tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37389840924123913642024-03-13T18:40:32.655-04:00Home InsteadHomesteading, homeschooling, and homemaking in the Northeast Kingdom.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-32430914011579613952013-10-17T20:41:00.004-04:002013-10-17T20:51:46.086-04:00Finding the RIght ThingI often am at a loss on how best to meet Sylvie's unstated wants and needs, those things I often can just sense with the other two. But, I suggested she give this a try the other day, and it was just the thing for my little monkey. Though probably not so good for my nerves.<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-12972073636286261892013-10-16T09:01:00.002-04:002013-10-17T20:51:23.815-04:00KnittingWith the extra-curricular activities in full swing, I have a few hours a week just sitting. This is the best time for me to do reading and knitting. For reading, I've been slowly working my way through a David Foster Wallace book on the history of infinity.<br />
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For knitting, I've finished one pair of socks<br />
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I used yarn that Stacey dyed. She sells it at her Etsy shop- Brazen Stitchery. This was a skein that blew across her yard when it was drying. I told her I would happily untabgle it for her, and she gave it to me. I think she calls it Birthday Girl, but I call it birthday cake because the colors remind me of how desperately I wanted those terrible candy things they sold at the grocery store that were exactly these colors.<br />
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The other pair of socks are for Ezra and I am knitting them on size 1 needles- that means lots more stitches in a pair of socks. I am almost through with the first sock.<br />
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This yarn is also from Stacey's shop, and I actually paid for it. She calls it yellow submarine. She had a really yellow one that I liked even more, but it was on lace weight. I love this yarn; the colors are awesome, and the yarn is REALLY nice to work with. It does have a little nylon in it. This goes against my purist tendencies, but it sure is turning into a nice pair of socks.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-12427712771538210942013-10-14T21:09:00.001-04:002013-10-17T20:50:57.442-04:00Giving Thanks to the TurkeyWe got turkeys in early June, and I cannot remember at the moment what part of this story I've included on the blog. So, when the post office called to tell us we had poultry waiting, we hustled right on into town to pick them up. Our kindly postmaster said, as she handed me the shipping box, "This is the quietest bunch of chicks I've seen." Uh oh...<br />
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Of the fifteen turkeys that left Ohio, four were alive in the box. The good news is those lived on. And to start with, they were not all that pretty. They were big, all the same, and they were pretty smart for poultry; by smart, I mean less skittish and pretty observant. Also, their eyes were all black instead of the reptilian yellow of chicken eyes. They made different noises, too; I would compare their noise to the sound of water slipping down a metal tube.<br />
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I will admit that we got the overbred white variety. The first reason was that a friend had experience with the gooney birds and heritage breeds, and she warned us that the heritage breeds were a pain to tend and fence. The next reason is that a friend I help with slaughtering gets the gooney variety of chickens, and boy! do those birds get fat. They are also much easier to pluck. I expected these turkeys to be particularly dumb- you know, like drowning because they looked up in a rain storm- but as I already mentioned, they seemed smarter than the average chicken.<br />
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Well, before we left for our trip about a month back, one of the turkeys was looking pretty doggone big already. I suggested that we might kill him as soon as we got home. With one thing and another, we just did not have time to kill him. For at least a week, I have had mixed feelings about this turkey. I actually LIKE the turkeys and find them interesting. I could sense that killing one might make me sad; killing chickens does not even faze me. On the other hand, every time I looked at this turkey, I felt like Mrs. Hoggett or a starving cartoon character, imagining this living bird dressed for dinner. I have spent a surprising amount of time trying to figure out how to kill a turkey. If such things bother you, skip the next paragraph.<br />
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When we kill a chicken, we use a killing cone, which is like a metal snow cone with a hole in the tip for the chicken's head to poke through. This allows for the slaughterer to slit the chicken's throat instead of cutting off the head and makes for a better bleed out. It also keeps the wings from getting broken during death throes. We do not own a killing cone sized for these turkeys, nor do we know anyone with one of that caliber, so I kept pondering what exactly we were going to do. Imagine even catching a bird that big; when we catch chickens for whatever reason they thrash around- wisely- in a way that makes you want to let go. These turkeys are HUGE and if one thrashed around like that, I doubted I would emerge from the battle feeling like a winner. Also, I couldn't imagine exactly how the bird would be secured for the death throes, which is the point in the process that the phrase "like a chicken with her head cut off" comes from. Poultry is very active as it's dying; if the bird's body isn't moving around like mad, you probably haven't successfully killed it. I pondered this question and began asking all sorts of people if they had any idea how to kill a big turkey.<br />
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The friend who I trade slaughtering help with had a couple of ideas, and yesterday, he suggested we go ahead a give it a whirl. First, I got a pillow case and cut a hole in the corner. We also got water heating and a piece of baling twine to hang the carcass to pluck it. I also gathered the requisite knives and cleaver. Once the water seemed hot enough, Ezra went to catch the turkey. To be clear, Ezra LIKES catching fowl even if it is for the purpose of killing them. My friend and I followed- my thought being, "how is this kid going to hold onto this thrashing bird?" But that is not what happened.<br />
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Ezra knelt beside the bird and put his arms around it and the bird just sat there. Then my friend tried to slip the case over the bird's head. The turkey fought just long enough to tear the pillow case and show how foolish THAT notion was. So, he picked the bird up and walked over to our stump. Still the turkey isn't struggling. It was weirdly peaceful. We had the briefest of confabulations on what exactly we would do now that the wings weren't pinned, but we were on the way to an execution and it just did not feel like there was time left for reflection. I held the bird and he used the cleaver on the neck; the turkey went into death throes and proceeded to beat my shins all to hell with his wings, but I waited out the convulsions and we dipped the bird.<br />
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Here was another problem that we did foresee, but couldn't find another way around it. They turkey was too big for a real baptism even in my biggest canning pot. We dip poultry (though not waterfowl) in very hot (though not boiling) water to facilitate plucking. This guy would not really fit all the way in the pot, but we did our best. Around this time, I notice my friend is straining when he has to heft the bird; most likely I was, too, but the adrenaline made me oblivious to my own state. Anyway, I tried to help my friend get this bird hefted up so we could pluck the turkey from a hanging position; it really is much easier than any other way I've tried. And we come to a nice part about these over bred birds. That turkey was so darn easy to pluck, even the parts of him that had only a dousing in the hot water.<br />
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Then, I laid the bird in the garden cart and eviscerated him. His liver filled the palm of my hand; his heart was big enough to look at the different valves and ventricles. He was so heavy that I wasn't sure I could carry him into the house. I kept looking at him and trying to figure out how I was going to cool him down. The meat is more tender if you don't put them straight into the freezer. If they can sit in cold water overnight, it's a little like hanging beef. And this guy was not bound for the freezer anyway. Thanks to my sister's wife, he ended up in our cooler under water on the back deck overnight. I did weigh him before I got him under water, and he weighed roughly 30 pounds.<br />
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This morning, he looked like this. <br />
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The quart jar is to give a little perspective. He is sitting in a 12 quart bowl. I really was not sure how to cook a bird this big; I just knew it was worth my while to do whatever it took from letting the meat get dry.<br />
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The first thing I did was cut the neck off and throw it in a pot with the heart, gizzard, and liver to make stock for the dressing. Then, I split the skin on his back and used the cleaver to cut him in half up the back. I had thought I would break his breast bone and then cut him in half there, too, but his breast bone was too much for me. I just split the breast and cut the bone the same way I did the back. Then I put each half into a roasting pan with some salt, pepper, parsley onion, lard and a little water. I covered them and cooked them at 200 for about 8.5 hours. That is one delicious turkey; we had a little dressing, some potatoes, some green beans, so cranberry sauce, and friends to share the dinner with. We have a lot to be thankful for.<br />
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-47450231629181348632013-09-12T13:19:00.001-04:002013-09-12T13:19:33.464-04:00The Steady Rolling Since my last post, I've gotten the pantry more than half full. We made more jam this year- blueberry, blackberry, a tiny bit of raspberry, and peach. I canned a few peaches for treats. Peaches are pretty expensive, as we buy them from a local group who sells peaches from Pennsylvania. I do not think people have much luck growing peaches this far north. With the gray, cool beginning to summer, we really didn't start harvesting tomatoes until well into August, and then the tomatoes have been slow to ripen, as the temperatures began the fall swing at about the same time. This week, we had one morning that was 29 degrees and another day with the high of 91. Everything had a touch of frost damage the one day and looked extremely wilted and tired two days later. I'm just not sure we'll have the same full-to-bursting pantry we had last year.<br />
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On the upside, I managed to grow onions this year. They're beautiful. I have them laid out on the bed curing. We've been using leeks for most cooking, so that we can use the onions through the fall and winter. I know we can keep using the leeks and store them even, but the onions are still easier to keep. We also have a fair number of carrots, which is very pleasing, as I have never managed to grow more than a handful. The butternuts also managed to make.<br />
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The pumpkins, on the other hand, just never seemed to take hold. I'll do a soil sample within the next week or two, and then I will hopefully learn what I need to do to that soil to help out the pumpkins. At the moment, I am considering just doing a cover crop on that row next year. A little green manure seems like it couldn't hurt anything. I'll keep giving the soil the other amendments even if it's only in a cover crop.<br />
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We have the most amazing sunflowers this year, and we're looking forward to having sunflower seeds to munch on through the winter. There are so many that I feel certain there are enough for us and some wild life.<br />
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I haven't managed to get enough tomatillos for a batch of salsa yet. I think I'll put them in the hoophouse next year, as the last time I had oodles of them was when they were in the hoophouse. I think the plants look much prettier in the field, and I would only harvest seed from field plants. However, I plant the tomatillos to add some variety to our diet, and if I do not manage to harvest enough for a couple of batches of salsa then I might as well call them ornamental.<br />
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We culled the old layers last week. We killed about 15 chickens, leaving roughly 15 hens of laying age and another fifteen who should begin laying this winter. At the moment, we're getting precious few eggs, and it seemed wasteful to be feeding all those hens. If we cannot find a hidden nest, I might kill off more; fifteen is still too many to feed for 3 to 4 eggs a day.<br />
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In the coming week, I'll pull everything in the garden that will be killed by a hard frost to prepare for our trip. We have someone staying at the house, but there is too much garden work to expect of a housesitter who is already tending all these animals. We'll dig potatoes and other root crops after we get back; the basement isn't cool enough to consider putting them down there yet, and we just need to be sure to get them out of the ground before it freezes.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-8378346187509635192013-08-10T08:11:00.001-04:002013-10-18T10:02:23.225-04:00GardensWe did transplant the strawberries, but they don't look so good. I'll have to see how they look come spring. I am thinking hopefully that they have time for roots to get established before fall comes on.<br />
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Everything else looks really good!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bit of yellow is worrying.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And these glaciers just don't look as lusty as the other tomatoes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the pollinators.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue of borage is almost electric.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to show just what color they are.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at this PASTE tomato.</td></tr>
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-80535016031175851612013-08-09T12:30:00.000-04:002013-10-18T10:02:38.173-04:00Cow updateThe cows are looking good as we pass the halfway mark of summer. Our pasture has held out better each year, and this year, Violet is still eating almost entirely pasture with just a little hay when she nurses the calves.<br />
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Nick and Nora are growing well, and we've decided to take Nora through the winter as a companion for Violet. We'll keep Nick probably until November or so depending on how cow management is going once the pasture does give out. Nora is very sweet, and we've decided to breed Violet back to Jersey again. We are wondering if the Jersey temperament is better than brown swiss.<br />
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Nick is the one on the left. Steers grow faster than heifers. But compare them all to this:<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-63125860098550677372013-08-08T12:21:00.002-04:002013-10-18T10:03:13.156-04:00FishingI took the children fishing today. I like fishing and would enjoy doing it more often, but when I tried before, I found it to be a tremendous amount of work. First there was the time spent gathering and loading rods and tackle and bait and water and a snack and something to carry fish in. Then there was the unloading of all these things and the three children. Go ahead and throw in a bit of a hike in which I carried most of the gear and Sylvie. Finally, once everyone's hook was baited and everyone had a snack and no one had a tangled line and I finally cast into the water, the children were done fishing.<br />
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A week or two ago, a man wash fishing off the dam where we like to swim. Sylvie got him to show her how it was done. Since then, there has been no peace because all she wanted in the whole wide world was to go fishing. This time the difference was obvious. Ezra found the fishing gear, and Jason bought the extra rods since everyone is now old enough for their own line and an actual reel. The children loaded the car. Sylvie dug the worms. We all put on swimsuits. I did have to get a fishing license, but that was no big deal.<br />
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When we got to the dam, the children carried their own gear. I felt like I might actually get to fish. Sylvie wanted to learn to cast, but the wind was blowing so hard I did most of her casting for her. She switched to the cane pole so she could just drop her line in. Ezra and Phaedra alternated between fishing and swimming, but everyone seemed to enjoy the fishing part, in spite of the wind and all my admonitions to mind their hooks.<br />
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When we were done, we had caught three perch, all of which we released. I did actually get to drop a line in a couple of times, and I figure with a bit of practice, I will get to do more fishing. We've left the gear handy to facilitate some spontaneous trips.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-4527921556068776542013-07-30T09:00:00.000-04:002013-10-18T10:03:35.006-04:00The BerriesWe put berries in during our first spring here, but I've looked at them repeatedly and thought, "Next year- I'll get them squared away next year." Well today I bought a yard of mulch and the children and I spent the majority of the day tending this patch.<br />
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Now the blueberries, currants, and gooseberries look like this: <br />
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I had sheet mulched around these a few times, so it wasn't too hard. I also have a better sense for how I want to tend them.<br />
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A few weeks ago all the blueberries' leaves looked like this:<br />
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But now this is the only one all red like this. Now this plant is more representative of the group:<br />
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They have been getting the milk routine as well, but not as often. You might note there is no Japanese beetle damage here either. I think I am finally making headway with these berries.<br />
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Unfortunately, the strawberries just look terrible. I have a few rows in the house garden ready to receive plants. My goal is to have 100' of strawberries, which is about 50 plants. We'll transplant tomorrow, but it will be out of this mess:<br />
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Then, I'll try to prep this space to be the new home for the raspberries.<br />
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On the upside, the blackberries look beautiful. The first few tasted blah, but they're beginning to taste better, and I cannot bring myself to cut these down.<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-25202598447714277882013-07-29T17:58:00.000-04:002013-10-18T10:04:12.429-04:00WarmthIt's not quite August and here's our woodshed! <br />
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That will last us through winter, and the first two rows are left from last year, which means we will actually start the fall shoulder season with dry wood.<br />
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And here's the beginning of the pile to dry for next year.<br />
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The fallen over side is the one I stacked. We should have about two cords stacked here drying for winter next year. We are slowly stockpiling wood with a goal of having three years of wood in a cycle.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-88099532339087092092013-07-26T09:58:00.000-04:002013-07-26T09:58:44.022-04:00More on Milk, Amendments and Potato BeetlesI just want to mention that this year is supposed to be particularly good for potato beetles and that in past years, I have been particularly good at giving them a habitat. Last year, I even added a new type that prefers tomatillos and husk cherries.<br />
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This year, I definitely have seen the potato beetles struggling a bit more in the habitat I'm providing by planting potatoes, tomatillos, and husk cherries. They keep getting a jump when it rains and washes all that is good in my soil away. But, I keep knocking them back.<br />
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First, I waited to put hay around the plants until after they were a good size. I mounded the plants the first two times with dirt. The good thing is that it gives the beetles fewer places to hide; the bad thing is that the soil was exposed to the dry weather for the first couple of weeks, then the deluge afterwards. About two weeks ago, we got 4 inches of rain in two days and that's when the potato beetle numbers rose to what I'm used to seeing in my garden.<br />
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The larvae pretty quickly ate all the leaves off the new growth from around 30% of my plants before I sprayed my milk and <a href="http://www.ndsupply.com/Nutrient_Density_Supply_Co./NDSC.html" target="_blank">complete feed</a> foliar spray. Then, I spent about 3 hours picking all the larvae off. Then we had another huge storm that knocked all the plants over.<br />
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So this week, I was prepared for another onslaught. What I found was the growth that had been chewed away regenerated. And, the stems that were exposed by the plants blowing over were also covered in new leaves. And, though there were some new larvae, there were fewer than 5 adult beetles and only about 10 out of the 60 plants had any larvae on them. And, I found only one very small cluster of eggs.<br />
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What this means to me is that my plants are pretty strong. The new leaves mean that the plants are better able to keep making bigger potatoes. While I am still struggling against the potato beetles, I am definitely getting the upper hand. We're a few weeks, 2 or 3, away from when I figure we'll see blight this wet, wet year, and the potatoes still have so many leaves that blight might actually be an issue. But maybe, my plants will be robust enough that they can even beat blight.<br />
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I actually just really hope to not find out.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-27498783867481723782013-07-16T21:17:00.002-04:002013-07-26T09:59:01.282-04:00A ThoughtIt's an excerpt from <i>Prayers and Sayings of the Mad Farmer</i> by Wendell Berry<br />
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"Beware of the machinery of longevity. When a man's life is over the decent thing is for him to die. The forest does not withhold itself from death. What it gives up it takes back."<br />
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Our culture has turned death into a thing to be avoided, which is crazy. Death, I believe, is unavoidable. Why leech endless resources to protract our one measly life?Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-45204129846100889082013-07-12T07:30:00.000-04:002013-07-12T07:31:28.674-04:00More on Bugs and MilkMaybe you've heard, but we have had inordinate amounts of rain in the last month- so much rain that there aren't many strawberries because they've molded on the vine. Being from Texas means I avoid complaining about rain. And our grass is the most beautiful we've ever seen it because of all this rain. Our cow is very happy with all the nice pasture.<br />
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However, there are complications. You might think that we would always need rain because of our sandy soil. You would almost be right. Even as wet and sopping as everything is right now, if we do go the next five days without rain, the garden and the pasture will show signs of stress.<br />
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Still, the garden is suffering. The sandy soil means that none of my plants are standing in water, not even with all the hay I've put in the garden for mulch. What has happened is that all this rain easily leeches nutrients from our soil. Soil without nutrients means the plants do not have all the trace elements they need to have happy bacteria and fungi around their roots. For all I know, the inundation might even wash away some of those microbes, because it has rained and rained and our soil looks a lot like beach sand.<br />
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The rain also washes away my foliar feeds, so I have been spraying milk twice a week instead of once. And still, the latest deluge seemed to be the final straw for the potatoes and pumpkins. The potatoes are crawling with potato beetle larvae and the squash beetles have killed two pumpkin vines. To give a little perspective, my potatoes are still leafy and lush, not a bunch of bare stalks, and this time last year, the cucumber beetles had eaten most of the vines to the ground, so even with these setbacks, I'm still ahead of where I was last year. Also, I have mulched heavily with hay, so I have trapped some of this water to get the plants through the next little dry spell.<br />
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I also ordered more of the trace mineral/complete feed from <a href="http://www.ndsupply.com/Nutrient_Density_Supply_Co./NDSC.html" target="_blank">Nutrient Dense Supply Company</a>. I have the recipe for making it myself, but so far, it's been worth it to just buy it from them. Yesterday, I sprayed this at the maximum concentration with more milk. Now, it's not supposed to rain for a few days, so maybe the plants can get a leg up, and the various invertebrates will not thrive.<br />
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I'll post pictures of the garden soon!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-17006597758931737482013-07-10T08:16:00.000-04:002013-07-12T07:31:42.098-04:00NirvanaSometime you might<br />
wonder whether you'll do anything<br />
right.<br />
Then you'll be in your<br />
garden, eating peas from<br />
dying vines<br />
while bees and wasps<br />
nectar at buckwheat<br />
and the almost-weed borage,<br />
the smell of garlic scapes<br />
mingling with the<br />
sweetness of peas,<br />
and "right" will be<br />
less important<br />
than "now" and "good enough". Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-53173243170206779952013-07-06T14:03:00.001-04:002013-07-12T07:30:58.300-04:00Ladies of the LakeI think I never posted last summer about the swimming that we did. Our group dwindled down to two, but we did many, many swims.<br />
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Last summer, we spent over an hour in early JUNE swimming a triangle in Nichols Pond. We did have a guest join us that day. Our guest instituted a new policy which is any survivors must write a ballad for the drowned. While none of us believe we'll drown, we have been forced into having policies to comfort various family members.<br />
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We also swam from beach to boat launch at Lake Eligo. That was not a pleasant swim- very weedy. However, we did work out the rest of our drowning policy. If the lady drowning seems likely to pull the rescuer under, the rescuer may wait for the drowning lady to pass out before saving her. The only addendum is that my partner MUST make it home, so I am the only one allowed to drown. Lake Eligo also offered a fine scream or two when the weeds attacked us; that is the closest my partner has come to drowning. She is the better swimmer, but she doesn't swim that well when she's laughing her head off after I scream. Also, after all the discussion about drowning, we discovered we were in under 5 feet of water.<br />
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The goal this year was four new lakes or ponds, and we have managed 3 already. We are also managing many more "training" swims in our most convenient, and therefore favorite, bodies of water. It has been a warm few weeks; add to that high humidity and we've had many good reasons to swim. The water is also warmer this year, which makes swimming more pleasant for my partner.<br />
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We swam Buck Lake with our "guest" swimmer again, but she is now an official Lady of the Lake. The lightening drove us from the water, but if we waited for a day with no thunderstorms, we wouldn't have swum at all this summer. Buck Lake was not new for us, as we also swam it last year.<br />
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Green River Reservoir was one of our new swims this year. We swam from the boat launch, roughly, to the big island. That was more than an hour of swimming, but we had a nice rest on the island midway through. We also swam the length of Shadow Lake; thanks to the friendly kayakers, we did not get run over by a motor boat. Although the things we cannot see cause us the most anxiety, motor boats are the only real threat on most of the lakes around here. And today, we swam across Long Pond and back which took just over an hour. For these new places, we decide which point across the lake or pond will be the turning point. At Shadow Lake, we were in the water around an hour and then walked back to the parking area.<br />
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We are inviting people for a group swim on July 27. Maybe we will get some new recruits; people definitely are interested. Many worry that they're not good enough swimmers. The trick is to just keep swimming and chatting and laughing at the moments of panic. No one wants her ballad to be about how she was drowned by a deer fly or a warm spot in the lake. Let me know if you can come and I'll give you the details!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-60947390235538814232013-07-04T13:47:00.001-04:002013-07-12T07:31:15.451-04:00Bug Collection<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IPLRhHcJ1Nc/UdVrlvI6inI/AAAAAAAAEjU/A-z27yb49aw/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IPLRhHcJ1Nc/UdVrlvI6inI/AAAAAAAAEjU/A-z27yb49aw/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leafhopper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i5IkxjCa-Mc/UdVrnP2EhqI/AAAAAAAAEjc/KHFYFTqhBfs/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i5IkxjCa-Mc/UdVrnP2EhqI/AAAAAAAAEjc/KHFYFTqhBfs/s320/IMG_0070.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe rosehip fly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HpNdirJNqls/UdVrovBbYvI/AAAAAAAAEjk/0hSIit2kVP4/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HpNdirJNqls/UdVrovBbYvI/AAAAAAAAEjk/0hSIit2kVP4/s320/IMG_0071.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado potato beetle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsxFxa7YPOs/UdVrsUkh5PI/AAAAAAAAEj0/RQKGSBdXU_A/s1314/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsxFxa7YPOs/UdVrsUkh5PI/AAAAAAAAEj0/RQKGSBdXU_A/s320/IMG_0073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is either a bee fly or flower fly, not a true bee.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d0a5wIkF1j8/UdVr0TCyg0I/AAAAAAAAEkU/wmGqyLrxUhU/s1600/IMG_0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d0a5wIkF1j8/UdVr0TCyg0I/AAAAAAAAEkU/wmGqyLrxUhU/s320/IMG_0077.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Euclytia flava, </i>another parasitic fly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lfwwFsaH2Xk/UdVr36XABqI/AAAAAAAAEkk/ml-OnOkNNXs/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lfwwFsaH2Xk/UdVr36XABqI/AAAAAAAAEkk/ml-OnOkNNXs/s320/IMG_0079.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parasitic fly, <i>Gymnocheta</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qaGZVGoWnGQ/UdVr53VCVJI/AAAAAAAAEks/IXFf9ly9kbo/s1355/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qaGZVGoWnGQ/UdVr53VCVJI/AAAAAAAAEks/IXFf9ly9kbo/s320/IMG_0080.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green-striped grasshopper?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hH38yWehwDM/UdVr670yvmI/AAAAAAAAEk0/_Y8z_ZAkup8/s1314/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hH38yWehwDM/UdVr670yvmI/AAAAAAAAEk0/_Y8z_ZAkup8/s320/IMG_0081.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial yellow jacket</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii26wVGcsAI/UdVr8Rd41pI/AAAAAAAAEk8/VF6po_oDxUk/s1600/IMG_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii26wVGcsAI/UdVr8Rd41pI/AAAAAAAAEk8/VF6po_oDxUk/s320/IMG_0083.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friendly fly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MF0nDjKpoXE/UdVsDUyacvI/AAAAAAAAElc/PCNF-DhpU3g/s1600/IMG_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MF0nDjKpoXE/UdVsDUyacvI/AAAAAAAAElc/PCNF-DhpU3g/s320/IMG_0090.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skimmer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I-ny0rdiUD4/UdVsEi-z1SI/AAAAAAAAElk/_w7ne1o41dw/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I-ny0rdiUD4/UdVsEi-z1SI/AAAAAAAAElk/_w7ne1o41dw/s400/IMG_0095.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Charlotte-type gray spider</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Po5-QdfHjoA/UdVsKsCaivI/AAAAAAAAEmE/hkoQcyleNFQ/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Po5-QdfHjoA/UdVsKsCaivI/AAAAAAAAEmE/hkoQcyleNFQ/s320/IMG_0101.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another flower fly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLqXP5rwK4M/UdVsNoLFL9I/AAAAAAAAEmY/JHz2RSxXdtY/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLqXP5rwK4M/UdVsNoLFL9I/AAAAAAAAEmY/JHz2RSxXdtY/s320/IMG_0104.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looks like an ant, but might be a wasp.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJtPFlc3tgU/UdVsRck88UI/AAAAAAAAEms/ccU0hOo0uD4/s1408/IMG_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJtPFlc3tgU/UdVsRck88UI/AAAAAAAAEms/ccU0hOo0uD4/s320/IMG_0108.JPG" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasture grasshopper</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern corn rootworm</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5032ki7CMhw/UdVscofAomI/AAAAAAAAEnc/c_H0bbpqYq4/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5032ki7CMhw/UdVscofAomI/AAAAAAAAEnc/c_H0bbpqYq4/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short winged grasshopper</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucia azure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kfC07rG8Af0/UdVshJwf9uI/AAAAAAAAEns/YWSl0hIhGGM/s1600/IMG_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kfC07rG8Af0/UdVshJwf9uI/AAAAAAAAEns/YWSl0hIhGGM/s320/IMG_0119.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another flower fly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k7hzf2STpDg/UdVsrTeLw5I/AAAAAAAAEoM/rLSZH1qm8rM/s1198/IMG_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k7hzf2STpDg/UdVsrTeLw5I/AAAAAAAAEoM/rLSZH1qm8rM/s400/IMG_0123.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grasshopper</td></tr>
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-62313825453132737942013-07-03T08:29:00.000-04:002013-07-03T12:08:44.135-04:00Let's Make this Homeschool Email a blog postI spent an hour writing it, and it's a nice summary of the things that wake me in the night about homeschooling.<br />
<br />
Homeschooling is not easy,
and I think it's even trickier once you get past the elementary years.
Once these guys hit puberty, they have a much stronger urge to be with
their peers, and we see their very best (and their very worst) when they
are actively engaged with a group. Any parent really looking at their
child will know that we actually cannot inspire the same thought and
work that a group of motivated peers can. <br />
<br />I know as a homeschooler I am not supposed to say things like
that, but I also know that I've struggled with it since Ezra turned
seven. I realized I could teach the children pretty much anything but I
could never play with them like another seven-year-old. Though I
struggled against being a "soccer mom", driving my over-scheduled
children from one enrichment to the next, I have not really found
another way to balance this genuine desire for peers against my genuine
mistrust and dislike of the institutional school system.<br />
<br />My understanding is that the public school available to you
completely will not meet (anon 1) academic needs and interests. That the
school will not be at all like the program she went to this summer.
While you also cannot offer what she experienced this summer, there are
many resources available throughout the school year where you could give
her spells of that sort intermingled with the best you have to offer.
(Check MIT SPARK and SPLASH as well as Brown's programs and the RISD
summer programs) I know (anon 2) is doing a variety of online courses that
seem to work well for her and their family situation.<br />
<br />To be completely blunt, I really think the institutional
school system is completely dysfunctional, and if education and joy in
learning were the only things we wanted for our children, it would be
the worst place in the world. But there is other stuff going on, stuff
not really covered in a standardized test that has to do with peer
relationships and problem solving and coping and engaging with adults
besides parents. I also think that a homeschooler CAN offset some of the
deficiencies once the parents recognize that it's not some Sophoclean
idyll.<br />
<br />These are things I've pondered for 14 or 15 years, because
I've known since I taught school that I would be a homeschooler. If I
have it right, you have only been in this territory for just over a
year. If you are at all the sort of person to reflect, you know you are
probably failing (anon 1) in myriad ways, and it mostly sucks to not be
able to set our darlings on the bus and check education off our list of
things to do. (Sentences like that can sound so condescending in an
email, so please read this with a generous heart and know I feel
sympathy for your situation, not superiority or disregard.)<br />
<br />So, what are we to do? First, a "good" curriculum is pretty unsatisfying if you and (anon 1) don't like it. I use <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/curriculum.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.amblesideonline.<wbr></wbr>org/curriculum.shtml</a>
. There are problems; I am not Christian and the people who provide
this curriculum are decidedly so. I actually like the arc that the
Waldorf curriculum follows, and this one follows a different philosophy.
There is no math, and the science is a little thin. The writing areas
are a bit vague for me. However, I really like how heavy the reading
component is and I like the variety that it offers. I like that it
emphasizes a style of learning that has been long gone in the
institutional system. I like that it was developed for people educating
children in a home.<br />
<br />It means I spend a fair bit of effort sculpting it into what I
want to teach, but this takes less time than completely writing my own
curriculum. I did write my own the first 4 years, with a Waldorf flair,
and the children and I spent too much of our time arguing about what HAD
to be done. Now, I substitute Waldorf type books for some of the
Christian books. I've figured out that some books I would have skipped
entirely have some important historic significance in our culture. I
supplement with this math curriculum: <a href="http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.<wbr></wbr>uk/</a>
. I have decided that science history combined with a strong focus on
natural history was fine until last year, Ezra's 7th grade year; now, I find a science curriculum or text that I feel good about. Last
year, I used three different cell biology texts, but this year, I want
more follow up. I am looking for a writing course I feel good about that
looks interesting. And so on....<br />
<br />My point is that I feel like I have brilliant children who
need college prep experiences, but I don't feel they're like (anon 2) and
able to do college type courses online yet. I have to have done at least
some of the reading I'm asking them to do, so that we can have good
discussions about them. I feel like my effort means they have more
intellectual engagement with the subject matter. I listen to them when
they really hate a particular book (Robinson Crusoe), and sometimes we
soldier on and sometimes we completely drop it (Pilgrim's Progress). <br />
<br />I also feel there are many valid paths to an "education", and
as the children get older, we have to become partners in what that
means. I use that curriculum because it seems inherently flexible and
it's free, but I know there are hundreds or thousands of choices out
there that are all pretty good in one way or another. Unfortunately (or
maybe the opposite), for a homeschooler to have lots of intellectual
engagement, the parent has to take up lots of slack and try to
find chances for the children to engage with peers both socially and
intellectually. <br />
<br />That was long-winded but maybe not more help than just knowing
that most homeschoolers who care are facing the same issues you are.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-39436189661013238832013-06-29T07:35:00.003-04:002013-07-03T12:09:09.999-04:00The Wonders of MilkI have been very busy living instead of writing about it, but I feel guilty never getting a post up. So here goes- no pictures.<br />
<br />
I have been following nutrient dense practices in the garden, but I ran out of my complete feed and I haven't taken the time to make more. So, for my weekly foliar spray, I've been using a dilution of raw milk. I have seen this spray repeatedly knock back cucumber beetles and I have been having tremendous success against potato beetles.<br />
<br />
Maybe you remember how I have spent many months of the summer killing potato beetles and stinking of that unique squashed potato beetle smell. Last summer, I watched the cucumber beetles and squash bugs take my winter squash to the ground. This year, I am seeing these same garden pests, but they are not taking over the way they have in the past.<br />
<br />
The idea with nutrient dense techniques is that healthy plants are not digestible to invertebrates. If they are quite healthy, even fungi, like blight, will have trouble taking them down. I am trying to give my plants a boost instead of spraying poison. I did spray poison once last year, spinosad, and it was remarkable. My potato beds were filled with dead potato bugs and larvae. However, it was also distressing; I mean, what was I feeding myself that could do that to those bugs.<br />
<br />
The milk is not killing the bugs; it just seems to make my plants less appealing. It's just milk; I feel no qualms sending the kids out to spray it. I have no worries when I spray it on tomatoes that I should be very careful about washing the fruit before I eat it. When I've sprayed the radishes, I can still just grab one and eat it.<br />
<br />
Check into the ideas behind nutrient dense techniques. They are logical and harmless and maybe a way to feed ourselves in a way that respects the plant and soil more.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-6696616037743885222013-06-03T15:00:00.000-04:002013-07-03T12:08:24.305-04:00The Chauffeur YearsThat's what a childless friend called our current era of parenting. This past couple of weeks we have been very busy shuffling children from one place to another, cramming in an hour or two of gardening and animal management when we could. This past weekend, everyone had recitals, and now we're officially into summer.<br />
<br />
The cows are doing well. The calves are nursing twice a day, and Violet is on pasture for the most part. A couple of times, we've left the calves with Violet overnight so that we didn't have to milk in the morning. This is a luxury of unweaned calves, but it does make Violet grumpy the next morning when we do milk.<br />
<br />
All three of them look better, though Violet's patties have been very loose. I've tried giving her only hay at night, but she just doesn't really eat until she gets back on pasture. And boy- our pasture looks like another world relative to what it looked like even last year. The grass is boot high in places, and even the weeds look healthy. Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-53830082041490206632013-05-25T20:50:00.002-04:002013-05-25T20:50:24.915-04:00Snow May 25That's right. Snow. Weird, not impossible.<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-28319617783635776172013-05-22T07:52:00.000-04:002013-05-22T07:52:18.848-04:00We Killed Robert PlantI really like to have a rooster around, and a rooster who is a little mean is still a rooster. However, Robert Plant had it in for Sylvie. He had attacked each of us, but the older four were able to convince him to leave us alone. Sylvie just got more and more afraid.<br />
<br />
We did plan to kill him, but we just never seemed to get around to it. While neither of us particularly minds the job, it is not one we relish either. So, one day last week, I watched Robert Plant chase Sylvie at least 100 yards; it was personal for him. After that, I promised her that Jason and I would kill him within the next 24 hours.<br />
<br />
Then, I was coming out of the big garden, and I apparently offended him and he launched himself at me. I whacked him three times with a stick before he gave up. It's a little funny how scary an six pound rooster can be. I always think of the folk tale about how all the other animals were afraid of the rooster because he carried fire on his head.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Jason and I killed him that evening. Now, he's in the compost pile. I'm watching Mick Jagger pretty closely, because we just cannot tolerate a really bad rooster.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-39454892195997087622013-05-18T05:42:00.000-04:002013-05-18T05:42:51.793-04:00Calf's Hoof to the MouthNo loose teeth, a little swelling, a little bruising. <br />
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-83375060061663800252013-05-16T20:00:00.001-04:002013-05-16T20:00:44.371-04:00Another Post to Make My Mother Roll Over in Her GraveAvert your feminist gaze.<br />
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I feel such gratitude that men exist. I like to be saved. I like it when someone, man or woman, holds a door open. I like that I can appear hesitant about some physical task, and someone swoops in to address it. I like that I can declare "Blue job!", and Jason takes over.<br />
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Tonight, I got a flat tire en route to ballet. I had the owners manual, figuring out where to put the jack. I had the spare. I can definitely change a tire. Still, my heart fluttered with relief when a man stopped and offered to take over. He did it in five minutes; I had already spent that long perusing the owners' manual. On the VW, the tire has to be held up in order to put the lugs in. I could have managed this with a little help from Phaedra, but this fellow had the upper body strength to mostly manage it himself. I just steadied the tire. Really, five minutes, and he was gone.<br />
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I think I do plenty of tasks that are "traditionally" masculine to be excused this attitude. I do not need to bristle when a guy offers to help me, I just need to remember I CAN do these things myself. Then, I can step aside and be rescued.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-62122596395552832672013-05-14T15:04:00.002-04:002013-05-14T15:04:48.812-04:00Violet on GrassYesterday, I just couldn't stand it, and I gave Violet a very small section of grass. This is usual, actually, but the section was VERY small. I'm giving her a little at a time under the old apple trees. I want to graze her in the orchard ASAP, and she has to walk past this patch of grass to get to the orchard. If the grass there is ready to graze, she can be extremely difficult to move forward.<br />
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The hard part of surrendering now is the management difficulties. We are not ready to milk two times a day- not until ballet is over for summer- so we do not want to wean the calves. The calves are also still small enough that keeping them in electric fence will be trying at best. This means I let Violet graze a few hours, then move her back with the calves. Today, I put her with the calves long enough for them to nurse, then moved her back to grass. Tomorrow is a really crazy activity day, so she'll stay in the paddock with the calves all day. I figure she'll protest a lot, but it's worth it to actually have her on grass almost every day.<br />
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I read in another blog how some people dole grass out slowly when the grass isn't coming on strong. This is definitely our situation, so maybe this will be good for the pasture, too. I'll still cut her grass from the lawn or from around the trees so she has something green on the days I need to leave her in the paddock. Mostly, it was lovely to see her rumen looking filled up when I put her with the calves; that's good for all of us.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-65734838345018915652013-05-12T08:45:00.001-04:002013-05-12T08:45:07.880-04:00Banding the CalfPerhaps you remember that when I banded Gusto, I did not manage to get his testicles. So, he was still a bull just minus his scrotum. This caused a few problems. He was not easy to manage, not that calves are supposed to be "easy", but he really got more threatening as he got bigger. He also broke lots of fence. When he got to the point that I felt uncomfortable asking the children to give the cows water, we knew it was time to kill him.<br />
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We wanted to be sure Nick was actually a steer at the end of the banding process. After asking around, one of our neighbors agreed to assist in the process. His only stipulations were that one of us had to do the actual banding so that we would feel sure of ourselves with the next bull calf and that we get a collar on Nick.<br />
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This week the calves are just shy of two months old, so we called our neighbor and Nick is banded. It was delightfully easy. First, Nick and Nora are the friendliest calves we have dealt with, so it was not that hard to get a collar on him. Second, Nick is much smaller than Gusto was. As our neighbor put it, "Violet is sucking two calves," so all three of them are lacking in condition. Third, our pen situation makes separating the calves pretty straightforward.<br />
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So, at chore time, we pushed both calves into the barn, but we only let Nick into the calf stall. Then, Jason got hold of Nick's collar and backed him into a corner and against a wall. Our neighbor had prepped the tool. The bander is kind of like the tools they use to put rubber bands on lobster claws; it uses very small bands but stretches them quite wide. So, when you squeeze the handles, it's relatively easy to slip the calf's scrotum into the band. Once this was done, our neighbor showed me how to check that both testicles were in the band. Then he showed how you pull the tool down from the belly just a bit so that there is a little more flesh when everything is healed. He was showing me all of this through a shower of calf diarrhea, as Nick was so upset by all this he completely covered my arms and hands in manure.<br />
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We let Nick go, let Nora into the calf stall, and got ourselves cleaned up. In awhile, the scrotum and testicles will fall off, and we'll have a steer.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738984092412391364.post-40822460078084172802013-05-09T14:09:00.000-04:002013-05-09T14:09:40.335-04:00The Cow and the MowerI wrote <a href="http://nekhomeinstead.blogspot.com/2010/07/life-with-cow.html" target="_blank">here</a> about how my mower and cow work together. It has been a good relationship. I have now found a new way for them to benefit each other.<br />
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It makes me CRAZY this time of year, and in late summer, to mow the lawn when Violet so desperately wants green grass. The grass around the house and gardens and orchard trees stays pretty green straight through the summer and grows taller faster. Also, I want it cut before it is actually the height we want the pasture grass, so it is cut pretty frequently.<br />
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I wondered late last summer what Violet would do if I offered her grass I bagged from the lawn mower. Then, this past week, the children and I have been using grass clippers to make Violet one or two baskets of grass a day from the various places the grass grows fastest. I've been thinking how nice it would be if Violet were the type of cow I could just stake in one place or another around the property. Today, I decided the lawn really did need cutting; I'd been avoiding it- not because I dislike the chore, but because it seems SO dumb to mow grass the cow would like so very much to graze. And I indulged in my little experiment.<br />
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I filled a wheel barrow with grass clippings, which was about two mower bags full. Then, I hauled the grass down to the cow. She's eating it, and so are the calves. Maybe it's not what she wants most, and maybe she won't eat all of it or she won't ever eat it again. But, at the moment, she's very happy for some green grass.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660017033013177093noreply@blogger.com1