Blustery Days of May

range cows sheltering "neath the spreading juniper tree"

April showers did NOT bring May flowers to this part of Northern Arizona this year.  Maybe that's because we didn't have any April showers...While other parts of the country are experiencing late spring snows, here on the Homestead it's balmy temperatures and blustery winds.  Early mornings and late evenings are the best part of the day, not just because of the delightful play of light and shadow, or the gazillion stars that are visible, or the overwhelming quiet, but also, those are the times when the wind dies down or stops.  

This time of year I like to have my morning prayers outside, sometimes walking the property with a homestead dog or cat tagging along.  This is when I find the freebies - wild growing plants and herbs to add into the daily meals.  Dandelion greens for salad, tender horehound shoots before they send up flowers for cough syrup.  Soon the algerita bushes will bloom - or not - and I will know which ones to watch for fall berries.  Ditto the prickly pear cactus.  These fruits are bitter and take determination to collect because they are protected by thousands of tiny stickers, but they cook up into delicious syrups, jams and jellies in the fall.

Another month and I'll have to get out early in the morning just to get the outside chores done before it gets too hot.  But for now, spring on the Homestead is a welcome respite from frozen water pipes, frozen water troughs and generally cold bones.

Liebster Blog Award - Wow!

A huge Thank You! To Christy Willis for nominating "Around The Homestead" for the Liebster Blog Award.  Well, okay, it's really a "pass it on" kind of thing for small blogs, but hey, it's nice to be noticed!  

Now I get to post 11 facts about myself, answer Christy's 11 questions, and nominate 11 blogs with under 200 followers for the Liebster.  This could be fun;)

11 Facts About Me:

1.  I have 4 of the most amazing, awesome children anywhere!
2.  I am Grandma to 1 incredibly intelligent, genius grandson!
3.  I love to travel.
4.  I make my own soap, lotion, deodorant and toothpaste.
5.  I write.
6.  I have played the flute since I was 7 years old, piano since 8.
7.  I love camping.
8.  I get my milk right from the goat and cow.
9.  I raise my meat in my backyard.
10.  I steal eggs from my chickens.
11.  I love to sew.

Whew!  Now for Christy's questions:

1.  Who or what is your inspiration?
            There are so many inspiring women out there.  I love the wisdom of Mother Theresa of Calcutta and the courage of Dorothy Day.

2.  What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
             Fill the kettle for coffee.

3.   How do you handle a stressful day?
             Pray, pray, pray.  Chocolate.

4.    What book do you recommend all parents read to their children?
              Just one?  Definitely The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Also The Chronicles of Narnia.

5.    When the kids go to bed what do you do?
              Read to them, then read to myself.

6.  What is one thing about your past you wish you could change?
              Nothing.  Everything has brought me to where and who I am today.

7.   If you had a million dollars, what would you buy?
              I would pay off my debts, put the rest in the bank, and set up special funds for scholarships and other needs in my community.

8.    Why did you start blogging?
              To discipline myself to write more and experiment with writing styles and topics.

9.     Are you going to follow all the award nominees?
               Yes.

10.   What is one thing you hope your children remember about you?
                That I love them.

11.    How would you define your character?
                 Strong, stubborn, loyal.

My 11 nominees:

Following Him Home
Homesteading In The Southfarthing
I Can't Decide
Joy In The Journey
Live, Laugh, Learn
Reaping A Harvest
Rowangarth Farm
Spring Peeper Farm
Sunshine Sentiments
The Home Front
Training 6 Hearts 4 Him

And so, my awesome nominees, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is:  

Post 11 facts about yourself.
Answer my 11 questions to you.
Choose 11 of your favorite blogs under 200 followers and nominate them.
Share the love by following my other nominees.

My 11 questions for you are:

1.  What is your favorite hobby?
2.  What is your favorite dinner to make for your family?
3.  What is one thing you do to keep your sanity during your busy day?
4.  What is your favorite book?
5.  If you could go anywhere in the world for 2 weeks, where would it be, and why?
6.  Who is your favorite musician, and what is your favorite type of music?
7.  What is the big thing you want to do "when you retire"/"when the kids are grown"/"whenever"?
8.  How do you relax at the end of the day?
9.  What is the most important thing you try to teach your children?
10.  Are you going to follow all the award nominees?
11.  Why do you blog?

Okay, my friends, I hope you enjoy doing this as much as I have.  Link back here when you're done, so I can follow your answers;)   

Jungle Doctor And The Whirlwind - Review

http://christianaudio.com/jungle-doctor-and-the-whirlwind-paul-white

A fun read, in the tradition of James Herriot and Tom Dooley, Jungle Doctor follows Australian missionary Dr. Paul White on his daily adventures as a physician to tribal peoples in Tanzania, Africa, where navigating mud tracks, surviving violent whirlwind dust storms and battling a dysentery epidemic are all in a day's work.

Dr. White passes on biblical principles in his daily practice through fables and story telling.  With his faithful friend and assistant, Daudi, who also serves as interpreter with the natives, he performs surgery and treats patients in the most primitive conditions.  He faces off against witch doctors and drug lords.  The doctor's narrative style hooks the reader and rivets him until the final page.  Thankfully, there are several more books in the series, so readers can satisfy their need to hear more Jungle Doctor adventures.  

I enjoy the way narrator Paul Michael reads with distinct and clear character voices.  He is easy to listen to.  Of the 29 Jungle Doctor books written by Paul White, Christian Audio has 4 of them in audiobook.  Running 2-3 hours each and priced at $10.98, Jungle Doctor and the Whirlwind is great for family listening, car rides, and storytime.  Produced in audiobook form for Christian Audio (c)2012.

Thanks to Christian Audio for providing me with a free review copy of this audiobook.  No other compensation was received for this review.

Naked Llamas and Fat Cows

Last week we sheared the llamas.  They had not been shorn in so long it was almost a new experience for them.  The "baby" had never been shorn.  I gave the wool a good dip in bleach water to kill any bugs and eggs and then laid it out on fences, chicken netting and empty cages to dry.  The llamas, visibly taken aback at being suddenly naked, kept coming over to look at their former coats.  They seemed to be trying to figure out what on earth we crazy humans were planning to do with all that wool.

Meanwhile, Mabel the Marvelous Dancing Jersey Milk Cow, has finally acquiesced to breeding and is once again with calf.  I think she got wind of a little conversation I had with the butcher, but it seems to have worked.  Now to feed her for the next 9 months until the calf gets here and she starts giving her rich, creamy milk again.  Sigh.

The llamas have proceeded to soil their new coats by rolling in the dirt.  I wonder if the neighbors will do a double take when they drive by and see them without all that fluffy hair.  Now I just need to get some wool cards and parts for the spinning wheel.  I've got four 30 gallon bags of llama wool to clean, sort and spin.

Simplifying The Homestead

The Homestead is entering a new phase.  We are preparing to be more mobile for a while and so are downsizing.  How can one accumulate so much stuff?!  Especially when one is trying to live a simple lifestyle?  Once again, it is time to weed out the excess in a big way.  Where to start?  

First, the books.  We have cases of books.  I had intended to sell them online, but with Amazon selling for less than a penny, it's costing me more in gas to ship an odd book here and there than I'm putting in my pocket.  So several cases of books are going to the VA hospital, Goodwill and other various donation dropoffs.  Next up, I went to use an antique, non-electric juicer the other day and found it required more muscle than I possess to operate it.  I washed it up and will be listing it on E-Bay, along with a chocolate fountain we've never used (sniff, sniff).  As for the piles of bottles and cans we were going to recycle, since the nearest facility that takes them is over 100 miles away, they are going to be bagged up and put in the trash.  Since we do reuse a limited number of bottles and cans, we will keep a maximum of a dozen on hand.  That number will take up far less space than is currently being cluttered up.

Broken pumps, bicycles and rusty fencing are being sold to scrap metal collectors and put in the trash.  Stuff stored for grown children and friends is being relocated, shipped off to them and consolidated.  Stuff from my mom, who died last year, is replacing makeshift storage and furniture and the old stuff is being disposed of.  

This is a long term project, so I don't expect to get it all done in the next few weeks, but it sure feels good to lighten the load.  Now if we can just keep the weight off...  

Book Report

Some time back I posted about my first book, "The Working Mom's Parents' Guide to Homeschooling".  I was going to begin serializing it, as I am about halfway finished with it.  Then came the opportunity of a lifetime for a new author:  an agent has requested a book proposal!  Wow!  So, naturally, I set aside all marketing activities including the free download of Chapter 1, and completion of the manuscript to write my first book proposal.  It is certainly a learning experience.  It is nearly as long as the book itself, but the closer I get to finishing it, the more I believe in my book, and the more excited I get about finishing it.

So, apologies to all of you who were looking forward to the next installment of The Working Mom's Parents' Guide to Homeschooling, but for now, I have to finish the book proposal and get it off to the agent.  Never fear, whether my baby gets picked up by a traditional publisher, or I go the self-publishing route, this book is going to happen, I believe in it now more than ever.  Besides, I have several other titles lined up for future books, and they are pestering me to get on with it!

Thanks to all of you who participated in the free download.  Keep checking back for updates on the publishing process, and other updates about life Around the Homestead.

If You Give A Homeschooled Boy A Tire

If you give a homeschooled boy a tire, chances are he will try to build a car with it.

And if he tries to build a car, he will probably want 4 tires.

Once he has the tires in place, he'll think about installing a brake.

After the brake is installed, of course he'll want a steering wheel.

Then he'll want to spend the rest of the day doing his schoolwork in his car.