earthkeeping


honeybees!

kenny ordered two “packages” of bees a few weeks ago. it’s time to get out the old hives, clean them up a bit (we actually have to clean them up a lot, with an acid solution, to kill any mites that could still be in the wood. these are deadly to the health of a

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the daisy and violet scarf

daisy, our blue-faced leicester (white) and violet, our romney sheep (brown) have been shorn twice. last spring, my mom had their fleeces sent to a local fiber artist to clean and spin. after waiting 8 months, we finally received the spun wool! mom gave me a skein of each, so i decided to make a

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gratitude ~ may 9, 2011

Published by in earthkeeping on May 9th, 2011

a vegetable garden overtaken with weeds… a neighbor who lends you their kubota and rear tiller deserves a batch of PW’s cinnamon rolls, don’t you think?

farm update

the lambs are growing so fast…as they always do. i am finding it harder to catch and lift them like it was so easy to do those first few days. in a few short weeks (even less!), i will no longer be able to lift them up and feel their soft little noses. they will

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homesteading year 4, part 1: expectations

for the first year living up here, we did nothing except try to plant a garden (didn’t happen) and had a baby (adam!). that was a lot for us, so we took it easy the fall and winter of our first year. but plans started picking up the following spring and we dove head-first into

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the farmer’s almanac

i’m fascinated by the farmer’s almanac. i think i first noticed it because of its pretty cover art several years back, while standing in line at the grocery store. i might have even bought it every now and then. i think i just might subscribe again. i read the following description of our February back

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it’s kinda like bringing home a new baby. or two.

we awoke with the sun….except there was no sun, just lots of clouds and a steady, heavy rain. the sheep arrived at 10:15 this morning, during the heaviest of downpours and we’ve been captivated ever since. we stand inside and outside the fence, watching them frolic, graze and sit down in their abundant shade. my

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the simple life

Published by in earthkeeping, farm on June 11th, 2009

we are enjoying a very busy week this week what with two birthdays and a wedding, parties, rehearsals and perhaps a new car! but our patch of life…our living garden, our chickens and bees, our time to sit and enjoy the homestead we’re building has been a bit neglected as we run from place to

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memorial day: memories of may

we’ve been outdoors more often than in. the majority of the garden is in (with the exception of the tomato and pepper plants that were eaten by a vole last weekend). we’ve had a long stretch of hot weather and no rain, so we’ve been watering the newly planted garden and flower seedlings every night

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state bird

do you know what your state bird is? if it’s a cardinal or a robin, you are one of the fortunate to actually see your state bird on a daily basis. last saturday morning, i was on my way to the gym at dawn. the sky was beginning to lighten, but you couldn’t see the

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© smithical