Tag Archives: farm

Homestead Goal: Simplify

Goals on the homestead: SimplifyHomestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

 

At the beginning of every year we make goals that we like to accomplish for the coming year.  Projects to start or complete, financial goals, adding animals, selling animals and so forth.  This year we have a resounding theme: simplify.

When we started our farm, we wanted to try it all.  Do all the things!  Get all of the animals!  We knew we couldn’t do it all, but wanted to see what we did like.  We had experience with poultry, rabbits, dairy goats and gardening. We added pigs, sheep, cattle, dairy cows and meat goats to our farm.  In addition to the garden, we added an orchard.   Now that we’ve had these animals for a while, it’s time to look at which direction to go.  It’s time to simplify.

Wait, simplifying the simple life?

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Chores with a Baby

Chores with a baby

 

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

While Travis was driving back and forth from Colorado to Missouri, having adventures like this, I stayed home and held down the fort.  I did as much packing as I could and cared for my 6 year old and 6 month old.  There were also rabbits, chickens and dairy goats to care for.  Chores were done twice a day, every day.  With a baby.  Alone.  For the entire summer.

It sounds challenging, but really it wasn’t.  My 6 year old is an animal lover and loves to help out, so she was easy.  How did I manage with a baby?  Baby wearing.

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Poison Ivy

poison-ivy

 

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

 

Poison ivy is something that you typically look out for in the summer.  However, you need to be cautious in the fall as well.  The poison ivy plants still retain urushiol, the oil allergen that can cause an allergic skin reaction, even when the plants are dead.  In fact, even the roots have urushiol on them.

I found this out first hand when planting our fruit trees the beginning of November.  Most of our fruit trees were planted in a grassy area.  But some were planted in an area from which we had cleared out brambles.  Apparently there was poison ivy growing somewhere among the brambles, as a day later, I noticed a couple angry red streaks on my right forearm and the back of my hand.  I didn’t see any poison ivy during the planting, but we had had a couple hard frosts so everything was rather brown and dead.  To keep myself from scratching the spots, I covered them with a bandage.  No big deal.

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