zoom to the moon

that's what the camera was set on. a bit fuzzy, but so was i...... making chocolates until 1am.

Up at 7am for physical therapy and now I am seriously dragging. Must...get...out...to...the...woods.....
Leeks await

projects!!

A series of string bags in all sizes... for treasures, to buddies, blocks and stones. I love the double-sided feel and reversible options. Leaf chose the fabrics and string. Now they are all filled and she is hoping for more!
I made a few single layer bags for grocery shopping, seems like we are always running out! These are so great for fresh produce and bulk goods. I custom size them for collard greens and celery!

We also planted some carrots, yesterday (as it was a root day on the biodynamic calendar), made new bibs (with snaps instead of velcro), sewed loops into coats for easy hanging, embroidered fabric for "Gigi's house" (will post pics when finished), purchased a used learning tower from a local family, made frozen fruit cubes, did a little guerrilla gardening with seed bombs (seed balls), washed and hung 5 loads of laundry,.... the list goes on! All of this accomplished without drinking any coffee. Must be some full moon energy.

seed bombs, made after the Earth Day parade with friends

Today I feel like coffee might help.

busy spring

Not much time for blogging these days! Our lives have been so full, I am grateful. April has been a month of planting, wandering, picnics, Earth Day parade & activities (Leaf was a red fox), making lots of chocolates, getting the business finances in order, and cleaning out the sheds and crawl space. The guys have been busy updating and maintaining the alternative power with new batteries, components, and rebuilding the wind turbine. Whew!

Leaf and I started our herb garden. Our small change for April is to grow our own herbs and medicines. The April frosts are keeping everything indoors for now, except the sweetgrass we planted last year - which has seeded!! I love that my daughter joins me in dancing and singing for the plants. I am excited about this project.

78 degrees Fahrenheit, and climbing!

My dear friend and former companion, visiting us for saturday afternoon bird watching! I love you and miss you, Berkana.


It feels like summer! It was almost too hot for me yesterday as I battled clotheslines. We made the (lazy) mistake of leaving the lines up all winter - even though I had promised the anchoring trees that I would take them down. Oops! The wind whipped sheets and t-shirts, and in cooperation with the sun, dried everything in record time (seriously... 5 minutes for the bedsheets!). And, of course, not to make my laundry task so easy, 4 clotheslines broke and 2 of the newly hung ones came down, and again today. It makes me laugh. I step back and watch myself climbing the ladder and trees, battling the very poke-y pine needles, getting tangled in rope, sweating, and the occasional exclamation, "Aw, are you kidding me?!" Where are Laurel and Hardy when you need them?
It was worth it, though. The sheets smell like wind, the towels soft, and I lay in a heap of beautifully fresh laundry.

It has been a very busy life for our family since Jayson's injury. The home rhythm has become a bit uneven. I have put in a lot more hours at work than I had originally envisioned (it's really hard to say no to making more chocolate). With the sudden onset of very dry earth and intense sun, there is much to do on the land. I have so many projects bursting out of me, but am very limited on places to create them in.

I resumed work on making a refrigerator for Leaf's kitchen, and finally had to let go of a lot of my vision and the details just to get it done. This was a great find of a little cabinet/shelf $2 at a garage sale last spring, but it sat lonely on our deck all year. The wood has seen better days, but I feel that it is about to see its best days! I am still short a tool - I need a grinding disk for the Dremel to cut off the screw ends. Thankfully, Leaf is not picky about the grain of the wood or the remaining paint that would not sand off - I will not use a chemical to strip the wood. So, Leaf and I made beeswax and olive oil polish and coated the multi-surfaced little fridge. She is very excited. Until I get the screws filed down, I have candle stubs over them (photos to follow when I have more light).

We are taking a mini vacation this weekend, close to home, but truly a retreat. A good time to re-balance.

I look forward to sharing more about our continued evolution toward sustainability with the One Small Change Project and our upcoming April changes.

Enjoy these beautiful days and star-filled nights!