Oh, hey!

We’ve been busy, friends…so busy that blogging has fallen by the wayside. Since the last time I actually updated this thing, almost 18 months have flown by. Jeeze, Louise! In that time, Makeshift Farms has started put down some roots.

We’re composting–both the regular kind in the backyard pile, and the worm kind under the kitchen counter. Last summer, we finished outfitting the chicken palace, and bought 9 lovely chicken gals to live in it. We’ve managed to keep 8 of them alive, and they are keeping us very well supplied with fresh eggs. Their poop has been a great addition on the compost pile out back, and they cleaned up the garden scraps like a bunch of champs this fall.

The garden was a good learning experience, and successful in that we really were able to cut our grocery bill a smidgen. And there is nothing better than food we grew ourselves, in our backyard. The only real hitch in the giddyup was a minor (ok, so it ruined the entire summer…) little sciatica flare up in my left leg. I think we would have had way more luck in the garden if I’d been a little more able to weed the beds and piddle around with the fertilizer a couple more times. We figured out the things we want to grow again, and the things we’d rather just pick up at the grocery or the market. Our new seed catalog came in the mail a couple of weeks ago–they even sent two copies so we don’t have to share–and we’ve started working on our list of what to order and add.

Today, we ventured out to the Big Box Home Store (the Blue one…rhymes with SLOWS or BLOWS or GOD WE ARE GOING TO DIE IN HERE I KNOWS…) to buy the lumber and gutter pieces and roofing panels we need for our rabbitry. For meat rabbits. Go ahead and ask all the questions you need to…we’ve been reading about them for a while, and I’ve even learned how to cook rabbit a couple or five different and pretty tasty ways. Yes, it’ll be weird…and I will probably cry and gag a lot at first, but we’ve chose to eat food that also has a face, and if I’m going to have some integrity about that, this is part of the deal.

We’ll be enlarging the garden this year, and even though it is currently in the low-20’s here, I cannot wait to get back into the dirt. We harvested 28 gallons of black walnuts, in addition to the vegetables we grew this summer. I’m still working on soaking and scrubbing the leftover bits of hull on them. My fingers were stained for about three weeks after the hulling process, but honestly…it was kind of fun.

D.W. has been busy setting up his wood shop. He’s been sorting and storing and plotting and planning. He also reinforced the loft out there and ran an electric line out there. Additionally, Mr Jones also fabricated a genius water-warmer for the chicken palace. Also, did you know that chickens are not fans of cold weather? We’ve only had measurable snow one day, so far, and they were having none of it.

We’re winding down 2017 with full hearts and excited about our second growing season. We’ll be laying down weed sheeting in the garden in the next couple of weeks, so we can expand our area and do some more work on building healthy soil for healthy plants. Onions and herbs will be started in the seed nursery in the next week or two, and we’ve got to order seed potatoes. We’ve got vet visits for the cats to be altered, and our dog Clem needs her special lady surgery and shots, too. Our darling Hattie The Dog crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in September, and a tiny little whirlwind of kitten named Carrie Fisher showed up help us not miss Hattie so much.

I promise to try real hard and update this more often, for our families and friends and all the randos who love us to see what’s going on.

We love it here. We’d love to you to come hang out and play!

Love,

R&D (and Clementine The Dog; Jinx, June Carter Cash, Patsy Cline, and Carrie Fisher Cats; 500 red wiggler worms under the kitchen sink; Sandra Day O’Clucker, Elena Kagefreehen, Soniegg Sotomayor, Judge Judy, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and the Libyan Sybil the chickens…RIP Ruth Bader-Ginsbird)

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Kentucky State Fair and a Chicken Castle

We’ve had two busy weeks at Makeshift Farms. Last weekend, we went down to Louisville to check out the Kentucky State Fair. Holy wow, you guys!! D.W. and our neighbors Z and E–who I like to think of as the Little Sweeties–moved the chicken coop to the other side of the yard, while I channeled my inner Michelangelo and painted ceilings at #makeshiftoakknoll. 

This weekend, the masonry contractor and his crew showed up on Saturday to rebuild the main chimney–chimbly, in Holler-speak–so we’re almost ready for winter. Today, we put in new floor registers at Oak Knoll, and did some more painting. There is always more painting…but! There is a light at the end of the painting tunnel, and I’m reasonably sure it isn’t a train. Hopefully, we’ll be able to use up Labor Day weekend to finish up! Yay! We also ran up the hill and got some horse manure from the Little Sweeties to add to our mulch pile, and some hickory pieces for the barbecue pit. 
Last Saturday, rain and disgustingly humid conditions made painting a poor choice for successful use of our time. So, went to the fair. Oh my friends, it did not disappoint. Y’all…they have a whole hall of prize winning country hams. It smelled like what I imagine Heaven must smell like, because within those hallowed ham halls are serving stations, where some of the kindest and most friendly volunteers are cooking up tasty bites–hamples, if you will (hat tip to Beff)–skewered on toothpicks. Those bites were truly lovely. And, wouldn’t you know it, they have another set of tables adjacent to the Hall O’ Hams giving away tiny bites of biscuits drenched in sorghum. The little boy who gave me my biscuit bite was very proud to tell me that his family makes that sorghum, and he sure likes it. His sister only likes the sorghum lollipops, though. 

I would have been satisfied with just the hamples and biscuit bites, but no…no, my friends. The magic continued to grow. There were cases full of prize winning pies, cakes, cookies, jams, jellies, pickles, handicrafts, things made only with honey, 4-H only entries, FFA entries, and open entires from all sorts of randos. And also several types of hay and two types of tobacco. Yes. Two types. I laughed so hard I almost peed in my pants, and D.W. had to tell me to pull myself together. Of course that fit of giggles could also have been caused by the long-suffering mama who was repeatedly asking her progeny to stop jumping all over those hay bales. “Rowdy! How many times to I have to tell you to get off those bales?!” Rowdy seems to understand that names are very important and feels very connected to his. Too bad there wasn’t a prize for most-deserved hiney whippin’, because Rowdy’s mama looked like she was about ready to hand out one that could have taken the big blue ribbon. Pro-tip: maybe don’t name your kid Rowdy and then act all surprised when he is…

So then we took a stroll through the show barns. However, a stroll through the horse barns was not to be. That stroll would have required an extra ticket, possibly to offset the rock-star/politician level of security keeping the horse area secure. The Commonwealth takes horses very, very seriously. Even the windows to those barns were tinted super dark. I felt kind of famous just strolling by, and also sort of gobsmacked by the care and concern the folks who love these animals have shown for their comfort and safety. Security entrances, you guys…and trailers tricked out better than almost any fancy condo you could think of!! 
However, we did see ALL the chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks, goats, cows, rabbits, and pigeons. The pig and sheep show were this weekend, so we missed seeing those critters. My favorite prize has to be Best Udder, which is a prize category for both cows and goats. Also, I could listen to livestock judges talk about whatever they are judging all day. It is amazing to hear someone talk about all the physical attributes and standards of a particular animal. And it is the exact cultural opposite to listening to someone on QVC or HSN extol the virtues of a lovely, 2ct zircon in a titanium band. 
The expo floor was a crazy explosion of multi-level marketing opportunities and also people selling things they actually made. Several places had samples. And let me say this: pretzels are the worst sample utensil ever. Yes, they are cheap. And salty. And delicious. But hear me now: for the love of your salsa/pickle relish/condiment spread, use a cracker. Next time, i’ma put a box of wheat thins in my purse, just in case. We also saw a hot tub that was bigger than one of the apartments I rented in Austin in the early 2000’s. Ah, memories. For those of you who, like me, may struggle with understanding what half a million dollars looks like in real terms, there is this: 

Dang. That is a lot of tractor. And again, that tractor cab is bigger than the master bedroom of the first house we rented in Ohio. It also comes with an MP3 jack, which seems like a pretty great option to offer. 
We also saw this truly horrifying handicraft: 

I’m not sure which subculture this most represents, but I would wager that the Steampunk Zombie Goth Victorian Twee boxes are all checked off on your play-at-home scorecards. I hope the grandmothers who were on the judging committee aren’t still having nightmares. We were real careful not to touch the case or look directly into this thing’s terrifying dead doll eyes. It must have taken whoever did this a very long time to do so. I hope they enjoyed the effort. Different strokes, right? 
Now, some of you may know that the publication I edit was referenced in the Washington Post. I can’t talk about how much this tickles me, because if I think about it too hard, I’ll just start crying like a goober and gushing about how I am the luckiest girl in the world to work for Jesus. And lest you think a thing like that would go to my head, I spent a good portion of yesterday scraping four years of old chicken poo off the floors and walls of our Chicken Castle. (Side note: my work gloves, wire brush, and congratulatory Moon Pie were all purchased at Mr Bruce’s store, the same place we get our plumbing pipe and pimento cheese.) 

The glamour, y’all…the unmitigated glamour… Where there have been only wasps’ nests and actual laundry baskets full of things that I didn’t bother to catalog–but did include various shotgun shells and golf balls– which I placeed carefully in the storage shed for their rightful owner, Half-Naked Brother of Our Landlord (not to be confused with Half-Naked Larry, our neighbor from up the road) to come claim at his leisure. And then I scraped and bleached and cussed a little, and the Chicken Castle is almost ready for a coat of paint–I told you. Freaking painting never ends. We’re aiming to have some hens holding court by the end of September. 
If you thought we had ridiculous names for the cats…oh, y’all…get ready. 
Patsy Cline and June Carter Cash are growing like weeds, and Jinx has really settled into his role of teaching the girls how to lay around and be fabulous. Hattie still hates cats a lot. Like a lot-a lot. D.W. reinforced the gate between the cat space and Hattie’s domain with some cardboard and zip-ties. The doorway separating our hallway from the living room is the weirdest, most hotly contested demilitarized zone after the 38th Parallel between Pyongyang and Seoul. Also, cleaning out four little boxes is awesome. 

Summer is starting to say goodbye, and from up on the hill where we go to find cell service (Telephone Hill), I can see the trees starting to change color in earnest–not just early hints of lighter greens or yellows, but reds and golds starting to creep in. We’ve had so much to do getting settled and finished in town that I think elderberry items will have to wait until next year’s crop comes in. Those 24 hours in every day sure do jog by quick, sometimes! Next weekend, we need to can some pickles. We tried them out, and they are very tasty. 

That’s pretty much all that’s going on out here. Come see us soon! 
Love, 

R&D 

Just a regular weekend…

It’s Saturday and rainy out at Makeshift, today. D.W. was up early and mowed before it got too gross. I sacrificed and stayed in bed to help acclimate the kittens to farm life. Since the humidity is really wreaking havoc on paint drying, we can’t do much at Oak Knoll today.

Seriously, when the National Weather Service says ‘oppressively humid’ they really, really mean it. After I took my walk to break some trail to the berry bushes, I was wringing wet and grass stained from hip to toe. I also smelled like a wet sock. And I definitely felt oppressed.

 

But! I’ve got a pork roast in the black crockpot (nothing fancy, but it is smothered in salsa and a pinch of brown sugar) and some vegetable stock perking away in the vintage one. That vintage crock pot is a work horse, y’all. It’s older than I am, and still spins like a top.

The kittens are settling in well. June is still pretty skittish, but Patsy and Jinx have made fast friends. Hattie mostly just looks at them through the gate between the living room and our hallway…sometimes she whines a little, but usually she just looks at them, and then back at me, and wants to know, ‘What fresh hell is this, woman?’ She’s currently sprawled on the rug, snoring lightly. I don’t think it bothers her nearly as much as she’s trying to portray.

The afternoon schedule looks pretty fantastic–wait for the pickles to drain before processing, smell dinner cooking and ponder vegetable accompaniments re:same, fold and put away laundry (gross. someone come save us. WHO WILL SAVE US?), referee kitten boxing matches (kidding, no boxing, just an occasional tiny little hiss and a swipe with a tiny, razor-sharp paw), and a decadent nap under the fan.

Love,

R&D

a very, very fine house…with two cats in the yard (I mean under our bed)…

Makeshift Farms is pleased to announce they have taken delivery of two lovely lady-cats, lovingly raised by Winnie the Cat and Griffin Queen. Griffin is the proprietor of the Thompson-Queen Cattery and Hostel For Exceptional Animals. He has been an excellent cat-parent and I don’t think Saint Francis himself could love animals quite as much as Griffin. While we were chomping at the bit to get the girls to the farm, we know it was tough for our buddy to let them go. But he did, and was very brave about it. Big love and giant hugs to Griffin for his amazing kitty-baby daddy skills. 
And now, I want to introduce you to our barn babies: 

 Athena Miriam Gwendolyn Ferguson (June)

Artemis Ann  Tana Richards (Patsy) 

You may wonder why such tiny gals would be saddled with such long, silly names. I mean, these are cats–not actual people. Granted, it is kind of silly. However, we’re asking a lot of these gals, and I felt like we ought to give them a firm foundation. So, since D. W. didn’t put up a fight, and since we found out the kitties were not toms, as we suspected, naming them after Col. Travis didn’t feel quite as authentic. Hence, the evolution of names more suited to huntresses. 
Athena Miriam Gwendolyn Ferguson (June) is bright-eyed and slick-haired. She’s lightening-fast and in less than 24 hours, removed her own collar. Girl is feisty. We named her after the Greek goddess of war, the first female governor of Texas, and the first friend (and the patroness of #makeshiftoakknoll) I made in Cincinnati. We’re calling her June, because I adore June Carter Cash and her tenacious and vivacious spirit. 
Artemis Ann Tana Richards (Patsy) has tufted ears and longer hair than June, but not by much. She’s an investigator, and was happy to sit next to DW on our bed for a while last night. She can’t quite figure out why she jingles when she walks (pro-tip: she has a teeny bell on her collar), but that jingle surprises her every time. She’s named for the Greek goddess of the hunt, the first female governor of Texas elected in her own right, and my beloved bosslady (who is also Griffin’s mama). We’re calling her Patsy, after Patsy Cline, who is possibly my very most favorite torch song singer, ever. 
We named these gals after some of the bravest and boldest women we could think of. We are excited to have them along on the adventure! Long may they reign. 
The elderberries are about to start coming in, and I think I may be able to harvest enough to make 5 or so gallons of wine. And maybe some other items, as well. We went to our first backyard Beekeepers’ meeting, and oh my wow! It was great. We’re excited to start learning from this amazing group of folks. 

The tips of the trees are staring to change color, but from the humidity and heat, you’d never guess summer is just a few weeks away from punching out. Our up-the-hill neighbors gave us pounds of yellow squash and zucchini, so D.W. threw a bunch of the yellow squash in with some pickling cucumbers, and is busy fermenting some goodness in his favorite orange bucket.five more weeks to glory. Meanwhile, I used the zucchini to do this: 

**not pictured: three muffins that we immediately consumed for quality control purposes and the two giant loaves that were still baking** 

4.5 pound of zucchini were used in the making of this deliciousness:

We had a wonder set of visitors during the first week in August! D.W.’s sister E, husband C, and kiddos Z and AK came to hang out and sweat with us. We had a blast! We are so grateful they came to play, and can’t wait to see them again. The trip to Mammoth Cave deserves a post of its own, so…I’ll do that soon. Also, while they were here, Z and AK assisted us in building this: 

No, not the Naked Lady flowers (honest to blog, that’s what everyone here calls them…), the compost enclosure…

We’re officially farming dirt. Start at the beginning, right? 

Also, D.W. had a birthday yesterday. Gosh, I’m sure glad he was born. 

Love and hugs, 

R&D

Moving is the Worst

We’re not dead, yet…or flaky like a pan of biscuits. No, we’re just neck-deep in boxes and logistics. Today, the movers are coming to load and unload D.W.’s shop tools. They’ll be depositing the tools into the shed we ordered in May and was finally delivered on Thursday. Once that is done, we can finish up our projects at the town house. And the little ranch on Oak Knoll will be a beautiful little house that is going to sell so fast! I will miss this house–the light and space are just so good. Whoever lands here will have to work very hard to not be happy. 
One day, I will tell you the shed story, but it is Sunday, so I’m trying real hard not to use any cuss words. Please see also: water heater was also replaced, and that is a whole crazy shenanigan, as well. Because this is THE FOURTH RENT HOUSE IN A ROW we have been in for less than a week and have had to have a new water heater installed. Four. In a row. That has to be some kind of record, right? Where my prize at, y’all? 
Kidding. My prize is that I can take a hot shower with a solid roof over my head. That is a blessing. And a luxury that is totally unheard of for most of God’s precious children all over the world. 
I will post a full livestock report, soon. We have updates on the barn kitties. And there have been sightings of all sorts of little critters running around, flying around, buzzing, biting, and checking us out. Hattie the Dog is in heaven. Jinx the Cat could care less, as long as he has the proper levels of food and water in his bowls. 
All things shall be well. 
Love, 

R&D

Weekly Livestock Roundup and Report, No. 2

Packing has begun. 

This is how I feel about it: 

We’re working on finishing up our reno-for-rent agreement with our friends who own the place we live now. I love this house. I’m so excited for whoever lives here next! 

Progress toward finishing includes priming and painting. But first, the packing. 

And also: 

And I still need to tame this beast:

But we’re making progress. Please to God, let us be making progress…we should be taped and ready to prime by dinner. And have a box farm firmly established in the music room downstairs. Because taking them to the basement with the stuff that we didn’t unpack this time around seems kind of dumb. 

Lest you think I’m lying about a livestock report, let me bring you up to speed. Hattie the Dog continues to contribute to the success of Makeshift Farms and Makeshift Woodworks by holding things down: 

Like me, on the couch. 

Jinx the Cat has to live upstairs because he and Hattie hate each other real bad. He believes our room is his Fortress of Solitude. He makes sure my side of the bed stays warm. 

This girl stopped by to say hello:

And this little fat guy and a few friends have a nice breakfast: 

We also had a sighting of the Loch Ness Bunny: 

It is a bunny. Honest to blog. 

Also, Mr Jones–who did an excellent job with packing and sorting and dealing with my *slightly* compulsive methods for those activities and the exciting and terribly attractive behaviors those activities stimulate in me–made a pound cake and did a very fine job: 

He’s a keeper, you guys. 

Back to the plow, 

R&D

Weekly Livestock Roundup and Report, No. 1

This morning, we ventured out deep into Bluegrass Country to visit the Lawrenceburg Chicken Swap. And this afternoon, we visited our first livestock assets. Hattie the Dog and Jinx the Cat are our current pets, but both are entirely too long in the teeth to be working animals. They’re not good for much but love, and making sure that we are never actually invaded by the nefarious and persistent agents of the United States Postal Service. Mr Jones and I have had quite a productive Saturday, so we’re currently ensconced on the couch watching tv. There may be a nap involved, shortly. 

You may be wondering just what in the Sam Hill a chicken swap might be. You should check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCyBZ_EBPh0

I know. That is A Lot of Business. And in real life, it did not disappoint. We exchanged contact information with several folks. This seems like a good place to learn and we met some folks raising really happy, healthy critters. Chickens, rabbits, goats, puppies, pigs…plenty of good pickings. Oh, and turkeys, too…and ducks. And I finally held a chicken, and neither the bird nor I freaked out. 

I wish I were making that up. But it’s true. See, I’m kind of afraid of birds. They creep me out, real bad. I have a hard time ignoring the fact that they are tiny, tasty, dinosaurs with a desire to scratch my eyes out. And they should want to do that, because I want to eat them. It was good to know that, for at least 45 seconds, this Rhode Island Red hen and I were both able to believe the best things about each other. The gentleman who raised this hen had the healthiest looking birds we saw all day, and they also seemed very contented. In fact, homefry had three out of the four breeds we’re most interested in. Hopefully, he’ll still have some girls available when we’re ready to start our flock. Yay. 

Pro-tip: take a notebook and pen to jot down breeds of animals you like, and names/phone numbers of the folks who’ve raised them. Asking someone for a business card will generate interesting responses, mostly non-verbal, which will make you wonder if you just sprouted a third eye. Also, I think we may need a crash-course in Appalachian flea market etiquette. There appear to be Some Rules About How To Ask Questions. And while I’ve been around stock shows and auctions all my life, I only know enough to know I could get into trouble before I realized I was in it. We need to make friends with our county extension agent, tout suite. 

The drive back into town was blessedly uneventful. And we ate at Chik Fil A, because I am secretly a five-year old who craves their waffle fries. Fortunately, we were on the Lexington side of the world, rather than Louisville. Derby Day is no joke, no matter where you are in The Commonwealth. It reminds me of Fiesta in San Antonio/South Texas, only with pork-centric barbecue and bourbon drinks. The hats and outfits are equally ostentatious. 

We visited our first working animals today, as well! In a few weeks, we’ll be taking delivery of two barn cats! They are eight days old, today. We met them and their mama, and their two litter mates at Thompson/Queen Boutique Cattery for Exceptional Animals, which is operated by Griffin Queen, and owned by his mom and dad. Griffin’s beautiful tri-color American longhair is quite a beauty and a good mama. It’s a little early to tell boys from girls, but looks like we’ll maybe have two little toms to bring home in/around July-ish. 
Sam Houston and William Travis will be in charge of mouse/mole/vole/ohmyglobisthatasnakelizardsalamander patrol. But first, they need to open their eyes all the time and not be sooooooo cute and tiiiiiiny. 

I’m trying to have a good attitude about packing. We are beyond fortunate to have what we have. And I cannot tell you how excited I am about farm life. And I also wish I could wave a magic wand and have everything done and ready to rock. I would sell a kidney for that. Kidding. I’m only kind of kidding…relax! But seriously, my kidney for a wand. 

Well, this nap’s not gonna take itself…

Love, 

R&D

A Saturday Ride with Lisa and Oliver 2.0

My Aunt Nea and Uncle Ed have started referring to D.W. and me as Oliver and Lisa, the main characters from Green Acres. I get a HUGE kick out of that. Just putting that out there. 

Today, we took a drive out to the farm. Since we were in what will soon be our neighborhood/community/locality/whathaveyou, we figured we would check out some of the local feed stores and see what the Grant County Farmers’ Market might have to offer. Oh, and we went to the Field and Stream store to look at…holy crap you guys…we looked at a rifle and a shotgun. Go ahead. Say what you will. We’re as surprised to be contemplating these purchases as the next hippy granola eating liberals moving back to the land. But the deer, bless their pointed little heads, aren’t just gonna shoot themselves. I also think we may have found a pimento cheese source, and makes me very happy, with no conflicting feelings whatsoever. 

Springtime looks good out on the farm, and every shade of green was giggling up through the ground, across the tree limbs, around under and through everything. Dogwoods and honeysuckles are at their peak of pretty, and even though it was raining all stinking day, the drive was really lovely. And we found some not-awful Mexican food not too far from the new digs. We also saw quite a few barn quilts, and now I can’t stop thinking about what I want ours to look like. Add it to the task list, I reckon. 

Tomorrow will be a good resting day–we are knee deep in books, right now. Storey’s Guides To…(name the farm thing you want to know about) are currently some of our favorites. Between Amazon and Half-Price Books, we’re pulling together a pretty respectable Makeshift Liberry. Yes, Liberry. D.W. just finished reading their book on raising rabbits, and had some good things to say about it. I’m currently thumbing through a section on honey bees in The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals. I really like the way this book, and section, are put together. 
I can feel memories 4-H youth returning…sort of, even though I was a total townie about 4-H, and only did the non-animal stuff like food science…and there was that one time I took a gun safety class, and my friend Kyla’s dad (and Beth and Cory Will’s uncle) taught me how to shoot a .22 because sometimes you outsource teaching a delicate skill to your high-strung girl who will cry if she misses the target and isn’t perfect the very first time and there is no crying in deer camp, honey. God bless Uncle Kyle. 
The next week will bring in some serious packing–I need to finish pulling the basement together, converting from cardboard boxes to plastic bins, and culling stuff to donate. We’re starting to nail down the logistics of the move, and that feels very exciting. Lots of lists still to make, condense, redraft, etc. 
Hopefully, we’ll have some fun photos of the property to share soon! Until then, here’s a fun snap of our trollbridge. 

Love, 

R&D

Makeshift Farms: Say what, now?

The concept for Makeshift Farms was conceived by D.W. and Rachel Jones on an epic road trip during early June 2012, when we were just two starry-eyed 30-somethings in the midst of falling in love. In June 2016, we’ll be moving to a 90 acre farm and 100 year old farm house in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, between Cincinnati and Lexington to start living out our crazy dream.

We’re reading, learning, asking so many questions, and generating miles of lists. We can’t wait to see what will be springing to life on the farm in the coming months and years. You’ll also want to stay tuned to find out more about Makeshift Woodworks, D.W.’s  woodworking shop.

We’ll be using this space to keep folks up to date about what’s happening on the farm and in the shop, which animals we’ve brought out to work with us, which friends and family are coming to stay and play, what we’re digging up or putting down, etc. Yay! You can expect to be hearing a lot about chickens, bees, rabbits, pigs, dairy goats, vegetables, worms, composting, woodworking, quilt and rug making, canning, pickling, jamming, preserving, smooching, smoozing, dispatching, cleaning, plucking, field dressing, crying and cringing, barn cats, old dogs, and always checking your shoes for critters. We’re pretty excited  and are pleased as punch to share this adventure with our friends and family–and  whoever else reads this thing.

Love,

R&D