Winter Solstice

It's snowing again finally! It snowed all day today.  Only a few inches of accumulation, but already it's just so much more enjoyable around the farm! Just walking is easier, for us, and for the sheep and horses.  The ground had been frozen and awful for the last week or so.  The animals walked gingerly just as if you or I would do in bare feet over a gravel path.  I'm hoping to get Oakley in harness and under saddle in the next few days. I may even add our bells to his harness just for fun.

It's been so amazing having G home on holiday! We've had some ridiculous doctor's appointments and 'chores' to do for our green card application that have taken up too much time, but that's just me being greedy for our quality time on the farm together.  

G has been really focused on fermenting and brewing lately.  I helped him make krautchi, and he's made several more small batches of kimchi and krautchi, as well as kefir, kefir cheese and kombucha. Still, I take way too long to do all of the chopping involved, and in the end would just rather eat the final project, and focus my efforts on growing the vegetables required for the recipes.  In the next few weeks I hope to spend a few hours with the seed catalogs choosing some new varieties of veg to try.

I finished another wet felting project and I'm almost ready to felt another I've spent a few evenings designing.  I've spent a few nights spinning, and practically no time blogging.  Most of my computer time is spent researching how to do certain projects, and looking up items I need to order. 

We have quite a few more farm and house projects to finish in the next few weeks.  As I type my eyes are watering, since G pulled a bunch of leeks and onions out of the snow and is chopping them to put in the dehydrator.  He taught me how to use the Alaskan chainsaw mill the other day and I made my first real wood plank.  I'd like to get more comfortable using the chainsaw, and help Oakley get comfortable with the sounds.  Last week I led the horses out to the grotto so they could watch us use the chainsaw on some fallen trees.  They didn't seem to take issue with it, but it may all be different when Oakley is in harness and expected to stand and wait and watch.  We need to buy a few more pieces of equipment before we can start hauling logs with him.  

Well that's it for now, I have pizza to dress. Photos soon. 

Oh, and we're getting a dog!