This Week at The Walkerland Homestead
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I recently did an 300km airport run to the city and visited Costco as part of the trip. I think I am officially becoming a hermit because I needed a long nap when I got home. Too crowded and stressful! Can anyone relate?
I haven't been posting much lately because I am in the weeds when it comes to the many partially started projects I have on the go! Today I have to get cracking with my seed starting tasks. I've procrastinated because I need to dig my way into the greenhouse and I don't really wanna do it!
Before I get to work with the shovel I wanted to say hello and share some of the stuff that's going on at the homestead this week: Side hustles, new website, wildcrafting, new seeds, chaos and disorder: it's all so exciting!
Walkran.com
My husband just launched his website walkran! You can read the official announcement on steemit here! Walkran is an ads & censorship free, news, growth & entertainment website. It's a really neat way to view content because at a glance you can see information from a wide range of perspectives - not just the one that mainstream media shoves at us. You can check it out here! We'd love to know what you think!
Side Hustles
You'll never believe my latest side hustle! I am now a purveyor of collectable beanie babies and vintage rosaries. Basically our family has some unique collections stashed away. As the family wannabe photographer and blogger, it made sense to delegate the project to me. I haven't listed anything yet - still working on the photos and descriptions but I know WAAAY more about beanie babies than any human should and I am stunned that this is a thing! The rosaries are far more interesting to me. They are beautiful. Many have been in our family for over 30 years and were vintage when we acquired them. Each one has a fascinating story and so many small details that I am still unearthing. It's going to be a good photography challenge for me, I am learning that it's harder than it looks to do this properly.
Seeds
Every year I pick up some seeds that make my heart sing. Some I already grow and I just want MORE! and others are new to the garden. I get a lot of my seeds from The Cottage Gardener, a Canadian organic and heirloom seed house. I've had a lot of luck with almost everything I buy from them. This year my special seeds include:
Scottish Bluebells
Also known as Witches Thimble, this is a very hardy flower dating back to the 1600's - one of the flowers brought over by Scottish settlers from the Highlands. Produces a dainty, 12" high cluster of blue bells nodding above rounded leaves.
Image: The Cottage Gardener
Wood Betony
This is a perennial herb with an interesting history. The Egyptians believed that it was a magical herb and the Romans listed Betony as a cure to 47 different illnesses. It grows up to 3' tall with deep green, hairy leaves. Its flowers are tubular, red-violet.
Image: The Cottage Gardener
Blue vervain
A native of eastern North-America, listed in "Gray's Field, Forest and Garden Botany" in 1880. This striking plant grows 4-6', and produces tall stems loaded with blue flowers from July - September.
Image: The Cottage Gardener
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
I love this perennial flower. We have it growing around the gardens but I needed more seeds so I can spread it around even more! Feverfew (from the Latin for fever (febris) and "to chase away" (fugure) dates back to the 16th C. It has been used for centuries to treat migraines. This is a beautiful, carefree plant: growing to 24-36". It produces masses of tiny, daisy-like flowers in sprays. Feverfew was one of the earliest herbs grown by North-American settlers and it was widely known as, "the housewife's aspirin".
Photo: The Cottage Gardener
Everlasting Sweet Pea (Lathyrus latifolius mix)
This is an ornamental perennial pea. It's been cultivated since at least the 13th century. It produces large flowers in shades of rose & white, in clusters on long twining stems from summer to fall.
Jimi's Flag Poppy
This is a cross of Danish Flag and Purple Peony. It has gorgeous large, feathery blooms of brilliant scarlet with "deep hazy purple bases". If you're from the 60's, you'll get the "Jimi" connection.
Image: The Cottage Gardener
Kitchen
I visited my kitchen yesterday and it's coming along nicely. It's so neat to be able to see the whole crafting process from beginning to end. Sadly I forgot to put the card in my camera so I couldn't take photos. I'll be going back soon to do that.
I've been stressing the design quite a bit. My husband reminded me that I chose Kerry (the wood carver/carpenter) to build our kitchen and that I did say: "his work is perfect for this house - it speaks to me". We've decided to let Kerry have full design freedom. I have acknowledged that my input is restricting his creativity. On a final kitchen note: he is going to do some carvings on the cabinet doors, incorporating nature and our beloved raven into the art! (eek!!So exciting!)
This is the copper sink we bought. Copper is supposed to be antimicrobial which is pretty cool. This photo has the counter hiding the nice hammered copper edge of the sink. We'll be leaving it exposed to provide a more artistic and less refined finish.
We priced out kitchens at the Home Depot. We are getting a custom made, solid wood, hand crafted with LOVE kitchen for quite a bit less than they are charging for the prefab/fake wood versions they had on display. some of their display models had chips and scratches and looked just terrible! I am feeling very lucky and excited with what will likely be my forever kitchen.
Books: The Wildcrafting Brewer by Pascal Baudar
I treated myself to a few new books and one of them just arrived. I've read through it already and I am impressed (and excited). We've become pretty good at making country wines and have been wanting to take it to the next level by using wild yeasts. In this book, Pascal Baudar shares his knowledge about the underlying philosophy and practical techniques for making simple wild sodas, non grape based country wines and primitive herbal beers, meads and more. The photography is beautiful and recipes are not overly complicated! You can find the book here!(Amazon Link)
Just a few of the recipes featured:
Ethnic and medicinal brews including a variety of recipes for kvass
Beers including: horehoundbeer , chaga beer and mugwort-lemon beer
Sodas including: pine needle soda and elderflower-pineapple weed soda
How to make a wild (non ginger) bug. This "wild yeast" is particularly helpful for us because it means we can make concoctions without buying commercial yeast or imported ginger. There are many other things you can use to make a brewing yeast including unripe green pinecones, elderberries and blueberries. So cool!
Gosh, this reminds me that I have some ginger wine that was due to be bottled ages ago.
My house is basically a disaster with all of these projects in mid state! I am looking forward to making some real progress before our days become busy with outdoor activities again! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!
Be well!
Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time.
Homesteading | Gardening | Frugal Living | Preserving Food| From Scratch Cooking|
You can also find me at: walkerland.ca | Facebook
Photo copyright: @walkerland
Okay I'll admit I haven't read the full article yet because as soon as I read "I think I am officially becoming a hermit because I needed a long nap when I got home. Too crowded and stressful! Can anyone relate?" I had to comment lol! Me too! Anxiety sucks, going out in public makes me physically tired. After shopping, I sometimes get so weak that my body needs a full day or two to "recover"
same here, honey! and then i scrolled down & saw your comment, and had to comment. <3
I am sorry that you can relate @kiaraantonoviche & @twinislandflames but at the same time it's nice to know that there's a few people out there that "get it". It's been a breath of fresh air being able to say things and receive some real feedback rather than just uncomfortable silence. Thank you for that.
Yes, I really do "get it". I don't drive and seldom leave the farm. If it's for more than a couple hours, I am totally exhausted afterwards. Too much concentration, too much trying to fit in (as much as I ever do), too many people, too much ugliness, just too much!
Having said that, I went to a Bulb Show at 2 different places on Friday and Saturday and while there were a lot of people, mostly the rest didn't apply. Now THAT's a reason to leave the farm!
Ok I'll join y'all :) I've never liked crowds...I can function just fine if it's unavoidable, but I prefer to avoid it if I can. (Ha, I just had an epiphany that's why in the military I (successfully) skipped out of pretty much every formal event possible.) Last time we went to a bigger city and I ran into Kohl's to grab some new leggings for Pixie, I was walking to the checkout and suddenly felt actually oppressed by the sheer volume of STUFF all around me...I've never had that happen before. I don't know if living in the country removes you somewhat from materialism as well as people? So maybe being thrown into the middle of both elements, when you're not used to it, can be overwhelming? Next week I'm taking Pixie to a big(ger) city for a girls' day out so I better keep that in check :)))
I would have to think yes! Absolutely. I seem to have lost whatever tolerance I had to: crowds, shopping centres, traffic etc since moving to the countryside. It certainly seems much harder.
My job used to force me into all kinds of uncomfortable situations. I guess without that push I am just falling into what's more natural. I used to walk around with so much tension in my neck and shoulders that they hurt all the time. I've had a knot in my neck since I got back from my city trip. Maybe that's the cause!
How fun for you and Pixie to be having a girls day together! That one on one time is so special. :)
OHMYWORD that poppy is GORGEOUS!!!!!!! i left all my poppies behind when i moved. well, all five of them ... but they were the perennial oriental ones that i had started from seed & had nurtured over the past three years. but it's okay! i'm going to poppy adore vicariously through you now :)
the kitchen sounds exciting and wonderful, too!
I love how you can just scatter poppy seeds and they'll grow. I'll cross my fingers and collect some seeds. Maybe one day you'll be ready to plant and I can send you some!
i was able to bring an assortment of california poppy seeds with me! maybe i'll find a place for them, where i am now. and i will ABSOLUTELY take you up on some seeds swaps in the future - thank you so much! <3
If you want some just message me on Discord and I'll send you a few. :)
will do - i should have a better idea of what's going on in the fall, which is when they should be tossed outside anyways, right? give 'em a little bit of cold & watch them flourish in the spring!
Very true. I will have to wait until the snow melts down another FOUR FEET and then sprinkle the ones I just bought! Seriously! I am starting to go bonkers. Such a Loooong winter.
yeah .... and i'm going to stop complaining about the rain now. four feet of snow comes up to my shoulders!!!! i can't even imagine that. i'd be feeling almost bonkers too, honey.
I'm just being a whiny baby. It's all good. I'll just play some more Nina Simone because "here comes the sun" ...soon!
Man, you’ve been busy! That flag poppy is ridiculous! :) I can’t wait to see pictures of your new kitchen.
As far as being a hermit.... I wasn’t always a home body. But it wasn’t until I became a home body that I started sleeping well and dealt with stress in a healthier way. Time slowed down and I actually began to feel like I had purpose, not just a to do list. I don’t think we were meant to be solitary, but I don’t think we were meant to be around crowds of people all the time, all 5 senses being over stimulated all the time, running our asses off trying to check things off our lists all the time, spending a fraction of our waking time away from home all the time. No wonder we all have so much anxiety. We weren’t built for that kind of life. Maybe it would be different if the change from mostly staying and working at or around home, living in smaller groups and communities, to thousands and thousands of people all hurrying around all over the damn place had happened more slowly. But it’s happened so fast, I don’t think humans have had the time to emotionally evolve to cope with the stress of it all. Hope all that made sense... :\
I agree. The whole multitasking thing is hugely stressful. One reason why I don't have a cell phone, and all our phones are corded.
I wish I had more community around me, but this town is turning into a bedroom community (was a farming community when we moved here 30 years ago) and I just don't connect with people here.
While I am perfectly content to stay on my farm for days on end, sometimes it's nice to share ideas with a different human than family....
We don't have cell phones either. We used to for a lot of years with our jobs but it's just not something that aligns well with our principles. Privacy, child labour, pollution, greed, radiation ...I don't like what it's doing to people.
I totally hear you. We aren't in the best place for like minded community. We don't seem to be on the same wavelength of a lot of the people we have met so far. I like to think they are out there and I just haven't found them yet. I am sure it's the same for you!
It's nice we have found people here on steemit to chat with :)
What you say makes so much sense! I can relate to a lot of it! I often yearn for that idyllic small community village, homestead community. It would be so cool to live in a self sufficient community where you could work together, bater and trade products and services and have your own homestead to be creative and alone when you want to be. We have an on-line version on steemit :) - just need a real world one.
Not many people that I know would choose our lifestyle. They come for a relaxing weekend to escape but they are happy to go back to it all. They feel energized and stimulated from cities and crowed streets, shopping and all that. It's a lot easier in a lot of ways. Their busy lives make it possible to avoid facing real issues with their kids, marriages, health, society etc. Distractions are the name of the game ...or so it seems.
The wood betany is gorgeous! I had heard of it but not sure I'd ever seen a photo. I also grow feverfew and the perennial sweet peas.
I saw a copper sink in qberry's posts and wondered at it. Good to know there's a practical reason behind it! Will be hoping for a post about the finished kitchen with lots of your gorgeous photos!
I am working on starting seeds today. I just love the smell of dirt!
I was over at the carpenters shop yesterday and took some photos of his progress. I think another week and we'll have the kitchen back togehter. (fingers crossed). This sink is so darn big and it looks like it will stand up to real use. I hate it when you have huge pots and cant set them in the sink to clean them or fill them.
Hope you are having a nice day! :)
I am wondering something. I LOVE porcelain sinks, I have 2 of them in out buildings, a LONG ways from glasses and breakables. I have peripheral neuropathy and my hands don't grip well. Is the copper sink much like the stainless steel in that if you drop something it might not break?
I am not sure. I'll have to let you know when I've had a chance to work with it. It is a softer material so I would think so but I have never used one before.
I love those porcelain sinks and almost went that way but now that you've mentioned dish breakage I am glad I didn't. I am very clumsy. It's a good thing most of our dishes cost only pennies from flea markets etc because I do break a lot. I hope this new sink helps with that!
does your website include http://drudgereport.com which has more traffic than other news sites globally or more than some would admit and do you have http://newswars.com and also http://wnd.com and also http://therebel.media ?
Thanks for the links. I'll pass them on to @xwalkran!