As the Summer comes to an end, it’s great to take a WOMENT to recap some highlights. For me, nothing beats Summer on the farm and I’m so grateful my kids get to have the same experience I had growing up.
The Garden
We resurrected my Grandma’s 100′ x 30′ garden and fought Canadian thistles the entire time. I think my children never want to see a weed again or pick another green bean, but work ethic is a valuable lesson. I think they appreciated the outcome when they got to try an Iowa tomato.
The Learning Curve
My mom and I were so proud of ourselves and had our own WOMENT canning for the first time. We only watched Grandma canning back in the day, but had the fear of God put in us that the canner would explode at any given moment. So we decided to face our fear and pulled out some of her recipes and gave it a go.
We joke that back then we would sit on the basement steps (yes, the canning stove was in the basement…and still is!) and we would anxiously watch the pressure cooker while sipping coffee. Now we sip wine, but nothing else has changed. Guess what? No explosions!
Crazy Chicken Lady!
Black Australorps=Charlotte
Rhode Island Red’s=Squirrel
Buckeyes=Bella
Some of the very special girls did get names like Dotty and Penny. The roosters are Sonic and Knuckles 😊
I had no intention to start homesteading, but what’s happening here? Chickens! I am a crazy cat lady after all, why not add chickens to the list?!
Yes, we decided to go big or go home and now have 17 hens and 2 roosters that we raised from chicks. Needless to say, they have been named, so these birds are just for laying..not for eating. Sometimes we wonder about that decision when the roosters decide to attack.
Corn, corn and more corn
What’s your variety? Peaches and Cream, enough said. The Midwestern terminology is “putting up corn.” Basically picking, cutting, cooking and freezing copious amounts of golden deliciousness on the hottest day of the year…to last the entire year…until we torture ourselves again next year.
Fishing and Fire Pits
Working in the apparel industry, there’s a facade that some of us don’t get our hands dirty. Business and fashion in the office, but put me on the farm and I can scoop sh#$ and throw in a baited line with my eyes closed.
When I was a kid, on a lazy summer day, the one thing I was always itching to do was catch a big cat fish on the North Skunk river. My grandma Groves, Nina Jane, was notorious for her numerous trips to the river and carrying home fish that were bigger than her. She was also known to give an earful to anyone who dare to set foot on her fishing holes.
I may work for a fly fishing company, but I still prefer the river bank. My kids and I get a bit competitive when it comes to catfishing.
The Family Vacay!
Que the “Holiday Road” Griswold’s song! A 25 hour road trip for what the kids called “The Great Western Adventure” was a success. Another perk of being in the middle of the country is getting out West to see family. Mount Rushmore, Battle of Little Bighorn, Idaho, Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons brought back memories of childhood road trips.
Wrap it all up with the Fair
Fairs around here are next level. The 4H kids have a chance to show off their hard work and community service while parents enjoy grueling long days of helping clean cattle stalls and chauffeur. We are about a year away from our kids getting involved.. probably with some prize winning roosters!
