Happy Full Moon!

The temperature finally wasn't below zero, so I got outside for a walk.  I think the dogs were a bit excited for the little adventure as well!  Out past the hives the colors of the berries and spruce trees stopped me mid walk.  I love seeing the natural palette of the world.  I bring my camera a lot, but only take a quarter of the pictures my eyes see.  Because no matter how hard we try to recreate something we see outdoors, it never comes close to the real thing.  And because of that, it's important for all of us to get outside and soak it in.

Speaking of soak it in, last night as I was walking to the house I saw a lunar ring!  It appears when light of the moon passes through ice crystals in the sky.  I tried to nab a picture of it, but as stated earlier, it pales in comparison to what I was really seeing.  Folklore says a lunar ring is a warning of an approaching storm.  However, I do not see anything predicted in the forecast...we shall see!  Technically the full moon is considered tonight, but it occurred at 4 AM, so we basically saw a full lunar moon!   

After looking up details on the lunar and full moon last night, I found a great article on the theme of December.  I love perusing the site Mystic Mamma and this article was on her website.  I also discovered that this moon is considered a "mini-moon" due to it being "the most distant and visually smallest Full Moon of 2013."

So, enjoy the read and be sure to step outside tonight to take in the full mini-moon!  

P.S. If you tilt your screen down, it's easier to see the lunar ring!

Nature's Art

The morning sunrise was stunning today as I snatched these photos of the horizon and the inside of our screen door.  The temperature outside is negative five degrees with a windchill in the negative thirties!  I quickly shut it.  But I just love to look at the designs frost has, its intricate movements and notes of the previous night.  The cold mornings look so enticing for a walk, but I have found myself spending as little time outdoors as possible.  In fact, when we go to the main house I find myself running to avoid the gripping cold.  But even in the quick run, I feel rejuvenated, the air feels at its purest and at night the stars are their brightest.  

Hope your days are sunny and inspiring!

A Hallmark Commercial

I am quite fond of Hallmark shows during the holidays and I can still remember when I was little and saw this commercial.  It is actually magic and partially responsible for the holiday traditions I want to start, like Christmas Eve escapades at midnight.  The video quality isn't the best, but the video is!  Enjoy! 

An Early Winter Walk

And just like that it's December.  I can honestly say I have no idea where the month of November went.  Anybody else feel that way?  We found ourselves traveling for the majority of the month.  Weddings, funerals and Thanksgiving.  But now that we're back and have no travel plans for the month, my mind has started turning to old and new ideas.  What's next kind of ideas.  It's exciting because this next year holds changes...both Ross and I can feel it.  

I typically like to walk each day around the farm and let all those ideas ruminate.  This was the first time since the corn has been brought in.  Where I once had a little maze and secret area to wander; now I'm completely exposed and able to see the horizon.  Maybe that's even telling me something, I need to start sharing and acting on all these ideas.  

I checked on the bees that Ross has bundled up for the winter ahead and imagine them nibbling on their hard earned honey and congratulating each other on a successful season.  And then I'm back to what brought here, the land that Jerome gave us to work as a market garden.  Only the kale reminds me that at one point this plot was thriving.  Sure enough when I get back inside there are next seasons seed catalogs already delivered.  I'm so excited to see what we do with this place as we continue through the seasons.  

Phil's New Friend

A caterpillar peaking Phil's interest where he gingerly pawed at it with curiosity.

A Final Sunflower

A Slow Start

The furnace has officially been lit.  We lived our whole time in Minneapolis in a little apartment where we kept our thermostat at 55 degrees during the winter.  We wore long underwear, stocking caps and reluctantly got out of bed each morning.  That time is no longer.  This little trailer is pretty efficient and warms up in just a few minutes!  So, when Ross was bundled in a wool blanket and a stocking cap two days ago, we started up the furnace and I'm okay with it because that means it's fall.  The weather has changed and I'm welcoming it. 

The first frost nipped plant leaves and hit the basil, but we're still getting produce; however, it's now at a low pace which is calming.  I'm not weeding anymore and I'm amazed that it's officially the end of the season!  It leads me to think about this winter and how I'll spend my time, but instead I will have another coffee and bundle in my sweater just a few minutes more.

Cool Nights

I keep thinking it's summer here.  The garden is still producing, raspberries are ripening and dropping before I can get to them and the sun is putting me in t-shirts rather than sweaters.  I'm loving the sun and the extra inspiration it's giving each day, but equally, I love the nights.  It can reach 75 degrees daytime and as soon as that sun drops behind the pasture horizon, the temp falls right with it...to sweater weather. 

By the time my full gray sweater is on the sky is deepening to a red hue and I'm rushing to get the feed to the ducks.  I keep getting shocked by the early darkness.  Once I'm done with chores and walking back to my little hearth, Orion is greeting me and that's how I know it's summer no more. 

After a day full of strong winds, night comes, everything calms and I just stop.  I breath the air around me and let go of the things I didn't finish during the day, let alone the things I didn't even start.  Those are the moments I live for.  Moments where I swear the wind is talking to me, stopping me in my tracks to remind me how big the universe is.  I stare at the Milky Way and just like the night before and the week before that, I'm humbled.  The vastness has conquered many persons ability to find words and I add myself to the number.  So I rest, feeling peace and thankfulness.  

The Wind is a Changin'

October is here and I'm back:)  Let's listen to the magic of the wind while it dances with the leaves as they put on one of the greatest shows of the year.  Talk a walk, dream bigger and breath deeper...autumn is here.  

Thanks for your patience as I rounded out my first year as a beginning farmer and embarked on a new adventure in marriage.  It's been a wildly joyous past month and a half and I'm ready to continue on with it.  Stay tuned!

Look in my basket!

Here's a look at some of the vegetables I brought to market!  Things are pretty much in full swing.  The tomatoes still are dumping fruit on me, but I feel it will be by this time next week.  This year has been wild in terms of weather.  The past month and a half have been wonderful, but the late start getting into the ground really pushed production back.  I just picked my first tomato (not a cherry) on Monday!  Wild.  All I'm hoping is that the season extends a bit longer, so it's not a mad scramble to get everything out by mid September if there were a frost.  Ugh, I don't even like thinking of the word.  

But the weather has been wonderful these days.  Cool nights in the 50s and days in the mid 70s.  You'd think we lived in California!  And sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.  It's quite delightful.  Well, I have to go outside and work, so I must get going.  Happy Weekend everyone!

A Morning Walk

Where have I been?!  Yikes!  I'm back attack.  The garden and new markets plus planning a wedding have kept me busy busy.  But I have all kinds of good things lined up!  Hope you're all having a delicious summer.  Stay tuned!

 

Snippets of the week!

 

There he is...carrying in a load of goodies.  I love when he's around:)  This week has been busy busy and then we're jet setting tomorrow to go to Denver for a wedding!  It will be a lot of fun, but I always look around at all the things I need to do right before I go somewhere for a few days.  However, it's always worth loving and supporting friends rather than tending to my to do's.  And I cannot wait to see myself some mountains!  

The following pictures are a few snapshots from earlier this week.  Raspberries, a Phil cat, and a low key garden grown picnic on the pallet chair that Ross made.  The picture of Phil was when I was searching in the depths of the tomato field for cherry tomatoes and instead, came across a Phil!  He just followed me down and rested while I worked.  He was in heaven with his tail slapping against the ground.  Why is he so great?!  Well, I'll be back next week when we return from the wedding!  Happy Weekend!

Post Harvest

First round of peas have been frozen for later eating!  Hopefully I can get a handle on this upcoming produce and get a lot of it put away for the long w****** that happen here in Minnesota.  (I cannot say the "W" word out loud, last year it was just too long!)  I'm going to start tabbing favorite canning recipes and hopefully have myself nice and prepped to do that!  

And these babies are new to our life!!!  I was away at a bachelorette weekend of mine:), but before I left on Friday, I walked around the garden and spotted the little red beauties!  I just squealed.  It feels sooo good to have tomatoes here.  Now, I must tackle my stake-less tomatoes and attempt to make paths.  Happy Monday!

Cat Days of Summer!

Heat advisory here in SE Minnesota until Thursday.  This means Philipe the cat will be a long cat.  It's really amazing how long he can make himself...I'll try to grab a picture when he does it.  Here he is cooling off in the window!  Happy Wednesday!

Ramblings

Time is flying!  Just yesterday it blew my mind that it's the middle of July!  July!!  Yikes.  I know this is how it always goes with summers.  You start it and BAM!...Target is advertising back to school stuff and it makes me feel slightly nausea.  Between last week and today, I've been attempting to sell produce, baking bread, having happy hour each night and enjoying the first barn party held here on the farm!  It's been quite exciting and busy.  In the midst of this, the garden has been growing and it's about to blow up.  There is a sea of tomato flowers and many green guys growing as we speak.  This summer, I'm realizing, is very much about learning.  

I've heard from lots of people about beginning farmer programs I can join and I have really appreciated the input.  So, I've sat down, thought it out, read about them, calculated it all...and really, it just comes down to the fact that I don't think it will fit me.  Yes, it will probably take me three times as long to learn something that those programs teach in six months, but meh, that's fine with me.  I just want to keep doing this at my pace.  I will definitely take courses if I feel it's super beneficial and exciting, I will always ask my elders and peers for help, but I am simply going to keep this pace going.  Slow and steady.  

This really came about the other day at market when barely any of my produce sold and I was feeling bummed.  The produce looked beautiful, my setup was great and yet it felt like all the patrons kept going to the other vendors, especially the bigs ones.  I felt like, "Oh no,should I have gone through those programs?  Do I have any grounds to be here?  Am I just kidding myself?"  But I snapped myself out of that doubt and shame that night when I realized that no matter what amount of money I make from this venture this summer, I've already succeeded.  I'm growing food.  Good food.  It looks beautiful, healthy and there's plenty for my nearest and dearest people to eat.  Now...don't get me wrong, I need to make some moola (working on other avenues for getting these veggies out the door right now!), but I'm feeling good and genuinely happy about every day here.    

Each morning I walk through the garden and assess who needs help most and running through my to-dos and just this morning I realized...I only staked 1/5 of the tomatoes.  So there is literally a sea of tomatoes, no paths, with tomato limbs everywhere and that's just how it's going to be this summer.  Notes made for next year and I carry on.  And that's where I am today.  Grateful for this summer.  

Sunset in the Barn

Good Morning from the Farm!

New Market

Last week was magic!  We had visitors on the farm nearly everyday and it made the whole place come even more alive!  But before I could celebrate the weekend, I was working hard on the farm.  I feel so lucky to keep having such beautiful people come to help me.  My dad showed up after a work meeting last week.  He typically comes with a surprise for me, something that he has built.  But the best surprise was when he said, "Well, what work needs to be done?" Little did I know, he had packed another outfit so he could help me weed for a couple of hours.  And man, he works hard.  I don't know what I'd do if both him and and my mom were here at the same time.  They'd probably kick my ass and I'd be lying passed out from exhaustion in the bean field.  They're soooo fast!  Needless to say, we got a lot done!

The next day was the first time selling at the gas station just down the road called Reineke's Corner.  I got set up with the help of my mom and felt so excited!  I actually had a few sales and people seemed excited too.  I believe that if I make some more signs it will be a great selling spot! 

You see the shirt I'm wearing?  That was the surprise from my dad this week.  He got two shirts made for me with my logo on the back and my name embroidered on front!  Amazing.

As my mom was leaving the new market spot, I kept saying thank you over and over for her help and she said the best thing, "We will do whatever we can for you to succeed."  I feel like I already have:)