28 Days Later...

I'm No zombies or rabid people, just one heck of a compact month (28 days) behind me. It was packed with far too much work to fit in anything more than the basics, or some short-form version of the basics, and I'm about to do it again.

A whole month is a while though, so I've collected a few things to talk about. I did manage to get my testers their second test packages to try - on time, which won't be the same for the third package, though I've certainly got it planned and I'll share that soon, too.

A sunset over the mid-west.

It is high season for me at work, so it's not all that surprising to be working hard, but I have been away so much more than any other year for days at a time with only a single day between which must be used only for the necessities. And we are not better from our colds. But I do have a bit of a tan, and I'm certain a good dose of vitamin D, too! 

Sometimes my horns show... haha!

In the summer I found Heritage Harvest Seeds website https://www.heritageharvestseed.com and fell in love with what they have to offer, their approach and the fact they grow in the same Zone as our own Blue Moon Farm. And I prefer to buy Canadian. I'd also like to order a number of items from Salt Spring Seeds again this year, even though my list is already at overkill, but (!) they have quite the selection of medicinal plants and botanicals, which is of extra interest to me this time because I'm hoping to use fresh, homegrown herbs in my various concoctions... Have you seen my pointed hat?! Lol. For the extra seeds I cannot source in either the above two places I shall use Renee's Seeds because they delighted me last year. Of course, I'll also be trying to sprout my saved seeds, which really excites me. I hope I'm able to get some decent results. 

To have fresh fruit would just be the cherry on top! 

Also, we plan to put in an orchard this year. I'm still comparing costs and making last minute decisions, which will hopefully all be in order by the month's end. And then we can have fruit! Okay, maybe not, but in a few years we could have fruit. I hope we have such an over abundance of fruit I will have more than we can eat, freeze or preserve! But don't count your chicks before they hatch, right?! 

https://www.floretflowers.com/book/

I was quite tempted to buy Florets new book and the garden planner that comes with it (deal of the month) even though I am quite okay (as far as I think) at planning gardens with my squared paper diagrams, planting layouts, spacing and starting schedules, but I'm sure there's room for improvement. Yes, so tempted I pre-ordered. 

We did have more litters of baby rabbits... Baby rabbits are the cutest! Even if they don't look like rabbits, yet. I love it when they first get whiskers. Funnily, our foul-tempered doe has been the best mama in this round of kits.  

I must get my camera out for some decent shots of the little critters, especially since Easter is getting closer. As you can see, especially in the photo above, when there are babies, and more so when there are multiple litters, things get hairy! Literally. And figuratively. But we are having more and more successes, thankfully! 

January, as it was

It was my intention to write, "With the Plague behind me, (or just one nasty, lengthy bout of influenza), and most of my goals for the month ahead", however, I'm not entirely better and the month is over... Or February has just begun!

Sickness meant neglect for any more than the minimum. One by one things did get done, and though we didn't make the headway we'd hoped for during the first month of year, but we did, perhaps appreciate the little things... 

Only one bunch of 2016 carrots remains, and they are still so sweet and delicious!

My Newest Obsession, not that I'd stray from cooking and baking though in a way it seems a natural progression (it might be due to the fact my mix master has been out of commission since before the holidays) is formulating skin, home and health care products. Which should be even more fun during the growing season. Just wait, if you didn't previously see the hippie in me, you'll see it waving from the dandelion patch I'm sharing with the rabbits. Working with me I have a small band of four willing Guinea-Pig testers who differ in age, lifestyle, colouring and skin type, but who all suffer the same effects of the drying Alberta winter. Their feedback should help me to improve and get motivated to create a whole arsenal of awesome products - usable here and everywhere. Because the testers are so kind to do this for me, I have been trying to provide them cute and enticing products to increase their happiness in playing along! 

January's theme was Citrus 🍊 and here's what was inside:

I don't know which of the two terrible photos is easiest to read, but it includes a moisturizer, an in-bath moisturizer, a bar of soap, an eye cream/face chap, a lip chap, and a shampoo bar. I also packed in a hair rinse, but since we all felt the same disgust for the potent vinegar smell, it's probably best left out. The shampoo bar didn't meet expectations either, so we will see a completely revamped hair care set in the February instalment, plus some new items, too!

In trying to create a new basket of goods for monthly tests, I've been working diligently. Some products can be made anytime, but some must be made well ahead of time, while others must be made more last minute. 

Rabbit care during cold temperatures has been somewhat difficult. I ended up building new and improved nesting boxes in the basement (Jordan thankfully cut all my pieces in the garage and brought them in for assembly) as it was -30 ish. My special feature is a trap door solid bottom. Very little info is published for the chilly climate rabbit raiser on this, so after talking with a 30+ year rabbit veteran I put a few specialized methods to work, and our one and only litter since implementation was a success. Funnily enough, the black finger nail I got in the process of building the nesting boxes, initially looked like a rabbit in profile. It also told me we are in need of a shop/garage bench refit, and some heat so I can stop building things in the basement on a chair. 

The babies once they grew fur. One white one is under the pile. 

Eyes Open, Curious Little Erratic Jumpers

Hand Tool care is a good job for the cold months, to prepare for the busy season on the farm. 

Cleaned, sharpened, and oiled!

I somehow also managed to complete the fixes and touch ups in the kitchen, minus the Acme stove, which I knew would have to wait until later.... and it looks very fresh! Our bedroom in which I was struggling over achieving a completed look, with it's new Point Blanket and Canadian style, has really been tied together with the addition of a horizontal hook rail along the edge of our diagonal ceiling. I also put some photos on the walls in coloured frames to correspond to the quintessential stripes of the Bay's famous blanket. 

Now I'm exhausted, but happy with the accomplishments, and February is here. My work month is insane so I'm extra glad I actually got so much done in January. More soap and personal care products to be made, and shown off, AND time to seriously start thinking about the garden. Watering systems, seeds to order (herbs for all the new tinctures), planting layouts, and starting seedlings. And maybe a few nice photos of the things I've been up to...

To dream is lovely...

Just like my lovely sister-in-law! This bouquet really made the newly freshened kitchen look magazine worthy!

The First Year on the Farm

Home Sweet Blue Moon Farm!

I like to think of the big sky here in the prairies. 

Sometimes it's so clear and other days it's often colourful, casting magical hues. 

I'd like to spend time to catch the true likeness of the coloured light,

so the effect can be felt through the photographs.

Looking back, we realize we've nearly forgotten some of our accomplishments as we maintain a steady forward lean. But it's important to review (especially our first year), 

which we did in the round-about way of looking through our photos of the past year. 

We recalled triumphs and discussed better methods and options for this year, 

while cleaning up the files, choosing some to print and contemplating, 

from an artistic photo snapping point of view, more than the memories, moments or subjects, 

our favourite photos of 2016: 

I do like to shoot somewhat macro with blur. Here are my favourite examples:

Against neutral patterns Georgi's green eyes really show up. 

This is probably my favourite, because the colours are bold and complimentary and frame Rori in just right.

Blur in the foreground as well as the background shows more depth, and here gives a sense of the location.

I prefer natural light, as without it getting depth in bright colours can be challenging.

Same idea as above but not as effective at conjuring a setting.

The macro, the colours, and as in the photo of George a neutral yet subtly interesting background sets off the subject.

Well you'd not put this on your wall, but you can sure see the details of our lovely asparagus!

The style and lens are really for portraits, but I tend to have more things to photograph than people, 

so until people begin to let me practice taking their photo, and they become as cooperative as flowers,

I'll have to be satisfied with objects.

On that note, a couple of lovely models:

Farm Friends

I'm delighted Christmas brought me up dates in speedy photo processing, and I'm keen to keep practicing and aiming for more good shots.  

Farm goals include a time saving, somewhat automatic, watering system, planting our dream fruit 

and perennial plot, painting out buildings and house trim, fence and pen repair, 

and insulating our shop so we can get more accomplished in the long, cold season, 

meanwhile our focus is to lean up our practices for simplicity and efficiency. 

Have you ever read, "The Lean Farm", by Ben Hartman? 

It's full of good ideas.

I have been debating over our bedroom since we moved in, and with a very Canadian addition at Christmas I now have the perfect direction in which to proceed. 

Hopefully I'll be able to show some progress soon. 

More on the homemade personal care products soon, too. Secretly it's kind of consuming me. 

Once you have real soap and a human/earth friendly sanitizing solution, 

you also suddenly need real moisturizer and shampoo and chap and laundry soap... 

and the list goes on. 

I have some willing testers lined up to help me perfect the products! 

Now all I must do, is get making (the best part!). 

Speaking of making, this was the most extravagant cake of 2016. Go Rosie!

I'm proud of our progress - animals, sign, garden, barn, and commitment to some of the 

drudgery and keeping up with the random, accidents, and unexpected. 

Which brings me to the love of capturing candid moments:

George jumped off a post onto Jordan's shoulder, which triggered Rori's backward evacuation.

Ying and Yang - a brief moment of unusual stillness.

In the moment

Apart from the love we grow on our farm (awww yuck!) 

the animals are the next largest source of joy. 

There's nothing like raising babies into delightful egglayers, a faithful, command obeying pooch (when food is involved), or just getting them past the first 5 days when it comes to kits. 

Then there's always the special case, which for us is George. 

Awfully curious... and cheeky, little fur cat that made it. What can I say? We love them all! 

 Which is your favourite photo?

Happy New Year!

I hope you rang in 2017, with whomever, wherever pleased you most. 

Above, my beautiful New Year's Baja vista! 

I didn't get a schedule that made time for New Year's plans, but I woke early with a clear mind, and a brand spanking new agenda to fill up. Yes agenda. My decision was based on time savings (I don't need to make the basic spreads), mistake reduction (avoiding date mishaps by leaving the calendar making to the professionals), my favourite agenda company, PaperBlanks, and the leeway to borrow from the bullet journal's best traits (pencil, systematic bullet points, trackers...)

Would a post be complete without a tad of farm life incorporated? 

I think not, so here are my chickens:

The hens carefully checking out their newly cleaned and refreshed coop. They gave it the long, beady-eyed once over before coming inside. 

Once inside, they seemed to have approved of the changes 😉. 

Time to reflect, make goals and put the future in motion! 

Best wishes for all your new year aspirations! 

You can be sure many of my hopes and dreams are farm related. 

The Year-One review and favourite photos coming up, shortly. 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

It's Christmas Eve and I've finally begun feeling the spirit today, mostly due to the fact that though I have to work straight through Christmas, at least I got to deadhead on West Jet's 'Frozen' plane, right after I enjoyed an Eggnog Latte. 

We had our little decoration party early in December so I've been able to enjoy a festive home, albeit a very dry tree. Since I like to click around looking at other people's decorations on Michael Wurm Jr.'s Inspiredbycharm.com Christmas Home Tour, and secretly covet a spot on it, here's a quick look at what is waiting for me when I get home to celebrate. 

Maybe next year we will have a tad more time to develop our country Christmas décor! And enjoy it, together. 

I'll be back once more before the end of the year for a little 2016 round up and direction for 2017. Before that happens, I need to decide on a pre-printed agenda or a new book for more bullet journaling... 

What's your preference?

Peace, joy and love! 

Soaps, Detergents, Cleaners, Disinfectants...

On the subject of homemade and natural cleaners and their effectivity - I know I shared an idea I'd put together a while ago (a vinegar and borax solution) - I've delved deeper and with quite some research and found some really good, simple, safe solutions regarding disinfecting. 

The spay I shared will suffice for relatively clean cleaning. 

You know, the stuff that only needs minor cleaning and /scrubbing and not so much disinfecting. Which is necessary, so it won't go to waste. 

There's some internet discussion on how acids and bases may cancel one another out, 

but in my world I actually don't care about my cleaner's pH, 

rather how it cleans my house, and it does. 

Although we often use these terms interchangeably, it's interesting to be reminded of their definitions.

Soap: "a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usually by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids" (Merriam-Webster) 

or more simply put, "...oils react with lye to create a solid mass... the result of saponification is soap and a small amount of glycerin mixed in." (the Soap Queen)

Detergent: "a powder or liquid that is used to clean clothes, 

dishes, etc.:a chemical substance that is like soap" (Merriam-Webster)

Cleaner/Cleanser: "a substance used for cleaning things" (Merriam-Webster)

Disinfectant: "a chemical substance that is used to kill harmful germs and bacteria" 

(Merriam-Webster)

What I found out, in a nutshell, is that there will never be a disinfectant more effective than bleach, and yes we are talking chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach is 100% effective, when used properly. 

We also have a 99% effective option which happens to be not only safe for the environment, 

the water table, you, your family and pets, but also easy to use and make, 

plus it's likely you already have everything you need. 

So, if you're willing to sacrifice a 1% possibility of parasitic infection, 

for other awesome benefits, please read on. 

Firstly, I must say, I noted in a number of the articles I read, a valid point worth mentioning 

(based on how I've seen some people over the years 'clean' something, 

and the article PhD authors' respective repetition): "when used properly". 

That does mean, regardless of what you want to use as a disinfecting agent, 

you must first prepare the area by cleaning it up. Mop up the mess (discard if necessary) 

and then clean thoroughly with hot soapy water. 

I thought that was obvious, but maybe not... 

Then disinfect as per the instructions on the Chlorine bleach bottle, 

if that's your choice (and I will still be using this for anything really nasty, just to be sure) 

or follow this simple solution, which is again, only 99% effective (like birth control, when used properly!): vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. 

You'll need: 

Vinegar (5% acetic acid, which is standard, or stronger, but stick to white vinegar for the least amount of lingering scent)

Hydrogen Peroxide (3% is the dilution required, and luckily just how it's most often sold in Canada, however I happened to have a food grade 30% strength bottle on hand, which I diluted myself {I'm sure this is the cheapest solution in the long run})

Two spray bottles, empty and clean (it's best if they 'mist' well)

Add the vinegar to one bottle, the hydrogen peroxide to the other, and you are ready, assuming you've already cleaned up the area to be disinfected. Now spray either on the surface and wait a minimum of 5 minutes, wipe it dry (or perhaps it already has dried), then spray the other and wait a minimum of 5 minutes, wipe it dry. That's it. 

*Don't combine the two because together they form another chemical compound 

which will not disinfect. 

*I noticed that to end up with the most neutral smell, it helps to start with the vinegar. 

*The vinegar/hydrogen peroxide does not make your skin feel all weird the way bleach does if you aren't wearing gloves. Which I never want to do. Another win!

The great thing is a person only really needs dish soap, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, borax, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide - possibly chlorine bleach standing by for those truly drastic incidents (non-chlorine bleach's active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, so it isn't sold as a disinfectant, btw, but colourfast for your clothes and also not as bleaching as the original), to clean their home. 

My previously blogged water, vinegar, borax and tea-tree spray is a useful and handy combination. 

It seems to remove soap scum as well as any other cleaner when used in conjunction with baking soda for a scrub. (I love the fizz).  

The frugal cat also gives a mighty PURRR for such a cost effective solution!

I guess I have to ask, if chlorine bleach is the active ingredient in most cleaners on the market, what the heck else is in there, and what side effects do they have? (Maybe I don't want to know). 

As if that isn't reason enough to go Au-Naturel when it comes to your home. 

Not that I suggest or condone ingesting or bathing in any of the items I listed. 

Anyway, next up on the investigation list of cleaning arsenal is dish soap, as they are not all made equally, and because most of the information on the internet is geared toward the US, not Canada, where I buy cleaning products. 

I see that Dawn is the favoured brand of the US, but that's more likely because the lucky animals during the terrible Gulf of Mexico oil spill got washed with Dawn, than the actual wonderfulness of Dawn as a cleaner and its biodegradable-environmental impacts. 

Heck, even plastic biodegrades after thousands of years. 

A grand publicity scheme if ever there was one. But also for a good cause. 

I'm all for washing petroleum-ed wildlife.

I have an inkling this is going to take me down the road of saponification, which is right along the lines of chemistry I love (home made and from scratch!) though more expensive to start out than the above, so we may have to add lye and oil to our shopping list!

I just have to quantify it all for myself. Knowledge is a powerful tool. 

Brrrr...

Just a little bit brrrr... I know it will plummet soon.

No snow for some time now, but lots of ice fog making beautiful statements 
out of our trees and yard.

After four days of the growing crystals, the sun came out!

Time for some pretty cookies and warm loaves of bread out of the oven.

I even figured out how to braid four for my loaf. 

Now I just need to learn to fishtail my hair ;)

Chocolate Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies

The chicken's egg laying quota has reduced somewhat 

- I hope not too much more - 

but they aren't scared of the cold!

I, lucky me, got an early Christmas gift, allowing me to update myself in the 

savviness of computer intelligence, blog with ease, and manage my photography properly.

That's the idea anyway. More on that shortly.