Converting

People get kind of cranky sometimes about "expected" holiday parties and other perfunctory social events. This is a great story of converting that wonderful Human energy of Love which is sometimes buried so very deep inside into something beautiful and good. That's what it is about anyway...right?

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/most-popular/1500-employees-skip-holiday-party-to-transform-farm.html#.TwTPEOyo_8w.facebook

Peaceful Heart

It is customary at this time to send wishes for a "Happy New Year". I choose a little different variation of the theme: "May 2012 come with the fullest blessings of a Peaceful Heart." When every Living Being comes from a Peaceful Heart, can you even imagine what our World will look like?

Seed Catalogs Piling Up

With almost every Mail Delivery, Seed Catalogs are piling up.  We 3 C's have just entered a quieter, more restful time and are reluctant to move quickly on the Seed Orders.  But you will find us occasionally leafing through Catalogs and occasionally sharing insights and needs.  We haven't even touched the "Seed Inventory" of the Seed Bins which is an essential step.  That will come soon.

I imagine our orders will be in by January 15th, which is the usual time. Those orders will likely be simpler and less than previous seasons. We are more focused now going into our 6th Gardening Season in these parts.  We are more able to predict what works and what doesn't, although all the climate shenanigans seem to provide a Wild Card.  We are doing the best we can and we are more comfortable with it.  That feels good.

Ready When We Are

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Laddie was 

to speak, 

he would say 

"You can't have a Farm 

without having a Dog." 

"Get right on it." 

"Don't delay."

Five days after his passing,

we aren't ready 

to move on this one.  

But we will be ready 

when we are. 

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cleaning the Chicken House

Richard headed out to clean the Chicken House this morning.  Melanie followed with the wheelbarrow, rake and hoe.  Richard cleaned and Melanie brought the glorious Chicken Leavings (Poop, Straw and such) to replenish Garden Beds.  I think they smiled at the expanding possibilities.

Richard cleaned the Chicken House under the watchful eyes and clucks of Hennies Clara and Leah. Both are Delawares. Clara is quite a precocious Chicken.  She is always there to greet you.  She doesn't mind being picked up by the Humans.  Quite the busy Lady, she always has a job to do, whether that is finding Grubs or getting into the Food. Leah was also quite a friendly Chicken, but lately she has been going through molt.  Since then, she has not been showing a lot of extra energy.  It was great that she was engaged in the "doin's" in the Chicken House.

On this day, Clara and Leah had different ideas than Richard on decorating the Hen House.  It is their House after all.  Richard would put fresh Straw on top of the Nest Boxes and those Hennies would scratch and scratch, which meant the Straw made its way back onto the Hen House floor. He would pick it up and once again it was back down on the floor.

In the meantime, I was in the Human House making Apple Pancake from the Arkansas Blacks which are keeping great in the refrigerator crisper downstairs.  The soundtrack from "Pride and Prejudice", which Nile got us when we left North Dakota, was playing in the background.

After about an hour, the cleaning of the Chicken House was complete.  Showers were in order.  Water was put on for Coffee. And there we were sitting down to Brunch. Yes, this is "slow time" and yes, we have some tidying up to do.  January feels good.

Camera Quits

One of my loyal side kicks is my digital Camera.  If you have been following this blog and if you know that I am a visual artist, you will conclude that this is no small partnership.  Yesterday, the Camera died, or rather the lens froze, which in modern society means the Camera died. 

We do have a back-up but it is primitive.  Maybe this is just one more voice in the Universe saying:  "It's time for you to take a nice, good, long rest."  "Don't short change yourselves." 

Until I figure out what to do, that Christmas wrap may be up there on the banner way past due. It's message is applicable to other occasions, she says with a whimsical grin as she clatters away on these keys.

Slow Season

We are reaching the slow season after the holidays and in the depth of Winter, while it still doesn't feel much like Winter.  "Slow season" feels so very good.  We 3 C's are definitely going slower.  We can be found puttering around, reading a good book or article, stoking the fire and sitting beside it, cleaning little areas that have been long overlooked, resting.  Melanie is now making cookies.  Can you smell the aroma wafting out this way? 

Seed Catalogs are arriving.  In the next 2 weeks, we will have our orders in, which includes:  reviewing what we have and ordering what we need.  These days, we are known to poke our noses into the Seed Catalogs, but not too seriously.  Yet. 

Winter is the time of sleep in the natural cycle of things.  That sounds and feels very good. The Humans on this Little Farm like this program.