Under Construction - Refocusing!

Lost... disoriented.. wandering.. confused... unfocused.. did I mention lost?

So far this year has been a year of confusion; a sorting out of things. I sit here today attempting to find the focus that normally drives my existence. My life has changed- not in a bad way- just changed.

*Family-

The children have moved on leaving my husband and I to wander how we managed before they arrived. Homestead dynamics change when there are fewer hands on deck.

*Work-

My husband and I work different shifts which often means we aren't home at the same time. Basic home duties are trying to rotate around odd hours.

*Home-

While we still homestead, we are faced with the challenge of scaling down and figuring out what fits the two of us instead of the five or more of us. Gardens, livestock, and land management are in limbo as we try to gage our resources.

*Time-

Yes, it seems I would have more time, but that's really a misconception. With less hands to help with the work, there is less time. Any amount of free time I find is being used to clean out and declutter as much as possible.. except:

*Study-

Since crazy runs in my family, I decided to register for my holistic health and nutrition license which means time needed for study before the exam. This takes me away from the declutter focus I was on.

Basically- it's chaos around here, but, here's the jist. The homestead, blog, and person are 'under construction'. There will be brainstorming, creative chaosing, and all out overhauling! While the blog is still something I want to do, it really needs some clean up (along with everything else).

For the next month or two, my focus will be intently on my exam. After that, the homestead gets a face lift, the clutter gets moved out, and the blog gets a redesign!

Let's see how this goes :)

Achievable Goals? Are there any?

To grow my own food- loose weight- get off my medication- raise my own meat- be sustainable; self- sufficient- to be thin- to look like -- to be better!!!!


We have all heard them; many of us have 'set' them- goals. Some we have achieved; many we have been deceived by- most have broken our hearts, and a few have been destroyed by them. When I ask people about setting goals the answers all brought me to a realization... we are probably thinking too big.


Why is it we look so far and so wide for the bigger and better whatever? Can we downsize it a bit to create a reality we can work in? I believe we can. Setting a big goal isn't inherently harmful, as long as we realize that it is the 'big picture'. With in that big picture can be smaller goals leading up to where we want to be.


Example: Say I want to grow my own food. That is a fairly large goal (big picture). The smaller goals leading up to that might be to start a small garden plot with simple veggies (maybe a salad garden); my next goal might be to raise a small flock of hens for eggs. Letting our goals build on each other without adding another until we find comfort in the success of the first lends us to more achievable outcomes... success.


Last week my participants received a paper filled with various shaped hearts. Large hearts were there for the 'big picture' goals; smaller were the steps leading up to the big picture. While the exercise may sound tedious.. the smaller hearts are the ones we focus on.. and many found success already this week.


'I drank more water'...'replaced one soda with water'.. walked on my breaks at work... spent more time with my child.. ate a veggie with each meal..


Confession: I am terrible at small goals! My mind is always focusing on the 'romantic notion of big things'. This week's small goals have been a challenge to keep my eyes on, however, I am seeing good progress in myself.


What about you?


Are you a big goal or small goal person? Do you find success in your approach?

Deafening Silence

Is it just me, or is silence deafening? My mind is constantly boggled lately by not only how silent my house has become, but how deafening it can be. Kinda like my little blog- I know.

Last month found me losing my mind as the schedule I set proved to be a bigger challenge than expected. This month is slightly less chaotic; slightly. Honestly, the chaos brings a bit of balance to the end of day deafening silence.  How does one manage the looming quiet that comes at the end of the day in an empty house?

She decides to expand her education.

I decided deafening silence could be filled with books, quizzes, tests, and certification processing. Doesn't that sounds like a great way to fill the void? This week I registered myself to bypass completing another degree and just get my certifications in fitness for special populations and as a nutritionist; I have been working in and studying about this for years- just as well dive right in and do it!

Please bear with me as I go geek- potentially sharing insights and irritations- as I study my way through the certification reviews and, hopefully, complete the process rather quickly.

Anyone else out there trying to fill the deafening silence with chaos?  

Dreaming of My Prairie

The Old Picnic Table

   Summer days bring with them memories of long ago. A time of gathering and glowing with the kiss of the Kansas sun. Prairie grasses waved in the sun; children climbed silos; and 'old folks' told tales. Walk with me through the years, back to my growing up days, were I ran free in the summer sun. Walk with me back to the prairie.
 
   You could tell family was coming to the farm; my grandmother would get antsy in the kitchen. Days and days of baking and preparing would yield a tell tale sign of a family gathering. Our standard fair: hamburgers on the grill with all the fixings.
    In the farm kitchen we stood pressing patties (heaven forbid someone suggest pre-made). Cheese slice wrappers lay between each one to keep them from sticking- she had saved and washed those wrappers just for such a need. Treats were made and placed on the old card table: cookies and pies, sometimes a cake, too. With all the work, there was always the concern- might not be enough.
  As the afternoon sun shifted in the sky and chores were finished the grill was pulled to the side of the house where the garage doors open - the same place we would sit and clean garden vegetables- the place where you could see the barn, shop, some of the fields, and most importantly- company driving up the drive.
   Grandpa and Uncle Randy would haul the old picnic table around there for us. I would run from the house to the picnic table setting out all the necessities: ketchup and mustard, pickles and onions, lettuce and tomatoes- my grandfather's favorite chips- bread for the burgers and drinks for everyone (iced tea, of course).
   The grill fired up as family members backed the trucks up near our picnic table; there were never enough places to sit! Some of the used the tail gates for placing the food items, some sat on them to eat. Bread slices were graced with hot hearty burgers- each dressed their own just as they liked it. My grandpa loved to stuff bar-b-que chips in his, naturally, I had to give it a try...yum! Sitting by him, my feet dangled from the bench swinging left and right (at least till someone noticed- sit still, you're shaking the whole table). 
   When the sun fell in the sky, the family lingered there at the old picnic table. The chatter of catching up, of reminiscing, of goings-on filled the air. Food was carried in and desserts tasted as my cousins and I chased lightning bugs; giggling and running in the prairie winds. Even as I headed in to bed, they lingered around the table- visions of the day danced in my dreams.

   The old picnic table now makes it's home with me, way down south. Never do I pass it by that I don't see the gathering of family or hear the chatter of loved ones. When we sit at the old table, I share the tales of long ago, when my family gathered on the farm with simple food, simple lives, simple fun.

 

Farmhouse Dill Pickles

4 qts. medium cucumbers

8 sprays of dill

4 garlic cloves

1 qt. vinegar (here I used white)

1 c. salt

3 qts. water

The day before, we wash the cucumbers and cover them with water in a bowl. They stand overnight.

The next way, put a spray or two of dill and one clove of garlic in each jar. Pack your cucumbers (prepared as you like) into your jars (size of jar depends on your preference...I use whatever is available). Combine vinegar, salt and water in a pot and bring to a rolling boil. Fill the jars to overflowing with the vinegar mixture. Now seal them in your water bath or pressure canner.

You can dig in anytime you want, but for best flavor, we let them cure for six weeks in a dark pantry before opening.

When the Garden Goes South

It started innocent enough; longer strings of cool weather yielded a nice extended harvest of greens and spring crops. Then the wild ride began; heavy rain; flooding; sheer and tornado winds. Now repeat all of that in cycles for a few months and you have the current disaster that is my garden. :0


This shall be the summer of the snail. Continued damp conditions alternating with intense heat and humidity have opened the door to a diabolical army of slimy voracious snails. They are on everything: kale, green beans, tomatoes, and even the squash. I tried picking them, squishing them, feeding them to the ducks.. then there was some herbal chemical application; today we must accept it; the majority of the garden has gone south!


When you can't beat them- heat them. Beds that have become overrun to the point of no return are currently being pulled out, fed to the flocks, and covered for the rest of the season. It's time to solarize the soil and hope for the best next time.


Solarizing the beds offers the garden a chance to fight back as naturally as possible. Beds can be emptied then covered with a black or clear covering allowing the heat of summer to 'cook' the impurities out of the soil. This intense heat can kill out pests, their eggs, and weed seeds that have taken up residence in the bed.


In addition to solarizing, we are considering adding new beds to the area. This will increase our ability to rest and rotate more efficiently next season. The greenhouse is due for some attention as well; the outer cover is split and the doors are bowing from weather and wear. Maybe the decrease in garden needs will lend me time for that task.


Today I take a deep breath, straighten up tall, and remember that fall will be here before I know it. Cooler weather will bring a renewed hope for the beauty of growing things.


Maybe I can get some of my closets cleaned out too?