A bit about us...



We are a modern family of three, living on less than two acres with a 3,000 square foot garden that meets our produce needs and allows us to share with friends and neighbors. Our laying flock of chickens seems to expand each year as we raise chicks each Spring to replace older hens. This blog is more of a journal, if you will, for us to chronicle and share our experiences in the yard, garden and kitchen. It is our hope that along the way a few folks might learn something, be entertained, or simply enjoy sharing in our stories and the lessons we learn on a daily basis. I named the blog after the times when I am the happiest, when I am elbow deep in earth.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What did I do with my Saturday night? Extracted honey. You?

In the Spring of 2012, I helped (watched and took pictures, mostly) Vicki at Zilke Vegetable Farm hive some honeybees to replace hives that had been lost over a particularly hard winter. I wrote about this experience, and how it changed my outlook on those little busy buzzers forever.  

Last weekend, we had the privilege of helping extract honey from the frames that had been produced by those bees (well, some - one of the two hives was lost this last Winter and re-hived in the Spring).

Monday, July 29, 2013

Just call me Finnegan and we can begin again...

There once was a girl named Brandi Finnegan
She wrote for a while in her blog again
Along came life and got in her way again
Poor old Brandi Finnegan.... Begin again!!

So... I am about a year behind in posts.  What to do?
I could:
1. Never blog again (Not an ideal option - but I do try to keep things in Project Life - although that is WAY behind too...)
2. Take a week off work and do nothing but write (Yeah right! It'd probably take two anyway)
3. Just post lots of pictures from the last year (Not helpful and equally time consuming)
4. Start again fresh, and try to stay current

Well, I guess the best option is option 4.

So here goes!  I am going to do my best to make my posts shorter and more to the point, which will help me keep up on them, but some things really do deserve a little more description.

Keep an eye out... I have some fun things we've done lately to share!


And here's the full version I found to get stuck in your head for the day (you're welcome!):

MICHAEL FINNEGAN (Traditional Nursery Rhyme) There was an old man named Michael Finnegan He had whiskers on his chin again Along came the wind and blew them off again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again. There was an old man named Michael Finnegan He kicked up an awful dinnegann Because they said he must not sing again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again. There was an old man called Michael Finnegan Ran a race and thought he'd win again Got so puffed that he had to go in again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again. There was an old man named Michael Finnegan He drank through all his good gin again And so he wasted all his tin again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again. There was an old man named Michael Finnegan He went fishing with a pin again Caught a fish and dropped it in again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again. There was an old man called Michael Finnegan Climbed a tree and barked his shin again Took off several yards of skin again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again. There was an old man named Michael Finnegan He grew fat and then grew thin again Then he died and had to begin again Poor old Michael Finnegan....Begin again.