Easter at the Farm!

 We had our first holiday at the Farm!

 All of our geographically close family joined us for the first time.

 Before we sat down to eat, we showed a quick slide show of the past year and some of our favorite moments before announcing that we had tied the knot the day prior.

 Our first egg hunt confused the chickens a little, but they have recovered.

An Adventure in Faith

This is NOT mine, but borrowed from an article online, and I could not help but share it!

Marriage is an Adventure in Faith

A quiet leap you will take
every day for the rest
of your lives
together.

It is time now
to truly trust each other.
Not just with what is highest
and best in you
but with your
frailties
too.

Trust each other with your shadows
And be patient with them.

And let That trust be the bridge that
reaches across moments of
misunderstanding.

Don’t strand yourself
on separate shores
for long.

Always

Cross that bridge
before sleeping.

Empty your pillows of pride
You will sleep better and besides –

There is a bigger point then the one
You are trying to make when you
are trying to prove you are
right — or wronged.

Remember what Rumi said:

Love too is a furnace
And ego, its fuel.

Make that furnace burn bright.

Gratitude speaks its own
secret language of
belonging.

What you truly acknowledge
Truly is yours.

Invite your heart to be grateful
and your thank yous will be heard
even when you don’t use words.

Cherish both closeness and distance
The gaps are a gift,
they give you
both room to grow
and room to dance in.

Celebrate your differences.
Look up at the sky
at that constantly
changing blue
embrace.

Both constant
and changing.
No different
from you.

Only once in all time
Will there be two
people like you
together

Two journeys joined
In exactly this way

An irrepeatable connection
real and unrehearsed

What will you choose to do
With the miracle of that truth?

May it be your gateway
(Not your boundary)
May it be your doorway
To meeting the world
inside and out with
more and more
love.

Tick Tock

We are waiting. Endlessly waiting. Listening to the rain on the windows, hearing the rumble of thunder, watching the storm clouds roll in endlessly. Our seedlings have strong stems, beautifully unfurling leaves and are beginning to resemble a stood up prom date. All dressed up and no place to go.

Our home is full of hyacinths, daffodils and tulips coaxing our senses towards spring. How quickly I forget every year that spring in Pennsylvania is a wet adventure in patience. Who can forget the spring we had snow? I remember being overly anxious to plant and losing plants to my need to dig my hands into soil.

spring means worms, and dirt under my nails. Spring means a natural dialogue with God. I love to plant and talk to the One who gave it all too us. The trouble pour out and peace fills the empty place left behind when I work outside.

A few weeks ago, I prematurely planted several different kinds of hardy lilies around the arbor. It was barely warm on my back, the ground still smelled like winter. I started digging, finding a secure place for each bulb. I gave up quickly on using a shovel, knowing my hands would do a much better job. After a few bulbs, I found my thoughts turning to a different time. I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I has done all of this before. I remember many years kneeling beside my grandfather, for what seemed at the time like an eternity, but what I know now was only a moment. Bulb after bulb, perfectly placed. We were planting promises. Promises of spring returning, family dinners that needed flowers on the table, of placing a smile on Grandma's face. I found myself day dreaming of the day my lilies bloomed, of warm breezes and walking with my hand in my husband's up to our garden. I keep thinking of how my little one loves eating outside picnic style, and how to let her have a garden party would really just thrill her.

I planted on, remembering and praying for our family and our promises. Our garden and our life is becoming richer every day. Seeds sown by our parents and grandparents are sprouting, developing beautifully deep roots and fragrant flowers.

I finished placing all of our bulbs, patted the soil and sat back to let the sun hit my face. The promise of spring began to take over the feeling of winter.

Yesterday, 3 weeks after placing our bulbs, I walked through the garden to find shoots peeking the soil.  Our promise of spring is breaking through!

Farm Fresh Wedding!

 We had to take a brief pause from planting, collecting eggs and laughing at sheep antics to get married.

 We officially became Farmer and Wife on April 23rd in the living room of Danger and Excellence.

The sheep approve.

Sunday Morning Snapshot

This is what I saw this morning over coffee! Beautiful!

Sarah

 She started out as a house warming present.

 Our friends over at the Floflygen Farm of Awesome brought her to us after she climbed their screen trying to break in.

Now, she is one of our favorites! She is so cute and petite! She eats all of the moths that sneak in too!

Enchilada

 The only hen with a white tipped tail.

I rather enjoy naming animals. Also people and places, but right now, I am bestowing names on some of our animals.

This is Enchilada. She earned her name because that is exactly what I am going to make out of her if she doesn't shape up!

Enchilada is numero uno in the pecking order. She is bossy, vocal and into everything. If I walk out on the deck with anything in my hands, she sprints (yes, chickens sprint) as fast as she can to me to find out what is going on. Anywhere I go in the yard, I can find Enchilada right behind me.

None of our chickens, or the rooster for that matter, are aggressive towards us. Enchilada just drives me nuts with her nosiness. She had gotten into our living room, the cab of the truck and on top of the car. She supervises me constantly, clucking her two cents worth.

I flipped her a couple of Fruit Loops today, to see maybe if she would be a little less vocal. She is following me even more closely now.

How to make a rain barrel

 Find a 32 gallon trash can

 Fit it with a 10 gallon bucket. Insert a filter into the bottom of the bucket

 The filter should keep out leaves, large bugs, chickens...basically yucky stuff

 Make an appropriate sized cut out for the spouting in the top

 Install a spout on the bottom for easier draining

 A platform for even easier access

 Install down spouting

Easy! You can make it in a few easy trips to Lowes! You can make it all by yourself!

Or you can marry a farmer like I am, and he can do it for you!

The Kraminator!!!!!

                         It's ALIVE!! The Kraminator is ready for its first batch of compost!

 This is an original design, done entirely by Farmer Travis. Every part is reinforced, every rivet super tight for maximum effectiveness.

 An easily accessible lid is one of my favorite features of The Kraminator. Every other design I have seen has a less than ideal entry and exit point.

                    So our "Green" await placement into our very first batch of compost!

Stairway to Heaven

One of the most striking features of our home are the staircases that seem to allow you to climb into the heavens. Up and around winding higher, glancing out windows on your way up to the first landing a slight feeling of dizziness settles on you. Just when you think you have climbed high enough, another flight of curving stairs take you up to the master bedroom.

The stairs are the backbone of the house, pulling us all together. They have tried our thigh muscles while moving in, and are an every day workout.

The stairs are also the most asked about features of the house, second only to the sliding glass doors on the second floor.

More often than not, guests will ask Farmer Travis why we chose a home with so many stairs, especially since I have MS.

We as a family refuse to allow Multiple Sclerosis to become what defines us. I refuse to let it define me.  Travis and I have been facing this diagnosis since October of this year and know exactly what we want. MS doesn't stop us from achieving every single dream. Have a happy family? Done. Have a farm? No problem. Find a cure? Working on it.

So in a departure from the usual light hearted story telling from the farm, we are asking you to support us in finding a cure. Our team, The Myelinators, are walking to raise money this coming Sunday. You can donate, walk, or just get the word out. The money raised goes to the MS Society which funds research and support in this area and beyond. On a personal note, I am in a clinical trial that is funded almost completely by the MS Society.

So why do we have so many stairs?

Because we want them.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/PACWalkEvents?px=8936098&pg=personal&fr_id=16501