Farm Girls

The farm has been hopping this year with a new calf, many new lambs, a brother married, a nephew and sweet sister-in-law gained, garden planted, alfalfa fields planted, hay fields cut and baled and watered to get ready to cut and bale again.
But the farm is not all that has kept us busy for Daddy and his best friend Mr. Max began to dream of gold mining in Nome, Alaska. Last fall they laid the groundwork with a quick trip to Nome, many phone calls and lots of plans for a total makeover of the biggest gold dredge either family has ever owned. Daddy and Mr. Max and our families have been gold dredging together since I was a little girl. Every summer for fourteen years our families would meet in Happy Camp, California and gold dredge. This Alaska summer adventure is an extended, ginormous version of those happy childhood summers. The dredge has been modified, enlarged, customized, turned into a boat, checked, rechecked, packed and loaded into a shipping container and sent to Nome. Mother Dearest, Daddy, Mr. Max, Paul (Mr. Max's son) and David (one of my brothers) followed it to Alaska.
My other brothers (the remaining three) have been working in Hawaii, building on a naval base since January. They are still there.

And this brings me around to the point of this post...the farm is under the care and charge of two farm girls. My dear sister and I have been granted the unique opportunity to work the farm. Because of the Lord's great mercy and grace, we have not had to struggle on our own. My sweetheart and his wonderful brothers have been working almost daily, cleaning the yards, trimming sheep hooves, gardening, trimming trees, feeding the animals and eating the meals that we have made. The boys are very appreciative eaters, and that makes it a pleasure to cook for them.

The blog posts from the summer of 2013 will have many references to the farm, for that is what my life consists of at this point. I am exceedingly thankful for Bountiful Oaks, for all of the blessings that I receive on and through it. I am thankful also for the way that the Lord is using this time to mold me and make me into the person He desires me to be. I pray that I will continually see His hand in all that happens, and that I will consistently delight in the many examples of His grace that surround me.
The picture below is an example of one such blessing, a reminder of His care for me, a smile inducer, and a spark of joy.

Garden...Spring 2012

Our garden was doubled with the installation of the new garden fence. 

We now have a baby fig orchard, a huge new potato plot in addition to the ground used for last years garden!

Daddy has been working all winter adding manure, 

working the ground, prepping for our biggest garden ever!

baby fig tree

baby figs!!

Pea Blossoms

Peas!!!!

onions

spinach

tomatoes tucked into their houses
(Houses made from roof shingles, used to protect baby plants from wind, sun and frost.)

Pictures from Bountiful Oaks

One of my dear brothers is a talented photographer. 

It is his lovely camera, with its telephoto lens, 

that I have borrowed to take pictures of our lovely farm. 

He too has been taking pictures of Bountiful Oaks Farm.

 Here are some of my favorites...

Fence Building

March 3, 2012.

Daddy and Mother Dearest decided that we needed milk cows...yay! 

But first we needed a fence in which to keep the cows and a place for milking

...so...

we had a cow-fence workday. 

Friends came from far and wide to enclose the garden to keep the cows out 

(simultaneously doubling the size of the garden), 

setting up a hot-wire fence to keep the cows in, 

and concreting under the overhang at the back of the barn for milking. 

Here was our day...

 Lunch for the hungry men!!

With apple pie for dessert...

 Massive show of teamwork as the last panels are put into place. 

(The front and back sides of the garden fence are set into concrete steadied pipes to allow for tractor access into the garden.)

The fence and concrete pad are beautiful...thank you to all who came and helped!!!

My newest Delight...

Sm*sh!

Several weeks ago I discovered a new way to scrapbook, recently created by K&Comp*ny...Sm*sh. The line of seven journals/scrapbooks are made out of chipboard and filled with a selection of papers that fit within the theme of each book, and come with a special sm*sh pen that has a pen on one end and a glue stick on the other. I have been able to sm*sh bits of thing that I have collected, pictures of happy times, favorite quotes and favorite Bible verses quickly and easily onto the lovely pages, often on the go! 

My obsession with the practicality and delightfulness of this product (along with the many little bits and pieces that coordinate) has inspired me to buy these books and a couple of accessories for all of my girl friends, Mother Dearest and Elyse for their birthdays. Also...I am not a proponent of waiting for the actual day to open gifts, and will often give gifts early so that the gift can be used immediately...lovely!!!

Dehydrated Garden!

Mother Dearest researched the easiest way to process the incredibly plentiful harvest. Her favorite idea was...dehydration! Armed with a colorful paring knife, a cutting board and her new Excalibur dehydrator...she (and any one who was home to help) declared war on the baskets full of vegetables.

 1.

2. 

3. 

4. 

More processed and dehydrated veggies:

green beans

zucchini

shredded and sliced

onions

 eggplant

Then and Now...Growing Garden

Due to a busy summer the posting of pictures of the garden has been delayed...the following pictures were taken in June.

growing squash

 beans

tomatoes

zucchini

Much has changed in the garden since June...the zucchinis are almost done producing,

the tomato harvest is in full swing, the squash is ready to harvest and the beans are in the process of being shelled. 

view of the beans, American tomatoes, and tomatillo peppers

         

Italian tomatoes: winter cherry tomatoes and San Marzanos

 butternut squash

 shelled beans