I've had so many things on my mind lately, too much perhaps. I have one very specific resolution this year that has many parts to it. The base of it is balance, I resolve to find balance in my life. I tried simplicity, guess what simplicity is very complicated! I need to step back and get organized. Christmas was exhilarating, so hectic, such positive feedback for the business and the animals, but in the wake of such activity is chaos. Everything including months worth of paperwork, is in complete disorder. The soap kitchen looks like a tornado went through, only a few misshapen bars of soap remain, excellent soap, imperfect in appearance I'll call them ugly bars. The shows were a blast this year, too many wonderful, creative people, not too mention the customers...just amazing! Which leaves me with a dilemma, where do I go from here? The numbers aren't in so I may not be profitable, that's a BIG concern. I can't get to the paperwork with soap to make, wrap and sell plus work at the day job and of course maintain a relatively large family and small farm. I need HELP, but can't afford to pay a full time person, begging the boys to take over my email blasts, which haven't happened due to lack of time and of course the paperwork. Offered to pay $10.00 an hour and they could work at their leisure just keep track of their time. They said no, hmm, this IS a problem! What teenager doesn't need money? Perhaps things are too easy here, too many gimme's, how do I fix this?
Do I leave the day job and take the big risk and handle everything myself? This really isn't the economy to give up your job and open a business, it's one thing as a hobby that pays for itself, depending on it for income is a whole other thing. Terrifying!
I tried something new this year, an open house, it wasn't really advertised, but none the less did very well. I think it is something I will try again for Valentine's Day. So far I am scheduled for The Chocolate Festival January 22 at the Dolce Hotel in Basking Ridge. It is a fundraiser for the NJ Youth Chorus. In honor of the occasion I have created a chocolate scented soap loaded with cocoa butter, it's yummy! Having trouble with the name though... maybe Chocolate Goat? Also premiering will be Sweetheart Rose, Forbidden, and Champagne all packaged and ready to give for Valentine's Day. I may even bring a couple of my Drunken Goat bars just for fun. There's a little story that goes with that bar. As some of you may know we're having quite a bit of trouble breeding Oreo, she can be pretty nasty, she has attacked every male she's had the displeasure of meeting. Finally we actually borrowed a buck named Pedro to spend a couple of weeks here and hopefully get the job done. Oreo was less than pleased. I had a crazy thought, maybe a little wine would loosen her up, it being her first time and all. After presenting my idea to Joe I was promptly informed that I was nuts, well duh!, isn't that oblivious at this point? Joe would not allow any alcohol consumption by the goat, but Drunken Goat soap was "born" A lovely champagne scented goat shaped bar. We have no idea if Pedro had any luck with Oreo or anyone else for that matter. I guess we'll find out in the next few months, based on current food consumption they are ALL pregnant! Other goat news an absolutely lovely lady by the name of Betty has expressed an interest in our goats. As of April, if no one is expecting, Brownie, Blossom and Violet will be moving to Betty's place. My heart is breaking, but I know it is the right thing to do. Betty will love them as I do and I can visit anytime. Maybe we will have new babies in April/May and it all starts over again.
The chickens are at the end of their time, we're down to just 1 or 2 eggs a day. Enough for us, but many disappointed friends looking for fresh eggs. Our new flock will arrive in February. This flock will have a diet rich in Omega 3 producing eggs also loaded with Omega 3, cool huh?
Thinking about starting up the bees again in the spring. I will order nucs from Better Bee and have talked a gentleman by the name of Steve to help mentor me this time around. Maybe we'll have honey this summer!
The veggie garden stands barren and frozen, ready for next season. This past year was a huge disappointment with the veggies. Blight took all my tomato plants, squirrels took what the blight missed. Bean were only OK, no peppers, no zucchini. I don't know what to say. I will try again this year, different seed company and more chicken poo.
Upcoming shows
January 22nd The Dolce Hotel
March 18th Paramus High School Craft Show 10:00 till 5:00
April 29th NJPAC 2:00 till 6:00
May 6th Ridgewood Spring Craft Fair 12:00 till 5:00
May 20th NJPAC 2:00 till 6:00
June 2 & 3 Chester Craft Show
An open house in either late January or early February
Applying to both the Chatham Farmers Market and Madison Farmers Market for the season, maybe the Morristown or Summit Market as well.
More shows to be announced, check the website and facebook page for regular updates and hopefully email blasts monthly.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
A very late update
Hi All,
I do apologize again for the lateness in my posts. I was speaking with someone yesterday that reminded me people really do read my blog to keep up to date on the happenings here on my "farm".
The chickens are laying a bakers dozen almost every day. We are up to 14 dozen eggs in the refrigerator PLEASE come and get some if you need them before my family rebels and starts throwing them at me. Kids can not live on eggs alone.
The veggie garden is doing very well. I already have small green tomatoes on most plants. The weeds are waging quite a stand this year. It took me three days to clear the garden, I should probably start back at the beginning again. Late last night two animals got into a terrible fight, not sure what kind of animals but it was awful. I couldn't sleep afterwards and my thoughts turned to the weeds and how similar people are to gardens. We all have the potential to be beautiful productive gardens then the weeds come...selfishness, greed, laziness, you get the idea. Like I said it was very late at night and it seemed very poetic at the time. I tried planting potatoes this year, but was too late and I don't think we will see any yield. Live and learn. Beans look excellent, I'm growing a purple bean in addition to the regular crop this year only a few plants came up, but I'm excited to taste them. I have this new idea rattling around in the back of my head, one of those ideas that bring my husband nothing but work. I would like to have a root cellar to store crops over winter and I would like to plant a fall crop this year to stock the root cellar with. How cool would that be?
I have no bees, the pick up date for my packages was postponed and there was a conflict with my schedule that could not be rearranged. We will start again next year and hopefully have better luck. I do miss watching there comings and goings. Bees are quite beautiful if you take the time to observe their constant activities.
The goats are so wonderful, Kota has proven to be a wonderful mother. The babies are growing by leaps and bounds. Brownie has taken her role as Aunt to heart and plays and teaches the little ones. Oreo is a bit more disagreeable, I think she may be a bit jealous of Kota's family. She has become quite a head butter, no one is safe from her wrath anymore. The babies are a constant source of entertainment. They run, jump and frolic all day long. Willow thinks she is a lap dog and enjoys sitting on your lap and chewing whatever she can get into her mouth. Violet & Blossom LOVE to chew your hair, it can be a little frightening when they all jump on you at once. They have all settled into their new big shed that Amish built and constructed on site in about 6 hours. The Amish rock. I really respect them and think we should all take a page from their book. They put themselves last, community and others all come first. I think our society would benefit from a little of that logic. I was driving the other day and was sitting at a stop light. A gentleman all dressed for work was running across the street in front of me, he fell at the sidewalk, pretty badly from what I could tell. He proceed to pick himself up and continue to the gas station. I felt bad for him but continued on my way. Coming back down the hill from my short trip I saw the same man pouring gas into his car from a can. All I could think was I should buy this guy a cup of coffee, what a crap day he was having. I've been there, I talked myself out of it thinking how stupid I was being. I should have bought the coffee. I'm going to try and follow my gut from now on.
Da' business. I love soap making, when I get down into my soap kitchen I'm so happy!! The soap is getting better and better. I make a batch almost every day except when there is a show. I made Blue Hydrangea Wednesday and today is Grace. I'm a bit low on lotions but fingers crossed my order of my jars will arrive today. I've also decided to add a 16 ounce bottle of lotion with a pump to the line. I've had several requests for them, I've just got to come up with a way to label them nicely. I've posted a picture of my new booth set up-gorgeous if I do say so myself. My sweet husband found a very talented sign painter at the Chester Craft Show and had a sign made up for the booth. It's just perfect. The artist's name is Terri Palmer, no relation, but she made the mistake of signing her work T. Palmer, could be me hee hee. I have been allowed to join the Madison Farmer's Market Thursdays 2:00 till 7:00 and the Chatham Farmer's Market Saturdays 8:00 till 1:00. My first Madison market was wet but successful. This Saturday Willow, Violet, & Blossom will be joining us at the Chatham Market. Stop by check out the new booth and visit with the girls.
Lastly I have to say I've changed, I'm a completely different person in some ways. I used to love clothes, I never left the house without makeup, spent a fortune on haircuts, I worried about what everybody else thought. I still love clothes, I just buy them at Tractor Supply. I still wear eyeliner when I'm going somewhere, well most of the time and my haircut of late was Joe trimming my bangs in the kitchen because I could stand them in my eyes anymore. I look a little like one the Marx brothers. I still care what people think, just not as much and not enough to change myself without careful consideration. Have a wonderful summer, I will write when time permits, no more promises I can't keep. Great reads "The Dirty Life Memoirs On Farming, Food, and Love" by Kristin Kimball "Just Like Heaven" by Julia Quinn a lovely beach read, and lastly I'm in the middle of "Surviving The Apocalypse in The Suburbs" by Wendy Brown. I know the last one seems a bit on the extreme side, but it's really interesting and it never hurts to have an idea of what you would do if things were to change. In the book she talks about a life without oil and all the things connected with it. How to start really eating locally & seasonally, taking responsibility for yourself, your food, pretty much everything. Now I want a wood burning stove to supply heat to the house and to cook on if necessary. Poor Joe Palmer, he shouldn't have bought me that Look Book, I just keep reading and getting more ideas :)
I do apologize again for the lateness in my posts. I was speaking with someone yesterday that reminded me people really do read my blog to keep up to date on the happenings here on my "farm".
The chickens are laying a bakers dozen almost every day. We are up to 14 dozen eggs in the refrigerator PLEASE come and get some if you need them before my family rebels and starts throwing them at me. Kids can not live on eggs alone.
The veggie garden is doing very well. I already have small green tomatoes on most plants. The weeds are waging quite a stand this year. It took me three days to clear the garden, I should probably start back at the beginning again. Late last night two animals got into a terrible fight, not sure what kind of animals but it was awful. I couldn't sleep afterwards and my thoughts turned to the weeds and how similar people are to gardens. We all have the potential to be beautiful productive gardens then the weeds come...selfishness, greed, laziness, you get the idea. Like I said it was very late at night and it seemed very poetic at the time. I tried planting potatoes this year, but was too late and I don't think we will see any yield. Live and learn. Beans look excellent, I'm growing a purple bean in addition to the regular crop this year only a few plants came up, but I'm excited to taste them. I have this new idea rattling around in the back of my head, one of those ideas that bring my husband nothing but work. I would like to have a root cellar to store crops over winter and I would like to plant a fall crop this year to stock the root cellar with. How cool would that be?
I have no bees, the pick up date for my packages was postponed and there was a conflict with my schedule that could not be rearranged. We will start again next year and hopefully have better luck. I do miss watching there comings and goings. Bees are quite beautiful if you take the time to observe their constant activities.
The goats are so wonderful, Kota has proven to be a wonderful mother. The babies are growing by leaps and bounds. Brownie has taken her role as Aunt to heart and plays and teaches the little ones. Oreo is a bit more disagreeable, I think she may be a bit jealous of Kota's family. She has become quite a head butter, no one is safe from her wrath anymore. The babies are a constant source of entertainment. They run, jump and frolic all day long. Willow thinks she is a lap dog and enjoys sitting on your lap and chewing whatever she can get into her mouth. Violet & Blossom LOVE to chew your hair, it can be a little frightening when they all jump on you at once. They have all settled into their new big shed that Amish built and constructed on site in about 6 hours. The Amish rock. I really respect them and think we should all take a page from their book. They put themselves last, community and others all come first. I think our society would benefit from a little of that logic. I was driving the other day and was sitting at a stop light. A gentleman all dressed for work was running across the street in front of me, he fell at the sidewalk, pretty badly from what I could tell. He proceed to pick himself up and continue to the gas station. I felt bad for him but continued on my way. Coming back down the hill from my short trip I saw the same man pouring gas into his car from a can. All I could think was I should buy this guy a cup of coffee, what a crap day he was having. I've been there, I talked myself out of it thinking how stupid I was being. I should have bought the coffee. I'm going to try and follow my gut from now on.
Da' business. I love soap making, when I get down into my soap kitchen I'm so happy!! The soap is getting better and better. I make a batch almost every day except when there is a show. I made Blue Hydrangea Wednesday and today is Grace. I'm a bit low on lotions but fingers crossed my order of my jars will arrive today. I've also decided to add a 16 ounce bottle of lotion with a pump to the line. I've had several requests for them, I've just got to come up with a way to label them nicely. I've posted a picture of my new booth set up-gorgeous if I do say so myself. My sweet husband found a very talented sign painter at the Chester Craft Show and had a sign made up for the booth. It's just perfect. The artist's name is Terri Palmer, no relation, but she made the mistake of signing her work T. Palmer, could be me hee hee. I have been allowed to join the Madison Farmer's Market Thursdays 2:00 till 7:00 and the Chatham Farmer's Market Saturdays 8:00 till 1:00. My first Madison market was wet but successful. This Saturday Willow, Violet, & Blossom will be joining us at the Chatham Market. Stop by check out the new booth and visit with the girls.
Lastly I have to say I've changed, I'm a completely different person in some ways. I used to love clothes, I never left the house without makeup, spent a fortune on haircuts, I worried about what everybody else thought. I still love clothes, I just buy them at Tractor Supply. I still wear eyeliner when I'm going somewhere, well most of the time and my haircut of late was Joe trimming my bangs in the kitchen because I could stand them in my eyes anymore. I look a little like one the Marx brothers. I still care what people think, just not as much and not enough to change myself without careful consideration. Have a wonderful summer, I will write when time permits, no more promises I can't keep. Great reads "The Dirty Life Memoirs On Farming, Food, and Love" by Kristin Kimball "Just Like Heaven" by Julia Quinn a lovely beach read, and lastly I'm in the middle of "Surviving The Apocalypse in The Suburbs" by Wendy Brown. I know the last one seems a bit on the extreme side, but it's really interesting and it never hurts to have an idea of what you would do if things were to change. In the book she talks about a life without oil and all the things connected with it. How to start really eating locally & seasonally, taking responsibility for yourself, your food, pretty much everything. Now I want a wood burning stove to supply heat to the house and to cook on if necessary. Poor Joe Palmer, he shouldn't have bought me that Look Book, I just keep reading and getting more ideas :)
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