Little Hands on Deck

Of the many changes that have come to the homestead, a grand baby has been one of the most precious. Miss K has been a part of our lives for nearly two years, and in that time she has grown to be quite a little homestead hand.

She may look like a little doll, but this gal is a strong force to be reckoned with. Her little feet carry her to every corner of the Scaife Family Farm; barns, pastures, gardens and playgrounds are no match for her. K hauls feed, tosses hay, and works the garden right along side her Grand-daddy and me.

Every animal on the farm runs to greet their favorite little farm girl; they know she always comes baring gifts... raisins, carrots, and the tops of strawberries! Her hugs and kisses are welcome and met with tender nuzzles and noises. Eggs are gathered.. one at a time to the fridge and back. Nest boxes are fluffed every time she is here. Is it any wonder they love her?

As she grows, so do her skills. Where once she simply walked through the garden observing the growing things, now she pulls weeds, harvests, and waters. Instead of following us during chores, she pitches right in carrying feed and hay right alongside us. There is no need to drag her along, she visits all the different jobs several times in a day making sure little bits of things get done as we go.

The most important thing to remember when working with little ones at our heels.... to them all work is play. When K and I work together my expectations are light and flexible: we might work one row of weeds, clean one stall, or wash only a handful of dishes. That is all okay; it will get done, just slower that if I were doing it myself. It is about the process, not the results... and the process is a beautiful thing to be a part of.

Embracing the Role of a Veteran Parent

The youngest two- all grown up

Recently a friend of mine delivered her first precious baby just as my youngest 'baby' flew the coop. Her parenting journey is just beginning as mine seems to have ended. Or did it? As we chatted over the joy of her beautiful little treasure, the reality set in: our parenting journey never really ends, it just changes. 

Enter the season of the veteran parent. 

Instead of being on demand, educating, protecting and providing for the needs of our children, my husband and I have now found ourselves in a 'hands-off' role. We are now long-distance advisers to adult children; the counselors they turn to when they need a booster shot of parent wisdom and tough love.

Instead of having babies to rock and homework to help with, we are now grandparents that enjoy the little ones for a day.. or from a distance. We are there to encourage other parents plodding the path we have already trod. 

As a veteran parent, I can gather my compassion and share my wisdom with the world around me. I can seek opportunities to be available to my grown kids and for those struggling to survive their tender fleeting years with littles and youth. I can be available, open and willing to step alongside and listen to one who is frustrated, broken, grieving and ready to quit; hold the hand of the parent in despair or the one who feels all alone. 

Friends, whatever stage of parenting we are in... we are all in this together. Let's encourage one another and be available to lend support!

A Harvest In Spite of Myself

Weekends.. despite my best intentions, they often do not include enough time in my gardens. Recently, the weekends found me struggling to play catch up with all the chores I didn't get to during the week. The Lord's mercy offered plenty of good rain and sunshine, allowing the garden to grow in spite of my absence. 

So far this winter I have managed to harvest kale, peas, carrots, onions, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and cauliflower along with a plethora of herbs. Amazing!

The days are lengthening and warming causing the garden to call out for attention. This weekend I managed some cleaning and weeding along with setting a few purchased transplants of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. While transplants are usually started in my greenhouse, the time got away from me- so purchased transplants it is. 

My new resolve is to change not only my weekend gardening routine, but to also find some time during the week. Fortunately, little Miss K loves being in the garden... even more incentive! 

Here is to a new garden season and the possibilities ahead!

Getting Back to Me

Hello, my name is Michele. It has been over a month since my last post.

Already this year, this small life has had so many not so small changes. I'm not sure why these particular changes have been so challenging- change happens all the time. For some reason, this season of change tipped my bucket and set me off my course. 

Enough already. Enough letting things tip my scales and topple my blocks. It is time to get back to me- to the things that make me tick and push my drive; to the things that feed my soul giving me the charge to function. I have had enough moping and bemoaning the changes. 

Starting today I am getting back to...

                        

Teaching! I am an educator by nature and there is no way to hide from it- but I was trying. These days I have a full time job which offers me the opportunity to teach a wide range of beautiful souls a wide range of subjects I love. 

Cooking! Yes, my job involves cooking- but I mean the ebb and flow of taste and trial.. the experimentation of flavor, texture and color. Do you know how hard it is to cook when there is only one or two to feed?

The Barn Things! Little chirps and peeps- fuzzy baby goat noses- it has been far too long. There are two does ready to pop and I am very ready to cuddle me some babies!

Gardens! Three sad, neglected gardens long for love and spring is a great time to jump in. As the days get a bit longer, hopefully I will be able to rewild myself after hours with some much needed soil and garden therapy.

Sewing! So many empty rooms in my house are calling to me for useful rearranging, one of which is the sewing room. My fabric stash is overflowing- all I need is time/ My son is going to need a manly quilt to keep him warm when he finishes basic training.. and my grandbaby will need a bigger quilt to cuddle. I need to get busy!

Blogging- believe it or not, ,,my mind wanders over posts yet to be written, stories yet to be shared, and the many untold dramas that daily life holds. The only thing keeping me away from here has been me and my anxious, noxious self- pitifulness. Time to get over it.

Today is a new day in a new season of life. It is long past time to let go, leave behind, and move on. It is time to get back to me. Let's walk this path and see where the trail leads us. Come join me!

Creative in the Kitchen: Kumquats

Miss K's kumquat tree produced quite a yield this year. Our little three foot fruit tree brought in about 5 pounds of tiny fruits (with the help of a good rainy season and some hearty mushroom compost). While plenty of these vitamin C rich bites were eaten straight up- and shared with others- I ended up with two pounds that needed 'put up' before they went bad.

Last year Miss K and I stirred up kumquat preserves; one in jelly form, one in marmalade style, and a batch of candied kumquats. From those test recipes, we found the jelly form our favorite with the candied version a close second.

This year, with a need to distract myself (son shipping out), it seemed a good idea to play with last year's test runs. Instead of my standard jams and jellies, I decided to focus in on honey and spice; two things I already had on hand and enjoy immensely. Honey is a perfect preservative with numerous health benefits and a serious shelf life. Spice, well, I intended to use cinnamon and cloves, however, when rummaging through the herbal cabinet the scent of cardamom and anise spoke to me. Upon rubbing a few pods together in my hand, I determined to blend them together for a unique aroma. A few basic recipes from the internet and I was on may way to playing in the kitchen.

I took two pounds of washed kumquats, stems removed, and simmered them in just enough water to cover. After about 10 minutes they had plumped and split (not all of them split, but that's okay). Drained and returned to the pan, I poured in a quart of honey along with a palm-ful of cardamon pods, about 10 star anise pods, and a tablespoon or so of clove buds. This simmered until is smelled divine- about 10-15 minutes.
Heat off and slightly covered, this wonderful concoction was left to sit overnight steeping in the wondrous perfume.

The next day, I strained the honey. Kumquats were placed in jars with the infused honey poured over to cover. Those amazing herbs were dried in the dehydrator to be ground and used in all sorts of yummy ways. Finally the remaining honey was jarred and set to use as well.

How do we use all this?

Kumquats can be eaten, added to baked goods, dried for a tasty snack, and added to hot tea.

Spices can be ground, added to anything needing a sweet hint of spice.

Honey is wonderful on anything!