Sometimes Gardens Grow With A Passion Out Of Shear Determination. . .

My passion is to learn as I live, breathe, think, plant, create and, importantly, to carry kindness & love always with me where I walk. Being careful to tread lightly in my steps. A life planted with reason,

harmony, light and wisdom takes far more time than I could ever imagine having to complete the task set before me. It's a journey towards simple living. Which is quite the feat for me. But, It's my choice and I'm stickin' to it!

This time of year is warm and prime growing season for us. Living in the heartland of the mid-west we get to experience all four seasons. The last ten years have came and gone with extremely different and diverse conditions. From scorching 100 degrees plus in the summer to icing accumulating once again on the water of rivers, lakes, streams & ponds as they used to do in the winter's of my childhood days. 

So, in the summertime, that's what we do...grow a garden!

"The garden gate is always open...So com'on in I'm so excited to show you what we've been up to!"

 

It took lots'a hard work, sweat. . . Mostly determination.

We thought long and hard on it the last two years. How does it look in the wild? There are tall trees with under growth, flourishing, thriving, staying alive. With streams of water in creeks, streams, ponds. . . Research was the key. Burying our self's deep in knowledge. Almost to the point of no return, at times, it seemed.

"Relying on our roots we went to work!"

"Here's what we have come up with. Doing everything for our health, our conscious and our world."

Adding rain barrels selectively stored behind the chicken coop for easy access to the garden.

Building raised beds from all natural reclaimed pallets that were never coated with a harmful material.

Filling a bed with trellis's made from cutting branches of trees growing in a crowed location in our woods nearby.

 Making a roll up shade out of Burlap for the tomato plants on days when the sun is blazing it's wrath upon us. No burn spots makes me happy & them too!

We put up a reed fence on the west side of the coop in early summer to provide evening shade to the chickens and Lovey, my one and only adorably beautiful turkey girl. Planting Sunflowers for Yellow Finches and other birds needing a bite to eat. Growing Pole Beans underneath the stalks as a nature trellis.

With a whimsy and a resource for the birds I created this next to my tomato bed. 

This is a beginning of the rewards of our labors!

I am proud to say I picked these fresh baskets of organic homegrown veggies & herbs straight from our backyard in my jammies just this morning!

Beans, Okra, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucs, Red Onions, More Beans

We feel we are blessed to live as we are in such a place that welcomes wildlife while filling our bodies with wholesome "non-GMO" homegrown foods.

Sweet Basil, Oregano, German Thyme, Nasturtiums, Borage Flowers, More Tomatoes

Spring & Goats!

Billy the Bruiser!

It's promised to come, I'm not sure when, they say soon, I say hurry!! The goats and chickens are getting restless as we are too. Cabin fever is setting in for all of us here on the stead. I'm just glad it's time to start some seedlings. That is always a pick me up from the winter blues for me.

Also, plans for a new goat pen are in progress. So the plans for a bigger coop are put off. Adding more hens is not!

Getting the goats in a place where they won't have to be tethered out everyday will be a big blessing within it's self. Billy is so hard to deal with. A cantankerous goat he is true to! I don't really know why we kept him??? Why, oh why, does a person keep a mean goat? I can't answer that! If only I had had it my way...I say, "You can't win them all!" & "Live and Learn!" That's all we can do.

Chloebug!

Chloe, on the other hand is a fine doe. She is well mannered and easy to get along with. When she is left untethered she stays in the yard all on her own. What a true blessing this kind of goat can be on a goat keepers life. Although even the most timid, if they can be, of goats can and most do, get rowdy in their old age.
Never underestimate the power of Goats! If they want to, they probably will try and succeed. They study everything! Master escape artists they are.

Still I am striving to get goat milk. Mr.C is lactose intolerant, thus not eating a healthy amount of dairy or caring if we have any on hand.
Humbug!
These links below will help you/and he discover the benefits as I did. . .

http://www.mtcapra.com/benefits-of-goat-milk-vs-cow-milk/

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/goat-milk-benefits/

http://www.aussiegoats.com/milk.htm