Sore Muscles and Unexpected Blessings

Posted on 2007-Mar-11 at 08:24
These last couple of days have been crazy busy with setting up our garden plot, picking up loads of compost (the stuff smells nasty but it is known to make plants yield enormous amounts of excellent vegetables), building a greenhouse, building a milk stand for Coie’s goat, raking out the barn, plus Geoff built me the most charming cedar garden bench for me to sit on that you’ve ever seen.  I am excited about the memories we are building with our kids.  It’s been a *lot* of work, which has been nice. There’s something satisfying about having sore muscles.

 

Here are me and the kids building our garden.  I learned that putting newspaper down will control weeds, and it attracts worms.  Worms in a garden is a good thing, just in case you city folks were a’wondrin.

 

 After the paper is down(and nice and soaked) then you throw some of that miracle magic manure on top of it.  That was a lot of work.  Geoff did most of the work, however, since he’s not in these pictures I will take all of the credit.  And yes, I am wearing my pajamas with my work boots.

 

I will post pictures when it's done.

As lovely as all that was, things got even better because of the many blessings we received over the last couple of days.  It started on Thursday morning.  We got an email about a Pyrenees dog.  My husband has been searching for a Pyrenees ever since we moved here.  We knew we would have to pay around $200 or $300 if we wanted a full Pyrenees, but good gravey, who ever has that sort of extra money laying around?!  We weren't sure we'd ever get one. But on Thursday morning we were offered a full blooded Pyrenees for FREE.  So now Banjo is the newest member of our family.  He is so sweet and so good with the kids and all of the animals.  We love him!

The owners had wanted to keep him, but their other Pyrenees kept beating him up… so they just wanted to find him a good home with a family who would love him.  We drove five hours up to Kentucky to get him. The entire trip was grand. The family had a beautiful farm, where they held horse shows and kept all sort of animals. They let us stay for a long time and they even let our kids ride one of their horses. James was a little nervous at first.  Afterwards, Pauline gave them 'horse' trophies. My kids were in heaven.

 

 

We also got to see one of the smallest miniature horses in the country.  Isn’t she amazing? What a sweet family they were!  

And then, the next day, the splendid Mr. Burggraf called geoff and told him he could come and pick up his fabulous rototiller for all of our garden needs.  What a huge blessing!  Geoff plans on tilling about an acre to plant corn.  That would have been hard to do with just a shovel.  Mr. B also sent us home with some of his excellent soap.  

On top of that, I got a vacuum cleaner.  That may not sound like a big deal but this isn't just any old vacuum cleaner.  My husband found a $400 vacuum cleaner on clearance for $100 and this thing is incredible.  Check it out, doesn't it look like a sleek little Robotic Suckasaurous?  It also transforms into a cannister vacuum cleaner somehow. Seriously.

Ryann had taken a picture of all the CRUD I was pulling out of our nasty carpet but that shot got deleted.  Bummer, you would have been astonished.  And my hand is up like that because i was holding the cord. And yes, those are the same jammies I was wearing the day before in my garden. What can I say? They're comfy!  I stole them from my sister in law (accidentally).  Sorry Erin, at this point I don't think you're going to get them back. 

*all pictures courtesy of Ryann Igarashi

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Potato Planting That Even *I* Can Do

Posted on 2007-Mar-3 at 10:00

On Monday (or was it Tuesday?) I learned something very cool.  It is the only way that seems like a reasonable (non-hard-workish) way to grow potatoes.  You people who live in an apartment could even do this.  Ok, here’s what you do.  You get a garbage can, right? And you fill the bottom up with several inches of dirt and straw and bark and junk like that.  Then you drop some potato eye pieces down there and cover them up with the same dirt mess.  After a while you’ll get this greenery that will start growing up, and then you dump more soil and straw, etc over it.  Then more green stuff will grow up and you keep on dumping dirt over it, right?  Well, within several months, after you’ve continued to dump a bunch of dirt layers over the growing greenery, you can dump the whole garbage can upside down (preferably not on your living room rug) and get about 100 potatoes out of there! They require very little water, so the bottom does not need holes poked in it.  I am very excited to try this.   Is that not the coolest thing you have ever heard?  I am so ready to try being a garden girl again.

 

REQUEST... if any of you homestead types post (or have posted) an entry on how you figured out where to plant stuff, can you let me know?  I want to map out my upcoming garden but i have no idea how to plot it out.  I am sort of getting the idea of how a square foot garden is supposed to look, but i'd like to see a map, or a rough sketch drawn out of how it looks.  Or if you know of any good links with free info, that would be super appreciated!

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If You ARE a Man, or if You KNOW a Man...

Posted on 2007-Mar-2 at 03:32

...then this post is for you.  We met the Burggraf family last year around this time.  I called about a free rooster I saw listed on the Sevier County Homeschool list and thus began our fabulous friendship.

Think of the most sincere, kind, generous family that you know, and then times that by 12.  That's the Burggraf family.  They are really special to us.  Anyways, one of the very neat things that Mr. Henry Burggraf does, is that he puts together retreats.  He is best known in these parts for his Father/Son campouts, but last year his Father/Daughter campout was also a big hit.  The Lord blessed them with an incredibly beautiful, serene piece of property, and it is their desire to honor God by opening it up to bless others.

We have been tremendously blessed by participating in their retreats/campouts, therefore, i wanted to let everybody know about an upcoming retreat that is being planned right now for men.  Another neat thing about this retreat is that it is free. 

My husband will be at this retreat and so will gena's husband.  I hope your guy can make it, too.  I am sure all the men there will be blessed!  Here is the info on the retreat, and Henry Burggrafs email addy is at the bottom.  Send him an email for more info and/or for the registration form.  I know he'd be pleased to hear from you! 

Also, ask him for the info on the Father/Son and Father/Daughter campouts as well.  Those are also free (tho donations would be great if you're able to contribute). Geoff and Paul will be at those, too.  It was probably one of the most memorable things that our children did with their dad last year.

Men's Retreat

April 27-28, 2007

Do you want to become a better husband and father? Would you like some practical how to? Then plan on coming to the East Tennessee Men's Retreat. It will be a great time for Christian fellowship and to be challenged to grow in your role as a Christian man. The theme for the retreat will be Leaving a Heritage. You will learn some ways to leave a heritage that will live on forever. What you will learn will be cherished by your wife, children and their offspring for generations to come. So do not miss out on this exciting time in the Lord and what He has in store for you. Registrations will be limited so make your plans today.

There is no cost for the retreat. You do need to bring your own food and drinks for at least 3-4 meals. You will also need to bring a tent and sleeping gear as the campsite will be in a rustic setting.

The retreat location is 17 miles outside of Tazewell, TN. It is a very quiet and peaceful location and a great place to spend time with the Lord. Directions will be sent to those who register for the retreat.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

Henry Burggraf
hxb@pobox.com

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My Husband Has Left Me for A Goat

Posted on 2007-Feb-24 at 03:32

I knew Geoff the Great was getting serious when he joined a Yahoo Goat Group. This morning he took Coie and Ryann to a Goat Convention. They'll be gone alllllllll day. Did you even know there was such a thing as a *goat convention*?  Me neither. That man cracks me up.  

We also had a much better success rate with our egg incubator this time.  We had a total of 22 chicklettes hatch.  Five died (Emmiko is suggesting Bird Flu).  So we are now the proud owners of 17 little new fuzzies.  We have officially doubled the amount of chickens that we started with (not counting the first 60 mail order chicks that dropped dead). This farm thing is fun when things stay alive and reproduce themselves.  It would be even funner if we could figure out a way to make money doing this. 

So are you freezing where you’re at?  Today it felt like spring here.  And everything smells nice, too.  I think I am looking forward to building a garden.  Maybe we’ll have better luck this year.  And no, I will *not* be planting Butternut Squash.

Lastly, did you see Gena’s contest? You should enter! It is easy and there’s chocolate involved.  Speaking of Gena, our family gave them a nice little present last week.  They’ve been barfing buckets all day – all of them but Paul.  Somehow he escaped our efforts to infect him.  This flu bug is highly contagious, so if I saw you within the last couple weeks, I apologize (sorry Austins!). 

Lastly Last, there is still time to order your book and get into the Literary Society (unofficial name change due to the clever and classy Rebeca -- I must say I like it better!).  It's gonna be time well spent.  I'm feeling a little insecure tho... have you seen how many English majors have joined? I hope there are a few fellow doorknobs who join so I won't have to be the very dumbest girl in the club.

PS please stop in and say hi to a couple of my “local” friends, Kathy and Joanna (who has up some great shots of the P & P party!); they just set up blogs here.

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The Wonders of Non-Electronic Apple Gizmology

Posted on 2006-Jul-17 at 08:06
I've never been a very good cooker, so when all of a sudden our apple tree started bursting at the seams I began developing a nervous twitch.  I feel guilty if things go to waste, and all of a sudden I had about a hundred billion shiney apples just hanging there expecting me to do something with them..  So Gena, being the best sister that she is, gave me her Super Duper DeLux Apple/Peeler/Corer Gadget and *poof* -- I'm now in Apple Heaven.   If you ever find yourself up to your eyeballs in apples, you should get one of these.


Here's BoBo and Julia (gena's kid) in action with the wizardly thing


We could peel, core and slice the apples in about twenty seconds.  No Joke.



Ta Dah!  Is that not the prettiest pie ever assembled by an Igarashi?  I hate apple pie, but I actually found this one one rather tasty.  I also threw a bunch of apple slices in the dehydrator that gena bought me for Christmas, and my kids *loved* those. Everybody was amazed -- me most of all.

My next trick will involve learning what to do with tomatoes.  I hate tomatoes. I would have never planted them if I would have known they'd actually grow.
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CAUTION: This Entry Contains Graphic Material Not Suitable for Humans

Posted on 2006-Jul-12 at 09:06
I still don't camp well.  I wimped out on the second night of our family campout and Geoff the Great drove me home to sleep in my own cozy bed.  And I'll tell you what... you never know how excellent a toilet is until you go without one for a couple of days. 

Anyways, the first day we arrived at the family camp site I had a predictable "Jen Moment". It's always something....
It all started with this enormous tree swing tire.  I should have learned my lesson with tree swings after my last near death experience, but I'm a bit slow and it takes me a couple of tries to catch on to the obvious.  Anyhow, this tree swing is the grandpappy of all tree swings, I don't know what possessed my to do this, but with all the kids egging me on (my kids and our friends kids), I slowly climbed up the cliff that the tree swing hung over. I started to chicken out, but I confess, I caved in to the peer pressure of the gawking crowd (that grew very quickly).  They were expecting a jump, so I was obligated to give them one.

So with great courage and determination, white-knuckled, I clutched the tire and flung myself sideways off the cliff.  I knew at that moment I was in trouble.  Screaming, flailing and kicking I was finally slammed into the side of the mountain where my pants were promptly ripped right down to my knees.  All in front of my horrified audience. Yep, I should have surely seen that one coming.  What's worse, it was caught on video.  Which I will not be sharing. Ever.

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Pond Scum Troubles

Posted on 2006-Jul-5 at 08:48
Well, I've figured out our pond scum dillema.  I've noticed for a while that all the scum was receding.  And it just so happened to start receding after we got a herd of ducks.
YIPPPEEEE! my whole pond is nearly clean now.  who woulda knew?     

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Coie's Cow Trouble

Posted on 2006-Jul-1 at 09:16
You know you're in Tennessee when your daughter has trouble getting home because a cow is stuck in the road.  Coie spent the day down the street at her auntie's house helping to hang curtains.  She got home late (I was already in bed, reading a book) and she came in to tell me about her day.  Her cow story was quite funny.  It sounded like a cowspiracy (groan).  This bovine was determined to keep it's place in the road.  You don't see things like that in California.

I like my daughter, but sometimes she makes me mad.  After her cute cow story we got into an argument about what state sits on top of Illinois.  I told her it was Minnesota, and she insisted it was Wisconsin.  I was so indignant, because I *knew* this one-- so I demanded that she fetch the laminated placemat map in the dining room.  Sure enough, Wisconsin sits on top of Illinois.  The little brat.  I hate it when she's right.  She just laughed and said, "ha ha. I was homeschooled and you weren't".

Have a super weekend!  Gramma Sally will be here later today from Michigan (which sits on top of Ohio), so I am off to clean my house--  scratch that--  I am off to tell all my kids to clean the house.  There are no child labor laws in The House of Igarashi.

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Pond Scum, Ear Wax and Wallpaper

Posted on 2006-Jun-26 at 07:28
There is a connection between the three.  Here is a picture of our pond:



I think that's Coie up there in the boat.  Anyways, you can't really tell from this picture, but all around the pond there is a very thick nasty smelling pond scum in agressively progressive development.  But I like it.  It's fun to scrape off with a rake.  It's sort of akin to the satisfaction you get from digging in your (or your kids') ear with a Q-tip. 

Yesterday I found out that peeling off hideously ugly wallpaper also produces the same satisfying euphoria.  Me and Emmiko peeled the whole bathroom clear.  It was sort of like picking a scab.... it was impossible to stop until it was all completely removed.  I wish I had a picture of how ugly that wall paper was ---words cannot express.  However, it did match nicely with with avacado green sink, toilet, tub and rug. 

Lastly, poor Coie...there is a story behind this; I'll share next post.

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Alaska Is Looking Pretty Good....

Posted on 2006-Jun-23 at 10:44
How come nobody told me how hot Tennessee gets?  Good golly, yesterday I about died from heat stroke -- and I didn't even go outside.  I stayed inside all day with the air conditioner cranked on superly duper high.  When  the sun started to go down I went outside with Dippy for about 15 minutes to play on the tree swing (no injuries this time).  If I'd of known TN gets this hot, I might have stayed in Cali.  Sheeeeesh, I'll be glad when winter gets here.  How did those pioneers do it when they didn't have AC?            
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My Near Death Experience

Posted on 2006-Jun-22 at 10:43
See this?  This is the Tree Swing of Ultimate Destruction

That's Dippy in the picture up there, but several days ago I banged myself up pretty good. I swung up sideways, super high, and then swung straight into the tree.  Actually I didn't hit the tree with full force -- luckily the ground broke my fall.  I'd post the pictures of my bruises (on both arms), but they are fading and not nearly as impressive as they were.  Anyways, there is nothing as exciting as a tree swing.  I think every farm needs one.  And I shall tame that tree swing if it's the last thing I do.

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The Inner Farmer Emerges Triumphant

Posted on 2006-Jun-16 at 11:36
Despite my bumbling homestead-wannabe-type ways, check out what I found in my garden:

 …. I know! I was even more surprised than you are.  Not only are those real live green beans, they are completely edible green beans. And, they are the best edible green beans I ever done et.  And let us not overlook the lovely yellow thing I also found and pulled out of a patch of green prickly leaves. I believe I now qualify as a real live 100% professional homestead farmer.   When the Nuclear Communist Terrorist West Nile Bird Flu Hillary Presidency hits, we will be safe from all harm with our 46 chickens and our colander of fresh green beans. 

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Clueless on Curry Farm

Posted on 2006-Jun-10 at 06:28
Golly I've been away for ages.  I am hoping to be around a lot more because I am in great need of some serious learnin'.  One thing that has been really cool, is that we found a lady who supplies us with fresh unpasteruized and non homogenized milk.  We are loving that !  I need to learn how to make butter. I tried but it turned out rather nastyish.

Also, my garden is growing.  I'm trying to keep up with the weeds.  I bought a hoe today.  I don't even know how to use a hoe....     

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Starting our Garden

Posted on 2006-Mar-21 at 10:08
I am really excited about our garden. geoff rototilled about an acre and we are now trying to figure out what to plant and where exactly to plant it.  we are so clueless.  does anybody know of some good websites that plots out where to plant things? i've heard that some vegetables do well if they are planted together but I don't know anything about that.  We are also going to get some Cacky Campbell ducks, apparently they are GREAT to have for thier eggs.  
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I am Very Tardy

Posted on 2006-Feb-22 at 03:47
I wish I would keep this blog up.  I am so interested in Homesteading, yet I always to forget to come over here and learn from everybody. 

We are hoping to start our garden soon, and are planning to get 12 chickens in the next couple weeks.  We want to raise them for meat and eggs.  My daughter Coie is dying to butcher a chicken.  She's sort of a weird girl.

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The Joy Of Packing

Posted on 2006-Jan-3 at 08:13
I don't know that there is much joy in packing, except for the fact that it gives us something to do as we wait to move onto our new little farm on the 22nd.  I am really loving reading thru the blogs here, i feel like i am going to be able to find out anything i ever wanted to know from the wealth of information posted by the bloggers here.  it's *so* exciting to me.
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Starting a Garden

Posted on 2005-Dec-28 at 09:55
So honestly, do you know of any good websites or resources that can teach me how to start a garden from start to finish?  an EASY website with EASY understandable directions.  anybody? anybody? anybody? I'd be mightly obliged to hear your suggestions. I'm gonna grow me some greenbeans and watermelons.

PS if you are gonna be near Dandridge this saturday let me know and then come to mine and gena's New Years party.   I promise I won't let Gena make you take one of her pig puppies.

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On My Way....

Posted on 2005-Dec-28 at 09:50
what a weird week it's been.  Exactly one week ago we bought a house, our very own little 15 acre farm.  Well, it's not exactly a farm, but it has an orchard on it and lots of fish in the pond and deer in the woods (we saw five of them).  We are supposed to move in on Jan 22, and thus our homesteading adventures will begin.  First thing I need to learn how to do is start a garden.  Anybody got any pointers?  I know I need dirt and some sort of seeds.  Other than that I'm pretty much at a loss.
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