Hello beautiful people of the world!  In today's blog I am going to share what our life on the Homestead has been like lately, and what we are working on at the farm. We are often pulled in many different directions and that is truly the case right now, but it certainly keeps things interesting so let's dive right in!

Anxious to get started on gardening!

For starters, Travis has been doing work on the side for a local company doing I.T. consulting work, but he is really itching to get his hands in the dirt! So far he has planted three rows of greens. One row is planted with Premium Green Mix.  Then he has a row with Arugula and Kale in it, and a row of Allstar Salad Mix. Next up, he will work on getting a few more rows ready but I am not sure yet what he will be planting in those spaces. The rows are one hundred feet long each and produce roughly 50 pounds for the first cutting.


The Odell Lot

For anyone who may not be familiar with our works, my husband Travis started a market garden in 2020. He worked hard to obtain a certification for Naturally Grown Produce in the Columbia River Gorge.  He is a master at producing food!

 He always has been so it only seemed natural for him to share it with others.

In our little green house here at the Homestead we have multiple varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and some lettuce heads planted. Travis will be starting on building a new walk-in cooler and he also has plans to upgrade the wash line system. He wishes to build a larger greenhouse on this property at our Homefront, however, that project may need to wait until fall because there is just so much to do that we are forced to make project decisions based on what is most important at this time, to the least important. That seems to change weekly, if not daily. 

A bonus is that the garlic made it through the winter so we are excited about that! We use garlic for many things and it always sells out during the market season.

Weather and water

We recently were doused with another few feet of snow.  It was heavy, wet snow, and melted quickly.  Now we are in the midst of a moist spell, with sporadic rain.  The rain is great for the gardens but not so great for the pasture pets. There is much mud clinging to our boots and the smell in the field is not exactly fresh. The hooves are a mess, the floors are mess, and the dogs are a mess, but let's not under appreciate the fun of slipping and sliding in a bit of mud from time to time. Ha!

Oh the mud...but Joe sure is cute!

We will at least take advantage of this rain and soft ground to hopefully dig the trench for our son's tiny house to be hooked up to electricity and water as soon as we can. This is now the perfect time to do it!

I love this time of year because soon the annual wildflowers will bloom and the earth will be covered in bright green grass that reminds me of the hills of Ireland, or at least what I imagine Ireland to look like since I have never traveled there personally.  (Goals.)

The green, fresh flower season will be fleeting as always, but so wonderful and hopeful as always too. Plus, we are thankful for the rain because the separate garden lot in Odell will not have irrigation until May 1st. I pray the soil until then will remain refreshed and the time will speed quickly by.

Tiny House

It is coming right along!  I feel overwhelmed at times, but also as if we are in the home stretch at other times. Our son Trevor has one more grand purchase, and that is the composting toilet system. All the other main appliances have been purchased. Drywalling has been completed, there has been two layers of mudding put on the drywall, and now Travis is working on sanding it down while Trevor is sealing the windows with caulking and finishing up some other touches. Here is our latest tiny house video log update.

I must say...I LOVE it!  This little house as far exceeded my expectations! (I can't speak for the guys though.)  I knew it would be great because we had a pretty solid plan to begin with, but it is turning out to be so creative and unique.  We tried to duplicate a model of a tiny house in Alaska that we had found on-line when we began this adventure back in the fall, but due to a few size differences of the main structures, and some difficulties in getting some of the appliances and supplies, it has not turned out the same but so much better instead! I will make a new blog soon on what we have accomplished since the last tiny house blog, and I will add further cost of supplies since then as well as total price spent so far. All of which has been paid for by our son.

I am so inspired by this that I hope we get to build another tiny house in the future!  Whether it be for another one of our kids (I don't think the other two will follow suit however) or whether Travis and I build one for ourselves, I just really am in love with the idea of enjoying such a cute, small, functional space that offers cheap living or a perfectly comfortable work space. What more does anyone need?  When life gets downsized to be so simple, small, and affordable, it opens up so many other doors, opportunities, and future endeavors while simultaneously offering a debt free life!  

Our family unit and our little animal kingdom

I am happy to share that all of us under our roof are content and well, and I thank God every day that we are so blessed with good health. I am still part of a car pooling group that drives our teenage son Blake and a few of his friends back and forth to town for school, but other than the high price of gasoline these days, I am grateful for this car pooling group of wonderful families.  It is nice to be "trapped" in a car with three fabulous and fun young people, hear what they have to say, and listen to their camaraderie with each other. There are a few fresh new drivers in the mix, but we still stick with the carpooling for reasons such as sharing vehicles with family members, some vehicles of which are in the shop or needing repairs, and one of the kids is very new to driving so still needs practice, but it's all good and we are blessed!

Next up, please pray for our mare Willow as a new vet is scheduled to visit this afternoon to work on her teeth and do some routine care.  We need some rounds of vaccines and I need some vet advice on how to feed Willow as she ages because it is becoming more of a challenge with each passing season. Her Birthday is Thursday (St. Patrick's day) and she will be 22-years-old!  She still has a lot of fire and spunk, and I just love her so much, along with her little gang of misfits, the mini horse, Joe, and the two goats, Clover and Nugget. We can't forget the group of three senior dogs and a sassy cat who live with us in our small house. The old dogs have needed some recent vet attention as well. Phew!  I am so grateful to God and Travis, and all the people who have donated, for aiding me with the cost of these animals' special care diets and needs because I could never do it all alone, but these precious animal souls give me a reason to strive every single day!

Willow

I once had a dream to open a small animal rescue/sanctuary, but the reality of the expenses and work load of keeping senior sanctuary animals well is far too difficult at times, so I am happy to give the current ones in my care the absolute best of everything we have to offer them in their life with us, and just focus on keeping them well and comfortable. 

A heartfelt realization

I have been chastising myself much lately because I haven't been feeling particularly motivated or inspired.  I haven't kept up with the story board out front for visitors that love the animals.  I haven't written many blogs.  I have even stopped writing my next book even though I am so close to being finished, and I am not really baking home made breads or goods like I used to either.  

I have just been focusing on family, animals, and every day life.  I have been purging and deep cleaning, sometimes very random things such as cleaning the window blinds with a toothbrush or cleaning out the oven by hand.  I am finding satisfaction in such simple yet time consuming jobs like I never have before, and I think it's from the gratification of seeing the significant before and after differences. It is so satisfying and at least I still feel I have a goal each morning when I wake up. The rest of the time has passed in a bit of a haze, with a pet of one kind or another constantly at my feet or by my side.

During this time of heart, home, and reflection I have come to realize that perhaps I am feeling the weight of the world right now like everyone else must be. It is all just too hard to ignore. I mentioned the price of fuel is so high, but also food and supplies can no longer be taken for granted. Plus there is no ignoring that the war with Ukraine has ramped up and so much is happening in the world, across the whole globe, that's it's all just so, "in your face" around every corner. I am comforted to know that my family is very fortunate, but this also saddens me so much for others who are suffering loss or struggling with financial strain or any other hardships.

This morning I took some time to re-fill the hummingbird feeders and sit on the porch where I enjoyed watching the zippy little sugar eaters for a time. If the birds can be joyous and active, lively and gay, then I have decided I can too!  But I also must honor myself enough to know that we can not make a flower bloom when it is not ready, which is how I have felt for the past month or so. Self care is so important.

I simply refuse to accept that what I hear and see out in the world right now is all there is to come. I can not hole up in my cozy home forever so instead of worry and fear for the future, I choose happiness in the now, and to always look for the good and beauty of others, but I also choose right now to simply take one day at a time, in thankfulness for my life and loved ones, while we wait, wonder, and watch what will unfold in the world. And I truly look forward to spring.

So to all the beautiful people reading this today I say, "Thank you so much for following along with us and supporting our 3 Corners Farm journey! We love you all and we are so happy you are with us."

Until my next blog posting, stay well, take special care of yourselves and each other, and may you be blessed.

Amy E. Darr

3 Corners Farm

Mosier Oregon, U.S.A.