I became very negligent in posting last summer/fall. When I last posted in April we thought we were going back to the farm. (It was hit by a tornado in Nov 2013). We had survived one of the toughest winters in several decades, driving back and forth to the farm twice a day keeping animals alive in brutal conditions. In April we were renewed with the arrival of spring and planting parts of the garden, then our world changed once again, we weren't returning to the farm. Instead we located, purchased and moved into a new place all within a month, closing the farm as we went. After that point, I quit posting. I don't think I really knew what to say. Now that we have finished off a huge transition year for us, finishing the year off with the pantry full, the freezers full, a successful craft sale season, a wonderful new craft room/studio up and running, meeting some really nice new neighbors and keeping in touch over the holidays with some of our special "old" neighbors, we can say that we've come out on the other side in a better place, with a renewed strength and determination to make the most of our new place. When you are settled in middle age as adults, thinking you will never move from the place you call home, it can be quite a transition process, but I can say WE ARE BACK, WE ARE HAPPY, WE ARE DETERMINED. We were very fortunate to find a place about 10 miles south of the old farm. It has a perfect size house for us "empty nesters", a nice size craft room for me, a wonderful shop space for my husband, and a few acres which we started utilizing by putting in a very productive garden in 2014, as well as transplanting all kinds of berry plants that we brought from the farm. We ordered a couple of fruit trees for Spring, hoping to start a small orchard space on the property. We no longer focus on livestock, just some chickens, a small chicken yard with a couple of coops. We will be trying a couple batches of meat chickens in 2015 with our new set up. There's room if at a later time we want to add a couple of small livestock animals (goat/sheep/rabbit), but for now we are good......one step at a time. We will be expanding garden space next spring making an area just for pumpkins and fall stuff. Currently the rhubarb has its own bed, the asparagus as well. We brought most of it from the farm too. We are learning how to utilize rain water better, hoping to set up some guttering on the shop and rain barrels to add to our watering capacity. My husband is researching bees once again, we think we have a perfect place for them here. We are transitioning to a new Farmers Market for 2015.
Now that winter is settling in and we are settled once again, we find it a good time to research new projects, catch up on paper/computer work. For me it is a good time to "move in" to my craft room. I am hoping to learn fiber processing and spinning this winter. I hope to learn to weave with some new materials that I haven't used before. I also hope to utilize a couple of other looms that I have and haven't learned much about yet (I always revert back to my trusty Union Looms).
Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous 2015, hopefully you will be hearing from me much more frequently, along with my hopes to get better at picture taking and posting.
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