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!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

A good sign

Haven't written in a while, got a little busy with three kids at home, and no real schedule to speak of! The kids all went to farm camp for two weeks at Upland Hills and I drove them, so that took a chunk of time out of my schedule. But they love it there, it was their third year going, and this time for two weeks instead of one. It's a wonderful camp, full of baby animals, lots of crafts, activites, and swimming in the lake. My eldest son, who is 11, wants to be a counselor there when he's old enough. The farm is in Oxford, MI and the camp runs by the week in the summer. If you click on the picture of my daugher with the calf, it links to their website. So between camp, trips up North to Oscoda, work, fishing at Wing Lake and the swim club, time has really flown by. I can't believe that summer is almost over!
I am happy to report that the new chickens are adjusting quite nicely. They all mesh well with the ladies, and they seem to love the new outdoor addition to the coop. I noticed last week that the white one is actually an Arucana, and the black and white one is the Leghorn, so we ended up with one of each breed that I ordered, and two blue egg layers. One Maran, one Leghorn, one Salmon Faverolle, and two Arucana's. So I will have chocolate brown eggs, white eggs, blue or green eggs, and light cream eggs as soon as they start laying. A perfect easter egg variety in my egg basket!
Today, my son Dylan and I are running out there to feed and water them and get some eggs, and bring them a watermelon treat. They absolutely love watermelon on these hot summer days! Roger is working on our farm sign through a sign company that he uses at his office and he sent me the rough drafts yesterday. I think we found a winner. A simple white sign, with black letters, "Hentennial Farm" and circa 1870 at the bottom, with a black sillouette of a rooster in the middle. Simple. Old school. Original.
Maybe we will have the sign up by next week! I can't wait!
And as crazy as our schedule has been lately, we decided to cancel our trip during that last week in August, so now I am hoping we can spend some real time at Hentennial and maybe even get some work done. Even if it's just gutting the rest of the kitchen, and prepping the walls and floor. The hardest part of this renovation is finding the time. Time is fleeting, especially in summer. But it will get done, we just need to be patient.
Pics of our new farm sign coming soon...

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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.