THIS & THAT.

Some random photos from the past week.Further having a staredown with his future sibling in between sidewalk chalk sessions.FINALLY got some wood chips. Do not give up on your dreams, farmers.Summer garden looking summery.A little flower farming.Sunfleur.Heirloom mater days (photo by Further!)Now it’s summer.

SOMETHING SPECIAL.

When Further was born, we really didn’t have to buy much of anything. First of all, cosleeping, breastfeeding, cloth diapering and babywearing cut out a lot of the big-ticket items all new parents “need.” But mostly, we were very blessed – the beneficiaries of many wonderful hand-me-downs and gracious gifts. When it came to clothes, the few things we personally bought were from secondhand shops or Goodwill. This, I feel, was reasonable. There is little sense in dressing a newborn – essentially a tiny pooping, peeing, vomiting, drooling machine - in organical white lace onsies all the time.On the other hand, I did spend a chunk of change on yarn – beautiful yarn that I used to make our baby hats, sweaters, mittens, pants and stuffed toys. This is because these things will last and become precious heirlooms that we can use for any hypothetical future children and perhaps grandchildren one day. These things are worth saving. And that is how I feel about Further’s new clothes from Red Creek Handmade. Further was picked to be a brand representative, and we feel like it is a perfect fit. Kate makes all of her clothes with organic, naturally dyed linen – and these clothes are meant to get dirty. They are meant to be worn by tough kids. They are meant to last, to be well-loved, to be passed on to the next generation. And because of this, they cost a little more than a Goodwill onesie.Supporting makers, artisans and crafters who are doing good work is a goal of ours. It is always a balance, of course. We are dirty, hard working folks who can tear through a pair of jeans or boots in a month. We need a wardrobe of grundgy work clothes, just like Further needs a number of dirty, poop stained Carter’s outfits he can ruin. But we also are trying to invest in a few future heirlooms, some well made, quality products. – from people like Kate at Red Creek, from websites like Etsy, and from craft vendors at our farmers market. The hard truth is, if we are promoters of local, organic food, we should also try to support this same standard in the other things we “consume,” even if it means spending a little more.- Hannah. 

FAMILY BEANS.

The other day we went over to our neighbor's house on an exciting invitation: they wanted to give us some of their "Holder Bean Seed"––"Holder" being their last name.These are beans they've been saving for "fifty years or more", but have been in the family (and in this area) for much longer than that. In fact, no one's sure how old the seed actually is––"I got them from my mother-in-law" she assured us. We traded her some Cherokee Turkey Eye butter beans from the 1700’s and she threw in some "Whippoorwill Peas" of equally unknown origin, thus completing one of my favorite transactions of all time: the seed swap.Saving seed is an important tradition in which Hannah and I love to take part. We hope to get to a point when a lot of what we grow and give is an heirloom, like the Holder Bean––a local seed with a local story. We like when our food is not only healthy, but full of tradition.The next morning, we were headed to market and Eric said something rather poignant. Even though he's an outsider––meaning that he moved to Bugtussle from elsewhere––he's starting to feel like there are pieces of this area's history that one day only he will possess. We all hear different stories from different neighbors and thus collect different bits and pieces about the history of this area. Sometimes it's a story about the old barn or pond on your property, or sometimes it's a bean. Either way, we're always honored when we newcomers to the area are given a piece of Bugtussle history to keep alive, especially when it's edible.- Jesse.