A good friend of a good friend of mine used to have a saying that went "Cats is Where it's At." Having lived very few stretches of my life without a cat around, I had no idea how true this was nor how overrun a cat-less homestead could get with Rodents. I had hoped to get another cat when I settled down on my own homestead one day just for the fine company they provide, but it didn't take ...
Life
Hatchet Haircut
It had been over a year, and those braids were getting a little unruly, so I decided it was high time to get myself a haircut. A trusted axe-throwing friend of mine with straight, true aim (you really wouldn't want a friend with bad aim doing this) sharpened up his hatchet, measured out my braids, and with two thwacks on the chopping round, my hair was cut. I call it the mountain woman haircut. ...
Learn to Live With Bears
Probably my favorite sign I spied on the entire Rocky Mountain road trip adventure. It was right up there with "No Burning Pallets in Utah County Parks" and "No Bathing in Public Restroom Sinks." ...
Across the Great Divide
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~J.R.R. Tolkien For those folks who have been wondering why it's been quiet for so long at Mountain Hearth, I am happy to report that this mountain woman has been off on grand adventures. I spent a good part of June hiking far off ...
There’s a Party in my Compost and Everyone’s Invited!
As anyone who knows me knows, I get really excited about compost. It's just heaps of fun. So, with a new homestead to set up, I enjoyed spending some quality time with my honey this past weekend working outside and getting the pallet compost bins built to hold the beginnings of an amazing compost pile. We rounded up all the weeds and trimmings from clearing the garden and berry bushes, and layered ...
What’s Happening on the Homestead
Moving to a new homestead in the Spring can make for some busy times, and many rewarding results. The past few weekends have been spent with tools and wheelbarrows in hand, putting our efforts into settling in and getting set up for the oncoming growing season. Blackberries have been pruned to free up grapes, weeds have been pulled, potatoes and onions have been planted, and this weekend the ...
Homestead Security
While pruning blackberries and freeing up rosebushes last weekend, we came across this sign by the driveway. "This Property Protected by an Oregon Farmer." No mention of dogs or guns, it's just that farmer you want to watch out for if you decided to go traipsing across the property. I'm sure it has deterred many a wandering troublemaker in days gone by. Apparently, out here in Oregon, you ...
May Snow!
With the potatoes and onions finally planted and the raised bed moved and ready for the few starts I got going back at the old place, I was feeling very ready for gardening season to get rolling. The days have been hot and sunny with temperatures up in the 70's, and Summer has been on my mind. I even started getting a few comments out and about on the great farmer's tan I've got going on. So, it ...
The Bears and the Bees
I am happy to say that I will never need to worry again about having enough wildlife in my wild life. We discovered a whole colony of wild honeybees inhabiting the wall of our shed, merrily pollinating the hazelnut orchards with a flight path aiming right out over the tops of the trees. Since I have been an aspiring bee keeper for some time, and still working through my discomfort with being ...
Pickett Butte Lookout Adventures
Sometimes, I find that when we make a plan (or a fire lookout tower reservation) in life, we never quite know what will be going on at that point but just that we will want an adventure or getaway as much then as we do the day we plan it. I made my Pickett Butte Lookout Tower reservation nearly a year ago, after several unsuccessful attempts over five years, and even had to change the reservation ...