A life less ordinary

From the suburbs to the country in Independence Township, this is our journey. We are two suburban yuppies who always had a dream to leave it all behind and become country dweller's. Now we are on part two of this adventure. We just bought our Historical farm. We have six acres, a barn, some outbuildings, three excited kids, three dogs, one cat, a tortoise and us, the wonderstruck parents who are beyond thrilled and a little bit clueless about what the next chapter has in store for us!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Eggs and a Roo

The ladies are laying! We have been getting about 8-10 eggs every few days! We know that Mystery is one of the layers, and not sure who else is at this point. But soon we will be getting twice that when the other hens start laying too. It's so fun to collect the eggs each time we go out and give them to our friends and family. Nothing better than free-range, super fresh eggs! Did you know that organic eggs are lower in cholesterol than regular eggs? And that eggs bought in the grocery store are usually already 3 weeks old when you buy them?
We have not been getting a lot of time for renovations lately. But we did get all the wallpaper scraped and the walls mudded a couple of weeks ago. It looks so much better just without that wallpaper! We also hired some local guys to repair the roof of the barn, and to put gutters on the main house. They are actually going to tear the whole roof off and rebuild it, and rebuild the hay loft area. It will save us tons of time not having to do the roof ourselves and they said it would be done in just a week or so. I guess our resident turkey vulture named Bob, will have to find another place to live, away from the barn...We also had the pasture cut and it looks great. The guy who did it said it probably hadn't been cut in a decade or more. So, things are progressing slowly, and steadily.
Also, our rooster, Oreo, finally found his voice. He crowed the last time the kids were out. He just loves strutting around the property showing off his gorgeous colors and looking after his harem. He is quite the proud Roo!
So, we are off on our summer vacation for the next week. Taking our vintage 1968 Airstream to Lake George, NY. It should be a nice get-away and a fun adventure for us and the kids. It's our first venture with the Airstream and we can't wait to stay in it!

More to come in the next few weeks. Pics of the barn, and house progress after we get back....

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Inspiration that helped me get here.

Food for thought

The increase in U.S. food prices from 1982 to 2009 rose 128%.In the same period, prices paid to farmers rose only 34%.

1 in 3 Americans born in 2000 is expected to develop diabetes in his or her lifetime.

Jargon-food sovereignty: the right of peoples to eat healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.

(from the declaration of Nyeleni, 2007)

32 hours, 50 minutes- The amount of on-screen media, including television, videos and video games that American children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old consume each week, according to the Nielsen Company.

Chicken-ism

I loved this so much that I had to post it. I cannot take credit, I found it on the web.

All I need to know I learned from my chickens.

Wake up early, stay busy, but always stay alert.

Visit your favorite places every day.

Scratch out a living.

Routine is good.

Plump is good.

Don't ponder your pupose in life, your brain is too small.

Accept the pecking order and you know your enemies.

Weed your garden.

Protect your children fiercely, sit on them if you need to.

Take them for walks, show them the little things, and talk constantly.

Brag on your accomplishments.

Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

Protect your nest egg.

Test your wings once in a while.

Squawk when necessary.

As you age, demand respect.

Leave a little something for those who care about you.

Chase butterflies.