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The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

August 1, 2022

No.671: Homestead Diaries // July 2022

+ The weather has been so hot and we had our work cut out for us making sure the animals were continually watered.  The pigs are extra vulnerable because they can’t sweat.  They loved their wallows and were constantly covered in mud.  Living their best life!  In other pig news, we saw some behavior that may mean that Ethel actually isn’t pregnant like we originally thought.  It’s wait and see at this point…I obviously have no idea what I’m doing.

+ I harvested zucchini, squash, green beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, jalapenos, and even a few raspberries.  We are continually tickled by the fact that we can make meals that use ingredients we grew ourselves!

+ We dealt with a horrible Japanese beetle infestation that ate through the leaves of most of our fruit trees.  A huge blow, but thankfully it looks like the trees themselves will survive.  I’m already making preparations to proactively combat them next year.

+ I continued working on the food forest.  (Broken record at this point…)  More compost, more rocks, more wood chips…

+ We have a final decision on the ducks: two boys and two girls!  They are really looking different these days with different colored beaks and coloring.  I especially love the little flippy feather on the boys’ tails.

+ Fiona update: a farmer friend generously found us an open spot with his pig processor!  Such a relief to have that fiasco sorted out.  If all goes to plan, she should be off the property by mid-August.

July 29, 2022

No.670: What I Read in July 2022

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

#42. THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON by Sarah Addison Allen // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

According to Goodreads, I have had this book shelved on my TBR list since 2010!!  At this point, I have completely forgotten who recommended it to me, so I went in completely blind.  And…it was okay.  It was a light read, felt very YA (although I don’t think it was), lacked character development and the plot was uninteresting.  I had qualms with the light touch placed on some heavy issues (like self harm), but maybe I’m just a curmudgeon.  But seriously: there was one male character who snuck into the bedroom of the girl he liked – multiple times! – just to watch her sleep. Am I the only one who finds that not romantic and incredibly creepy?

#43. ALIAS EMMA by Ava Glass // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop)

I read this spy thriller in less than 24 hours!  The story is about a young spy on her first big assignment: bring an innocent man wanted by the Russian government to safety.  All she has to do is get him into MI6 before an assassination team gets to him first.  Such a page turner.  I especially loved that while there was a strong female protagonist, she was also fallible and didn’t treat the men in the story as idiots.  (A big pet peeve of mine.)  If this becomes a series, I will definitely keep reading.  (Alias Emma will be published on August 2, 2022.  Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!)

#44. HIDDEN AMERICA: FROM COAL MINERS TO COWBOYS, AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPLORATION OF THE UNSEEN PEOPLE WHO MAKE THIS COUNTRY WORK by Jeanne Marie Laskas // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

This was an interesting look at the jobs most of us take for granted.  For example, I don’t think many of us realize the amount of trust we give to air traffic controllers who make sure airplanes land safely and don’t crash into each other!  Another chapter was about drilling for oil on Oooguruk Island off of Alaska’s North Slope and I fell down a little rabbit hole.  The creation of the island is fascinating as well as just the act of drilling in general.  Did you know that the scale of drilling is actually pretty small?  “The drill bit ranges in diameter from six to thirteen inches; the pipe as small as three inches.  An oil well is a remarkably skinny hole.”  I also found the information about directional drilling technology really interesting: “[It] allows drillers to go down, over, up, snaking any which way through the earth and landing in ever sweeter sweet spots, reaching horizontally as far as four miles from the rig.  In the old days, a single vertical well exposed about 200 to 300 feet of oil reserves.  Now drillers can reach more than 20,000 feet of reservoir rock with one well, significantly reducing the footprint above ground, which in turn reduces costs and, in this part of the world, scarring to the tundra.” (p.217)  The more you know…

#45. PLAINSONG by Kent Haruf // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

I usually enjoy small town Americana stories, even when the plot is slow and meandering.  This book was not bad, per se, and I loved the relationship between the teenage pregnant girl and the two farmer bachelor brothers who took her in.  (It had a Secondhand Lions feel that was endearing.)  However, the graphic sexual scenes were really unnecessary and didn’t carry the plot further.  Just an okay read for me.  (This was a pick for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#46. COPPER RIVER by William Kent Krueger // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

Number six in the Cork O’Connor mystery series.  A good one.

#47. THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

This historical fiction novel set me off on another rabbit trail!  The main character is an Appalachian pack horse librarian who has blue-tinged skin due to a blood condition called methemoglobinemia.  This article from 1982 about “the blue people” was interesting.  I also learned about the apparent controversy between this book and one of a similar flavor, maybe too similar?

July 27, 2022

No.669: The Wednesday Five #30

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

A QUOTE

The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard. ― Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

TABS OPEN IN MY BROWSER RIGHT NOW
  • this recipe for roasted cherry tomato salsa
  • this recipe for homemade pizza sauce from fresh tomatoes
  • this video which has my wheels turning for 2023
  • these cool hair ties
A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART

“The House in the Forest” by Camille Pissarro (found here)

CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR READING (OR SCHOOL/HOMEWORK) TIME

A HOMEMAKER CHECK-IN, ONE YEAR LATER

How are you, my dear reader?  Last time I checked in was almost one year ago and in some ways, it feels like we went from bad to worse!  Everything from groceries to gas to electricity has gone up significantly where I live and it’s getting trickier to balance the budget.  I’m hoping the low-buy month will help, even a tiny bit.  How are you adapting?  What do things costs around you right now?  Our gas is $4.19/gallon.  A few grocery staples in my area: a gallon of whole milk is $3.74, a loaf of bread is $3.34, and a dozen eggs are $1.88.

July 26, 2022

No.668: Getting Ready for a Low Buy August

Life is, well, expensive right now.  We had to pay the tree removal company to help us after the storm, which was quickly followed up by a bulk feed order for the animals.  (And they upped their minimum purchase amount too!)  We took our cars in for a state inspection and one needed a few repairs.  The other passed but with the warning that it would probably need four new tires by this fall.  Combined with the increased costs of food and gas and electricity and all the things…I’m feeling the need to tighten the reins a bit.  Instead of sobbing in frustration, I’m going to be proactive.  In August, I’m embarking on a “low-buy” month!

For me, a low-buy month is an opportunity to be intentional with money.  It’s a way to stop and determine needs vs. wants.  It’s an opportunity to take a deep breath before diving into the fall and all of the celebrations that come with it.  It’s a way to stretch my creative muscles and do what I can with what I have.

MY GOALS
  • Purchase perishables (milk, fruit, cheese, etc.) but primarily eat from the pantry, garden and freezer
  • Declutter like crazy and see if I can sell anything unneeded
  • Create a list of items needed to buy in the future (birthdays, Christmas, farm things)
  • Pay off the remaining balance on the credit card
  • Focus on creativity and frugality

MY TO DO LIST TO COMPLETE BEFORE AUGUST 1ST
  • Replace perishables and fill up the gas tank to give us a head start on the month
  • Pencil out a month’s worth of meals, focusing on what we already own
  • Start a pile to list on ebay/Poshmark

For added motivation, I made myself some worksheets.  You can find them here!

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