Learn and grow.

We finally got word that my Mom's apartment will be ready soon,we find out this coming Monday when she can move to her new space.Chance and I have let out a long sigh that the end is near.It has not been horrid having Mom here but it has not been The Walton's either.

I have learned a lot about my Mom and about myself while Mom has been here.We are two very different people even though we are Mother and Daughter. I can accept that,we are two human beings living two different stories,with two different views on how the outcome should be.Sadly my Mom can't seem to accept that,it's not a reality she can face.What I wish most is that she could see and understand that I am who I am because of all of the things I learn from her,the good,the bad and the ugly ones.I have just chosen to use those lessons to become strong and independent not afraid to live a full life.I can stand on my own two feet,have my very own dreams,voice my feelings, say no and still be a kind and loving person.

So I agree to disagree with my Mom even if she can't.Something that will be much easier to breathe in once she is in her own home.


Just before my Mom's news came Chance and I had been talking about yet again tinkering the homestead to make it work better.It's been long enough since we started out on this path that the need to reevaluate has come.

One area we are looking at is the front garden beds.We have problems with the neighbors cats wanting to use the one side of the garden as their cat box,leaving us with the problem of do we start a "war" with the neighbor over this or do we keep the peace and rethink those beds? We are rethinking the beds,we've lived side by side with the neighbors for 13 years now and keeping the peace is in everyone's best interest.So those beds will become flowers for cutting.Something I will enjoy hugely even though we will lose space for growing food.

The other issue we are having is we seem to have a new group of young kids in the neighborhood who  think it is alright to rob us of our food,as in pick it clean kind of robbing.We can't move the fruit trees, those are there forever.We might be able to move the blueberries but they are where they are because it's the best space for them.The tomatoes and peas can be moved to the back yard garden again.We have already lost some prime growing space to the cats and now this!

We have been watching for where the kids live so we can talk with their adults which would be the easiest of the solutions and the one we hope for the most.The two things hindering this is we have not seen the kids close enough to know their faces well and it's now cold and wet out ,keeping the kids more indoors.We are watching like hawks,we would much rather have a calm conversation than have to dig up and move a majority of the front gardens.I will add here,the signs we put up after the fruit was stolen did seem to bring some awareness so maybe some simple signs asking not to pick would work too.

In our back garden we also have some revamping we would like to do.We have one end of the yard that we have not done anything with as of yet.We have various thoughts,garden boxes to grow more food or flowers is one that keeps on coming up and the most favored.But Chance would also like to think about raising two lambs here this coming spring for meat.This would mean we put off overhauling that end of the yard until the lambs are gone.We need to sit down and think through the lamb idea,spring will be here sooner than we think so the choice needs to be made,meat or veg.

I have a couple of links to share with all of you.

First of all let me introduce to you a new-ish shop here in our neighborhood, New Suburbia. A friend of ours had seen a news clip about New Suburbia on a local news show and mentioned it to Chance but the friend didn't remember the name of the store so we were wondering all about it.Last weekend when we were running errands we came across the shop and stopped in.A nice surprise was awaiting us.We started talking to one of the owners,whom I kept thinking looked familiar to me but could not place the face,when she asks "Are you Rois and Chance?" Yes?? Well the world is a small place these days,we had met the owners and their family at a mutual friends house a few years ago so there is community connection number one.Then we started talking about Pete our chicken guy,they know him too along with a handful of other like minded people in the neighborhood.Looks like we've been circling each other for some time and bang we finally connected.

The shop is awesome,not only do they have feed,chicks and seeds but they also carry homesteading gadgets for home and garden.My heart kind of went pitter patter when I saw all of the vintage kitchen tools,yet another passion of mine.They also have different things you can rent from them,those tools you only use once in a great while or want to try to see if it would be worth buying your own.They have a butter churn you can rent for Pete's sake,how awesome is that.There is also a nice list of classes,Chance and I talked with the owner about doing some classes there,so that is in the works too.So stop by if you live in the area or want a field trip.

Then this morning I was on Google looking for new homesteading ideas of a higher skill set and came across an article written about Chance and I's very first Chicken Butchering class.Before you click the link I will forewarn you the very first picture at the top is of dead chickens,plucked and ready to gut.It's not ghastly but I know some of you won't like it.

I had totally forgotten there was a guy at that class only because he wanted to write this piece.I remember him asking us for permission and could he use our names ect. The vibe I got off the guy was odd and at the time I remember thinking."Oh boy,are we getting ourselves into something we did not plan on?" But it's all turned out better than we could have imagined at the time.
The article is pretty good but while reading it seemed like maybe there were parts missing some how.

I was also surprised this morning while on Google by how few homesteading sites or blogs there are now.I haven't bothered to google the topic in some time and am wondering where did everyone go? Is it because of the whole copy writing of the word Homestead or has everyone gone on to other things? Is there a new magic pass word to find these sites and blogs? I wasn't even finding sites with older posts on them,it was like the homesteading community online had vanished.What that heck,that sucks!




Tomorrow we hope to find ourselves in the woods hunting for whatever treasures we can bring home.Maybe it will be little bits like the ones in the photo above but maybe if we are lucky there will be some yummy to bring back.


Rois