We live in a fascinating, unique area of the country. Not only do we live surrounded by the rich heritage and history of the Appalachian mountains, but we live in a valley that gets winds so intense, meteorological teams flock here specifically to study the phenomenon. We get frequent wind storms with pretty sizable wind […]
Category: Year 1
Country Air
Fresh, Crisp, Blowing. I close my eyes and breathe in deep, Feel the wind on my face, And the breeze through my hair. There’s a whiff of sweet flowers, Followed by the faint scent of skunk, And cow patties from next door. It all smells deliciously earthy to me. City life can’t compare to this. […]
Rooster Girl
I ordered 20 female chicks when we decided to get layer chickens, for obvious reasons. As day olds, the hatchery will sex them, and they have a 98% accuracy rating, or something like that. As fate would have it, I started to question my decision to not get any unsexed, and therefore have the chance […]
Punk Rock
I loved Nirvana as a teenager. I remember being introduced to their music just a couple months before Kurt Cobain’s death. I was in shock when I heard that he was gone. I remember wanting to know everything about him. I researched him as only a teenager could in the 90’s, watching MTV and whatever […]
Meat Babies
They arrived as little puff balls of black and yellow. Cute little peeps. We unfortunately lost one on our first day due to my overzealous heating protocol. But I learned an important lesson – in the heat of summer days, they are plenty fine without an extra heat source. They grew much faster than the […]
Best Neighbors
Moving is a crapshoot. You never know what kind of neighbors you’ll end up with. In our first house together in Royal Oak, MI we had good neighbors. On one side was an elderly woman, and on the other side we had an older couple. They basically left us alone, and were kind when we […]
Summer’s Breakfast
There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of going out to the garden to pick breakfast in the morning. Mother Natures abundance is so awe inspiring, it never fails to amaze me. The cucumbers and tomatoes are in full force now and they are a welcome pop of color to our plates. They remind me […]
Tomato Sandwiches
Summer’s make me miss my dad. The smell of tomato plants, picking plump juicy tomatoes from the garden, and especially tomato sandwiches. My dad loves tomatoes. I mean he LOVES them. In a way I’ve never seen anyone love anything. The man would eat them all day every day if he had the option, I’m […]
True Freedom
To us, true freedom is being tied to the land. It’s synonymous with self-sufficiency, nutrient dense foods, and holistic wellness. It’s the freedom of homesteaders in 1776, when building a community of people who help each other – without government oversight – was the norm. We are not preppers. We are homesteaders. We do not […]
Layer Girls
I received the call at 7 in the morning; “Sorry to call you so early ma’am, but we have some live chicks here for you. We open at 9.” “Oh wonderful, thank you so much!” I managed to murmur, “I’ll be there when you open.” Two hours? How could I wait two more hours? We […]