Whiteley Creek Homestead

deer cohabitation

Three deer regularly visit our front yard to eat from a flowering crab tree heavily-laden with cherry-sized apples that determinedly cling to their branches despite winter's grip. Frustratingly, the deer believe that my perennials, shrubs, and young tree branches are free game, too. So, determined to retrain our visitors, Dick and I set some beyond-their-prime apples upon a chair along a pathway where we often sit. Far away from our house and the landscaping surrounding it.

After checking twice each day, our efforts proved fruitful. On the third day, it was evident that the deer had conferred and agreed to each leave a snack for later, as there were but three apples remaining. Going forward, have we seen nary one deer in our yard? Did our kindness have a boomerang effect? I would like to report that our deer have not returned. But such would be a tale. One that gives hope to countless others. When hope is something I cannot give. Our experiment produced healthier deer. Nothing more. Their willingness to be retrained is hopelessly nonexistent.

firewood

A rabbit has made a cozy winter home inside a mammoth wood pile behind our house. It should entertain no concern of needing to move its family anytime soon, as is required of a field mouse named Mrs. Frisby when Mr. Fitzgibbon's plow is destined to destroy her home in one of my favorite children's books, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. No, we shall not totally deplete the pile, as we have two additional piles of equal size, all acquired when the local power company felled trees that were threatening to cause outages to our property's power lines. A gas powered log splitter makes quick work of turning logs into firewood.

When our old, rusty pickup box trailer is filled with firewood, we stop.

 Until that day when the firewood we have cut has served its purpose. It is then that we start anew.

reforestation

In May, Dick and I planted 175 confers.

Three different kinds on our 35-acre property.

Then, in October, after harvesting the last of our garden's late season crops, we began to plant again. Three deciduous trees. Larger ones than the conifers. A curly willow (aka corkscrew willow) for landscape interest and cuttings for decorating. According to Organic Gardening's website, "Don't expect curly willow to live for decades; its flame burns quick and bright, perfect if you want a large tree but are unable to wait 50 years." Yes. Perfect. 

The snow began to fall and blanket the ground over the roots of one of two river birch that we planted. A mature tree, planted years ago when it was no bigger than this transplant, oversees its growth in the background. On daily walks in our woods, we looked for our little conifers and were proud.

My fenced garden now slumbers. When the spring thaw melts the snow from our chairs, we will once again sit together to remember where we've been and what we've done then plan what's next.

 

earth day 2012

Did you know that you can support the wind power initiative by signing up with your local power company to donate money (you decide the amount) to be added to your billing statement each month? You won't know exactly which wind turbine(s) you are funding, but you can be proud to know that you are part of the solution towards less reliance on fossil fuels. Dick and I have been doing this for five years now. Maybe, just maybe, we can change the course of the short-sighted, destructive path we are on and collectively reap the benefits by individually doing our small part to alter the bigger picture. 

chicken of the woods mushroom

A sweet, young couple shared this photo of a "chicken of the woods" wild edible (see note below) mushroom that they discovered while walking our property during their stay at our bed and breakfast Labor Day Weekend.

 

I was so excited to learn that it is growing in this second location. Dick and I first stumbled upon one on the opposite end of our acreage a year ago on July 14, 2010. I was saddened when I learned that Dick had unintentionally pushed the decayed log it had been growing on to the side of the wooded path with his big end loader. Happily, it reappeared this summer on that same log.

According to americanmushrooms.com, "The chicken (aka sulphur shelf) mushroom is especially common on large oak trees, logs, and stumps." If they are growing on oak trees, they are safe to eat. However, if they are "growing on any conifer tree (e.g., pine, hemlock, spruce, fir, larch/tamarack), eucalyptus, or locust trees, they should not be eaten." They can be found growing spring through fall. They are best to harvest when they are young before they begin to dry out. When you cut into them, a little liquid should come out. "Often, only the actively-growing edges of the caps are tender enough for the cooking pot… though slow, wet simmering can have a good tenderizing effect on the tougher, more fibrous parts."

cloth sandwich bags and stainless steel straws

Yesterday, from my Seward Co-op outing, I came away with these two reusable waterprooof cloth sandwich bags with velcro closures and a pack of four stainless steel drinking straws.  

 

The bags can be purchased from the creators, 3 Green Moms, at lunchskins.com. How fun!

eco cup

 
During an online search for refrigerator storage containers to extend the freshness of my pastured hen eggs, I discovered these fun eco cups and just had to order a pair for early morning hit-the-road outings... a brown one for Dick's morning coffee and an orange one for my tea. They look every bit like a styrofoam cup from your local 7-Eleven, but they are not. They are ceramic with a flexible, removable, insulating band that tightly grips the cup.

 
The cup's covers are made of some sort of flexible rubbery material that are clones of styrofoam drink container covers.

   

As I write this post, the 1.6-cup size is on sale for $3.99 (regular price $6.99) here. Enter promotion code EMAIL30LNL for 30% off the sale price (valid until March 10, 2011). You end up paying $2.79 per cup! If you add an additional item priced at $2.00 or more (why not add a 3rd eco cup as a gift for an eco friend, breakage replacement, or when it's in the dishwasher) so that your total equals $10.00 before factoring in the 30% off promotion code, you get a choice of 1 of 4 free items. I chose the foam bottle cleaning brush. I absolutely love it for cleaning the jars that I use for my dairy culturing before I toss them in the dishwasher. It's a pretty lime green color. Although the eco cup's cap and band is made of non-toxic silicone, I plan to remove the cap when drinking from the cup. 

mushroom

After playing the Wildcraft Board Game to learn to identify healing herbs and their uses, my two oldest grandaughters and I took a hike on our property in search of stinging nettles. Look at the amazing, unexpected surprise that was alongside the wooded trail attached to a fallen, decayed tree trunk...

 

an impressively beautiful "Chicken of the Woods" wild mushroom!

 

and walking through the meadow... time out to make a wish.
  

healing herbs identification game

The outdoor adventure component of what I planned for my grandkids visit started out with playing a board game called Wildcraft.

I will share more about this board game. I am a "wee bit" busy this week making memories.

bags that feed children

A gift I received this Christmas from my daughter Jessie will, as they say, "keep on giving." A third of the proceeds from the sale of each 100% cotton and burlap collapsible FEED bag feeds 100 school children through the United Nations World Food Program. The bag's concept and design is the brainchild of presidential niece Lauren Bush. It can be purchased at Whole Foods Markets and online at FEEDProjects.org. It just makes so much sense.