Kids keepin' busy

I can't believe it has only been two weeks that we have lived here, I can't believe how much our lives and daily routine have changed.  There is so much work but also so much fun.  For the most part it is the adults doing the work (which Paul is finding surprisingly satisfying) and the kids are off having their fun.  I need to find a large dinner bell to call them all back in.

The littlest ones are still by my side but wait at the gates for a chance to roam free with the big kids.  Here is George in just a diaper, breakfast soaked jammie top and probably bare feet.  He is quick and cheerful in pointing out toads and butterflies, and even quicker with his kicking and screaming as I carry him back to the fenced yard.

Clara is helpful but often distracted by anything that flowers. 

Here is Henry roaming free with his harmonica.

William's constant companion has been his North American Wildlife book.  He is quick to reference anything unfamiliar and quick to share proper identification (and size, and habitat, and diet, and life span....).  Here he has identified some raccoon tracks.  And come to think of it, I am just now identifying those shorts as the same shorts he's been wearing day after day after day, the boy must have been busy this week!

James has confirmed raccoon droppings with the scat guide.  There is talk of all sorts of predators in our area so the boys are always looking out for fresh droppings.

Peter is anxious to catch a fish.  We were told the pond was well stocked with perch and bass but so far we've only caught weeds, but just sitting by the water and waiting is still fun.  I promised I'd help him push out the row boat one of these days.  But I've been busy too.  I'm anxious to find my feet here and join in on all the fun.   

Good friends and good neighbors

There seems to be a lot of country know how in these parts, most our neighbors have been living the country life style for years.  I believe we stick out terribly as the "don't know hows".  Good thing they all are mostly retired and very generous with their knowledge, experience and produce.  

This basket was left on our door step this morning.  The kids took to it like a plate of cookies eating a nice dent into the fresh green beans.

Another neighbor handed over a bag of green peppers, cucumbers and zuchinnis while another walked me around our new home and told me what was a weed and what wasn't (I really don't know how).  She also urged me to prune the over grown fruit trees, pick off all the beetles from the grapes by hand and possibly transplant a peach tree.  This was all finished with a reminder not to get overwhelmed and realize we'll never be "done".

Paul was visited today by a "new friend" who offered to walk us through our first hay cutting.  We may need to find some more "friends" to help us bale it.

Another surprise this morning was our first FedEx package, the remote driver drove a big white van just like ours and handed over this gift from a friend across the country.

This book has been in my amazon basket for weeks along with all sorts of other farm help books that I never got around to ordering.  We are facing a huge learning curve.  I spent hours last night reading about chickens and browsing online hatcheries just like I use to browse fabric and shoes.  The Encyclopedia of Country Living is going to be a great resource and has already been passed around today from kids to me to Paul.  This information in this book is as informative as it is overwhelming. 

Time for us to clean the chicken coop and decide if we want to order a box of chicks to raise or trust Craigslist or an auction for pullets.......maybe I should call a good neighbor for advice.

Dog bliss

Archie has a new spring step since moving to our farm.  He is no longer an inside lounge dog, in fact he already seems to be shedding some of his extra pounds from all the out door exploring.   His favorite spot of course is the pond.

His second favorite spot is the sandbox, which is exactly why he will remain an outside dog until the snow comes.

Breaking Point

Moves are never easy, but this one has been especially hard.  We were working in the high 90's with high humidity and no a/c at either of the houses.  We worked in slow motion drenched in sweat.

When we were nearing our last load over to the new house I was finally ready to carefully hand deliver a box of my favorite serving dishes.  Since we were hand carrying I didn't think they'd need more than a few dish cloths to keep them safe.  As I carefully placed them in a box little George would toddler near and take them out one at a time.  I asked myself, "would I hold it against him his whole life if he broke some of my favorite dishes"?  then moved the box to a safer location until it was ready to go.  I had a feeling something was going to happen so I asked Paul if he could carefully carry it to the front of the van where I could cradle it.  

He picked it up carefully but at the first step down the front porch the box let out the bottom.  My first response was hysterical laughter, then tears.  The tears weren't so much for the loss of the items, I already determined I could live perfectly well without them and without blame for whoever broke them, in fact, in some ways it was nice to lighten the load of "stuff" to carry and care for.  But mostly the tears were a result of both physical and emotional exhaustion.

Among the shards were a set of hand painted pasta bowls my sister Julie gave me for our wedding, when I discovered this I cried again.  I actually used those dishes almost everyday, I even used them to make Julie her favorite Asian noodle soup when she wasn't feeling well.  These tears came from a deeper source and I asked myself some deeper questions about non attachment and living.  

I thought about the Mormon pioneers, those who buried loved ones along the way and even my own ancestors who lost all their possessions in the North Platte river.

This moment on the front steps with my pile of shattered dishes was definitely a moment I will continue to reflect on.  I'm not sure exactly what I learned from it but I did move forward with more presence, gratitude and stillness.  It may have actually been a fixing point.

Farmhouse photos

I fell in love with this place the minute we drove up the gravel driveway, that was months ago and I whispered to Paul, "this is it".  We had been looking for over two years and our patience served us well.  Well, I have to admit it was mostly Paul's patience as I was the one begging him to share my vision on some pretty run down properties.  I'm glad he said no when he did. 

Here is a side door entrance to our new home.   

And here is the kitchen. I love the earthy feel of it, it is finished with a combination of redwood and marble counter tops.  And I feel completely spoiled to be working on a Wolf range.  

Here is the old farmhouse pantry.  Plenty of space and even a pencil sharpener on the door (I'm kind of a sucker for those random details)!

The living room.

Master bedroom and upstairs hall.

I'm not the most creative or technical photographer but I simply shoot when my hands are free and the moment arises.  Paul suggested I take these before we bring too much of our "junk" in, that way when it is really messy I'll remember what a beautiful home this is.  

I am grateful to the previous owners who put so much love and care into the restoration, it has good vibes and you can feel it in the walls.  This is a great contrast to some scary foreclosures we tip toed through.

The house is not too big, but not too small.  It will work for us because so much of our living will be extending into the endless yard.  This was the real selling point for me.

We spent the evening out there in the grass talking about the changes ahead and all were given a change to express both their excitements and concerns.  

I'm still speechless in joy and my biggest concern is I'll never want to leave. But until we get this homestead up and running I'll at least be running "in to town" to the grocery store because all the garden is producing so far is garlic and weeds.  Here is our very first harvest.

Movin' In

After weeks of waiting we are finally settling in at our new farm.  

The garden had weeds up to my shoulder so Paul got on the tracker and mowed them down.  I'm anxious to plant what I can this late in the season but I'm also tempted to take some wallpaper down and paint, maybe I should first focus on setting up the kitchen.

Yikes, I'm both giddy and overwhelmed with the amount of projects ahead of us.  Having moved several times before I recognize this move as very different from the rest, this is a shift in lifestyle. 

Let the adventure begin, and may I not be too exhausted to keep a good record of it.

Summer Nights

There is something about living in Michigan that makes you savor every bit of sunshine, even the bit of it that's lingering way past normal children's bedtimes.  

This summer has been exceptionally pleasant, even a bit dry with fewer mosquitos and manageable humidity.  We've mostly been out playing and swimming but have also enjoyed a few of the community events.

Here Clara is up top Daddy's shoulders at Ann Arbor's Top of the Park.  There was a small circus act called Strange Fruit that the girls are still giggling and talking about.

The boys were less impressed with Three Belles and instead found more entertainment in wrestling in the grass.  We all enjoyed the live music but being out with 7 children in a large crowd can also look like a circus act.  Many people stopped to ask if they were all ours and I caught even more nodding their heads in counting heads.  We just smile and nod back because it is fun to be out as a family on such pleasant summer nights.

4th of July was celebrated with a few cheap boxes of grocery store fireworks.  They were up close and simple and the kids loved it!

There were colorful smoke bombs, snappers and expanding snakes.

And of course boxes of sparklers (only a few burnt fingers but we just picked some plantain at our feet, mashed it up and wrapped the burns - it worked).

George starting screaming at the first bang and was happier in bed.  The girls enjoyed a safe distance and the boys of course enjoyed lighting the matches.  All the while I was trying to figure out how to use my camera in new ways (still figuring it out).

We also had a chance to see our favorite local singers Gemini play at the library.  We've listened to them for miles on road trips and I even remember them visiting our elementary school years ago.  Maryanna got to go up and perform with them. 

George enjoyed bouncing along as I sang along to every song, I may be a bigger fan than any of the kids.  And of course we had to pick up even another one of their Cd's to sing along to in the van.  My siblings will all remember the famous "I'm gonna tell".

When we are out on summer nights Paul likes to just walk the streets.  On one occasion I was pushing the double stroller behind and Clara dressed in her favorite puffy princess dress got the skirt tangled in the wheel.  The stroller came to a quick halt and both her and Henry fell to their knees in the middle of the street we were crossing.  There is now a new no dress-up rule for our summer evening outings.

If the kids are lucky the night will end like this:

And if we are lucky our summer nights will end like this: