AmandaLynn: Big, Long, Overdue Blog

Oh my, oh my! Where to begin?? My head feels fit to burst with all the things running around it these days! It must be the change in season... everything is more active! As you can see in the pic below... The grass is one of the most active things around these parts, and it drives me a little batty. We've also started making some egg sales! Had our first stop-in and buy customer the other day, and we're setting up egg delivery times in nearby towns once a week, since we make weekly runs there generally anyway. It's not a ton of income, but at least it pays for what little feed we need to buy, since the chickens have access to an all-you-can-eat salad and bug bar everyday, plus a little extra to hopefully help cover the cost of the cat food as well. Self-sustaining goal #1, complete! ;)

In more exciting news, we just had a visit from my dad and stepmom, who have been homesteading for quite a bit longer than we have, and definitely contributed some valuable gems to the knowledge base while they were here, while also helping out with a few things around the place, which was pretty wonderful! My dad and Justin tore down all the old rotting wood on the existing arbor frame, and started from scratch with some of the neighbors prolific bamboo, with his blessing, so with that and the use of some free twine from another neighbor, and some free roofing nails from craigslist, we completely re-purposed they heck out of that arbor! The men-folk started out by creating a roof with some of the larger pieces of bamboo, slightly bowing them to add a little height to the inside of the arbor, and propping that up in the center with a matching beam found in the yard.

I'm a little bummed that you can't see it better in this pic, but my dad and I created this bluebird design on the North side of the frame, where future grapes will someday be. We have a bit more work to do on the wings, taking thinner pieces of the bamboo to work down and out, towards the ground.

Isabelle went with this Tee pee-like design on the South side, leaving space for a doorway, and some of the old, existing framework that we couldn't remove because it had already been overrun by Honeysuckle! It was fairly prolific last year, and I'm looking forward to even more this year, as I've got an agreement with this place, and it's been responding really well so far! ;) Recently Kiva Rose posted a nice little recipe for Honeysuckle honey on Learningherbs.com. There's also a monograph on it on her blog, as well as an Herbalpedia excerpt on it at Herbmentor. We have a pink variety here, and I've yet to work with it as medicine, but I am anxious to see if the experience is similar to the texts, once I start working with it later this Summer. It sounds like a wonderful remedy for the common cold and flu, as well as fever, and in combination with my favorite Elder medicine we've used so much this year, I look forward to it being a dear ally.

I created a "Triple-moon"/Spiral on the West side, mainly letting the bamboo do what it wanted to do, and using very little in the way of nails and twine in the process. Hops has already started to shoot up on this side, which will hopefully be a great aid in calming my over-productive moon-cycles, the odd sleepless night, and other issues. There is a great monograph about it on Learningherbs.com, from the Herbalpedia, for more information. I don't think I would use it very often, especially in the Winter months, as it's counteridication seems to be for people with history of depression, and I'm sure there are other things I can find to use for my issues that don't work in exactly the same way. But, I am definitely up for trying it out and seeing how it does work for me, since everyone's different in how they react to certain herbs.

Finally, Justin created a Sun on the East side of the structure, where a mystery plant has recently sprung up! I can't wait for it to get a little bigger and possibly flower, to get a good ID!

While my folks were here, we also did a nice cleansing of the property, as that's something I never did upon moving here. When we were first trying to get this place, I came here and made an agreement with the plants to protect them and take care of them if we were granted the privilege to live in this place, and nearly everyday I go outside and talk to them and see how they are doing, and try to listen for them to tell me anything they might need. I have also gone around and asked some of the more "fierce" and thorny among them to be our protectors as well, and I included this again in our cleansing walk around the property with Isabelle, Justin and my folks. My Dad helped in guiding some of the energy, and I made a speech in each direction, asking for welcome and protection. This was spurned by a series of bad dreams experienced by all of our guests as they slept here. I have also had this experience off and on, and mostly on, when we first moved in here. There is a theme of loss of love, cheating, and being put out of home, as well as some menacingly playful "Coyote" type spirits that can feel threatening, and I certainly don't want any of my guests to have any of this unwanted energy around them when they come to visit, ever again. I feel we did a pretty good job, and felt that confirmed at a dinner over here the night before my folks left when another of our guests noticed the positive energy shift. This makes me feel lots better. That combined with some guided meditations that my parents' friend Lily Rose invited me to participate in, I have felt a whole lot lighter lately, even with some serious financial stresses hanging over us recently. Thank you for sharing Lily Rose!

Other than that, we went on LOTS of lovely walks around the neighborhood, as well as some of our favorite, short drive jaunts. Excited to see some Creeping Blackberry in flower! Can't wait for the fruit!

Camas is bursting onto the scene once again in all it's beauty and glory! I just love how blue and yellow flowers look growing together, as they often do here with the Camas and Buttercups, and often on the roadside, the Chicory and California Poppy. Can't wait to transplant my baby California Poppy plants this weekend!!

We got to witness a heart-touching scene of this adorable, playful baby horse suckling it's mama. We've got to see this little guys' progression from day 1! It's been very touching...

We took a walk into a part of the William L. Finley Wildlife Refuge that we've yet to go on, and it quickly became my favorite trek thus far, with it's little winding creek beds...

... lovely boardwalk over marshy lands...

...and massively ABUNDANT plant-life!

I've been struggling lately with the fact that my knowledge of the plant world seems so limited. I make mistakes left and right, with similarly looking plants, or just plain forgetfulness, and it has been fairly discouraging. I recognize that I have pretty much taught myself everything I know, from internet articles and books, as well as asking every time I'm anywhere where there's plant life, "what's this?" to anybody who will listen, and I realize that the level of education that I want would probably take at least a couple of years in a structured setting, and will most likely take double that amount, if not longer, in my self-education via free and cheap-when-I can-afford-it ways, but knowing all of that doesn't matter. I want it now! (envision Varuca Salt of Charlie and the Chocolate factory singing, "I don't care how, I want it now!", here, because that's totally how I feel) It goes back to that sense of urgency thing again... feeling like I better get my act together and quick, that I know I'm not alone in feeling right now. So anyway, tangent aside, I have no idea what half of these gorgeous plants are. I just know they are beautiful and I want to know them. Oh, and I make mistakes in identification. I will try and go back in my blogs as I find these mistakes and fix them, so the rest of you don't go out in the world just as mixed up as I am. ;)

However, I did find these stunning Wild Irises at a clearcut on one of our recent outings...