Tidbits from our "farm"

We finally got around to starting our fall planting in the vegetable garden.  Things were put on hold in October because I had a few weeks of severe anxiety/depression, complicated by a reaction to medication.  Ugh.  I am so thankful to be doing better!

On Saturday, we put up a fence around the garden to keep the chickens out.  They weren't too happy about that.  After creating the chicken boundary, we planted seeds for beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, parsnips, and a few herbs.  Today the kids and I went to the garden center and got seeds for peas and kale.  We also got broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, onion, and brussel sprouts plants.  Lots of things we've never grown before.  I'm curious how our fall gardening venture will turn out.  The kids insist that they will eat everything that we grow in our own garden.  I hope they do!

The chickens are doing well and supplying us with lots of eggs.  They are a funny group of ladies, very entertaining to watch.

We've been getting some rain and it is so wonderful to see our lawn (um, weed patch) turning green again.

Exploring in the garden

Most of our spring/summer garden is done for the season.  That means it is time for me to dig and weed the garden in preparation for fall planting.

The kids and I have been working out there.  The kids say they are going to turn the whole garden into a swimming pool.  I must admit I have other plans for it, like growing edible things.  In the meantime, they have made a pretty large hole.  And they certainly have been coming in the house with very dirty hands, feet, and clothing.

While the young ones dig, wistfully dreaming of a swimming pool, I've been cutting down the tomato jungle.  We have seen two mice darting in and out amidst the zucchini and spaghetti squash plants.  No pictures; they are fast little critters.

Yesterday Arik said, "Mom, what is that?  It's something alive."  I glanced and told him it was just a leaf.  He poked it and showed me that it was indeed a living creature.

An albino praying mantis?

It turned out to be a pink praying mantis.  Pink?  I thought they are supposed to be green or brown.  I briefly researched it online and came across a bunch of differing opinions as to whether a praying mantis could be considered albino.

Last week the kids had their annual doctor's visits.  I thought they looked pretty cute in the little gowns.

These two get their fair share of colds and other viruses each year, but in general they are extremely healthy.  This was the first doctor visit for either of them in an entire year.  I am so extremely thankful for the blessing of their good health.  I am so thankful that they are able to dig in the dirt, investigate bugs, and climb trees.  I am thankful for the 20 times each day that I remind my son to not hug the chickens quite so hard.  And for the 10 times every day that I ask my kids to take a break from wrestling with each other before someone gets hurt.  Each day with my loved ones is such a precious gift.

Summer days in the Sunflower House

Near the beginning of the summer, the kids and I planted a Sunflower House.  I wrote a little about it in this post.

Arik and Anna in the Sunflower House in July.

The sunflowers grew fast.  They grew huge. 

Anna near the sunflowers in August.

Anna and Arik spent many happy hours playing in their Sunflower House.  We read stories in the shelter of huge blossoms. 

Joel and the kids camped in the backyard, right next to the Sunflower House of course.

A sunflower house

Last fall, the kids and I discovered this book:  Sunflower House by Eve Bunting.  They wanted to read it many times.  And then, they wanted to plant their very own Sunflower House.

They patiently waited for the arrival of summer, sunflower time.  Repeatedly, they reminded me "Don't forget about the Sunflower House!  Don't forget to buy seeds."  In June, I dug up the soil for the sunflower seeds and the kids joyfully planted.

The sunflowers are growing quickly.  We are curious when the blossoms will appear.  Anna decided she could be the blossom for now.  "Look, Mom, I'm a sunflower!"  "Why yes, you are my darling girl!  Keep on growing and blooming.  I'll try to provide enough water and nutrients.  Let Jesus be your sunshine!"

Lessons from the garden

I had a huge list of fruits and vegetables that I wanted to be able to fit into our spring and summer garden.  Joel and I dug and hoed, dug and did more hoeing.  We prepared a pretty large garden plot, especially considering that we dug all that hard, dry soil by hand.  But still, there wasn't enough room for all I had hoped to plant.  We dug an extra garden plot for the corn.  Still not enough space.

I planned and mapped out the garden, planting everything as close as possible according to the directions of the seed packets.  If it said to plant something 2 to 3 feet apart, I was sure to plant it 2 feet apart.  As a result, my tomato bushes are like an overgrown jungle.  There is no way to get into the center to pick the fruits.  Will the plants become so immense that they overwhelm and harm one another?

The peas are crowding into the beans; the beans are trying to overtake the carrots.  There are no longer aisles to walk down and the plants are certainly still growing!  How will we reach the vegetables that are ready to harvest?  I'm a novice gardener.  I'm learning as I go!

I'm a novice parent too.  I've never done it before.  Hopefully I'll be a fast learner when it comes to raising my kids!  It would be easy for me to "sow" the lives of my children in much the same manner as I planted my garden.  I would love for them to be taking swimming lessons, piano and voice lessons, art classes, gymnastics, karate, soccer, Spanish, Sign Language, Latin...   The list could go on and on.  Perhaps God had a distinct plan in limiting our transportation and finances in this season of our lives? 

Anna and Arik are so happy at home.  They enjoy playing together, using their imaginations, exploring the mud and bugs in the yard, listening as I read countless stories.  They like to go places from time to time, but they always seem so overjoyed to be home again.

Plenty of relaxed time at home really does seem to be the best "garden" for young children.  I plant seeds of learning; my kids soak it all in due to their natural curiosity and fascination with everything around them.  Childhood to adulthood is one long growing season.  It can be easy to become concerned about what my harvest will be.  Am I providing enough fertilizer, water, sun, and shade?  Am I providing too much?  I can't plant everything I want to in their lives.  So what is the most important?  I want my children to know and love Jesus.  I want them to love and help others.  I want them to love learning and reading.

It was important for me to prepare the soil for the plants in the garden.  I need to provide water and pull weeds, and train a few of them to grow in the right direction.  But mostly, I need to leave them alone and trust that as God provides sun, the vegetables will grow.   Gardening and parenting may just have a lot in common!

Everything is growing!

Our garden!  We have planted tomatoes, corn, peas, beans, beets, carrots, spaghetti squash, zucchini, cucumbers, parsnips, spinach, lettuce, sunflowers, and strawberries.  I might be forgetting something.  Almost everything is sprouting!  We still need to plant our watermelon and pumpkin seeds.

One of the little gophers that has been digging up our yard and trying to gobble up all our hard work!

The chicken coop.  Now we just need to paint it and put shingles on the roof.

The chickens sure have grown!  This picture is from about a month ago, so they are even bigger now.  Anna and Arik like to give the chickens lots of hugs.  The chickens aren't real thrilled about the affection.  Corn Cob, the Rhode Island Red, is by far the most friendly of the 4 chickens.

Anna and Arik are growing quickly too!

A jumble of thoughts

1.  About a year ago, I made myself a chore chart.  My goal was to complete one or two scheduled household chores each day for each two week period.  There are 52 weeks in a year.  That makes 26 chances I have had to complete all the chores on my list.  Not once have I actually succeeded in doing every chore on my list.  Perhaps I need to come to terms with the fact that my house will always be dirtier than I wish it was.  The chore I most often avoid?  Dusting.

2.  I've really been struggling lately with feelings of discouragement and a lack of energy.  It is reminding me of the depression and anxiety I have so often experienced.  But I don't want to call it that!  I don't want to go down that road again.  Life is good.  I live with a very strange mix of pure joy and nearly overwhelming discouragement.  Working in the garden and hiking with my family are my most effective forms of "therapy."

3.  Teaching my kids at home is something I never thought I would do.  I feel like homeschooling found me, and I am so glad it did!  I am extremely blessed to have this time with my kids.  Yes, there are days when I am tired and wouldn't mind a small break, but I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything (not even hundreds of quiet days to myself).

4.  The Bible is the most amazing book!  Even after reading through it multiple times, I am constantly surprised and encouraged by the new things I find.

5.  I lived alone for a while in my early twenties.  One weekend I realized that I had been home by myself for three days and did not feel even remotely lonely or bored.  I hadn't talked to anyone, seen anyone, hadn't even watched TV or listened to the radio.  I think I can safely call myself an introvert.  The most challenging part of parenting for me has been the fact that I am never alone!

6.  The gophers and squirrels in my yard are taunting me.  I think they know I don't have the heart to harm them.  They poke their little heads out of the dirt and watch me as I work in the garden.  Maybe they are cheering me on.  "Way to go!  Keep working!  We will really enjoy eating all these great vegetables you are planting!"

That's all for now.  Maybe someday soon I will have some more coherent thoughts!

On the home front

Last summer we moved out of the city to a smaller, farmish (that is a word, right?) sort of town.  Our goal was to find a place where our kids could have room to run and to dig in the dirt.... to have space to plant a vegetable garden and raise chickens.  We realized we were unwittingly raising city kids who were afraid to get dirty or leave the well-worn path.  My husband Joel and I both grew up near a very small town in Oregon.  We both lived in forested areas with no other houses visible from our own.  When I wasn't reading, I spent my time building forts out of hay bales, building dams in the creek, running through the forest, playing with the pigs...  It was a good way to grow up!

So here we are on our mini-farm:  our 1/2 acre Petracci Plantation.  We planted our first small vegetable garden last fall.  We are still enjoying the fruits (um, vegetables) of our labor.  During the fall and winter (we live in Southern California) we were able to eat lots of beets, carrots, lettuce, peas, cilantro, and parsley from our own garden.  We have now made our garden about 3 times larger and are digging, hoeing, and adding compost to try and prepare the soil for our spring planting.  Maybe some day we will be blessed by the use of a rototiller?!  I'm dreaming of tomatoes, beans, peas, corn, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers, sunflowers, herbs, and more!  I need to scale back my plans to match the actual area we've managed to prepare!  Turning desert soil into a fertile garden plot is hard work.

Two weekends ago, we chose 4 chicks!  They are very cute and are growing quickly.  They should start laying eggs in about 4 or 5 months.  Now we just need to build their chicken coop before they outgrow their tiny home in a container in our garage.

Shauna, the novice farmer in training.  I keep wondering how I managed to grow up on the edge of a farm, with 2 sets of gardening and farming grandparents, and have absolutely no experience with gardening or raising chickens.  I am determined to learn how to grow and raise food for my own family and to help my kids learn these valuable skills.