Live, Love, Farm By Susan Berry, Horticulturist/Homesteader I live and work on Itzy Bitzy Farm, which was born out of a dream and perseverance. I am a fourth generation Massachusetts resident. My husband, Don, and I owned and operated a 4-acre farm in North Carolina for eight years, where ...
Her favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. She was born in 1928 and grew up in a traditional limestone rock farmhouse near Garnavillo, Iowa. The house my grandma grew up in did not have electricity until she was well into her teen years.My Grandma and I have virtually nothing in common. She was a ...
I grew up in a small rural town, and I've lived in that same small town my whole life. With grandparents that farmed, there's are things that I notice -- or at least try to notice every time I pass a farm.For instance, there seems to be a dog on every farm. Ok, maybe not every farm, but most ...
I remember the first time it hit me. I was standing on the back porch after a long day's work and all of a sudden reality set in. This is never going to end.Let me pause here and say this is not going to be a doom and gloom story. There's reality, and then there's truth. Reality is what gets ...
Look at any photograph of farms and ranches in the 1800s, and you'll likely see a working windmill in the landscape. The windmill was one of the inventions that made settlement of the Great Plains possible. (Others included sod houses, barbed wire, and perhaps even the Colt revolver.) Windmills ...
I woke up Monday morning to the first snow of 2018 here in northeast Missouri. Even though there was snowfall on Christmas eve, that had pretty much melted away. Monday morning there was another one inch of the powdery white stuff for myself and the dogs to walk through.It was mornings like ...
Not everyone who wants to begin living sustainably can move out to a homestead and work their own land. Sometimes this effort must start in an apartment, in a city, in a suburb. So how do you live frugally in such a compact space? Lolo Houbein has the answer in her book, One Magic Square ...
Very rarely do I get acceptance from fellow antique tractor collectors. I've decided that the reason is probably the obvious. I'm a woman in a man's hobby. Yes, I know. Heads and eyeballs are going to roll with those words, but I can't help it. I'm not bashful about pointing out the obvious. ...
It happened that day just as it did almost every other day. "Mom," said 10-year-old Tristan as he walked in the door from school, “I want an iPod. Even Sophia in Grade 2 has an iPod." Cody echoed Tristan's sentiments. "I'm the only one in my class without a phone," said the 12-year-old. And ...
In the 1990s there was a show called Bay Watch. Beach lifeguards saved lives and tried to solve their personal life issues. There was a lack of clothing and lots of sunshine. Little did I know that my marriage to a farmer would bring back this drama … in the form Birth Watch, a calving ...
Who doesn't love a hot biscuit right out of the oven? Here on the farm, biscuits are a staple and always a huge hit. This is a great recipe to have on hand as the weather gets cooler. We are working outside getting the winter bird feeders set up, trying to catch the rest of the fish from the ...
I sometimes wonder if consumers know why their patio pots thrill my soul. I mean, here I am on this big ole farm watching the cows and donkeys graze and I think their patio pots are amazing?Yes, indeed, patio pots and city gardens and backyard coops (if your city allows it) absolutely delight ...
How do double yolks happen? My mama’s hen, named Bobby Lou, laid a huge egg recently and set me to wondering how she did that. So, I contacted my blog friend, Lara, who works for Minnesota Poultry. She knows all sorts of cool things about turkeys and chickens. I love getting together with ...
Dear friends,A couple years ago, we took a wonderful trip to Ireland, and of course, we needed to kiss the Blarney Stone like everyone else even though it is a ridiculous moneymaking tradition. The grounds were beautiful, and we enjoyed our walk to the castle. Like others we’ve toured, it ...
Can we all say it together? WE'RE SICK OF WINTER!!! This one has been especially tough here in the Midwest. Since it's our first winter on our Wisconsin farm, we've had a real education in rural living ... or should we say survival! We are now pros at heating with wood, and I've learned what ...
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