Ten Things

One
The garden is planted. Seeds are sprouting. I am tending and nurturing. Truth...I spent a lot of time considering the garden this year, not my usual considerations about companion planting, what to plant, and so on, but did I actually want to plant a garden. I know, shocking! Life is full, there is lots going on and I questioned whether or not I had enough inspiration and motivation to tend and nurture from seed to harvest. At first I made the difficult decision to let it go this summer, to just sit in the beauty of summer, hit the farmers market and allow myself a bit more time and space. I am guessing you all know me better than I know myself, and already have guessed that I indeed did change my mind, and the garden is in full growing mode. I was late getting it all in, but it is done, and my heart is happy and my soul alive. What was I thinking letting the garden go? Just a small moment of crazy that quickly disappeared.

Two
That internal discussion with the garden had a lot to do with the time it takes to care for this land I call home. While my homestead is not huge, it still requires a lot of work to maintain, and that at times can seem daunting and overwhelming on my own. But then a friend steps in, offers her hubby up for a morning of chore help around here and before you know it things seem much less overwhelming. On Saturday said hubby arrived ready to work and help me out. He trimmed trees, and bushes, fixed some things on the chicken coop, and brought a happy, loving vibe to my homestead. I felt honoured and blessed to have the help, and am forever grateful to both my girlfriend for sharing her hubby, and to him for taking the time from his weekend to lend a hand. Thank you Holly and Jeremy...your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Three
While Jeremy worked around my homestead, I had the absolute honour of taking their three year old into the woods. Together their little man and I wondered the trails, followed deer tracks, searched milkweed for monarch eggs, examined scat and found animal bones, enjoyed a picnic trailside and climbed trees. I love seeing the world through the eyes of little ones, and spending time with this little person was such a joy.

Four
My little man cut his hair!!! He has been growing his hair for three years, at least, and was pretty adamant he was never cutting it. Then Monday he got up in the morning said he wanted to get his haircut and could we do today? Hmmmm...of course we can. So off we went, and he is now sporting a shaggy, short do...all his decision.

Five
Our homeschool year has wrapped up, and what a year it was. Lots of kiddos on the homestead learning, crafting and playing together. New friendships formed and other friendships deepened. It was a great year, not without it's challenges, but in those challenges we all learned and grew, adapting and changing along the way. It's all about the journey, for the kiddos and myself.

Six
I am ready for summer camp! There will be kiddos here on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the month of July. Three different camps...herbal kids camp, nature camp and arts and craft camp. I am not sure who is going to have more fun, me or the kiddos.

Seven
There has been a lot of growth in my little business, and lots of interest about what I do on my homestead. Abundance might the word to describe all the goodness that has flowed my way. With growth also comes change, and a big change next year is a slight shift in our days here on the homestead. As more families became interested in my day to day program there was a pull inside to move from a Waldorf based inspiration to a more nature/forest school inspiration. And so beginning in September I will be making that shift, and while there will still be a Waldorf inspiration, there will be a lot more time in nature, and a deeper focus on nature connection. I am excited for this change, and can't wait to bring my ideas to fruition.

Eight
Self care....is that a priority on your to do list? Are you making yourself a priority, taking time to care for your needs? This is always a challenge, isn't it? Finding and making time for yourself comes with many emotions, the biggest one being guilt. I have learned so many things in the last few years, but the most important for myself and my little man is that I need to look after myself...and that means carving out time for the things that make my soul come alive, things that make me feel nurtured and loved, things that allow me to fill my own bucket so I can fill the bucket of others around me. Self care looks different for all of us, for me that includes time in nature, every day, it means an indulgent soak in the tub most nights with a book, it means small moments throughout the day for a deep breath and a cup of tea, it means gathering with friends to share bits and pieces about our lives, it means being creative, it means dancing and moving my body, and most of all it means tuning into my heart and listening carefully to what it needs and craves, and then making the time and space to give to myself. Are you giving to yourself, my friends?

Nine
I am nearing the end of my course with the Journey of Young Women, and my plans for my first girls circle are starting to come together. I will share more about this journey, the circles and my plans as they take shape. I am excited to work with young girls, to help, in a small way, as they move along the path from childhood to young womanhood.

Ten
Life in general has been good the last few months, my friends. Divorce has a way of throwing you into a bit of a tailspin, bringing with it uncertainty and a lot of questions about what lies ahead. In the last few months I feel like I have come out of the haze of that tailspin, finding my footing on this new path, and enjoying the ride. It still has many ups and downs, but after every thing I have been through I feel pretty confident that I can handle pretty much anything that comes my way. There have been many low points on this path, but also some pretty amazing high points. I have learned so much about myself, grown as a person and as a woman, and am excited about what lies ahead for my little man and I.

How are things in your world, my friends?

On Solstice Morning

Upon waking on Solstice morning my little man headed straight outside. He seemed determined about something, but I wasn't sure what. A moment later he came to the back door with a handful of beautiful, ripe, summer solstice strawberries. "Look mom!" he yelled, so proud of the beautiful gift in his hands.

Summer is here, my friends, and the gifts this season will bring are just beginning. Enjoy!

Harvest to Harvest

When I began preserving food all those years ago, I had a dream of one day preserving enough food to make it from harvest to harvest. I met that goal last summer, just barely, with a few different things. This year, though, I have exceeded my expectations.

As I harvested ramps from the forest a month ago and made pesto for the freezer, there was still pesto left from last spring’s harvest. As we prepare to pick strawberries this week, we are still eating frozen strawberries and strawberry jam from our trip to the strawberry farm last summer. As we enjoy pickled beets, dilly beans, dilly snow peas, fermented pickles and more, I am watching these foods grow in the garden, and thinking about harvesting them to put by for the coming winter. As I watch the garlic scapes emerge and begin to curl, from garlic I grew last summer, I pull a jar of garlic scape pesto from the freezer for dinner. Blueberries, garlic, zucchini, green beans...these foods from harvests last summer are still being enjoyed.

It feels pretty incredible to be at the point where Reece and I are eating from the garden year round, with lots to spare as we reach the next harvest. Every time I open a jar of food, reach into the freezer for berries or peaches, or pull a jar of fermented pickles from the fridge, I am reminded of the hard work, time, energy, and love that went in to making this food.

Harvest to harvest, I made it this year, in a big way, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Around the Garden

Let's take a little tour of the garden, shall we? As you step off the front porch, the front garden gate is right there, ready to welcome you. In this space you will find tomatoes, bush beans, pole beans, beets, Swiss chard, kale, salad greens, butternut squash, summer squash, pumpkins, calendula, sweet William, zinnias, and sunflowers growing towards the sun. Things are just beginning to sprout, but it won't be long before it looks full and lush.

Then as you cross the driveway, just in front of the chicken coop you will find the berries and asparagus. I have raspberries and blueberries growing. Sadly, two of the four blueberry bushes I planted last year didn't make it. I will replace them next year, and hopefully add three more. I also lost two raspberry bushes, but there are plenty to take their place so that loss isn't as bad.

Then we walk around to the back garden. Here we have garlic, strawberries, snow peas, snap peas, carrots, cucumber, bush beans, and a wide variety of herbs, both culinary and medicinal. The snow and snap peas are growing up, and I look forward to seeing the wall they create. The carrots have sprouted, I always worry about those little carrot seeds, and the cucumbers came up in a matter of days, which I am sure had to do with the summer like weather we had in the days after I planted the seeds.

And in Reece's play area, his little garden grows. He has strawberries, and decided this year he really wanted flowers. So we planted a cosmos that we picked up at the market, some zinnias, and an annual flower mix, which is just starting to sprout. And those flowers right up there...blackberries!

The garden has been a joy to work on, as it always is. I love my time out there, and can't wait to watch it grow this summer.

How are things around your garden?

And So It Begins

While we do eat from the garden year round, in the winter months it is food put by from the summer garden, nothing quite beats the first fresh meal from the backyard in the spring. This weekend Reece and I enjoyed that meal, on the back deck, in the sunshine, and it was delicious.

We gathered eggs from our hens, harvested asparagus, spinach, nettles, chives and violet flowers and headed into the kitchen. Eggs were scrambled with nettles and chives, asparagus was lightly roasted, and spinach was tossed with dressing and violet flowers. We grabbed a jar of dilly beans and gingery pickled beets from the pantry shelf and headed outside to enjoy our meal. We offered our gratitude for the wonderful food, and started eating. It was satisfying beyond belief, and every last bite was enjoyed by both of us.

This is just the beginning of a summer full of food from the backyard, and I am so looking forward to each and every delicious meal shared with my little man, and hopefully with friends and family too.

Around the Garden

It's time, my friends, for a first peek around the garden. I honestly can't tell you how happy I am that gardening season has returned, it feels so good to be out there soaking up the sun, planting seeds, tending and nurturing the soil. It's good work, soul filling work, and I am enjoying it immensely.

For the most part, all the beds were ready to go, prepped last fall so they would be all set to go this spring. It took me years to get into this rhythm, and now that it is firmly cemented, it makes me so happy. In the spring I can literally walk out there and start planting seeds in the earth. One bed needs a little tending, the fall/winter garden, and that will get some time this weekend.

Seeds have been planted, and are sprouting already...kale, Swiss chard, spinach, a variety of salad greens, carrots, snow peas and sugar peas. We enjoyed our first harvest from the garden last weekend...nettles. Did you see the patch above, it is amazing, I could just stare at it all day. The garlic is up, the strawberries have been uncovered, the raspberries and blackberries are unfurling, the blueberries have buds and the asparagus is peeking through the ground. It is such an exciting time of year in the garden, and I love watching it all come alive.

The herbs are doing well. Comfrey and motherwort are growing well, yarrow, bee balm, lemon balm, and St John's wort are green and vibrant, and the chives, well they look amazing.

Life will definitely be a little different on our homestead this summer. Not only will I be tending and nurturing all the gardens, but the work of cutting the grass, and keeping up on general yard work now falls to me, and my little Farmer Boy. We worked together last weekend to cut the grass, him using a push reel mower, and me using a self propelled gas mower. It was fun working together, cutting the grass, and tending our land. Let's hope that fun carries us through the summer.

So there you have it, a first peek around the garden. If there is one thing I know for sure about this coming summer, it is that Reece and I will be spending a lot of time out in the yard and gardens, it is how our summers are usually spent, and I can't wait.

How are things around your garden?

It's Here!

Well, my friends, it's here...spring, that is. It is hard to believe that on Monday it snowed, and yesterday, just three days later, we were outside in short sleeves, playing and working in the garden. We even enjoyed our first dinner on the back deck. It was a little chilly, but hey, when you have been cooped up all winter it is worth it.

Around the yard, I cleaned out all the flower beds, raked the yard, and took the extra cover off the cold frame. The soil in the cold frame is beautiful, warm, and ready for planting. I had hoped to get seeds in the ground earlier, but with the cold temperatures and snow over the last ten days, planting was delayed. But now, with a week of beautiful spring weather and warmer temperatures in the forecast, seeds will go in the ground this weekend. I can't wait to plant seeds, to feel my hand deep in the earth, and to connect to the land that grows the food that nourishes my little man and I.

As I worked in the garden, soaking up the spring sunshine, Reece played. There was a ramp built on the driveway for his cars, a secret village created in the woods, and a pulley system built, complete with a bucket moving back and forth. There is something pretty darn magical about watching a child's imagination at work, it's like a little peek right into their minds. Many times, as I worked, I stopped to watch him, admiring the freedom with which he went about his "work" and enjoying the pure joy he exuded. It was the highlight of my day, and filled me with happiness to be witness to it all.

These days at home, just the two of us, each doing our own work, our minds focused on the task at hand, are so very special to me. There is nothing extraordinary about these days, they are normal by all accounts, but in my heart they are so very special, and they remind me, yet again, why I have chosen the path of slow and simple.

Around the Garden

Without fail, every autumn season brings us a few days of summer like temperatures, and this week was the week. It has been downright balmy here, and I took advantage of this wonderful gift from Mother Nature to get the final chores done around the garden.

Raised beds were topped with leaves, the garlic was planted and covered with straw, the strawberries got tucked in under a layer of straw, and another raised bed was covered with row covers, ready for an early spring planting. I can't tell you how lovely it was to be outside in the sunshine, feeling the heat of the autumn sun as I worked around the yard. It was filling on so many levels, and nourished my soul deeply.

There are still a few things to tend to around the garden. The blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries all need a little pruning and care, and the asparagus needs some care, a top dressing, and a deep layer of mulch. Those things are on the to do list for the weekend. Once those are done the garden will be ready for its winter rest.

There are, of course, still a few things growing in the garden, tucked under the tunnels...Swiss chard, kale, beets and carrots. Every day I sneak out there to harvest a handful of fresh food from the backyard. Sometimes it is kale for a smoothie, or for kale chips, other times some chard to be sauteed for dinner, or maybe carrots and beets, harvested together, and roasted with garlic from the garden as a side dish for dinner. It's a good feeling to be able to harvest fresh food from the garden in November, and if all goes well, I will still be harvesting well into December, and maybe even January.

How are things around your garden?

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If you live locally, I have added a few new workshops to the winter lineup at Life at Nature's Pace. Check them out here!

Around the Fall Garden

The fall garden clean up has begun. We were blessed with beautiful weather last weekend, and I spent one entire day in the garden. Most of that time was spent cleaning up, removing plants, harvesting the last tomatoes (yes, I harvested tomatoes on Thanksgiving weekend), adding compost and manure to the beds, and tending to the fall/winter garden. By the end of the day, I was dirty and tired, but goodness I got a lot done.

Still growing in the raised beds are carrots, strawberries, and raspberries. We are expecting a frost and snow this weekend, so this will be the last few days of harvesting berries. The carrots get sweeter with a frost, so we are really looking forward to harvesting those as we need them over the next few weeks.

The tunnels and cold frame are doing really well. The cold frame has spinach and salad mix in it, and the tunnel has bush beans, Swiss chard, kale, beets, and carrots. The tunnels are hinged which makes getting into them so much easier than our experience last year.

Next up on the gardening to do list is to cover all the beds in leaves. I think by next week there should be enough on the ground to start raking them up, and piling them on the beds. Also next week, the garlic will go in the ground, and get a thick cover of straw for the winter. The strawberry bed will also get covered in straw, and the blueberry and raspberry bushes all need a little tending before winter fully arrives. And then the last thing I need to do is get covers on the tunnel frames on one of the other raised beds, so it is ready for an early spring planting.

Still lots to do in the garden before it gets covered in snow, but all of it connects me to this land, and to the food I eat, and it truly is work I love to do.

How are things around your garden?

Around the Garden

Garden harvest - September 30, 2015