Reach Out and Find a Friend...

Late last December, I was perusing a local Facebook page for poultry folks. I look around frequently, but understand that my heritage poultry preference and soy-free, corn-free organic feed standards are not those of the typical backyard poultry enthusiast, so I am rather selective about what I post on, preferring to not get into debates where I am glad to agree to disagree. Still, there are so many places where we agree, and where we are able to support one another. Then one caught my eye.

There was a woman from my town who had a very small mixed flock, including a few bantams. The bantams were living separately from the standard hens, as they had been pushed around by the larger hens, and then of the bantams, one had begun to pick on the other. One little Sebright was being bullied, and then her companion bantam had passed away. Long story short, the Sebright was now very sad. Flock animals are meant to have friends!

As the little Sebright's owner was looking for advice for finding a suitable friend for her, I considered our own situation...

As breeders, we often have a wide variety of birds and ages in the grow out bantam or grow out standard pens. One of the little ones from this past year's bantam Cochin hatch had a cross beak. Not a true scissor beak, but her head and beak weren't truly in correct alignment.  This just happens sometimes, even though our poultry are bred to the Standard of Perfection, and many of the offspring do quite well at shows. I will never know if something went wrong in the egg, putting it in the incubator, or what really happened. Still, with the issue, the little one had not gotten along with the other bantam Cochins, and had moved over with the Silkies for some time. There were also a few other mismatched ones growing out in the group, but as they were growing and the Silkies and others gradually were moving out to their long term homes, we found ourselves debating the future of the little hen.

She would be fine for breeding, that isn't something she will pass on with young, and she is clearly healthy and eating and drinking and getting around just fine. She was due to begin laying once the light increased again. Yet, we are not only a little pressed for space in the Silkie pen, but also collect eggs there for hatching, and don't wish to have cross-bred bantam birds. The children and I had been debating the best place for her, and she deserves a happy life. So what to do?

I commented on the post that I had a little pullet who was not perfect, but was thriving, and who didn't seem to be finding her place here. A little bit later, I found a message from a sweet person named Jade, who surprisingly lived only about ten miles or so from me. We offered that perhaps due to the fact that the little pullet was different, she hadn't found her place yet in our home, and if Jade thought she would like to try, she was welcome to have her as a friend for her little Sebright. I stressed that she could not be shown, and her beak was not right. Jade thought it could be a good fit, as their chickens are pets, not show birds.

I was so excited that Jade and her husband were coming to get her the next day! Bailey gave the little one a bath to get ready, and she sat in the living room with her by the heater, with farm puppy Shadow watching over them as she dried. Within a few days, Jade sent me the photo above, of the lonely little one with the pullet they had brought home. She told me that initially that pullet from our place had definitely been in charge, but they were becoming friends and exploring together.

Then later, another message saying they were getting to be good friends! This is where the two sleep at night. I feel so tremendously blessed that Jade has let me know that this has been such a great move, and so blessed that the little pullet has found the place where she always belonged, we just had to give her the chance to grow and thrive and to reach out and help her find it. What a great chance for her to have a flock family! They are nestled so sweetly in this photo.

Then, earlier this week, there was another message... she laid her first egg! For any of you who also own chickens, you know the excitement of the first egg, and of the feeling like it is all working out. Honestly, I had the feeling that it would work out as soon as I had met Jade. And Bailey was glad that a little one from her breeding program would have a great place to be. Wyatt was not only thrilled to not have to figure out how to manage the egg situation in his Silkie breeding pen, but he got a little spoiled as well when Jade brought him lemons! (Many thanks, he feels he has now perfected lemonade!)

I reached out to Jade, and asked whether she felt okay about me sharing this story. I feel like it is important to see that the backyard pet chicken person and the egg and meat producing (and showing and breeding) folks can work together to enable a truly organic and humane industry on the producer side and great family flock on the backyard pet poultry side. 

The little bantam Cochin pullet and her new family sent us this video to share as well. Thanks so much! I think you all likely can also see that she continues to eat just fine!

Well folks, now it is your turn. How do you partner between small farms and backyard flocks? And between different herds of goats? Share your ideas and success and help inspire and educate. All the best to you!

Some Exciting News and a Product Update

Some fun and exciting news. .. 

Today, we will be be delivering some product samples to a local honey company! We are sure hoping that the products do well for them, and that this becomes a lasting partnership. That makes this That makes this a good time to answer some questions that we get a lot, just for your information!

These are stick lip balms. This version is a Chocolate Hazelnut Honey variety. The ones in a stick are a little harder than those in a tub, but generally the same ingredients, We have a host of different kinds that we can make, but usually make them to order. What you see here has honey, beeswax, cocoa butter, hazelnut oil, dutch cocoa, glycerin and vitamin E.  Good stuff. Some of our best sellers are actually tub or glass vial roll-ons. We do a lava lights one in many flavors, and some with chocolate cherry, chocolate mint, mocha, etc. If you are looking for a flavor you love, or specific essential or extract oils, let me know, I may just have a great recipe.

This basket happens to contain two types of soap and some lotion bars.

The soaps, because this is for a group that specializes in honey are two types of our oatmeal, goat's milk and honey recipe. The oatmeal serves to calm and cool sensitive skin. The goat's milk is tremendously nourishing, and goat's milk, as it is close in composition to human breast milk, is better utilized by our skin to nourish and repair it.  The honey is great for those with sensitive skin or acne or rashes. Surprising, but true! There are a variety of oils used, including cocoa butter, and several others. Specific recipes can vary a bit by the requests in a given batch. Don't hesitate to put in a request for a whole small batch just for you! This basket has a plain (unscented with essential oils) version as well as a holiday spice variety, which has clove, cinnamon, orange and nutmeg essential oils mixed in at trace to help get you ready for the holiday season. I even threw in one peppermint soap. True peppermint essential oils are outstanding for opening up the sinuses when you have allergies, and the good stuff won't set off those of us with sensitivities to chemicals. Some folks like the spearmint or eucalyptus for this, but the peppermint is the most popular these days.

What can I say about lotion bars? GOOD STUFF! Typically, lotions take some wonderful oils and do a few things. The first, the frequently use alcohol so that it evaporates and make you feel as though it is soaking in, though it is actually drying your skin. Second, they almost always thin the oils with water, then thicken them with corn starch derivative to keep them thick as well as oodles of preservatives. Since it is the chemicals and preservative that my family cannot handle, and I take issue with genetically modified corn, we take a different approach. We begin with local beeswax, filter it an extra time, and then add pure cocoa butter, and a variety of pure oils and butters, essential oils for aromatherapy and vitamin E for a natural boost to the skin and to help with shelf life. Again, oils can vary greatly. While coconut oil is a fantastic base, some folks who have sought us out because they know we are glad to individually formulate cannot have that, or cannot have another oil. So these recipes vary some, and we try to keep a couple different recipes in stock.

I know, that is a LOT of information!. But feel free to ask ANY questions you may have. That is why you would work with a small local company that specializes in serving the individual needs of the customer in a natural way that supports the health of the customer and sustainable agriculture!

Water Harvesting Update and the Last of Monsoon 2014

We have been working hard on several projects around here lately.around here lately, as the school year begins and the monsoon season draws to a close. This week we were blessed with another quarter inch of rain. That really isn't much, but in a year where we have registered less than three inches total, we are thankful for every drop!

Recently, I posted the assembly of the first of our true rainwater harvesting barrels. Seeing as how many drought ravaged states are beginning to outlaw water harvesting, I am thankful our still encourages it, and fully intend to encourage others to keep the practice strong.

The day after we got it going, I got this video of our system in action. Clearly, we need to work on down spouts soon!

The blue one with the lid turned out to be very easy to maintain, with just a little apple cider vinegar keeping things clean and clear. Compared with the open buckets my husband has helpfully lined up while I work on the system, this is far superior, and I have been really excited by the ease the system is managed with. I really wish I had started this project earlier in the summer!

We started the weekend with full water barrels, though I was trying to use more of the water from the open barrels where the water doesn't keep as well, so when a little bit of rain came through yesterday (an I mean a LITTLE bit) there was almost no room in the blue barrel. Oh, well, I tried, but each of the barrels did get about 10 gallons, with the open one getting about 15, While that isn't much, it is enough to water for another day, so who would I me to turn that down?

It turned out the video of the barrels and the first watering can I filled was too big for uploading directly into the blog, but here is the link to it. So next, I need to pick up a couple more bulkheads and do the overflow barrels as well as the downspouts and the other corners of the house.

Link to the first watering can filling from the barrel!

Anyhow, that is the water harvesting update for now. What have you tried that has worked or not? It is so helpful to share information to help each other do better by the environment and take better care of our organic gardens. Thanks for sharing!

Water Harvesting Project, prototype one

One of the ongoing sustainability concerns for farming in the desert is water. This is a big issue, actually, with many large scale commercial farming practices using older methods of irrigation which often cannot be viable in the long term with the ever increasing number of people using the limited water supply.

Drought is commonplace, and extreme drought has brought frightening pictures and a concern for the future.  Some states have outlawed water harvesting in the hopes of recharging dwindling supplies in underground aquifers. 

I really feel that we can appropriately harvest water while recharging aquifers and responsibly reducing consumption, though it does require all of  to work together and not waste. 

We have put lots of research into making a water harvesting system for our veggies,  and as we get better, we will also apply this to our sprouting system within the livestock pens, which should also help with flooding concerns in the rainy season. 

This is our first prototype.  We began with a blue barrel. Even though it was considered food safe,  I soaked it three time with water and an ACE (apple cider vinegar) and water dilution before beginning. 

While my husband recommended a larger saw, I have issues with my hands,  and went for the smaller one! I used twine to set my line for cutting around the top. Despite the two holes already there, I know that I will need access to scrub the barrel out between seasons, as well as access for working on the bulkhead attachments.

Then I got to play with power tools. Off came the top of the barrel. That part was easy!

I had several of these blocks laying around- actually like five of them, so not enough for too much, but enough for this spot. I started off with two blocks- a single thickness, then added the additional since the overflow barrel is supposed to be a bit lower, and because I wanted plenty of clearance around the house bib.

Then it was time for MORE CLEANING. High power with the hose, then three more rounds with ACV, alternated with the hose. ACV is also great for keeping the algae down and the bugs away, so I put a little more in before I reassembled the while thing, too.

I just put the ACV straight in a spray bottle lots of uses for that!

Then I needed something to keep the top of the barrel on, so I improvised a little. I had some wooden dowels left over from another project, so I used roofing screws from yet another project to attached them to the outside. Note for future reference on this one- I put one of them right near a seam, and it is a little close to the lid top seam in that spot, so I have to be really careful putting the lid back on.

Here it is with the lid on, at the corner of the house. That is a pomegranate tree right behind, and there are several other plants along that edge of the porch.

I knew I neened a hole saw for the bulkhead that the hose bib would screw into. What I had was designed for wood. Rather than go crazy and buy another, I tried a test hole in the top first. It came out fine, so it was time to put the bulkhead hole in!

Fortunately, that was pretty easy. The sizes I had for hole saw bits were pretty close, and the first one I drilled was not quite big enough for the threads, so I ended up needing a second go round. That's okay, though, it worked.

The bulkheads are easily found at your neighborhood hardware store. Funny thing, these actually thread left handed. That was weird, but it went in easily, with a gasket to provide the seal from leaks on each side.

The outside was just as easy, too.

Then, with plumber's tape around the threads of the hose bib, it went in easily itself.  We chose for it to angle down and away fro the porch to make the hose work easier for me.

Then I needed something in the top to let water in and keep gunk out. That started with a hole around the area where the test hole had gone.

Things were starting to look almost functional by this point!

Here is the close up of the fancy-dancy hose bib and bulkhead work.

Okay, so at that popoint I took a break to actually get dinner on the table, and then came back to work on the screening. I decided to go a little crazy with the caulking. And to keep the mesh down, I went high tech with a plant from the porch.

Pretty fancy, huh?

In the end, that didn't stay very flat, so I may screw it down with washers. We will have to see on that one!

Well, here is the prototype. As I type this, a storm is threatening, so I am REALLY hoping to get to see how it works tonight! On that note, here is to reducing waste and reusing where we can, and farming sustain-ably!

What projects have you tried? We would love for you to share all you have learned so we can all learn together! Have a great night.

Bugs for livestock feed?

Bugs for livestock feed? Could this be the solution? How do you approach the organic question for bugs?

I recently listened to a piece on NPR regarding using bugs for livestock feed. It is funny, because we so often hear about the way other countries use bugs for nutrition, and in fact, some insects are considered delicacies. As a matter of full disclosure, I consider anything with more legs than the dog or fewer legs than the children to be a no go. While I understand that might be short sighted, I fully admit to my irrational fears in these areas. In this particular reporting piece, the discussion was not in solving the world's problems of feeding everyone through serving bugs to people, cooked in a variety of ways and farms on large scale in small areas, but instead the focus was in using the insects as protein source for livestock.

One issue I find myself discussing frequently is the use of genetically modified corn, soy and other crops in livestock feed.  What our livestock animals eat is passed on to us in the food, milk and eggs they provide for us to consume. While some of the studies are admittedly small in sample size, there is documented correlation in the health of the livestock eating GMO feed, and also in the insecticides being passed on through use on the crops fed as feed.

When we were in visiting our (sort-of) local organic pest control place a couple weeks back, Wyatt was thoroughly entertained by the fly traps. Funny how that works. Very excitedly, the representative showed us a different trap she thought we would like. She told us to wait on purchasing it, as she felt certain it would go on sale, but we had to admit- it is pretty neat! The trap itself is a metal screen, formed in a cylinder with a cone on top, that works on the principles of which way flies can actually fly.Essentially, flies fly in looking fro the smeely bait, but get trapped, dry and dehydrate. In the end, what is left is shrunken, dehydrated flies that can be fed tot he chickens as treats. I know, it doesn't sound remotely like a treat to me, but the chickens love them, and they are high protein and nutritious overall.

The insects they are talking about for livestock feed are, in fact, flies.  Pardon my squeamish nature, but they raise flies from larvae throughout the life cycle and use the final end product as an ingredient to provide protein in feed. So yes, all the life phases.

So here is my question... how would that work work with organics?

I set to researching this one. Logically, what they eat should be the output. The only research I found discussed that when fruit flies eat organic fruit, they live longer and reproduce better. So I suppose they could establish breeding stock that, having been fed organically for a certain period of generations, were organic. (Yes, I understand this is an odd train of thought.)  Additionally, some baseline would have to be established in order to prevent genetic modification of the flies, as we know there would be some preference to the "horse" flies or other larger flies. (I am far from any type of expert when it comes to organic, I went to the research realm for this one, because I really feel as though I am missing some of the angles.)

Hmmm...

So, what is your take on this one? Animals don't worry about eating flies like we do. Their mamas don't tell them, "No, no, you don;t know where that has been!" But when our food is the end result, we have to consider all of the pros and cons. What do you believe those pros and cons might be?

I Rescued a Human Today...

I saw this adorable poem online, and thought to share it.  Our dogs have all been rescue dogs, all being essential members of the family who taught us a great deal along the way.  Hope you enjoy!

I Rescued A Human Today 

Author:Janine Allen CPDT 

I rescued a human today. 

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly 
and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. 

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know 
that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them. 

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to 
and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. 

I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. 

Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my 
paw to assure her that all would be well. 

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. 
I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. 
I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. 

So many more to be saved. At least I could save one. 

I rescued a human today.

Operation: Our Life, Our Way

Forgive this very long post.  I have been asked several times of late, why after moving Bailey to home school, and finishing the year with Wyatt, we are still not out and about like folks expect us to be.  After so long of trying to tow the line of other folks, we are taking some time to recapture our life and set things back on our own path.  So here is the reality, folks...

Sometimes it feels like things break faster than you can fix them, doesn't it?  For the last several years, I have made the commute to take the kids to schools in town, and working in a different part of town.We really just thought that was the way things had to be when you live outside of town, and want the kids in a school which has really good opportunities, and with our oldest in High School she was going to have to go that far now regardless, right?

Well, after all of these years of other people's demands wearing on us and driving until there was no energy left, and our daughter going through some incredibly intense bullying- we pulled her out of school.  I was fortunate enough that in the process of trying to keep the kids an an extra-curricular they loved, but get them away from some negative influences, we found our way into a 4H group full of home school-ers, who have been so very welcoming and gracious in guiding me along the way.

When I pulled her out, we were all worried about her AP program, and another mom calmly informed me about just how many things I could provide here at home, and that I didn't need to be at the mercy of the school.  I have certainly had my eyes opened to the options in the last year!

When I learned that the interventions Wyatt was supposed to be involved in for his processing issues weren't really happening, and I was driving all that way and leaving him exhausted, and still trying to make time for for extra work with him at home, and feeling terribly guilty about how little time he spent being a kid, I started thinking seriously about keeping him home, too.  I wasn't really sure it was what he would want, so I left it open ended and told him it would be a lot of work and that he would have to start in the Summer and be able to listen to me as teacher and Mama.

At the same time, it all sounded so simple, which is where you know it will be hard, right?

So Bailey and I went to the home-school convention.  I had already been picking up curriculum here and there, and knew the really expensive stuff would be the really good language program I wanted for them. (Nope, haven't shelled out for that one yet.)  And that I would have to track the grading and get through the work with them, on top of working and keeping the farm going.  We also had a little under our belts, working through three plus months of the year at home with her.

I gave Wyatt the first week after school was out off from school.  It seemed fair- everyone needs a break, and then I have added one subject each week.  It isn't all smooth sailing, but here is the thing...

When those folks set Bailey up for the bullying, they made her first give up her Sunday mornings.  If she really wanted to learn anything she had to do it their way.  Much of life went that way, conforming to other folks until the way we wanted to do things seemed lost, and time for ourselves was a struggle to squeeze in.

So part of home schooling, and this new approach to life is really about putting the values of our family front and center again, and putting our life back together.  We are far from perfect, but the kids need a good strong educational foundation, and Bailey needs to fill in the gaps from the behavior issues in the school  she had attended, and Wyatt needs to do the work for his processing issue, and be challenged instead of grouped with the kids who don't care.

I would love to say that the first week off, we went to church.  We didn't.  In fact, we are still planning, and still trying to dig out from how behind we all felt here.  The kids are growing healthier each day.  We are still quite busy rearranging chicken groups and rebuilding coops and roofs and doing some much needed cleaning.  Last week we cleaned the kids' carpets and bought a new desk for the family, though while we were doing that a wind storm came through and did this to Bailey's doe barn.

So, we took a break from other chores, and Charlie helped us put it back to where Bailey and I could work on it again.  Next up for today is reattaching the fence to the barn at the far right corner.  Then getting the new upright support in to the wall you see slumping on the left.  The plan had been for the Buckeye pen expansion to share a common fence wall where the fence will reattach to the barn, but will still be in progress while we work on the repairs.

We took some time this weekend to enjoy a fire and the Super Moon.  Charlie thinks I should still use a flashlight during watering even with the beautiful moon because of rattlesnake season.  Bummer, he is likely right.  I just need more hours of daylight after sunset =).

Well, I don't make a habit of explaining myself very often, but I did today.  We will keep sharing pictures as we move forward toward our goals for the farm and as a family.  Hope you all have a great day!

Mission Statement

I would bet that when you clicked on this, you thought it would be all about the mission statement of the farm, right?  Well, I will get to that.  But it is really about life balance and doing the things we do best, and knowing our limits.  This is especially for those who feel so responsible as the consummate volunteers that they overextend themselves to the point of frazzled.  Anyone fit that description?

If you ask my husband, I have no room to talk in this department, and he would be partly right.  But over the last couple years of our daughter being bullied by adults and the major life changes that have come with job changes and farming and beginning to home school the kids, there has been a great deal of self-reflection and people watching.  Some of the people watching was to look for answers, some to learn to listen the warning signs so my children wouldn't be hurt again.

And I have learned a lot of things from this self reflection.

First, I need to learn to set boundaries and quit bending over backward to try to make people be nice when they are out to get someone.  No amount of being nice will undo someone with the bent to bully.  Once they have plotted and potted and bullied for so long, it doesn't matter.  So set boundaries, and expect people to live up to their end of the bargain.  You really can call people out on it and still have manners.  Also, once the passive aggressive bully stuff starts, it really is time to walk away.

Second, no amount of good intentions fix overworked bad behavior.  I had repeatedly, over the course of the last year, told my son that someone who was involved with the folks who bullied my daughter was likely not involved in the mess, and even as all should be treated with respect, this one was still there with the right intentions as well.  I was surprised to see her also volunteering at yet another event, and realized she was quite curt with my son and I at check in.  I figured little of it, though my son noticed, and I told him to let it go.

I am guessing that the person was there volunteering, yet again, because she felt no one else would do it.  I am also guessing that is why she laid into him, screaming, until he was on the verge of tears right before his turn at competition.  If you are so frazzled that you forget why you volunteered i the first place, then you need to step back and say, I would love to help, but I really cannot do that today.  That speaks volumes.  And if you are worried no one else will do it, read the next part.

Third, people really do, for the most part want to step  up, even when they on't know how.  Sure there are lunatics who have mean spirited intentions and would destroy a child to see their win, who would lie and cheat to get their way.  But despite the experience we had lately, I have seen far more good folks.  In fact, when we joined a home school group of folks who had been together forever, people have consistently reached out to include my children.

Additionally, some people who have been the consummate volunteers, the glue that have held programs together, have had to  step down for health or family reasons.  They knew they could not make it all work anymore.and stepped down.  We miss them terribly.  The parents remaining knew we could not do it all, but kept telling one another we would help anyone willing to be the figurehead.  Then one parent stepped forward.  You might think that everyone stepped back.  But they didn't.  The one that stepped forward is one of those great organizers.  She put each of us in charge of what we felt we could handle, and then set us to work.  We all had a responsibility in the final outcome.  It might have been a little ragtag, but the mission was to save the project for the kids- and do it well, without taking the project into debt.  So however imperfect, it still worked.

I know a lot of other farm folks out there who have some really cool goals.  Like the folks over there at the hen house, who select charities to donate the proceeds of their baked goods and eggs to.  They select different charities each time, based upon what they feel strongly about, and don't worry about saving the world, just making a difference every day.

My husband is an avid outdoors-man.  He and his father and our son- who all look like different ages of the same person, mind you- go out on the desert cleanups with the other hunters.  They will put tremendous energy into a single day cleanup and hauling all of the destructive mess out of the environment.  He knows where his limits are, but works with recycling efforts and will take the kids on an afternoon walk along the road by the farm to pick up a bag of garbage and a bag of cans.

Here at the farm, I have my "Mama" mission, as well as us having our farm mission.  The Mama Mission is all about raising children in the crazy world, and not becoming jaded by the crazies.  Raising good, mannerly kids who follow through and work hard.  And while not living with constant suspicion, setting boundaries on the drama that is allowed to mess with our life as a family.

As for the farm, we don't believe in the feed lot system of raising livestock, which can be quite a challenge in the desert.  So we raise goats and chickens as naturally as we possible can, with lots of room to play and roam, but with fences so the rooster get along and the predators don't get to them.  We raise veggies in pots and in the ground, and try new varieties each year, working with heirloom and organic varieties.  We are also working on being good stewards of this environment.  We use the shade of trees to prolong our growing season, and harvest water from the roof, composting the much and food waste to improve our yields.  And we don't hide what we learn, whether it is good or bad.  We share so that we can help others do better, too.

That isn't a fancy mission statement with pretty phrases for either one.  But does encompass the goals we have for hte farm, and the goals I maintain for myself.   We aren't perfect, but we don't expect anyone else to be, either.  But maybe we can all do a better job if we work together.

So, what is your mission statement?  How do you do with keeping it in mind?  Any tips for saying no to keep from overextending?  Or for knowing when to say when?  Life is an ongoing exercise in balancing the multiple priorities and staying true to yourself and your mission.  Spring cleaning and summer downtime are great for refocusing hte mission and looking at commitments for the coming year so that you can manage what is on your plate successfully and happily,  Care to share your mission?

Fundraiser Basket

I often get requests for donations for baskets for charity groups to auction off for fundraisers.  I have supplied blue ribbon cakes and delicacies for food auctions, jewelry for black tie events, and other things.  I get a lot of requests, so I put a cap for each annual quarter on donations, but recently I had two very special requests in just about a week.  I got both of the baskets out this week, though they are for separate occasions and groups, and the events are a little apart.  I hope to share their information through the Facebook and google plus pages, too, as they are certainly worthy of everyone's support!

This basket left Thursday for a 60's themed dinner dance at Dove Mountain, where they are auctioning off these baskets during the evening, with all of the proceeds going to the Marana Community Food Bank.  The economy has been very tough for many folks who never would have otherwise been at risk, and with the belts already tightening, the sequester is right around the corner.  

The food bank is able to purchase six times more food with every dollar than we can, so your dollars go farther than your cans, even though we really love our canned food drives.  No matter how you do it, please do remember your local food banks.

Anyhow, I hope the basket, with its bath salts and soaps, lotion bar, etched glass and lip balms will bring in something good to help the food bank.I know you are seeing a lot of ways to support altruism and community activism on the blog these days, with more to come this week.  So please share your favorites.  How do you like to help out the world around you?

The Leprechauns Take the TCC

Many of you know that I have been struggling to feel caught up again, with issue after issue running me in circles, and trying to make a break from caffeine, all while returning to running again through the flare up of my hamstring injury and transitioning Bailey to homeschooling, and keep a straight face as my younger child begs to switch over to homeschooling. (We have mandated that if there is not a drastic reason, we are not making that kind of a change this late in the school year.)  It was that big a deal with Bailey, but Wyatt needs to finish the year out.

So on top of the crazy already present, the run up to county fair, and work and the little farm, I haven't felt on track.  I spent a whole week at Bailey's school trying to get through the transition, after four weeks trying to muscle through only half of the meetings.  Needless to say, I have A LOT to catch up on.  Still, that isn't slowing the growth of this years hatch, it doesn't stall the goings on in the incubator, or the spring planting, blogging, teaching, or the personal goals I set for myself this year.  Honestly, I sound like every other mama on the planet, right?

So this last week, I oopsed.  Not a little oops.  Not an unmanageable one, but an oops, none the less.  After turning their science fair projects in to the regional science fair they had advanced to, I looked at the website for the schedule.  Bailey had interviews the following day, Wyatt would not need to stand for interviews until next year.  They were feeling the need to work on school work and animals, so opted out of young innovators' night, and I read the site to say that we needed to pick up their posters Sunday morning between 8 and 12, or they would be recycled.  Wednesday night, I checked and learned that neither of them had advanced further in competition, and told the kids we could go by on Sunday to pick up the posters.  Wyatt is planning his to double over for county fair.  (The project is he same, and I am big on not wasting!)

So yesterday, Bailey and I drove almost right near there while running errands and heading to work out.  Last night, I saw an email that concerned me, so I rechecked the site.  OOPS. We were supposed to get them Saturday.  Uh. oh.

Then this morning, the three of us piled into the car on the way to town, and headed off early to hopefully see if there was any way to get them.

We found the convention hall deserted.  But there was an open door.  So we figured someone, security at least, was in there.

The three of us, dressed in green for the St Pat's Day, headed into the convention center.  The kids were whispering, and silly.  I was calling down corridors, looking for anyone who worked there.  We got to the windows above the hall where the fair had been set up, and still saw piles of boards.  So they weren't all gone- yet.  We knocked on office doors, went up and down stairs and quiet escalators, and looked for security.  There was a truck and a golf cart besides our car, so someone must be there, right?  We decided we were leprechauns on the loose in the convention center!

Just as we were beginning to wonder if we could find anyone, we saw someone.  We asked if he worked there, and he was clearly surprised that we were in there.  We told him about the open door (he called security) and we told him of our mistake.  He showed us down to the hall and let us look through the remaining piles.  Bailey found hers rather quickly.  The man mentioned that he had found hers quite interesting, having looked at it previously while they were set up.  Then just as I was thinking Wyatt's was already gone, I looked in one stack a second time, and saw the telltale camo he had covered his board in.  YAY!

So, all is well.  We printed out the photos Wyatt needed for his dog project poster, but didn't have to reprint the poultry ones.  I am off the hook for the oops, and we have our silly story of clandestine leprechaun operations.  And we know there are still very sweet folks out there, willing to be understanding and take a few extra minutes out of their day to help a couple kids and a mom.

Did you have any fun, GREEN adventures today???

Surviving

As I was just moving things around outside, I found myself thinking that for all of the work and all of the ups and downs, I don't feel as though I am moving as far forward as I would like, but instead just surviving.  But then I thought, for all we have been through, is that really so bad?

Over the last few days, I have said to myself, over and over, "I will not borrow trouble."  I know that at my age, I should know better than this.  But as I learned that the bullies who doggedly pursued my child have, in several cases, been befriending the true friends my daughter has, just as they did before they isolated her in the last couple years before viciously tearing her down, I found myself having to say this, and remember that she does have true friends.  And she will need to learn to handle those people eventually.  I have her homeschooling now, so that she can at least focus on schoolwork without the constant bully garbage, but she does need to learn to stand up to people like that.  So, "I will not borrow trouble."  I do know that it only makes things worse!  Enough overprotective mama!

I had originally planned that I would take time to blog today about the power of those little moments in life, where you turn around and just say "wow."  Those moments of connection with nature's beauty are where my husband feels most spiritual, closer to God within his own heart.  But as I was looking through magazines for recipes to save so I could recycle the magazines, something reminded me of the need to count our blessings regularly.  This right after the thought about surviving, made me think I would take time for that in today's blog post.

Each evening at dinner, we say grace as a family, led by the children.  The simple prayer hasn't evolved as the children have aged, despite my suggestions.  So, after grace, we share around the table what we are thankful for on that day.  That simple act of counting our blessings, and rejoicing in those special to those we love, is so special to me, and I think it helps ground me, too.  Especially on the days that worrying- as much as I know not to- sneaks into my consciousness.

It is interesting, as we have heard the phrase, "from your lips to God's ears" that each little prayer of hope, thanksgiving, and self reflection is a small conversation that helps us become the person we want to be- and that we can be proud of.  Regardless of your personal beliefs, these simple acts are also scientifically proven to increase the level of joy in your life.

So if you, like me, find the need to remind yourself to let go of the worries and count hte blessings in your life- consider yourself blessed- and on the right track to more blessings.  Good really does breed good, right.  In our outlook as well.  And now we have science to back us up- yet again!

Have a great day, all!

Heaven is in the Eye of the Beholder

This may seem like a strange title- and to be quite honest- it is.  But read along, then tell me what you think.

I pulled over a couple weeks ago to take these photos along the side of the road on the way home from the farmers market in Marana, looking West as the sun set behind the mountains of the Tohono O'odham Reservation, casting the last glowing light of day across a farmer's fields.

Then this afternoon, I turned off of the highway coming from town to the farmer's market at the Marana Healthcare center where I can be found most Tuesday afternoons, I saw a large sign in a farmer's field near the highway.  At first, I saw the word heaven on the sign, and thought it must be referring to a conversion to organics, until I turned straight on the road and got a good look at the sign out of the corner of my eye.

Across the top, the sign said, "We're moving earth to bring you heaven."

And at the bottom: The shops at Tangerine.  Tangerine being the road that intersects the freeway there.  While I would love to see smaller, organic farms infilled with the communities they serve replace the large factory farms, I definitely DO NOT want more shopping malls at every highway off ramp.  Not that anyone asked me, but it makes me even more determined to move forward with the sustainable farming project!

Well, I hope we will all do our best to support our local small farmers and keep our food system more secure.  If you are growing and contributing to the local farmers market, we salute you, and hope you will continue to do so!  All the best to all of you, and here's to hoping those new shops will feature local goods at least!

Sweet Boys

These are not my best pictures, but taken Sunday night while we were finishing up working outside for the day.  Bailey was working in the buck pen while they were playing or supervising.

Silly Huey, on the left, is in geriatric phase, At a little over nine years old, he still wanders around, sometimes jogging, enjoying the company of his son, Obediah on the right.  They are good buddies, and talk to the girls from their favorites spots at the fence, always the most social demanding ear and back scratches from anyone nearby.

In the mornings and evening, you can find sweet Obediah running laps or rearing up to play.  I stood to watch as Huey cocked his head and Obediah danced on his hind legs ready to head but him, silly grins on their faces.  Each time, Obediah came down a couple of inches short of his fathers head, then nudged him playfully as though he had actually head butted him.

I love how the animals need so little reminding of being more gentle with the younger or older ones.  That natural love and respect of the members of the herd.

It would be impossible not to love these goofballs.  They get community and family and remind us how to be good people, and how to accept those who are different.  Sure is nice having these sweet boys around!

Giving Tuesday

Hello, it has been a while!

Life has kept me running, and of all of the things I have thought about sitting down to write, this is the first time in a bit I have actually set down to do so.

Following Thanksgiving, many observe Black Friday, a shopping frenzy.  I have never enjoyed shopping, so I am glad to sit it out and enjoy the family time of the Thanksgiving Holiday, though this year I did set up at a farmers market.  Cyber Monday is a great time to get the word out about the craftsmanship of our little business, so I try to participate.  But did you know this is said to give way to Giving Tuesday?

Many of my friends have their dedicated charities.  Our friends at the Hen House spent a good bit of time working toward raising money for a cancer hospital, and rumor has it they will be unveiling their next charity after the first of the year.  They are such a neat, creative bunch, so I am looking forward to watching them continue to make a positive difference for years to come!

Here at our house, we all have favorite causes and efforts.  Charlie and Wyatt love to go out on the Hunters Who Care desert cleanups.  I enjoy doing little things to support the work that my friends and family do for their favorite causes.  And I really enjoy the mentor work I do.  Bailey Noelle cannot turn down any request for help.  Often at the expense of things she really needs to do, she is always right there to help a friend, teacher, or community member.

So how will we look to Giving Tuesday?

To be honest, it will be a very busy day.  But maybe that is when we need to practice this the most.  The kids will think about what they would like to add into the drive the 4H club is working on,  So tha twill be good to put on the list for tomorrow.  And the farmers market for tomorrow is one run by the Community Food Bank, so 10% of the proceeds there will go to the food bank.

So, tomorrow, we will make an effort to give back.  But not only tomorrow.  So if tomorrow is a start for you, take time to think about what matters most to you.  And please don't feel as though your contribution always needs to be money.  What we give of ourselves is often the most heartfelt and precious.  And, if you have a favorite charity or way you give back, this is a great time to share in the comments or as you share the post.  Just food for thought, and a chance to see all of the amazing things folks are doing.  You all inspire me to do more and be more.  SO thank you all for that.  In this time of year, and all year long.

I look forward to the new inspiration of this discussion.  Love to all.
Erin

Cool Story... Had to Share...

I have begun doing a few little giveaways- from folks throwing their name in a hat at the farmers' market to random winners commenting on the farm page on facebook or comments with the most likes- that kind of thing.  It is a fun way for people to get to know the crazy variety of things we work with here at Patriot's Dream.

I decided to run a Tuesday night contest, and there weren't that many folks jumping in, but I figured we all needed a little pick me up with the insanity of debate night politics in this crazy world.  And folks showed me there still is hope left- just maybe not where the politicians might want us to expect to find it!

I put up a post for folks to comment with their favorite way to do something special for themselves- this can help folks get cool ideas from each other (me included) and remember things we haven't done in a while.  I would do a random drawing in the morning from comments, with extra entries for folks who took the time to share the post.

This morning, I put all of the names in a bucket, and asked Bailey to pull two names out.  She pulled out two names, and was excited to get to post them on the page.  Then I just needed to wait for the folks to message me their address so I could send them out.

I checked the messages later in the day, and found two from Colleen.  The first was a thank you, followed by a second email, noting that one of the moms who had commented really seemed to need a treat, so could I please send the prize to Jessica K.  I had already been drawn to the same post, and the way other folks posting had noted words of encouragement to her.  But this was pretty cool.

Lately, I have been working with my cousin who is trying to give back to an organization which helps her own family, in the hopes that more families can have the great services she has cherished.  She is busy and crazy as it is, but she is still trying.  I also saw a fb note from a friend, going through her own health battle, supporting another friend going through a heath struggle.  Another cousin spends time, despite working and going to grad school, helping at a horse rescue, but had never mentioned anything about it until the rescue posted a thank you.

And complete strangers doing little things to make someone else's day better.  I am sure you guessed they are all three getting prizes.  And thank yous, for all of them, for helping us all have a little renewed faith in humanity.


Thanks guys!  Have a great rest of your week!

The Making of a Custom Piece

Many artists feel as though doing custom work interrupts the creative process.  For many artists, we let the metal (or whatever the medium may be) show us what it is meant to be.  Or, we begin by playing with a certain style of manipulation- drawing, sawing, the torch processes, etc-   as let that guide our creative process as we guide the medium into our vision for the piece.

Clearly, custom work is much different from that.  I will have to do a post on custom bead work and the like, but for today I am going to focus on this custom work.  My cousin, as I have previously mentioned is doing awalk for Autism Speaks, an organization which provides support for families of those with autism or autism spectrum disorders.  I offered to make a custom piece to auction off to raise money for the cause, a part of the walk goal.

This peaked her interest, and she began drawing.  This brings us to making the custom piece.  She sent me drawings.  Typically, I am closer to a person for whom I create custom items, and they can tour the shop, get theirhands on jewelry to see textures and treatments, sizes and settings and decide how they would like the details to work.  In this case, Cassi is in Texas and I am here in Arizona.  A little harder.  So when she sent me drawings, I needed to print them out and size them to what size she wanted.

Notice above, her drawing of a puzzle piece, with the words I am more printed on it.  I needed to size the piece and decide with her how we would put the lettering in.  The purpose of the words are her intent to tech her children that they are more than any one quality.  They are more than a diagnosis, more than any one label society would give them.  This is such a special, wonderful goal, that these words are not merely a slogn, they are the heart of the cause for their effort!  So they need to show up!

Out came the handsaw and the copper sheets.  It needed to be strong enough to properly hold shape, but at the size she liked (her reference being Texas big, but not gaudy big), it needed to still be light enough to not be heavy or uncomfortable around the neck.

These were her two designs.  I am excited to play with her other design another time,   Very creative!

It took a few tries to get it just right...

Then I cut out the pattern and taped it to the copper.

Through the magic of photography- that was cut out quickly!

Then came letter punching.  This can be  challenge for me, and in fact there were several mesed up pieces, but I was able to use them... (waste not, want not, right? but we have to figure in and expect this in our cost of custom work.)

Then the proof went back to Cassi.  Not truly happy with the lettering yet, thinking about a silver printing instead, but in the interest of time on the auction, we moved this piece forward into the next step and began another piece in the following stage.

One option was to mke the piece look like it was colored with a crayon, as her initial drawing.  So I used one of the opp cutouts as an example.

To give her more options, I had also put one in the speckling patina.  I sent photos of them side by side so she could think about them in the same light. If she had been nearby, she could have looked closely at many coloring options in person, helping her see many possibilities.  She chose the patina on the left.

Then, I sent her several lettering options.  She chose to do one in option 1, the other in a 1 and 5 hybrid.

This is how the hybrid came out.

I will continue to do custom work. I enjoy the creative process, even when it is shared.  A little tip for any of you considering sharing the process with me- have time and patience planned into the project.  I want it to be perfect for you, so it is much easier for you to see hands on and be involved with the process and making it the way you want.  Got an idea?  Send me an email!