It is getting busy up here on the farm, putting in the garden, watching things green up and start growing in earnest. We are enjoying a visit with Perry's parents -the kids are so excited every day to hop out of bed in the morning and race over to the big house to see them.
The garden is mostly planted now, there is just the potatoes to put in and most of the seedlings. It is still cold at night and I can't bring myself to plant out those babies I nurtured from seeds just yet.
The raspberry plants are growing quickly,
The few cabbages I did plant are holding up alright,
The peas are planted, though they have not poked up yet. We thought the teepee style climbing poles would work best for the kids to access easily with minimal soil trampling. Ari has been working on his own creative string- trellis system.
And of course there is always rhubarb. More than we could ever eat. I need to try more rhubarb recipes. I get tired of it quickly, but maybe if I had a new way to eat it?
And our dandelion crop is always prolific!
Seedling awaiting transplanting. They have done really well and are healthy. We hope to get the greenhouse ready next weekend and then we will plant everything out.
Ari has also been busy working on his ice cream stand. He has been playing this game out of the straw bale playhouse for as long as we've had it (and we've sort of given up on it ever getting its final stucco- we are just enjoying it as it is- the kids don't mind,) and today he needed a sign for it. He dictated his business name to his Nana who wrote it on the wood he'd salvaged for this purpose, and then he proudly nailed it up himself. He is very pleased.
The sand gets collected from the sandbox and brought into the shop-
Then it is scooped into a serving dish and carried out on an "ice cream board" which I didn't catch a picture of,
And enjoyed on the outside table. We are quite lucky to have our very own ice cream stand in our back yard!
Our baby chicks arrived this weekend- we went to pick them up in a neighbouring town and brought them to their new home on the farm. They are doing very well. There are 12 of them and they will grow up to be our new layers. The boys are pretty thrilled, though I have been trying to discourage too much time in the coop until the babies settle in and grow up a little, then they will be able to hold them and snuggle them up!
Ari found our neighbours cat sleeping in our woodshed in the stroller. He thought that was pretty funny!
And we've eaten outside a few times- summer time is all about campfires and cookouts. Perry and his dad just finished building a picnic table so we can soon be enjoying eating out behind our house. It is quieter there, and it has the advantage of being situated right beside the famous ice cream stand.
Happy Tuesday friends.
It is still so very cold outside, and we are still staying huddled by the wood stove as the cold winds howl outside. Inside we have been busy making things and dreaming and planning for spring. I have been sewing whenever I get a chance. I made the star shirt that Dorian is wearing from an adult's t-shirt I found at a thrift store for a dollar. I don't know how long it will hold out, the fabric is very stretchy and I had such a hard time sewing it. The seams inside are a bit of a mess, but it is working for now and Dorian is pleased. 
I sewed a shirt for Ari from the new sewing book I got for my birthday 
::Dorian set up a cake shop.::
And one day this weekend Perry and I were doing things around the house and the kids were playing contently and then I looked over and saw this culinary creation in process. Ari had gotten the lemons and oranges out of the fridge, the juicer and knife out and was making us lemon-orange juice. He was very pleased with himself. Dorian took a sip of his glass and had the cutest little sour-face shiver. Ari sipped his and said" Hmm, maybe it just needs a bit of maple syrup."
And we've all been taking turns reading the poultry catalogue and dreaming about spring when fluffy little chicks will arrive on our farm. The boys are both very excited about raising our new flock of layers and there are lots of heritage breeds offered this year. Dorian really wants some baby turkeys to (s)"nuggle. " It is exciting to dream about those days a coming, especially as the snow drifts pile higher and the wind whistles through our drafty little log home!
And now I'm off to 'nuggle under the covers- goodnight!
::skeletons::
::black cat on a broomstick::
::bat::
This is a monster (I'm not sure if he has really long teeth or if his feet are coming out of his mouth, or if his eyes are somehow connected to his pointy teeth, but really, anything goes with monsters, right?) and Ari traced over my lettering with such focused concentration. This is by far the longest art making/craft project he has ever had. He just kept going back for more- after a morning of monster making he spent most of the afternoon drawing and cutting and taping, and then declared the evening "family monster night" and we all sat at the table after supper and made monsters together. I love this kid.
There was also a midday bath-paint session. I make this by putting diluted castile soap through a foam soap dispenser and mixing it with food colour. The boys spent a good hour painting the walls and themselves, cleaning the walls and themselves and then playing with some animal toys in the greenish-blue water and soap "icebergs" Did I mention it has been rainy and miserable out? We have to keep busy somehow!
The craziness I mentioned is related to some changes up here on our community land. One of the families we bought with 8 years ago have decided to sell their section and move into town. Given the fact that we are all owners of the property, this has been a little complicated, involving meetings and meetings and more meetings, though all very amiable ones, thankfully. But all the trips to banks and lawyers and e-mails and phone calls and legal documents and late-night-after-the-kids-are-in-bed property meetings has meant a very busy month. 
Delivering bread and other little gifts to our landmates. Returning home with rosy cheeks and cookies in our tummies.
We've been having adventures with family involving cabins and river rafts and trains and lots of singing songs in the car to make the time pass.
We've been working on lots of projects, 
and growing and growing and growing. And getting prepared for all the changes that are around the corner. Washing little diapers and knitting teeny clothes and reading books to Ari about homebirth and babies and setting up the change table and ordering organic baby bedding and visiting the midwives.
Dear Ari,
We swung there together, the sky blue the grass green, the air so wonderfully cool and alive and you listed all the things you could see- "trees, and buttercups and mountains and birds and daisy flowers ("fowlers") and sun, and houses and grass and clouds..." both of us loving every bit of the view.
And what I can give you is this day. The time to just sit on the swings until you ask to get down, maybe 5 minutes, maybe an hour from now. I can give you this barn and these swings and the green grass and the buttercups. I can give you days filled with polliwogs in the pond and baby bears up the poplar tree, and puddles and rhubarb and snowshoes and the moon. I can give you this childhood on our (not)commune where you can put your own boots on the wrong feet and just open the door and go out. Where you can greet the farm dogs and the friends that are our neighbours. It's not perfect my boy, but on this green morning swinging beside you, this life seems awfully close to perfection.
