanted. They also shelled peas yesterday, but I wasn't there for that (I did eat a few peas too though). Rachel also showed me their black cap bushes. I'd never heard of black caps, so I looked them up. They're wild black raspberries! They were good too.
Swimming yesterday wore me right out! I went home, made some dinner, changed into my pajamas, and was asleep on the couch by 7:30!
I noticed yesterday (the 17th) that the tomatoes have their first buds forming! I had just about written them off as failures. Three months and two days since I first poked the seeds into the potting soil, they are finally setting flowers! I just about danced yesterday when I found them.
The horseradish just wouldn't give up, so I let it grow, behind the log. I don't like horseradish at all, but others in my family do. I might even try to make some sauce out of it for them.
The last of the peas are drying on the vine. I will save these for seed next year.
The carrots are growing well. I wanted to check on their size, so I pulled one. They still have some growing to do. Our immensely rocky soil doesn't seem to be deforming them yet, but they are small.
Until next time,
Hot Days at Sweetgrass
Coming off our week of near-constant rain, we've had a week of constant sun and humidity. It's consistently run 80 degrees with 75+ percent humidity. The tomatoes are loving it, but I'm not. I won't complain though, I can work through it. It's mom that seems to have trouble with it, but she's always run a little hot anyway. I re- discovered the four pepper plants that I bought a few weeks ago. I had completely forgotten their poor existence. I watered the droopy things today and I hope they'll make a turnaround soon. They've even got little peppers a-growing.
I also finished weeding and mulching my strawberry patch. I've picked off all but one runner because I couldn't bring myself to, it's growing so strongly. I did separate one mini plant from its runner and planted it. I couldn't find straw in the hardware/feed stores, how weird is that? So I raked up the dried grass from the last lawn mowing and used that. It'll break down faster than straw, but it will work for now. I also scraped up a bunch of the dry grass for the compost to help dry it out.
Plenty of peas are ready for picking! I have to leave some on to mature so I'll have them for next year, but it's so hard to do. Fresh peas taste so good! No wonder I've never liked frozen peas. Blech! I know to stake them better next year. I'm picking up lots of plant to get a few pods underneath.
The yellow squash are loving this weather. A day or two after this photo and there are already two or three squash a inch or so long.
Here's a photo showing the two squash plants. One gets about an hour of more direct sun than the other, and you can see how it feels about that.
The front one is so not happy. Hopefully as the bushes (next to the squash on the right, not in the picture) grow, they'll provide more filtered light and the squash will be happier in successive years.
That's what's been going on 'round these parts. I have some more fun things coming up (something like five posts in the Drafts folder), so check in soon!
I also finished weeding and mulching my strawberry patch. I've picked off all but one runner because I couldn't bring myself to, it's growing so strongly. I did separate one mini plant from its runner and planted it. I couldn't find straw in the hardware/feed stores, how weird is that? So I raked up the dried grass from the last lawn mowing and used that. It'll break down faster than straw, but it will work for now. I also scraped up a bunch of the dry grass for the compost to help dry it out.
Plenty of peas are ready for picking! I have to leave some on to mature so I'll have them for next year, but it's so hard to do. Fresh peas taste so good! No wonder I've never liked frozen peas. Blech! I know to stake them better next year. I'm picking up lots of plant to get a few pods underneath.
The yellow squash are loving this weather. A day or two after this photo and there are already two or three squash a inch or so long.
Here's a photo showing the two squash plants. One gets about an hour of more direct sun than the other, and you can see how it feels about that.
The front one is so not happy. Hopefully as the bushes (next to the squash on the right, not in the picture) grow, they'll provide more filtered light and the squash will be happier in successive years.
That's what's been going on 'round these parts. I have some more fun things coming up (something like five posts in the Drafts folder), so check in soon!
June in Review
June also has had it's set of challenges as well, but I met with a lot of success!
Strawberries Are still doing well, including those I got from in and amongst my new herbs! Though they are a wild-type and therefore skinny and small. They are producing small berries.
Tomatoes I planted these outside near the first of the month and they almost immediately got powdery mildew. I made up a solution of milk and water and have been spraying it on the leaves of everything that will hold still and so far, it's being kept at bay.
Blackberries & Blueberries Our lone blueberry bush has tons of blueberries on it, so we netted it over. I got cuttings from another blackberry bush and am trying to root them. I got a blueberry bush on clearance for $2.49. It was the only one left and I thought it the perfect companion to our lonely one. I planted the new one a couple of feet from the first one on the last day of the month.
Raspberries The two surviving raspberry bushes have berries growing on them! I bought two more for a total of four. How excited I am for next year's crop!
Peas My first pea flower came out! I can't wait to taste my first homegrown peas! The first peas came out as well, but are too small to harvest yet.
Carrots Still growing tall and strong, but we have very rocky soil, so I'm not sure how they'll grow. Good thing it's an experimentation year!
Cucumbers Grew big and are planted on Gramma's side of the yard. We started with five, but there's four left now. They are growing strong.
Squash Were planted the same day as the tomatoes and are loving this sunny weather. Gramma has a few of these on her side of the yard as well.
Herbs I received Oregano, Mint, and Bible Leaf from Rachel's mom. I bought peppermint. They're all in containers and very happy!
Beans I planted Purple Podded Pole Beans and green beans, but I can't remember what variety right now. They are coming up beautifully. Except that an entire row of the Purples decided not to grow, and something is eating the leaves off every Purple that did come up. The green beans are coming along great though.
Lettuce I dug up all the Amish Deer Tongue lettuce and replanted black-seeded Simpson because the ADT was too close together and didn't form heads, just spindly leaves. I spaced the Simpson out much better!
Structures I also got pallets this month. The first batch was mostly rotted and bad, but I didn't know that before I accepted them. So a friend with a truck and I drove 45 minutes to get them. When we got back she said she had a few more for me. Then I called the local hardware store and they told me I could have all the pallets I wanted. I got a different friend with a truck to get those for me. I'm planning on building at least the framework and walls for my chicken coop! I built the compost with four pallets with some of these.
I keep letting myself get disappointed by other bloggers' success. I keep having to remember that they probably have longer growing seasons than I do. After all, I can't count on the last frost until almost the very end of May! I have all winter to refashion my garden plan with all the experience I'm getting this year and so next year will be better. But, most of all, I am having fun.
Compost Out of Pallets
Just before winter I followed instructions I found online. They instructed me to purchase a plastic tote, which I did, then carve holes all around the cover and a few in the bottom, which I did, and then stick it outside and add food. Well as you can guess this didn't provide enough air flow or enough drainage AT ALL.
So all winter we added food and all winter nothing happened. I expected that because it was winter so it wouldn't do much with all the freezing. But when summer came, it did the same thing... nothing. It just rotted. So today I finally had the chance to change it for the better! Mavis built one out of wooden pallets and I wanted to do the same. Since I finally have wooden pallets (one of the downfalls of having a car instead of a truck... you have to rely on others to help and they are busy too), and a few hours where it wasn't either burning hot or absolutely swarmed with mosquitoes.
This was the starting point:
Getting the pallets:
I had some extra wire fence stakes, so I grabbed four along with my cordless drill, the long handled mallet, and plenty of screws. I used the stakes to hold the sides up while I pieced it together. The stakes have what I'll call wings on the bottom six or so inches up. I pounded the stakes into the ground so these wings would hold the bottom of the pallet down.
Here's the right side and the back:
Here's a slightly better view:
I did that for the three walls, then used long screws to screw the sides together. I only did that at the tops because I ran out of longer screws. I'll pick up more tomorrow and add more. With the screws in place, the stakes were pulled up (except one).
Here's three walls up:
Here's another view:
Next was the hinges. I had bought hinges forever ago when I thought this project would be done much earlier in the year. I bought four total, two of one kind, two of another. I chose a strap hinge, because it allowed the greater movement and stability overall. I secured them in at angles because my drill couldn't reach well (I didn't know I had a drill bit extender until I was done). I also chose the lightest pallet for the door because I wanted it to swing without a lot of strain on my part.
This is after I added what was in the blue tote and added in some saved leaves to dry it out a bit:
I re-used the stakes to support the front sides. Where the hinges are, there are two stakes. One on the outside and one on the inside. The third stake I pounded in on the outside of the non-hinge side. It stuck out too far so I screwed it in. The screws from the hinges also stuck out too far, so I used the mallet to pound them flat.
Done!
Some things you might want to do differently:
So all winter we added food and all winter nothing happened. I expected that because it was winter so it wouldn't do much with all the freezing. But when summer came, it did the same thing... nothing. It just rotted. So today I finally had the chance to change it for the better! Mavis built one out of wooden pallets and I wanted to do the same. Since I finally have wooden pallets (one of the downfalls of having a car instead of a truck... you have to rely on others to help and they are busy too), and a few hours where it wasn't either burning hot or absolutely swarmed with mosquitoes.
This was the starting point:
Getting the pallets:
I had some extra wire fence stakes, so I grabbed four along with my cordless drill, the long handled mallet, and plenty of screws. I used the stakes to hold the sides up while I pieced it together. The stakes have what I'll call wings on the bottom six or so inches up. I pounded the stakes into the ground so these wings would hold the bottom of the pallet down.
Here's the right side and the back:
Here's a slightly better view:
I did that for the three walls, then used long screws to screw the sides together. I only did that at the tops because I ran out of longer screws. I'll pick up more tomorrow and add more. With the screws in place, the stakes were pulled up (except one).
Here's three walls up:
Here's another view:
Next was the hinges. I had bought hinges forever ago when I thought this project would be done much earlier in the year. I bought four total, two of one kind, two of another. I chose a strap hinge, because it allowed the greater movement and stability overall. I secured them in at angles because my drill couldn't reach well (I didn't know I had a drill bit extender until I was done). I also chose the lightest pallet for the door because I wanted it to swing without a lot of strain on my part.
This is after I added what was in the blue tote and added in some saved leaves to dry it out a bit:
I re-used the stakes to support the front sides. Where the hinges are, there are two stakes. One on the outside and one on the inside. The third stake I pounded in on the outside of the non-hinge side. It stuck out too far so I screwed it in. The screws from the hinges also stuck out too far, so I used the mallet to pound them flat.
Done!
Some things you might want to do differently:
- Depending on where you locate it, you may want to raise the front a bit above the ground to allow the door to swing without resistance. Bear in mind that this may also require a latch to keep it shut.
- If you have very pesky wildlife, you may want to add a cover or chicken wire to keep them out.
- I kept all of my pallets the same way, but if you click Mavis' link above, she alternates hers. Whatever works for you should be what you use!
A Quiet Afternoon
Despite the fact that there is only one blueberry bush, it grew berries again this year.We were quick to cover them, but as you can see I got the wrong sized net. Oops.
We folded it over four times and it should deflect most of the bird invaders.
Pallets stored out of the rain, ready for projects. There are more on the other side.
Gramma's garlic forming their scapes.
Tiger lilies getting ready to bloom.These have grown alongside the house for as long as I can remember.
They are nearly chest high now. We love them as cut flowers.
Looking down the driveway toward the road.More tiger lilies growing in the front.
In the back and to the left is the white lilac bush.
The stone wall is the 1800's era graveyard containing the bodies
of the family that owned the farm where our property now resides.
It isn't ours and we don't maintain it, but have always felt free to
go in and out at our leisure.
As Gramma says they do make quiet neighbors.
We Didn't Know We Were Poor
While purging old files at the office today, I came across a photocopy of this poem. I have copied it here exactly for you to enjoy. I can't seem to find it anywhere online or for sale. There is a page number [6] on the bottom left corner, and on the bottom right, it says Good Old Days Summer Special. Searching online for these terms and such doesn't seem to bring anything up. If anyone has more information, please e-mail me (found under the Contact Page), as I'd love to learn more.
P.S. I don't own this, and I'm not claiming it. I can't find anything out about it so I am using the information I have available.We Didn't Know We Were Poor
By Ione Boss
We grew up in a house by the side of the road
With nothing modern to lighten the chore,
Just a little old shack, with an outhouse in back,
But we didn't know we were poor.
The Depression had hit Oklahoma,
The sandstorms had done lots of harm,
Some people were sad, for they lost what they had,
But my daddy would not leave the farm.
He worked day and night on that old sandy farm,
And he plowed till his muscles were sore,
But he made the crops grow, from the seeds he would sow,
And he kept the wolf from the door.
We had chickens and turkeys, some pigs and a cow,
And horses, I think three or four,
A roof over our heads, and nice feather beds,
Now, whoever said we were poor?
In winter, the snow would blow in through the cracks
And the wind round the chimney would moan,
But with a fire burning bright, and a kerosene light,
We were happy in our little home.
And Mamma would work in the kitchen,
While baking the bread she would sing,
And the meals she turned out, would make us all shout,
For the food, it was fit for a King.
There were beans in an old iron kettle,
And ham sliced thick in the pan,
Corn bread and potatoes, canned greens and tomatoes,
Now, try to top that if you can.
We never had very much money,
We seldom went to the store,
But no one complained, in sunshine or rain,
And nobody said we were poor.
The springtime I think we like best of all,
When the warm sun shone bright on the land,
Oh happy day, when our shoes [unreadable],
And we could run barefoot in the sand.
The wild flowers grew in profusion
And they were more lovely by far,
Than the prettiest rose, or any orchid that grows
When we brought them home in a jar.
To place on the old kitchen table,
To brighten it up for the day,
Their wonderful hues, of pink, gold, and blues,
Made a beautiful center bouquet.
In summer we'd hunt the wild berries
And the plums in the thickets were sweet,
Sitting under a tree, contented we'd be,
And enjoy our summertime treat.
At evening when the whippoorwills called from the hills,
We'd sit round the old cabin door,
With the whispering breeze gently stirring the trees,
And we never once thought we were poor.
In fall when the leaves would turn golden and brown,
Once more we would go back to school
With pencils and paper, notebooks and erasers,
To study the Golden Rule.
That little red schoolhouse I'll never forget
Though I live to be 90 years old,
The secrets we'd share and the fun we had there
Was worth more than silver and gold.
The months and the years have swiftly gone by,
Since we lived in those good days of yore,
So happy at play, on that old farm all day,
And we never did know we were poor.
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