Vacation

There has been and will be some vacationing going on around here this month. Last week the boys were on Spring Break (which I discovered much to my surprise the Friday before...I guess I should check the calender more often...). We didn't do much special, apart from going to storytime at our old library one day. But it was good. It felt like a deep breath. Which, like the break itself, came as a surprise to me. I value and count on those three mornings a week as some time to myself - some mini pressure valves in the week. But somehow after the initial dismay wore off, I felt myself relax: here would be a chance to slow down, breathe a little more, rush a little less, maybe even connect a little bit more. And it was.

Then last night I think I reached my limit amid much yelling. Perhaps I'm not quite ready for Summer Break afterall. Two steps forward, one step back.

The other vacationing this month is on Jim's end of things. Needing a break from work and time to make some headway on projects around the farm, he's taking a few long weekends. This past weekend's main project was finishing this year's maple syrup. We came out with less than expected, and hit a few bumps along the way, but came out of it with some mighty fine syrup and our first farm product (aside from eggs) of the year. Pretty exciting. We've also been working on the garden: planting seeds, tending seedlings, transplanting, clearing wood off the garden (from the many small trees Jim took down to increase the amount of light), planting the first lettuces outside in the cold frame, and marking and digging garden beds. There is a long way to go, and the plants are spilling off the shelves onto the dresser and dryer and into the porch. I'm realizing just how out of shape I am, and how much it really does rain in April. The chicks are growing fast: the broilers are in a large pen Jim built in the porch awaiting an outside shelter (hopefully next weekend...) and the layers have graduated to multiple bins in the bathroom and are awaiting the broilers' move outside so they can take over the porch. Just in time for us to pick up our second installment of layers at the end of the month. Have I mentioned there is never a dull moment around here?

Over the River and Through the Woods

This past weekend we initiated Drew and Garrett into the joy of the road trip, driving up to northern Michigan to visit my Grandma, Aunt Pat and cousins who Jim and I haven't seen in 5 years, and Garrett and Drew have never met. It was a bit of trial by fire, but, we were pleasantly surprised how excited the boys were about it, and how able they were to roll with the changes. (Well, with one rather glaring exception I think we all hope to soon forget...) It was a joy to take a trip that I got to take every year growing up; to visit family that we so rarely get to see; to have the chance to introduce them to Drew and Garrett and to share with the boys places and activities that are special to me from those trips. Grandma Char and Grandpa Mike drove up as well, and we had two whole days to stay, not including driving to and from, which was just about right. Here are a few of the highlights along the way (in addition, of course, to all the visiting we were able to do!)...

Road Trip!

Jim and I spent this past weekend doing something entirely impractical and it was glorious. For the first time in four years we took a road trip together while the boys hosted Grandma Char and Grandpa Mike for a sleepover. Before Garrett and Drew, road trips were something we loved to do, and every year we would take at least one long one. Since the boys came, though, we've stayed pretty close to home.

After so long, and in the middle of a busy Summer of too much work and too little time, with an even busier Fall up ahead of us, it was a needed and treasured break: from home, from responsibility, from being practical. And indeed, 900+ miles in two days to see a concert was not practical. But it was a wonderful trip and full of goodness that, despite the weariness, leaves me feeling renewed and in a better place heading into the crazy months ahead, not to mention daily life, for a while.

Phish & Chicks

Welcome to summer!

Once again time has flown by, and as always we are keeping busy. Our garden is growing, as is my herb bed which is a new experiment this year. We're eagerly anticipating adding some snap peas to our dinner any day now (if they make it all the way inside). It's exciting to walk out in the garden and see how big our plants are getting!

Garrett and Drew are their normal selves - busy all the time and learning new things seemingly every day. They still live to play outside - on their bikes, roaming around the yard, checking the bees with Daddy, helping in the garden or various other projects, taking wagon rides to visit our neighbors, or heading to the park or playground. They are talking up a storm, and since our first music class last week, Drew has been singing me songs - it's wonderful. They also seem to get a big kick out of ignoring us and running away at times.... Which just makes the good times that much better, I suppose...

We had quite the exciting long weekend this past Thursday through Monday. Thursday Jim and I left the boys in Grandma & Grandpa's able hands and headed out to Burgettstown, PA (near Pittsburg) for a Phish show and night away together. It was one of those times when everything just comes together exactly right. The forecasted thunderstorms never showed up, we were able to take our time driving out and hit no traffic, our friends John & Malia happened to spot us out of a crowd of 19,000 from their front and center lawn seats, and Phish played an amazing show under the stars (which I could see for the first time ever due to our great spot). We couldn't have asked for more!

After a couple days of recovering and celebrating with our dads Saturday and Sunday, we headed out on our second adventure Monday; this time headed to Polk, OH and Meyer Hatchery to pick up the 8 chicks we had ordered in March. Meyer Hatchery is just shy of an hour's drive from us, so we loaded the boys up after lunch and they napped on the way down. When we arrived, we were handed a box with our couple-day-old chicks, and shopped for all the supplies we will need to care for them for the next four months or so. Then it was back out to our car and the trip home, serenaded with tiny peeps the whole way. The girls are now settled in their first temporary home in a 40 gallon aquarium in our house and will stay in here for at least a few days or a week - until they get a bit bigger and heartier. Then it will be out to the sunporch and a bigger box. In a few weeks, should we have it finished....they will be ready to move into their permanent home in the shed that Jim is renovating for them. We are all enamored, and Jim and I are finding ourselves to be nervous new chicken parents. If you happen to be in the area, stop on in, we'd be happy to introduce you!

the birds and the bees

Spring is here, and for now, so is the mud. But soon enough the trees will be clothed in green and there will be an abundance of blooms.

With Spring comes an annual rush of enthusiasm around our house for growing. Our tomato plants are up to 2" tall, the peppers aren't too far behind, and we have a few things we are trying for the first time this year. Annie's indoor snap peas are as tall as I am and we're looking for little white flowers any day now. The two biggest experiments, though, are the birds and the bees.

The Bees:
I took a beginner beekeeper class through the Lorain County Beekeepers Association and am expecting two packages of bees on Monday, April 27. The plan is to establish two colonies in hives at the back of our property to help pollinate the garden and provide local raw honey. I'm fortunate enough to know an experienced beekeeper in Bud Fawks, a friend of the family with enough equipment to get us started. He has recently been wanting to keep bees again and was looking for a place to set up some hives. I love it when things come together. Honeybees are having a rough time right now and the success of this endeavor is far from guaranteed due to mites, fungi, beetles, bacteria and even viruses (which may be linked to Colony Collapse Disorder). But we'll give it a go and see how it pans out. With any luck, we'll have two strong hives next spring and plenty of honey next fall. If you have any experience as an apiarist and want to "talk bees", send me an email.

The Birds:

Annie and I have been interested in eating more locally and living more sustainably and, in our reading and discussions with others, keep coming across the idea of keeping your own chickens for meat and eggs. Everyone says it's so easy, entertaining, and rewarding. With this project has come a lot of research. Annie took a class at a local farm to learn the ins and outs. I have read a few books, checked out online discussions, and researched local zoning restrictions. Together we've planned a coop layout, decided on a flock size and chosen which varieties of chickens we'd like to keep. We still have to do the physical work of converting half of our shed to a coop and fencing in the run. I don't think I've ever personally met the girls who have laid my breakfast. It should be fun. We will pick up eight one-or-two-day-old girls on June 22. They'll start laying about 5 months after that. Drew and Garrett are pretty excited about the prospect of some baby chickens.

The Phish:
And our favorite band, Phish, has re-united for a tour after a 5 year hiatus. We're going to see them live in June, just before we get chickens.

The days are just packed.

Time away

The longer I go without posting something new, the more inertia there is. So while I have no new pictures to add, I'll just post a few happenings and musings.

• Drew now chases and tickles Garrett. His official first word is "Tickee".
• Garrett is apparently accident prone. He fell and hit his head on the corner of the floor molding last Sunday and for an encore, fell and cut his lip with his tooth on Monday. Blood and Urgicare and stitches. We were pretty nervous Tuesday, but he did fine. He's a tough cookie.
• Running and climbing are now the preferred modes of transport.
• Drew weighs in at 27.5 pounds and Garrett at 26.5 pounds.
• We have started referring to Drew's cheeks as "squash" for obvious reasons.
• Garrett is very proud of his belly and has begun publicly displaying it.
• Waving to strangers is big source of entertainment. Walks in the park are great for this.
  

Also, Annie and I have been thinking about some time away. Being parents of toddler twins is awesome, but also a lot of hard work. My vacations from work are generally to work at home to give Annie a break, and Annie pretty much doesn't get any true vacation. So we've decided that we'll each take two days and one night away to do whatever. I chose motorcycle camping and just got back late Monday (8/25). There was much fishing, kielbasa, and solitude around the campfire. Annie has chosen a night away at our favorite Inn in Amish country and will soon get her break. There will likely be much reading and drinking of hot tea. We're thinking about trying our first real road trip with the boys, too, coming up in October. It will be a "new baby" tour visiting our friends the Bairds and hopefully the Rolfs. Annie and I are also looking for a chance to get away together, but Drew is still pretty iffy about sleeping through the night. He went a few nights in a row, but last night was up from 4-6am. :(

Again, we don't see many of you very often, but we are thinking of you fondly. Drop us a line if you get a chance.