Every day is so full of things to do, I am always working on something. There has been no time for involved cooking projects, French translations, knitting or writing. I have also been too busy to enforce the chore lists for everyone, and most of the time end up doing it myself because it’s easier. …
Back To Homeschool
We started homeschooling again last week. It is nice to be back to fall structure rather than the loose, unplanned summer days. I realized we actually do homeschool year-round, but with different styles. Very structured schooling in Fall and Spring, unschooling in Summer. It seems to work well that way. Beginning of summer, the children…
In The Garden: Late Summer Foods
The summer garden is winding down – even the eggplants and okra have slowed down and are looking stalky. The bushel gourds are still ripening, but the last of the pumpkins have been pulled out of the garden. Half the garden is fenced off with electric netting, and the pigs are helping prepare…
Goings-On
It’s been busy around here lately – getting ready for homeschooling again after our summer break (more on that later!). We caught two raccoons who were pilfering the barn. They were extremely sleek and plush. We’ve tried so many things already to deter them…locking, rodent-proof bins with cinder…
You’ve Got To Be Kidding….
The baby goats are two months old now – time to be weaned! On Saturday we spent hours rounding them up. We are putting them in the orchard, as it hasn’t been grazed in ages, and could use a trim. Besides, they can all slip through the weaning paddock gate this year. When…
1846 Lace Mystery
I’ve mentioned before my latest inspiration to learn to knit lace. One day I spent searching all over Ravelry for knitted lace patterns, and was surprised that there was almost nothing. I know it must be possible, and was commonly done, because I’ve read in Victorian and Edwardian novels about ladies knitting lace, but sadly,…
Meet The Goats
We were reading a book that was a childhood favorite of mine – Our Animal Friends At Maple Hill Farm, and it occurred to me that I am always writing about our many animals that to us are familiar and almost like extended family, but that it must seem confusing to anyone who hasn’t followed…
SOUFFLE AU FROMAGE: Cheese Souffle
SOUFFLE AU FROMAGE (Direct translation) Melt a pat of fresh butter the size of an egg over a low fire; add a spoonful of flour, mix well, add half a cup of boiling milk, and stir until you get a smooth sauce. Continue stirring until the sauce sticks to the spoon. Remove from the…
Eight Little Piggies
Star had piglets! Eight little piggies! They are up and running around now, and there are the cutest little squeaks and grunts coming from that area. Occasionally there are horrible squealings when the favorite nipple is being fought over (we thought one was stuck in the fence or getting stepped on, but it was only…
SALADE DE TOMATES: Tomato Salad
The tomatoes are finally succumbing to the drought and heat in the garden, so this is the last of them. And the last of the onions, too. For this recipe I had to make a few alterations because we have the tiny cherry tomatoes (no, I am not skinning and de-seeding every single one…
Mangoes and Junk
I have been slowly recovering from being sick. Everyone felt better for awhile, and then got very sick again. I think it turned into a sinus infection for me, and I was sick all last week. It wasn’t until Saturday that I felt well enough to go out. We had a failed expedition to the…
Chalk Paintings
An artistic friend of mine has recently been making beautiful chalk paintings of flowers. We used to do a lot of chalk drawing on our tiny blackboard for home school, but I have abandoned that, largely because there is no paper-trail of work that way to show that we have done something other than bake…
Toadstools And Fairy Rings 