The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.742: What I Read in March 2023

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#14. AN OCEAN OF MINUTES by Thea Lim // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “People wishing to time travel go to Houston Intercontinental Airport.”

This novel has a lot of interesting things going for it: there’s a flu pandemic, time travel and a love story.  I found it to be beautifully written, but the story itself is a little confusing and I got lost in the weeds a bit with the post-pandemic world.  The ending was also heartbreaking and sad.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#15. GOOD AS GONE: A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE by Amy Gentry // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Jane woke up and whispered, ‘Julie?'”

I’ve had this one on my Goodreads TBR list since 2016, so was happy to finally check it off the list.  The story is about a 13-year-old girl who is abducted from her home in the middle of the night.  Years later, a young woman appears at the door and claims that she is the lost daughter, finally home safe.  But is she?  I blew through this book in 24 hours but the ending left me unsatisfied.

#16. THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY by Sheila Burnford // ★★★★★
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “This journey took place in a part of Canada which lies in the northwestern part of the great sprawling province of Ontario.”

This was a read aloud for school and such a beautiful book.  And the ending was so beautiful too – trying to read aloud while getting all choked up is terribly difficult, ha!

#17. KILLING IT: AN EDUCATION by Camas Davis // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // better world books)

First line: “She was big.”

While this one is a memoir and the author’s story, I felt like it was written in two parts.  I absolutely LOVED and was completely engrossed by the parts about butchery, but I could have totally done without the parts about her love life.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#18. LIGHTS OUT: A CYBERATTACK, A NATION UNPREPARED, SURVIVING THE AFTERMATH by Ted Koppel // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Darkness.”

Over 250 pages, but the issue could be summarized in one line: our electrical grid is increasingly at risk and our nation as a whole is not prepared.  Scary.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#19. MOLOKA’I by Alan Brennert // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Later, when memory was all she had to sustain her, she would come to cherish it: Old Honolulu as it was then, as it would never be again.”

Moloka’i is the story of a girl and her experience living in a leprosy colony throughout her lifetime.  I was completely invested in the beginning and end, but felt it lagged a little somewhere in the middle.  Even so, I read one review that said that the biggest message in this book is: life isn’t over until it’s over.  I like that.  3.5 stars.

#20. A FATAL GRACE by Louise Penny // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Had CC de Poitiers known she was going to be murdered she might have bought her husband, Richard, a Christmas gift.”

Isn’t that such a great first line?  This was the second book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.  I hear such high praise for these books and and while I’m not quite a believer yet, I do want to keep reading.  3.5 stars.

#21. NEIGHBORLY by Ellie Monago // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Doug and I grin at each other in surprise and delight.”

I’ve had this one on my Kindle since 2018…I think it may have been a free book for Prime members way back when?  I was enjoying it until the halfway point where it took a really weird turn.  Meh.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#22. DUMB WITNESS by Agatha Christie // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Mrs. Arundell died on May 1st.”

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Hercule Poirot mystery!  Not my favorite, but enjoyable.

MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in March: 9
Finished Books Donated/Sold in March: 3
Books Added: 0
Unread Books Remaining: 201

No.741: Around the Farm in March 2023

Another full, productive month around the farm!  I love this time of year because signs of new life pop up everywhere you look.  Here’s what we accomplished in March:

+ Our biggest project of the month was the construction of the Critterfence!  We used six foot T-posts as the stakes and since we wanted to have three exits, my boys dug post holes for me and then filled with concrete for the gates.  I’m so happy to have the chickens and the deer finally away from all of the plants and trees.

+ The pigs went out to pasture!  Fred and Ethel are like an old married couple, but it was time to separate them as she (hopefully!) gets closer to delivery and will need increased feed.  Fortunately, the transition was painless and they were so gosh darn adorable.  If you haven’t seen a pig zoomie around a paddock in complete excitement and happiness, you’re missing out.

+ I removed sod to create a new bed for our potatoes this year.  Then we dug trenches (I was unhappy with the straw results last year, so we’re returning to the trench method) and whew, what a workout!  All clay and rocks, so I have a lot of amending and compost adding in my future.

+ We had a truck full of compost delivered.  I’m back with my beloved Gorilla wheelbarrow, making trip after trip after trip.

+ I mucked out the chicken coops – one of my least favorite jobs, but I had a full compost pile in just two days!

+ I direct seeded lettuce and beets.  I also started broccoli, cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts seeds.  In other seedling news, I potted up the marigolds and tomatoes into bigger pots.  I made a mistake and ordered 4″ pots instead of something smaller, so we are definitely crammed under the grow lights right now.

+ We lost Henny Penny to a surprise fox attack.  Henny Penny was one of the hens from our first year and she was very special to us.  She survived a hawk attack, sustaining an injury that left her blind in one eye.  She was a fighter and we rehabilitated her and eventually returned her back to the flock.  She was a favorite and we swear she knew her name and came when called.  Anyway, one day we noticed the detritus of an attack and after taking stock of the hens, realized that it was Henny Penny.  We were saddened but comforted that she probably didn’t even see it coming.

+ The first batch of broilers arrived!  The new hens arrived two days later with an unfortunate delay in shipping.  The poor things looked pretty weak when they arrived and we lost five within the first few days.  I’m really trying to beef up my flock this year, so we decided to supplement with more chicks from Tractor Supply.  Our current girls are exclusively Novogens, but we changed it up and bought eight Black Sex Links.  I’m excited to add a little variety to the crew.

+ I transplanted six blueberry bushes from one part of the garden into another.  I also pulled out three dead cherry trees so I can use the space to plant something new.

+ And surprise!  Our livestock guardian puppy arrived at the farm on the 26th.  I’m overwhelmed and nervous about adding him to the mix and training him correctly, but I’m excited to have his added layer of protection for our animals.  His name is Samson.

Here’s what we were doing on the farm last March 2022!

No.740: March’s Frugal Accomplishments

MARCH’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My Goal: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
And if you have to spend money, do it with intention.

+ I replaced a missing button on a hand-me-down shirt.  My mother gave me a soft flannel shirt but it was missing a button right at the belly button, ha!  Nothing a quick search through the button jar couldn’t fix!  I quickly attached a similar-sized one and the shirt is ready to wear out in public again.

+ I sold a few things on reselling sites like ebay/Poshmark/Pango. I keep and reuse the packing materials I receive (boxes, bubble wrap, tissue paper, even Amazon envelopes!) so my shipping costs are kept at zero.

+ We made a compost system using pallets and wire we already had on hand.  Love the eventual free compost for the garden and love that we no longer have a stack of pallets taking up space in the yard.

+ I saved the bones from a whole chicken to use for broth.  I later froze the broth in my Souper Cubes (affiliate link) for future recipes.

+ When working on sod removal for the new potato bed, I accidentally whacked myself in the face with the shovel.  (Don’t ask…) Fortunately, my glasses received most of the blow, but unfortunately, now one of the “arms” is wobbly and will have to be fixed.  Thank goodness for the inexpensive back up pair I bought last year!  They saved me a trip to the eye doctor for now.

+ One of my boys is quickly outgrowing his sneakers, so we dug around our “big brothers hand-me-down bin” to find a pair that fit.  I used a Magic Eraser to whiten up the soles and they look good as new!

Previous Frugal Accomplishments
2019: JULY  //  AUGUST  //  SEPTEMBER  //  OCTOBER  //  NOVEMBER  
2020: JANUARY  //  FEBRUARY // APRIL  //  MAY  //  JUNE  // JULY
2021: WINTER  //  SPRING  //  JULY  //  AUGUST  //  OCTOBER  //  NOVEMBER
2022: FEBRUARY
2023: JANUARY  //  FEBRUARY

No.739: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.42

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

The weather outside is //

Look at that flip flop weather!  It’s getting hard to know how to dress these days…

As I look outside my window // I can see the first hints of spring!  Even though I love a good winter hibernation season, I am so grateful this year in particular was quite mild.  I was able to get a handful of big garden projects accomplished and I’m so glad I won’t have to juggle those along with the beginning of growing season.  This week really starts the ball rolling: the first batch of broilers and hens are on the way!

As I look around the house // We’re still a hodgepodge of projects and good intentions around here.  So much to do, so little time!  I could definitely afford to do a thorough tidy this week.

Thinking // deep thoughts about farming and raising quality meat.  (You wouldn’t want to be in my head right now, ha!)  It’s really expensive to farm these days: infrastructure is expensive, feed is expensive, supplies are expensive, EVERYTHING is expensive.  When you walk through your local farmer’s market, the farmers aren’t charging high prices for kicks and giggles; they’re just trying to break even and hopefully make a little to support their own families.  But the big question I keep coming back to is: how can we make quality, pasture-raised meat not just a rich man’s luxury?  How can we provide a quality product at a price point most people can afford?  I’m not sure of the answer, but I hope to figure it out.  I passionately believe that everyone should enjoy this.

On this week’s to-do list //
– prep for baby chick arrival
– start more flower and herb seeds
– pot up a bunch of tomato seedlings
– work on the Critterfence
– move Ethel onto pasture
– send birthday cards and order the ones I need for April
– deep clean my closet
– work on Easter basket goodies
– list a few things on ebay/Poshmark/Pango

Currently reading // 

On the menu this week //

Monday: Refrigerator Clean Out Night
Tuesday: white chicken chili
Wednesday: philly cheese steak sloppy joes 
Thursday: pork roast and mashed potatoes
Friday: breakfast for dinner TBD

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