Monthly Archives: January 2019

Then and Now

Reflections, Winter

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While we are in the midst of what is forecast to be the biggest snowfall we have had yet this season, I thought I would take a look back to see what was going on in past years at this time.

I found that last year on January 29 we had already tapped maple trees and cooked our first batch of maple syrup.

https://donteatitsoap.com/2018/01/29/making-maple-syrup-2/

And in January 2018 we had so much rain that we were concerned that our garlic crop was going to rot in the ground (it didn’t).

https://donteatitsoap.com/2017/01/28/a-year-in-growing-garlic-part-iv/

In contrast today’s storm total will end with probably between 6 and 8 inches of snow on the ground followed by a mass of bitter cold air by mid week. Over the last few days we took some additional measures to make sure we were ready for what may come.

Driving – As winter approached my husband had taken the van in and had new snow tires put on the rear, but since it is a rear-wheel drive vehicle we find that when the roads are slippery it is best to have extra weight in the back of the van to keep it from sliding. A couple of weeks ago my husband loaded up the back of the van with firewood to add extra weight and when he bought several bags of chicken feed  this past week he left them in there as well. He also filled up the gas tank which adds quite a bit of weight in the rear. I am happy to report that he had no problems driving through today’s snow.

Firewood – We have be steadily using up our supply of firewood so before the snow came my husband wanted to cut up a couple of dead trees. Yesterday after he had them cut down and into logs I joined him at the farm and helped split the logs. Our wood supply has now been restocked.

Water Worries – With temperatures dropping well below freezing frozen pipes and broken water mains are always a concern.

  • We filled up a couple of five gallon buckets with water and left them in the bath tub. We want to have this water on hand in case there is a water main break in our community. This water is not for cooking or drinking (those supplies kept separate)only flushing toilets.
  • When the temperatures drop down into the teens at night we leave the water trickling at night to prevent pipes from freezing.

Fun – My husband charged the snowmobile battery – can you guess what he’ll be doing tomorrow.

How is the weather in your part of the world?

 

 

 

 

 

“Your Grandmother Would Be So Proud Of You”

Reflections

“Your Grandmother would be so proud of you.” In my adult life I don’t remember many times that I visited my Aunt Shirley when she hasn’t spoken these words to me. As our visit would end she would always tell me how much she loved me and how proud she was of me, followed by how proud my grandmother, her mother, would be of me. It wasn’t just me, she conveyed this message to each of my sisters as well.

It’s been 46 years since my grandmother passed away. Although I was quite young I have some fond, but limited, memories of her. In a recent conversation with Aunt Shirley she added the words “I really miss her,” referring to her mother. I immediately knew the pain she was feeling.

It was about seven and a half years ago when my mother passed away. There was never any doubt how much my mother loved her family. Most of my adult life we spoke either on the phone or in person, nearly every day. This changed some when Mom became ill, but even then our conversations always revolved around things my kids were doing. Mom loved to hear about every little and big achievement. She spent much time with them when they were young and she had many of her own grandkid stories to tell. There was nothing Mom loved more than her Grandkids.

There have been so many times over the last seven years that I have longed to call my mom and share with her the all of the thing my girls are doing. There have been weddings and graduations and new jobs and promotions and babies – my grand babies – her great grand babies. Oh I just know how thrilled “how proud” she would be. Though I haven’t spoke the words to them I often hear Aunt Shirley’s words echoed in my mind. I now realize that they have a several meanings. At face value, her words, “your Grandmother would be so proud,” have served to keep the memory of my grandmother alive and convey  messages of approval about things I am doing with my life. I am now aware that each time she says these words she is missing her Mom and I can sympathize with that.

In all honesty the reason that I have never spoken these words is because of the sadness that I feel when I am missing my mom. I don’t want to share this sadness with my children and make them sad as well. As  I write this I realize that this sadness is a good thing. It means that there was value in that relationship and it is something that could not be replaced. I realize that for the rest of my life I will have these sad moments when I miss my mom, so I will allow myself to be sad while remembering what a blessing it was to have her in my life, to have known her and to have loved her.

To my daughters and my nieces and nephews: I don’t know if I will ever speak the words to you but I do know that your Grandmother would be proud of you.

Thank you for reading. 🙂

 

 

A Walk In The Park And Gathering Vitamin C

Columbus County Park, homemade, Reflections, Rose Hip Tincture, Winter

 

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Rose Hips

While walking at Columbus County Park last Friday with my sisters I couldn’t help but notice the thousands of bright red rose hips still clinging tightly to the wild rose bushes. “I’m coming back to pick rose hips.” I announced. I just couldn’t stand to see all that vitamin C going to waste – especially during flu season.

So when my sister J.B. called me on Sunday and wanted to come visit I asked if she wanted to go pick rose hips. The weather was great and she agreed to go.

Columbus County Park is an old farm/homestead that was granted by the previous owners to the county for use as a public park. What a grand gift it was. It is over 400 acres some wooded – some meadow, with a deep valley that the Belle River runs through. The main walking path is a 2.5 mile loop that tracks through the woods, down into the valley, along the river, back up the hill, along the neighboring farm field and back up through the woods. There are other paths throughout the park – some designated for horseback riding and others for mountain biking. There are areas for fishing and canoe launces along the river. There are areas designated for hunting. There is a sledding hill, a play scape, and a lodge with a pavilion that can be rented for events.

On Sunday we took the main path down into the valley and along the river where the rose bushes were waiting. We stopped and picked rose hips for at least 1/2 hour before finishing the loop. Sadly I forgot to take picture while we were picking (the photo above is of our rose bush at the farm and was taken around the time of our first frost last fall). I did, however, remember to get out my camera as we ascended the hill. The first three pictures (below) are taken from the same vantage point. The first photo is the path that lay ahead. The second photo was the view as I turned to my left, and the third photo is looking back where we had come from.

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This last photo was take once we were at the top of the hill. The fence and pine trees on the left separate the park from the neighboring farm filed.

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As we picked rose hips we drew the attention of other walkers. Some inquired as to what we were picking and why. Perhaps you too are wondering why I wanted to pick rose hips.

Before I answer let me make this clear: I am not a Doctor. Nothing that you read here should be taken as medical advice. If you are sick you should seek help from a medical professional. You should check with your medical professional before using any type of medication or herbal supplement.

Rose hips are known to contain high amounts of vitamin C. You can check out this article from web md for more information. Vitamin C is said to be a great aid in the prevention of colds and flu, however if you read the web md article you will realize that vitamin C  is destroyed when heated and quickly diminishes during storage. While rose hips have other beneficial properties that can withstand heating, processing and storage, it is the vitamin C that I want to capture. My solution is to make rose hip tincture. Simply put tinctures are made by soaking herbs in alcohol to extract the beneficial properties of the herb.

Here is how I made the tincture. After cleaning the rose hips I crushed them and put them in a pint-size jar. I then fill the jar with Everclear. Vodka or brandy can also be used for making tinctures but Everclear has a higher alcohol content and is said to  extract more of the beneficial properties. I covered the jar with a tight fitting lid and gave it a good shake before storing it in a dark space where it will sit for at least two weeks. The instructions say I should shake it every day, but I do it as often as I remember when walking past. After at least two weeks (probably longer) I will strain the rose hips out and we will use the remaining liquid (tincture) as needed this winter to help ward off the bad guys (cold and flu bugs).

Rose hip tincture is not the only weapons in my flu fighting arsenal. It stands along side of elder flower tincture, that I like to make into syrup by mixing it with our raw honey, and hot pepper juice – a recipe I found here.

I have been grateful for the mild winter we have been having thus far, but it seems that change is in the air as the snow storm that arrived today brought along much colder temperatures. Brrrr!

How about you? Has your winter been good thus far? Do you have any special recipes you use to prevent or treat colds or the flu? I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading and be well. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh Eggs Year Round

Chickens, Eggs, Reflections, The Farm, Winter,

If you have been following my blog for a while now you may remember in this post from last spring I mentioned that we were adding to our flock with hopes that they would continue to provide us with fresh eggs through the winter. At that time we bought 12 chicks – 8 buff orpingtons and 4 black astralorps. When they were just a few days old one of the black astralorps became sick and died. We lost a second astralorp during the summer to some kind of predator, likely a hawk that carried it away, and we lost one of our young buffs due to an injury that wouldn’t heal. Thus we ended up adding 9 new layers to our flock.

I am happy to report that our plan has been a huge success. From December 1st through today our flock has provided an average of 7 eggs per day. Way more than my husband and I use.

Our current chicken count is 24. Here is the lineup –

  •  1 rooster and 23 hens
  • 2 of the hens will be 6 years old this coming spring (probably no longer laying)
  • 2 of the hens will be 4 years old this coming spring (probably laying few if any eggs)
  • 7 of the hens will be either 2 or 3 years old this spring ( we have had so many buff orpingtons it is hard to keep track of which ones we have lost) (should still be laying but maybe not as many as they once did).
  • 3 hens that will be two years old this coming spring (should be laying regularly)
  • 9 hens that will I year old this spring and just began laying late this past summer (laying regularly)

Having excess eggs has allowed us to continue to share them with family and friends. A couple days ago when we dropped some off for a neighbor he told us “these are the best eggs.” My husband replied “because we have happy chickens”.

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We keep happy chickens by allowing them to free range. They have plenty of room to spread out and peck and scratch and do what chickens love to do. Yes, there are risks involved and some times we lose chickens to predators, but thus far the rewards have far outweighed the risks.

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During the winter months it becomes more of a challenge to keep “happy chickens”. While we allow them access to the outdoors every day, when temperatures are bitter cold or there is snow on the ground the chickens seek protection from the elements.

This year my husband made them an additional sheltered area. He pulled our trailer near the chicken yard where it would be stored for the winter. After he blocked up the wheels to keep them off the ground, he  covered it with a large tarp. The tarp drapes over both sides all the way to the ground. He placed bricks on the tarp, both on the ground and on the trailer, to keep it from blowing in the wind.

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Underneath the trailer he spread straw and hay for the chickens to nestle in or scratch and peck through. He also places their food dish under the trailer each day.

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Thus far we have had an unseasonably warm winter and snow has been scarce, but on the days that we have had cold winds or snow, the chickens have taken advantage of this shelter rather than stay in the coop all day.

Do these look like happy chickens? 🙂