Baseball Anyone?

Abraham (at two) enjoys grabbing a glove, ball, and bat and grabbing Dad if he is available to play a little baseball. We have all been attending Isaac's baseball games this spring and they are close to winding down for the season.

(Our yard is partially dirt still from digging out our basement summer as we wait for the grass and weeds to grow in themselves. With free range chickens, grass seed would just be a treat.)

Warm wishes, Tonya

Oil,Greed, and Conservation

I felt compelled to write about my reactions to the terrible disaster going on with oil pouring into the ocean in such vast amounts it is beyond our comprehension. Such vast amounts that it is reported in barrels instead of gallons to not sound as shocking perhaps.

The devastation of the untold numbers of wildlife, the thousands of people unable to work in the fishing or tourist industries, and the possible toll the oil will have on other people, creatures, industries, etc.. is very sad indeed. We are a country of dive right in if it means financial gain, worry about the possible consequences when they happen. It is amazing that there were not more shut off valves in place to guard against such an event.

While I do blame the company for lack of safety precautions and the government for lack of regulations, I also feel that each of us (almost all of us) are also to blame. We have such a thirst for cheap oil that the companies keep digging new oil rigs, keep searching for more oil in beautiful untouched reaches of our earth.

As a nation, we want to be able to drive our two or more cars all over the place whenever the urge strikes to go and buy goods or food that has often been produced in big factories that use amazing amounts of oil/gas/electricity and then the goods have to be transported often thousands of miles (many, many all the way from China) which of course also uses our natural resources. We want it cheap and we want it now.

If everyone thought through their every purchase; thought about every time they "needed" to drive somewhere; thought about where their food was coming from; thought about if they truly must turn on or even use all the electrical appliances in their house - demand would decrease.

I know I am probably too idealistic, but I believe that ONE does and can make a difference and that God does want us to care for this amazing earth we have been given.

Suzy and her family are an example of a movement toward conservation. You can read lots more here.

You can learn more about a movement led by Bill McKibben at 350.org

Until we let go of our reliance on oil and each person learns to live a life of conservation, the earth is at continued risk. I know this post is different than our usual homestead updates. However, as a family, we do choose to live lightly on this earth and to be ever mindful of how our every action has a chain reaction. Our family has so very far to go and sometimes we don't make the best decisions but this oil spill has made it even clearer to me that each of us is responsible, not just the big oil company and not just our government.

Warm wishes, Tonya

Birch Bark Vase Cover

Our irises are in full bloom now and they are plentiful around our pond.

We also have lots of birch trees which we selectively harvested for our toys and we also use the bark for various projects.

I cut a piece of bark to fit a recycled honey jar and hot glued the seam - super easy.

Warm wishes, Tonya

Work Tables

I snapped photos of our different work in progress "work tables" yesterday.

The above picture is of our stainless steel counter in our kitchen. Yesterday I baked bread, "healthy" chocolate chip cookies, and cinnamon cranberry muffins. I made egg salad for lunch (we have lots of eggs right now, although a fox killed one of our chickens yesterday...). Mike is working on a large wholesale order for our branch block walking blocks. You can see the branch pieces in the picture.

By 2:00 or so, the counter was completely clear to begin preparing for an early supper before Isaac's baseball game.

This is a concrete base that we figured out was built to hold a very large diving board (we found in the woods upon moving here). The holes in the concrete match up to those in the diving board and the pond is at its deepest point there.

For us it was being used yesterday to hold peeled logs that are to become our railing for our front steps; sun tea; and more cut branches drying to become branch walking blocks.

Blessings and warm wishes for a full and joyful day,

Tonya

Handmade Things

I have been enjoying making these vests....

The pattern is free and can be found here.

I knit up another doll and added a sweater and hat to put in our shop.

We are also working on adding some more rustic items to our rustic wedding line.

And...

the summer issue of Rhythm of the Home is out!

Warm wishes, Tonya

A Farmers' Market and Food Thoughts

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

~Emerson

My father and his girlfriend, Sheila, have been visiting this weekend from Massachusetts and it has been a joy to spend time with them and watch our children enjoying their visit and my father's new puppy, Lilly.

Yesterday, Sheila, my two oldest boys, Abby and I went down to Stowe (about a 50 minute drive) because Sheila had never been. Our first stop was the Farmers' Market. Our family had been once before the previous season and knew it to be a good sized one.

Here are some pictures ~

~annual flowers and herbs~

~live music

~

~our Abby~

~sheepskins~

I was struck, however, with a feeling of sadness to find there was only one vegetable grower represented among the approximate 30 vendors... just one. Has it become that hard for a small organic vegetable grower to make a living? Is it not even worth it for diversified farmers to grow vegetables along side other products? Or maybe a lot of farms have become CSAs and don't bother attending markets?

It made me just a bit more grateful for our organic vegetable and strawberry farm located right here in our little town and for the hard work of the owners. Yes, the food costs a bit more, but it is grown just four miles from our home, is grown by a family that cares for the land and makes their living from the farm.

I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Wendell Berry ~

This old sun-based agriculture was fundamentally alien to the industrial economy; industrial corporations could make relatively little profit from it.... [But] as farmers became more and more dependent on fossil fuel energy, a radical change occurred in their minds. Once focused on biology, the life and health of living things, their thinking now began to focus on technology and economics. Credit, for example, became as pressing an issue as the weather."

Warm wishes for a beautiful week,

Tonya

Journals

I have for some time kept an inspiration journal. It is a simple, black, hard covered sketch book. Inside I put pictures, quotes, and more. It is a pleasure to look through it when I need an idea or encouragement.

Recently I have started a wildflower journal. When the children bring me a new wildflower picked from our property, we identity it together with our wildflower book and then I sit and and sketch it and make a note about where it was found, by whom and the date.

This has given me a reason to sketch when in the past it was so easy to make excuses why I had too many other things to do.

It has also encouraged some of the children to sit and draw with me.

Do you keep journal?

Warm wishes,

Tonya