More Spring Updates: Chickens and Nettles

Nettles:

This past Fall was exciting, because we (mainly Jack and Justin) harvested TONS of Elderberry for me to make lots of different medicines with. I ended up tincturing about the equivalent of 32, 2oz. bottles of Elixir, and also made several 16 ounce jars of Syrup that ended up lasting me and my friends throughout the entire Fall and Winter of colds and flus, which seemed like such an amazing blessing to me. Well, this Spring, it's going to be Nettles! As I mentioned in my last blog, I found a huge patch of Nettles at my favorite local spot on the Willamette, and I've now gathered quite a bit of the leaves, leaving plenty to go to seed, of which I will gather a limited amount, leaving the rest to reseed themselves, as I've read some great things about Nettle seeds on Kiva's blog and their effect on adrenal fatigue, and am eager to experiment with that as soon as the time is right. But for now, I am hoping to try and live through the Valley's allergy season with a lot less suffering, as Nettles is pretty famous for it's allergy fighting properties. I'm also anxious to see if it will have any effect on the pain in my right knee joint that has been giving me some trouble this last year, as it's supposed to be good for that as well. You know, I had absolutely no knee pain a day or two after arriving in New Mexico when we visited in November, which promptly came back nearly the minute we stepped off the plane in Oregon and got wafted by that thick, wet air. Yet another reason to long for the SW (although I sure don't miss the VERY dried out sinuses that kept me up some nights). 

Anyway...

The first round I gathered, we cooked up into a stir fry, which Justin and Isabelle seemed to really like, but I was not super crazy about, for some reason. These came right from the banks of the Willamette, and I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but it seemed like they had a super fishy taste to them, almost like catfish or some other bottom dwelling fish I resented having to eat as a kid. Whatever the reason, I wasn't crazy about them fresh, so I started drying them. They keep longer anyway, and if I change my mind about having some fresh, I'll drive the 5 miles to go get some. 

this bucket was full yesterday, but I've been slowly working my way through them since then, and still have about half a bucket left.

 I busted out my new dehydrator I got for Yule for the first time for this adventure. It didn't have a Nettles option on their list of drying times for some odd reason, but I can tell you from my experience so far, you can cut that 1 day drying time they have listed for "Greens" in half for these as long as your not overlapping them on the racks or anything. Spreading them out one layer thick, just touching each other, and not even rotating them, it took about 12 hours for the first two batches that I've now managed to dry completely. After they've been hanging around your house, waiting for their turn in the dehydrator, you can even cut that time in half again.

Here they are all dried and ready to go... Isabelle had way too much fun pulverizing them, using the smashing and stomping in the bag method. ;) She also thought the mortar and pestle was pretty neat too though. Kids are great slave labor, when they think they're getting to play. ;)

I figure i'll end up making a little less than the pound bags you can get from Mountain Rose for $4. Doesn't save you a ton of money, but it's amazing to do it yourself!

Chickens:

In other news, we got 8 new chickens and a rooster the other day! Seven were from a friend I had agreed to do a housekeeping trade for, and the Bantam and "mutt" rooster were from our neighbor Jack who had 7 too many roosters and is coincidentally bringing some chicken over for a barbecue in a few days. ;)

This is one of the Auracana's from Arianna. They and the Americauna's are my favorite so far, for their looks and personality. They are kind leaders and free spirits, laying eggs in strange random places, and look a lot like owls and hawks! I <3 them! This is the one I believe Isabelle named Stardust, after the movie and the book, which by the way, are COMPLETELY different from each other! I mean, only the very basic elements are the same in the movie from the book, otherwise, it's a completely different story. Completely! Sorry... just finished that recently and was really annoyed about it, so had to just say something. The book was WAY better. As if that needed saying.

This is our Rooster of unknown lineage, and no name as of yet. Justin wants to name him, but for now I'm calling him Punky Rooster. He's purty! 

Update: I've been informed that his name is Rooster Cogburn. Mine's wittier! :P

Here's more of the new flock, including the little black Banty on the left next to Punky Rooster Rooster Cogburn. We named her Paquita, cuz she's just little! There's another Auracana of which there are two, a Barred Rock, one of two Rhode Island Reds, and one of the two Golden Sex Links. They don't have names yet, but it's nothing personal, as most of the babies don't even have names yet, and we've had them for over a month now.  

Speaking of which, here are the cuties, looking a whole lot bigger than the first time you saw them here, on the video Isabelle and Justin made. There are 14 in the coop, and one in the house still trying to mend a gimpy foot, with a "boot" Justin made, as per some suggestions we read up on, on the Backyardchickens.com forums. She was thrown in for free and may not make it, as she's not growing very much and still has very limited mobility. :( Also, one of the Bantam's we bought died a few days after we brought them all home, which was quite the heartbreak. :( Her name was Penelope and she was the tiniest and loudest. We'll miss you little peepers! Ah, the woes of homesteading life.  

Hey little ladies!

One of the first eggs from our new adult chickens! So exciting! Our very own eggs! We've been eating lots of awesome, farm fresh eggs from the neighbors, but they're even better when they're your own. My most favorite of breakfasts lately is just simple over-easy eggs and masa cakes. So good!

This one looking right at the camera for me is an Americauna that looks an awful lot like an owl, whom I have named Moon. She has the prettiest lavender colored feathers...

On the far left here is another Americauna named Starhawk... Really wish you could see her face and coloring better to see how Hawk-like she is. She's beautiful!

The last of my Americauna friends, seen here drinking from one of our nifty chicken nipples, is Hawkeye, another very hawk-like beauty. I have never been so gaga about chickens! I mean, I've always liked them in a distant kinda way, but I have a real affinity for these birds! They are so soft and beautiful and smart! I heart them! I heart them a lot! 

Okay, well... That's my update! Thanks for reading! I'll let you know how that Nettle tincture turns out! And I'm sure you'll hear lots more about the chickens for years to come. I hope! 

Overdoing it Vs. Underdoing it, and Frustrations with My Health and Limitations

Spring is springing up all around us, and I have been so excited to see the changes in our little acre homestead, as well as getting super excited to start/or finish some long awaited projects that we can finally get to now that the weather is starting to warm up and occasionally dry up. So things have been very, very busy the past week. Unfortunately, this means I've been running into a lot of frustration with my current health limitations putting a big wedge in the spokes of getting as much done as I'd wanted to. I actually had quite the break-down about it tonight, as I have been working a great deal in the yard the past few days, as well as having a constant string of company and kids over, right after getting over what was a very bad cold, and really just FEELING it all come bearing down on me and feeling like utter crap! But really, there's nothing new with that. The only thing new is that there is SO much I really want to, and feel like I have to, physically accomplish right now to get all that I want to do done this year. It just feels like there's this great sense of urgency to get as much done as possible... like I have to accomplish nearly a lifetime of things in this next year, or I lose... Game over. Really, it just feels like the culmination of a lifetime's dreams and goals finally coming to fruition at once. Or a whole semesters worth of homework due during finals week! Things that I've spent MANY years dreaming about and looking into doing are going to become reality this year. It just has to happen. By the end of it, I want to have my own real business, making actual money, doing the things I love, and living as self-sustainably as possible. So the past several days, I've really gone to town on the garden beds, that have been greatly neglected and over-run, by pulling out TONS of Oregano and Day Lilies that had just taken over everything, and tilling up the GORGEOUS soil to add many herbs and a few bulbous veggies, as well as getting many starts started in the greenhouse.

 Justin's been putting some finishing touches in the chicken coop, and the babies are finally in there for the first time tonight, with a tarp for a roof until we can get a permanent one up.

Isabelle and I helped move in the straw bedding we had picked up yesterday for them, and helped move in all their waterers and feeders, and I think that's what really set me off... The straw got to me so bad, I nearly lost my voice for a few hours, and my head still feels like it's swollen and throbbing from all the sneezing and snotting I did. It just feels like it's ALWAYS something! I was sick last week, and a couple weeks before, and a couple weeks before that! And my periods knock me on my ass every time, totally debilitating me for a few days out of the month, and I'm just so sick of it! If I were someone listening to me, I would think it was all in my head, and I'm even  starting to believe it, because I have been trying so hard to be good to myself for so long, that I'm really starting to think I've gone round the bend. I feel like I've done so much to try and improve it, by changing my diet and using herbs to stimulate my digestion, and relax my fried nerves, and I just don't understand why I still feel like total shit ALL THE F'ing TIME!!! It's making me INSANE!!! There's so much I want to do... that I HAVE to do to accomplish my goals, but I have to put limits on myself, or my body will. Hell, even when I do limit myself, my body still has something to say about it! It's so much a part of the reason I haven't been feeling like venturing out to shows, or to see friends who are further out now. Everything just takes so much effort, that by the time I've done the menial things I HAVE to, I'm completely spent. I'm just really, really, REALLY sick of it.

On the plus side, I found a wonderful place to wildcraft, and discovered a huge patch of Nettles! Plus, I'm attempting to start some Nettles from seeds. So the road to health can't be much further, right? ;) sigh...  There's not much more I can say about it. There's also less and less I feel I can do about it. I changed my diet. I started taking herbs that were supposed to help. I've been tested for nearly everything, with future tests to come, and I'm just out of ideas for now. As well as out of hope for anything new to ever work. And I'm also quite honestly burnt out on trying when so far nothing has worked. So I just go on with life and try as hard as hell to enjoy it as much as I can despite feeling like crap all the time, because really, what else can you do?? Seriously, anybody have any ideas?? I'm desperate!!!

Chickens In The Tub Gone Wild!

This is a video my daughter Isabelle and my partner Justin made while I was at work yesterday, as a homeschooling project. I was asked to say that part at the beginning when I got home, but not told why. I think it's brilliant! Plus, you get to see some really cute chicks! Check it out...

New Blog, and a Year in Photos...

Decided that instead of revamping my old blog that I would create a completely new one! I may still use the old blog, but the past year has brought so many new things into my life that it only feels right to start anew with this blog representing the new me, and our adventures in this next chapter. I'll start with this first post chronicling the entire past year in photos. Pour some tea or coffee and relax as I guide you through our year...

Justin and I met almost exactly a year ago, March 12th, at a St. Paddy's day show at Sam Bond's. It was a Pogues cover band (KMRIA), and this pic was taken from the bench I was standing on when Justin introduced himself to me and kissed me on the hand. <3

He sent me a text the next day that said, "some people are just born beautiful". I was hooked! This is us a couple months later... 

This was also the first year I got to explore Bend at all, after 5 years of living here. We stayed in a yurt, which was also a first, and had way too much fun... I'd really like to make it back this Summer. It reminded me a lot of New Mexico, which I miss terribly, so would really love to explore this area more.

This pic is of Justin and I in Bend, exploring the plant life. See?? Looks a lot like NM!

Myself, Heather and Lori having the way too much fun. ;)

Next we went camping for my birthday at Hobo Camp on the Row River, up past Dorena. It was a breathtakingly beautiful place with woods, a river, and waterfalls. It was a completely magical time, and definitely going down as one of my fondest memories to date. 

The magic campsite right on the river...

kids, friends and guitars... good times!

The gorgeous Row...

Heather and Michele, soaking in the rays, and basking in the soothing sounds of the roaring river...

Hobo Falls! Completely awe-inspiring!

In July, Justin's mom and daughter came out all the way from Tennessee, and it was a fun-filled couple weeks spent mostly out in Dorena, where Justin's sister and Grandma live, right on the Row. Here's a pic of Just, and his near-grown daughter. It sure was so great to meet you Aiko! You're so much fun!

We also got to spend a couple days at the Coast, with Justin and his family, which was just such a blast. Justin's mom rented a house right on the beach, with some awesome tide-pools to witness in the wee hours!

We found a Sea Faerie!

This photo Justin took of me is one of my favorites of all time. It really captures the feel of the place to me. <3

Fairly soon thereafter was the Faerieworlds Celebration, which was a completely magical time. Lots more photos of the events can be found on my Facebook but this photo of the altar at the main stage, with Woodland playing in the background, was definitely one of my favorites...

 Here's one of Isabelly all decked out in her faerie garb. Didn't take long for her to lose the wings and the parasol and give 'em to me to lug around all day though. ;)

And here's me in my cat-faerie get-up... ;)

Here's Justin in his Pan outfit. It was so convincing, we got stopped fairly regularly by folks wanting to nab his picture. They're out there on the internets somewhere... There was even a lady that wanted to specifically take a pic of his belly (it is a wonderful belly, but I thought I was the only one to appreciate it as much), and another lady came up to him and told him he was the real thing (Fey)... Yes, indeedy!

 And here's one of the lovely Joey and her beautiful girls... I made the wings for everyone. It was a labor of love. <3

This woman was breathtaking! Quite possibly my favorite costume of the entire event.

This is Nymbol and his maker. He and his kiddo's all hand-made their puppets, and put an a pretty amazing show for us all. 

This was definitely my second favorite costume. I just love her colors and her style. She IS most definitely a the real thing also...

And the winners for best group outfits go to these guys! They've actually inspired many ideas for this years costume for me, as they are just so lovely in their naturalness...

This is one of the last photos of Isabelle and I taken in our townhouse in Eugene. This was right before we headed out to the Eugene Celebration. Oregon is so amazing with all it's festivals and celebrations! I feel pretty darned blessed to live in such a beautiful, diverse place. 

For example, these amazing B-Boys! Ouch?

And a Eugene icon, the Further bus. Ken Kesey and his family have made a huge impact on this community, supporting arts and community efforts...

Earth DecenDance put on an amazing fire show at the Celebration... There were performers on nearly every street corner, and such amazing vendors. There is just so much talent in our community!

Much of the rest of the Summer was filled with lots of little river trips, and camping adventures... I cannot wait til the weather is warm enough again for this! I have to admit that the winters here are pretty hard on me. Instead of getting used to them, they seem to get harder. The reward is during those 6 months of the year when it's amazingly gorgeous, and your surrounded by immense green-beauty all around...

In October, we moved out of the townhouse in Eugene, where Isabelle and I had lived for exactly 2 years, and we got a little place out in the country, close to our friends Jack and Joey. I will probably move my blog post about the process of getting this place over from my other blog just so you can know how much effort we put into making this place ours. We are now starting to turn this place into a real homestead, with the chicken yard finished, a coop going up this week, and a greenhouse next. Justin has lots of plans drawn up for the gardens that you can see on his blog that should hopefully be happening really soon also. The sedentary-ness of the winter (which has been in FULL effect! lol) is about to be over and big time. There are so many huge plans in the works for this place! I'm so excited!

Also, I have started on the path to Herbal learnin'! Near the end of last year, I started many tinctures, syrups and salves. One of the most prolific was the Elderberry elixir I made. It's helped me already, several times this year, and should be enough to last me til they're ready to harvest again next year! <3 Elderberry!

My salves cooling!

My Herb Shelf! Justin is going to be putting up some more of these for me hopefully soon. :D

Here is my Isabelly and her friends on a bike ride on our country road! I love this pic...

Oh, and when we moved in we added another member to the family, "Ocie"! She is one of the 5 kittens I fostered from 4 weeks old til 4 months. She was the only one left at the adoption place after about a month, so I took her back! Yes, I am turning into the crazy cat lady! :D

Isn't she just so cute and sweet though???

Another AMAZING thing that happened this year was a long awaited trip to New Mexico!! Home of my heart! I do love the Pacific NW for so many reasons, but New Mexico has long felt like my true home, which this trip further solidified for me. It is the plan that in the next 8-10 years, to be able to buy a chunk of land and move out there. Until then, I hope to be able to return sooner than every 5 years or so! These photos could and should probably be a post unto themselves, but this is the year in photos, so I'm keeping it on here.

 There are again, many more photos on my FB, as it really is a most enchanting and beautiful place. I have lived all over it, from Pecos to Truth or Consequences, but I really fell most deeply in love with the area that is Catron County. It's one of the biggest and least populated counties in all the country, which is probably part of the draw for me, well that and it's intense beauty. Don't you ever just watch movies like "Jeremiah Johnson" and wish to know what it would've felt like to wander this land long before we "civilized" it?? Well, New Mexico provides for you a bit of a taste of that. I'm sure there are other places in this country I've yet to see that do the same, like Montana and Alaska, but NM pulls on my spirit more than any place I've seen thus far, and I miss it terribly...

This is the cabin on my Dad and Stepmom's land that we stayed in. It is also the cabin they lived in for nearly 2 years while they built their current house. It's one room with minimal electricity and no indoor plumbing. I miss it!

A morning visitor, the Raven... got to see him and his kind nearly everywhere I went on this trip...

My folks own 10 acres of land backed by BLM land, with my Stepmom's folks 10 acres on one side, and her folks friends 10 acres on the other. There are some neighbor houses to see from some areas of the properties, if you try real hard, but other than that, it's an oasis in a sea of Scrub Oaks and Junipers. I  totally fell in love with these trees and probably took more photos of them than might be considered normal, but I just love the way they grow in response to their often harsh environment. They are dwarfs compared to our towering firs and oaks of the NW, but they can grow OUT almost as tall, forming amazing acrobatic feats of twists and turns, making them a most magnificent natural work of art.

My Dad and Rolly... <3<3

My Dad and Justin... Two peas in a pod <3<3

My folks cat Tigger. He's been around for I don't know how long, and here he's trying to fill his water bowl with his Jedi powers...

My Stepmom's parents got to make it down in time for Thanksgiving and to see us, which was a really nice treat. They are such lovely people...

Another wonderful gift of getting to go back to NM was the opportunity to make a trek out to the Anima Center again.

I love the people and the place there so much! Ever since my first trip out there several years ago, I have felt very tied to the place, as it is completely magical and intense. Or as Loba here said, "it's like New Mexico, on steroids"! Exactly. You can NOT come away from that place without being completely transformed. Every time!  

SO much love for this woman!

This is the gorgeous wood stove in her lovin' kitchen! The food she prepares is some of the best, if not THE best, I have ever eaten! Incorporating wild foods into everything she makes, as well as lots of love and intention, makes it the delicious art that it is. 

You might not be able to tell it, but there's a lovin' kitchen over there, up and behind those rocks. This was taken seated by the lovely San Fransisco River, by which they dwell...

Said River...

Looking up at the Ponderosa's near my cabin...

Said cabin! The "Goddess Lodge"...

View inside the "Goddess Lodge"...

View of the Cliffs near the Anima Center...

Cougar? tracks I spotted on my hike out...

S/he seemed to be following these... Javelina? tracks...

And finally, when I was near to where I parked my car, I spotted a flock of Wild Turkey scaling the cliffs...

Do you see him? It's blursula, I know, but he's there...

We also got to witness the "Festival of the Cranes", a yearly celebration at the Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Sanctuary near where my folks used to live in San Antonio, NM. This is where THOUSANDS of Sandhill Cranes and Blue Herons, Geese, etc. flock to every year in route to warmer climes. As proof of our human impact on the planet and it's inhabitants, the turn-out this year was record lows. Sad. Just look at these magnificent creatures... Sad to think they could be leaving us.

We should be ashamed...

New Mexico sunsets are some of the most brilliant I've ever seen...

Here's Isabelly with her Emma and Grandpa, hammin' it up at the Bosque...

Moonrise over the Bosque...

We also took a day hike out behind the VLA (Very Large Array), after a little picnic. The one and only pic of the gang, and everyone looks bewildered except for Izzy. heehee!

 There were so many wonderful rock formations in this Canyon... What was it called again, Terri??

Crone Rock....

Camel Rock...

Turtle Head...

Skull Rock? or Grayskull? ;)

George Washington Rock?

Oak Grove...

Fox Scat!

Here's what we saw on the way out... 

Also got to drive up to Albuquerque to see an old friend all too briefly... <3

The rest of the Winter pretty much went like this...

Yule...

Isabelle made Ugly Dolls for everyone, the owl she made for Angela being my favorite...

Here she is modeling the new Wildcrafting Basket I got at a White Elephant party...

Here's Justin modeling a miniature version of himself and looking harrier and harrier all the time. I love it!

All the amazing presents I got this Holiday... I am blessed!

Heather, Michele and Grace on a country walk near our house... <3

Then... SNOW!!! Finally! The rest of the country was blanketed in it, getting sick of it, and I just wanted something to finally stick for once! Here's our Heavenly Bamboo off the front porch covered in it... <3

 The view from the corner of the backyard...

And that's all folks! It's March again, and the start of another new era for me. The first couple of months of 2011 have been pretty bumpy, but I'm hopeful for things looking up soon what with the change in the season and all the new things blooming more and more all around us. Thank you all for reading! Looking back like this, and compiling all the years memories this way, has made me realize what a great blessing this past year has been, which is exactly what I needed right now. It's my hope that this blog will be more of a real blog than my last one and I will be better about chronicling the important events of my life as they happen, instead of saving them all up for the end of the year. ;) Look for lots more homesteading and wildcrafting photos as they happen, as well as recording the festivals and things that happen all around us here in Oregon, as they're soon upon us.

Much love!

~Amanda Lynn