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Una Vita Dolce
Una vita dolce is Italian for "a sweet life". I took three semesters of Italian when I returned to school a few years ago, and I'm going to use it!Of course now that I've used up one of the four...
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Hurry up, it's LONG DISTANCE! My Outdoor Phone Booth
I miss that, the excitement that permeated the air when the phone rang and the caller at the other end, an aunt, a grandparent, or an old friend, from another state would call. If someone called long...
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The 1868 House Blows its Top
The two stories on the left of the old 1868 housewill be gone by late fall...we hope.I hate that I am not blogging more but oh well, que sara sara.It remains super busy here and I am looking forward to...
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Meat, Meat and More Meat
It is Fall. Fall in Illinois means cool nights, sunny warm days, rapidly changing leaf colors and of course, in our instance, livestock to the lockers.Our Freedom Ranger broilers were more than ready...
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Room with a View in the 1868 House
Demolition continues in the 1868 house with the roof of the south side completely removed by Keith along with a good hunk of the side walls in that upstairs section. The picture above and on the left...
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Homesteader Defined
A couple of days ago I made pork chops for dinner and then posted the above photo and following comment on Facebook. "Pan fried, pasture raised, Red Wattle pork chops with home grown garlic. Tonight is...
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Ba-Bye October
Yard Décor Seen on The Spoon River DriveFulton County, IllinoisI blame all of it on aging, the way time just screams past. The older I get the shorter the days. I blink and my own children are middle...
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And Hello ...Cold, Wet November!
A beautiful fall day in Pontiac IllinoisLast weekFollowed by cold, frosty weather, the very next dayA little ticked about our lack of fall here. A few nice days in October but seems like we're...
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1868 House Reduced by Half
My husband.Such a hard worker.I so envy his ability to keep (literally) pounding away at this old house on our property. He has almost singlehandedly removed nearly 50% of this building and board by...
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Yes. I've Already Decorated for Christmas.
I see you judging me. Stop it.We have a tradition here in the US; no Christmas decorating until AFTER the turkey is gobbled. Unless of course you are a retail store who is now putting some Christmas...
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This Blogger Should Be Flogged
I should be publicly flogged and have my blogging license revoked. I'm so all over the road lately. I blog every couple of days and then not for over two weeks. I read other blogs but forget to...
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A Couple of Day Trippers
She was a day tripper, a Sunday driver yeaTook me so long to find out, and I found out -The Beatles 1965Just...
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Piggies Moving Up in the World
Christmas was wonderful with lots of great food, (many thanks to daughter-in-law, Chef Tab, who made us a scrumptious breakfast) special time with family, and gifts that were extremely thoughtful and...
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New Year, New Goals, New Stairs
As I write, we are in the midst of snowmageddan 2019. A one thousand mile swatch of snowy, icy weather has graced the Midwest. St Louis was hit the hardest last night with up to 14 inches of snow in...
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"I Don't Have the Time" and other ridiculous phrases.
People.People. People. People.You do say the silliest things.Recently, an acquaintance said the following to me when I mentioned that I make my own soap, deodorant, and toothpaste. "Oh, I'd like to do...
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For the Love of God and All That is Holy PLEASE TURN UP THE HEAT!
Good Lord! (I say that as invocation, trust me) but could you please ease up a bit on the deep freeze? The past few days we felt like we've been homesteading in Antartica, and it's predicted to get...
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The Outrageously High Cost of Cheap Milk
Our single can milking system for our single cow.I am embarrassed to admit that I was in Walmart the other night, a store I abhor, (I was buying fabric for a sewing lesson my daughter graciously bought...
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Windows 4.0
The weather has eased a tad, and in between snow and ice storms, fog and floods, Keith has managed to work on the barn build. Winter 2019 has been a serious challenge for outside work here.Today he...
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It's a Fact, We're Low Class
Ice Capades at the Grain Bin House. Winter 2019Years ago at our "finest" (it's debatable) Keith and I had an income of over $135,000/yr. Our farm was certified organic and we sold to four grocery...
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Good Riddance Winter
Finally, winter is moving on and with it, I hope the crap storm of bad and sad. My immediate family, our children and their families, are well but the periphery about all of us (friends of relatives...
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The Prodical Blogger Returns
Thank you, those of you who have emailed or reached out in one way or another to check on me, it was deeply appreciated. I've reached back to most of you and will finish up emails to those not yet...
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Barn Update with Loft Room
Two years ago Keith and I bought a 1950ish metal machine shed about 9 miles from our farm. We paid someone to dismantle it and deliver it to us, then we brought it back to life here piece by piece,...
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Crossing the Picket Line
It's all Colton's fault. Last year for Mother's Day our oldest son gifted me with a hand crafted gate for my kitchen garden. he apparently was listening when he heard me say-about a millions times-...
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Chicken Dinners Coming Soon to a Homestead Near You
In about three weeks Keith and I will venture south to Central Illinois Poultry Processing in Arthur Illinois with our fifty broilers we've been raising on pasture. Last year was the first time we used...
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So Long Best LGD Ever.
Fannie, our best livestock guardian dog ever, died a couple weeks ago and we've all had a hard time adjusting to her absence. She had been with us several years on the old farm and moved with us here...
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