NEWSLETTERS 2017

A long winter finally comes to an end! 4 April 2017

It's hard to remember back to Christmas when I sent my last newsletter as it seems so long ago. Winter is for digging in, trying new recipes, planning projects for after winter. While winter can be long, this year my mind was occupied with thoughts of farm expansion and what the new year could hold- so excited!
To keep my "green thumb" from going gray, Rick and I signed on for a gardening class at the local Cooperative Extension. It was a fun opportunity to learn a few new things and whet my appetite for spring planting. Fortunately, I have a nice collection of plants- orchids and house plants- to tend through the winter. My "orchid room" is filled so there's always a flower to enjoy, even in the coldest months and on the dreariest days. My Christmas cactus, which started blooming for Thanksgiving is still going!

In February, my friend Sheila and I took our annual trip to the Orchid Show, hosted by Deerborne Market where we enjoyed a full orchid display as well as lunch in the greenhouse.

I also had the total pleasure of getting together with my sister Robin when she was east to meet her beautiful new grandson and visiting with daughter Erika and Erika's husband Kyle. It was a fun Sunday- 4 sisters together. I just wish Sally could have made the trip from Vermont. We so seldom are all in the same place at the same time. Historical too- my first selfie!

Enough family news! My mind was pre-occupied all winter with plans for the farm. "Self sustaining" has become my mantra and I keep thinking how to get the farm set-up so I can just enjoy the experience and not have to re-do things several times over and how to finance this pleasure.
I've designed a raised bed vegetable garden for outside the front door which will make harvest easy. I've always wanted a potager (French for kitchen garden, I think!) and now's my chance. That will be one of the first projects and I can't wait. I've started quite a few vegetable seeds indoors thanks to the awesome light set-up Rick made for me.

If you'd like the plans, you can find them HERE under projects.
Getting the raspberry patch in good order is another priority. It's a luxury to have them at the farm and they're the cornerstone of farm finance. I'm hoping to have a U-Pick, where people will come and harvest. But in lieu of that, I'll harvest them and take them to the Saturday Farmers' Market. So I started thinking about what other products I could peddle there, that would be an easy build and easy to transport with the fragile berries.
I figured if people are buying vegetables, how about a handsome carrier? I made a few from cedar. The style makes it easy to wash the vegies with a hose before bringing them into the house. The handle is a branch from our apple tree.

If you want to build it yourself, I got the plans HERE Click woodworking to projects.
There are lots of bread vendors at the Market- lovely, crusty, artisan breads... so I was thinking about cutting boards. I got some maple, cut it into a few different shapes and bought a wood burning tool. I think this has a lot of promise.

And then I thought about some cute signs I wanted for my garden which could also go to market.

Rick's daughter Audrey has a farm fantasy to grow cucumbers and make pickles. She picked the name Hickabee Farm for her venture!
And knit hats! I must have 50 of them ready to go.

(Brownies modeling my hats from the Kinitting4Vets fashion show)

Knit hats are quite on trend. Here's my new nephew, Kyle rocking it at a concert in the hat I made for him!

So with the inventory now decided upon, the plan is coming together and I'm looking forward to a busy farm season. I realize this is long- but we've had a lot of catching up to do! This coming weekend Rick and I head to the farm to open the house for the new season and move some furniture I made (will be posting photos next time). I just can't wait to get going. If any one has a name for my farm, I'd love to hear it. Last year I just called it Eldred Farm, since that's the name of the town where it's located, but come to find out there already is an Eldred Farm. Who knew? Hope you're all set for a beautiful spring season.

Starting Spring Chores ~ 23 April 2017

It's great to be back at the farm regularly and share my news with you. I spent much of the winter contemplating a name for the farm. When I heard "Eldred Farm" was already enjoyed and employed by someone else, I was stymied. Thanks to all who suggested witty and catchy names but I was telling someone about the farm and said "the berry patch is in a clearing surrounded with pine trees"- and poof, the Farm in the Pines was named! I'd also been trying to think of a logo (or for a mini-estate, should I say coat of arms? LOL). I love the logo, with the pine trees, a saw blade, wood and flowers- that about sums it up!

(There's a lot of run off from melting snow, creating spontaneous waterfalls which disappear in summer- about 2 miles from the farm)

The Monday and Tuesday after Palm Sunday, Rick and I opened the farm house for the season. The water pipes had been winterized and I was afraid to turn on the water without someone there to "spot" for trouble while I worked the flow. It all went great and in no time, we had water- what a blessing (mostly thinking about the toilet! LOL)! Sometimes when I get a water bill or an electric bill, I really have to stop to consider how cheap it is to have these utilities- fresh water, toilets, light at night, refrigerators and the myriad of other conveniences which come from having electric and water delivered to my house. It's amazing, really.
Rick drove a U-Haul with our new couch and some other furniture I made for the house. This is a "C Table"- the C for either couch or computer.

I had the weathered gray wood and a nice slab of walnut which Rick had found in some property which was being cleaned out. When I found the black L-brackets in my "junk" drawer, I thought "this is great, I have everything I need to build the laptop table I wanted for the farm". It's an easy build- INSTRUCTIONS HERE-I think anyone could build it.
The only chore at the farm was to cut down the raspberry canes. If you remember from our past discourse on raspberry growing (LOL), I am growing the Heritage variety, which is a fall bearing fruit. The berries are produced on the current year's canes so last year's growth has to be cut out and taken away. The property sits at the foot of a tall and rocky hill and from the melting snow running down, the back of the farm was very wet- I mean like 3 little ponds- so we weren't able to take the cut canes as far as I would have liked, but for now, the job is done and new canes are already growing.

It's hard to see in the photo, but where last year there were 4-5 canes, this year there are 12-15. They're really filling out nicely and I think we're off to a great season!
I had to order a small rototiller to curb the width of the rows, otherwise in a year or two there would be no rows, just a field of wild brambles, impossible to harvest. I've got to laugh a little... a rototiller, a big raised vegetable garden and berry patch, this really is shaping up to be a farm!
After a few days at home, I came back to the farm on Monday after Easter to work on a few projects and to plan out the raised bed garden so I know how much lumber to order. The drive was like following the yellow brick road with forsythia in bloom the whole way up. Literally, there was no place I couldn't see another blooming bush ahead of me and it got to be a traveling game to see if the whole 150 miles was marked with yellow. And it was!

My little seed starts are growing beautifully and they need to be planted as soon as I can organize the growing boxes and a deer fence. I'm so excited to get started.
My project for the week was to build a kitchen cabinet for the microwave. It had to be built on site because I had already framed in the closet where the cabinet was to go above the refrigerator. Before- unfinished space above the fridge

It was a little tricky to build the cabinet inside the refrigerator closet (because I had already added the closet casings) but with careful calculations, and only a few scrapes and bruises, I managed to complete it before I headed home- paint and décor, too!

I hope this beautiful spring weather fills your heart with new possibilities. I mentioned to my friend Marian that seeing all the beautiful flowering trees reminds me why NJ is called the garden state. Around every corner is an ooo and an ahhh!

BringingTheFarmHome.com

My web site is finally up and running- available to you 24-7. I'll be posting detailed instructions on many of the things I build, recipes for the produce I grow or harvest, berry picking schedule, an archive of past news letters and more. It's a new project and I plan to add weekly content. Please check it out!

Bethel Arts Center

If you remember, the Woodstock Festival was not held in Woodstock, but in Bethel NY. Located just 15 minutes from the farm, the Arts Center has many summer programs. For a schedule, go to
http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/
It's a beautiful area and if you go, make sure to visit me at the Farm in the Pines.

Watching the Birds and Waiting for Bees ~ 2 May 2017

The old, familiar drive was quite a treat for my senses this week. I never saw so many blooming trees and daffodils in one period of time. But most impressive was the way the mountains are filling with color. From stark black silhouettes of naked trees mixed with the ever green, now swathes of new lime decorate the hillsides in the most brilliant way and the life of trees unfolds. So beautiful. Because I closed on my property last year on May 20th, I'd never seen "spring" on my drive and I have to say again, it is gorgeous!
I came to the farm with many plans (as usual! LOL) and had just 2 days before Rick was coming to help with raspberry chores. Last week I started to organize what had been called the utility room, then the laundry, then the catch-all room and now to become my craft space. It's a small room, jut 7.5' square room with part taken out for a refrigerator closet from the kitchen side. I thought if I could organize all the stuff that needs to be stored in a more pleasing way, I could paint small projects or do wood burning at night which I much prefer to watching TV.

Last week I started the wall shelving and brought baskets and decorative boxes I had from home to organize the tools, parts and pieces of things I need to manage life at the farm. That still left things that should hang- so I made a shelf with scrap wood, old nails and a horse shoe I found in the field. If you'd like to see how the shelf was built, CLICK HERE .
I just had time to weed the lavender bed before Rick showed up on Friday. Three of the 14 lavender plants didn't survive the winter, but I have a half dozen new plants I started this year to replace them with. The 11 remaining look really good though and I'm hoping for a sweet harvest this year.
Rick brought with him our newest farm tool- the rototiller. The berry canes are growing so well- and I love it- but it's quickly becoming overgrown with upstarts! So they needed to be thinned and managed to a pickable row. It's best when the canes are not so thick that fresh air can't flow through to prevent mold on the leaves and berries.

While I did try the rototiller (and got tangled in the lavender fence when the tines caught on a vine- LOL), Rick mastered the art of grinding out the errant canes. I went ahead of him and raked back the straw from the rows, then when he passed, I'd rake it back again! It was about an hour too much effort and we both felt the aches of a hard day's work, but the once-a-season job was finished. No doubt other canes will keep coming up, but they'll have to be weeded out. I'm expecting my BIG straw delivery this week, so the field will be mulched to the max to keep the weeds down.

Last week I noticed a wood pecker had made 3 large holes in the big tree in front of the house. But the story begins one year ago. On the day I met the house inspector before I bought the property, I was walking in the front yard and was swooshed by a big bird flying just a few feet above my head- scared me to death! Since the house had been vacant for more than 2 years, he was probably as surprised that someone was walking around the yard as I was. When I looked, I realized it was a pileated woodpecker- I had never seen one in real life and I was beyond delighted to be in the presence of such a magnificent bird. The pileated was the inspiration for Woody the Woodpecker and the actual birds can reach 19" in height- just spectacular! I had never seen it again, but when I saw the big holes in the tree, I figured he was around here somewhere. Rick first spotted him near the hole in the tree, then another! We got to watch 2 pileated woodpeckers scrounging for bugs, flitting around for several minutes and were thrilled. What a corny excitement! (the photo is from the internet- I couldn't get my camera in time)
The weekend was cut short when Lowe's mixed up my delivery and didn't come with the boards for the raised vegetable garden. So I'll get back to that next week. It's cold, comparatively, in Eldred so planting is still 3-4 weeks off.
We had our first celebration at the farm when Rick had his birthday on Friday. He's so good to help me with those "four handed tasks" and I wanted to make a special day with presents, cake and candles. He deserves every good wish!
Thanks, friends, for following along with my farm adventure. It's great to get your comments and support. Let me know what's keeping you busy this beautiful time of year.

NJ Waterfall Road Trip

If you have some time this summer and want to explore some beautiful scenery, why not take in the state's most talked about waterfalls? Click HERE for a map and reviews. It could be fun!

Composting Made Easy

If you have a garden, you're always looking for ways to make it better, right? Compost is the key! Click HERE for some great advice to speed up the process and add some kick to your garden!

Spring Dreams Begin ~ 10 May 2017

The weatherman had predicted rain for the whole weekend, but undeterred (and full of will for a more sunny outcome), I went to the farm in anticipation of the lumber delivery for the raised garden beds and the straw for the raspberry field. Both items were being delivered by trucks and the ground was so soggy, it was a fearful anticipation. But the clouds parted and the deliveries were made without incident.
What the weatherman didn't say was how absolutely seductive sunshine can be. Believing sheer will could drive out the clouds, at the first glimmer of sun, I got out my tools and contemplated the raised bed build. The sun can be flirty- coming out for a few scant moments, then slipping behind a fast moving dark cloud and it would rain, torrentially, for several minutes. I got soaked to the skin 4 times during the 2 days I tried to build the beds and cover the field with straw. Like Solome performing the Dance of the Seven Veils, the sun would capture my grateful attention and make me wistful when a cloud came between us.

Looking from the living room door, the raised bed was constructed of 2 x 10' pine and will be filled with a special mix of top soil, peat, compost and sand delivered by Jim Akt Excavation Company- it's the same company who cuts the grass. He told me that a lot of people have gone to raised beds and he's mixing up a pile of fill.
The ground was more uneven than I thought. The planter was eyeball-leveled as best I could and held in place with stakes pounded into the ground and screwed to the frame. In the photo, you can see I had to fill some low spots with compost I had left over from last year.

Three sides of fence will connect with the house to create a barrier from deer and woodchucks and there will be space under the tree for a stoned patio. The vegetable garden will be an outdoor room!

I was only able to get 2 bales of straw in the berry patch, but what good luck that the lumber delivery was well packaged and I was able to cover the remaining bales with plastic which the wood came wrapped in.

Planting daffodils in the fall shows faith. It's always a nice surprise to see them in spring!
It's quiet, very quiet at night at the farm- peaceful or eerie, depending on your disposition. But not during frog season. A thousand frogs croaking out a love song, in tune with crickets, can make a racket. I wondered if all frogs had the same pitch, or if like people each frog had its own sound. Listening, very carefully, they each have a different sound, but when they are all croaking together, they harmonize to a single note. Occasionally an owl or other screech bird would have a quick solo, adding to the din. I think Benedictine monks drew on this chorus as inspiration for their chants because after listening to the frogs for a long while, I thought I was in a huge cathedral made of pine trees.

I just have to share a picture of my white orchid. I've had the plant for 2-3 years, but it never bloomed before so you can imagine my surprise when I saw buds- so exciting- each flower is larger than my fist. And the little darling has the most beautiful fragrance, sweet and lingering, and fills the room with a delicate perfume.
I appreciate your kind notes and updates as to what you are doing- I'm always glad to hear from you. My friends, it's a beautiful world out there, I hope you are enjoying it.

It's a Garden Room! ~ 23 May 2017

Hi! It's been a busy week but at the end of it all, I feel like a miracle occurred. You know I've been working on a "Garden Room" at the farm- a little bit English, a little bit homespun and rustic, mostly to encourage edible plants and interesting flowers to create the ambience. Thanks once again to my ever-lovin' Rick, for bringing the tools and expertise to help me fence the area so now it could be an outdoor room!

The fill was brought in sometime this week by the Jim Akt team, which had to be done before the fence could go up. Lovely dirt (is that something one should say??!!LOL), ready for planting my vegetables. Rick set up an irrigation system so it will be watered automatically when I'm not there.

Setting the fence was a chore which took 3 days- just 15 posts but the ground is so compacted and filled with rocks of all sizes. I held the stakes plumb and straight while Rick pounded a 4 pound sledge hammer to drive them into the yard. OMG- we'd think we were on a pretty good roll and boom! right into a rock. We'd move the post a few inches and try again. We learned that most of the posts had to be put in dug out holes- which took so much time and effort. Friday we just worked in the afternoon and at the end of the day sat, laughing our heads off- we had completed just 2 posts! Perseverance does pay off, and finally on Sunday the fence was complete. At Lowe's, they carry a no-dig fence which wouldn't have been strong enough to keep out deer, but it does make a cute gate, coming 2 to a package for just $25.00.

The stakes come with holes to which we screwed raw pine 1 x 4s so we had something to attach the gate latches to. Those who know deer better than I, say you can use a 4' high gate but the top must be enclosed because it confuses the deer and they are afraid to jump through. So I made a cross piece and screwed them to the uprights.

With 2 gates attached, the wire fence is done- that's the miracle. Now the landscape can be played with. I had seeds planted within an hour of finishing the fence! And while I was planting a little bird was watching.

During the winter, I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about "blogging" and got immersed in the blogosphere- such fun and sooo much information to be had. I signed up for a few blogs so I could see what a blog was and how other people developed theirs. Through this, I "met" (on-line) the most creative re-purposer I know of. Gail Wilson, author of My Repurposed Life , recycles furniture, doors, windows and makes beautiful things. She's very exceptional at creating things and equally-so at promoting her blog- it's her business. On Tuesday night, she and 4 blogging friends post a blog called Talk of the Town which features their choices for the craftiest blogs submitted that week. I'm happy to say my C-Table was selected last week! So exciting! If you'd like to see the post, CLICK HERE.

Speaking of blogging, I created a Facebook page for the farm where I'll be posting links to my DIY projects. This week's project was an Inspiration Board made from an old picture frame, some cloths pins and wire. You can get the directions HERE.

While driving to the farm this week, I thought about a time when my Dad took us on a family outing to somewhere in NJ. He stopped the car at the foot of a very large hill, put the car in neutral and the car started going backward up the hill, quickly. He then explained how in neutral, on a flat surface, the car was supposed to idle. He created amazement in us that the car was going up with no power from the engine. I don't know what made me think of it while driving that day, as it happened when I was about 10 or so. I thought I should Google it, but didn't know how to describe it or what the phenomenon was. That night when reading my emails, I had a blog post from Tanya at Lovely Greens. She's a great gardener in the Isle of Man and also posted a tour she'd done of the Isle of Man tourist attractions. I don't know what made me read it- I'll probably never get there- but to my complete surprise, the Isle of Man has a "Magnetic Hill", where a car will go up the mountain when in neutral. She had a link to all sorts of information on Magnetic Hills around the world- and yes, the NJ hill I went to is mentioned. Information, my friends, it can come to you in the most strange and interesting and wonder-filled ways. And quick! Have a fun Memorial Day- I'll be planting in rocks! Love- Sandy

Let's Be Friends on Facebook!

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Another One For the Bucket List!

If you'd like more information on the magical "Magnetic Hills", CLICK HERE. This is a rare and amazing thing- try to get there!

Garden Design ~ 6 June 2017

Hi! Have you had enough rain yet? OMG, it's been so hard to finish anything outdoors with more than half the days in the past 2 weeks rainy. But since I only have 2-3 days a week at the farm, rainy or not I have to work on my garden, if not on my tan!
I've been lucky to have the opportunity to design many gardens. I love the structure, the garden enhansements, the plantings- I love it all. It's a subtle influence, but a well designed garden at once excites you and fills you with calm.

I've moved a lot and every house I lived offered the chance to create a custom garden. I really enjoy the design aspect more than the day-to-day maintenance. In the past, my gardens were designed to suit the house- Victorianish, or countryish

or English as demonstrated with this arbor which was covered in hops by the end of the summer.

But this time, designing my Garden Room, I was a bit stymied as to the style of the design. I do love a formal garden that looks casual- that's a tricky thing to pull off. And well manicured- it must look cared for and beautiful. Rick kept encouraging a "whimsical" design. I kept thinking of arbors made of branches, a bee skep handmade of straw, birdbaths from galvanized tubs- definitely rustic to go with the house. Not feeling totally good about that direction, I decided to paint the house. That, my friends was a turning point.

Even with beautiful daffodils this year, sometimes I'd sit on the open tailgate of my car and look at the house- I really felt sorry for the neglect it suffered for so long.

A fresh coat of stain made the world of difference and I long for a tall ladder so I can finish the gingerbread trim. The color of the windows and door is a subtle green- Behr's Urban Nature- and I'm thinking it could be a bit more lime, heading towards pistachio, but we'll see about that.
Browsing around Home Depot, I saw these tomato stakes.

They reminded me of a Chihuly glass installation that I saw in a garden in Florida about 10 years ago.

The delicate nature of the glass among the vegetation was awesome, definitely not an element one would expect. Subsequently, I've followed Chihuly's rise to renown and he's added installations in gardens around the world. Through October, if you're in the area, the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx has an exhibit. Here are just a few photos of his incredible work. Neon tubes

Glass trees

Glass Squiggles

So you see where I'm going with this? My Chihuly inspired garden! Colorful, whimsical, casual and formal- it hits all the boxes! So happy to be in style- poor girl Chihuly style, that's me! I bought a bunch of the Home Depot squiggles and got on with the garden design.

The area of the garden was determined by the necessary fence- necessary to keep out deer and other rascals and the raised garden beds which are already planted with a delicious selection of vegetables. This week I framed out the flower garden.

The rock bordered flower beds still have to be weeded and cultivated but every rock you see came from leveling the site and other gardening attempts. There are rocks everywhere! The gray landscape fabric will be covered with small, gray stones, as will the entire 30 x 36' garden except the flower beds.

Rick and I finished the fence and added a 5" wood skirt around the wire to hold in the stones from the yard- and hopefully keep out the critters. The next step is for the landscape men to bring in the stone and for me to finish staining this side of the house. You can see I made a sitting area which is great to look out at the raspberry patch while taking five.
Believe it or not, on June 1st, some raspberry canes were as tall as my hip! Oh, boy, we're going to have lots of berries!

I just love the symmetry of the rows. A straw mulch keeps weeding to a minimum. The lavender is coming on slowly, but are sporting some flowering stems.

In spite of the rain and night temperatures in the mid 40s, I'm loving the experience of creating this farm. There's always something to apply my mind to, something unexpected in nature and something beautiful to see. I hope you have big plans for the summer- I'd love to hear what you're up to. Thanks for following along on my adventure!

Dale Chihuly- Glass Artist

If you would like more information on Dale Chihuly's art glass installations, go HERE. He has been called the most beautiful artist of our age.

Not Too Late To Plant Seeds

Even though it's June, it's not too late to plant flower seeds in the garden. Zinnia, Sunflower and alyssum all grow well in the heat of the summer.

Sunshine and Gardening- The Perfect Day! 20 June 2017

I can see why ancient civilizations worshiped the sun. After 4 weekends of rain delay (not that it stopped me from working on the garden! LOL), the sun is shining in Eldred, and I sure appreciate it. Weekend temperatures reached mid- eighty and with a slight breeze, I was happy to be "in the field".
Say hello to my little friend (I hope you recognized my best Al Pacino in Scarface accent there)!

This is a metal sculpture that stands about 3 feet tall. For the colorful garden I have planned, he's a perfect guardian and I've named him Chihuly, in honor of my garden design inspiration.
Speaking of gardens, it's taking a delightful turn and everything is growing beautifully. I have flowers on my tomatoes and zucchini, the onions are well set with 12" greens and little carrots and beets have emerged from the soil and are ready to grow.
Zucchini, yellow squash, nasturtiums and marigolds- all started from seed.

Green and yellow beans and calendula (I make calendula cookies from the flower petals!)

The push this week was to finish painting the garden side of the house and to get the landscape fabric down so the pebbles could be added. The landscape team was supposed to do the fabric, but after 2 weeks of waiting, and hearing that because of all the rain we've had their projects are all delayed, I decided to do it myself, hoping to take a little pressure off them. They're such a great group of guys, in fact so nice, I thought last year that the local church must have an "Adopt a Granny" program and they had adopted me! Tidy, efficient and helpful- I can't say enough good about how they've treated me but it's my own personality trait that I tend towards impatience. So, I thought if I could do the landscape fabric- which I'd never done before- I'd learn something new while helping out these nice guys.
The landscape fabric is supposed to smother weeds while allowing water, like rain, to permeate so no puddles. As I worked with it, I learned to smooth it so there would be no wrinkles, to tuck it under the raised boxes and the outside fence. The product is 4' wide so the seams are overlapped 2-3" and are held in place with 4-5" U-shaped metal pins. I can honestly say I used 200 pins and not one went into the ground without hitting a rock on the first try! Oh, my! But, rocks are the given here, so I re-shaped the bent pins and found another location and tried again. Ultimately, and about 8 hours of work later, the garden appears to be wall-to-wall carpeted and neat as a pin!

(The slightly gray object in the middle of the raised bed formation is a rock which I'm sure is the tip of Gibraltar!)

I did get the house trimmed out in the new green. It pops more than my original color and the house reminds me of chocolate chip mint ice cream- who doesn't like that? I'm not sure it's the most perfect color, but at some point I'm just happy to be happy- right?

I love to have the opportunity to buy new plants for the flower beds. Many old plant friends have been dearly missed since my home landscape can't accommodate the many plants I love. Not to mention, home plants must be deer resistant to survive.
I'm slowly clearing the weeds from the new flower beds and digging about 7" down to loosen the soil and remove rocks which could obstruct root growth of my new plantings. ROCKS! It's unbelievable how many rocks! All shapes, all sizes! From one 12" round planting area, I can pull 4-5 fist sized rocks, a couple larger ones used in the bed surround and innumerable Ping-Pong ball sized ones- I'm not even mentioning the rocks smaller than a quarter, I've learned to ignore them! The big, flat rock and the pile of smaller rocks were all dug from one planting hole!!!

OMG! Rocks have volume, so every hole must be supplemented with a compost mix just to bring the soil level up to proper height for planting. I started putting the rocks in piles- fist rocks for future edging, larger rocks for edging which still needs completing and small rocks to use as fill where the planter boxes are uneven with the ground. It reminded me of something that happened back in the 80's.
I had a chance to go to Hong Kong and while there, scheduled a day trip to mainland China. China had only been open to tourism for about 5 years at that point and the tours were state controlled. I, with about 40 other passengers rode a bus and saw a rice paddy, a "village" (which looked perfectly staged), a Buddhist temple, a farm and a rock quarry. This was at a time when China was first being designed to emerge onto the world stage after 40-45 years of isolation and their political goals were translated into everyday life. The rock quarry was "worked" by students. The guide explained that students were happy to pay for their education by working half a day and going to school half a day. This type menial labor (I say menial because the rocks were, literally picked up by hand and moved from one place to another in baskets or if the rocks were very big, by two boys sharing the task). The ages of the boys went from teenaged down to 2-3, so young they could hardly walk. The guide explained that the younger ones would have pride in the infra-structure they were helping to build (I think the rocks were being used to build roads).
The English speaking people on the bus were shocked to see such little tots filling baskets with rocks and spoke their disapproval to each other in hushed tones, but not to the guide. The kids seemed to be happy- no one dared complain- and in the years since China has grown and become a successful economic society. It's a provocative question whether a country should enforce a growth plan on its residents and at what age should one be to join the master plan for economic advancement of a nation.
So, that's what I think about when digging rocks- that and the way the slightest breeze has a hint of cool air, and how morning doves mate for life and how the beautiful dragon fly lives for just a day in full splendor. And how to build a trellis for cucumbers to climb on- which you'll see next time!
For those of you who have shared so many photos of your dogs and cats over the years, here's my Chihuly sitting in the garden!

Have a great sun-shiney week, my friends. Love, Sandy

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In Bed With Lavender ~ 27 June 2017

It's a happy time of year- Lavender season! Yay!!! My "original" plant is more than 10 years old now (in my home garden) and looks as beautiful as ever.

The farm lavender bed is just in the beginning of its second year. Remember the initial planting area?

OMG- What a weedy mess. From the evidence, I can conclude this was the previous owner's vegetable garden but, forsaken over the years, had become a garbage pit with old buckets, shingles (which were probably used for mulching down weeds), old pots and so much other junk I filled a contractor garbage bag when I cleaned it out. But look at it now!

The plants are producing flowers (full maturity will come next year and just get better from then on), weeds are at bay by a thick straw mulch and I'm reminded daily of my gardening mantra.

When cleaning up the bed this spring, I came across some yarrow. I didn't know if this was the wild variety which blooms white, or if by chance it was deliberately planted and could be yellow which I was wanting for the edge of this planting. Yellow yarrow makes a beautiful dried flower perfect for many uses- wreathes, dried flower arrangements and a lovely cut flower to enjoy fresh. So I let it grow.

It turned out to be the wild, white flowering type, but I've enjoyed seeing it everyday. I did find four huge yellow yarrow plants last week so they'll be replacing this one. If you notice in the foreground, there's a mullein plant which is a good medicinal herb and what you can't see is a lovely stand of spearmint which managed to come back after my merciless weeding of the grounds. It's hard to imagine the previous owner enjoying a mint julep, but maybe he did! Another surprise discovery in the lavender bed is a pansy whose seed found its way in the middle of a lavender plant- they're so clever at disguise! I like the secret surprise!

Speaking of secret surprises in plants, I had transplanted 5 clumps of day lilies from home and moved them to the new perennial bed in front of the house. Last week they seemed to be doing well. When I got there this week, oh boy, one had grown beautifully. The leaves were blowing in the wind and I was amazed at the size of the leaves in just a few days!

Upon close inspection, that's a corn stalk coming out of the clump of daylily! You can see in the photo, it's a limier green than the daylily. I am so impressed with how well camouflaged it tried to be- I can't believe it's random. Do birds conspire with plants to poop in just the right spot? Does the wind act as a greater power to blow things just right? That's the wonder of my garden and I love it!
Back to the lavender story... it's lavender wand season. I consider a wand to be the best way to save the sweetness of the bloom.

I've made hundreds of these over the years and still enjoy the opportunity to make a few every year. Lavender season is short- 2-3 weeks only- so there's a limit on how many get made. If you'd like to try your hand at making one, I have the instructions on my web site-

CLICK HERE.

The berry bushes are looking awesome- I couldn't be happier with how they're growing. I made an appointment with a Cornell cooperative extension specialist in small fruits to come have a look-see. I'd like to know if there's anything I could be doing to insure a successful crop. I actually bought raspberries in the grocery last week because I love them so- I just want my farm berries to be perfect. I'll see the agent next week.
The new gardens are growing great- with seeded vegetables and flowers. I transplanted quite a few things from home and it filled out nicely. The landscapers still have not brought the stones or the soil for the last two beds I built so I had to improvise when planting my home-grown morning glories.

What to do when you have no soil? I trimmed a card board box to the height of the planter, filled it with blend of compost and soil and placed it under my trellis. The plants were planted and encouraged to grow up the trellis. When the soil comes, the card board can be cut out from the sides, front and back but the bottom will decompose (all the while attracting worms- do you believe worms like the taste of cardboard glue??!! LOL). For now, the planting is done and I just have some plants to move around when the soil comes.
I love to be in the garden but this has been a lot of work what-with moving so many rocks and buggy-lugging dirt and debris. I'm really ready to get back to "house work" and have a few doors to build and other details to finish on the house. It's interesting- even to myself- that over the past month my focus on physical labor has compromised my usual creativity and I miss that. I'll have to make friends again with my saw and sit in meditation at my wood pile to get back in the mood! That's one thing about farm life- there's always something to do. Whether it's creative or grunt work, time passes quickly and at the end of the day, I'm usually smiling.
I hope you have a beautiful 4th of July weekend! Love, Sandy

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Just Puttering Around ~ 15 July 2017

Wow- the summer is going by quickly. I hope you've had some fun. I've been keeping busy- back and forth to the farm- trying to organize sub contractors to fix the leaky roof on the shed, dispose of an old oil tank and cut down 2 tall trees which are in the way of a permaculture experiment I want to try next year. Always something, right?
Last week I arranged to stay more than a week and I have to say I loved being here so much. Did you get that... "being here"? Rick, my sweetie and genius computer tech came for the weekend, and hooked up my computer which was "left over" from the real estate office. I'm so happy to be on "a mouse" - it just seems more comfortable to me than my laptop. When I think of farmhouse décor, techiness doesn't come to mind but just puttering, I built a tabletop to span the 2 wardrobes in the closet room creating a perfect window location to publish live from the farm.

Did you ever have an "I'm obsessed" experience? Maybe it was when you got a car that you truly loved, and when you brought it home you had to keep going to the window to gaze out on it? And go outside to look at it, hoping a neighbor would come out so you could talk about it with someone? Or maybe a new haircut when you couldn't stay away from the mirror? Well that's how I was when I got to the farm last week- the stone was here and the last of the planting beds were filled with a lovely dirt-compost blend perfect for plants. You couldn't have wiped off my grin as I walked in the garden, walked outside the fence, captured the view in my mind's eye from every angle. Inside the house I couldn't walk thru the living room without being drawn to the window to stare at the sight. My garden room, all neat and orderly and alive with beautiful growing plants. The realization of my winter months of planning, now a reality.

The plants for the newly filled boxes were already growing and were transplanted into their permanent home. I'd brought a bird bath and some garden ornaments which contributed to my Chihuly inspired garden but what to do with the old tree stump, right in the middle of the "patio" area?

Most literally, I was stumped! Rick had tried to cut it out with a chain saw, but the wood was old and weathered into a petrified state. What to do?

Luckily, I had wood left from the fence skirting so I was able to build a small table to cover the stump and it worked out great. One of the nicest experiences of the week was when my neighbor Paula dropped in to see the garden and we ended up sitting for almost an hour, feet up on the table, enjoying the garden and sharing stories. It was a great afternoon.

I was able to finish painting/staining this side of the house and replace the rotten door frame.
We've never talked about the bathroom- the last original part of this house, wrapped in dark paneling permeated with cigarette and cigar smoke and though I had washed it twice, from top to bottom with a strong cleaner, it was disgusting and reminded me of the movie Psycho every time I took a shower- creepy! The plan is to build a small addition- the size of a bathtub- on the back of the house to expand the space and I vowed not to spend a penny when I knew the room was to be totally renovated. But a few weeks ago, at 6:30 at night, I had an inspiration to paint the bathroom. Mixing a few colors of paint I had on-hand into a soft blue, the walls were done by midnight and the year of showering at the Bate's Hotel was over. The room is too small to photograph, but I did make a small shelf and hung one of my favorite pictures to give it a country vibe.

The print was painted by Izzy, the very talented daughter of my first cousin Ian (does that make Izzy my second cousin or first cousin once removed? I always get that mixed up!) Anyway, Ian knows I love owls and sent me the print which I've treasured- it was so special to me, no spot seemed important enough to hang it. But now it seems right as the only décor item in the room. Ian has a beautiful farm in Wales called Owl Farm with guest houses- if you'd like to see, CLICK HERE . His farming endeavors include animal husbandry, a large newly planted orchard and of course managing the bed and breakfast.

My father's first farm house was a center hall colonial with a large welcoming front porch. It was painted yellow so we called it the Yellow House (duh, right?). The kitchen, which was located in an add-on room behind the main structure may have been the original house- it was a step down from the main part of the house, had lower ceilings and had a steep back stair leading to a small second story bedroom with a low pitched roof. It was rumored that when they did a kitchen renovation, probably in the mid 1950's, they found insulating material to be newspapers from the civil war. I didn't see it myself, but that's what the locals said.
The door from the bedroom led to another bedroom and had a thumb latch closure. From then 'til this day, a thumb latch handle is quintessentially farm house to me.
Last year my friend Michael cut out a new door opening to the utility room and I immediately ordered the thumb latch handle for the door I would build. I kept it in my heart this whole time and finally Rick and I were able to make the door this past weekend. It still needs door stop and painting, but I'm crazy for this door, and for the old farmhouse it brings to mind where I had so much fun with my family and first learned that I had the seed of a farmer in me.

(This is the other side of the bunk room)
New visitor to the farm this morning.

I have rambled on long enough! Thanks for bearing with my musings. I do appreciate that you're with me and sharing my experience. Love, Sandy
Washday....

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Berries, Bugs and Blessings ~ 25 July 2017

Every Saturday night, Laurie at CommonSenseHome sends a e-note highlighting her week- it's pretty low-key, actually. The new pond is filling, the currents are almost ready for jam, a groundhog got into the vegetable patch, maybe a neighbor stopped by for a visit. Routine farm life is not always jaw dropping. It's an accumulation of small accomplishments which may make themselves into a big story later. But I like knowing that somewhere (is it Ohio?), a lady is handling life in a good, common-sense way, simple as it may be. And that, is inspiring.
Meanwhile, back on my farm, everything is growing beautifully.

I am amazed at how much growth happens in just a few days! I planted cucumbers for my Audrey's Hickabee Farm pickle venture.

Beets

Squash

Onions

There's a 5-Year plan for the farm which I think of in phases. I had several things on my must-have list for this year to complete Phase II. An old above ground oil tank had to be properly recycled and taken off the property- check! Last week it was removed and I couldn't be happier with the price and the guys who came to take it away. And then there is the leaky roof on the shed.

(Rick loves to show this picture whenever someone asks to see a picture of the farm house! LOL) Outbuildings are an intrinsic necessity to farm life. It's just incredibly handy to have a place to store things I want to up-cycle later, not to mention a little house for the rototiller, my precious wagon, tools, mulch, flower pots, hoses- you get the idea. This shed is divided into 2 sections- one we call the wood shed which is storage for all my building supplies, and the other is the tool shed. You can see the moss on the roof which is soooo romantic, in a back-woodsy sort of way. But it leaks so the hunt was on to find a roofer- and I did. He'll be removing the old roof (and moss :-( ) and replacing it with brand new shingles. Once the building is stained to match the house, I think we'll have good storage for 20 years. Oh, boy, I can get more stuff!!
It doesn't take too long to weed the vegetable patch, then the lavender bed and the raspberry field each week and I'm confident the next expansion will be manageable too. I forgot to take photos to explain the plan for Phase III, so I'll save the story until next time, but I'll give some intrigue by saying it involves a man called Billy Black Oak, wood chips and plastic. Curious?
Last week I decided to (finally) clean up around the shed. The previous owner had used the area for storing his firewood and sometimes his garbage. There were about 7 pallets buried and decomposing in the dirt, half decomposed fire place logs, metal pipes, chains, catfood cans and so much debris I had to get another Bagster to hold it all. And before I could pick it up, every piece of wood or trash had to be rolled over with a hoe to make sure there were no snakes hiding underneath. (I did see 3 snakes which only confirmed that my method was necessary!).

You've got to love the Bagster. I ordered the pick-up on-line and it was gone within 2 days! I can't wait for the lawn mower men to see how nice it is now!

On the home front, I'm starting to harvest the statice I planted. So far, I have 7 nice sized bunches drying with many more branches coming on.

The fence I made is working perfectly to keep out the deer and the statice is growing taller than I ever remember!
It's Japanese beetle season, oh my! So many bugs on the berry plants. I'm trying to keep my methods as close to organic as I can so I read that if you take a coffee can, partially fill it with water and a lot of dishwashing soap, you can knock them from the leaf into the water and the dishwashing soap weights their wings and they can't fly so they drown. I'm really not a bug person- while I can see the natural beauty in the original shapes, sizes, colors or the many species I've seen here, I'm just not that into it. But the damage the Japanese beetle cause the leaves- they just eat them up- I had to get stern, and mean. So I harvested bugs this weekend. I've got to say it was fun to develop the finesse of getting them into my coffee can and I loved having a reason to walk slowly through the field, but after 3 days, twice a day and getting probably close to 400 bugs, I don't know if I even put a dent in their population. I'll see when I get back if I have to resort to more aggressive treatment. I did find 10 perfect and delicious raspberries to eat, which only strengthened my resolve to banish the bugs- raspberries are just too lovely to waste to bugs!
I'm starting to organize for the Pick-Your-Own- looking for pails and boxes, a scale for weighing, how to move the picnic table to the patch- a lot of details, but when the berries ripen I have to be ready. If you were ever thinking of a visit, September would be a great time to pick some berries, drive among the changing foliage and be in the country for a day. Keep it in mind. Hope you're having a fun summer!
Love, Sandy

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From Mountains To Mole Hills ~ 8 August 2017

So much has been happening on the farm, I'm tempted to abbreviate everything to a photo and a quick description, but what's the fun in that? So bear with me as I explain the incredible past 2 weeks and the transformation we've made on the farm.
On Saturday, 2 weekends ago, Paula, my BFF (best farm friend) came by and asked if she could bring a friend of hers, Karol to visit the garden. As it turns out, Karol is a Master Gardener and we had such a fun time talking gardening and I got to show her the berry patch. If you remember from my last enote, I have been having a problem with Japanese beetles, but Karol agreed that I had gotten the better of them and the plants seem to have outgrown the damage caused by those colorful insects. It was great to share my progress with someone who knows a lot about gardening. Paula brought pizza and we enjoyed a lunch in the garden- what a treat!
I don't know how I got it, but something quintessential to a farm house, to me, is the SMACK of a screen door. Maybe the Walton's had one- I know I never did- but when I think of a farm, I hear the SMACK of the screen door closing as it hits the doorstop and it's a very homey sound to me. I had the screen door in the wood shed for a few months and Sunday I was (finally!) motivated to install it. I was worried because I hadn't used a router for a few years and the hinges had to be recessed, but trust me, it's like riding a bike! With careful measurements, everything worked out fine and with the addition of a super-strong spring, the door gives me the SMACK that I've wanted to hear for so long.

From the inside, fresh air and natural light change the whole environment for the better. I'm waiting to paint it until the humidity stabilizes the fit as I already know it will have to be planed a bit.

(Doesn't everyone have a table saw in their foyer? LOL)
Just for fun, and to improve the finished product of some signs I have planned, I bought a vinyl cutter- Silhouette Portrait from Amazon for about $107.00. It's been so much fun. I've had to experiment, so everything is not coming out a winner, but I do love that it adds another something to my many tools. Essentially, you hook it up to the computer and like a printer, you push a button and it cuts out sticky vinyl which can be added to scrap wood to make cute signs. That's an over-simplification, of course. The letters for my chalk-board were made on it.

I've been chalk writing the vegetables as I harvest them and added eggplant and cucumbers this week- fun! Black board paint was applied to a piece of plywood, framed in recycled barn wood taken from the house and the chain was left over from the grow-light project Rick made.
This is a very generous garden!

This past weekend, Rick came to help me set up Phase III. This is my garden project for next year, my third year, but starting the no-till garden beds needed to be done this year. I'm sure I don't need to mention that I am obsessed with gardening. And because of that, I read so many articles on the internet about how to do it, and how to do it better. In my head, they all seem to mash up so I'm winging it here with several internet suggestions on how to cultivate in a rocky weed-covered-and-mowed-to-resemble-grass field. The goal is 1) to farm a large enough space- but not too large- to grow products which will be available during berry picking time, 2) to incorporate as much "on hand" materials as I can, and 3) use as many permaculture practices as I can (no tilling, organic materials). This is what I've come up with.
I selected the area- I'm going between the raspberry patch and the new vegetable gardens- to save on fencing costs and to create a cohesive farming area. Three huge evergreen trees to the back left of the house had to come out.

Billy from Black Oak tree service said he would do it "soon" so I was very surprised when I got to the farm just two weeks later, that the trees were down. I had asked for the chips to be left for mulching and he agreed, but the pile was larger than I expected!

I also asked Billy to leave me part of the trunks for a little project I have in mind.

I've seen photos of "Fairy Houses" or "Spirit Houses" which supposedly house the spirit of the tree forever, if you believe in that sort of thing (I would put a little heart imogie here if I knew how to do it!). This is a photo from the internet, but gives me an idea of a fun winter project for my own stumps!

Rick and I started by making 2 x 4" (4' x 12") frames and set them where I wanted my planting beds.

We covered them with 6M plastic, stapled just the corners and flipped them upside down. This method allows us to go around the old tree stumps which would have made rototilling impossible.

The idea is that the plastic cover will kill the vegetation. I am told it takes 5-6 weeks for the vegetation to die and the heat under the plastic will also kill weed seeds. Probably in late October, I'll cut the plastic from frames and next spring cover with 2 sheets of newspaper and fill the frames with a compost and top soil blend- just 3"- and plant seeds into that. Supposedly, the seed roots will break up the compacted earth, worms will move into the new soil and by the end of the first growing season, the soil in the beds should be perfect for planting transplants, seeds, or perennials. We'll see! LOL
Rick is a great partner and before he left on Sunday, we had laid landscape fabric in the walking rows and covered it with chips from the downed trees. It looks awesome AND it smelled like Christmas!

We only got half the total area mulched and I'm still trying to figure out fencing to keep the deer out, gates for easy access in and out to the garden, but I love the way the new planting connects to the vegetable garden.

Another weekend and the project should be finished for this year. I'll have space for all sorts of good things which can be sold with the berries. I have a hankering for home grown pop corn, lots of flowers to dry or sell fresh, ornamental gourds, maybe small pumpkins and some vegies- beets, mixed lettuces, fall squash and the like. I'm really looking forward to next year to see if I can keep up with it all.
Lots of raspberries are forming and for the next few weeks I'll be getting the pick-your-own set up. Since my attention span is about 2 hours, it's good for me to have a lot of projects going at the same time!
I hope you're having a fun summer, with many projects that keep you happy! Love- Sandy

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Summer Harvest ~ 30 August 2017

Wow- it's been a while since I wrote, but I had a problem with my back which side-lined me for a few weeks and I wasn't able to get to the farm. Talk about bad timing- the Annie variety of raspberries was just starting to ripen, the zucchini and cukes were going mad with hugeness and the sunflowers were just forming, which I've waited a year to see.(I forgot to plant them last year! oops!) But through the magic of chiropractics, plenty of bed rest, only minor exertion and total help and support from Rick, I seem to be on the other side of my limitations and am looking to pick up where I left off, albeit a bit more gently.

My concerns for all the afore mentioned items was driving me just about looney- was a bear eating my raspberries? Was a zucchini going to get sooo big, it would break through the window on the house? Were the un-irrigated patches of garden getting enough rain? Were the irrigated parts getting to much? Oh, what my mind comes up with when I'm forced to just sit around! I'm forever grateful that Rick had sympathy for my concerns and went, by himself, to the farm for 2 days to make sure everything was in good shape.
In anticipation of the "Pick-Your-Own" berries, I wanted the picnic table moved to the berry patch to hold the scale, boxes and buckets for picking. We had gotten a nice umbrella for shade and he dismantled the table, moved it to the new location and reassembled it. That was a huge job to do single handed.

The last time I was there, the raspberry canes had grown so tall the rows of berries were falling in on each other and obscuring the foot paths. Rick spent a lot of time tying back one row, but realized this was not the solution.

The next weekend we went back with a hedge trimmer and Rick mastered the art of cane cutting, making nice walkable paths to access the berries.

Berries have formed on the ends of the canes which will make picking very easy, but they are slow to size, so the picking season which I thought would start in mid-August is still not happening. At least the little (just 10' of row) crop of Annies are coming on beautifully and have satisfied my yearning for fresh raspberries!
Rick drove me to the farm last weekend and it was such a sight to see! Everything seemed to have grown a foot and with more than 2 inches of rain since I was last there (I have a rain gauge) the colors and greens of the field and gardens was magnificent.
The nasturtiums were trailing around the vegetable garden.

The sunflowers were blooming.

There were enough cucumbers to make pickles!

And I had the greatest pleasure braiding onions.

We had a chance to visit with Paula and got caught up on the local news, made a trip to the farmers' market and finished the "must-dos" for the week. While I didn't feel totally okay, my back held out, and with Rick's help a lot was accomplished which gave me great solace.
One of the more interesting things about my home in Toms River is that there is a large brook that runs through my community. Each summer- though frequently I forget to look and miss it- marshmallows (relatives of the hollyhocks) bloom in profusion and it is one of the most beautiful things to see. The stream and forest take on a Monet quality.

I always get out of the car- though you can see it perfectly well when driving- to gaze on the beauty of it. The colors range from pastel pinks to rich burgundy and spread as far up and down the creek as the eye can see.

I wonder if it's the cedar water of the creek that creates the perfect environment for these flowers to grow reliably each year. It's a perfectly natural beauty but fleeting- the bloom only lasts a couple of weeks.

I don't know how to put in words the sympathy I feel for the flood victims in Texas and Louisiana. I've seen first hand the destruction a storm can bring with Super Storm Sandy five years ago- it's a real mess and emotionally unnerving. But we are afforded a rare glimpse of courage in action as neighbors help neighbors while government and private citizens try to ease the burden. The rebuilding will start, homes and businesses will be repaired and the mantra for life in this new reality will be "just passing through". For all the beauty found in nature, nothing is quite so lovely, or inspiring as the determination of the human spirit.
Have a beautiful week, my friend- Sandy xoxo

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Farming is a Risky Business ~ 20 September 2017

On my drive to the farm I noticed a few golden leaves and it's hard for me to believe that fall is just around the corner. I look forward to the crisp night air and clear days without humidity, but it's coming too soon! Harvest is a busy time, and I'm trying to get the list of summer "chores" complete before the snow flies. My farm life is now sectioned as "before my back" and "after my back" and while "BMB" I would be confident that everything will be done in time, "AMB" I'm a little worried of the work ahead which needs to be completed. I still have trouble bending- to pull weeds, pick vegetables, etc- and the chiropractor said it could take 8-10 weeks for me to resume my usual activity. My daily activities are interrupted by rest with ice packs and I tire easily. BUT, I am better every day!
Staining the house was not on the list this year, but I started it anyway. I had just started on the back wall "BMB" but was able to finally resume this past weekend. I finished 3/4 of it, and got the windows painted, too which felt great- nothing like seeing progress to get my energy up! A chimney from the now removed furnace comes through the wall in the last quarter, so next weekend I'll have the supplies I need to repair the hole. With the final quarter stained, that side will be finished. Still to do is the peaked side near the raspberries which requires a tall ladder. I've put feelers out for a painter/handyman to finish it for me, but so far I haven't made the right connection.

I was able to find a nice man, Dave Leavenworth, to do the new roof on the shed. It was a real leaker and I have been concerned about storing machinery in there this winter. Now, no worries. Rick was up a few weekends ago and made a brand new ramp into the tool section to replace one which had a very rotten board. No matter how you approached the shed, the wagon wheel would find the rotten board, fall into it and make parking the wagon very challenging! Now with a new ramp and a new roof, the building cries out to be stained- and this is how my list of projects just keeps getting bigger! LOL To stain this building would be the real definition of lipstick on a pig!

The vegetable garden is a real success and every week it's like arriving at my own farmer's market. I come home with enough produce to make yummy meals AND more to "put up" for the winter. My garden supplied the main ingredients for stuffed peppers, zucchini pancakes, homemade tomato sauce, eggplant parmesan, pesto and calendula cookies in the past 2 weeks.

Now, about the berries... not so good. The berries which formed in early-August have not sized nor colored. I was expecting that crop in mid-August and it just hasn't happened. While I've had a master gardener and a cooperative extension agent to the farm and both thought the bushes looked healthy and vigorous, the berries did not form properly. There are 2 opinions as to why this happened- one, they weren't pollenated at the right time and two, the canes weren't cut down in winter at the right time. I can't do much about the bees, but next year we'll be cutting the canes in February or as soon after as the snow melts. This photo shows the thousand or so berries which have formed but have not ripened. As I said, farming is risky business.

Fortunately, I have a 10' row of "Annies", a different variety, which is doing beautifully. I've harvested enough to make a batch of jam, for which I am very grateful. If you're asking how could one variety do exactly what it's supposed to- taste yummy, look beautiful, arrive on time and produce profusely and another variety not-so-much, I'm asking the same question!

Ordinarily raspberry picking would continue through the end of October and I'm still hopeful that new blooms which are coming on the bushes will ripen..... I just can't give up hope!
It's been a cloudy, rainy late summer in Eldred and the perma-culture experiment I started in early August hasn't been coming along as well as I expected. The sun was supposed to burn out the weedy growth beneath the plastic covers in 6-7 weeks, but the job is only partly complete. I'll probably be leaving the plastic on through the winter, really hoping the weeds die off.

That will make a large garden and as big as I now imagine I'll be able to care for single-handedly. I'm especially looking forward to growing pop corn and luffah sponges- an odd combination, I know-, some herbs and flowers for drying and strawberries.
I'm trying to keep everything neat and orderly and recycling at the farm is important. I am lucky that many years ago I gave Rick a compost maker for his garden which he hasn't used lately so he suggested I take it to the farm. I'm already filling it with garden clean-up and learning how to layer it so it makes compose quicker. (Raspberry bushes are in the background. How can something this beautiful be a non-producer!!?? :-(

This year a new variety of morning glory caught my eye and I planted a packet of seed. They germinated and grew about 3" and stopped growing- the plants were alive but stunted- so I thought I'd never see a flower. But miracles do happen and on one 4" plant a flower sprung forth- in all its glory- and it was as pretty as I imagined it would be.

There's a story about a city fella who was interviewing a farmer and he asked him "what would you do if you won a million dollars?" The farmer's reply was simple- "I'd keep farming until it was all gone". I've thought about that a lot recently as the hope of raspberry revenue slowly fades and my plans for next year get bigger. Farming is a risky business, but for some of us, the sight of a new morning glory is as exciting as closing the million dollar deal.
I hope you're enjoying every day. Love, Sandy

Butterflies Everywhere! ~ 10 October 2017

Wow, it's such a busy time. The raspberries have finally come on which means daily picking and trying to stimulate a pick-your-own clientele. It's all been so much fun and I'm busy every minute of the day.

After several weeks of picking just enough to make jam and keep the patch clean, I was able to contact Karol, the Master Gardener I met earlier in the summer, to let her know berries were ready for picking.

She picked 2 large boxes and we were both so happy that the berries were gorgeous, plump and delicious with MANY more still on the bush to ripen. I did a check on the internet to see what other pick-your-own farms were charging for raspberries and the general consensus was $6.00/ pound so that's what I decided on (there's absolutely no way to rationally price farm produce that I can think of!).

When she paid me, she wrote her name and date on the first bill I received for my raspberry business so I could keep it as a memento of my first picker. It was so exciting to hold that dollar, thinking of all the work Rick and I had put into the patch. I have it pinned up at the farm house to keep forever as a reminder of the kindness of the people who have supported my venture.
The vegetable garden is still producing and I have many plum tomatoes for sauce, which I've been making every week- a big pot of homemade sauce, so yummy! It's been years since I've made calendula cookies, which are actually Martha Ann's Marigold Buns, probably named after the creator. But I love doing it, and they freeze nicely, so I wanted to show them to you.

This is the calendula flower- so beautiful in the garden, which makes a mighty fine cookie. See the peatals in the cookie?

Last spring I saw a picture of someone's raised bed garden which had a seat attached to it and I thought it was clever. Looking for something in my tool cupboard, I saw 2 L-brackets and I thought they could be used to make a seat for my garden.
Four months and 3 hours later (four months to find the time to do it and 3 hours to build it! LOL), the seat is made. Everyone with a back injury should have one to make picking and garden tending a whole lot easier. It's a real help and easy to make.

The space between the metal L-bracket and the upright wood pieces slips over the raised garden bed and can be moved to anywhere around the garden.

The bane of every farmer is....WEEDS! Our raspberry patch is mulched with straw and it does a lot to help keep the pesky ones at bay. But one weed that grows right through the mulch is milkweed. I have a sentimentality for it because it is the only north American plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on. So I'm reluctant to pull them and always let a few mature. It was a complete surprise though, this week to have dozens of monarchs in the berry patch and the flower garden- maybe even hundreds! I find the name "butterfly" to be amusing because if you move around the letters to "flutterby" you have the action of the original word and I can't think of any other word that does that. (I have given this about 60 years of thought so please, if you know of another word like that, tell me so I can stop thinking about it.)
There were butterflies on everything! On the berries...

On the zinnias...

And on different zinnias... It was magnificent.

Mean while, only Karol came to pick raspberries. The sign at the end of my driveway attracted no pickers and by the time Paula arrived on Friday I had about 15 pounds of frozen raspberries in my freezer and diminishing positive outlook. She is so awesome and in literally 10 minutes kicked my butt into high gear. She assigned me to make flyers which she offered to put up on bulletin boards that she knew of the next day. That night she contacted 2 people who would make jam and chutney from frozen berries and ordered 15 pounds! She wrote an article for the bi-weekly newspaper (great article, BTW), spoke me up to the library lady's meeting Saturday afternoon and printed the flyers for me. She made me formalize the business- Open Wednesday- Sunday from Noon to 5 PM. A better friend could not be had.
Now that I have an obligation to be at the farm on those picking days, I wanted to get home to see Rick and came back to NJ on Monday morning. I woke to a rainy day and as I was getting my things together, I kept hoping the rain would stop- berries must be picked daily. But it didn't so I put on a hoody and armed myself with buckets and headed to the field. The rain was coming down pretty good, the bees were a-buzz and pollinating things and butterflies were everywhere- fluttering around my head, landing on my hands, atop the canes. It was transcendental, and I couldn't stop laughing. I was living my dream and it was so much better than I thought it would be!
Hope you're having the time of your life, because it is, really! Love, Sandy

Farm in the Fall 2017

Great Time for a Foliage Tour ~ 27 October 2017

the days just click by and I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall. I find myself saying "wow" a hundred times a day looking out at the trees, the changing landscape and all that's left to do at the farm before the snows fly! Never a dull moment.
So, for all the planning, praying and cajoling I did for and with the raspberries, finally they started to ripen and I had a pick-your-own business. Two weekends we were picked out entirely and weekdays brought in enough pickers to ease my mind that I hadn't started a jam business after all. What was the most gratifying was that everyone who came loved the experience of being outdoors, picking berries in a clean and well maintained patch and wanted to know more about my plans for the perma-culture beds and what was going to happen next year. I just loved meeting the folks and hearing their stories of their gardening endeavors.
I didn't fuss too much about the set-up. Rick positioned our picnic table by the gate to the patch and I put my scale on it, along with take home cartons, information blackboards, buckets and flowers. The buckets had string which would tie around the waist of the picker, leaving both their hands free to lift the canes to find the berries.

This little boy just loved berries. Every time he ate one, his little face would pucker up as if he bit a lemon. Then, within 3 seconds he would smile as he got to the sweetness of the berry and say "more, more".

The dried flowers were a big hit, too. Some people who had never seen them before, were fascinated with how they felt papery and that they would last for months just as they were on day of purchase with no water. From my small planting I was able to make many bunches.

(A rare picture of me since usually I'm the one taking the pictures!)
Luckily, my sister Sally had planned a trip from Vermont and arrived just before frost ended the picking season. She's a "foodie" and makes jam and pickles whenever she can. I got to show her a little of my big, small town of Eldred. The outdoor pizza parlor gave us a ghoulish welcome!

We drove by the local micro-brewery.

And stopped to ogle classic cars at this fine showroom- all within a mile of my house!

And then, one morning, I awoke to frost spoiled flowers and plants and the end of the season was upon me. It's always a bitter-sweet moment because I love tending to my plants, but I do get tired. So the seasons give me the rest I need. My prized nasturtiums- gone!

The beautiful pineapple sage which has just begun to bloom with stalks of red flowers- gone!

But in spite of it (or maybe because of it, as I realized we were now on the clock) I got the garlic planted. Paula had given me some beautiful garlic bulbs- Romania Red, Music and Siberian varieties- which I planted in the new perma-culture bed. Something to look forward to next spring as the little shoots and scapes make their appearance.

From then on, it was just a matter of cleaning up the beds as each flower or plant succumbed to frosty night temperatures.

The same weekend that Sally came, Rick came to help me install the door I had been working on. The track for a barn door is heavy- too heavy for me to manage alone. I wanted a closure between the living space and the bedroom- for privacy and sound control if someone was trying to sleep and someone else wanted to watch TV. But more-so, the line of sight from the main entrance of the house (which has a nine pane window in the door) gave clear view to any caller when I was dressing! Oops! The new barn door solves all those problems.
I first made a frame of 1 x 4's that measured the size I wanted the finished door to be. Then I applied that to tongue -and-groove boards cut to the size of the frame. It was simple, really, and once it was primed and painted, it was ready to hang.

It's been a busy time, but often I take five and sit in the yard looking at all the beauty around me. It's amazing, and wonderful, how many times a day I hear nothing. No cars, no trucks, no man-made sounds of any kind. An occasional bee passes and disturbs my reverie, but I figure they're entitled.
Rick is meeting me here tomorrow and we'll be taking the irrigation out of the raspberry patch and getting the house ready for closing. On Monday the plumber will be here to winterize and from there, without water or plumbing,for me it will be day trips only.
Thanks for sharing my journey and foray into country life. I like sharing it with you.
Big BOO! Sandy

As the Farm Sleeps, I Gear Up ~ 5 November 2017

Can you believe it's November already?! Though we've only had a few frosts- just enough to do permanent damage- the scenery on my farm trips has gotten bleak and tawny. The beautiful golds and crimsons of fall has past and the multitudes of pine and evergreen stand out once again as being the colorful trees- and reliable, since they will stay green until they are dusted with snow. I think some of these trees stand more than 50 feet tall, with a grace that makes them majestic. I do love trees!
I've had a really good stroke of luck- my "crafts" are being sold in a store in Lafayette NJ. Here's how it happened. There are 3 stores that I like to stop at on my travels from home to the farm. All have interesting inventory, super nice and friendly owners and the stops give me a break on my three hour drive. When I had extra dried flowers from the berry patch and knowing they'd best be enjoyed now, I thought to stop and ask the store owners if they would take them on consignment. Then I started thinking who would I most like to form a relationship with and immediately I thought of Tammy who owns, along with her daughter Alexandra, the shop Sheep Thrills. So I went to her first.

I stopped in and asked for an appointment to show her my flowers and in talking, she asked to see anything else I might have and WOW! I realized this could be a great venue for my products. She was willing to try what ever I had!
The shop is set up in a beautiful Victorian house. Outside, it has a big porch for displaying tempting pieces and is always landscaped with flowers. There is a small creek, visible from the parking lot that runs behind the property which sets a nice tone.

Inside, there's something for everyone- from antiques and collectables to

scarves and purses,

and adorable and eclectic one of a kind items.

They have a "Garden Room" upstairs which is where my garden signs and flowers are displayed. As the store name suggests, Tammy and Alexandra raise sheep and have a room devoted to yarns and knitting- a perfect place to offer my knit pom-pom hats! They also have a little kitchen corner for my raspberry jams and sauces and new this week, my maple wood-burned cutting boards.
Feeling excited about this new opportunity can't be overstated! I don't have to mass-produce and have a great venue for my wares. The first weekend they sold 7 items and I even got a nice email from one lady who bought some flowers and loved them (I have the web site listed on my labels). I couldn't be happier to be headed to Christmas with shoppers looking for one-of-a-kind gifts. The shop is located 99 Route 15, Lafayette NJ, closed Tuesday. If you're ever in the area, stop in. You're guaranteed to get a warm reception.
Like most of you, I guess, Rick and I have been battening down for winter and spent the day prepping and painting the front of our house. We've lived here for 14 years now and routine maintenance is necessary. I did get some time in the home garden this week, pruning dead branches and trimming the lavender. The temps in New Jersey are running warmer than at the farm, so I'm basically doing the same things to get ready for winter. I'm so grateful that my back has been cooperating and I feel well enough to do what needs to be done.
It's a super fun time of year with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. I hope you are enjoying every minute! Love, Sandy

Feeling Thankful ~ 22 November 2017

Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? I'm cooking a little light this year. Along with the bird, just 3 vegetables and one dessert instead of the usual 6 side dishes and 3 homemade pies! I make the most of trying to give everyone their favorite, but this year it's a small gathering and my sister Viv, Rick and I like the same things so I'll just focus on making them delicious!

It's been a banner year for turkeys- we have 30+ who walk through our yard every day!

What most people don't realize is that turkeys are roosting birds and if I had my camera at the ready, you would have seen them sitting on the fence, roosting in the oak tree and taking a dip in the birdbath.

While we live in a senior community, fortunately our lot is bordered by an easement and there's plenty of "nature" to keep me amused all year long. With increasing turkey populations, there are also more than 2 dozen deer who visit regularly as well as the more common critters- squirrels, groundhogs and chipmunks. It's a peaceful pastime to watch them all.

I made my last trip to the farm for the year on Monday. Tammy from the Sheep Thrills shop needed some more raspberry jam for Christmas sales. I'd done a bit of "elf work" and had half a dozen new items for her inventory- blackboards framed in barn wood, wood-burned maple cutting boards and 2 folk art painted shelf plaques. It's been so much fun for me to create whatever I want, knowing I have an outlet. She especially loved the cedar Garden Trugs.

My sister Viv came along for the ride. She'd only been to the farm once, before I actually purchased it, when I went to take soil samples. It sure looked a lot different! It was a long drive, round trip in a day, but sisters always have fun.

A little project I'd started this summer was cleaning up the wood shed. It had never been emptied by the former owner and I added my share of wood, doors, gates and things I took out of the house- all items intended to recycle.

When I had the new roof done on the sheds, Rick came up to help with the tool shed organization and to our amazement he discovered that both sheds had electric- it just wasn't plugged in! Lights and outlets- wow! Once the wood shed was cleaned out and fitted with shelves and wood brackets to hold different sized wood remnants, I realized I had a wood shop- something I have dreamed about and longed for.

It even has a work bench- which was so piled high and covered, I'd forgotten it was there! Now I have a space to work, a place to plug in tools and light.

It's happened before, when I need something, if I just look around I find I already have it- it's just not in the form I expected. With a few tweaks- usually by taking away the extraneous- I can fashion materials I have on-hand into what I need. Like the wood shed which became a wood shop, it was there all along- I just didn't see it. I'm so grateful, it feels like I've been given a miracle.

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving day- a day of happiness and celebration for all we have and for what we can do with it.
With gratitude for your friendship- Sandy

Remembering Christmas Past ~ 3 December 2017

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, though it seems so long ago. It's already Christmas every where and it's impossible not to be caught up in it! Rick and I headed out today to do a little browsing, to be inspired by the wares the shops offered, but came back empty handed.

This is how my craft room looked every Christmas! Christmas inspires me and I spent hours- or was it days?- making new crafts and decorations. I've been a Christmas elf for as long as I can remember!

The first Christmas after my father passed away, I stayed with my Mom for Christmas week. Two sisters and their families lived out of state and Christmas was sure to be quieter than we'd ever known before. I missed the way things used to be so much I bought a small Christmas tree and decorated it with ginger bread cookies. I iced the cookies with names for everyone in our family. The "family tree" was the only decoration that year. That started my cookie tradition which, in time, grew to include everyone I worked with, special requests for cookies for children of co-workers, boyfriends of our girls and other people I knew. At one point I was making more than 70 cookies a year!

I even tried Rick and Sandy cookies as a snow globe illusion!

I love to make handmade gifts which is, I guess, what caused me to start a new tradition- an annual family Christmas craft party. With more than a 60 year span between generations, the crafts had to appeal to children of all ages! The first year everyone was provided with a felt snowman and we decorated them with ribbons, fabric scraps, glitter and buttons. Each one was different and no doubt inspired by the secret life of the creator. Paige did a 60's peacenik. Mommy's was more traditional. Mine resembled a French lady. Someone made a clown.

Over the years we went caroling, made ginger bread houses, count down to Christmas wall hangers, poinsettia boxes, fleece hats and scarves, Christmas tree ornaments and a host of other things. One of my favorites was the bird seed bird houses.

We started with a pre-built bird house from a craft store and slathered it with peanut butter (probably 1/4" thick). I had an assortment of different bird seed and dried fruit which we patted into the peanut butter and made unique designs. I had pre-drilled holes at the roof peek to add a hanging string. Some were decorated with Christmas greens. Everyone took theirs home and put them on shepherd hooks in the yard where birds, and no doubt squirrels, could easily access them. By spring, the birds had chipped away at the frozen peanut butter which held the seeds until they were consumed. To make this project CLICK HERE.



As the children got older (I think my nephew Austin was 4 when we started this tradition), we upped the game to include candle holders, cooking Christmas treats (cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels and Chex mix with melted white chocolate), and one year, skipped the crafting for a trip to the theater to see The Nutcracker Suite. Dinner always followed the crafting afternoon, and I remember making a meat loaf in a bundt pan, intended to look like a wreath, and decorated it with catsup holly berries and parsley for the holly leaves. It was a craft day, after all!

Our final craft party was inspired by all the military who would not be home for Christmas. We made stationary with a photo of all of us and wrote letters to unknown men and women who would be in Iraq for the holiday. We made stockings filled with treats, created a party-in-a-box with a small faux Christmas tree, ornaments, candy canes, hot chocolate packets and Little Debbie's Christmas Tree cakes. We packed a lot of toilet items, socks and chocolate bars into two huge boxes and sent them to an address Austin, our youngest craft party member, found on-line. It really was a great day- we felt we did something important.

The "Crafting at Christmas" tradition was maintained for 14 years. It was so much fun and I looked forward to it each year. I kept wondering if everyone knew I was really setting up a play date for myself each year!

I'm always curious what your Christmas traditions are- let me know.

This year, I'll be sending Christmas cards to wounded warriors who won't make it home for Christmas. It's a little thing really, but you never know how much it could mean to someone in a hospital bed at Christmas. If you'd like to spread some cheer, here's the address:
A Recovering American Soldier
C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue
N.W Washington DC 20307-5001

Hope you're having some HO-Ho-HO! For the Love of Christmas- Sandy

Getting Ready to Rock the New Year ~ 12 December 2017

It's a busy time of year! Along with making sure everyone on my list has a beautiful present to open on Christmas, I've been carrying boxes and boxes of decorations down from the attic, cooking, baking and merry making with family and neighbors- there doesn't seem to be enough minutes in the day (not mentioning the time I spend in line at the post office- grrrr! ). And in the middle of it all, I made time to decide my plans for next year. This is my gift to myself.

Last year, several people emailed me to ask how I accomplish so much from one newsletter to the next. I felt a little embarrassed by the queries- my news letter is meant to share my excitement from the farm and to share some good ideas I stumble upon along the way. But it started me thinking, that maybe my "normal" isn't normal after all and maybe someone would benefit to hear how I organize my goals. I have so much fun doing what I do, I'm going to pass it along here. If it helps you have a better year, good! Or maybe you know someone who would benefit from these tips. Please feel free to share.

We each have ideas we consider to be fundamental truths. These are the groundwork for all our other beliefs. One of mine is "what you focus on expands". So when I have an idea I want to make a reality, I start thinking about it. I immerse myself in the planning, the how-to, the gathering of elements, getting the information on how to succeed. As anyone who knows me personally can tell you, I become obsessed!

Essentially, my goal setting breaks down into 3 parts.

I surround myself with supportive people.   There's no doubt that this is a crucial factor in achieving my ambitions. Ideas can't live in a vacuum- they need to be shared. Ideas need encouragement. Talking about your plans gets the mojo going and I believe it starts to attract the help you need to put it in action.
There are times you may feel discouraged- the work, the sacrifice, the effort of will can all take a toll- and talking it over with someone who cares about you can relieve the burden so much. On regular days, a social network of people focused in the same field ( I have Pinterest boards for farming, home décor, cooking and gardening and subscribe to several DIY Facebook pages) can often spark a new idea which keeps you on track. Goal setting is a very personal determination and is very much inside yourself. But sharing the goal gets it outside yourself and allows it to be an entity. The dream starts to become itself.

I visualize short term goals.   My total vision for the farm, as it stands now, is a five year plan (heading into year 3 now). Finances, physical strength and the time (or lack of it) that I spend at the farm are limiting factors as to why I don't think my whole plan can be accomplished in one season. But more-so, dreams evolve over time and some things I added in season 2, I hadn't even thought of when I started out. Curiosity and imagination take on a life of their own to a dreamer and space must be left to allow for modifications, additions and the inevitable adjustment of plans.

My annual plan is mapped out on a large bulletin board which sits at the back of my desk so I can see it easily and often. I don't call it a "dream board" as some folks do- this is a call for action!
In the past few weeks I took time to seriously contemplate what I wanted for the farm THIS year- not only what I thought was do-able but also things that would bring me shear delight. It sets up like a business plan. But even if your goals aren't toward a business, the categories translate to just about any endeavor. I think about finances, stuff I need, the actual physical manifestation, the revenue stream (where's the $$$ coming from?????) and projects.

Stuff We Need     Every enterprise needs stuff to develop.   Some things don't need to be new in order to be serviceable. The Stuff We Need list is a reminder to keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities to "acquire" things I need. So much "stuff" is thrown away, given away or upcycled from something else, I just need to be aware of what I need so I don't miss an opportunity. While my plan centers around fencing, tools and seed packets, you may need a suitcase, copy paper or fruit baskets to attain yours. A comprehensive list of ALL the items you need to be a success should be on the list.

Projects   I love being inspired by things I see on the internet so I save a picture. By pinning the projects on the board, I keep my focus AND I start getting the materials I need to make them. Most times my projects are a mash-up of my inspiration photo and materials I have on hand. From the board, you can see what catches my eye, but if you are inclined to write a book, maybe pictures of different scenery could inspire you. For a business start-up, your projects could include working on promotions or advertising.

Budget   Financial planning is at the corner stone of any project. Unless you have a brilliant idea for a Go-Fund-Me page, you're probably going to need some financial input. It's a good idea to list the cost (or estimated cost) of what you need to get going with your goal. For me, farm expenses such as utilities, taxes and lawn mowing service are predictable and necessary. Farm expansion is a little more arbitrary but ALL the expansion I want to do is on the list. I actually have no idea where the $$$ will come from, but knowing what I want is the beginning of getting it.
Don't worry about the finances- just make the list. If you don't know the costs, go to your local stores and write it down. Get on the internet and price it out. In the coming weeks I'll be visiting my local stores to find out what my expansion costs are and write it on the board.
The hardest thing to do is to get comfortable and emotionally detached from the costs. MONEY IS NEVER A DETERRENT FOR ATTAINING A GOAL. But understanding the costs can prepare you for opportunities when they come along. Having a budget is like adding maturity to the magic- never a bad thing.

Farm Layout     This year I have BIG plans for the perma-culture plot I started last summer while I juggle plantings already established- organic vegetable patch, lavender beds and perennial flower gardens. This is a plan for where I will be growing different herbs and flowers. I cut out the catalog pictures and put them on the plan. After the first of the year, I'll sort them out to find out which seeds can be direct seeded in the garden and which must be started before hand. Having a plan keeps me from buying too many seeds, buying the same seed twice (which happens when I get excited about something beautiful in another seed catalog) and the heights, habits and colors of the different plants. Whether you plan to re-decorate a room or start a new business, layouts are an excellent way to visualize your plan.

The Call To Action board is my daily reminder to keep on track and keep moving toward my goals. My board is big enough that I can add new pictures, increase my "stuff" list and modify the "budget" lists anytime.

Investing in the Goal is the third part to goal setting.   Whether it's time or money, investment shows your commitment and if you're committed, the powers that be will invest in you, too.   Lately, I invest some time on YouTube learning how to build a shed so I can build a little farm stand.  If I see wood offered at Lowe's that I feel will work into a project, I buy it. Sometimes it's months- or years- before I use it, but I'm investing in the future I want for myself. Garage sales offer opportunities to invest in tools, craft components or other items that don't cost much, but are useful in materializing your goal.

More valuable than monetary investment is giving loving, excited energy to the planning, focus and vision of your ambition. A goal imbued with love is a powerful force and becomes a magnet to all that you need to manifest it. I do believe that if you can find joy in shoveling dirt to move a mountain, a bulldozer will come along just when you need it.

If you have plans for the new year, I'd love to hear about what you're planning. If you need a cheerleader, I'm your girl.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year ~ Sandy

I just can't wait to grow a gourd tunnel like this next year!

Merry Christmas To All ~ 24 December 2017

Ho-Ho-Ho ~ It's the day before Christmas- I can't believe how fast the season came! If you're not quite ready for it, adjust, because Christmas will be here tomorrow!

For the past 2 days, I've been up to my elbows in cookie dough, sprinkles and royal icing. I love playing carols in the background and trying new recipes- but I must have the old favorites, too. So that adds up to a lot of cookies! I came across cookies that have raspberry jam which are delicious. The Raspberry Ribbon cookie recipe is from Laurie at Common Sense Homestead . My new favorite cookie!

Photo from Commonsensehome.com

My last project before Christmas involved learning to transfer images onto wood with freezer paper. If you would like to know more about this quick and inexpensive technique, CLICK HERE.

Whatever you've done to bring the holiday season to life in your home, it's enough and I'm sure it's beautiful. Time to take a breath, settle back and enjoy. Wishing you the best Christmas ever.

From our Home, to Yours, Merry Christmas ~ Sandy

This photo is our back yard a few Christmases ago. We don't have snow this year...yet. But I'm hoping!

Designing a Garden Room

When I bought my country house in 2016, it had been neglected and vacant for more than 2 years but I felt it had promise to become a cozy place to rest while developing the 1.5 acres of land into a mini-farm . At just under just 800 square feet, the house had a good roof and clear well. The cosmetics were in dire need of an update. Working on the house for a summer, I found myself looking out the large living room window and thinking how nice it would be to have a beautiful garden right outside the door- something to draw one's attention to nature and bring the view in to expand the small space.

It would have been difficult to rototill the ground. Old tree stumps had petrified and were impossible (for me) to trim or get out. Over the years the ground had become so compacted, a shovel barely broke the soil. And rocks- rocks everywhere- made normal gardening practices too much a challenge. I opted for raised beds for the vegetable garden.

French potager gardens have always intrigued me. In a design I call "formal whimsy", a potager would make harvest easy and close at hand for vegetables and herbs and by adding flowers, the garden could provide for all the senses. Because deer roam freely and threaten any planting, I knew it would have to be fenced and that's how the front garden became a garden room in my imaginings. Throughout the winter, I planned how the design could take shape, what garden produce would benefit my family, the daylight hours and shade, the heights and colors of the plants. By spring 2017, my budget was decided, the materials were sourced and I was ready to go!

I first laid out stakes to mark the fence line- approximately 36' out from the house and across the full width- this would be my garden room. Fencing would connect to the house and there would be 2 gates. The raised beds were constructed of 2x10's, in an irregular shape which fit the space I had available. A 3' walk way was left between the beds and where the fence would go to make sure the garden was accessible from all sides.

To make the design, some boards had to be cut and were joined by 10" 2x4's overlapping the seam. All joints and corners were screwed with exterior screws.

While the ground looked level before the raised beds were built, once the main frame was complete, it was obvious that the ground sloped and dipped and at some points I had to dig out ground to level it up and at some points I had to put a stake into the ground which was then screwed to the frame to hold it up. Ready made stakes are available at Lowe's or Home Depot- used I think for holding concrete frames- which are cheap enough and great to have on hand. Having given up on perfection, eye-ball level was good enough. A local excavation company brought in yards of a fortified compost/top soil blend and filled the beds for me. Once the beds were filled, we put up the fence.

My friend Rick and I did the fencing using 6' Blue Hawk wire fence and 6' T-Post stakes like these. Deer are not aggressive and the posts were set about 6' apart. We used a 4 pound sledge hammer which would have been adequate to penetrate the soil, but rock became a problem. I'd be holding the post up straight, Rick would be pounding it down and we'd hit an impenetrable rock and have to move the post. Some areas were so dense with rock, we had to dig out a hole to put the post into and back fill it with dirt. It was a time consuming and exhausting process, but finally the posts were in (Rick's elbow ached for months after). The wire fence attached into the clips on the posts easily. We had some rough cut 1" lumber and ripped 4" wide pieces to use to seal the fence to the ground (this was screwed into stakes in the ground) , hoping to keep out small animals (which seemed to work) AND to make a barrier for the stone I would add later to the garden floor.

We added drip irrigation on a timer because I'm often away for days at a time. Next we figured out the gates.

The T-posts have holes drilled in them which made it easy to add wood to frame out the gates, giving us something to attach pre-made wired gates . At $25/pair, this was a low cost decorative addition to the style of the garden. I'd read that deer will not jump an enclosed portal, so I added a cross piece at the top with screws. One deer did get into the garden, but caused no damage. From then on, we used bungee cords to close the area over the cute gate and had no further problem with deer.

Meanwhile, the garden area closest to the house was worked on. Since this spot gradually shades from 1PM on, most of the planting was designed for perennial, shade tolerant flowers. Preparing the beds was done by hand and I uncovered enough rocks to edge the garden!

The whole, unplanted garden space was covered with landscape fabric to prevent weeds from coming through. Plants were added to the flower beds and vegetable seeds were planted in the raised beds and the ground was covered in pea gravel. While I waited for the plants to grow, I stained and painted the house!

My theme for the garden was inspired by Dale Chihuly, a renown glass artist who frequently displays his glass work in gardens. I added bold color, squiggles and orbs to mimic a Chihuly installation. And I adopted a metal mascot to guard the door.

A seating area is shaded by the beautiful red maple tree in the afternoons. Being at home in the garden is so precious and friends love to sit and chat. The garden room feels protected and it's great to witness nature in this peaceful setting.

The garden provided a bountiful harvest and it was inspiring to know this was a first year garden.

It's a riot of color and interest.

I made a raised bed seat to make tending the garden easier, but mostly I love to have the opportunity to sit among the plants!

This was a fairly regular harvest as the summer progressed.

And that's how we came to expand the living space of our small house. It's hard to walk through the living room and not be drawn to the window to look out to the garden- it's just arresting. Hummingbirds and butterflies, bees and a chipmunk all enjoy the garden as much as I do. From the living room we see beauty, produce and inspiration everyday!

In preparation for our 2018 expansion, Rick and I set up perma-culture beds in August 2017 so they'd be ready for the next year's planting of flowers, gourds, pop corn, luffahs and herbs. I can't help myself, I just love gardening so much! Feel welcome to join me at Bringing The Farm Home to follow my garden adventure!

Farm in the Mist 2018 ~ Photo by Paula Campbell