We've been thinking alot about what we might do on our land once we build a home. 

These are some ideas and are in no particular order.

• We will clear out some brush in the woods that snakes and ticks love to hide in.
• Make a road from the front to the back of the property.
• Put up bird feeders.  We both love the birds and there are so many here that we've never seen before.
• Plant certain plants to attract deer on the back side of the property.  I don't know if this is a good or bad way of keeping them from the garden where you don't want them.  They already come through our property so maybe this will entice them to stay in one area.
• Dig a trench to detour excess water when it rains into another direction.
• Plant a garden with: 

Vegetables- onion, garlic, lettuces, potatoes, tomatoes, chilis, spinach, corn,  zuchinni, carrots, leeks, cucumber

Herbs- cilantro, mint, rosemary, basil

Fruits- an apple tree, a plumb tree, an appricot tree, grapes, rhubarb, lots of varities of berries

I do realize that two people cannot possibly eat this much, but I plan to share.

• Start to plan for a U-Pick berry farm.  As I said before this is inspired by my Grandpa and Grandma.

I love this picture.  Grandma always wore these type of dresses.  And Grandpa always drove and old pickup truck.  They were very frugal.  Yet they had plenty of money.  They heated their home with a woodstove for many years and I think Grandpa still had an outhouse right up to the end.  Grandpa also had a sawmill and made all their sheds, batt and board (sp?).  He was always busy, not a lazy bone in him.  Mind you this was within the last ten years not the old days.  They stored tons of stuff in their root cellar that was dug into the side of a hill, made fruit leather and canned what ever they couldn't eat right away.  I don't have any pictures of Grandpa at the moment, they are all packed away.  I just happened to have these two of Grandma in the computer.  This is how I remember her.  She was a very beautiful lady. 

One of the benifits of visiting them was you were always blessed with some of their bounty.  Fresh berries, berry pie, cooked beets and greens, raw kolrabi, green beans, carrots, and raddishes.  We all loved their berries.  They had gooseberries, currents, red and yellow raspberries, strawberries, loganberries, thornless blackberries (which Grandpa taught me you could eat the vines if you peeled them), blueberries, and I'm sure there were more.  Grandpa and I would also sit and suck on mint leaves and honeysuckle blossoms together.  Gramps also taught me how to whistle with a blade of grass placed between both of my thumbs.  He did even cooler things with my sister than that.  He built her a motorized scooter from scraps.  I found this out 10 or so years later.  After Grandpa passed away my sister stayed with Grandma to help out while she was attending college.  She did so much out there and even though Grandma didn't act like it sometimes she really appreciated the help.  She told me that my sister was a girl after her own heart.  The place eventually became to much to take care of so Grandma sold the farm and moved to town.  The people who bought it tore down the house.  My husband and I wish we would have bought it, but I guess God had other plans for us.  Grandma saved the old purple glass light shade from the living room ceiling for us.  I hope we can put it in our house some day.  They also raised goats for quite awhile, the ones with the floppy ears.  Grandpa used to give his favorite one, Agatha, certs mints out of his shirt pocket when we would take walks together.  I usually got one too.  One time when we were at their house for dinner Grandma  served us homeade goats cottage cheese.  I definately didn't care for that stuff and stated to everyone that it tasted like rubberbands and it squeeked like them too.  I got a kick under the table for that one.   I've done some research on goats milk lately and have learned there are tricks to making it not taste so goaty.  They also raised chickens.  Fetching the eggs was neat as a child.  Grandma told me that when the chickens would nest, which they didn't want them to, they would put the chickens in time out in a tub from the inside of an old washing machine. I never actually witnessed this, but have mentioned it to someone before and they said this actually works.  Hmmm.... We like the idea of having some goats and some chickens but I'm not sure of the responsibility yet.  We may also raise a cow or two, but that is way down the road.   We'll probably just start with plants and work our way up to animals. 

 They were good grandparents and we miss them, I can't believe they're gone.  I am thankful for all they taught us even if it was unintentional.  I am learning that many are turning back to the old ways and I'm so glad to be heading in that same direction.  

06:47 - Friday, March 7, 2008 - post comment