From Beaver to Sushi!

Yet another high point in dinning at Heartwood Farms with chef Zac!  Sushi - Sable (Black Cod), King Salmon, and Halibut - all from Cold Country Salmon.

This blog was going to be titled, 'The first year Take-Away', until yesterday.  Yesterday, I helped my son prep 13 chickens from live to freezer.  (Notice I didn't use the word KILL)  As I was cutting the heads off of the chickens, after Zac bled them, it crossed my mind that this was a long way from IT at Emory!!  There was no way I could have ever envisioned this life - and certainly not processing chickens and tripping over pigs!  

Randy, a friend from Emory, and his partner Chuck, stopped by for the day.  They were also moving to new lives in California and wanted to know what transitioning process we went through after we left Atlanta.  It is a good thing to have people around you who ask these kinds of questions.  Sometimes we need to stop, focus, and put into words - for ourselves - what we are experiencing and feeling.  I told them that after 11 months, I felt that my mind had caught up with my body.  I felt that I had finally 'centered' myself living on the farm - no longer wondering if I was in a dream.  And I found myself looking forward for what I wanted to do next, rather than turning in circles trying to figure out where I was. 

Which brings me to 'The First Year Take-Away'.  Since Thanksgiving, I had been trying to think about what was the most important thing that I learned from this first year.  I thought about how I learned to cut vegetables more professionally, build electric fences, relearn being patient around small children.... I thought about all the opportunities I was thankful for given to Alyce and I from Rachel and Zac.  But then - as usual - life happened and I got my take-away.  

So Rachel, the kids and I had returned late in the evening from shopping and buying a xmas tree.  It was close to dinner and I had dinner to make and not that much time left to make it.  But as we got out of the car - there were the pigs out in the field.  The electric fence did not have enough juice and they quickly figure it out.  So I ran to chase them into the fenced field where we keep the rabbit cages.   As I led them into the fenced field - I saw that 4 rabbits had escaped out of their cages and were running around.  It was almost 5:00 and it gets dark at 5:08 - so I went into panic mode.  I called 7 year old Charlie to round up the rabbits as I corralled the pigs into the field.  I noticed that the pigs had pulled out the rabbit feeders and they were laying out on the ground which is where the rabbits had escaped from.    I was trying to fix the rabbit feeders back onto the cages and couldn't find the strings.   By this time, I was angry at the disarray and my son pulls up the driveway.  Charlie, by some miracle, got the rabbits into their cages and I sent him to ask his father for some string.  Zac, my son, walks into the field and says - "Mom, it's OK, dinner will be late I will make snacks".  I wanted to be angry, but at that moment I realized I had all the time in the world, there was no big catastrophe happening and what was I doing creating a panic!!  It was a flash of insight - A SENSE OF HUMOR was missing from this situation - and there it was - my take-away for the year.

When you are a controller - it is hard to learn to have a sense of humor when everything isn't in it's right place.  The world isn't going to end!  Look at this family!!

So a merry christmas to all who read this.  With lots of love and laughter....Kim

There is Always a Tomorrow

There is the big picture of the ideal, and then there are the moments which make up the real.   Relationships, included in those moments, are difficult to maneuver.  Why just yesterday, my relationship with those pigs took a downhill path.  Here I have been feeding them and petting them religiously every day.  They are much bigger now, and with that, more insistent in getting to that food drop.  I now have to run through the yard and try to get to their bowl before they do so I can pour the food into the bowl instead of on top of their heads!  Now running across their yard means avoiding all the stumps, vines and pig poop.  So I got to their dish, with the 3 of them close behind, poured the food in the dish and started to back up quickly.  As I did this, I fell over the back of the big female right on my butt - and right into the poopy muck.  I had to use my ungloved hand to get up knowing that it was going in that pig poop!!  But, hey, I woke up this morning and its a new day in our relationship!!

But here is another moment - Rachel and Zac finding alone time on a tractor ride!  You got to take that alone time when you can!!

 Rachel is very small.  In order for her to shift the tractor, she has to lift up out of the seat of the tractor.  Once she does that, the tractor stops.  So her solution was to sit on her son - she later found a weight to put on the seat...

A huge hawk has been hassling the chickens.  I was in the barn and heard the chickens making a lot of noise.  I ran down the path to the house.  As I reached the front porch, a huge hawk flew out from under the bushes where the chickens were!   So they keep themselves together for protection now.

Alyce and I have been busy.  Alyce is working on the tree house and now works for Zac selling fish at the Charlottesville City Market.  I also now work exclusively for Cold Country Salmon.  It is a family business.  We help weigh and label the product, make salmon patties and whatever else is needed.  

Everyday is a new day of new experiences.  Alyce finished my stained glass workspace so I can start my next project.  She has been learning her lathe and making beautiful pens.  We have a pig trough to build so the much larger pigs heads can fit in their feeder.  Zac has a list of wintering projects that have to been done.  Sometimes things don't go smoothly - what a surprise! But it is good to remember that there is always a tomorrow to start over and try again...

Naming of the Farm

Finally!! Sunday, October 11th 2015 - early morning, we finally all agreed on the name of the farm with help from Jim, a family friend.

Welcome to HEARTWOOD FARM

Heartwood Farm - in the heart of an 800 acre pine forest, heart wood pine flooring throughout the house, a farm designed around the heart of relationships - connections existing and developing on multiple levels.  WOW!   A momentous day for us all!  We also have to thank Rebecca & Josh.  They are currently building a house made of sandbags on top of a mountain.  They shared the idea of designing a life around a central concept.  And from that idea, we were able to design the name of the farm around the main reason Zac & Rachel bought a farm and changed their lives - So thank you to all those relationships that helped us arrive at our naming day!

Moving on... lots of exciting new things.  

First, with Jim's help, we built a rocket stove out of the clay of the farm!!  a type of efficient wood-burning stove.  We mixed the clay with water that was setup on a large plastic sheet.  Then we all took turns jumping on the mixture to blend the clay and water.  Then...we took handfulls of clay to form the unique chamber.  As you can see, it is shaped like a shoe. Wood is gravity fed into a "J-shaped" combustion chamber, from where the hot gases enter vertical secondary combustion chamber creating an extremely high temperature.  

Next....Building a tree house

Alyce and Zac working it!  Sometimes it is hard to watch them balancing on precarious ladders

Now for the bounty of what is left in the garden as the cold weather arrives...

Biggest sweet potatoes I have ever seen

I made sweet potato fries that night sprinkled with the sage from the garden.  Later in the week, Zac made several sweet potato pies!  

Which bring us to our first fire in the wood stove.

Fall has arrive with sweet potato pies, wood burning stoves and beautiful colors.

Heartwood Farm Pond

I have been surprised by the number of couples, Zac & Rachel's age, that we have met making the tough decision to change their lives to a more sustainable, meaningful experience.  They have left behind the known, for the unknown of something different.  They share stories of physical and emotional challenges - from the land, from their extended families, and from financial security.  They are designing new lives around authentic relationship.  I am so glad to be a part of this journey....

That's me that smells like pig poop - Welcome back to the farm

I just returned from three weeks in Kodiak, Alaska.  My first thought, after hugging all the people, was to check on the bees and the pigs.  The bees were still alive - and that was a good thing.  The pigs were enormously fat and much larger than when I had left.  That means their dirty noses went above my bog boots when they came to search for food from me.  All was good.

I then went on a walk with the grandkids to check out the stream down the road.  The tall grass had been laid down by the recent rain and we were able to walk down to the stream bed.  I started smelling this poop and the kids assured me it was "beaver poop" which, by the way, was very big! (so they told me) Wow, I thought, it smells vaguely familiar!  Then we walked home.  Boy those beavers were up to something, because that beaver poop smell followed us down the road.

When I got to the house and started to take off my boots, I realized that the pigs' noses had covered my boots with dirt (mixed with poop) and there was the familiar smell I had recognized!  I told Rachel the funny story about the 'beaver poop' and her response was - "welcome home!"

I have no pictures this blog because we were in Kodiak Alaska for 3 weeks visiting our daughters.  But it was easier to leave that beautiful place knowing we were returning to a beautiful place.  The leaves are just now beginning to turn yellow around the area and the cool air has moved in.

Now a bee FYI...don't feed bees outside their hive! 

So I thought I was being clever.  During the fall, if your hive does not have enough honey to feed it during the winter, you have to feed your bees sugar water to help stimulate them to pull out more wax to fill with honey.  I had bought top feeders that fit on top of the box that you fill with sugar water.  I tried it 2 times and realized that I was leaving for Alaska and I couldn't ask anyone to fill them up.  I found this article that you fill a bowl with grass and the sugar water and set it off from the hive.  This way my son could periodically refill the bowl to feed the bees much easier. 

When I returned home and saw they were still alive, I decided that I had found a much easier way to feed the bees then the top feeder.  I was a clever girl...until this morning.

Before the sun rose, I went to feed the pigs and my hive was already awake and all the bees were hanging down and covering the entrance.  There were angry bees flying all over the place.  The bees don't usually come out of the hive until the sun comes up, so this was very unusual - and scary!  I don't know enough to be sure, but it struck me that robbing was going on because the bees were protecting their entrance rather than swarming out.  I had mentioned the method I had found to feed the bees to the beekeeper I work with the day before.  He made an interesting comment which stayed in the corner of my brain tickling it with a little worry because I didn't understand what he meant.  He asked if my hives were being robbed - no, at the time they were not.  But this morning, what he said came barreling down to the forefront and I UNDERSTOOD that I had created a robbing state by advertising to the area that there was free sugar water right by my hives!!  And so the bees from everywhere came to partake, then followed my bees to their hive and a big fight began... Super Bummer!  Live and learn - yet again..

So it is good to be back to the smells, the views, the animals, the routines...and the people!  As I finish writing this, I can still hear my bees from inside my house!!!

There is Always a Fly In Paradise!

So...it was a beautiful afternoon to go boating.  The sun was glistening off the water and there was a cool breeze moving through the field flowers.  We gathered our poles for fishing and headed down to the boats.

Camille has a unique style!

We were pleasantly rowing along..

The boys in one boat

Us Girls in the other

And the flies came.  They are relentless in their attacks.  The worst is when you stop hearing them.  That means they have landed on your back and are about to bite you!  I was paddling, trying to beat them back with the paddle which just made them more aggressive.  Dog gone it!! we were in paradise.

So a good life lesson to learn early.... bring a tennis racket for big flies.

The hogs are not tiny any more.  Bet you didn't know that if you scratch a pig/hog on its side with a stick, it will fall over on it's side!  

It is important not to fall in love with something you are going to eat!   

Some down things about them...when they press their nose against you, which is always covered in mud, you are left with a large mud smear on your leg.  They will bite your toes if you wear flip flops to feed them!  They are too cute to not make pets out of them!!

Now for the bees

I just had my wintering inspection which took me 2 hours for 2 hives.  This is beginning beekeeper time.  My hives were cleaned of the hive beetles I had seen earlier.  I learned I have hygienic bees and they are addressing the mite problem.  This is not a hobby, this is hard work.  After finishing checking the entire first hive, I was ready to throw in the towel.  I was sweating so much I couldn't see.  And the boxes  that I had to lift off and then put back on were very heavy.  I was questioning my commitment to continue as we moved to the second box.  All the books I have read about people lovin! the bees - not happening to me.  I am still at the intellectual stage of inquiry wrapped in some fear!  But I did have a wonderful feeling of achievement knowing the bees were heathly.  I had over one new beekeeper like myself, and my bee mentor to help me. 

It turns out we all drive subaru's..maybe I could recoup the cost of this business by sending subaru this picture!

Alyce and I are loving selling  honey at the Charlottesville Farmers Market.  We have met so many people who have left their day jobs to get back in touch with themselves, their families and change their ways of life.  They are mostly in their 30's and are hardworking risk takers who want a life that brings them back the earth!   Alyce and I are becoming quite knowledgeable about honey and it's medicinal qualities.

We occasionally help my son with his fish market when he needs us.  We are so cool!

Last week we both changed our drivers license to Virginia license!  I don't have that 'pinch me' feeling anymore.  I keep finding new wildflowers that I must learn about; I brought out my fly fishing poll; fall is coming; ... and we live in wine county!!

There may be flies in paradise..but it is still paradise.

Call Me Beautiful!

A farm has many layers of experience.  Today I saved a baby chickens life.  I saw the little chicken lying on the ground with it's eyes greyed over gasping for breath.  I picked it up and it's long neck couldn't hold up it's head.  At first I thought that the neck was broken and I held the head so the neck was straight.  I then saw that there was food blocking it's throat.  I had a bobby pin in my pocket and took it out to pull the food out of it's throat.  Then I dropped water into its beak and the chicken began to choke out some of the food that was deeper and took a breath.

It was such a little moment in time, but at the same time it was moving.  It brings to mind a poem...

Little drops of water 

Little grains of sand

Make the mighty ocean 

And the beauteous land

Little deeds of kindness, 

Little words of love, 

Make our earth an Eden, 

Like the heaven above

And the little moments, 

Humble though they be, 

Make the mighty ages. 

Of eternity.

Mrs. J. A. Carney (1845) 

And now for the beautiful faces

 

There is love and laughter, frustration and disappointment.  There is surprise and profound joy on this farm.  As little Charlie always says... This is all life MawMaw

Becoming a Farm Girl

Riding down the highway in my son's pickup truck, windows down, hair blowing in the wind, bluegrass music blaring on the radio... back of pickup filled with trash for the trash dump!  I think there is a song somewhere very similar.

Remove the farmer so that everything goes wrong and the girls have to figure it out!!  And that is how you make FARM GIRLS.

My son, Zac, left for 2 weeks to fish for salmon in Alaska.  First, several storms move through our area during the first week taking the electricity with it.  The pool pump goes down and tadpoles fill the green water pool.  The trash is building up and between the dogs and chickens - it is a stinking mess.  The chickens and ducks are running out of food.  The one rabbit dug himself out of his cage and I found him hopping around the field.  Both boys get ear infections.  And the grass is as high as my dog.  LOL - For all the real farm girls out there - I know this is a laugh.

• This was the first time I had to haul the trash to the dump.  The funny thing was, when I got to the dump, it was full of women in pickups waiting in line to dump their trash.  There we all were, crawling in the back of our trucks and throwing our trash into the big dumps.  Most of them were my age! 
• I learned I could pick up a much heavier bag of Chicken feed from the store, put it in my car and lift it up and dump it into the feed pail.  
• And we started up the tractor and the lawn mower and cut the grass

Now the pool....  Looking at the growing, dark green pool water; that complicated looking pool pump in the scary pool house (that snakes like); and those chemicals! was daunting.

I spent several days watching pool video's on how to get the pool right and trying to figure out the pump.  I finally decided I had to tell Rachel, my son's wife, that we had to call in professionals. Rachel spurred us on - "We can do this!"

The week before my son Zac left,  the pump pipe broke during a pool party.  Water shot up over the top of the enclosure.  Having this on our mind, as well as, the snakes that like the cool place - we ventured into the dungeon.  I had been given some minimal instructions on how to do a few things, but nothing seemed to be working.  Then, we both noticed  there were written instructions on the pump for the processes of keeping the pump in good condition.  Don't you know, when we followed those written instructions that were right on the pump....everything fell into place.  Rachel followed up with web instructions on how much chemicals we needed.  The water began to be less green and the tadpoles disappeared.  And finally, the chemical readings were all good and the kids could go swimming.  It was an empowering moment for us.  From that day forward, I realized we could DO THIS!!

Another funny story!!

'Never Too Old to do Stupid' - Chapter 2

Yes, I did wear my bee suit, but thought I could get away with wearing socks with my sandals instead of putting on my boots.  I probably could have worn my sandals, but balancing a beehive on your foot with sandals....is not a good idea.

So this is what happened.  We had just given Rachel her own bee suit for her birthday and we were taking the beehive apart to check on the queen.

I took off the top 2 boxes and decided I needed to remove the bottom box as well.  I picked it up and went to put it down and realized I didn't have enough room so I tried to balance it with my foot!!  OK - not such a bright idea!  I felt this massive pain in my feet, and realized my mistake.  I dropped the box - gently and started running.  The bees were chasing me as a ran.  When I got to my porch and looked down, my socks were covered in bees.  Realizing, as I ripped off my socks, that I had abandoned Rachel I looked back at the hive and saw her trying to put the boxes back together.  I quickly put my boots on and ran back.  Now the entire time I am thinking - how many bee stings does it take to go into Anaphylaxis shock.  Rachel wasn't the least bit scared and kept telling me to head home and soak my feet immediately.  As soon as we got it all together - I ran back to the farm house.

As my sister Barbara pointed out - you are only 'stupid' if you don't learn.  I will now wear boots with my entire bee suit!!  And a shout out to Rachel...she never blinked an eye standing there alone putting it all back together!!

Farm updates

Mother with 5 babies

guinea hogs in new temporary home

Mr Rabbit Free and Easy living

I Am Dog!!

I am invincible

I am strong

I am ...dog

I remember when Carole King came out with lyrics from a Helen Reddy song - I Am Woman.  Well those lyrics came to my mind the first time our little white fluffy suburban dog returned from his new playground at the pond.  I could tell by the way he was prancing back, that he felt different!  How could I tell you ask?  As he came walking back from the pond covered with muck, I could see the way he was prancing.  And then he immediately started chasing a chicken that was in his path - and he knew better!

This was our dog Jackson before the farm 

This is Jackson today

Everyone is changing.

Am I a beekeeper yet?  Well,  lets say that I am keeping bees.   If they last through until next spring I will venture to call myself a beekeeper.  You will see from the pictures below that I have a lot of bees now.   You will also note the look of fear  on my face as I check on the health of the hive!  

The first year you are not suppose to take any honey from the hive so that your bees can use their store through the winter.  But as I took off the top box of my hive, a huge piece of burr comb fell out that was full of honey. 

 I have to say that I was startled by the wonderful flavor of the honey that my bees were making.  The beekeeper I work for happened to come to the house that afternoon and I had him taste the honey.  He suggested the honey was coming from the wild roses that were in bloom.  I had not seen any wild roses - until I looked for them!  Again...there is so much we don't see that is right in front of us.

Speaking of wildflowers!!  I decided to take a walk and take pictures of all the different wildflowers I could find.  Here are just a few.

Wild Pea

These are covered with butterflies

I thought all honey tasted the same.  But now I appreciate that different flowers and trees produce different taste.  The beekeepers I work for have many different kinds of honey from different hives that are placed in fields or orchards.  And because I get to taste all the different kinds of honey we bottle, I am beginning to appreciate the art of beekeeping.

The next adventure - hogs! 

Guinea hogs are small pigs compared to modern breeds; they weigh less than 200 pounds and will yield 50 to 100 pounds of meat and fat. They are good as free-range foragers but are also at home in a farmyard and are reasonably even-temperered.

Our new adventure - guinea hogs

They love water

They will arrive the first week in July.  They are very cute - but like all the animals on a farm, they love and make...MUD!