The Farmer’s Grandkids

 Leon and I both come from a family of farmers. Our grandfathers were farmers. Leon’s Opas grew apples, raised pigs and farmed vegetables. My grandpa grew beans, corn, potatoes and pumpkins. The heritage runs thick in our blood. It explains our undeniable yearning to dig in elbow deep into the earth, spend many hours in the sun and rejoice in the harvest that our work yields. 

   We like to play farmer. But we fully understand the hard work our grandfathers did every day for decades. Their livelihoods depended on their work, whereas we are hobby farmers. 

   In CO, the known rule is to wait until Memorial Day to plant anything in the ground. This memorial day weekend we finally planted corn, beans and pumpkin seeds from my grandpa’s pumpkins. Our plot is small, but we worked until we were sunburned and tired. Every weed we pull and stroke of the rake that we make, makes us that much more appreciative of our amazing grandparents who lived this lifestyle daily. 

   Our youngest daughter likes to help dig in the dirt, plant seeds and collect the harvest. I think she feels the farming gene coursing through her veins too! So many school/life/Biblical lessons in planting seeds alone. 

   Every time we tend to our crops, it feels like a tribute to our grandfathers. It is a beautiful connection to our past. God bless the farmer!

Ms. New Broody

Sadly, the Broody Bantam snapped out of her broodiness. But there is a new broody hen- our Georgia peach. She has loyally been sitting on a clutch of eggs since Saturday. 

   We were leery of her and questioned her loyalty at first.  But we have faith that she may be our long hauler. 

   She is a Buff Orpington, which is a breed known for its broodiness. We named her Georgia because of her pretty peach color. 

   So far so good- today we switched out the old, dirty eggs she was laying on, for a fresh batch of eggs. We snuck in her own little food and water dish, hoping that she takes in some nourishment. This breed can be so broody that the hen refuses to get up and take care of herself- martyr mom. We lost a hen last year of the same breed when she got broody and refused to leave  her box on some very hot days. It was too late before we realized what was going on with her. 

   Georgia also makes demon noises at us when we get too close to her eggs. So, we’re pretty sure she is settled. If all goes well, we could be seeing some chicks around June 21st- just in time for the first day of summer! 

   Updates will be posted!

Broody Bantam

 Of all the chickens that chose to go broody. . .  Baby Eggins, our little gray bantam has decided she would like to be a mom. As of Friday she has been sitting on a clutch of eggs. She makes demon noises at us when we peak in at her. She has become flat as a pancake and is managing to spread out over about eight full size chicken eggs. 

   We laugh to think that if she "goes full term" and hatches chicks, they will quickly outgrow her and will follow around this tiny chicken as their momma. 

    We are currently gleaning wisdom from various sources on how this whole process works. IF she hatches chicks, it will be around mid June. It should be an interesting and educational experience! 

    Updates will be posted!

The Little Bantam That Could

Crumb Trays- A History Lesson

I have recently been fascinated with the history of butlers and Victorian era service people. I like to read about the interesting and fussy manners in which butlers cared for homes and practiced service and hospitality and try to learn tips for good hosting and service. My family, taking note of this peculiar eccentricity, aptly procured a most interesting Mother's Day gift for me- meet the bread crumber and brush set:

    This beauty is fashioned from silver. Although I am unsure of the history of this particular piece, these sets date back to the Victorian era and were used in hotels, restaurants and aristocratic homes to quickly sweep away crumbs left on a table cloth- this would help save the tablecloth from unnecessary laundering and also prevented the crumbs from landing on the floor. It also was used to show off how elegant or upscale an establishment was. 

Only the finest of modern day restaurants use these sets still- Charles Court at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, along with The Peppertree restaurant also in Colorado Springs, take the opportunity to have their waiters elegantly finesse the crumbs from your table between courses and diners.

    

I was also gifted this lovely, antique silver piece, known as a "silent butler": 

This beauty also dates back to the Victorian era and was used to quickly and discreetly sweep crumbs and ashes into. The handle is operated with the thumb. It is quite lovely and I have already tried it out to sweep our crumbs into. These are the sort of gifts that make old souls happy!

Here's my very amateur video on this topic: