Kombucha (fermented tea)

In the Kitchen

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I wanted to try and make kombucha.  If you don't know what kombucha is, it is fermented tea.  It does not taste anything like tea because of the fermentation process.  I really like diet soda so I decided to try and kick the habit by replacing my daily Diet Coke with kombucha.  Kombucha is naturally carbonated...more on that in a minute...

Basically, this is what you do.  Brew a gallon of tea (we used 3 tablespoons of tea for one gallon) and add 1 cup of sugar.  Let that cool down and then you add your SCOBY.  It floats on the top and that is what makes the magic happen.  It takes about 7-12 days (this is the initial ferment) and then you have kombucha!

One gallon tea jar with scoby floating on top.

"The SCOBY, or Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast, is the collection of microbes responsible for turning sweet tea into a probiotic beverage. Essentially, it is a living colony of beneficial organisms that turn sugar into healthful acids and probiotics."  Taken from Wellnessmama.com

There are LOTS of health benefits of kombucha.  Again, taken from Wellnessmama.com:

"To be clear- it isn’t some magic pill or silver bullet, but it may help the body function well by supporting:

    Liver detoxification
    Improved pancreas function
    Increased energy
    Better digestion
    Improved mood (helps with anxiety/depression)
    Reducing Candida (yeast)
    Helps nutrient assimilation
    May be beneficial for weight loss"

After the initial ferment, I put the tea in bottles and added some fruit to do a secondary ferment.  This is the part that makes the carbonation.  At first, I used whole fruit, and then the next time, I made some fruit syrup and used that.  You let it sit another 3 days and then put it in the fridge.

Secondary ferment with huckleberries and raspberries

Here is a website with a whole bunch of recipes for flavoring your kombucha.  The sky is the limit on flavoring your kombucha!

Then, I started reading about continuous brew kombucha.  You use a bigger container (at least 2 gallons) and then add sweet tea to the top each day and draw off the finished kombucha from the bottom.  There are even MORE health benefits to kombucha that is in a continuous brew situation.

My continuous brew jar of kombucha.  We keep it on top of our water heater.

Making your own kombucha can save you a lot of money.  One 16 ounce bottle in the store will cost about $4.00.  I think I figured out that I could make 8 gallons of kombucha for the cost of one bottle at the store...maybe even more...

~Denise

Winter 2018 update...

Winter happenings on the farm...

Makeshift cold frame...I found these glass panes in the barn so I just threw them on top of one of my stock tanks.  I can just pull them apart to let some heat escape.  It was 40F outside the other day and almost 90F in the cold frame!  At night, it still gets cold so I am going to throw a heavy blanket over and see if that helps at all to conserve some of the daytime heat.  I am only putting cold hardy things in here (spinach, lettuce, and some herbs), just to give us some early salad greens...I will plant them in there next week.

I have started some seedlings in the house and put them out on the patio when the temperature warms up so they can get some hardening off.

Onion, cabbage and parsley getting some sun...

 I also found these old seeds in the barn!  I can't believe some mouse didn't eat them.  They are from 1979!  Almost 40 years old...I planted them.  I couldn't resist.  I am just SO curious if anything will grow...I'll keep you posted!

We rented a chipper/shredder to break down some of the smaller, dead limbs that are accumulating that are not really good for firewood.  I will put this in the garden and around the flower/herb garden.  We worked all day and still did not get through all the wood!  I think we will just plan on doing this each year...

After we did all that chipping, I started pulling more dead wood out of the trees for next time.  This is just the dead stuff that I can reach from the ground.  There is a lot to do in this area and we will be working on this for quite a while.  I am also just trying to trim things up so you can walk around without getting hit in the face with a branch. 

A little hard to see but there are 4 piles of dead tree limbs down the row...

Yesterday, I started using those wood chips.  I am hoping to cover the other half of the garden (the first half I covered last fall with a foot thick covering of hay over cardboard) with cardboard, a small (less than 6 inch) covering of hay, and then wood chips.  The lighting is bad in this photo but I think you can barely make out the row of wood chips at the top (near the fence), then a row of hay and the cardboard...this is a large area and I expect it will take me the rest of the month to get it completed...I will post more pics once it is done.  I remembered to take some "before" pics so I should have some nice photos to compare.  I am curious if the voles will like the wood chips...I don't' know if they would find them easy to tunnel through...I guess time will tell...

Did a small kitchen remodel...took down the cabinets to open up the room between the kitchen and the dining area.  Also, the hood fan never worked (It was actually not even hooked up) so we bought a new one and had it installed...

Before

After

 Found this old tractor tire in the barn.  The plan is to plant sweet potatoes in it.  I am hoping the black tire will capture the heat needed for the sweet potatoes to grow well...

Started some sauerkraut...trying to get back to eating more vegetables which can be challenging for me in the winter when there are not lots of fresh options...

We went tubing at Silver Mountain in January.  Mark seemed to really enjoy it!

 Planted some future Christmas trees!   I know it is hard to see them in this photo but there are 3 (the one in the middle is VERY small).  I think I should have spaced them out a little more but I can add on to each end when I get more...I bought these in December when they had "live" Christmas trees for sale at some of the stores in town.  I will probably just add a new one each year...

We have had a nice amount of snow this year!

Snow wave in the field behind our house

The bees were out yesterday and it is going to be a warm day today so I assume they will be out again.  I took a look through the side window of the hive at the first of the month.  At the beginning of February, I could see 2 different "groups" of the bees.  This seemed odd and I was wondering if there were maybe 2 queens.  Well, the bees were out in February for a cleansing flight and now it seems that things have rearranged in there and now there is one cluster.  There was a cluster in the back of the hive and one in the middle.  The cluster that remains is the one in the middle of the hive.  I am just so happy that it seems they have made it through the winter!!!

~Denise

We got worms!

For the Garden

I purchased a worm bin that I have set up in the storage room of our house.  I wanted to play around with raising worms to see if this would be a good system for growing worms for chickens, worm castings for the garden, and worm wee for fertilizer...

There are about a million different "homemade" types of worm bins if you "google" it or do a search on YouTube.  I was going to make one and then decided I didn't have the time and wanted to get started.  I am actually really happy that I decided to buy this bin.  It will make harvesting super easy.

The bin came with coconut coir.  You soak it and it needs to be the consistency of a wrung out sponge...

 I put some shredded newspaper on top of the coconut coir...

 Then, I put some of my finished compost in and another level of the coconut coir.  I put some food (veggie scraps) in one corner...

 I know this pic is blurry but you can see that I put a couple of damp piece of newspaper over the top to keep things from drying out.

 Here are the worms gathered around the veggie scraps...

 The bin I bought has 5 levels.  You start at the bottom and then build it up.  To add the next level, you scatter some food on the bottom of the new bin.  Here you can see the holes in the bottom of the bin.  This allows the worms to move up and down in the bin.

 Here is the worm bin with 2 levels.  You can see the "tap" at the bottom where you can harvest worm wee from.  The idea is that you keep adding bins to the top and slowly the worms migrate up and then you can take the bottom bin off and harvest the worm castings.  Then, put that bin on the top and keep rotating them bins from the bottom back up to the top.

I feed them a small amount of veggie scraps a couple of times a week.  When I am cutting up vegetables, I put some of the scraps in a small plastic container and then I put it in the freezer.  The freeze and thaw helps to give a head start to the decaying process.  I have read that one of the biggest problems with worm bins is feeding them too much.  From what I understand, the worms feed on the microorganisms that break down the food (not the actual food).  So, you don't want too much food "rotting" at one time or that will cause problems.  

I started this bin at the beginning of January and I am no where near ready to add the next bin.  My point being, that this is going to take a while to really get going.  Worms need the temperature to be between 50-70 degrees.  This is going to make it impossible to keep worms outside in the cold or in the summer when it is super hot.  Unless this bin starts to really get going, I don't see how this could really produce a lot of castings/worms...time will tell.  I guess you would have to have multiple bins and I am not that interested in being a worm farmer.  We will continue to play with this and see how it goes...

~Denise

Onions!

In the Garden

I have become fascinated with onions!  It all started when I was organizing my seed collection and I noticed that I had picked up a packet of onion seed.  I must have been given this because I have never purchased onion seed before.  I have never even grown onion from seed!  Usually, I buy the little bulbs.  When I was doing my garden planning, I noticed that a lot of the garden planning calendars I was looking out stated that you could start onions indoors the end of January.  So, I took that packet of seeds and tried to plant them.  I had also read that onion seeds do not keep well from year to year.  My packet of seeds was a few years old but I did get a little bit of germination, I know it is hard to see...

Then, I listened to a podcast all about growing onions:

Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 74: Starting Onions from Seed with Colin McCrate

This got me excited to learn more about planting onions from seed.  I pulled out my Home Grown Pantry book.

I REALLY like this book.  It tells you how much you can plant to have enough food for a family of four.  The book also lists specific varieties to look for based on your day length.  If you did not know, onions are day-length sensitive.

Since I live in Idaho, I need to plant long day varieties.  The key to growing big onions is to provide a long growing season.  The size of the bulb is directly related to the number of green leaves the onion plant is able to produce.  Changes in day length trigger the bulb-forming process.  

Short-day onions begin forming bulbs when days become 10-12 hours long.  Intermediate-day onions start bulbing when the days last 12-14 hours long and long-day onions require 14-16 hour days to begin bulb formation.  It was at this point in my reading that I learned about overwintering onions.  I was always curious if there were onions I could plant in the winter and let grow, similar to garlic, over the winter.  

Overwintering onions are a short-day onion with a high tolerance for cold weather.  They are planted in late summer under a row cover up to Zone 5.  I live in Zone 6 and it seems that should be fine as long as they are heavily mulched.  I bought a variety called Keepsake.  There are several overwintering varieties available at Territorial Seeds.  From what I have read, the overwintering onions do not keep so you would pull them as you need to use them for cooking.

The book has a nice breakdown of onions and alternative onions.  I have to admit.  I was a little confused about "alternative" onions.  I bought some Egyptian onion "seeds" and I thought these were like a potato onion but they are not.  So here goes, I have linked some article is you want more information:

Egyptian onions are an inter-species hybrid between bulbing onions and bunching onions.  They are a perennial and may be propagated by planting the bulbils that form on top of the flower stalk, or by digging and dividing the mother clump.  I planted my bulbits last fall with my garlic and I am still waiting to see if they will grow...

Bunching onions form clumps of scallions so you will not get a big bulb with these type of onions.  They can be multiplied by division.  They are also referred to as green onions.

Leeks have long white shanks and are good for drying.  Leeks look like overgrown green onions, but have a milder, more delicate flavor than onions. 

Potato onions are planted in the fall and produce a little "nest" of onions the next summer.  Potato onions are easier to grow and store than bulb onions.  They are reproduced primarily by division of bulbs, rather than by seed. This makes it more similar in form to garlic than to standard onions.  I want to get some of these potato onion (now that I realize that they are different from the Egyptian onion).

Shallots are a perennial onions and have a long storage time.  Shallots are best planted in the spring.  The shallot is a true biennial. Its natural cycle, like that of most alliums, is to develop a bulb one year and then bloom the next. However, shallots, unlike onions, have been developed from clones for such a long time that they have lost the ability to produce flowers.

One article I read suggests that the Potato and Egyptian onions are types of shallots.  There are so many options that it should be easy to find a type of onion that is good for your garden...I am excited to try growing different onions!

~Denise

Garden planning...

In the Garden

I have been thinking a LOT about the garden for this summer and I am excited to get started.  I am doing a little planning based on my growing zone.  If you don't know your "zone," you can look it up here.  Vegetable Planting Schedule & Hardiness Zone Look-up

I have a copy of this book and you can customize it to your last frost date.  It tells you each week what seedlings to start indoors and when you can plant outdoors.

There are lots of great resources on the internet to help you with garden planning.  Here are some other resources that I have used:

Seeds for Generations has a Garden Planning Calculator that you can put your last spring frost date and it will tell you when to start your seeds.

Here is a Kitchen Garden Planner from Gardener's Supply Company.  It is based on the square foot method of gardening.  What I really like about this site is that you can design your own garden or use one of their "pre-planned" gardens!  The pre-planned gardens tell you exactly how much of each item to plant.

Something I am interested in is incorporating polyculture (mixed vegetable gardening) in my garden.  I think of this as companion planting but to the next level.  Here is an example from Family Food Garden:

polyculture example #1

1. Scatter lettuce, spinach, toy bok choi, and radish seeds.
2. Plant some onion bulbs and transplant broccoli.
3. Harvest baby greens & radishes within 3 weeks and thin them out to make space for larger head lettuce. Toy Bok Choi will bolt fast and is usually harvested in 30 days. I let a few go to flower to help the bees out as there are few flowers at this time.
4. Harvest lettuce around broccoli transplants first to allow growing space. As you pull up more heads of lettuce transplant some fall cabbages in the empty spots.
5. Sow green onions, swiss chard and carrots once the lettuce has bolted (gone to seed from the heat) for a fall crop.

The idea of polyculture gardening lends itself well to succession planting.  Here is a great blog article from NorthWest Edible Life on planning succession planting.  It's great to plan for spring planting but the real challenge is to keep the garden productive all season long.  There is a downloadable Excel file that you can manipulate for what you want to plant and it tells you when to plant for your fall and winter picking.

Today, I planted some onion seeds.  I have NEVER planted onion seeds before.  I always buy the little bulbs but I must have been given some seeds because when I was organizing my seeds, I found them.  I have read that the onion seeds do not last long.  I decided to go ahead and try to plant them anyway.  If nothing germinates, I will move on to planting something else...what else am I supposed to do with them..throw them away (insert gasp here).

Onion seed planted

 Henry bought me this light stand to start my seedlings for Christmas!  Thanks Hen!

Garden shelves with lights

 This is some comfrey I have started from some root cuttings.  So far, 3 of the 9 have started growing.  They grow so fast!!!

 This is a mess...I bought 7 chives, 7 thyme, and 7 oregano to go into the food forest and they never made it into the ground last fall.  I could not bear to toss them so I am nursing them through the winter indoors for a spring planting.  Also, there are a couple of future Christmas trees that will be planted out in the yard this spring...

I started thinking about where I would plant these onions.  I did a little "googling" for companion plants for onion and it seems that strawberries are good companions.  So, if these seeds grow, I will plant the onions in the raised bed that I am going to put the new strawberry plants in.  Besides, the strawberry plants will be small this year so there will probably be lots of extra space for the onions.  I don't think this is something I will do each year but it will work perfectly this year...or if it does work well, I might continue it in the bed that I am raising the new strawberry plants in each year.

~Denise

Christmas gifts

Christmas Gifts

I made some homemade Christmas gifts and mailed them out via Priority mail.  I guess I did not do a good enough job of packing them because 2 of the gifts were an epic fail and busted/broke.  I should have taken more time to pack them better but I thought I was running behind on getting them out (which I really was not).  I also think that the post office was super rough on some of the packages and not others because my in-laws package made it all the way to Pennsylvania with no problem but 2 of the packages to Kansas were the one's that were destroyed.  Anyway, another lesson learned.  I already have an idea for this year's Christmas and it does not involve any glass.

Here are some of the items I put together for the Christmas packages.

I made some Elderberry syrup  (click for recipe) from elderberries that we found when we were picking huckleberries.  Also, made huckleberry jam...   

Some little gift packs I made for my nieces and nephews:  stickers for their books, bookmarks, and a Chocolate Cake Mug

A little first aid type kit with honey (to be used as an antibiotic, and
Easy Breath Rub  that I made with some of our beeswax that I collected last spring. 

An Emergency Candle Kit, in case the lights go out...

Buster hanging out by the Norfolk Pine that my friend gave us!

2018 One-Sentence-A-Day Diary...

This is going to be a big year of transition for our family and I am having lots of anxiety about work, money, having enough time to get everything done, and getting Mark set up for adult services.

I have heard of these "one-sentence-a-day" diaries (or journals) and thought it might help to alleviate some of my anxieties by writing down a more positive thought for the day as we make our way through 2018...

January 1st: Cold walk with Mark, grateful for a productive Christmas break!
January 2nd: Stopped by a salvage yard to ask about selling old scrap metal from the barn; going price is $105 per ton!
January 3rd: Made a call to a consulting company that helps individuals with disabilities start their own businesses.
January 4th: The therapeutic horseback riding program at Washington State University is "temporarily" closing while they raise funds for a new arena (sad face here).
January 5th: We got worms to start our vermiculture bins!
January 6th: Planted comfrey and started a gardening journal.
January 7th: I helped Henry load some firewood yesterday and my arms are super sore now.
January 8th: Got to see my old next door neighbor today as she led an exercise at the Moscow Nonprofit Round-table meeting!
January 9th:  Met with our "behavior analyst" to come up with some new trials to work with Mark on.
January 10th:  Picked up Linda (mother-in-law) from the airport so we can celebrate Mark's birthday!
January 11th:  It's Mark's birthday and he took cookies to school to share with classmates.
January 12th: Pretty quiet day, Linda did not feel well so she rested while I got caught up on my Support Broker work.
January 13th: It has been a long week because Mark has not slept well the last 4 nights, I had to work 2 of my jobs on this Saturday (boo) and I am just really looking forward to Sunday and a day of rest!
January 14th: Linda's cousin (Jim and Jane and their son, Ben) came up from St. Maries to have dinner, visit and see our new home!
January 15th:  Took boys to psychiatrist...new medications for each to try...both to help calm their anxieties and I wish I had some for myself too.
January 16th: The mortgage company did not put enough in the escrow account so our mortgage payments are going up...I thought it is their job to know how much to charge...ugh...feeling a little stressed these past couple of days.
January 17th: Made a call to attorney to start putting together conservatorship and medical power of attorney for Mark when he becomes and adult.
January 18th: Linda left yesterday and, now that the holidays are behind us, I am starting to feel like things are finally getting back to "normal"
January 19th: Finished reading Effortless Health by Joseph Mercola for the Good Food Book Club next weekend.
January 20th: Defrosted the small chest freezer and found that we have LOTS of blueberries and raspberries to eat...chocolate raspberry muffins for breakfast!
January 21st: Mark went bowling with the Buddy Club today and I started reading a book about geese.
January 22nd:  Just when I got caught up with work and thought things were going good...then, work stress happened today...ugh...
January 23rd: Yesterday, Joshua came home from school and said he had a "good day at school" and I have not heard this from him for months (new medication?)...
January 24th:  Another stressful morning, worried about SB work...might have to quit...
January 25th: Had coffee with a friend then Mark got home from school early (because it is the end of the semester) and took a 4 hour nap...maybe he really is getting something OR it could be new medication...
January 26th:  Went snow tubing on Silver Mountain!
January 27th: Mark took another nap this afternoon and generally seems TOO quiet...going to stop the new medication and see if he snaps out of it...
January 28th: Mark has now stopped eating and drinking which is VERY unusual.
January 29th: Mark was up ALL night and will still not eat so I took Mark to the doctor and they could not really find anything...low grade fever and assuming his throat is hurting because he is not eating.
January 30th: Took Joshua for a well check and then had to pick up Mark from school because he could not stay awake.  He slept most of the day...
January 31st: Trying to end January on a positive note but it has been a stressful month, Mark finally slept last night!

February 1st: Quiet day, Mark finally made it back to school for a full day, got lots of work done and attended the United Way or Pullman Annual meeting.
February 2nd: Linda called (first time I have heard from her since her knee surgery, it was nice to talk to her) and lots of work done today!
February 3rd: Worked in the morning and tried to get Mark out for a walk but he ended up taking a late afternoon nap...he is getting better but not 100%.
February 4th: The Eagles won the Superbowl, yeah!
February 5th: Quiet day, 3 people have asked for applications to take over as Executive Director for Families Together so that is promising.
February 6th: Started working out in the yard again...found some spring bulbs coming up!
February 7th: Busy day with multiple appointments and meetings for me and both boys.
February 8th: It warmed up to 52 degrees, which is VERY unusual for this time of year and the bees were out!
February 9th: Went to an Advanced Farm Law workshop and learned a lot about Liability insurance.
February 10th: Met a friend for a drink this evening...really needed that!
February 11th: Henry rented a chipper/shredder and we spent the entire day chipping up little tree branches and still have more to do!
February 12th: Got hair lightened and had lunch with Henry; great day!
February 13th: Had to turn down my first new Support broker client today which made me sad but I am trying to put my family first.
February 14th: Nice Valentines' Day...busy with lots of work...unfortunately, Joshua's new counselor just quit!
February 15th: I learned that you can tap birch trees to make syrup and we have a bunch of birch trees...
February 16th:  It has been a busy week and the boys did not have school today so it felt like Saturday (but it was only Friday!)
February 17th: I was supposed to be at a chicken workshop today but it got cancelled, went for a walk with the boys.
February 18th: Got to start a little pruning on some of the trees in the yard and Joshua and I put up one of the bird houses I made.
February 19th: It was President's Day so the boys were home from school and we made a trip to psychiatrist and went out to eat for lunch.
February 20th: Busy day but ended with going to a presentation about Guardianship and alternatives to guardianship.
February 21st: I was told that Mark threw a 12 pound ball 100 times during weightlifting class!
February 22nd: Found out in the afternoon that a grant was due TODAY...stayed up late getting it submitted!
February 23rd: Joshua went to a dance at the middle school and I got to hold the cross for Stations at the church.
February 24th:  Date night with Henry at the University of Idaho Jazz Festival.
February 25th:  Henry said there was a big blizzard coming and Joshua's youth group and my book club was cancelled and then this blizzard never showed up!
February 26th:  Caught a queen yellow jacket in the house!
February 27th:  Busy with work..saw 2 bunnies playing in the snow this morning!
February 28th:  Got up early for a trip to Boise to work on Person Centered Planning (PCP) initiative.

March 1st:  Great PCP meeting but had to fly back at 9:00PM and drive through TERRIBLE, white out snow conditions to get home from the airport in Lewiston.
March 2nd:  It looks like the worm bin has mites...yuck...too wet so I added some wood shavings.
March 3rd:  Started drawing off of my continuous kombucha...so excited!
March 4th: The bees are looking good and I have started to pull dead tree limbs out of the apple trees.
March 5th: There was a great horned owl sitting on the deck railing today!
March 6th:  Spent the day at the Tools for Life Conference!
March 7th: Went to an ABLE training, this allows adults with disabilities to save money without losing their benefits.
March 8th: Made it to the Farmer's Market vendor meeting...some new changes but mostly the same.
March 9th: Counseling for Joshua today, Stations of the Cross at church and then out for a drink with a friend!
March 10th: Got to work in the yard on the garden area, made a bee block, and put out bait in the yellow jacket traps.
March 11th: Worked in the yard on garden area and put up 3 bird houses...beautiful spring day!
March 12th: Bought our swim passes for the pool this summer...Mark kept saying "swim passes" when we were there to get our passes, then he wanted to go swimming...
March 13th: Busy day, finishing up work and packing...
March 14th: The boys and I flew out to meet Henry in California!
March 15th:  Spent the day at Disneyland!
March 16th:  Went to Huntington Beach!
March 17th:  We all flew back home!
March 18th:  Resting up from our trip...prayers for Joshua needed...really pushing the boundaries...
March 19th: Got caught up with work...rough night with Joshua...he does not want to go to high school.
March 20th: Had to commit Joshua to get him some help.
March 21st: Drove Joshua up to Kootenai Behavior Health in Coeur d'Alene...he will be there for 7-10 days.
March 22nd: Lots of work and it rained a bit...got my black locust trees that I will plant tomorrow.
March 23rd: Helped with the Disability Film Festival showing of the movie, Bottom Dollars.
March 24th: Pretty quiet day, worked in the garden area and almost have the ground covered there.
March 25th: Worked on the garden area and again took a nice walk with Mark.
March 26th:  I had a stomach bug all day and just felt crappy...
March 27th:  I thought maybe Mark caught what I had so I kept him home from school but I was wrong...planted 5 trees and 4 blueberry bushes...saw a red headed sparrow at feeder (I have not seen this one before).
March 28th:  Tried to visit Joshua but we would not come out to meet us.
March 29th: Joshua seemed better this evening when we talked to him on the phone...worked on the yard and got the rose bushes cut out of the raspberries.
March 30th: Today seemed to go so fast...Henry went to visit Joshua in the evening so Mark and I hung out at home.
March 31st:  A lot more work on the garden today...almost finished with mulching things!

April 1st: Easter day...had a delicious ham and visited Joshua...hopefully, he will be coming home later this week.
April 2nd: A winter snow storm off and on all day but melted by the end of the day.
April 3rd: Finally finished all the mulching I start in February and starting to move hay bales for the garden.
April 4th: The facility where Joshua is wants to send him to the State Hospital in Boise...I said "no" and hopefully, he will be discharged back to us in a couple days.
April 5th: Joshua may be coming home early next week...I was hoping it would be this weekend...
April 6th: It has been over 2 weeks and I finally got a call from the school asking about Joshua...hopefully, he will be discharged on Monday or Tuesday...
April 7th: Very rainy, cold and windy day...cleaned up and organized the garden porch (finally!)
April 8th: Caught another yellow jacket queen on my newly cleaned up garden porch!
April 9th: Excited to learn that I can go and pick up Joshua tomorrow...had interviews for my position with Families Together.
April 10th: Very busy...went to pick up Joshua in between 2 meetings!
April 11th: Good counseling session for Joshua today...going to work on crisis plan prevention...
April 12th: Snow and hail today...come on warm spring days...where are you!
April 13th: Busy day with work and watched Blues Brothers movie in the evening.
April 14th: Moved more bales to the garden area...about half done...
April 15th: Moved more bales...getting close to being finished with this part, luckily it rained last night which helps to get them wet and ready to condition for the garden.
April 16th: Moving more bales and finishing up the bottom on the pallets for the garden...took boys to the psychiatrist...still issues with Joshua...
April 17th: Super busy day with support broker work and then to a Family Resource fair in Lewiston in the afternoon and a dodgeball fundraising tournament to benefit Families Together in the evening.
April 18th: Mark had 2 rage attacks today...luckily, he calmed down right away after he got the food he had requested but it was still scary and I hate that this is starting up again...
April 19th: Joshua's annual IEP meeting today...it went well and we decided to take him out of speech...
April 20th: Mark had a bad day at school and tried to attack his aide but had a good evening...hoping we are moving out of this phase...
April 21st:  Great day working in the yard...put up bee block and bat house and planted 2 grapevines!
April 22nd: Very long day...Henry was gone all day and the boys were both acting up...makes me so anxious...
April 23rd: Enjoyed the 4-H spaghetti feed and bought a strawberry cake.
April 24th:  Mark woke up in a good mood, Joshua can serve his lemonade at my Farmer's market booth (got permission from the market manager today) and the meat locker called to say they found our bacon from our half hog we bought last month!
April 25th: I have been losing sleep over my drip irrigation system for my garden so I am just going to have to sit down and figure that all out...
April 26th: Started Family Support for Joshua...they are going to try and help with the homework issues we are having (that Joshua will not do it...)
April 27th: My friend called and said she had some canning jars for me...a couple of days ago a different friend gave me all her canning supplies and I bought more jars at the church rummage sale...I am all set for canning!
April 28th: Set up my drip line for the sunflowers, put out the coddling moth traps and planted a sugar maple and 2 cannon firs) for future Christmas trees.
April 29th: Pulled a tick off Henry and Buster today...yuck!
April 30th: Planted sunflower seedlings outside and went to the theatre acting class performance.

May 1st: Can't believe it is May...the peas are finally starting to grow and I mowed and turned the "closed" compost bin today.
May 2nd: More mowing and finally got my lemon tree! and another walnut, pear, and rhubarb.
May 3rd: So nice and warm today...more mowing and turned the "open" compost pile.
May 4th:  Planted some arugula, the compost pile is HOT and more mowing (still not finished...)
May 5th:  Trellised grape vines, finishing up the soaker hose installment and had tacos for dinner!
May 6th:  Henry and I went to the top of Steptoe Butte, it was crazy windy but neat to see!
May 7th: Had to drive to Lewiston to meet with a client, planted some sunflower seeds (hoping it will rain tomorrow) and still mowing.
May 8th: Got my herb garden planted (right before some rain came)!
May 9th: A wren is building a nest in one of the bird houses I made!
May 10th: Joshua has been suspended from school for the rest of the week...ugh...my sweet potato slips came...yeah!
May 11th: We were going to try and burn some brush but it started to rain, finally got lawn mower tire back from the shop, I had to take it in twice...was not fixed the first time.
May 12th:  Had a bonfire of old bushes/branches...cooked hot dogs and did smores.
May 13th:  Went morel hunting and found over a pound of morels!
May 14th:  Joshua's golden birthday today...turning 14 on the 14th...he wanted a pink cake with pink frosting!
May 15th: Starting to plant some more things in the garden...it has been abnormally hot the past couple of days but I think rain showers are coming today...
May 16th: I have noticed that the slugs are eating my sunflowers...laid down some wood ash and put out some beer traps.
May 17th: Attended a Certified Family Home meeting to learn what we need to do to get ready for Mark's transition.
May 18th: Planted my food forest with herbs and flowers today and started some counseling to help Joshua.
May 19th: Saw a Western Tanager bird...very colorful!
May 20th: Starting to plant things in the garden...super exciting but I used some chicken fertilizer and thought it was compost so I think some things I may have to replant...oops.
May 21st: The neighbors don't want me to mow after 7:00...so disappointed because the evening is the only time I have to do that.
May 22nd:  I am SO excited that I had a load of wood chips delivered from the "electric" company!
May 23rd: Starting to plant my cucurbits but a lot of them didn't grow and I had to re-plant.
May 24th: I am starting to realize that I need to start planting more sunflowers or I am not going to have them all planted!
May 25th:  Busy day with work and counseling appointments...got lots of mowing done.
May 26th:  Lots of work done in the yard and watched a movie with Joshua in the evening.
May 27th:  Lots more work...moving wood chips to the garden.
May 28th:  More work in the yard...weeded around my sunflowers so you can actually see them now!
May 29th:  Joshua stayed home sick from school...I have been reading Where the Red Fern Grows with him.
May 30th:  Our 20th Anniversary!
May 31st:  Planted my last two shrubs in my food forest and started a mushroom patch in my garden!

June 1st: Watched the barn swallows flying around eating bugs.
June 2nd: I got some cucurbits from the Farmer's Market and finished up planting my bales!
June 3rd:  Took the boys for swimming at my friends house (but Mark just stayed in their garage the whole time).
June 4th:  The psychiatrist had an opening for Joshua (we were going to have to wait until July 2nd!)..trying some anti-anxiety medication.
June 5th:  My bees swarmed...there were 2 swarms and we captured them both and I kept one and Alison (bee keeper friend) kept one.
June 6th:  Last day of school...I now have a Freshman and a Senior in high school!
June 7th:  Boys headed to the Buddy Club BBQ while I did a presentation about Families Together to the Rotary.
June 8th: Boys and I flew out to Kansas...it was a long day with getting in at 1:00AM!
June 9th:  Took it easy and slept in, went to Walmart to get food for our stay in Kansas.
June 10th:  Went fishing with cousins...got about 5 catfish and a bass...will eat for lunch tomorrow.
June 11th: Went swimming with the boys and got ice cream!
June 12th:  Went swimming with cousins and saw Aunt Monica.
June 13th:  More swimming, Tyler had been visiting and left today.
June 14th:  More swimming and got to catch up with a good friend.
June 15th:  Went to Emporia to spend time with Darlene's family...went bowling.
June 16th:  Went to the Emporia zoo and swimming with cousins.
June 17th:  Father's Day and cooked some ribs for my dad.
June 18th:  Henry has been dealing with Coal not eating...decided to let him to go heaven (insert sad face here).
June 19th:  Fly back to Idaho...Mark was up all night but slept on the long flight.
June 20th:  Started playing Pokemon Go again but I will have to learn how the raid battles go...
June 21st:  First day of summer...fertilized the garden and finished weeding around the sunflowers.
June 22nd:  Took the boys to the river today and then Joshua went to a Family swim party at the pool with Henry.
June 23rd: Trying to catch up on support broker work...Joshua refused to go to church and had a big fit about it.
June 24th: Set up a reward system for Joshua which seems to be helping.
June 25th:  Mark went to the swimming pool for the first time this season with Ashley (his Community Support Worker).
June 26th:  Another rough night with Joshua...
June 27th:  Had to admit Joshua to the ER (another sad face this month).
June 28th:  Still waiting at ER with Joshua for placement at a psychiatric hospital...
June 29th:  Joshua was discharged from hospital...the case manager at the hospital thinks it is just poor parenting (another sad face).
June 30:  Put a lock on Mark's door so Joshua can not get in...

July 1st:  Joshua did not sleep all night...first sunflower is starting to open up.
July 2nd:  Saw psychiatrist today and got some new meds to try for Joshua.
July 3rd:  New meds seem to be working and taking off some of the edge but still having some issues...
July 4th: Spent some time working in the yard...Henry took Joshua to see fireworks and Mark and I went to bed!
July 5th: The person that was supposed to take over my Families Together job has decided she does not want to do it...back to the drawing board...
July 6th:  Have been working for months to get some respite to help with Joshua and had our final intake meeting today..ugh...really needed the support about a month ago...
July 7th:  Started working on moving wood chips again...expanding the sunflower area...
July 8th:  Went to a friends house because they are moving and they gave me a bunch of yard tools, cart, soaker hose, solar panel, electric chainsaw, etc...yeah!
July 9th: Starting to get hot here, putting wood chips around the sunflowers to expand the area for next year.
July 10th:  Henry and I went to a CPR and First Aid class to prep for when Mark turns 18 so we can care for him in our home.
July 11th:  So, I was finally able to get back to the mowing...since it is not raining, once I make it around the farm, this will probably be the last time mowing...
July 12th: Things are really heating up...temperatures in the 90's
July 13th:  Went to the river with the boys and picked about 10 pounds of wild blackberries.
July 14th: Henry's birthday and my first week back to the Farmer's market..only had 37 flowers but sold out!
July 15th:  Picked a big bucket of raspberries and went swimming at my friends house.
July 16th: Almost got caught up on my support broker work...weeded in garden and food forest, saw some grapes growing!
July 17th: Very hot day...tried to use some charcoal that we had from our burn pit to make dinner but it did not get hot enough...
July 18th:  Put up a long row of fence to try and plant some peas on!
July 19th:  Working on sunflowers again...putting down mowed grass and then cardboard and wood chips on top of that to expand area.
July 20th:  The boys and I went to the river...tried to find wild blackberries but no luck...will have to go back to the other place and get some more...
July 21st:  At Farmer's Market with Joshua (he was selling lemonade)...talked to a lot of friends!
July 22nd:  Went to pick blueberries and huckleberries!
July 23rd: Another rough day with Joshua...had to call 911 and go to Emergency room.
July 24th: Busy in the yard with expanding sunflower area...saw a hummingbird!
July 25th:  Joshua had a good counseling session and we went to the church swimming party this evening.
July 26th: Super tired tonight so just took a break and watched TV.
July 27th:  Went to the river with the boys and picked more blackberries.
July 28th:  One of the busiest days ever at the Farmer's Market and a Families Together pool party in the evening.
July 29th: Went huckleberry picking and took my friend, Joe.
July 30th:  Making jams to sell at the Farmer's Market on Saturday.
July 31st:  It was supposed to get super hot today but I guess there was some smoke in the air that kept things cooler...(low 90s instead of upper 90s)
August 1st:  Can't believe it's August...the peas I planted a few days ago are growing!
August 2nd:  Mark's last day of summer school and met with a new counselor to see if they could help with Joshua.
August 3rd: Went to river with the boys...the heat has let up so it felt good.
August 4th:  At the Farmer's Market and had a great day...the flowers are really starting to bloom now!
August 5th:  Went to pick huckleberries again!
August 6th:  The wheat field behind our house was cut and in the evening we could see all the coyotes.
August 7th:  My tomato plants have so many tomatoes that they are falling over!
August 8th: Busy work week, I have turned in 5 plans this week...usually, I only send in 1 a week...finished putting wood chips around my sunflowers!
August 9th:  100 degrees today...going to take it easy...watched a movie in the evening.
August 10th:  Over 100 degrees again today...went swimming at my friends pool!
August 11th:  Had a good day at the Farmer's Market...running out of jams!
Augusts 12th:  Tried to catch up with things in the garden...picked a bunch of beets and pickled some!
August 13th:  Thought things were going better this morning with Joshua when he asked to buy a bag of individual chip bags for his school lunches...then, I had to give him his emergency medication to help keep him from escalating in the afternoon...
August 14th:  Saw a frog today in the compost bin...so happy...frogs are good for eating bugs!
August 15th:  My mushroom patch is starting to grow!
August 16th:  Got to show my garden to a friend from out of town!
August 17th: Took Mark to the pool in the afternoon and then put together 60 sunflowers in arrangements for a friends 60th birthday party!
August 18th:  A good day at the Farmer's Market, sold some Red Sunflower jelly to a sunflower farmer from southern Idaho.
August 19th: Pickled some banana peppers and made cowboy candy!
August 20th:  Worked on the compost bins...finally getting some nice compost!
August 21st: Finally getting back to the mowing although most everything is all dried up at this point.
August 22nd: Made my last batch of Red Sunflower jelly for the Market this week.
August 23rd:  Been a rough couple of days again with Joshua but we went to the high school to pick up his schedule and that went well.
August 24th: Last day at the river...already getting cooler and school starts next week.
August 25th: Last day at the Market...went well!
August 26th: Got our first rain in over 2 months!
August 27th: Took Joshua to counseling and he had a good session.
August 28th: The whole family went to Silverwood for the day!
August 29th:  Joshua's first day of high school and Mark's first day of his Senior year.
August 30th: Cleaned the kitchen and the garlic for storage...need to harvest the potatoes.
August 31st: Got Mark's budget for his adult services...very happy!

September 1st:  Can't believe it's September!  Worked on the farm today...been a while since I was out in the garden!
September 2nd: Henry made me a raised bed and I dried some anise.
September 3rd:  Happy Labor Day...had to work a little for 2 of my jobs but made ribs and had corn from the garden (unfortunately, it lacked flavor...)
September 4th: Trying to finish up the mowing for the year...got more rabbit poop and a HUGE bag of coffee grounds to add to the compost pile.
September 5th: Interviewed someone for my ED position...I think she is going to work!
September 6th:  Had our septic system pumped today...the guy that did it wanted to buy Henry's little kids tractor.
September 7th: Mark did not sleep well so he was pretty edgy at school and then he fell and really scraped up his knee...brought him home to get some rest...
September 8th:  Dug up the potatoes...could NOT believe the size of some of them!
September 9th: Lots of work in the garden making new raised beds and took Mark for a walk at the arboretum.
September 10th: Trying to finalize details for the Mom's Night Out event next Monday!
September 11th: Went to Coeur d'Alene for a training about emotional regulation.
September 12th:  Went for a hike around Tubbs Hill!
September 13th:  Getting lots of new Pokemon while in Coeur d'Alene!
September 14th:  Linda and my birthday!
September 15th: Still working on finalizing details for the big Mom's Night Out event on Monday!
September 16th: Got some farm fresh eggs from my friend!
September 17th: Worked on getting some services for Joshua and did the Mom's Night Out!
September 18th: Catching up on Support broker work and took boys for haircuts.
September 19th: More support broker work, took Joshua to counseling, met with client, went to grant meeting and met with another client.
September 20th:  New Habilitative Interventionist has started working with Joshua...fingers crossed
September 21st: Tried to catch a Mewtwo in Pokemon but didn't get it.
September 22nd:  Made 4 pints of pesto!
September 23rd: Made 7 pints of salsa!
September 24th: Starting freezing corn...got 3 quart bags so far...
September 25th: Potluck meeting of Catholic Women's League and got to see and talk to Janet.
September 26th: Had a massage and ended up going to bed at 7:30!
September 27th:  There was a bomb dropped off at a Goodwill donation site just about 0.4 miles from our house!
September 28th: Helped a friend with you daughter that was having a meltdown and then we went out for drinks!
September 29th: Busy day building another raised bed on the farm.
September 30th:  Turned the compost bins and starting to take down corn from the garden, picked more tomatoes.

October 1st: Watered everything in the garden for the last time...cold weather is coming...
October 2nd: Today marked 100 days until Mark turns 18!
October 3rd: Trying a new medication to try and get Mark to sleep at night but he fell asleep at school and I had to go and pick him up.
October 4th: Thinking a LOT about the farm next year...heard the coyotes going through the yard this morning...
October 5th: Got a new juicer and started juicing the apples to make hard cider.
October 6th:  Still working on juicing the apples...
October 7th:  Finally got enough juice to start my cider.
October 8th: Found a recipe for cider jelly...may have to try...
October 9th: Went to farm funding presentation at Hunga Dunga.
October 10th:  Joshua had 4-H meeting in the evening and wants to participate in the Know Your Government program...it was a bit of a surprise to me.
October 11th:  Working on cleaning up the garden and getting my compost pile set for the winter...Joshua and I watched a movie in the evening.
October 12th: Made some salsa verde with green tomatoes...I think I actually like it better than red tomato salsa and it's much easier to make.
October 13th: Got my raspberry and pear flavored hard apple ciders going.
October 14th: Still working on cleaning up the garden and building up the compost bins.
October 15th: Made some apple bbq sauce...not sure I like it though...
October 16th:  Made some apple cider jelly...I think it will be a hit!
October 17th: Picked pears at the neighbors house...they are huge!
October 18th:  Had coffee with Nora and Joe (and got a HUGE bag of grounds)...traded some homemade cider for farm fresh eggs.
October 19th:  Made some pear preserves today...love them!
October 20th: Took boys to U of I homecoming parade and then we went to the Buddy club Let Everyone Play baseball game in the afternoon.
October 21st: Got some free furniture from friends that are moving out of the area!
October 22nd: Got my agribon (floating row cover) in the mail...took it to my seamstress and going to have her put elastic around the edges so I can put them over my stock tank gardens.
October 23rd:  Took Mark for his annual physical and his blood pressure was high so we are going to have some more testing done.
October 24th: Had a massage and went to a fundraiser in the evening to support some activities for kids with disabilities.
October 25th: Starting to plan a trip to Edmonton, Canada...probably in March 2020...
October 26th: Mark had an ultrasound of his kidney to make sure it is functioning properly because of the high blood pressure issue...he had to lay still for an hour and did great!
October 27th:  Took advantage of the nice weather and the boys and I went for a hike at Phillips Farm.
October 28th: Henry drove the Ranger around and I stood in the back and picked apples off the trees...got 3 five gallon buckets full.
October 29th:  Went to Joshua's parent teacher conferences...he is doing good in school so far...
October 30th:  Got another load of wood chips today...very busy with getting them all in place before the snow comes!
October 31st: Joshua went trick or treating with his friend downtown...I watched a scary/funny movie and made the traditional "dead mans" meatloaf.

November 1st: Can't believe it is November...no school for boys...Mark and I went on a rainy walk.
November 2nd: The boys competed in the Special Olympics bowling competition today.
November 3rd: Canned some more pears, pear preserves and apple juice...finished putting the sunflower bed to sleep for the winter.
November 4th: Put studded tires on car and handed over the Quickbooks to new Director for Families Together...my duties are really diminishing in that job!
November 5th:  Joshua went with Henry to the polls to watch him vote!
November 6th:  Checked on my hard cider and the raspberry one is clear!
November 7th: Mark had to get an allergy shot and then he had an IEP meeting after school.
November 8th:  First really cold morning (23degrees)...everything is frosty!
November 9th:  Grateful the bank took off 2 insufficient funds charges that totaled $50...met Henry for lunch at Chinese restaurant!
November 10th:  Took Assistance with Medications class and passed!
November 11th:  Canned apple pie filling, hot apples, apple juice, and applesauce while Henry started with the wood cutting.
November 12th: Took water sample in to have analyzed for Certified Family Home certificate...I think all that is left is to have wood stove inspected.
November 13th: Water sample is free of bacteria which is great to hear since we have been drinking it for over a year now!
November 14th:  Mark put himself to bed tonight...can I get an Amen!
November 15th: Starting to take Mark's blood pressure and weight every other day...weight is starting at 267.4.
November 16th: Took Mark to the trampoline park and got tomatoes out of the freezer to process.
November 17th: The tomatoes are not thawed out yet...can't believe how long they are staying frozen...Mark and I walked to church.
November 18th:  Processed the tomatoes and took the boys to a bowling birthday party for Joshua's friend Reed.
November 19th: My friend, Joe, brought over a poinsettia!
November 20th:  Took both boys to psychiatrist and then out to eat at Dairy Queen...Mark has not had any cheeseballs the past 2 days!
November 21st: Henry fixed the door on the barn which had basically rotten off...I got about 15 bags of leaves and ran them over with the lawnmower and put in the garden and on the compost bins.
November 22nd:  Thanksgiving Day...had a wonderful meal and took Mark out for a short walk.
November 23rd: Did a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping, went to a movie with Joshua and watched David in the evening.
November 24th: Got the Christmas decorations out.
November 25th:  Klenda parents 46th anniversary...made some elderberry syrup.
November 26th:  Took Mark for an x-ray of his bowels...trying to figure out why he is "leaking"
November 27th: Henry and I went out to a retirement party for someone that works at WSU and then out to drinks...first time we have been out since May!
November 28th:  Call from the school that Joshua is bugging a kid and won't leave him alone...luckily, he talked it out with his counselor that afternoon...
November 29th: Busy with support broker work...had a bit of a headache that would not go away.
November 30th:  Henry took Joshua to the Christmas parade downtown and we started up the wood stove!

December 1st:  Starting working on Christmas gifts for immediate family.
December 2nd: Continued with Christmas gifts and enjoyed the fire and a movie.
December 3rd:  More Christmas gifts and Joshua took a bath!
December 4th: Got up at 3:00AM and left for the airport to fly to Boise for a meeting...
December 5th:  All day meeting in Boise about Person Centered Planning.
December 6th:  Flight back to Pullman was cancelled so had to get a hotel room for the previous night and fly into Spokane this morning.
December 7th: School called again saying Mark was sick but he was not and we went jumping at trampoline park.
December 8th: Quiet day at the house working on Christmas gifts still...
December 9th:  Went to Catholic Women's League breakfast and got to sit and talk with my friend, Janet.
December 10th: Went to a meeting and one of the people didn't show; went for a walk in the snow.
December 11th:  Took Joshua to dentist...went to bed early.
December 12th:  Had a new idea to try and re-direct Joshua so we would not have behaviors in the evening but it did not work (sad face)
December 13th:  Concerned about Mark's constipation and Joshua seems to be going off the rails again...ugh...
December 14th: Took Mark jumping after school and he jumped the entire hour!
December 15th:  Saw some gold finch type birds in our cedar tree!
December 16th: Harvested my pepitos out of the pumpkins!
December 17th:  Joshua fled after school...luckily his HI found him at the park but it took almost 2 hours to get him to come home.
December 18th:  More troubles with Joshua leaving school and police tracking him down at his friends apartment...ugh...
December 19th:  Got a much deserved massage today.
December 20th:  Thankful for a quiet day.
December 21st:  A huge tree fell down right in front of our house...grateful that it missed the fence and the trampoline!
December 22nd: Henry started cutting up tree...will have lots of good firewood for next year.
December 23rd:  Cut down our Christmas tree and decorated.
December 24th: Went to church and worked on learning how to make sourdough bread.
December 25th:  Mostly a quiet Christmas...had a delicious prime rib!
December 26th:  Watch Home Alone 2 in the evening...started working on the Certified Family Home paperwork.
December 27th: Finally started experimenting with the dried zucchini from last summer to make some bread.
December 28th:  Went for a walk with Mark at the arboretum and ran into the neighbors!
December 29th:  Took Joshua to counseling and experimented with a no knead wheat bread for dinner.
December 30th:  Started to deep clean house...way overdue on this...
December 31st:  Visitors came for a visit and I made an apple cake...great end to 2018!