The Other Mother....

Around this house there is a force of nature that lurks around silently and rarely with complaint.  I would be lost without this force of nature, and today I would  like to say Happy Mother's Day to The Reluctant Farmer.  

To know The Reluctant Farmer, is to love her.  She is patient, kind, and everything I am not, but strive to be.   She is a silent force that never asks for much, and always gives more than she gets.  Sometimes I wonder why she sticks around here!  (Trust me when I say, it is not because I am easy to live with!)   

Here are a few of the reasons I love her:

1)  Without her we would have no clean underwear or socks to wear to work/school.

2)  We would be forced to eat cafeteria food at school and work, without her awesome lunches that she packs us everyday.

3)  She loves all of my dogs, tolerates my livestock, and frequently takes care of them for me when I am too busy doing whatever else it is that I am doing.

4)  She never says "This was not my idea..." when I take on a project that is way to big for me to undertake single handedly. 

5)  She honestly is the most Godly woman I know in her actions and attitude, and frequently is someone I could take lessons from in this department.

6)  Where she has no biological children, she loves my child just as much as I do, and for that I just have to say:  Happy Mother's Day.  You deserve this day just as much as I do, if not more.  We would be lost without you....

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day from all of us On the Urban Farm!

For wiping the tears off  little faces, and snot off  little noses.

For listening to, "Mom, come here!" and "Just one more time!"

For running your homestead with the precision of a skilled pilot, and 

for doing all of this with soft hands and a kind heart.

We love you!

Thank you for doing what you do everyday!

Who is watching who?!

Not sure who is watching who in this picture!  

Is Dora watching the boys, or are the boys watching Dora?

A little species observation from both sides I guess.....

Train up a child!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6

I am a firm believer that we are so far removed from our food source, that if we do not start educating the current generation of young people about what they are eating and where it comes from, we are in trouble folks!

Several years ago, I remember talking to a group of ladies at work while we were eating our lunch.  We were talking about their children going for kindergarten examinations, and some of the questions that the educators asked along with their children's answers.  There was one answer that made my skin crawl.  The question was:  "Where do milk and eggs come from?"  Several of the children remarked: "Kroger's!"  This appalled me!  How as a nation, have we become so far removed from our food source that our children only know their food comes from the grocery store, and better yet, how can we fix it?  

Here on my homestead and on my blog, we fix it one child (or adult!) at a time.  If you are interested, and passionate, children will want to learn!  If you guide them, and show them how to create something merely out of dirt and seed, they will want to participate.  How could they not?!  Look at the pride on me neighbor girl's face below.  You can't buy that look in a grocery store, or get it from a box.  That is a look that only comes from the amazement of creating something yourself.  And you know what?  I still as an adult have the same look of pride, and that same sort of amazement every time I look around my garden and homestead.  It is an absolute miracle, that never gets old.  

I encourage you to help teach your children where their food comes from.  Teach them how to sustain themselves.

Grab a bag of potting mix and start some seeds together.  Raise a few chickens in your backyard and marvel over the eggs that they lay.  

Don't have a backyard to work in?  Scout out an elderly person who has a backyard that they can't enjoy any longer and plant a raised vegetable bed that you can all enjoy.

Replace your flowers with vegetables.  Tomatoes, strawberries, and potatoes are gorgeous and add beauty and functionality to your flower beds.  

Whether it be your own child, your nephew, or your neighbor kid, you will greatly impact the life of that child.  Remember when I said that the miracles never get old around here?  Well, being the person that teaches someone how to sustain themselves is one of the greatest miracles you will ever be part of, and that never gets old either!

Not the usual stray....

Nearly every night during the summer, I sit outside and watch the chickens run around the yard.  Sometimes I eat my dinner out there, sometimes I read a book, but most times I just sit quietly and watch the girls run around chasing bugs and scratching at the earth.  I love this nightly ritual, and it centers me like nothing else does.

Tonight I was sitting outside eating my dinner, when the neighbor girl comes over and explains that her friend found a bunch of baby ducks walking down the street with no mama duck in site, and she wanted to know if I knew of anyone who could help with the situation.  I followed her back to her house, and there in a little make-shift nursery, were 6 little ducklings.  They couldn't have been more than a day or two old, and they clearly were either separated from their mom or someone dumped them out after purchasing them from the local feed store.  (We have a local feed store with ducks for sale, and you are required by state law to purchase 6 at a time, so perhaps it is just a coincidence that there were 6 mother-less ducklings walking down a bust street, but I am guessing not....)  Regardless, I took them home with me and we got them warmed up with a heat lamp, fresh food, and water.

Because my brooder is currently full and because I have no desire to have ducks with no pond or large water source, I quickly called a friend of mine who came out to take the stray ducklings to his farm.  I must say this is the first time I have been asked to assist with a stray duck situation, and I am glad that they went to such a great home!  I did feel somewhat bad though because the Reluctant Farmer really only wanted ducklings for her birthday yesterday, and by the smile on her face you can see that she thought for a minute her birthday wish had come true!  

Went to court today....

Today was the Reluctant Farmer's birthday!  And, what did we do on this fine day might you ask?!  Well, the Reluctant Farmer had to take me to court.  Yes, that is right.  Court...

I got a speeding ticket two Fridays ago and because it was in a school zone I was required by state law to appear in court.  I was determined to fight my ticket because I swear the school zone light was not flashing when I got pulled over, thus I was actually traveling 2 mph under the speed limit.  I got up bright and early for my 8 am appointment, dressed in my best business suit, and set off to plead my case.  The Reluctant Farmer was a useless support system, as the poor girl was more nervous than I was!  She dropped me off outside the court house, and promised to wait outside for me.  This is where is gets exciting!

I go into the court house and follow the signs up to the 3rd floor.  When I get off the elevator, I realize right away my worries about being under dressed should not have EVER been worries.  I stepped off the elevator to the tune of Deliverance in my head, and felt much like Dorothy had to feel when she realized she wasn't in Kansas anymore.  There were 100 people in that lobby, literally.  As I stood there next to people that looked like they were straight off the "People of Walmart" website, I was amused.  

There were people there with halter tops on, that should have performed a public service and covered more of their body.  There were parents there with children that kept repeating things like: "I hate when we have to go to court!  It is so boring...."  (My sentiments too, little buddy....)  There were people that didn't pay their child support, had been caught driving with no license, were not in our country legally, and some people that the bailiff knew by first name.  This was like a foreign world to me, and not a place I ever wanted to visit again!

Then the bailiff came out and exclaimed to us: "Everyone here this morning will have to go through the metal detector.  Please rid yourselves of any and all potential weapons, including pockets knives, needles, and change!"  (Well, I thought he said change....)  He looks at me and says: "You first ma'am!"  And I quickly unloaded my purse of $1.52 in change, threw it in the bucket and handed him my purse.  Perplexed the man looks at me and says: "Ma'am, I said rid yourself of chains, not change."  I quickly realize the errors of my ways, explain that I have never done this before, apologize and dump my money back into my purse.  I think that this will be the worst of it.  Wrong!

After all 100 of us make it through the metal detector and into the courtroom, the bailiff comes back in and says: "Okay folks, this is how this is going to go.  If I call your name you are here for a serious offense and you are subject to 6 months in jail and up to a $1000.00 fine.  You might also want to have your lawyer present with you today."  In my head I think, thank God I am not one of those people!  And, until he got to my name, things were going okay.  He loudly yells: "Emily Browning?!"  And I state: "Here!"  And then I promptly want to pee down my leg or vomit, I am not sure which....  He dismisses all of us "serious offenders" to outside the courtroom where we are all standing in a herd, like cattle going off to slaughter, and I happen to notice a nicely dressed woman next to me that is pale white.  I said, "Excuse me, did he just say we were serious offenders?"  She replied, "Yes, and I was just here for a speeding ticket!"  We compared notes, and determine that certainly there has been some sort of mix up, and we wait for our names to be called by the public defender guy.  (Remember, I did not pack a lawyer, because I was only going for a speeding violation, and did not think I needed to retain council for such event!)  Finally, after he goes through 95% of the people in the lobby he calls my name.  I go up and explain that I was there for a speeding ticket and that I was going 33 mph, but because the school zone light was not flashing I did not know I was in a school zone therefore I was not guilty.  The gentleman tells me to plead not guilty, and to come back in several weeks for a trial or to plead no contest, explain myself, ask if anything can be reduced and settle it today.  I decide that I would do the latter, in hopes that the judge would be kind to me and I could settle it before I left.  (I did NOT want to come back!)

We were ushered back into the courtroom, and as I sat there I hear every excuse under the sun as to why people were there.  (I tell you, this was the most interesting part of the entire event!)  Finally it was my turn.  I explain that I didn't think I was in a school zone, but yet I wanted to plead no contest because I did not want to come back and even though I had never had a speeding ticket in my life, I just wanted to finish it today.  The judge took my no contest plea, lessened my court costs, and just had me pay a minor speeding violation.  He then asked me if there was anything else I would like to say, and this is what comes falling out of me mouth:  "Sir, I just want to say thank you for being so understanding today, and I am sure you can see by my otherwise flawless record that I am not used to being here under these circumstances, and after seeing the clientele that is here in this courtroom, I am hoping that you never have to see me again!  Have a nice day."  (Or something completely stupid like this...)  I can feel the guy behind me, with the tear drop tattoo, staring a hole through the back of my head, but not to worry I have my change to protect me as I skip out of the courtroom as a free woman!  

I am not sure what the Reluctant Farmer and I will do next year for her birthday, but I sure hope it doesn't involve judges and me!

  

Progress was made!

Two weeks ago I took off work for a week to get some much needed revamping done on the urban farm.  We made 13 new raised beds total, 11 for us and 2 for our neighbors, and we worked until our hands bled. (This is the time of the year that my day job is a break from the back breaking labor that goes on at home...) We have made some serious progress around here and continue to make it better and better this year.  I am so excited!

Friday we had 5 yards of mulch and 3 yards of dirt delivered, and we were itching to get some work done, however we had a birthday party and another party to attend Saturday.  Sunday brought us rain in the morning, however we decided to make full use of the cloudy day and work out in the garden when the rain quit for a bit.  (We did manage to get rained on after lunch, and I mean it was rain like no other!   I was soaked to my underwear just sprinting back to the house.)  It was all worth it though. 

The Reluctant Farmer built a retaining wall, we added and leveled bed #6, and then laid weed mat and mulched a section of the yard that was 12 x 16, planted a bunch of onions, and weeded the strawberry patch.  We worked until dark tonight, so I will get better pictures soon. 

No gardening is complete with out these two under my feet.  Blue is really starting to like being a farm dog, and we are working on his pray drive towards the chickens.  I think if he was younger, I would have to worry about him, but he is easily managed with a small correction since he is a senior...

 Herding dogs are so funny.  Chai and Blue wanted to stay out with me so bad, even though it was raining.  Chai totally looks like he is saying: "You know being this wet really proves how much I love you, right?!"  

Blue is surveying the rain from the front porch, just waiting to go back outdoors so he can survey the chickens.  I love this dog, he is so noble and wise!  And he is really starting to earn his keep around here as a chicken wrangler!


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