This week the landscape has changed again as the snow has melted. The runoff has transformed the dry creek beds in the ravines into lovely babbling brooks. This evening Sarah and I heard the first chorus of spring peepers marking the arrival of spring. With spring here we have a lot to do, we have…
Escaping the unusual temperature swing
This week has rocked the nation with an unusual temperature swing. When I wrote last week’s post the temperature was in the single digits and falling. Now it’s in the mid-40s with warmer weather fast approaching! However, people all over the south and midwest found themselves trapped in their homes (ourselves included) for most of…
Winter Bares its Teeth as we Prepare for Spring
Posted on Author SpencerPosted in Forest Management, Gardening, Mother-in-law house, Stories2 Replies
This week winter decided to bare its teeth. We’ve had freezing rain, snow, and the coldest weather we have seen since we moved to Missouri. The cold has taken its toll on the homestead. Despite the winter bearing down though we have started to prepare for spring. Little Kittens With additional family and animals, moving…
Slow and Steady: Real Life Jenga for Keeps.
This week on the homestead we made some slow and steady progress on the mother-in-law house. For part of the project, it almost felt like we were playing Jenga on a large scale with much higher stakes. Pull one board out, put another one in, wait to make sure nothing goes wrong… But, it feels…
Something lost, something gained, and a light at the end of the Crawlspace
This week on the homestead we continued our mother-in-law house repair. We can finally see the light at the end of the crawlspace! However, to break things up a bit, I will share some other news. We have had sad and exciting happenings here while I have been stuck beneath a house. Something Lost About…
Breaking Into the Void with Friends
Last week we dropped the floor in the mother in law house to start fixing. We were hoping to quickly fix it up so that our relatives, Abby and Keanu, could move into it and finally remove it from my to-do list. We were severally disappointed in our hopes. This week we go into the…
It is Always Worse than you think
You know how when you start a project and you think you know how what it will involve. Then you get into it and you find out you vastly underestimated things. Well, this week I experienced that in a big way, and I was reminded that when it comes to home repair and maintenance it…
State of the Homestead Address: 2021
This time of year is often a time of reflection on the past and planning for the future. Since we moved to the homestead a lot has transpired. We have learned a lot, accomplished a few things, and started laying the groundwork for our homesteading dream. This is a cliff notes version of what we…
What to do with leaves: exploring leafy opportunities
What to do with leaves? If there are any trees on, or near, your property then you have looked across your leaf-covered front lawn each fall. A great many people round them all up and ship them off to the local dump. However, leaves can be a treasure trove of opportunity. Protect flowers One of…
Home remedy mishaps: learn from our painful mistakes!
Home remedies are a great way to take care of your family with having to go to the doctor. A lot of home remedies find roots in folk knowledge, like eating chicken soup if you have a cold. However, home remedies can be more complex. A little access to the internet and before you know…