It was this time last year...

Almanac
Originally uploaded by rkeithstewart

…that we started itching to get a little more land. Benita took Christmas money and bought two blueberry bushes and a grapevine. We planted those and started thinking about how many more fruit trees we could have if we had more land. Then we started thinking about how big of a garden we could have if we had more land. Our planning and scheming was so satisfying that we began to talk ourselves into being unhappy with the small acreage and house that we have. I don’t think we ever said that we were “unhappy” with our house, but some of the things we talked about and how we spoke about those things (many of our wants became needs) might have given anyone else the impression that we weren’t “happy” (as if that’s a real measure of anything).

Well, we put our house on the market within a month of beginning our discussions of wanting (needing?) more land. We found a house that we really liked and were disappointed when that house sold just as we began efforts to make an offer. I also “found” another house that was very suitable. The only problem was that house wasn’t for sale, and the owners would not contact me back so I could talk them into selling their home to me (the nerve).

So, here we are on our quarter acre still wishing, wanting, desiring, dreaming, and living. I must say, I still want to have more land, but with the way the economy has shifted over the last year it’s hard to determine what we could afford given that I our current house would probably not sell for what we want out of it.

What do we do? We do what we would do if we had more land - we get up, live an active life rather than a passive life - we continue to simplify our lives the way we have been doing over the last year. We continue to pour ourselves out creatively and expressively with great appreciation for what we have earned and been given in life. We continue to plan and do just as if we were living our “dream”. (What if our current situation has to be our dream?)

And with our continual planning, we are planning which vegetables, fruits, and herbs that we want for next year. Of course we will not feed the family with only what vegetables we grow, but we can supplement our food with fresher vegetables that we had a hand in growing, and the kids can learn that tomatoes don’t come from a can.

The planning and reading lately has taken me down memory lane some. I have run across some resources that my grandparents used on their farm when I was little. I found The Progressive Farmer magazine that my grandfather used to read. I never read the magazine as a child (I was certain it had to do with farming so I knew it had to be boring). I ordered the free copy.

I also found The Old Farmer’s Almanac online. I was looking for dates and times to plant vegetables and found a great planting table where you can enter your zip code and get a quick reference for early and late planting for garden vegetables. My grandparents always had an almanac (they just called it “the almanac”) around and consulted it for planting and weather advice. I have to admit that the almanac includes a lot of what I would call superstition, but who can argue with the history they’ve had - the almanac was first published in 1792 !

Read more later about our “Year of Endeavors”.

Winter Solstice

Christmas Cactus
Originally uploaded by rkeithstewart

The shortest day of the year; the longest night. The beginning of winter. The earth falling into dormancy. Hibernating, renewing, re-creating. The leaves have fallen and become next year's dirt, the cycle begins again. Sleeping, awakening, quickening, slowing. Much like the phases of a day or a life. Solstice - the end - or the beginning?

The blooming Christmas cactus offers the hope of another season.

For all the meaning attached to this day and all the people of differing religious views, it really all comes down to one thing - it's the first day of winter. It's the God-ordained cycle of nature that keeps the earth and its people fed.

The best part of it for me is that the days finally begin gradually getting longer.

Soap Batch 2 - Success

Soap Batch 2 - Success
Originally uploaded by rkeithstewart

The soap was made using the same recipe and method as the first batch. However, I added cinnamon as a colorant. I think the result is nice - some of the pieces are marbled, but all of the pieces have a great brown color.

I used a $2 stick blender from a thrift shop to help with the stirring. That's probably the reason for the bubbles that can be seen in some of the pieces.

I used a shoebox lined with a shopping bag for the mold. The result was firm, but it was easy to cut and held its shape.

Where are the Bees?

Everyone who has any interest in nature (or food) should watch this video. It was loaded from TED and it is excellent.

Our Advent Jesse Tree

Our Advent Jesse Tree
Originally uploaded by rkeithstewart

This is our Advent Jesse Tree that we are decorating one day at a time. I made the tree from sticks found in the yard. I did have to cheat a little by getting some of the sticks from the woods at the end of the street because we didn't have enough straight pieces for the tree. I covered the basic structure with vines found growing wild around the corner. Some of the vines are morning glories.

Moses' Tablets