Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I keep intending to write something. I write posts in my head, even go as far as taking pictures to go along with them. But at the end of each day I've found I haven't written a single word. And haven't uploaded the pictures from the camera to the computer.

I'm taking more photos with my phone too, again with the intention of blogging from here. But time slips away from me.

We're also having issues with our computer still, overheating. It's really only good for about an hour, then dies. I'm a bit afraid of uploading the photos, that I'll loose them. It happened before, lost over a years worth, 700+ photos. I did learn from that, and often save them to a flash drive.

What have we been doing?

School's out for summer for the girls. Next year P will start high school and B middle school. O still has a month of schooling left but much like public school does, we've switched to a more relaxed end of year routine. I don't plan on not schooling at all through out the summer but we will be putting away the books and doing some unit studies.

We've got our garden going. A bit different than last year's. We utilized some old tires that were on the property, using them for raised planters. They're working better than anticipated. Summer squash, cantaloupes, and watermelon, are exploding from within them. Our first starts of lettuce, endive and spinach, were eaten by Blonde the escape chicken. So we replanted further away, and covered them with chicken wire. It's getting a bit warm, for them, you can tell by the slow growth, but we're keeping them watered and they are still growing.

A bit of our gardening feels in vane, we may not see the fruits of our labor, not because of loss of them but because we'll have to move before some are ready for harvest. Another letter arrived this week from our landlord, announcing we have to vacate by mid-August. This time insurance premiums rising as the reason. I've found some acceptance in it, gratitude that we will no longer have to deal with her whims. But there still sadness, grief, and some fear of what's to come. We'll take it day by day for now.

This week we returned J and A's placentas to the Earth. I hope to do a post on our ceremony soon.

We harvested 2 gallons of wild Honeysuckle and tried our hand at oil making. Getting the essential oils, through a steam process, was more difficult and I can see now why the oil is so expensive to buy. We also are infusing the honeysuckle blossoms into grapeseed oil. This oil will be for soap, lotion, body product, etc. making.  We'll see how wonderful it is in about 6 weeks time.

We explored more of this expansive property. Discovering another hidden gem of a spot. I am so grateful I've taken so many photos over our treks. We'll have a visual reminder of the things we've come to find and love here. I hope we can fit a camping excursion into the summer before our time here ends.

Being a city girl that never really saw a wild Turkey until almost 7 years ago, I was astounded to see a flock fly yesterday. We'd heard the first one on the property during my mil's visit, at the end of April. Found a loose on a walk a few weeks later. Spotted the first one in the fields just over a week ago. And saw close to 8 of them, feeding on the hill in the freshly plowed field yesterday. To my astonishment they individualy started flying away over the tree tops, soaring like large hawks. So surprisingly graceful! They can reach speeds of up to 55 mph flying! (I had to Google it, I thought I was going crazy.) My camera is not powerful enough to capture this memory, but it'll still be there.

What have I not been doing?

Obviously blogging. But also knitting, I've run out of yarn I can work with. Crafting, sewing, reading for myself. I received the latest issue of Taproot this week, but have only browsed the pages, reading only A Letter to My Son. Birth stories always capture my attention quickly. The newest issue of Mother Earth News, was happily received, and even more happily found to be more like the magazine we first fell in love with. Dh is very happy with this issue! I browse Amazon looking for new books that interest me, finding a few and wishing to read them. But with my lack of reading motivation lately, they'd probably get fingered through but never read cover to cover.

So here is what life has been lately. Busy. Filled to the brim with everyday life. Joy, heartache, gratitude, fear, hope. Searching. For more time in the day, even being awake from 5am most days, till nearly 11pm, there still doesn't seem to be enough time to do so much that needs, wants doing. Searching, for clarity, a miracle, wishes, dreams, coming true. Peace, more joy to fill our days. And always things to be grateful for.