A Small Lesson in Space Management

While doing farm chores today, I noticed something I always saw, always liked, but never thought about. We are so busy, going about our chores, dreaming up bigger and better plans, finding ways to make those plans fit onto three acres. We fret about how to fit everything together, and as it comes together, we forget to take notice of just the beautiful way it all works out. Space is multipurpose, amenities tucked into tight places instead of roomy orderliness.

Asparagus grows tall at Heart of the King Farm.

The thing is… it's working out amazingly. It seems no matter how hard we dream, we are provided the perfect solution, the perfect way to make it happen. And I can't imagine how I've let such a blessing go unnoticed. But I realize it now, and I'm so thankful. So, so thankful.

I realized all this looking at our storm cellar. Living in tornado alley, we have a very necessary, but not so pretty cement cellar that is half in and half out of the ground. It was an eye sore, and in the way.

So we put it to work.

Grapes hang from the trellis for easy picking.

Built around the cellar is a tall raised bed where we've grown asparagus, carrots, garlic, rosemary and other vegetables and herbs over the years. Right now it just grows asparagus and grass. Lots and lots of grass.

An old cattle panel bent from one end to the other created an arched trellis, perfect for climbing underneath and picking sweet, delicious grapes--- if you get to them before the birds! They pick them off right when they turn purple and kindly leave us with… a couple.

"After all," Mama Bird says to Baby Bird, "Humans need to eat, too."

Harkness keeps an eye on things.

On one end of the raised bed we keep a small cage and a rabbit that we let out during the day. He is so adorable, hopping to and fro, nibbling on the grass! Just like a rabbit should.

It is humbling to see what amazing work goes on around you, through you and into the farm everyday, and we can be so busy we hardly notice. It's about time I open my eyes and be thankful for all that I have and am constantly given. It's a miracle. It truly is.

…And doesn't that open space beneath the grapes look like a great place for a bench? Another dream we just might squeeze in. :)

-Katie

Bonus: The Small Story of the Killer Birds

This is the story of how I died. (Lol, if you get this reference, go you!)

The morning started out like any other: a glass of chocolate milk, changing from my pajamas into real clothes, stepping out into the morning sun, watering rabbits and moving their tractors, and then I went to take photos for this blog post. 

That's when the horror began.

I took some pictures of the cellar, of the asparagus, of the rabbit (ain't he adorable!). Then I climbed onto the top of the cellar to take pictures of the grapes.

I'm running out of room on my camera, so I'm carefully picking out different bunches of grapes, trying to get a good close up… and I start to hear a weird grumbling sound. Hmm, weird. I keep taking pictures and then I hear a weird grumbling and a pa-caw! I look around and on a t post behind me is a mocking bird.

But it's just a bird. So I go back to taking photos and I find this:

See those twiggy things? It's a nest!

When I realize this, I look back over at Mama Bird. I hear another pa-caw and out of nowhere a second mockingbird (the Daddy?) comes out of nowhere and rushes at me! I screamed and ducked, but the bird stopped before he hit me and turned around to sit on the fence with his companion. 

Okay, so they won't actually hit me, right? I'm good. I keep moving around, checking to see if any grapes might actually be ripe-- of course there were none, those birds were eating them!

I here more grumbling, a couple more pa-caws! I look over to see both birds bulletin towards me, beaks first. I pulled my camera against my chest and jumped out from under the droopy vines one arm clutching my camera and one arm swinging wildly trying to scare them away.

Forget it bird! You can have my grapes!

Well, for now. The birds never followed through on their attack, so they aren't vicious, right? And they were just protecting their young. So, we think we're going to hang up some shiny cds, scare them away.

Maybe we will then be free of this horror!

-Katie 

(for real this time)

Tomato Time

As summer rolls in and winter fades away, the garden takes center stage in our farm life. Raised beds to fill, plots to till, and most importantly plants to plant. Once the seeds are in, winter finally feels like it's over. And when green leaves pop up, summer begins to feel just around the corner.

Last weekend, we spent the finest hours of the day outside, moving raised beds to their new home (closer to the house), wheelbarrowing manure from here to there, and the best part of all- sinking our hands into cool dirt and patting into place the tomato plants in the hopes of nurturing them into tall, strong plants bearing large, juicy fruit. 

Our compost is mostly just hay and horse poo, but thrown in underneath the manure in our raised beds is a thick layer of unusable mohair from shearing earlier in the week, kitchen scraps, and old paper sacks that were taking up too much space, hopefully providing our plants with the nutrition they need to grow strong and sturdy.

Aw, just look at those neers.

As the days go on, the garden and raised beds fill up. We have growing: corn, okra, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, cucumbers, peas, spinach, carrots, turnips, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, salad, peppers, eggplants, onions, and a handful of herbs. We try to provide for ourselves as much as we can, depending very little upon stores.

Something we discovered with our garden last year was to not overdo it. We had so many plants so close together that it was overwhelming. Squash plants tangled across the walkway so that we couldn't walk around or get to the food. All 108 tomato plants ripened at the same time with thousands of fruits so that it was impossible for us to make use of them all. This year, we decided to learn our lesson, and have dramatically decrease our plant count. We have only 8 tomatoes.

As summer comes closer and closer, work keeps piling on. So much needs to be done. But we know that as work increases, so do the profits- the delicious food and the warm satisfaction and contentment that we know we are doing good, honest work.