I have to admit: the pace that I’ve been maintaining for the last three weeks is catching up with me. I spend the mornings reading, and then at about 10am I head outside to work on my various projects until…
Week 54 at Farm 96: Spreading Mulch and Wood Chips (and liking it)
This is the exact summer I wanted, with days on end to work on my projects. There was always a chance that I would get to this point and hate everything about homesteading, even after working towards it for so…
Week 53 at Farm 96: Shoveling Compost
Sometimes, I put myself in a prison of my own making. When the garden fence was completed on June 18th, I set a rather lofty goal for myself: install and plant ten 4×18 beds by July 1st. This week was…
Week 52 at Farm 96: Year One as a Solo Female Homesteader
It has officially been one year since I realized my lifelong dream to purchase a farm of my own. My goal is to build this property into a semi-self sufficient homestead, and along the way I’ve been posting weekly progress…
Week 51 at Farm 96: Fence Posts & Baby Chicks
As is fitting for an exciting week at the farm, I came down with a cold. It’s just mild enough to impact my stamina, but not bad enough to keep me inside. This is why it is important for me…
Week 50 at Farm 96: The Precipice of Major Change (again)
Much like this time last year, I am on the precipice of major change – but the context is so very different. In early June, I am eager and anxious. My mind runs wild in anticipation of the many tasks…
Weeks 48 & 49 at Farm 96: Spending Money
My work commitments start to taper off as summer approaches, and the days stretch seemingly forever after I’ve gotten home from work. I often start the evening with the intention of completing a specific task, only to get distracted by…
Weeks 46 & 47 at Farm 96: Little Projects Everywhere
If we’re being honest, I’m treading water. My heart is on the homestead, but my body still needs to be at work for another month. I chip away at various tasks with every spare moment, well aware that soon I’ll…
Week 45 at Farm 96: Free Landscaping Plants
Throughout the routines of winter, I dreamed of spring. “Soon, I will get to do something new and different” I thought to myself as I split firewood. “Soon, my every day routine won’t be the same” I thought to myself…
Week 40 at Farm 96: Potato Towers & Starting Seeds
As frustrating as it is to have so little time for homesteading during the week, it does shed light on how lucky I am for most of the rest of the year. A typical homesteader with a full time job…
Week 39 at Farm 96: New Cold Frame
I am not behind on writing, but I am behind on posting – oops. Week 39 was March 16 through March 22nd. Here’s what I got done: Food Production I installed the new cold frame that I had constructed over…
Weeks 37 & 38 at Farm 96: Boiling Maple Sap!
As I enter the busiest season for my job and other responsibilities, I find myself having to cram as much as possible into one or two days each week. I enjoy all of the roles that I take on outside…