Our Ginseng Clean Up

Goodbye YMCA membership -there is a new fitness program in my life. It's called the Grassworks Family Farm and I have never been so tired. It's a good kind of tired, that comes with a sense of accomplishment and a tangible outcome. Two overweight, out of shape, city folks got initiated this week. This is our project:


Ginseng made some Marathon County farmers very wealthy, but like so many things it was not sustainable. Part of our acreage was in ginseng 15-20 years ago, the roots were harvested and the slatted wooden rafters (a ginseng crop needs artificial shade) stacked up for another crop. Except the prices dropped by more than 50% from $40/lb for dried root and $100/lb for seed. So there sit the stacks and stack of rafters. We asked that they be removed before buying the property and they were-mostly. They missed a little bit:




What was left behind was pounds and pounds of metal-staples, spikes, nails, etc-all the hardware which held the artificial shade structures together. We don't have the equipment to bury it so we are hauling it to the scrap pile on Dad's property. Every farm around here has a rock pile/scrap pile where stuff goes over the decades- his has coils and coils of rusty barbed wire, old implement parts, rusted out livestock watering tanks. I used to look at these sites and think ick, what an eye sore-but now I see them as a necessary evil and sort of an archaeological site-lots of information about how farming has changed over the years! Anyway -THANKS DAD!

We spent our freakishly warm (80 degree) April Fool's day raking and shoveling and dumping. When we realized we were NOT going to finish in one day the fight went out of us and we moved on the the garden -something we CAN finish(see previous post). I think we will finish this burn site next weekend and get the area hand rototilled (not with the tractor -I don't want to have a punctured tractor tire to replace!) and spread some sort of grass/clover seed on the site. I will never feel 100% comfortable grazing livestock over here, but since this will be the main 'cross-country' route between dad's place and ours we won't leave it as is. There are 2 more burn sites like this one running parallel to our driveway, we won't tackle these this year.


Ahh, the grass is growing and spring is here. Hopefully next year this will be an established pasture and pond at the low site at the right.

A New Week

What a great morning! I am feeling very energized and optimistic. I just retruned from the YMCA -I swam for 30 minutes. I used their 'swim flippers' and felt like I got a much better work-out-more resistance for my leg muscles (plus going fast is much more fun). Once my endurance is better I will look into adult swimming lessons so I can be a 'real' swimmer :)

I have found myself sort of 'wandering' on my days off. When I am not working I don't really know what to do with myself. Garden is done, food storage is done, there are no 'fires' to put out. Not that my checkbook is balanced and the house is clean, etc but there is no emergency demanding my attention so I sort mess around here and fool around with that, not really accomplishing anything.

My solution is the start my FlyLady routines again. It you are a hopelessly disorganized, easily sidetracked kind of person (like me) adding these little routines to your days/weeks will help! I need to know what I have scheduled myself to do so I don't spend half the morning making lists and priorizing , etc, etc instead of just doing them (15 minutes at a time -you can do anything for 15 minutes !)

Another postive note. I have found my brain again! It has been at least 3 weeks since I have 'lost' my wallet (or keys, or fill-in-the-blank-here). This is a good thing I was worrying that I was an early Alzheimers candidate, but it was really just too much stress.

Head Gaskets and Commitment

I took my 2002 Saturn in for routine maintenance last week. It has had a slow oil leak for months ( I add a quart every 3-5 weeks ). Turns out it is need of a new head gasket to the tune of $1000. I am tempted to just let it be but at some point coolant will get into the oil and that would spell the end of the engine.

My knee jerk reaction was 'Oh well-time to get a new car'. On further reflection I think it will be worth while to fix it. The car is paid for, still gets 32-35mpg (when I drive the speed limit!), has pretty new tires, recently replaced brakes, and has a history of being an easy keeper aside from normal wear and tear. I suffer from car envy frequently and we could easily afford to buy a new car, but just because we CAN afford a new car does not mean we SHOULD buy a new car.

I will continue to practice my Buddhist 'not wanting' and delayed gratification.
DH thinks he can fix it with the help of a friend who has more tools (and a heated garage).

On another note relating to long term commitments-I joined our YMCA yesterday and went swimming. Maybe swimming is to strong of a word! I dog paddled with a kickboard, practicing rotary breathing then backstroking when I realised kicking and breathing at the same time was too complicated for me! Today I went back for recumbant bike and weights. My feet are still too sore to do more than 10 minutes walking without complaint-even with good shoes. Sigh.

Changes

Sorry for the erratic posting schedule--lots of things on my mind, I haven't felt composed enough to put together a coherent post.
We just returned from another long weekend in the country. I have to say -hot running water is one of the seven wonders of the man made world!
The time we spend at the camper/ArkWork Farms has been changing us. Externally we are browner from the sun and the dirt which has become ground in-but not leaner yet (too many steaks and brats-not enough homegrown veggies-but that is changing). Internally we are changing as well-more thoughtful and less reactive-its hard to put a finger on but I like it. It has been so cool to see my DH return to the man I remember-creative, resourceful, (and sweaty!). He has spent too much time behind a desk it the past 10 years.
This weekend we (mostly he) built the second chicken tractor. The banties in the apple orchard need a new home-the apple are growing on the baby trees and I don't want them to eat those precious apples. The plan all along was to get them into a tractor so they can fertilize the grass. Once the second batch of meat chickens (the Nuggets as we like to call them) are done the hens can go back to the coop. (Or we will be living next door and we will take them)




The garden is looking great! I had no idea I could create something so beautiful! we are currently harvesting radishes, lettuce, some bolting spinach, swiss chard and peas. The pepper plants are struggling a bit-they are puny but starting flowers, the turnips continue to be eaten by a tiny iridescent bugs which eat holes in the greens-but they continue to grow and I can see nice purple skinned tubers in the ground. The show stopper in my garden are the four rows of potatoes. They have such beautiful flowers! I should have planted them further apart, we were not able to hill them very well, so i just filled the trench between the rows with old leaves-it's all an adventure!

I was very disappointed on the 4th, I discovered my children do not know how to spit watermelon seeds--I mean really, what is the world coming to? They have never had a watermelon with seeds-it was fun to see them try to spit those buggers out.

I will leave you with a view from our (camper) front door: ArkWork Farm on the right and the adjacent old farm (future home??) on the left.

rambles

This is not a coherent post-just a series of thoughts-jumbles and fragments.

Chickens are better--the leghorns are alone in the 'palace' and beginning to increase egg production-9 hens and 1 rooster -this weekend we were up to 5 eggs/day from that group. now that my 'summer schedule' is starting i would really like to move them 2x daily-they really love the clover and mustard. The banties however are another story... there are 20 (ish) of them and 1 rooster and they were giving us maybe a dozen eggs/day last weekend it was 1 egg/day. ONE. They are in a 1/4 or 1/3 acre fenced orchard with free choice feed. I will send my chicks in there to see if they have found an alternate laying spot-or look for evidence of egg eating.

For some reason my anxiety level is through the roof. Everything sets me off. I was actually thinking about drugs (the Rx kind!!) to help me get things back under control but that's not the way to go. Ive been reading a book called SPARK and it details the connections between exercise and the brain. This book is filled with proof after proof that our brains NEED exercise to function optimally. Did you know that exercise can grow stem cells--create NEW brain cells. And low grade chronic stress actually makes you stupid --as in lose IQ points, as in can't remember new things. This book is NOT riveting reading -it is full of growth factors and study findings but even though it puts me to sleep I will read and probably re-read it. The way to get me out of my cycle of stress= paralyzed into no action= more stress-- is to move! I have started the walk/jog thing in the mornings again and it is BETTER than drugs!

The bunnies were weaned last week and mom bred back. We have 3 nice sized babies and 1 little guy. He/she is less than 1/2 the size with a very fluffy-fuzzy coat; he also drinks alot of water. He is very bright and active though-always the first to look for handouts! We will probably let them go to 10 or 12 weeks of age.

The girls are done with school today and my 4 day 'weekends' start this week. I have decided to just hire a handyman type person to finish the projects we need to do to get 'for sale' sign in front of house. We have the money right now just no time--or more acurately the time we have is not being spent in town -we are actually trying to have some fun and relax.

happy summer -maybe we will break into the high 60's this week!!
kris

Focus

I'm loosing it, my focus (among other things). My mantra for this winter is personal fitness, both fiscal and physical. I have so many ideas running through my head, it's just spinning and I need to concentrate on first things first. I will bring my brain back from all these great ideas-free range chickens, diva cup, no toilet paper (see friends-not-dabbling group -it is being done!), garden for spring, getting house ready to put on market, composting plans, home based business with DH, clean diet vs high protein, required CE for work, staff holiday party, but wait there's more...all this is swirling around. STOP!! Fitness is my goal, the rest will follow. I attended a time management seminar a few years ago. The only meaningful thing which stayed with me was big rocks and little rocks. If you fill your schedule first with little rocks-the big rocks will never fit. If you place the big rocks in your schedule first, the little rocks will fill in around. Fitness and family are the 'big rocks' everything else is just fill.

My Christmas 'haul' was good; some nice warm slippers from the girls and some great books from by DH and mom. For my reading enjoyment this winter: Walden, Affluenza, and two Salatin books: Family friendly farming and Pastured Poultry Profit$.

Our family started a New Year's Eve tradition-we redecorated the tree with popcorn strings, cobs of corn and peanutbutter/seed 'suet'. We put the tree ouside the front door this am -it took the squirrrels about 2 hours to discover it, we had alot of fun together! Kris

The COMPACT

After reading Sharon's article on the giant ponzi http://sharonastyk.com/2008/12/19/the-ponzi-scheme-as-way-of-life/
scheme which is our economy-robbing the future to pay for the present and then looking at the black hole which is my December budget (free financial software http://www.mint.com is wonderful but has left me squirming uncomfortably about our spending habits) I have realized that some big changes need to be made. I will be the change I wish to see in the world. I have been THINKING about voluntary simplicity but not DOING. So typical for me.

If the future I picture for our family is to have a chance, we need to significantly reduce our spending, period, exclamation point! We need to have one parent who can be working on the homestead for the family and not for profit. Right now I am the parent with the desire to garden and milk goats, that may change in the years to come, but I need to figure out how to do without 1/2 my income. If I can put that income into savings this winter and into spring-we would be in a much better position to sell our home and move.

The compact: to not buy anything new with certain exceptions for toiletries, kids shoes, and underwear! There is much more discussion about what is acceptable and some other details, but ultimately each family has to do what is right for them. This is my doing not thinking challenge, its a biggie but so worth while! If DH or I purchase something new I will post it here, otherwise things which are truly needed will be borrowed, bought used (craigslist or resale shopped), or freecycled. http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/2006/01/new-years-resolution.html

Once I have the rest of the (not) budget for December, DH and I (are you reading today honey?) will look at the numbers TOGETHER and TOGETHER decide what we can do without and give ourselves assignments-can we get cheaper car insurance, phone, etc with a little effort? I will report back on our finding there as well.

On another front my fitness efforts are paying off well! I have to say this loosing weight stuff is much harder when you are looking at 40 instead of 30. But over the past 5 weeks I have lost 7 lbs and 6 1/2 inches ( 2 from the chest!). It is not a stunning amount but my clothes are loose and I feel great! I keep telling myself I need to do this so I can put up fences all day or scythe hay. K

Catch up time

It has been a long time since my last post! There have been alot of things going on--mostly between my ears :) I have been working out 5-6 days a week and it is both depressing and empowering. Depressing because at one point in my life I had lost nearly 50 lb and was lifting weights like a fiend-to the point where I was considering entering an amateur body-building contest. Now here i am again-nearly 40 with 50+ lbs to loose-but now with 2 kids, a business and a husband to care for ( he thinks he is self sufficient but he is not --haha). Empowering because I AM doing it. It is very hard to care for myself before others but I am getting the hang of it.

Working out has really helped me to stay in the moment, I suffer from anxiety attacks sometimes-when every thing seems so out of control. I have come to realize that these episodes of anxiety are the result of getting out of the moment-obsessing about next weeks or months work schedule, or thinking about ALL the things I should do around the house-instead of thinking about what I need to do TODAY. It really takes a concentrated effort to pull back once the anxiety cycle starts but a good session on the treadmill helps alot, its a walking (and running) meditation.

We had let the land search cool off and I think some time was what we really needed. Looking at some of these pieces of land helped us to define what it is we are looking for. I think we will wait for spring and offer to buy the property next to my Dad's place-it is not for sale now but it sounds like she is considering a move. I would like to be close to my family and DH is good with that as well. We would be able to help each other-him with kids getting off the bus and we can help him as he gets older. This is a significant departure from our original ideal of building an off grid home, but instead we can consider a remodel and it has a large barn and several outbuildings !! I am at peace with this idea -it feels right.

We are taking delivery of 1/2 grass fed beef in a week or two --i am excited about beef! Sorry Dad-we love your chickens but now we are ready to mix it up a little! We also have our garage as weatherproofed as we can get it and DH is wood working again-it is good to see him happy and not bored in front of the tube! The home made christmas gift workshop is up and running again! I'll post a few pictures after christmas -sorry family no peeking!

On a sad note my worms have passed on to the big bin in the sky! We had hundreds of fruit flies in our house and they were breeding in the bins-so the bins were put outside to freeze. Maybe the worm eggs will survive until spring. ??

Thanks for reading and stay warm out there! K

FITNESS

I am so sore, I can not sit down with out my quads screaming at me, I am sweating and exhausted but I have never felt so good! This is the first week of working out with a trainer and following a high protein-eat every 3 hours-oh no, not more chicken-diet. My sugar cravings are almost non-existent which is huge for me-really huge! Even better than the lack of cravings, the prospect of loosing weight and being in better shape is what this has done for my mind. I am calm and centered and HAPPY. Endorphins are a wonderful thing. Last week I was so far in an emotional hole, no- PIT-that I was having a hard time seeing my way out. But I'm back now!



This calm centered state of mind is helping me to re-assess where we are with our search for land, or maybe I should say search for a simpler lifestyle. Yes we need to make some changes to our way of living-but do we need to have 40 (or more) acres in the middle of nowhere to accomplish this? Maybe the roadblocks we have reached are a way of fate/higher power/karma telling us this is not our path?



Our goals for this family: 1) spend more high quality time with the girls

2)Hmmm, I am stuck for what come next-the girls are the key!

3) Not being completely dependant on the industrial agricultural machine

4) Not completely dependant on oil/coal for our energy needs

5) Buying stuff does not equal happiness.

I can do all of those thing right here!

I will let go of the forty in the woods for now. The things I CAN and NEED to focus my energy on now are financial and personal fitness, not beating myself up because I do not knit my own socks, homeschool my kids or make sauerkraut! :p (But kudos to those of you who do!)
K

Invest in Yourself- always outperform the market!

I took a plunge today- no i didn't quit my job or sell the business. But I am investing in myself! I just pluncked some $ down for 28 days of intensive training with a personal trainer, along with a strict diet, measurements each week, yadda, yadda. Going to the gym these past few weeks on a regular basis has been a self imposed test of sorts. I am so good at good intentions and big plans-but short on follow through! So I joined the gym for just a 1 month contract, then worked out regularly for 2 weeks, now set up personal training sessions. 20# in 28 days is the 'hook'. It is not a sustainable diet, but short term and will get me started on my total goal of 50# which is more like a 9 month goal, and way to big of a challenge for me now! Small steps! He is really more interested in inches than #. I am really excited to do this, and a little nervous--I mean I really like BREAD and carbs and there is very little of that in my near future. I am such a tightwad about money so this is a is a big step for me. I start next week so I'll keep you all posted! Look forward to some pictures of our wood crafts and the watercolor/charcoal drawings I (finally) got framed-maybe friday i will have a chance to post them. Happy Happy KRIS

Running

I had the most wonderful dream last night... no not that! It was better than that ;D ...LOL. In my dream I was running and it was so beautiful, so free and graceful. I felt so powerful, like I could go forever, sigh. In real life my extra 50lbs are weighing on me very heavily, my joints hurt and I walk funny for a few steps after getting up. I have been working out 5 days a week for the past week and a half, lifting weights too and my whole body aches in places I'd forgotten I have ! I believe one of my legs is shorter than the other-when I walk on the treadmill I make the most horrible racket; step, CLOMP, step, CLOMP... I have to turn up the ipod or I can't stand it. It's hell getting old. My running days are behind me so I choose to believe the dream is a vision from the future-a metaphor for my life rather than a lament for what used to be. Happy Halloween. K