SALAMANDER SPRINGS.

A few weeks back we finally were able to visit a farm we have been hearing about for years - Salamander Springs Farm in Berea. After hearing about how magical it was and meeting Susana many times, let me just say that it was every bit as wonderful and inspiring as we had imagined. We returned home with our minds filled with plans of solar dehydrators, earthen floors and straw bale sheds, Hugel beds and permaculture systems, seed saving and free-ranging ducks. It is so important for us to take time, even in this busiest of seasons, to visit with other farmers. We never regret the time away, and always come back feeling renewed and reinvigorated. This visit (along with a trip to Hill and Hollow in June) was part of the C.R.A.F.T. program, which you can learn more about here.- Hannah.

THIS & THAT.

Multiflora rose in full bloom.Busted!  A bunny in the garden.Lulah and her jay, Little Blue, at Hill and Hollow's CRAFT event.Crazy black radishes! Pretty typical front porch scene: beehive, beer, pregnant kitty, guitar.

ANIMALS LATELY.

We have been visiting lots of farming friends lately, and these kind of visits always leave us inspired, challenged, and most of all - lusting after all the amazing animals. Jesse and I have tried hard to be patient - we really have. All last year we avoided Craigslist as much as possible, trying to resist all the "free to a good home" donkeys and goats. We almost broke down many times for random creatures for sale - but we were strong! In the fall, when we found ourselves financially able to purchase the little farm animals we were dreaming of, we bought a solar charger and fencing instead! So now, with the infrastructure, and because of the patience, we are starting to actually feel ready.We are still in the lovely winter stages of planning - drawing up diagrams for the garden, ordering seeds, carving out a vision for the year - but all these recent trips have really got us itching for our own little barnyard critters. Here are some of what we're longing for this year (from our visits to River Cottage Farm and Hill and Hollow). Like I said - WE ARE STILL PLANNING - but those littlest of piggies might be coming home with us sometime soon.- Hannah.