Easing Back Into Farm Life

I'm starting to get into the swing of spring here on the farm. Still fighting my body- I just want to sit and sleep and eat all day. A little bit of self-discipline plus a little bit of self-indulgence feels like the right way to go. Not inspired to make art yet, the creative energy is going elsewhere for now. But soon. Soon. 

​The pandemic has created some interesting consequences. I went into it already struggling with isolation and loneliness because of where I live and my lifestyle. But in this moment, I feel more deeply connected with people than I ever have. I think all of us have recognized the importance of connection and community in a way that we could have never understood unless we collectively experienced the lack of it. Somehow, everyone in the world joined me in my solitude. Ironically, isolation has been a collective experience that we've all shared. I'm more driven than ever to connect to new people, and they seem more receptive to that connection. It feels like a release of a breath that has been held for over a year. A feeling of hope and deep, simple joy in being present with others. 

Last night we went to visit an elderly friend who lives alone on a farm a few miles away from us. It felt old-fashioned. We didn't call or text, just showed up and knocked on his door. He was so pleased to have company, he hasn't had many visitors since the pandemic started. All of us have been vaccinated, so that ever-present anxiety that I've felt in enclosed areas with others was gone. There was a cool, gentle relief that I think we all felt. The simple act of sitting at a dining room table chatting with an old man was a precious experience.

I am looking forward to making some new, meaningful connections soon, and I don't know if they would have presented themselves without the pandemic. We are also planning on resuming some social events that we used to do. Campfires with friends at our pond on the weekends, and a gathering of a few close friends for Waffle Wednesday where we make waffles for dinner and sit around and play music and sing. Hopefully some other new happenings with new connections. There's potential in the air, and it smells like waffles and s'mores!

---

---

The Ladies Are In The House

We have chickens again!! This year I didn't want to do meat birds. All the killing was hard to take last year with so many other stressors in the world. I've made a commitment to produce as much as our own food as we can, and raising animals for food has been a complex journey. (More on that later.) This year we decided on laying hens for eggs. Six seemed like a good number to provide plenty. A friend was thinning down their flock, and gave us fourteen birds. What are we going to do with soooooo many eggs?! We love to spend the evenings feeding them and watching them interact. Chickens are fun!

so many eggs, so little time

hangin' with the cool chicks

---

A friend gifted me with copious amounts of tomato and pepper plants recently. Now I don't have the option of putting off gardening. They need to go in the ground soon! 

The overabundance of eggs has forced me to find recipes that I can use or preserve them. My first step was to make egg noodles this morning. Dinner is going to be egg noodles and pork chops. The thing I absolutely love about this meal is that it is all farm to table. We raised the pork last year, raised the heritage wheat a few years ago, and the eggs came from our farm. This kind of food-ing is my happy place. Incredibly satisfying!

---

wheat on the farm

yours truly, combine operator

nap time

rolling the noodle dough

drying noodles

finished product

---

​
I'm afraid that the girls are letting their popularity get to their heads a little. A friend knitted a blanket for them, they adore it. They've taken up residence in the back of our Model A, and are now referring to me as their chauffeur.
​
This is getting a little bit ridiculous.

---