Charging Through the Fog

The fog that greeted me Thursday morning stuck around until the afternoon.

But the high tunnel is complete with tomatoes and cucumbers home cozy and safe.

And check it out! I have a new door! Thanks so much to my super awesome super handy coworker who can just whip up new doors willy nilly.

So some things I'm looking forward to are...

Shopping here

and here

meeting these sheeps

and these potential fishes

Have pretty pretty weekend and stay warm!

A Walk in the Woods

Despite morning storms, we achieved a lot yesterday at the farm.

And after work there was exploring in the local woods. We looked for morels, ramps and fiddlehead ferns--we found all but the morels but didn't take anything (I did pick and eat a dandelion green and it tasted good.) There were sharp bluffs and giant moss covered rocks and rocks with the sparkly sugary crystals in them --I will have to find out what that's called. Foraging is rewarding if for no other reason than the gorgeous serenity of being there.

Enchanting plants cover the forest floor, I feel like I must be somewhere more exotic than my home state of Wisconsin. But I am not really surprised--any reason to love it here more is a welcome one and I realize that I must spend more time exploring the woods. Who needs distance to travel when we haven't seen all there is around us? As the seasons progress it will all change, transforming the space and becoming new again. Now there little wild flowers everywhere and all the wild plum trees in bloom--white patches of flowers floating in the air through the just budding branches. The cover of these little umbrella-like plants seems especially appropriate for a rainy spring.

It's calm for now, but there are more storms on the way. I'll appreciate the drama of them and the calm after --because it doesn't pay not to. It's all beautiful in its own right. We're pretty lucky in this life.

If it works out I'm planning on attending a local back country art tour called Fresh Art.

Check it out: http://www.freshart.org/preview.htm

Greening and Day Dreaming

It's getting greener. The far away hills are frosted in spring growth.

The chickens are working on getting bigger too as you can see here--chowing down with all their cute little chicken butts up in the air.

I want to knit the bravest of them a little green cap and tie a little kerchief around her neck a la Ginger from the movie Chicken Run (which is awesome.) We'll have to see how that works out.

My proudest invention here yet (necessity being it's mother)

BEHOLD! The bungee cord door-holder-shutter! Thanks to holes in the walls, it works great.

The asparagus is coming up and so is the rhubarb.

Over lunch we went hunting for morels--we didn't find any, hopefully soon. I did find some delicious ramps though and I was excited to find food on a pretty hike.

The trilliums are pretty too. They're blooming right along with the pretty purple violets (Wisconsin's state flower) which I'm told, means the morels should be out.

Up on this hill, we can see farms across valleys atop neighboring hills. Daily, I steal quick gazes at them and they remind me of the faraway castles in storybooks. I suppose that is what they are to me... as I daydream of living on a farm of my own some day.

Someday. On a farm far away...... (or maybe not so far...)

Waking up Brighter

Here at the farm....

Some things have been put in the ground, while others are just waking up for the first time.

Most of them wake up here in the warm and cozy germination station (a homemade germination chamber kept at 75 degrees F and 100% humidity)

Work on the high tunnel progressed last week too (as did my skill set in power tool usage--it's progressing slowly.) The frame, the roll-up sides and the plastic mulch are all ready to go. Laying the mulch was my favorite part because I got to ride on the back of the tractor scouting for rocks.

The drive back to the farm after a weekend away was a morning one and it came with beautiful thunderstorm.

It puts me in my small place in this world and it feels good to realize the power of something greater than myself. Driving earlier this past weekend, from one happy place to another, I was listening to this show on the radio:

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/what-we-nurture/ It was really good.

What stuck with me was a conversation about kindness. It's something we can all achieve towards each other. Busy as are lives are, as protective as we are over our time, it doesn't take any extra to be kind. I'm floored by the simplicity of gentle good reminders. Just little ways to make life easier for us all. They are so nice.

Sweet dreams all!

Planting Day

The transplanter! (is so cool!)

Today the first round of lettuces and onions went in the ground--along with the strawberries.

There was also seeding and ground cover installation.

Another tip. I LOOOVE cloth hankies as opposed to Kleenex. Hankies are so pretty (especially the dainty lady ones with floral designs) and they are good for multiple uses (whether you're snotting into them or not.) I like cloth towels better than paper towels as well--it makes so much more sense--they're more durable, last longer, etc. Just a good idea.

Stay smart and practical!

A Mouser

4 in the morning and Buster just caught a mouse. After what I assume to be 2 failed attempts that each individually woke me up (loud crashes, things falling to the ground) I watched him do it, wheezing the entire time. He immediately, triumphantly runs towards me --where I start yelling "Buster! NOT on the bed!" then more calmly "please not on the rug either." He plays with it (it's not yet dead) flipping it around like any other mouse toy. I had to intervene and kill it so I can try to sleep. Now he's looking around again-- wired. oh boy.

German Extra Hearty

Today we weeded the garlic. It's the only crop out in the field at this point (the cloves are planted in the fall.) It is a strain of the German Extra Hardy garlic variety. I wouldn't mind if that label was applied to me. I am of mostly German descent, but I think I still have yet to earn the "extra" on the hardy. In the interest of making the title closer to the truth, it seems more appropriate to spell it heart-y. Where my toughness is lacking my love for the work is strong.

Friday we worked more on the construction of the high tunnel, and Monday, the guys put up the frame while I finished the recipe archive --now available in full here:

http://hogsbackfarm.com/recipes

Monday was also the first day of work for my other coworker who has wowed me with his passion for growing food with his amazing urban homestead project. Check out the blog about it here: http://www.urbanton.com/

As of this week; in charge of the chickens -is what I am. I hold this responsibility in highest regard and am looking forward to spending time with the girls daily.

Tomorrow we start to plant, taking advantage of the brief window full with warm and sun before Thursday's pending rain.

It should be a long, rewarding day.

Keep shining down on us, sun. Let's get things growing.