I know I said my last blog was the last one for the year, but tonight is such a huge part in my little life that I have to share.
Tonight was the graduation ceremony for my cultivating success class. We all met at Xinh's, an incredible restaurant in Shelton. There were about 20 of us...the people from class, the sponsors of the program, and several of the various guest speakers we had during our twelve weeks. I had quite the entourage supporting me in my endeavor. Mariah was there, and so were mom and super steve.
The food was incredible. We had oysters, mussels, deep fried geo duck...(pronounced gooey duck.) We had pork eggrolls, and rice with chicken curry and prawn linguine. It was all some of the best food I have had in a long time!
After we ate, it was time for presentations to start. We were supposed to present our "Farm Plan", and we were supposed to take 10 minutes. Well I've worked on mine for 4 days. Literally, 8 hours a day.
I did a folding display board of the property. Very detailed showing the pasture, forests, wetlands, shrubbery areas etc. I even made the folding flaps in front into barn doors with my farm name on the front! It looked marvelous! (In a 4th grade science fair kind of way).
My great plan was to go after the guy in our class who hums to himself and smells like cat pee. Surely if I went after him, my presentation would be stellar, and any nervousness would disapate after watching his presentation. Well...he didn't show. So I planned on going somewhere in the middle...but definitely not first.
Well right before one of the ladies went, Super Steve pulled me aside and asked me if I could go second because my mom wasn't feeling well... How could I deny that? So I volunteered to go second.
As soon as I got up and started my presentation, cameras started flashing like the damn paparazzi from my right. I stopped my speech and said, "As you've probably guessed, these are my parents." Everyone laughed and I continued with my presentation. When I opened my board to reveal my property diagram, everyone oohed and aahed....literally...it was kind of cool. About half way through, I noticed you could have heard a flea fart in the restaurant....Every one...at EVERY table was watching and listening....yikes. I did great! I was a little nervous...but I was talking about my farm! One of my favorite things in the world!
I felt a lot better when I was done....and then noticed mom and Sneaky super steve didn't leave....for another hour and a half. Way to go steve! I've got your number!
The other presentations were great... It was so nice to sit with a huge group of people and discuss fruit trees, compost and animals without having one person raise their eyebrow at me... Mariah actually didn't seem bored either!
SO I am an official graduate in cultivating success. I have an official certificate I am going to frame and hang in the barn!
I've met some incredible new friends and some wonderful contacts and resources. This 12 week class has been a wonderful and fun start for me.
I'M A REAL FARMER NOW!!!! Well...at least that's what the paper says...
So...what's next? New Year's Day I will post goals for next year for the farm. But for now...I think I'm going to go order some turkeys....
Thank you again to mom, Sneaky super steve, and my Mariah for supporting me in my dreams, regardless of how grand and elaborate they are. I love you all.
-Becky
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Silent Night....NOT!
At Thanksgiving my sister sang me a wonderful Christmas carol...that I thought I would share with you all....
"Silent Night....NOT! Holy Night....NOT! All is calm....NOT! All is bright....NOT! Round young virgin....NOT!" It was at this point she stopped. It gave me the giggles, and I hope it did the same for you....
It's a week before Christmas, and outside the snow is falling again. I hope it doesn't stop.
It's been awhile since I have blogged, and there have been tons of changes here on the farm.
P has decided her farm girl boots are made for walking, and that her time out tree just isn't far enough away from here. So she is gone. I wish her fair weather, sunny pastures, and tons of butterflies to chase...
Fortunately, friends and family members have rallied around to help where needed. Especially mom, Mariah, (Jun) and of course Super Steve. The show must go on.
And then there was flooding....last weekend it rained and rained and rained, and I knew that damn natural spring would be flowing again. So I got up last Saturday and ran down to the coop. Sure enough the water was running over the sandbags I had placed, through the wall of the coop...and when I opened the coop door there was 4 inches of water in it...the poor girls trying to make their way through it. My mom was with me helping, and while she was trying to sweep water out of the barn, I shoveled through the shavings to allow a path for the water to flow out. The water drained out of the coop in a little tidal wave. I then went around to the run to throw apples to the girls that had fallen off grandma's tree. Well have you ever seen a chicken bob for an apple? It was that bad...and I felt defeated...there was nothing I could do for them. Fortunately they were smart enough to stay on high ground and their perches... Days later the coop was one huge mud hole...I didn't want to change out the shavings until I knew it would be awhile before we had a rain like that. I am still worried about their feet and foot rot. To prevent this next year, I have already thought up a plan. Fortunately that was one of the walls we hadn't replaced, so I will keep the flooding in mind when I rebuild it.
The property looks so incredible with a light snow all over...
I sold my 92nd dozen of eggs this past week! The girls are definitely paying their rent...and I've thought of hanging 26 little stockings on their coop. :)
I have one more farm class, and then I graduate the "Cultivating Success" Program! They are scheduling tons of workshops this summer and I look forward to taking those too! I have definitely learned a lot in the last 12 weeks...but my favorite part of the class has been learning the rules and regulations of the farm world. If I am going to do this, I want to do it right!!!
A quick note on why cowgirls and farm girls REALLY wear chaps. I have a favorite pair of jeans....who doesn't? Actually I have like 3 pairs of favorite jeans. They are all "sweethearts" from Old Navy. They are the only kind of jeans I'll wear....Well after awhile they get worn, or "well loved" as I'd like to say...considering I am typically in jeans 7 days a week. Well I've noticed all of my wonderful jeans are starting to wear on the inside of the thighs. (Shutup Jenny Craig!) I'm sure I am not the first farm girl this has happened to...and probably won't be the last. So how did farm girls and cowgirls of the west solve this problem? They invented chaps to prevent wearing holes in the thighs of their favorite jeans...I need to get some.
Merry Christmas to all.
Becky
"Silent Night....NOT! Holy Night....NOT! All is calm....NOT! All is bright....NOT! Round young virgin....NOT!" It was at this point she stopped. It gave me the giggles, and I hope it did the same for you....
It's a week before Christmas, and outside the snow is falling again. I hope it doesn't stop.
It's been awhile since I have blogged, and there have been tons of changes here on the farm.
P has decided her farm girl boots are made for walking, and that her time out tree just isn't far enough away from here. So she is gone. I wish her fair weather, sunny pastures, and tons of butterflies to chase...
Fortunately, friends and family members have rallied around to help where needed. Especially mom, Mariah, (Jun) and of course Super Steve. The show must go on.
And then there was flooding....last weekend it rained and rained and rained, and I knew that damn natural spring would be flowing again. So I got up last Saturday and ran down to the coop. Sure enough the water was running over the sandbags I had placed, through the wall of the coop...and when I opened the coop door there was 4 inches of water in it...the poor girls trying to make their way through it. My mom was with me helping, and while she was trying to sweep water out of the barn, I shoveled through the shavings to allow a path for the water to flow out. The water drained out of the coop in a little tidal wave. I then went around to the run to throw apples to the girls that had fallen off grandma's tree. Well have you ever seen a chicken bob for an apple? It was that bad...and I felt defeated...there was nothing I could do for them. Fortunately they were smart enough to stay on high ground and their perches... Days later the coop was one huge mud hole...I didn't want to change out the shavings until I knew it would be awhile before we had a rain like that. I am still worried about their feet and foot rot. To prevent this next year, I have already thought up a plan. Fortunately that was one of the walls we hadn't replaced, so I will keep the flooding in mind when I rebuild it.
The property looks so incredible with a light snow all over...
I sold my 92nd dozen of eggs this past week! The girls are definitely paying their rent...and I've thought of hanging 26 little stockings on their coop. :)
I have one more farm class, and then I graduate the "Cultivating Success" Program! They are scheduling tons of workshops this summer and I look forward to taking those too! I have definitely learned a lot in the last 12 weeks...but my favorite part of the class has been learning the rules and regulations of the farm world. If I am going to do this, I want to do it right!!!
A quick note on why cowgirls and farm girls REALLY wear chaps. I have a favorite pair of jeans....who doesn't? Actually I have like 3 pairs of favorite jeans. They are all "sweethearts" from Old Navy. They are the only kind of jeans I'll wear....Well after awhile they get worn, or "well loved" as I'd like to say...considering I am typically in jeans 7 days a week. Well I've noticed all of my wonderful jeans are starting to wear on the inside of the thighs. (Shutup Jenny Craig!) I'm sure I am not the first farm girl this has happened to...and probably won't be the last. So how did farm girls and cowgirls of the west solve this problem? They invented chaps to prevent wearing holes in the thighs of their favorite jeans...I need to get some.
Merry Christmas to all.
Becky
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