One benefit of living in the country

I can look out my window after a long quiet spell, see my children like this:


...and simply wonder just how muddy and where their clothes are, and laugh. Then go back to enjoying the peace and quiet of happily playing kids.



I wonder if sliding down a dirt hill on a bare bum is as fun as it is on fully clothed on snow in the winter? I'll ask them and get back to you on that.

On a roll...

I love days like this. So far this morning:

Three loads of laundry on the line.

Picked a bucket of chokecherries

Cleaned them

Juiced them.


Picked potatoes
Cucumbers
Summer squash
Beets
Onions
Parsley
and made them into a delicious lunch, along with steak. I tend to make a large lunch on days when Eric has to work the evening. That way, we still get to eat a real meal together. Plus he doesn't have to find as much to eat for supper!

Making meals is a pleasure right now. There is an abundance of healthy produce in the garden, and it's all so delicious. When every single thing we had came from within 10 miles of us, I'd say a it doesn't get much better than that!

So far, we've had a productive day. This afternoon I hope to finish making jelly and syrup, as well as some laundry and house work.

Here's to those days when you just get things done!

Now if all days could go so well...

Saturday morning splendor

The sun is shining, the air is cool, chickens are scavenging, the dog is barking.

The kids are perched on the front steps enjoying a rare morning freezie. The one sits with multiple brets clipped haphazardly in her hair, no shirt covering her little potbelly and underwear that will-with luck-remain dry for hours to come. The elder is dressed, although his underwear are on backwards. We'll roll with that, a little independence in dressing himself is welcome.

On the breeze is the aroma of fresh sawen pine. The buzz of the saw and hum of the tractor fill the air; noise, but yet it is peaceful. It means the mill is up in running-if only for a day or two. A welcome change after too many months of silence.

A wave of cleaning hit the house last night, and it has finally come down from a state of utter chaos to one of manageable proportions. These eyes saw the wee hours of the night-sewing club tends to do that- and 7:30 came early. The coffee's hot and the list of things to do is calling. We'll be off to a tractor show/visiting at camping this afternoon, then on to stay at the cabin for the night.

It promises to be a beautiful day.

What's been happening here lately...August edition.

Summer is flying by...like the wind through your hair. (I crack myself up with these clever sayings.) August so far has been...

Elsa on her way to the garden, all set with her bucket! Although she's not much help, Oliver actually does pick things. I look forward to the years they are real help...

Picky. As in reaping what we sow. Green beans, peas, green beans, cute-mummers (heh. a downs girl I used to work with called 'em that, and I still do.), summer squash, green beans, and, oh yes, green beans have been coming in. The kids and I also made it to Jennifer's to pick raspberries. And now chokecherries are almost ready.

Num-num-num.

I love thinking "what's for supper?"

Than: "let me go look in the garden and see."

My one thought on the garden for next year: Add a little more variety. Despite that, this year's garden has mostly been a roaring success. Yum.

Anyone need green beans?

With August, summer-the heat and humidity, anyhow-finally arrived. We finally had a few days when all you wanted to do was be in the water.

So that's what we did.


But the heat left with a bang Sunday morning. Literally.


This white pine at the cabin was struck by lightning. Again. Yes, again. For as long as I remember, there had been a large black scar all the way down the trunk from it's first encounter with lightening.

This time it lost the fight.




Have you ever seen a tree struck by lightening? Wow. The power of it is impressive. This tree was the largest around our cabin, and it was shattered. Shrapnel flew as far as 200 or so feet down the road, over the cabin into the river...everywhere.

So, we called in the troops.

Fortunately, the only damage to the cabin was a few missing window panes.

For that, we are thankful.

Flowers, Chickens and Gardens

Last night I revived what was left of the flowers from the wedding by mixing them with lilacs.
They don't really have anything to do with this post, but aren't they pretty?

This weekend really kicked off summer around our house. My hubby actually put sawmill and other projects on the back burner and got some of our own work done on Saturday, then spent Sunday at our family cabin relaxing and fishing. (A rarity; sometimes I think that man doesn't know how to relax!)


Monday, I turned our chickens loose for the first time. What an adventure.


Did I ever show you our chicken aquarium? When the chicks outgrew the Rubbermaid tub they were living in, I rigged up this structure. (The actual coop is still a work in progress.) We acquired a pile of the old freezer doors from the local grocery store when they moved into their new location. We intend to construct a greenhouse out of them by next spring for growing seedlings in. Being freezer doors, they're well insulated and should do an awesome job.

Anyhow, their current job is being walls for a chicken room in our shed. Two sides of the room are doors, one end is plywood, and the other is a tub on end to create a more protected space. The great fun is that you can watch them from the outside, just like an aquarium. Although it drives the dog nuts, the kids love it!

So, back to yesterday. I opened the door and let the chickens out to roam. The kids were enthused, to say the least.


I finally had to get them to sit out of the way to keep from chasing the poor things right back where they came from.

It took them a while to quit peeking and actually come out and explore. I don't think they made it more than 20 feet from the shed all day. What brave little souls.

Oh, and speaking of that dog, Sam- I see some long days chained up in his future...at least until he decides the chickens don't look like lunch...

And then there was the garden. We're growing our own this summer, rather than going in on my in-law's down the road at the neighbors. It'll be close. Handy to run out to. We're excited about that. Prep started with plowing (this picture is actually at the hay field Eric's doing this summer... but it's the one picture of plowing I have. Ha.)

Then discing, raking, cleaning, measuring and marking rows.

And planting.

We borrowed the neighbor's seeder, and boy, is that thing slick. Up and down those 120 foot (yes, 120 foot. My husband is enthusiastic.) rows a few times and the start of it was planted. We've still got to do the mounded stuff; melons, that sort of thing. Thursday. I hope.

Gardens, chickens, beautiful days at the cabin. It's gonna be a good summer.