This last spring, we ended up with an enormous mystery chicken. The "Buff Orpington pullet" chick I picked up with all the other assorted breeds quickly began to look very unlike a Buff Orpington. In fact, with it's black and white plumage, this chicken looked more and more like some strange ptarmigan or wild fowl of the tundra. It also grew bigger and bigger than all the other chickens every day. ...
Raising Nature-Centric Kids: It’s All About the Little Things Around You
Kids love the outdoors. Given any opportunity, they jump in the dirt with abandon, marvel at little bugs and creatures, collect rocks and flowers, and make themselves right at home. More and more frequently, I am hearing about things like Nature Deficit Disorder and how children are spending more time plugged in and less time tuned in to the outdoors. Diagnoses of ADD, ADHD, ...
Dormancy
This dormant time of year can be a challenging one. There aren't many sunny days, the rain falls for days and days, working outside can be very cold and wet, the trees and shrubs are bare, you can see all the neighbor's trash piles and junked vehicles usually hidden by foliage, kids get cooped up and turn wild on you, and it's hard to see much going on around a homestead. Most things are dormant. ...
There Was a Child Went Forth Every Day
"There was a child went forth every day; And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part ofthe day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years. The early lilacs became part of this child,And grass, and white and red morning-glories, and white and red clover, and the song of the phoebe-bird,And the Third-month ...
And We’ll All Have Chicken and Dumplings When She Comes…Gluten-Free!
Wondering what to do with that old, tough bird? Whenever we have an old stew-hen or rooster past it's prime, it's chicken and dumplings time. I don't recall where I came across this Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings recipe, but I've been using it for a long time, and found that it adapts very nicely to a gluten-free version to accommodate my son's special diet. It is one of my kids' favorite ...
Owl Moon
"It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling. There was no wind. The trees stood still as giant statues. And the moon was so bright, the sky seemed to shine." ~Jane Yolen When I was growing up, I loved reading Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Now it is a favorite winter story of my children, and it even inspired us to go out on an owling walk at our local ...
Winter Camping at Washburne State Park
The best way our family has found to unwind from the holidays and start out the new year is to get outside and go camping. I especially love going to the ocean this time of year, with the churning waves and more frequently sunny skies than we have farther inland. For rock lovers like myself, this is also the best time of year for agate hunting along the mouths of creeks. ...
Quilt Heritage
Nothing makes a long winter night as snug as a handmade quilt to snuggle up beneath. In spite of my crafty tendencies, quilting is not one of my pursuits. The measuring, ironing, pinning and straight lines turned me away from the get go. I made a quilt once for my best friend, and some small one's for my kids bunk beds. That was it. I was done. Fortunately, we have a quilter in the family, my ...
Ma Ingalls Was a Working Mother
I'm going to delve into a potentially touchy topic here. Homemaking. I realize that my occupation is not a common one these days. If you haven't guessed by reading my blog, I am a stay at home mother. Why, you might ask, do I do this? What it really comes down to is that I am a do-it-yourself-er to the bone. I get much more satisfaction gleaning apples off of an abandoned alley tree than working ...
Jack Frost is About
Jack FrostBy C.E. Pike Look out! Look out! Jack Frost is about! He's after our fingers and toes; And all through the night, The gay little sprite Is working where nobody knows. He'll climb each tree, So nimble is he, His silvery powder he'll shake. To windows he'll creep And while we're asleep Such wonderful pictures he'll make. Across the grass He'll merrily pass, And change all its greenness ...