Blueberry

It is a Family Affair

I wonder......how can I help?

I love that this was a team effort. They worked together and got the job done.

I also adore about my family that not even a second thought is given to Lil'Bug's help. She's part of the team and that's that. 

The neat thing is that she actually does help. She pays attention (most of the time) and is alert and ready. 

She also really likes Dearest's tape measure. :)

More later!

Two Heads are Better than.....

Mac is so lovely. She's like art work. Dearest told Lil'Bug all machines are female because they require money and maintenance. To which I responded......so the operator can sit in the comfy leather seat while "she" does all the hard field work? Not cool. 

Then we had a family discussion about why such things are not nice to say. Lil'Bug got a lesson in metaphors we worked out some tension. 

Or why you should always work on a mega mower tag team? I love that the farm and all of it's tools are actually bring our family closer together. We need each other. The sunshine helps.

Still seeing your loved ones under a mower like this is unsettling. Two heads are better than none? 

Dancing Queen

Last week we visited the DM farmer's market. We did two weeks worth of grocery shopping, fancy cheese included and left with loaded bags. On the way out Lil'Bug sees a guy with a cool guitar and a neat drum and asks please to go dance please! Of course!

Thank you Chris for sending me this link, she is indeed our dancing queen. :)

I've not been blogging, it's true. I apologize. Grades are in and half the garden in the ground. Perhaps I shall find time again. ;)

I have a couple hundred photos to sort and post too which will hopefully come this week.

In other news, despite my insane business, I managed to get something started that I've wanted to do for a while: Simply Food, Nothing Extra. I'm still gathering up local foodies so if you know any, send me a note. I've been reading Iowa mom and farm blogs and there are so many incredible recipes and ideas, all which helped me on my quest to better eating for my family. So why not gather them all up? It is finally out there, beautifully designed by Diana and starting to fill up with incredible recipes. :) Check it out!

We also have the chicken run done (baby chicks are all outside), a new mower and tiller (Yay mother's day! and thank you Nana and Pawpaw) in the garage, and we are in the middle of Spring planting (just 1/2 the beans, all the peppers, brussel sprouts, and squashes left to go in when the rain lets up and I can get a new bed tilled). Also looking for some piglets. Dearest is building a pig hut in preparation.

Infinity, They Might Be Giants

I. Put your music player on shuffle.
II. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
III. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
IV. Put your own comment after each song.
V. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this (including me!).


1. If someone says "Is this okay?" you say: Round Robin, Music Together

2. What would best describe your personality: "Ghost of Stephen Foster," Squirrel Nut Zippers

3. What you like in a girl/guy: Horn Harp Honk, Dr. Suess's ABC's

4. How you feel today: Ralph Takes Command, audio book Mouse and the Motercycle

5. Your life's purpose: "Somewhere Else" Kathleen Edwards

6. What your friends think of you: Old Mother Hubbard, Mother Goose Songs

7. What you think of your parents:"Swallowed in the Sea" Coldplay

8. What you think about very often: Number 2, They Might Be Giants (With all the manure and diapers....yes. It is so true.....)

9. What 2 + 2 equals: Renee Died, Smog

10. Kids think you're...: Withered Hope, They Might Be Giants

11. What you think of your best friend: Bach, Paritita in E, BWV 1006A, Ana Vidovic

12. What you think of the person you like: Ribbons Undone, Tori Amos

13. What your parents think of you: The Fling, Micheal Nyman (The Piano soundtrack)

14. Music you like to veg to: Vienna, The Frey

15. Guilty pleasure: Graduale, Cappella Gregoriana (Yup.)

16. You're leaving the office - you start cranking: Credits Theme, Dr. Suess's ABC's (Office?)

17. What you will dance to at the next wedding you attend:  Fix You, Coldplay (Hear that Bee, tell your DJ).

18. What they will play at your funeral: Best Years of Our Lives, Baha Men (Interesting. I always imagined a different Shreck tune at my wake...)

19. Your hobby/interest: Sansoucci, Rufus Wainwright

20. Your biggest secret: Sulek the Trubadors, Ana Vidovic (I'm not telling.)

21. What you think of your friends: Parasol, Tori Amos

22. The worst thing that could happen: Blower's Daughter, Damian Rice (This song creeps me out because the base of it really is one of my greatest fears).

23. How you will die: Even Numbers, They Might Be Giants (This is weird. I once wrote a short story about a OCD agoraphobic who was obsessed with even numbers.)

24. Does anyone like you? Witness, Tori Amos

25. If you could go back in time, what would you change? Yes, Anastasia, Tori Amos (Yes, I would change that. I know.)

26. What hurts right now? Hundred, The Frey

27. What rule do you always follow? Nixie's Blues, Dr. Suess's "Just relax, while I play my sax...."

28. What have teachers always thought of you? That Fascinating Thing, Squirrel Nut Zippers

29. What's something you do everyday?  Deep Into The Forest, Micheal Nyman

30. What will you post this as? Infinity, They Might Be Giants

I really do have more, than what is sampled, in my itunes player. Weird. 

Mac Book Pro

Meet Mac. 
Mac is a VERY nice tractor. Abby at Sugar Creek Family Farm and her husband helped us out in our quest to find a working tractor to replace our life sized tractor shaped boat anchor. Here is the incredibly restored machine. It even has a brand new seat cover (which will come in handy in the sub zeros snow shoveling episodes like the one that killed tractor # 1....) and every part that can be painted shiny and new is painted shiny and new. New tires too. We really got a great deal. Thank you to our friends who arranged the deal and delivered it on a Thursday evening!

Mac made quick work of my manure raking chore. Awesome.

Also, I got my summer schedule worked out and if all goes well I'll be replacing lesser Mac with a MacBook named Ford 8N. In all fairness. I'll actually be teaching five online classes this summer and four in the fall. We are going to be really busy here!

The Chicks of the Farm

The Chicken Palace is actually a grain bin and a corn crib with a soon to be constructed run between them. The problem quickly emerged that the chicks were still small enough to squeeze themselves between the gaps and take off running. Sure it's funny at first, but not so fun when all ten chicks are on the loose at the same time. Hobbit helped herd them and Lil'Bug is amazing at catching the fast little chickens. 

Still, it was up to us to fix the problem as the day was heating up and the grain bin would just get too hot, plus the light set up did not work like we intended. The Farm Chicks (Mama P, Lil'Bug, and baby Blueberry) headed to the local lumber yard and purchased 50 ft of chicken wire, 3 ft tall. 

We wrapped the corn crib with it, all but the door (we were short 3 ft.).  It needs to be tightened still and secured better, but it works just like I wanted. Awesome. 

The thing is, right now we are catching each chicken and moving them by hand every morning and evening to move them. The connector run has got to get constructed SOON. I will not want to do this for the next batch of chicks (30 of them) or the next (30 more) or the guineas (um, 30......but hopefully 30 of the previously listed chicks will be chicken pot pies by then.....). So hopefully that will happen THIS weekend. 

She is so good at this chore though. Moments like these remind me why we moved here in the first place. That rooster bit her, by the way, and she named him Nuggets. Cute.