A couple of weeks ago, Bekah from Finding Little Moments, and I were discussing chore charts while we knitted together via the internet (isn’t the internet the darndest thing?). We were kind of discussing it because I feel so overwhelmed with getting all the things done and I need a to-do list to keep me in check. I tend to get single focused on one thing and dive down the rabbit hole. And then, all of a sudden, it’s dinner time or time for bed or what-have-you. And then I realized I haven’t cleaned up or put things up. I’m sure you get the point and understand. Anyway, Bekah and I were discussing this and she was telling me about how she keeps her chores in balance (I hope she does a blog post on this! I’ll let you know if she does). So I decided to come up with a chore chart, so-to-speak. I printed off this calendar and then came up with daily chores that needed to be done and then weekly chores and then monthly chores. And then I taped it to the side of the fridge just so it would be a reminder. Our daily chores include: clean the kitchen, sweep the kitchen, and scoop the litter box. Our weekly chores are as follows:
Monday: mowing day
Tuesday: vacuum, dust, sweep, mop
Wednesday: Laundry, change the sheets, put up laundry
Thursday: bathrooms (y’all there are 4 bathrooms in this house! They don’t all get used but the 2 that get used on the regular get a regular cleaning)
Friday: paperwork
Monthly chores includes:
Cleaning all the bathrooms including the 2 that don’t get used on a regular basis
Washing all the blankets, pillows, etc.
I’m trying to take the weekends off from major chores. The regular chores, like straightening up, cleaning the kitchen, sweeping, etc. etc. will still get done but I don’t want to spend my weekends deep cleaning. I have time to do that during the week. Also, with my markets starting up for the year, Fridays are probably not going to be paperwork day. I put that on the list to make sure I was filing, updating check books, spreadsheets, etc. You know, the things that I really don’t want to do! So far I’ve done so-so with the paperwork, but everything else is getting done!
How’s that garden you ask?
In other news, the garden is looking great! I was so worried about the green beans. They just weren’t growing. I think I probably mentioned that before. But I realized the hay wagon is slightly tilted and the water is all running over to (and sitting there) where the beans are. So I left the garden alone over the last few days (we had a ton of rain recently) and I let it all dry out and get some good, warm sun. And that seems to have worked. I spent this morning in the garden weed whacking, planting some more peas, just sprucing it up some more; thinking about the possibilities and the future. And I’m happy to report that the garden seems to be happy. There should be tomatoes, potatoes, squashes, peas, radishes, herbs (lots and lots of herbs), brussel sprouts, and broccoli. I tried to plant only the things that we eat the most of. Of course we eat a lot of potatoes so there’s no way we’d ever plant enough and I’ve never grown potatoes before. It’ll be fun to see how it goes. I have enough wood left over to build two more beds. I think I know where I want one to go and we’ll plant it full of garlic this fall. I’ve never done a fall/winter garden either so that will be lots of fun too. Oh. And I totally want to build this little garden shed up in my garden space. How cute is that?
In other news….
See that truck up above? That means that faster internet is coming. At some point. So we live in an area that the phone company, TV, and internet are all owned by a small family business. And for reasons unknown to me, they won’t sell to a larger, nationwide company. That would mean more businesses could come into our area. And small businesses wouldn’t struggle with the internet and getting business done (ahem..speaking from experience). And people could effectively and efficiently work from home. But nope. They won’t sell out. And they didn’t have the resources to put in faster internet cables or whatever and however that works. But they got a grant a couple of years ago and were all like ‘oh, we expect to have everyone on fiber by the end of 20XX (whatever year it was. 2019?). And they ran all the lines. They were up and down our road putting up lines. They ‘flipped the switch’ over on the NY side and they have faster internet..even the areas that are more remote than us. But we’re still waiting. And then last week the trucks are back. I’m glad to see them but I’m wondering what they’re doing? Didn’t they just run lines last year or the year before? Can you tell this is a frustration for me? I’m sure it’s frustrating for a lot of people. The digital divides exist. Sometimes it exists because the companies that control the access won’t do anything to bridge that gap. Just sayin’.
Moving on. I found another elderflower tree on the property. Did I mention that already? I swear it’s all running together lately, hence the reason I need a to-do list! Anyway, I also found some black raspberries. I don’t know how I overlooked them these past couple of years. I also picked a ton of wildflowers for using to infuse oil with. Then the oil will be made into salves and soaps.
I know you’ve been waiting for a market update!
Speaking of salves and soaps! The first market of the season is under my belt. It went really well. I have two markets coming up this week and I just changed up my setup, once again. I bought a pink gingham vinyl tablecloth but I decided I didn’t like it for the market table. It works perfect for when I’m doing a video and cooking and getting everything messy, but I just don’t feel like it suits my market aesthetic. So. I’m changing it up a bit. I have a big piece of ticking fabric that I’ll use as the tablecloth and I’m designing a homemade, home crafted sign. I just need to figure out a chalkboard or some such that I can write on and tell a little about myself. Anyway, the market was good. I got some good feedback on what people are looking for. I’m adding a special edition soap, bug spray, and air freshener (hopefully by Friday’s market). I also got some good feedback from someone on how to market my items better. The one thing I don’t think I do well is marketing chicken librarian. And pulling everything together cohesively. So I’m looking for new ideas and ways to do all that. But I’ll tell you what. Those lip balms? I can’t keep them in stock! And I did really well last week selling $3 lip balms! I’ll take it!
The other thing I’m realizing is that not everything will sell at each market. I’m slowly figuring out my audience at each market. So there are some things I’m not taking back to the Friday market. This will give me room for the things that I think people are interested in. And then when I’m at special events and special markets I can take all the things. I guess it’s a learning process. But I also kind of feel like I’ve had my head buried in the sand. I don’t think it’s necessarily from the COVID shutdowns either. I really think it’s just me not wrapping my head around all of this…this owning a business. Starting a business from scratch. So that will be my focus for the next little bit…finding my cohesiveness, marketing chicken librarian, and just getting things done. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but y’all I just haven’t been able to figure it out.
Fourth of July and the day after
Moving on. Yesterday I made easy goat cheese on facebook live. I’ll get that video posted here along with the recipe and other tidbits. But then I took the rest of the day off. Well, let me backup. Friday night we had lobster for dinner! Yes! Lobster. I kind of feel like that we can’t go to the beach then the beach must come to us! But the lobsters were a treat from someone else. It was so good. I haven’t had whole lobster since last year (I definitely had lobster rolls in the Cape back in February, but not whole lobsters). Funnily enough, I didn’t know we were having lobster for dinner but I intuitively wore my lobster flip flops to dinner that night! And then after the facebook live session yesterday I needed to run to the farm where I get my milk and pick up some more goats milk. So I made the day of it, well, the afternoon anyway. I went to the farm, stopped at an antique store, went for ice cream, ice cream wasn’t open yet, so drove to a little general store to get lunch, then drove the local creamery, they were closed, but they were kind enough to sell us cheese anyway, back to the ice cream store, and then home. It was fun and I saw some parts of the country that I haven’t seen in a very long time! The little general store where we stopped for lunch had the cutest ‘wear your masks’ sign! And those adorable flower pot holders, locally made!
And then today! Today I was in the garden (see above) and then I had an impromptu canning 101 lesson. I always like to see people picking up new things, learning the homesteading ways…even if they aren’t embracing the homesteading life all the way. Every little thing people do is fine with me. I also have the craft along still going on Tuesday nights and we’re gearing up for our book discussion, not this coming week but the week after. So you still have time to get the book and read and then discuss along with me!
And now, it’s almost dinner time. The chickens have been out most of the day. I’ve been sitting outside writing this, watching them, laughing at them. There’s still a lot left to be done today before I can go to bed. So it’s time to sign off and I hope I remembered to tell you everything. Newsletter is coming out this week. Sign up for it if you haven’t already. And then let me know how you’re doing! How was your weekend? Did you do anything special for the fourth?
’til next time
-k
xoxo
Bekah
See…you don’t need me to write a post about keeping house. You’ve got a good start! But, yes, I’ve still been mulling it over in my head. So it will happen soon-ish 🙂
What a week you’ve had. It sounds (and looks) fantastic! What sort of yumminess were you canning?
Chat with you Tuesday! I finished my shawl, just need to weave in the ends.
chickenlibrarian
I love reading about how people organize and do things though! Sadly, last week the chore chart went out the window! I had a lot to do to prepare for my markets so things got put on hold. But I’m sticking to it this coming week no matter what. I can tell the difference between things getting done daily versus trying to catch up all at once.
My friend wanted help canning a rhubarb-ginger compote. She did all the work…I just supervised. HEHE. And taste tested. I wouldn’t want her to can something that didn’t taste good.
I’m looking forward to our book discussion! Must do some research first though!
Daenel T.
I use a chore chart for work. I had to, I was getting single focused and needed to figure out how to get everything done. For my home, I just do things as needed… I need one stress free, calendar-less zone. So, I totally get it. And yay for the garden!
chickenlibrarian
It’s funny…when I worked outside the house I could get things done. I had a MASSIVE to-do list (still do) for work but I could get things done at home too. But now. No way. I think I’m still learning how to work from home and have my own (home-based) business that also includes the home. I hope that makes sense. And the garden is growing so much right now! I’m dreaming of vine ripe tomatoes, basil, homemade mozzarella! YUM!
xoxo
Cheryl | Time To Craft
I’m with you on the chore list. I have set days and weekends free. Made a huge difference for me. Those trucks always worry me when they’re in our lane. Usually means something’s gone wrong with someone’s cables. Inevitable that we lose our internet at some point in the day, while they figure it out. Hope your internet connection improves soon. It is so frustrating. Your market venture sounds exciting. I can imagine it is a learning process. Love all the homesteading you do. One area I want to improve on is canning. I can make all the jams, jellies and pickles, but I’d love to preserve more that way. Hopefully figure it out this summer. Glad you figured out the problem with the ants. Pesky creatures.
chickenlibrarian
Thanks Cheryl! I hope those trucks were setting the lines to improve our internet. goodness knows we need it! I haven’t seen any improvements yet (if anything it’s slower!), but then again, I’m not sure how these things work. Is there a big switch that someone flips on when things are ready? Do we automatically get the new improved internet? Or do we have to ask for it? I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to ask for it!
The chore chart is definitely helping. Although the Mister was in charge last week as I was very busy getting ready for my markets and such. Needless to say, I’ll be pulling double time this coming week getting everything cleaned up. I’m grateful for his help but sometimes we don’t see things through the same eyes!
And canning isn’t all that hard to figure out. I hope to have some videos on it coming up soon. The most involved is the pressure canner for things like meat or low-acid foods. But it’s totally doable. And if you don’t want to pressure can, there are a lot of things you can water bath can.
It has definitely been the year of the bugs here….sigh….
Tracy
What wonderful photos! Your garden looks like it’s doing really well. That’s great!
Chores – I am a list maker, so if I put it on a to-do list, it’s more likely to get done. The key is to not put too much on one list. A list of huge, time-consuming chores is a recipe for failure. It’s the balance thing. To help prevent “going down the rabbit hole” risk when working on one item, consider setting a timer for those tasks that might cause you to… go down that rabbit hole. Set the timer and once it goes off, stop. You can always come back to the task later. Move on. It will help you get more things done in a day and you won’t end up feeling like you lost time because you spent TOO MUCH time on one thing.
I know you saw my post on “chicken chores” – thanks for stopping by – so my focus has been on not just the daily and weekly chores of keeping the chickens, but also, what do we need to do on top of that. I finally picked up straw bedding for the brooder boxes and will need to get that in by mid-month. We brought the chicks home 14 weeks ago today, and if the Barred Rocks are inclined, it’s possible we’ll start seeing eggs at the beginning of August. (Although this heat wave makes me wonder if they’ll be affected by that and not lay eggs…)
Lobster – I’m so wickedly jealous. Fresh lobster… it’s been YEARS since I had real fresh lobster. Ah, us land-locked folks… how we suffer.
Internet – We had satellite (which exactly was pretty dang reliable, but very expensive) until last year. Now we have cable (Spectrum). It’s okay. I wish Spectrum had competition, though. Then maybe they would provide better service.
Chores aside, we’re back to a meal planning chart for the month to help get a handle on buying and eating what we have. It’s going well. We have a small freezer in the basement that’s pretty full, and we just ordered a second freezer from Lowe’s. It’s on back order… until OCTOBER. Apparently, there’s a run on freezers and they are not so easy to get right now even by big chains like Lowe’s. Sheesh. Anyhow, meal planning is something I enjoy. It’s a chore in a way, but we love to cook… and eat! 😀
Okay, must run – keep up the good,,, work!
chickenlibrarian
Tracy! I love it when you have the time to stop by! I know how busy you are! Let’s see if I can respond in order…probably not! HEHE!
Down the rabbit hole. I guess what I meant by that is that I get really involved with something with my business and it takes me forever. I don’t move. I just get into it, sometimes that’s not a good thing. I wasted some time last week doing things that didn’t pan out and felt like a waste of time. But mostly I’m talking about research or writing a blog post or creating product. I can get so singly focused on it that I do forget to get up and walk away. However, I’m not sure setting a timer will work for me. I will literally ignore it. And it almost makes me panic just thinking about having to walk away from something mid-stride. BUT I do think I need to do something. Hopefully by putting it out there in the universe like this, it will help me be more aware and not do that so much!
Chickens: I don’t know that the heat will slow new layers down much. That’s eggciting though isn’t it! I’m eagerly awaiting my free loaders to start laying as well. I say that very affectionately though! I had one hen start crowing. I really don’t think she’s a he, but you never know, I guess. She’s not showing any other signs of being a roo but I’ve read about hens that will take on the rooster role. It’s one of the anconas and I wouldn’t mind if she really was a he. But I’ve raised roosters before and I know how they grow so much bigger so much faster. I hate to break it to Tomy…you’s a girl (me thinks!). I guess time will tell.
Lobster! Oh, we are very fortunate to have lobster about once per year. It’s funny. It’s not something I’ve ever eaten a lot of, in terms of whole lobster (I’ve eaten my share of lobster rolls though! All those trips to the Cape and Nantucket have paid big rewards in lobster rolls), until the past couple of years. One benefit of the fishing lodge is people who arrive with lobsters. It’s a thing I guess. And I ain’t complaining. Not one bit!
Freezers. Yes! I’ve heard there’s a shortage on freezers everywhere. Who knew there would be a run on freezers?!?! Did you look on craigslist and FB marketplace? Those are my go-to’s now when I’m starting to think about purchases. Any kind of purchase really. I want to expand the flower and herb beds and I’m checking out both those places!
And speaking of meal planning, I really MUST add that to my to-do list. It really helps doesn’t it. We don’t actually grocery shop any more. Seriously. We grab a few things here and there but we don’t shop like we used to. In fact, I just started using a notebook that I haven’t used in a year and I found my grocery list from last fall. Sigh. The good old days of meal planning and the grocery list. But. without shopping it makes it a little harder to plan meals. So we just pull something out of the freezer without any real plan. Must get back to planning! in my spare time. heeh.
xoxo