Tag: farm life

On the Importance of Chickens

~ Crystal Sands ~ 2 Comments

I know I am biased, but I think a good place to start in prepping for the future is with chickens. They are so versatile and not only provide food but also provide fertilizer for a garden. They are also a joy, and that’s going to matter.

Whether you have chickens already or are thinking about chickens, I thought I might share some advice and things I have learned about keeping chickens over the years that might be helpful. I will go into more detail about some of these topics in the coming weeks and months, but I thought a list of ideas this morning might be helpful. Then, others can add to the list, as I am sure there are things I will forget.

This is Petty and her brood from last fall. By greatest luck or some kind of blessing from the chicken gods, every single one of her six babies was a girl. In this picture, we have Annie, Clara, Jacqueline, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Lenore.
  1. I recommend starting with a good coop. If you have to use a cheaper little coop you can buy online, I think that’s a good place to start, but most people I know end up having to make modifications to those, especially if you live in a colder climate. A sturdy coop can make a big difference in the long run. We converted an old shed, and it has been great.
  2. To cut down on predators, I think it’s important to think about placement of your coop. Ours is close to our house, and I am so thankful for this. If you have farm dogs who protect chickens, then this may not be a worry, but I am a big believer in coop placement near your home if you can do it. Yes, there will be noise in the summers, but those egg songs equal good food.
  3. I think it’s more important than ever to get heritage breed chickens. I lucked into a heritage rooster, and his genes have been so good for our flock over the years. I have tried purchasing from local and reputable breeders but have not had good luck in the long-term genetics department. Our sweet Rooster is nine years old now and has had the best genes. We need a similar rooster to add to our flock. Rooster gets to stay, but he just doesn’t make babies too much anymore. We have a rooster, Dvorak, who is also a great boy and will get to live out his life, but he is only about three years old and clearly do not have the best genetics. I will not get babies from him anymore. This spring, I will be purchasing some heritage breed chickens from the most reputable breeders I can find online. I think it’s going to be about tracking down people who specialize in the breeds I want, and I am going to be looking for people who have been breeding these chickens for decades, not just a few years. I have found that people who have been in it for just a few years may be doing good work overall, but they may not know about longevity. I will share what I find out with others.
  4. Get or keep broody hens. If you know someone who has a broody line, ask them for babies or hatching eggs. Even though I curse the way our flock goes broody every summer, there are some perks to this. When we need more chickens, we can get them easily and efficiently. I think it’s a good idea to get an incubator as well, but with some good broody hens, you can have baby chicks without using electricity. Broody hens will also raise ducks for you. I have read that you never want a mama duck to raise a baby chicken because she will accidentally drown the baby chicken, but a mama chicken can raise baby ducks. Ruby and Petty, it turns out, who go broody all summer and will raise babies so well, are worth their weight in gold.
  5. Start saving scraps to feed your chickens. Keep a bowl in your refrigerator and save every little scrap. It will add up and help you cut down on feed costs. Affording feed may be an issue, so making good habits related to scraps right now seems like a good idea to me. Plus, it eliminates food waste.
  6. With the cost of feed in mind, I think it’s important to think about the size of your flock. You want to think about your needs, what you can share, and how much you can feed. Depending upon your area, you may also want to consider bird flu outbreaks. Here in Maine, we had a terrible outbreak two or three years ago, and we got lucky. However, the outbreak reminded us that we do need a smaller flock in case our flock had to be locked down in a covered run to protect them from bird flu.
  7. My final thought for this morning is that you definitely want to learn how to compost your chicken poop. Chicken poop is one of the best fertilizers for your garden because it is complex, but it does have to be composted. A few years ago, I got my husband to make this video to show people how he does it. There are other ways, of course, but this one works very well for us. It is a shame to waste good chicken poop! Just keep in mind, if you grow an organic garden, you are going to want to feed your chickens organic food.

I would love to hear your tips for keeping chickens. What advice do you have for others who are new to chickens or who just want to step up their game?

PS It felt important to add that, while I was writing this post, I was also putting a dinner on. I put potatoes, turnips, carrots, and onions underneath a roast in a large pot to cook on low all day. All of the vegetables came from our homestead. The roast came from a local farm and was expensive because it was humanely raised and grass fed. It cost about $25. That pot of meat and veggies will feed our family for two meals, so that’s $12.50 per day for our family of three to have a really nice dinner each day.

Where do we go from here?

~ Crystal Sands ~ 6 Comments

I think we have to keep doing what we have been doing–only extra.

It has taken me a bit to get to where I felt I had something to say. I have been worried about the 2024 presidential election for some time, and well, it didn’t go as I had hoped. It’s not like I think Democrats have all of the answers; in fact, they disappoint me most of the time, but I have gradually learned that my standards for what a government should and should not do are different than most Americans’ standards. I have been coming to terms with that lesson in the most profound way the last couple of weeks.

Most importantly, I think, I have been coming to terms what we can do in order to get by during tough times. If you are a person who thinks the economy is going to be great under the upcoming President’s policies, then this blog is not for you, and I will just say you have no idea how much I hope you are right. But if you are a reader who listens to the economists and who understands who works in the American agricultural system, you might be pretty worried about what the future holds economically, not to mention socially. Please read on.

I am gravely concerned.

I deeply understand that Americans were frustrated and worn from high prices for groceries and other goods, (Interestingly, we did not feel the inflation on groceries as much as others because we grow so much of our own food and live by a buy-it-once system that I will talk about later.) but two things that will absolutely make things worse is deporting our agricultural work force and tariffs. Every economist I know or have read says so. Obviously, there is no point arguing that I think this is a mistake. The deed is done. America has spoken. We have to accept that these things are likely to happen–and we have to prepare.

I think we are going to be looking at some very high prices for groceries, even more so than we are experiencing now. Things may get better for a time, but the economist I spoke to said it won’t last long, if at all.

And climate change isn’t going anywhere. Natural disasters are going to continue to destroy crops at alarming rates. If deportations happen, losing 40% of our agricultural work force is going to do a number on grocery prices. On top of this, I worry about bird flu. We have already seen outbreaks in the U.S. impact the prices of food. These outbreaks are not going to magically go away. In fact, according to scientists, bird flu outbreaks are likely to get more common because of climate change, and we are starting to see cases of it jumping to humans.

In the coming weeks and months, I plan to start sharing more–and more specifically–about what we already do to be self sufficient on our homestead–and what I am learning as well. I have much to learn, and I will share what I find out. In the immediate, it is also important to look to your community. What resources can you share? How can you work together? We are going to need each other.

I watched a video made by a woman who lives in an area of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene. They had no running water, no electricity, no internet, no cell phone service, and no roads. She said, when the outside influences were gone, people came together. She said everyone organized, shared food and generators, and helped the elderly and children. She said MAGA people were working side by side with people on the far left. When the outside world was no longer influencing people, they came together. This is in us. I hope we can all find it.

I think it is also important to start assessing. What skills do you have? What skills do you want to develop? What resources can you share with others? What do you need to buy before tariffs are implemented?

And, of course, hopefully, I am wrong about all of this, and things are going to be okay. If that’s the case, in the coming weeks and months, the things I share with you will help us all save more money, make our households more inflation-proof, take greater advantage of the resources we have, and avoid processed foods, which are just terrible for us and our children.

I am going to make a promise to write every day for the next year. The journal is also coming back in the Spring with a focus on education more than ever. This is how I am going to keep my hope alive. Please share with me what you are doing to be prepared and remain hopeful.

photo credit: Elaine Casap, Unsplash

Late Fall

~ Crystal Sands ~ 2 Comments

I realize it is not really “late” fall. But I am looking out the window this morning at my maple tree friend, and all of her leaves are gone. Only the oaks still have their leaves. The yard is full of leaves, and the chickens are so happy. The love digging through the leaves.

It has been a strange fall in many ways. The weather has been quite hot by Mainer standards most of the time, with a swing into the chilly every now and again. Today, it is chilly. I think this one might stick. Ron has the basement full of wood and wood stacked near the garage for this coming winter. He is now on a mission to find wood for the coming years, and it seems like his work in that area never ends. We have had our wood stove since 2020, and so far, a storm brings down some tree some where every year in order to provide enough wood for the following year. It could be, however, that the strong winds have cleared out all they are going to clear out, so Ron is wondering if maybe we will have to buy wood to heat our home next year. We’ll see though. Who knows what the winter storms might do.

The chickens have mostly stopped laying. We are getting just three to five eggs per day, and we have feathers everywhere from the molt. I got this picture of Ruby the other day because she looks so cute. She’s still being her Ruby self. She’s very busy and still very vocal. The ducks had completely stopped laying last week, at least I thought. This morning, there was a single egg in the duck house. I was so happy because duck eggs are my favorite. Our plan is that we will not get ducks again after our flock passes away over time, but it will be tough to never have duck eggs again. We talked about how we could just buy some, but I have not seen anyone in our area who raises organic duck eggs.

I have been really busy wrapping up fall classes and processing more food from the garden. The long summer meant an epic tomato crop. I think I have made enough sauce for two years. I was gifted some organic grapes and made grape jelly. Ron planted a fall crop of greens, so today, I will be gathering spinach and lettuce and bagging it up to have it for just a little longer. A big freeze is coming tomorrow night. We have had a couple of light frosts, but the greens can handle that. Ron says they may not handle this one though, at least not the varieties he has planted. I guess it really is late fall.

Mostly, things are going well here on the homestead. Boudica and Bairre, our Pyrenees are busy and healthy. It’s cool enough that we can take them for walks every evening now. In fact, if Bairre doesn’t get a walk, he pouts and refuses to eat, so we are sure to walk. The evenings are just gorgeous, and the walks are good for my soul.

The only bad news is that after over a year with no rats, they are back. I just saw one last night, as I was getting the chicken food to put up for the night. Just a few weeks ago, I was feeling a little smug, thinking that being so neat and careful with the chicken feed has really worked to keep the rats away, but then I remembered that there is a garden full of food, our neighbor’s compost exists, and we had owls living right by the house last fall. I thought it was probably really just a matter of luck that we had no rats. I guess that was right. I am so bummed. They are beautiful, intelligent creatures, but they are so, so destructive. My teenage son loves the owls, and last fall, they hung out with him in the evenings. I told him I needed him to summon his owl friends. He looked at me like I was a crazy witch lady. I get that from him fairly regularly.

I guess that’s all the news for this morning. Stay cozy, friends, and stay sane. It’s a tough time for our culture. There’s a lot of instability. I am just trying to remind myself that, no matter what happens, it’s a good idea to keep learning to be self sufficient. In so many ways, it feels like we are on our own. In so many ways, it seems like we need to stick together.

top photo credit: Ronan Sands

Fall Is Finally Upon Us

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

This is Tuesday, Ruby’s offspring. Like Ruby, she’s the special, only I think she is even smarter than Ruby. Well, maybe it’s hard to say about that, but I will say this: I think Ruby is so high strung that it limits her at times. Tuesday is calm, cool, and smart like Poe was. We have been trying to keep the chickens from hanging out in the driveway because I caught Kate just as she was about to take a step into the road a few weeks ago. Ruby is not thrilled about this, but Tuesday has figured out how to hop onto the top of their covered dust bathing area, jump into the pine tree, and then make her way out front. From there, she charms even Ron out of treats all day long.

This picture was taken the other day after she had been given some extra treats from all three of us and was feeling bold, I guess. I heard a noise at the door and when I went to see what the noise was, I found Tuesday with her best begging face on. With the pumpkin next to her, she totally looked like she was trick or treating, so I went to get both a treat and my phone and got this picture of that beautiful girl. Isn’t she fantastic?

The picture looks like fall to me–Tuesday in her orange and black, pumpkin on the porch–and fall is finally here in our part of Maine. We had a long summer, and we have yet to have our first frost, which is just wild. It was nice getting to eat from the garden for so long, and even tonight, we ate greens and tomatoes fresh from the garden. But there is a chill in the air. You can feel the fall finally coming.

Plus, today, we got just three eggs from the girls. I assume tomorrow will be a little better, but we are definitely well into the molt. The girls are beginning their rest for the winter. I’m going to miss the fresh eggs, but I am glad they get to take a break. Our girls work so hard.

Rooster is having a particularly hard molt. I’m so worried about him, but he seems determined. Yoshi is also molting pretty badly, and Lenore had a tough year for her first year too. Thankfully, she’s all done and looks beautiful. Ruby hasn’t started her molt yet. I’m not looking forward to it. I mean, she’s grumpy on a good day.

Interestingly, Marshmallow is STILL broody. I swear, that hen has probably not laid an egg all year! She was broody all summer, and when I finally got her to let it go at the end of August, she started to molt. She had a solid molt and looks great, but about the time she got all her feathers back, that hen was right back in the nest box being broody again. There is a part of me that just wants to let her have another clutch of chicks; however, I will never forget the summer of 2019.

I let that hen have some babies, and she was like a dinosaur attacking me every time I had to bring the food and water. She was wild. I bled. I had to start wearing oven mitts, and she would then just go for my arms. I swore never again. So she continues to sit, hopeful, and I have to resist any urge to give in. She might live forever this way.

Interestingly, she is Broody Hen’s offspring, who was the sweetest hen in the history of the world. I don’t know what happened to Marshmallow.

Anyway, that’s the update from the chicken yard for today. I just finished teaching way too many classes, but I am now working less for a few weeks. I hope to write more. I hope you’ll leave a comment and write back.

Free Seeds (or How to Save Seeds for Next Year)

~ Crystal Sands ~ 2 Comments

I have been so busy with harvest this season that I have had little time to write, but I wanted to share a bit about something extra special I have been harvesting this fall–seeds.

Seeds have grown so expensive over the years. Last year, we spent about $250 getting all of the seeds for our homestead. It all adds up–the lettuces, spinach, beans, carrots, melons, and so many tomatoes. I have always saved a few seeds in the past, but I have never had good rigor or organization in my process. Let’s just say I have been more than a little scattered when it comes to my seeds. Sometimes, I when spring comes around, I can’t even remember where I put some of the seeds, and I haven’t had a good track record in saving all the seeds I could during harvest season. Some years, I manage the green beans. Some years, I manage the tomatoes. This year, I have been saving them all!

I still do not have the skills to save carrot seeds, but I learned how to save spinach seeds this year. I have also saved green beans, two types of melons, three types of peppers, and five types of tomatoes. The squash is still coming, and I couldn’t save our corn because Ron got hybrid seeds this year (a delicious hybrid, I might add). I think when I get the squash seeds finished, I will have saved about 2/3 of our seeds for next year. That’s a pretty big savings! Plus, these seeds are free–just looking at me every time I cut open a pepper or a melon reminding me they are there for me. It just started to feel so wrong to throw them away. And I have saved so many seeds that I have plenty to give away as gifts. I brought some little envelopes for the seeds, and I have been in the seed business all fall. This year, I am organized!

I wanted to share some strategies for saving seeds because it is really pretty easy and can save a lot of money. And, truly, it’s just so satisfying. I hope you find these tips helpful, and I hope you’ll save some seeds this year!

Spinach

I always thought it was tricky to save spinach seeds until Ron accidentally replanted the spinach from seeds after he mowed down the spinach that had bolted. Essentially, you just let the spinach bolt and go to seed. When the seeds are developed, cut the plants and hang them upside down to dry. When they are dry enough, remove the seeds and store in a cool, dry place. I also read you can store them for the winter right on the stalk.

Melons

Melons are so easy. When you cut open a melon, they are just right there for you to save. The only trick is just getting the seeds separated from the mushy insides. I spread the seeds on a plate and remove as much of the slime as I can and then rinse. There will still be a little slime, but progress is good. Then, you just let everything dry for a couple of days on the plate. At this point, the seeds are easier to remove from any leftover pieces of melon. The seeds will still need to dry a little longer before being put away. Let them dry a few more days, and then they are ready to be put away until next year. Just store them in a cool, dry place, as you would any seeds.

Green Beans 

To save green bean seeds for next year, just leave several beans on each of your plants to grow big at the end of the season—the more plants, the better the genetic diversity. When the beans are big and lumpy and start to yellow, they are easiest to save. Just shell them and put them in a cool, dry place to dry. 

Peppers

Peppers are the easiest! When you cut open the pepper, the seeds are already clean and pretty dry. Just pluck them from the inside core of the pepper and place them on a plate to dry. In a few days, they are ready to be put up for the season. After saving pepper seeds this year, I cannot imagine ever again having to buy pepper seeds.

Dry Beans  

Dry beans are the easiest because you are going to get them into shape for saving and storing anyway. After you harvest your beans, make sure you have a cool, dry place for your beans to dry out. Also, make sure you give them enough space. Mold is the enemy here. Once the pods start to feel a little bit dry, you can shell the beans and then spread them out to continue drying. Don’t put them away until the beans are completely dried. As an alternative, instead of picking the beans and then drying, you can also just hang your plants to dry and go from there. 

Squash and Pumpkins 

When you cut open your squash and pumpkins in the fall, simply remove some of the seeds for saving. Wash them to remove strings and such and then let them dry on a towel for about a week. Once they are good and dry, they can be stored in a cool, dry place, just like other seeds. Just be aware, if you have planted multiple types of squash near each other, you may not get pure seeds. Squash seeds, if stored well, can last for several years. 

Tomatoes 

To save seeds from your favorite tomatoes, all you have to do is choose some tomatoes that are big and scoop out the seeds with the little jelly that comes with them. If you are looking for saving tomato seeds that will be good for several years, you should use the fermentation method. Add water and the squished tomatoes to a glass jar. The water helps the seeds separate from the tomato. Then, place the jar in a warm spot for a few days. You should see a layer of moldy stuff start to form on the top of the mixture. Once you see the mold at the top and seeds at the bottom, you can remove the icky mold and run your mixture through a strainer to wash your seeds. Be sure to clean your seeds well and let them dry on a towel for several days. Then, just store your seeds in a cool dry place like your other seeds.

I have also learned from an interview with The Heirloom Gardener, if you are planning to use your tomato seeds the next year, all you have to is wipe the seeds from your favorite tomatoes onto a paper bag. Let them dry for a couple of weeks. Then, you can just fold up the paper bag and store the seeds in a cool, dry place.

Corn

Corn is also easy to save. You just have make sure you have heirloom corn seeds. So many corn seeds are hybrids. There is also the issue that hybrid corn is often sweeter and tastier, but heirloom corn seeds still make delicious corn. Plus, you get the benefit of being able to seed save. Just save several ears of corn from your harvest and hang the ears in a cool, dry place to dry. Once they are dried, you can just wiggle the seeds loose and save your seeds for next year. The one issue I had when I first started saving corn seeds is that I didn’t save my seeds from enough different plants, so I wasn’t getting good genetic diversity. Still, even my beginner attempt provided us with corn seeds for three years before we decided to start fresh with new seeds. But it’s best if you can save seeds from at least ten different ears of corn. I had been using three or four.

*Some of this content was originally published in Volume II of the Farmer-ish Print Annual.

top photo credit: Yuliia Huzenko, Unsplash

A Mary Jane Update on the Anniversary of Tom Petty’s Death

~ Crystal Sands ~ 3 Comments

I have had three celebrity crushes in my adult life–a scientist (Neil deGrasse Tyson) and two musicians–YoYo Ma and Tom Petty. When I learned that Tom Petty died seven years ago today, I was devastated. His music had been so central in my life, and I adored his back story. He grew up abused and misunderstood and used his creativity and drive to change his life and the lives of so many others. His life and music just spoke to me.

I was already really down that day in 2017 because it was also the day of that terrible mass shooting in Las Vegas, and to top things off, it was meat bird processing day on our homestead. It was just a tough day, so when I asked Ron to please pardon one of the meat bird hens for me to keep and add to our flock, he agreed. He agreed that we needed something good on such a no-good, terrible day. I understood that, as a meat bird, the hen would likely just live a couple of years, but we needed a layer or two, and Freedom Ranger hens are pretty good layers. I would be happy just to have her for a couple of years.

The bird who was pardoned was named Mary Jane, in honor of Tom Petty’s famous song, “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” Ron said she was the one who outsmarted him all day, so he knew she was a smart bird. We had no idea just how smart she was going to be or how long her dance would be.

I feel certain she must be at some kind of record for a Freedom Ranger meat bird, but Mary Jane turned seven this summer, and she’s still going strong. She is also one of the smartest, if not the smartest, hens I have ever met. Over the years, she and I have formed a powerful bond. She talks to me. She asks me for help when she needs it, and she lets me know when she is just fine by herself. She used to be about the size of a small turkey thanks to those meat bird genes, but in her older age, she is smaller. She’s still larger than our other hens, and she actually talks in a gobble.

Every morning, she waits in the coop for food while the other chickens run out the door for the outside food bowl. Mary Jane is patient and smart and waits for her food bowl. When she sees me coming, she almost always gobbles this cute little gobble talk. I realized this morning, as I was thinking about the anniversary of Tom Petty’s death and Mary Jane’s pardon, that I have to get a recording of her voice. I had another hen who was very vocal and talkative, and I regret that I never got a recording of her talking. I have to record Mary Jane.

The cutest thing is that Mary Jane has a daughter, Petty. Petty is also a fantastic hen and is so smart. She raised a clutch of babies last fall, and she was not just a magnificent mama but probably the most magnificent mama hen I have seen. She did so well. She was chill but loving and so good to her babies. She let me get involved too, so I was thankful to her. When Petty went broody in the late summer this year, I was sad we had decided to downsize our flock and couldn’t let her raise babies.

Interestingly, Petty has a voice similar to Mary Jane’s. Just the other morning, I heard a little gobble run across the yard, but it surprised me because I thought Mary Jane was still in the coop waiting for me. It turns out it was Petty. She doesn’t talk a lot like Mary Jane does, but she has a voice like her mama. How fantastic is that?

So far, both Mary Jane and Petty are doing great. Mary Jane’s health has its ups and downs, but right now, she seems to be in really good health. She quit laying somewhere around age four or five, so she’s retired but helps keep order in the flock. She’s so old for a meat bird that I have thought on more than one occasion that she was surely near her end, but that hen always pulls through. I know she has a heart condition, but it seems her will to live is stronger than her heart condition. I guess a better way to put it is that her heart is stronger than her heart condition.

She has not yet molted for the fall, so I definitely worry about that for her. The molt is hard on birds. Rooster is molting right now, and he’s so tired that I am having to help him off the top roost some mornings. He is also a very old bird.

But the winter before last, I thought surely he and Mary Jane would not make it through another winter. They showed me. I have learned to never underestimate Mary Jane, and though I always open the coop in the mornings with a little bit of worry that today might be the day that Mary Jane passes, so far, she’s always there, greeting me. Usually, she gives me her little gobble.

Every year on this day, October 2, I spend a little time thinking about how much Tom Petty meant to me, and then I turn my thoughts to Mary Jane and think about how much she continues to mean to me.

Starting Over with a Little Sparkle

~ Crystal Sands ~ 1 Comment

“It just seems wrong to pull up the strawberry plants,” I said to Ron.

“Sometimes, you just have to start over,” he said.

Strawberry plants only produce strawberries for three to five years. Our beds of Sparkle strawberries managed to make it five years, though the berries were definitely smaller this year. We probably should have pulled them last year, but it seems so wrong to pull plants (just thinning in the garden breaks my heart). Still, this year, there was no avoiding it.

I read that you can plant new strawberries in the late summer and early fall and get strawberries the next spring. In the past, we have planted in the spring and would have to go a season without berries, as you have to pull the flowers and give the plants time to get established before you let them make berries. I hope this fall-planting plan works because going a year without strawberries just feels impossible to me at this point. I mean, just look at this picture of our berries from 2022. How can I go a year without this?

It was a sad thing to do though–ripping out the plants. Because we just let the weeds go after strawberry season, when we were clearing out the beds last week, there were also about a million weeds. And, within those weeds and strawberry plants, a whole world of wildlife was living. There were worms and spiders and so many magnificent frogs. As we stripped each bed of its habitat, I felt most worried about the frogs. I met five frogs in total that day, and as each one hopped away, Ron distracted the ducks. One time, I saw what ducks will do to a frog, and I never want to see that again.

When I looked at the empty beds, there was a great deal of sadness, but I really wanted more strawberries next summer, I tried to think about the good things that would be coming from starting over.

I had a hard time finding strawberry plants so late in the summer. I could find some but not the kind I wanted–Sparkle.

When I found out the places in Maine and Vermont where we had bought plants in previous years didn’t have Sparkle, I figured I would have to settle for a different variety of berries, but as I read about all the other varieties available, none of them seemed as good as the Sparkle variety. Sparkle strawberries are sturdy for Maine but are also known for fantastic flavor and shape. How could I settle for anything less when I’ve already had Sparkle?

Thankfully, I found Sparkle berries at an Etsy shop. After we cleared the beds, Ron replenished the soil with compost, and then I spent the next two days planting. The plants were beautiful, and only a few looked a little “iffy” in terms of making it. The kind seller sent extra plants, and I managed to squeeze in every last one, even the few that looked a little rough. I hoped for the best.

I am happy to report that every single one of those plants seems to be making it, and we are getting to start over with 127 beautiful Sparkle strawberry plants!

The starting over with the strawberries feels so symbolic to me right now. After a summer of long COVID, our whole family is making progress. Our crashes are rarer and less intense. We are able to get more things done and enjoy life more, and that’s just the best. I haven’t had to crawl up the stairs in over a month, and I haven’t slurred my words in at least two weeks. And my son is gradually returning to his cello, and my heart is joyful.

Interestingly, his teacher is teaching him the Hadyn Cello Concerto No. 1, and I swear, it’s so joyful–and sparkly. It has been so uplifting listening to him work through the first part of that concerto every evening.

And with all of this hopefulness in the air, I have good news to share. I am planning to bring back Farmer-ish journal next year. In fact, in the coming weeks, the website is going to either go down or look very wonky, as I work to update the site. Hopefully, taking the lessons I have learned and starting over will lead to a little sparkle there too.

In the meantime, I’m watching those strawberry plants and listening to Haydn on the cello every day because, sometimes, you just gotta start over.

In Memory of a Mean Girl

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

Warning: This post discusses the death of an animal.

If you follow my blog, you know that after we rehabilitated Luna’s broken leg this winter, we had a hard time re-integrating her with the flock because she was being abused to the point of having a broken bill. Luna spent another six weeks or so in the house as we healed her bill, and when we were able to finally move her back outside, we had to take our duck bully, Carmelita, also known as “mean girl,” and isolate her for a week to allow Luna time to adjust to the flock without being being abused.

This was Carmelita way back in 2019 when she was just in her second year here on the farm. She was always our biggest duck and was so beautiful. It was only in the last couple of years that she became so mean. I think she got grumpy with age.

I was angry with our mean girl. I did start to feel terrible for her after having to be isolated for a week, but the plan worked. Carmelita quit bullying Luna for the most part, and harmony was restored to the flock. Still, I am ashamed to admit, during the middle of all this process, we noticed one of our ducks was laying an abnormal egg. I knew something was wrong with someone, and at six years of age, I figured we would lose one of our ducks within the year. It would be our first loss. We have kept all of those hens safe all of these years, but loss always comes. I said out loud, “I hope it’s mean girl.”

I wish I had not said those words.

The night before I had to leave our farm and fly to Oklahoma because my little brother is so ill, I went out to give the ducks their peas, and only six ducks came. With Ferdinand, our male, we should have seven ducks, so I went looking. It was pouring rain, and I searched and searched and couldn’t find her. I realized it was our mean girl who was missing.

The night before, she had been slow to come to the peas, but she did come. She ate peas and went to bed like normal, so I didn’t think anything was really wrong. I just thought she was maybe busy hunting bugs and didn’t come to the peas. Still, on this night, I knew things were bad because I couldn’t find her anywhere. The peas were long finished, and everyone else was going to bed. Something was definitely wrong.

After about half an hour, it stopped raining, and I could see a little better. When I shined my flashlight behind the woodpile in the back of the fenced area, I could see her. When I went to her, she just came to me, so I knew things were serious. At first, in the dark, I thought she had a broken egg stuck in her vent, but I had to bring her inside to get a better look.

What I saw was devastating. Her vent had prolapsed, and the tissue was damaged, like she had drug it across the wood of the woodpile or something along those lines. There is a slim chance you can heal a prolapsed vent, but with this kind of damage, I knew we were at the end.

I researched to see the best way to cull a duck. I had always heard to use the broomstick method, but I read as I was researching that the broomstick method only works for chickens, that it can lead to suffering in a duck because their necks are stronger. I could tell she was in pain. I went to Ron.

It was so late into the evening, but I am so thankful to report that Ron didn’t hesitate. He got dressed and went to get his tools. After years of research and talking to both a vet and scientist, the best way to cull a chicken is with a clean cut with a hatchet, and Ron is masterful at it. He says, when he has to cull, it’s like the universe guides his hand to make it quick and clean. I needed him to end our mean girl’s suffering.

While he got everything ready, I sat with our girl in the bathroom, saying goodbye to her. I apologized for having to isolate her that week some months ago. I knew it was hard on her. I touched her and leaned into her, and she leaned right back. She had some tremble but not much, she seemed so ready. I wish I had found her sooner. She must have been suffering for at least a couple of hours.

Death had been very much on my mind anyway due to circumstances with my brother, and I thought so much about the ends we all come to as I sat with Carmelita. There she was–the biggest duck, the boss of the flock, the duck who had bullied Luna until Luna could have died–only now she was fragile, tired, worn, ready. Humbled by the reality that humbles all of us I suppose–even the bullies among us–and my heart ached for her. I told her over and over I loved her. I reminded her of all the good times when she was a baby and lived in the house, of all the peas, of the rain, the bugs, the duck games. I swear she understood it.

When Ron came to get her, I asked him if he needed help, as he had never culled a duck, but he said no. He wasn’t gone long.

When he came back in the house, he said it was the easiest cull he had ever done. He said he probably didn’t even have to use the tiny rope to hold her head, though he did just in case. He said she laid her head down voluntarily and was ready. He said he felt her acknowledge what had to be done. He said he prayed for her to have a good journey.

And just like that, she was gone.

I am going to miss that duck, but the next day, when I let the flock out in the morning, they didn’t skip a beat. In fact, there was maybe a little more peace in the flock. Our mean girl was gone, and life goes on.

Life on the farm goes on, but I have thought about her every day and the life lessons I learned from her that night as we sat together in her last moments.

What a profound thing all of this is.

The first raspberries, the last strawberries, and other updates

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

Mary Jane made it to the raspberries for another year! I hoped she would this spring when I was thinning the branches. She sat with me for hours, looking hopeful for raspberries. I think raspberries might be her favorite–maybe even more than watermelon. This morning, when I picked raspberries for breakfast, I kept out a handful just for her. She gobbled them up with satisfaction. I can tell she surely knows how much I love her.

I am hopeful for the raspberries. They look really good this year, and we need a good year after our strawberries did not do so well. I don’t know if it was just a weird year or if our plants are about done. I think it’s the latter. We have had five great seasons with those plants. I read they should be replaced after three to five years, so I guess it’s time. I think we will try to replace them in the fall, so we can hopefully have berries again next summer. That’s a big task though. Hopefully, I will be up to it. And it wasn’t a terrible year for them. I still made two batches of jam and got five quarts frozen for the winter.

Things have been busy here on the farm this summer but not nearly as busy as usual. Ron has been slow and steady planting the garden and just finished planting the last of things this week. It’s the latest he’s ever finished planting, but COVID has take a toll on all of us for sure. And, with long COVID in mind, we have no music camps this summer for our son. He just rests a lot, sleeps a lot, and I can see that he tries to stay positive. It was hopeful that he started playing his cello again this week, though he has to pace himself and can’t play more than 15 minutes per day. Still, slow and steady, right?

I am less busy than usual with the chickens because we had no babies this year. It’s been hard. The babies always bring so much joy, so long COVID plus no baby chicks has equalled a bit of a tough summer. On the bright side, I have been working on a Swedish death cleanse (though I hope I am not dying anytime soon), and I have made amazing progress. My struggle is books though. How can I get rid of books? I have more work to do, but our home is feeling much better, much less cluttered.It’s very helpful to my mental state.

We have still have our son’s pet mouse, who requires a lot of attention because mice are social animals and need company. I have also learned that mice will eat pretty much as much as you give them, so our little mouse has grown a little chubby eating so many treats from the garden along with homemade bread. I knew we were in trouble the first time I gave him some homemade bread and a fresh strawberry on the same day. He was half asleep with the bread in his hand and the strawberry right next to him. I watched as he would wake up, take a few bites of each item, get a joyful look on his face, and go back to sleep. I also had no idea mice were SO expressive, but he is!

He has a wheel, but we are going to have to build a bigger space for him–and in the last two days, he’s just had his mouse food and lettuce. Poor baby!

I have also been writing, just not as much as I would like here in the blog. I am actually working on a book. It’s a collection of essays, some of which I am revising from old blog posts and some of which are new. I plan to call it Chicken Stories, and I hope it will be worthy of a read. We’ll see. I hope to have it finished by the end of December. I will take any and all advice as well as words of encouragement.

Tell me how you’re doing if you get a chance. How is your garden growing? How are your chickens? What are you learning this year? And do you know anything about raising a mouse?

In My Hands

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

On Monday, I was picking strawberries in my apron and was struck by how beautiful the freshly-picked berries looked against my apron. Of course, I had to take a picture. Later, I was kneading dough for dinner and thought it was so beautiful too, so I took a picture. I ended up deciding it would be cool to take pictures of the amazing things in my hands on an average day here on our little farmstead. I hope these make you smile!

These were the very first strawberries of the season, and they symbolize so much hope and joy for me. They are the most beautiful to me!

I was making tortillas for dinner and thought about how beautiful dough is. I have large hands, which used to bother me when I was young, but now that I work on our farmstead–and am learning to play cello–I am thankful for large hands.

The first radishes! There have been no worms this year, which is kind of amazing! The snails have eaten the green beans and carrots, but the radishes have been spared the worms!

The spinach and lettuces have been excellent this year. I thinned them early and have been working hard to give them space all spring. It has worked. Look at this lettuce! And that’s Saint-Saens in the background really wanting some. She got some, of course!

Ruby is broody, as she does. Because we cannot have any baby chicks this year, I keep taking the eggs from her, and she keeps pecking me as much as she can over it. One day, I saw she was on nine eggs. On this day, there were just three.

And this one is a very long story. A couple of weeks ago, my teenage son rescued a baby mouse that had blown into our driveway after a storm. It was nearly dead, and I thought it was definitely going to die. However, my son stayed up with that mouse, who still had its little eyes closed, and fed it every two hours the first night. Somehow, that little mouse made it, and now we have a mouse friend. I know the risks of rescuing a wild animal, and I am generally opposed to this kind of thing. It’s a long story that I hope to tell soon that this little mouse, named Jeremiah Benjamin von Kangle Wangle (because he kangles and wangles and also seems to be able to teleport), is with us. He’s very, very sweet.