Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Final Mentor

I have been remiss. Earlier this month I took one of the final steps along my road to recovery and I didn't write about it.

The hero's journey has been a long one. Those of you who have walked it with me know it had both highs and lows. But like yin and yang, they pretty much balanced each other out. These days the journey has dwindled to a couple of side trips as I make annual pilgrimages to visit with my two surgeons (mentors), and hopefully there will only be two more of those.

No this side trip was of a different nature. It was the final step of reconstruction and rebuilding the body after tearing it down. I visited my final mentor, the tattoo artist.

The reconstruction happened in two phases. The breasts were shaped and formed using the muscle from my back and saline-filled implants. Several months later the nipples were surgically created. On November 7, I visited Amber at Adept Tattoo on Quinpool Road to have the finishing touches, the cherry on the sundae if you will. She applied pigment to make the "Girls" look as good as new. The side benefit is it covers some of the scaring around the nipple area as well. Now if you were to see me on a topless beach at 15 metres (which I don't see ever happening) you would never know I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction.

I'll admit I was ambivalent about it. It seemed, excessive, unnecessary. But now I'm glad I took this final step. It symbolically closes the cover on that chapter of my life. I can look back at cancer now and say thank you. You didn't defeat me, you made me stronger, you helped me develop focus... but I don't ever want to see you again.

The journey has led me to the path I walk now and I love our life on the farm and I hope you continue to share the rest of the journey with me as I learn how to live sustainably and with joy.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Ice on the Water Bucket

I don't know where the time goes, but here it the end of October and two mornings this past week the water bucket had a skiff of ice on the surface. Hunting season started Friday, a sure sign that the year is slowly winding down.

We added the summer's pullets to the laying flocking, giving us a total of 18 birds in the chicken coop. I spent two days of my vacation earlier this month cleaning out said chicken coop. There was years worth of detritus in one corner from the previous owners. I took it all out and sorted out what could be reused. I made some new roosts and nesting boxes and then introduced the flock.

It took a few days, but eventually the feathers stopped flying and everyone, including duck, is settling into a routine. Best of all, the new hens and duck are beginning to lay eggs. It seemed all summer we were only getting two eggs a day, after having a steady flow all winter it was a little surprising. Now we're up to about eight a day. Which is great because I've had several people ask about obtaining some eggs from us. In fact at last weekend's municipal election I ran into to two neighbours who both expressed interest. With 18 fowl in the coop I hope get up to a dozen eggs a day.

The duck eggs are pretty and we don't notice any difference in the flavour. She's also a riot to watch. We have noticed she doesn't quack as much now that she's free range. The flock roams all over the yard and down into the paddock where they sort through the hay Dahlia and Joe drop.

I went to a garlic workshop this weekend. It was very informative. Today I planted three varieties of garlic. Hopefully it will all grow and thrive.

We've spent the last week putting the wood in the barn and getting it out from the weather. We've already got a start on next year's pile.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Fall Chores


I finished digging the potatoes today. Overall I'd say we ended up with 25 to 30 pounds. Not bad for our first year and considering how dry it was. I used some of them today in what I like to call my harvest vegetable chicken soup.

I cooked a chicken earlier in the week and tossed the leftover carcass in the stock pot with onion, garlic, carrot and a couple of bay leaves plus salt and pepper. I let is simmer for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, I drove down to Goucher's Farm Market outside of Kingston, and picked up a sweet potato, squash, onions, celery, garlic and carrots. When I was home again I cut up all the veggies, including a few potatoes and put them in a roasting pan. 

Just for future reference, an axe works really well when it comes to chopping up squash.

I poured olive oil over all the veggies and sprinkled them with ginger and curry powder. I left them to roast slowly in the oven for a couple of hours. Once done I strained the bones cooked veggies out of my stock. Added the roasted vegetables (except for the celery which I felt was too stringy) and then used my handy immersion blender to mix up the soup. I tossed in the separated chicken.
Now Rob and I have a seasonal, hearty soup for supper which will be delicious.

Rob spent the weekend working on the woods road connecting the big field to the new property. He's just about through. Meanwhile I trimmed the grass and weeds all along the fence line. We also collected wild apples for the horse and cow.

We certainly got a lot done this beautiful fall weekend, but the to-do list is still long. We have to fix the floor in the woodshed, bring the wood up from the field where it has been drying, cut kindling, fix up the chicken coop and install a couple of windows in it and in general clean up the yard.

Rob wants me to get a coat of paint on the end of the house and he plans to build a new cover for the septic tank. I think we've got enough to keep us out of trouble for a few weekends.

I did take time to take Joe for ride. It was perfect weather for just meandering around the fields and through the woods.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Tomatoes

The rains have come. First we had not enough, now we are bordering on too much.

I picked tomatoes this afternoon, decked out in my rubber boots and Rob's over-sized rain coat. 

It was hard to collect enough for any type of cooking purpose as many of them are suffering from blossom rot. The end of the tomato turns dark and starts to rot. My research indicates the cause was likely inadequate water when the fruit was setting. The plant has a calcium deficiency; without the water it can't pull the calcium out of the ground.

Too much nitrogen in the soil will also slow down the absorption of calcium. Given the fact the pigs were in the plot last summer, the nitrogen issue may also be a problem for me.

Next year I'll put bone meal in the planting bed and hopefully we'll have our water management system set up so if it is dry, I can water the plants with water we've collected and saved.

Not all is lost though. Some of the fruit is fine and I was able to pick enough to make a small pot of sauce on this rainy afternoon.

Homemade tomato sauce served over linguine and sprinkled with parmesan. Wagner photo

I grew San Marzano tomatoes this year. The seed is from Annapolis Seeds, a local company. The San Marzano is a paste tomato used by the Italians for sauce. I'm making a simple sauce - onions, garlic, olive oil and tomato.

Of course, being the first batch I'm making this year, I totally forgot to take the skins off the tomatoes. Now I'll either have to fish them out of the sauce or puree the whole batch. I'm leaning toward the second idea.

But the smell; well it's divine. I can't wait until supper.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Celebrations

September is an important month for us.
We closed on the farm on September 1, 2010. This weekend marks our second anniversary here; our first as full-time residents. And, I just had my third cancer-free appointment at the Breast Health Centre.
We've always loved the fall. For me, Labour Day weekend always marks the end of the summer, far more than the autumnal equinox later in the month. The days may shorten, but the nights cool, the bugs are fewer and there's still warmth in the sun.
I'm hoping we get rain this week and if we do I'm going take advantage of the late summer sun and try to get some lettuce and spinach in the ground for late season harvest. Wally gave me the frame from his old "garage" and I'm going to cover it in plastic and make myself a green house. I won't heat it, but by virtue of protecting the plants from the frost and cold, I should be able to harvest them through November and December. It will also protect by tomato plants through the early frost, before the tomatoes are ready.
I'm making my second batch of plum sauce from the plum tree growing in the front yard. Rob and I dug up our potatoes this weekend. We don't have lot, my canning pot is full to the brim, but given the challenges of the dry weather and the chickens digging through my garden, we're pleased with the results.
This weekend we dispatched the two roosters and all but four of the cockerels. We also got back to work clearing a road from the largest field to the new property. Hopefully, before the fall is over, I'll be able to ride Joe through it.
Rob checked his camera cards and saw pictures of two does and a nice buck. Hopefully, we'll add one of those to the larder this fall as well.
Rob dug out his bow this week and started practicing and Joe and I went riding twice. Both good workouts each time.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Summer

It is late August and I see by the timeline I haven't updated my blog all summer.
Joe has settled in nicely and we ride several times a week. Alissa Cue of Rohan Wood Stables has been out three times to provide private lessons at the farm and to help Joe and me work through getting to know each other. The last few rides have been very good.
Dahlia, our calf, has also arrived. She is flighty and suspicious, but she's starting to come into her stall at night with a bribe of grain.
Joe seems to think Dahlia is part of his herd and he's always trying to make her graze where he wants to graze. He also chases her sometimes. I expect by the spring we'll have to have separate pastures for them.
Speaking of pastures, it has been a dry, dry summer. We've tried to rotate the pasture by sectioning it off with wire, but the rains have been intermittent and the grass is not coming back as quickly as anticipated. Rob and I are fencing the middle field today in order to provide more grazing area for Dahlia and Joe.
Kelly, Steven and I picked strawberries at Kenny's Strawberries in Kentville. I picked two flats of berries some of which I froze and some of which I made into jam. This weekend past I picked blackberries. Last night I turned those into jam. The woods are full of berries and chokecherries so I expect I'll make more jam or jelly next week.
I picked up local peaches this week and preserved those as well.
Canned peaches in a light, spiced syrup.

The garden has been providing some meals for us. It was a constant battle to keep the chickens out of it and they enjoyed meals of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and lettuce. We ate beans, peas, Swiss chard and potatoes. If all goes well I will have a bumper crop of tomatoes to preserve. We may need cover it with plastic to protect it from frost while the fruit ripens.
There is nothing quite so rewarding as knowing you have the skills to provide for yourself. I know this fall will be busy with preserving food for enjoyment this winter with Mother Nature providing lots of wild edibles for our use.







Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Check on the Life Wish List

I don't know when I first realized I wanted a horse. I'm sure if you asked my parents they would say it has been on every Christmas list and every birthday candle wish since the day I first knew what the word meant.
We had horses board at the farm when I was little. In fact one of my earliest memories is being high above Dad as he led me around the pasture on a palomino. When I grew older, my cousin Helen had a pretty little Standardbred. We all learned how to ride on her by racing around the fields riding double. I would go up and muck out the stall just to be near her. And I can tie a western saddle cinch with my eyes closed thanks to all the practice Helen enforced.
I became very good at borrowing horses from the neighbours. And for a brief year we boarded a horse at the farm when I was in my teens. I think Queenie was older than I was and a lot smarter, but I learned a lot from her and was sad when she returned to her owner.

Today, a life-long dream was filled when Joe moved onto the farm. Joe is a 12-year-old Canadian-Percheron with a tail which practically touches the ground. He's saddle and harness broke. I'm incredibly excited to have him here. Cole and I just sat for the last hour watching him eat.
Rob and I have laboured over creating the pasture for weeks. We've cut back brush, pounded posts, nailed insulators and strung wire. Today we connected it all together and turned on the power. We still need to make a few adjustments, but it is done and it will hold Joe in the field.
It's not every day a girl has a dream come true. But today is one of those days. I hope Anne and Fred know how much love and affection Joe will receive. Crystal deserves kudos for helping me find him and Rob, well Rob deserves a medal for helping make this dream come true and for every nail, every post and every foot of wire.

Monday, May 28, 2012

The Smallest Things

About a week ago I was walking around the front yard when I heard the unmistakable buzz of a hummingbird passing me. It took several minutes before I saw the tiny bird, his swift flight taking him from one end of the yard to the other in fractions of a second. I went into the house and dug out and cleaned my hummingbird feeder and mixed up a solution of water and sugar. We're now on the second batch of solution and my solitary hummingbird is joined by a mate, although it is truly difficult to tell if they are matched as he won't let her near the feeder half the time.
For being the smallest birds in the world, they are territorial bullies. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to capture a photo of them for past few days. When they see my reflection at the window they leave the feeder. The other evening, as I was barbecuing towards sunset, I observed them feeding quite heavily. I'm guessing they were fuelling up for the night. The male bird sat on a limb in one of the maples for several minutes before taking a final run at the feeder and disappearing for the night.
Today, Rob is working with a mentor of his own, a local carpenter. They will put up the animal shelter (it arrived Friday). Rob and Wally will act as his assistants. Rob will hopefully learn a few new skills in the process. Once the shelter is in place, we'll finish the fence line, build a holding paddock where the animals can settle for the first few days and make a final pass around the field to ensure there is no grass or brush remaining to short out the fencing. Hopefully within the next month both animals will be on site and all the chickens will be out on pasture.
I finished getting the garden planted. I need to hoe the weeds out of the area where the tomato seedlings will go; I'll probably wait and put them in after the full moon in June (June 4). That should be the last frost. I'm anxious to see seedlings sprouting the garden and to see it start taking shape.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Spring Has Sprung

Winter is the season for planning and spring is the season for action.
The days are long and filled with activity. I'm on vacation this week, but I'm putting in my time on the farm. 
On the weekend I went horse shopping with the help of long-time friend Crystal Fullerton. After a disappointing first stop Crystal suggested we stop by the farm of her neighbour. They had a Canadian/Percheron cross for sale. Joe is a stocky boy and after two visits, riding in the ring and taking him out in the cart I decided to purchase Joe. He'll be moving to the farm early in June.
In preparation for Joe and Dahlia (who is waiting for registration information and tattooing) we have been setting up posts, clearing underbrush and stringing a fence line around the front the field. Rob ordered a shelter package from Home Hardware last week and we expect it to arrive any day.
We have chickens. In addition to last year's layers we hatched out nine chicks earlier in the year and they are now on pasture, we have 20 in the back porch (plus one duck) and 11 meat kings. The incubator currently has a dozen duck eggs in it. Within a month they all should be out on pasture. In addition, one of the barred rocks decided she wanted to hatch her own brood. We moved her out to the barn in a protected pen. She had 13 eggs under her. Last week we put a second hen in the pen, the rooster has been a little too friendly with her and her back was scratched. She ended up causing two the the eggs to break. The good news is they are fertilized and life is growing in them.
We've planted six apple trees and three pear trees in one corner of the largest field. The picture is me taking the lawn mower and water to the trees. I mowed around them this afternoon and watered them.
I've also planted two clumps of rhubarb, 25 strawberry plants and over the last few days I got the garden in. Last year's pig pen is now home to a modest-sized vegetable patch. I have so far planted: potatoes, lettuce, beats, beans, Swiss chard, spinach, peas, onions, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, cabbage and carrots. I had to rig up a net to keep the hens out of it after they dug up the first row of peas and half the onions. So far so good, they haven't figured out to walk behind their coop and into the garden.
Everything is lush and green right now. The apple blossoms are out, as are the lilacs. Already, the choke cherry trees are starting to fruit and last year's asparagus plants are poking through the ground (although the chickens keep eating the tips of them.)
Spring is busy and full, and I'm enjoying it to the max.

Friday, March 30, 2012

New Skills

When I started writing I was on a very different journey than the path I face today and I talked a lot about the journey process, a convention used by writers to move a storyline forward. I want to circle back to that idea again.
We each are heroes in our own journeys and we will meet people who influence us while we are on that journey - it may be by their passions, by their position, their actions or how we react to these factors. This week I took part in a cheese-making workshop. It is part of my current journey where I am trying to learn as many agri-based skills as I can. While I can't say for sure yet that I have heard the "call" of the cheese-maker I am intrigued and feel I gained enough knowledge to move forward with the basics -- making mozzarella, for example, is a certainty. I just need to order the rennet and bacteria for the process.
As I wrote in the early days, along each journey we meet mentors, people who share their knowledge and skill. I met more than one possible mentor this week, but I'd like to focus on Margaret Morris of Glengarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply Ltd. 
Margaret is passionate about cheese making and sharing her knowledge. Under her guidance we learned how to make mozzarella, Camembert and a reblochon. Three relatively simple cheeses for the home cheese maker with the right supplies. Margaret was patient as she answered myriad questions, and walked us through the steps. The pay-off was sampling the mozzarella at the end of our second day of the session. It's texture was incredibly different than the industrial cheese we purchase in the store. It was chewy and stretchy and there was a tangy bite to its flavor. I could have eaten a whole ball of it myself. Its flavor had me thinking about homemade pizza with tomatoes and basil from my garden.
I was also inspired by Ron Muise, a cheese maker and dairy sheep producer in Cape Breton. He may have been punchy from delivering lambs, but his passion for his business and product still came through. All of the participants had an opportunity to taste his cheese, and while still young, it proved to be wonderful. His talk wasn't all sunshine, raising sheep is a challenge in Nova Scotia and raising dairy sheep layers additional challenges.
Part of the workshop introduced us to the art of pairing wine with cheese and some basics to follow. It allowed us to sample a variety of cheeses (and wines), from different species and following different styles (feta, Cheddars, Goudas and blues).
I'm looking forward to following this new path, and learning more about the process. If it leads to acquiring livestock, well, it may be this is our call, we just haven't heard it yet.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

March - Pre-Spring

We are experiencing typical spring weather. If I was a maple syrup producer I know I would be stressing-out right about now and worrying about ice breaking the trees or pulling down the sap lines. From my perspective, the world is glazed in silver. We have had rain, freezing rain and snow in the last 24 hours and temperatures hovering near the freezing point. I walked Cole and Oscar (my brother's dog) after work today. The world was strangely quiet with the sleet falling, except for the trees rattling in a light breeze -- their limbs and branches coated with ice.
In a few more weeks fishing season will be starting. The rivers and streams are already ice-free because it has been such a mild winter.
I recently purchased a grow light and plan to set it up this weekend so I can start some tomato plants in the house. I've made my seed list and we've finally decided were we'll start our garden. This year we'll plow up the area where the chickens ran last summer and we'll use part of last year's pig pen for tomatoes, peppers and green.
We collected eggs from our chickens and hatched them in an incubator. Of the 11 we set we had 10 hatch. One has since died and another has a deformed leg and may yet not survive. A couple are barred-rock and the others are barred-Rhode Island crosses. All are very cute, and it will be interesting to see what they look like when they fledge-out. We'll set another batch in a few weeks. Our goal this year is to double the number of birds we raise for our freezer. We're planning using the same model we did last year using pens in the pasture and moving them every day. If we can find them, we'd like to raise a few heritage turkeys too.
In two weeks I'm taking part in a cheese-making workshop. I had signed up for one last fall but it was cancelled. This is a two-day event taking place in Bible Hill. I'm quite excited and looking forward to the experience.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

February - Winter Arrives


Rob plowing the yard.
We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow covering everything. We went from having almost bare ground to a winter wonderland overnight. So far, the winter has been mild and open, with a few exceptions. We have had more rain than snow and many days on the plus side of zero. Last night's storm was a welcome diversion. The eight inches or so will help insulate the chicken coop, and the main the house for that matter.

Rob used the tractor to clear the barn yard and driveway, while I shoveled paths to the door and the hen house. It took about an hour to clear the yard of snow. We then put on our skis and skied around the fields. It was hard work, but it was lovely to be out and it wasn't too cold. Cole loved it and he's flaked out on a blanket sleeping now.

We been getting an average of seven eggs a day from the hens and this weekend we purchased an incubator and we put dozen aside to see if we can hatch them. We're already looking toward the spring and trying to figure out how many chickens we need to raise for the freezer for this year. We only have half a dozen left from the ones we raised last year.

The seed catalogs have arrived and I am reviewing my options for the garden. Last year's venture was quite successfully and I am anxious to build and expand on it. We'll plow up an area on the east side of the big barn and the pen were the pigs were housed last year. I plan to grow my tomatoes, peppers, herbs and lettuces there.

In addition to the chickens, we're purchasing a horse this year as well. We're still deciding whether to go with pigs again or try our hand at raising a cow or two.

In another week or so we'll own an additional 20 acres of land. We're in the process of purchasing an adjacent piece. The transaction will add another field and some cut over woodland. We think we'll plant some Christmas trees on some of it.

We also met with a local carpenter to discuss what we need to do to build a small shed for the tractor. We'll cut some trees off the property and have them milled by a neighbour with a portable mill. We have a handful of spruce and several doze poplar ready to harvest. We hope using our own wood will help manage the cost as well. Plus there's is a sense of pride knowing it it came from our property and it is one step close to self-sufficiency.

This is the first time in year's where I haven't felt like winter is dragging on. The lack of storms and the excitement about the spring both make it fly by.




Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Winter and Making Bread

It is January. The Christmas tree and decorations have been taken down and we're ready for winter.
I say ready for winter because it doesn't really feel like winter has started. We've had a few days of double-digit, below-zero weather, but they have been tempered by double-digit, above-zero weather. This week is a case in point. Today temperatures were -8C and the forecast for Friday is for temperatures to be +8C. We've had more rain than snow and certainly no weather for winter sports like skating, skiing or snowshoeing.
Rob and I just returned from a walk around the fields. Already, less than a month after the winter solstice, the days are getting longer. It was still dusk when we returned to the house. Monday night was the full moon.
The mild weather has made keeping chickens relatively easy. They continue to go outdoors for at least a few hours most days. We've had only a handful of days where we experienced their water freezing. We keep a heat lamp over it and on really cold days we fill it with warm water in the morning and again at night. They are producing seven or eight eggs most days.
I made bread on the weekend with help from Jess. It made me wonder if I could use the crock pot to proof the dough instead of sitting it on the back of the oven. A little research showed I could do more than proof the bread, I could actually cook it in the crock pot!
So that's what I did today. On my lunch I quickly whipped up the dough (less than 15 minutes) and then placed it in a heat proof dish raised up inside the crock pot with a little bit of water in the base. I have to say I'm quite pleased with the results. The bread is light and airy. It tastes like my wheat germ was a little old. I'm already thinking of a couple of modifications to try the next time -- molasses instead of honey, seven grain cereal instead of rolled oats and wheat germ. The bread cooked for three hours on high. The only down side is it doesn't really brown.
I don't know if raising chickens and baking my own bread makes me a homesteader or not, but I'm still having fun. The Stokes seed catalog has already come in and I'm already keen to start picking out what I'm planting this year. I really am looking forward to gardening and doing more canning. I love this feeling of self-reliance I even recycled the Christmas tree by cutting the branches off and putting them over the remaining turnips and the garlic I planted last fall.