Our friends Alex and Emma gave us these. Beautiful additions to the farm kitchen.
Author: Ryan Kraeger
"I only remember the very first part of the book where he described the man of steel and velvet and I remember the deep chord that phrase struck. I remember the image I had of a hand of living steel wearing a velvet glove, a hand that could crush or caress, strike a killing blow or wipe away tears, lift mountains or cradle an infant. The rest of the book was an afterthought."
From an essay about Aubrey Andelin's "Man of Steel and Velvet".
Phase 1 complete: The Digging is Dug
You know, some cultures believe that a child will grow up to take on the qualities of the name that he has been given. In my Dad's case this was eminently true. I don't know very many people who have... Dug.. More dirt than he has? ;-D There's a reason no one ever called him… Continue reading Phase 1 complete: The Digging is Dug
Orchard work
Monday and Tuesday of this week we only got about an hour each day to do any farm work, between weather and school, inside chores and runny noses. We used that brief time to get caught up on some tasks that needed doing in the orchard. The orchard, by the way, is not a separate… Continue reading Orchard work
Mama said…
You can put your boots in the oven, but that don’t make ‘em biscuits.
More Digging
Saturday Morning, Ryan and Adam got about two hours of digging in on the trench. We dug about until sunrise before taking a fast break for breakfast. Adam had busted out the pick ax which definitely made a quicker job of breaking through the hardpan and dislodging stubborn rocks. Once the pack was loosened, then… Continue reading More Digging
Diggy Diggy Trench
Ryan and Adam have really been pushing hard to get the water line in for the past year. Whatthis involves right now is mainly a lot of digging. The trench has to be extended to at least 18 inches deep, which means that it needs to be wide enough to stand in, and in most… Continue reading Diggy Diggy Trench
Pruning time
It is February, time to get the fruit trees pruned. This is a time consuming job every year, but it is also a fun job, once you get the hang of it (and when I say "get the hang of it" I mean, develop a hermeneutic of pruning that allows you to move through each… Continue reading Pruning time
Eggs are picking up!
As the days get longer (we passed the 10 hour day just this week in Tacoma!) The chickens have begun to increase their egg laying. Even the Americaunas (who took most of the winter off) are starting to produce again. Perhaps it is the sunshine, or perhaps it is just the friendly feeding. So we… Continue reading Eggs are picking up!
Pumpkin Biscuits
The last time we made pumpkin cookies, everyone complained that they were too sweet! So this time we left out half the sugar. And none of the kids liked them because they were not sweet enough. And they did not taste much like cookies, more like biscuits. So Daddy ate all the rest. Alas!
Work bench
With so much to do outside, I wonder why I spend the few hours I have to work on the farm on a workbench in the shop. Well, the answer to that in the last couple weeks has been mostly circumstantial. It has been cold, wet and rainy, and the kids have had colds. When… Continue reading Work bench
Little Farm in the Big City 