Homestead Update #29
hello again friends! it's time for another weekly update! I'm so happy to be back in this space and sharing my week with you. First up, if you follow along on social media then you will know I started a new job last week. I'm the Farmer at a local summer camp! That's right. I am in charge of the garden and the chickens. You heard right. I have chickens and a garden again!! And this time I get to share it with people. I get to teach the campers about growing their own food and raising livestock. I can't think of anything better. AND I get to add the "chickens" category back to my weekly update. It's a win-win. But let's dive into last week. Next week's update will include all kinds of fun things about chickens.
Garden
As I mentioned (and alluded to in this post) I have a garden again. It all started out very innocently. I inquired about being a visiting artist at the camp and they asked if I knew anyone who would be interested in running their gardening program. I said, "I don't know anyone other than me!". And the rest is history. Friends. The garden. It is beautiful. They've put in a lot of work to make it look so nice. And thankfully they planted a bunch of things already. I want to add some flowers for a cut flower garden and we're talking about adding berry bushes. It reminds me of the garden I had last year, but this time I have a ton of support for the garden.
Here's the list of things we've planted thus far:
1. 3 kinds of tomatoes
2. 2 kinds of basil
3. peas
4. green beans
5. cauliflower
6. kale
7. swiss chard
8. 3 kinds of radishes
9. lavender
10. 2 kinds of parsley
11. strawberries
12. cucumbers
13. bell peppers
14. chives
15. mint (the mint is out of control. LOL!)
16. oregano
17. scallions
18. lettuce
19. watermelon
20. rosemary
21. dill
22. sage
I also brought my fig tree over and my potted geraniums. I did start to plant one of the canoes (I know! Canoe turned planter! How cool is that?) with flowers. I need to finish filling in some gaps. There's some other maintenance that needs to be done, but friends. We are rocking and rolling in the garden this summer!
Currently
I don't have a lot to report in this category. I have been busy working so not much in the way of reading, listening, or watching. I have found this podcast (didn't I say I loved true crime?!?!). I've been binge listening to it as I weed the garden. And I started reading Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Someone gave me a paperback version. I can't put it down. It's really good so far.
I have had a couple of songs on repeat lately. They really help me work through what's been happening in my life lately. One is Blow Me (One Last Kiss) by Pink (you had to know that Pink would make an appearance here. Hehehe). The other is Did I Shave My Legs For This by Deana Carter. I bought her CD for $1 at the local thrift store and I am loving it!!
Business End of Things
I'm still plugging away on the business. I've booked quite a few things. I'll get my calendar updated as soon as I can (I have to wait until the business or organization posts on their website, then I post it on my calendar). I've booked some local venues, a local farm market, and some other libraries. You'll find me hosting summer reading programs, at local libraries for make and takes, cooking classes, and more! So stay tuned for details. You can always check in here.
The Rest of the Story
I finally took the time to stop and smell the roses, as they say. I was driving home from having dinner at camp and the sun was setting over the river. I had jump out of the truck and try to capture it!! Anna Lee and I have been spending a lot of time outside. We have our metal chairs in the front yard and I sit outside reading or drinking my coffee. If it's not too chilly we sit out every night. She plays with the other dogs. They run and run and run. She loves the freedom of the sheep farm. She gets so much more outside time. And walks. And gets to go more places than she ever did before.
Friends. I can't believe this is my life! I get to garden and tend to chickens on a daily basis and work with a bunch of people who are so, so nice! There's a lot of diversity at the camps, which isn't something that I see in my regular life. It's nice to be around people from all over the world who have different view points and who have experienced different things. And I get to choose to do that. I'm forging my own path and that is a very good thing.
How have you been? Tell me one thing that you've had to deal with that seemed impossible but you made it through and not only survived, but thrived?
'til next time
-k
xoxo