Garden report 5 - Neglected

Sorry to report I did put much time into the garden this past week.  I was away and then totally exhausted from the all night episode with George.  Also I've been down my two biggest helpers, Paul and James are away at Scout camp.

The good news is we've had lots of rain so not all garden needs were neglected.  

I thought I'd wait to post after a full weekend of tidying it up but then I'd be robbing myself of an honest record of this year's garden experience.  

First up - hugelbeds. Though my linear mind may still be struggling with the concept of a hugelbed , the rest of me is quite impressed by them.  The plants are strong and since we free casted seeds everything is so randomly placed.  It will be interesting to see how they all cooperate, maybe there is a social lesson here for my family? 

Here is a close up where you can see a lot of grass creeping in.  I decided a few weeks ago it was not wise to pull weeds out completely because of erosion so now I'm simply clipping them and letting the plants I want in there crowd them out.  Again, we'll see.

How many different plants can you identify here? basil, tatsoi, mustard greens, kale, peas, zinnias, squash, watermelon.....this is wild!  I need to study them more closely so I know where to harvest from.

In other corners of the garden Peter is still dedicated to his sunflower house.  More than anyone else he enjoys working with plants. 

Here's Maryanna's little garden space.  She was wise to put time into mulching and I'll gently remind her it needs a little bit more work.

Clara's garden looks a lot like her room often does.  And just like her room she'll need my help for sure to make sense of it.
  

The front bed holds our herbs and while I was away Paul' mom brought by these painted brick labels.  She got the idea for them at an old light house up north and I love the way pop out.  This is also a great literacy tool for kids.

The front beds are doing well.  Honestly there is very little work beyond watering here.  This is where we go for our everyday eating.  But the truth is I have been neglecting meal time as well.  Our meals lately have been as simple as a pile of fresh picked and washed peas and raw kale with a cup of raw goat milk, that and a lot of yogurt and granola.  Tomorrow though I've promised to make the bacon/kale mini frittata muffins.
    

Tonight we had some asian greens that are about to bold, pac choy and tat soi.  This is Clara's favorite because "they taste so mustardy".  My cooking from the garden muscles are feeling kind of rusty still.  Looking forward to some tomatoes and peppers and squash to really get me cooking. 

Here's a look back on 

Garden report 1

Garden report 2

Garden report 3

Garden report 4

A new plate for everyone

Every year for Christmas Uncle Dave gives the kids a coupon to paint pottery at his store.  It is so much fun to paint something unique and get to use it everyday.  

I wish I could say we have a collection of them from past years but they get so much use and don't usually survive more than two years.  A few of the children have saved little pieces from their dishes in their sentimental box.

This year I remembered to take a photo of each piece before first use.  May they enjoy many full plates of yummy food!

    

                         

Off on my own and back again

This past weekend I had the unique opportunity of venturing out on my own to participate in a small nature retreat.  Though part of a group, most of the work was completed in solitude, and in this rare solo and quiet state I gained much clarity and restorative energy.  

It was two nights of uninterrupted sleep, and two and half days of very little chatter and absolutely zero housework.  Meals were provided and it was a time to be fully immersed in the light of the shinning sun, the glow of the fullest moon, and find company among the plants, animals and rocks.  

In my journal I recorded doodles and drawings, practical plant information, and pages of insight.

I missed Paul and the kids for sure, enough to want to spilt out a day early, but I didn't.  I stretched myself when the solitude felt uncomfortable and returned to my family a fuller me.
       

Upon return the kids ran out to greet me, so many arms reaching out and so many little stories that were anxious to be shared.  Paul greeted me with an exhaustion I have not seen since the years he worked as an investment banker.  He asked me how I did it on my own every. single. day.  I appreciate his acknowledgment of the heavy load I carry. 

Paul did a great job of caring for everyone.  Remarkably they were actually on time for church!

There was so much to catch up on, hugs, kisses and dishes and laundry.  I started with the hugs and kisses and decided to face the rest after bedtime.

I put Charlie down first.  He is learning new words everyday and even three days away surprised me.  We read some books, sang a song and I put him down.

I then called the next two boys up to bed.  Henry was quick to fall asleep (I brought him home an herb filled sleep pillow from the retreat) but George was struggling.  He thrashed and cried and complained about a stomach ache.  I assumed he was over tired and ate too much junk food while I was away so I simply let him be.

As I approached the kitchen I could clearly hear him throwing up.  I thought that a run of the stomach flu was an unfair transition from a weekend on my own.  I got the bucket and towels and cleaned him off.  This happened over and over again until I ran out of towels and it was past midnight.

I headed to the downstairs bathroom for more towels and discovered an open bottle of the herbal tincture blue cohosh.  It's purpose is for inducing labor and I had it unopened and on hand over a year ago just in case I needed it for Charlie's birth.  I had put the pieces together that George got into it, and I could clearly see that half the bottle was empty.

I asked him if he did eat "the yucky brown medicine" and he nodded his head.

I googled it and when I read toxic for children fear set in.  I prayed for direction and I felt impressed to call a healer we worked in Ann Arbor.  It was after midnight so I prayed again, asking if there was anyone else who could assist me.  Again the answer was to call this woman so I did.  I was relieved that after just one ring the phone went right to voice mail and I didn't have to disrupt her after all. 

Within 10 minutes I received a call from her.  I apologized for waking her up but she said, "you didn't wake me up, the Spirit did, I was told you needed my help".  She then explained that she has only phone in the house and it is kept in the laundry room.  I felt much comfort in her willingness to listen and be of help.  

She did confirm the toxicity of blue cohosh and reassured me it was not so dangerously toxic but it was a stimulant, in the family of tobacco and it was important to watch for rapid breathing and fast heart rate.  I was told that vomiting was the natural defense of the body and I should watch for signs of dehydration. I was advised that because of the distance to the hospital I should head to ER so he could be safely watched and evaluated.  I felt peace in that direction so we went.

In the ER George was given medicine to stop throwing up and offered as much fluid as he would take.  The stimulant was still active and this funny little boy talked and talked and laughed and laughed until 5 am.  We were released at 6 am and I got a quick 2 hour nap before it was time to face "normal life" again.   

Garden report 4 - watering

This past week has been cool and dry.  I wasn't sure if we experienced much growth until I consulted back on last week's garden report.   I feel very pleased with the progress, and feel I too am growing in stride with all that happens here in the garden.    

I have to say the hugelbeds are sending out the strongest of the plants.  There was some tatsoi coming up way on the top and I found it too difficult to pick.  I had to remind myself this is an experiment and it may be a few years before I can sing out the success of it. 

   

For the rest of the garden Peter and are still tweaking our watering system. I cleared the giant mud pile in middle of the garden and got some climbing rattle snake beans planted.  

We also put in a very special row of yellow bush beans from a collection of seeds from a friend who passed away this last spring.  In her honor we made it a pretty curve and lined it with marigolds. This garden is a happy place, and as these grow we'll certainly be thinking of her and be reminded of the vibrant life she lived.

  

There was no official plan to this year's garden.  Each corner evolved on its own and the result of it is irregular beds, winding paths and little nooks to hide.  As long as the paths are clearly defined (and they promise to close the garden gate!) this garden will always be available for children to run and play.

We are still eating asparagus daily.  It has become Charlie's favorite but I will report that the others are tiring of it and we are letting many of the stalks go to seed.  A few are already taller than our new Cherry trees.

We spent some time harvesting garlic scapes this last week.  I was slow in completing the task last year so a bunch went to seed in the previous patch.  I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing (because of possible disease) but excited about the possibility of double the garlic.

Clara and Henry helped me make garlic scape pesto.  Last year we were mixing it in our goat cheese and Henry requested I freeze enough of it for a "garlic scape pesto birthday party" next year.  He is already planning a goat cheese cake frosted in pesto and games which included water balloons filled with pesto.  I guess you could say he really likes pesto.

In another corner of the garden the peas are ready for eating! What that means around here is much snacking and not much harvesting.    After a long morning in the garden I was too tired to make lunch so I just stepped into Paul's office and sprinkled a pile of pea pods around his key board and said, "it's not much but since they were picked just a few minutes ago they will have more energy than anything else you were planning to eat".  

The squash in the front flower bed are doing well.  I like how the little rose seems to be watching it and wondering what it is doing there.

From the raised beds in the front yard I'm sorry to report that only 4 of the sweet potato plants survived last week's lower temps.  I should have covered them in plastic but did not get around to it.  I've planted some lettuce and carrots in the far corner of the bed that will be harvested before the sweet potatoes spread.  

Here is another view, this view makes me hungry.  I've been eating eggs with pac choy (baby bok choy) and tatsoi all week and snacking on parsley, purslane (a welcomed weed) and sorrel whenever I walk by. I potted my basil so I could move it around for full sun.  I also did a pot of tulsi basil to harvest for herbal tea but that pot is not growing as strong.

Finally, just last night a neighbor came by with a trailer of poppies and irises.  Oh the joy and oh the work of gardening, not sure there is anything more satisfying.  

Looking back on -

week 1

week 2

week 3

Homeschool moments

We have experimented with many different flavors of homeschool.   I have also struggled with maintaining an exact schedule.  The demands of spring time farming with all the baby animals and baby plants has kept me totally occupied.  So school time has happened right by my side as I work.  

I am still growing into my confidence in this method.

On a day when I edged near feelings of neglect and failure I simply asked each child individually what they had learned that day.  

The younger kids sung out their joy of dirt and the difference between sand, clay, aged manure and city compost.  We had experienced another chicken loss that day and after helping dig a small grave 2 feet deep they explained to me the different layers of earth they had observed.

The kids are now experts, they have been playing in piles of dirt for weeks.  They dug a giant hole that when filled with rain became irresistible.  My sister Mary who is a speech therapist calls this "engaging in primary experiences".    

Maryanna was quick in inventing "mud yoga" and Clara followed with "mud ballet".  Henry decided a mud ball fight would be fun.  When I explained that is was time smooth out the pile they cried and wondered if they could request a dump load for Christmas or their birthdays, just theirs, for playing and making mud.  They think it would make for a great birthday party.

    

Peter has taken on the role of watering.  He was thrilled when I brought home a soaker hose and was helpful in establishing a watering system for the gardens.  We are considering ways to collect rain water and even setting up olla irrigation. He is constantly asking me questions about the plants that I wish I could answer, I simply say "I don't know, we'll have to just wait and see for ourselves".  Besides caring for the garden Peter has been most occupied with knitting farm animals.   

Past summers these two older boys kept their faces buried in books but now it seems they are more occupied with projects.  They took to this chicken tractor that Paul built just like the boys in Tom Sawyer. 

In addition to painting James has been focused on authoring an original fantasy series.  So far he is 95 pages into it and any moment I accuse him of being idle he says, "I know it looks like I'm being lazy right now but I'm pondering the developments of the plot". 

Meanwhile William has kept his hands busy with whittling.  This he does as he sits quietly with the animals, always returning in to report some very subtle observation.  He has also taken to observing the sky and while I was tucking in the younger ones one evening I heard a frantic call out for me, "mom, come quick".  I ran expecting an emergency but instead shared the wonder of May 2013's full moon lunar eclipse.  Already they are gearing up for the super moon expected this weekend.

Knowing our interest in the sky, our neighbors arranged for us to visit with their son in law who is a professor of physics and astronomy.  During his visit to Michigan he treated us to a peak at the sun through a special telescope.  George said "it looks like a ping pong ball".  

Our field trips have been fewer than they use to be.  But when another neighbor told us about the bird sales hosted by Michigan Bird and Game Breeders Association we could not resist.  William is still begging for peacocks and Peter was disappointed not to find a runner duck drake but we were all happy about the new baby guineas.  We also saw an assortment of doves, pigeons, emus, geese, turkeys and ducks.  When we came to a table of peacock feather hair pieces and earrings I almost (like for two seconds) got tempted to bring home a peacock, good thing I didn't. 

We are also really enjoying the company of other homeschool families.  I am amused by their "hanging out", here I put them to work preparing a pot roast to feed 13 children.  What we learned from this experience was when you double the amount of food in the dutch oven you should almost double the time for cooking.  Their back up dinner was watermelon, popcorn, bacon and as many eggs as they could find.

They are also practicing a play that was written by one of the 11 year old girls.  I am pleased by the way they have invited the 3 year olds to participate.

No day is without entertainment.  Maryanna and Clara have formed what they call "the farm circus".  They do all sorts of tricks, including a few that involve "Tainta" the chicken.

  

And there are certainly times where I demand normal school work.  In an old picnic basket I have arranged a mobile classroom and bring it where ever we may just be sitting.  Most recently it has accompanied us to the dentist and horseback riding lessons.  In it there is a pack of addition and subtraction flash cards, first 100 word flash cards, draw and write journals, large print scriptures, recent copy of the Friend magazine, a few small dry erase boards and a teaching time clock.

So grateful for the experiences I am sharing with my children, I too am learning so much!