Although I have been around animals my entire life, I feel like a newbie many times in this homesteading journey. New lessons with new species, raising animals in a new way, new goals aside from living an equestrian lifestyle, learning what it means to have an online business are all changes I have chosen for this season of my life. Thus, getting real about what a month of the journey really looks like feels scary and vulnerable. Here goes as I diving in head first.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Yes! I love a new month and a new morning! AM chores completed I headed into town to work online. I was excited for the work I wanted to do on the hatching course. I ended up with a bad low sugar level. I ate and waited until it was safe for me to drive. During this time, I focused the best I could on the online work I wanted to get done. Once home, I took a long nap, before heading out for evening chores. I hate these disruptions to my day, but I am learning to be thankful for all the good. It seems a lesson that, while I can see progress, is a mental battle I continue to fight.
Friday, August 2, 2019
I awoke feeling terrible. As I lay in bed I thought, “I am do not have to do much today. I am staying right here! Oh wait! I have a meeting planned to send pullets to a new home. I need to stay consistent with my social media posts. I need a box or two for the pullets to travel in. I need to go to town.” I groaned inwardly. Slowly, I began my day. When the above mentioned was completed and chores attended to. I rested the remainder of the day. On this day I felt blessed and thankful that while I needed to attend to certain items of business, I could rest with out feeling any quilt. Rest I did.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Normally, I attend the Culver Farmer’s Market, but I still not feeling good, choose to stay home. To be completely honest, I want to share I also felt a bit overwhelmed with what I have not been getting done around here and online. I squash thoughts tempting me to waste energy wishing I felt better. I know the best thing for me today is rest. After the daily quiet time of writing what I am thankful for and reading a chapter in a book by Kathy Lee Gifford titled, The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi, with a cup of coffee, I headed outside to feed the horses, cats and share an IG story and post. My first stop was checking if the Swedish Flower Hen of Pair # 2 was indeed broody. YES! She was. I decided since I was moving slow anyway to put out the broody hen and her chicks, the 5- 4/5-week old chicks and the 4 from pen #7. I began the work of watering and feeding chicken pens. In the mix I watered the potted cherry tomato plants and some of the sweet potatoes. At some point I added 7 eggs to the 4 or 5 the broody hen had already laid. I have been saving her eggs and leaving a few in with her, hoping she would go broody a second time this year. Feeling so blessed that she did, especially given the fact the coons had eaten her chicks.
Brian and I grabbed a bite to eat and then I was back outside feeding chickens. This process stretched on into the afternoon. I say I was moving slow….I started this at 10 am and it was now 4 pm. I spent an hour working on a blog post I am putting together. Then back outside to find Kit Kat was shadowing me and meowing intensely. ‘Now what does she want,’ I wondered. I looked closer at her, feeling under her belly. I now suspected she was close to having kittens. She likes to show me where she is having her kittens. I spent the next several minutes with her coming and going in the underbrush next to the house. Yes, this is one of those areas that need work here. Anyway, she settled down in a corner. I will keep checking on her this evening, but I am certain she is having kittens. I tamed her when she was feral and it took me 8 weeks to even touch her. Unfortunately, I did not get her fixed and now our cat population has taken off. Several cats have been fixed here and she is one of the next ones on the list. It feels like slow progress. But it is progress. I gathered eggs which I do through out the day. Relationships with animals bring joy to my heart and to be honest at times pain. I wrote a bit more and headed back outside until dark. Chores consisted of bringing in the chicks and grow outs I had put in cages outside earlier in the day, feeding horses, and watering the garden near the chickens. I finally transplanted the cherry tomato plants where one of the garlic gardens had been near the house.
out of site are the yellow and white onions and carrots
I found myself remembering the joying of riding bareback on a horse at a walk. For the first time in years I longed to ride. One of my goals for this year was to start riding again. I do not believe I have been on a horse since 2017, 2 years ago. That year I only rode two times, once in WY at Shoshone Lodge and Guest Ranch and another time in Alberta, Canada. I determined I would ride Navajo Bo. If I get into the reasons why I could write an entire post telling the story of each horse I was not riding. I found Bo’s bridle. Oh dear, that was a mess. I decided to put a halter together with reins that had snaps on them. That is how I learned to ride a horse, bareback with a halter and 2 lead ropes snapped to the halter. Yep, why not start over the same way. If you want to read more about the time, I spent with Bo last night, check out her FB page where I posted a bit about it.
When I went to feed the dogs, I called softly to Kit Kat and shortly she appeared with a messy rear end. Yep, she had birthed kittens. Her belly still felt hard in one spot. Perhaps she wasn’t quite done. I gave her food and water. She hung out with me for a while before returning to her babies. I heard them fussing a couple times. I felt good, peaceful and happy with the enjoyment of my day.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
One of my goals in the last few years is to make Sunday a day of rest. It does not always look quite the same. I did not do much other then care for animals, write, and hang out at home. The broody hen was still on her eggs.
Monday, August 5, 2019
The temps were forecasted to be in the high 80’s. In the mornings after my quiet time or devotions, I started making a schedule for my day. On Mondays this takes a bit longer as I also brain dump of what I want to get done for the week. AM chores include feeding chickens, gathering eggs, horses, cats and dogs, checking gardens and potted plants. I found a few beans (Jacob Cattle Beans) ready to harvest. This morning I took a look at the wild grapes and even ate a few that looked sort of ripe. I hope the tart taste diminishes as they ripen more. If not, I will still eat them, and I am going to be looking for a way to use them. I dove into a daydream imagining where I would keep a cow. I think I forgot to mention I have been in conversation concerning a Jersey cow, bred to a mini Jersey. While I feel drawn to Scottish Highlands and American Milking Devon, at this time the Jersey/Mini Jersey seems like a better fit for the immediate time frame. In all it doesn’t sound like all that takes much time, but 3 hours flew by. The afternoon was spent working on the computer. Brian decided to address the slow water flow and needed my help so after starting house chores, I helped him. One or two more tasks before I was done for the might.
I cleaned the music variety of garlic I want to sell and kept back what I will plant for next years crop and my own use. Not only do I use for cooking, I also put cloves in the chicken water from time to time to boost their immune system. PM chores took close to an hour. It is 10 PM as I write this and I will be going back out to finish up a few things. I felt refreshed today after a day of rest.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
I desperately needed to work on laundry. First thing I did was get a load started. AM chores went faster today and I found time to wash a quart sized water container for Cisco. When I first brought them home, I had given him a little plastic container and I found myself filling repeatedly through out the day. I felt good knowing this 5 min act would be saving me time in the coming weeks. A lunch time I continued to work on laundry. I usually enjoy laundry, but I have found a way to look forward to it. I pile up a few loads that are ready to be folded then listen to one or two podcasts while I fold. The times flies by fast, I have learned something new and the laundry is folded and put away. I spent 20 min writing out the content for a video I want to add to the course I am working on. Out to wash eggs and load the car for the Culver’s Farmer’s Market. I had this, last minute, idea to stop a local Dollar store on the way. I wanted to get brown paper bags and blank stickers to write on and stick on the bags when I sold garlic. I found regular plain brown lunch bags and shipping labels. I was hoping for a fancier bag and a cute cut to the stickers, but I spent $2.14 on them, so who am I to be picky. Down the road I intend to pay to have printed stickers with the info I want to share. I did the math sitting at the market later in the evening: I cut one shipping label in 4 strips for the egg carton labels. 18 labels cost $1 so each label cost around .05 cents. Divided by 4 (4 strips) that is around 1 cent per shipping label. The quote I currently have for pre-printed egg labels is around 34 cents a label. Of course, they would look much prettier. For now, I will use these, but future goals include pre-printed labels. As for the garlic bags, I will continue to use the shipping labels, but as I sat here writing I remembered I have several sets of ‘fancy’ cut scissors in my craft box. Now that would make for some fancier looking labels. I intend to get them out for today market in Bremen, Indiana.
Leaving the dollar store, I began feeling anxious. At first, I chalked it up to worrying about being late to market, but no amount of self-talk made it go away. I realized my sugar levels must be dropping. I started eating the snack foods I had purchased at the Dollar store. I took a different route since I had gone into town on my way. In my path ahead I seen a traffic backed up for a train. Oh, not now! As I sat there waiting on a train that was NOT moving, eating cause my sugar, I am not sure how much time had gone by. I looked at my phone to check the time and to my dismay it was after 5 pm. I wanted to go home and be done for the night! Instead I text a couple different friends that were at the market to get directions how to get around the train. I did eventually get to the market. I want to give a big shout out to my friend Julie and Blooms on 800. She helped me get unloaded and set up. The market proved slow and my sales were $0. But I decided to look at it from the perspective that, as I sat there, I worked on my egg labels and spent time with my friend. I enjoyed the cool breezes coming off of Lake Maxinkuckee. We chatted as I helped her load her van. Driving home, I fought off negative thoughts of my evening. Even this morning I needed to chase them away. I made progress yesterday even if no sales. Julie shared helpful ideas how to give my market table a new look. It is August and I have been sporting the spring look. I am overdue for a change. Chores went well and all the animals looked good, giving a good feeling. I was tired, but looking forward to feeling rested in the morning.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Bremen Farmer’s Market takes place from 4 pm to 7 pm on Wednesdays. I spent around 4 hours going through my morning routine: devotional and quiet time, am chores, and checking the plants. Next off to town looking for what I needed to change the display at the markets. I admit I found pleasure in shopping at a local dollar store. Ideas of what the table could look like as I browsed through items. The final look came together when I arrived at the market. I picked flowers, and grabbed garlic that was still drying, cleaned a coffee cup tree that I have not been using. Off to the Bremen Farmer’s Market and another evening of visiting with patrons and friends. The small crowd produced a few sales for me. Check out the slide show of the new display below.
At home I unloaded the car, rested 20 minutes before heading out to complete PM chores. Unfortunately, Prince Charming (the cat) snuck out the door and it was well past midnight before I located him to bring him in. He seemed to think he was on a grand adventure. I was reminded of how the Jesus shared the parable of the shepherd who would leave the fold and go look for the one lost sheep. I thought, ‘I know how overjoyed I will feel when I have Prince Charming safe in my arms and back in the house. Imagine how overjoyed the Lord is when a lost soul returns to Him. No greater love…..’
This completes the first 7 days of August. Did any parts of my last week stand out to you? Send me an email telling me about it. Send your email to maria@dontclipmywings.com or click here
