THIS & THAT.

Some random photos from the past week.These little guys are the newest members of the farmstead. Anybody need a kitten? Further loves his new bouncy swing, but he is not so amused by "Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation." Gathering water from the spring. Yep, we still don't have running water.Ginger sprouting!Little feets and hand knit blankets.

GUINEA SCORE, CONTINUED.

So a few weeks ago we told the story of getting guineas. And I have to be honest, we felt pretty stupid about what came next.The first night they were out, they slept in one of our barns and pretty much stayed around the property. But Hannah and I went back to see our folks the next day and when we came back, we didn't hear or see them. At that point, I was pretty sure that was another seventy dollars we should have just burned and saved ourselves the trouble.But then the phone rang and it was our good friend and neighbor Davis––the guineas were in his mother's yard, a solid mile walk from here. If you know anything about guineas, you know they cannot be caught on the ground. Your best chance is to catch them at night. So we asked Davis to let us know where they roost, and we'd come get them.But they roosted in the woods that night and we weren't sure where, so we didn't bother. Then they disappeared from site for a while. For a week, we didn't hear anything from them at all.  I was doing chores one morning and noticed they were in another neighbor's yard. I called that neighbor, told them the story, and asked them to call me if they saw where they roosted––if I hadn't been busy I would have just followed them around all day. But alas, farm work beckoned.At lunch, however, we heard their familiar call in our woods. And for the last few days they have been kicking it around the homestead with our other white guinea. It's nothing short of a miracle that they were gone for almost two full weeks, and came right back here to stay. Hopefully, this will be the last post about this saga, but as I write this they're still here. Of course, if we've learned anything from this, it's that you can lead a guinea home, but you can't make them stay.- Jesse.

ADJUSTING.

I milked Lily, our milk cow, on Saturday. This might not sound like a major achievement, but it was huge news around here. I have not milked since the Saturday that I went into labor - in fact, when I went to get my things together for milking, all of my supplies were stacked and ready where I left them four months ago.I have been adjusting to this motherhood thing. Besides the obvious - figuring out breastfeeding, cloth diapers, babywearing, how to put clothes on a newborn (this is seriously not simple) - I have been adjusting to farming with a baby. Trying to balance Further on my hip while also watering the seedlings and swatting away the wasps that live in the greenhouse. Cultivating the transplants while Further tries to grab the hoe while bouncing in his front carrier. Scrambling to wash the dishes, make the bed, go to the bathroom, change out of my pajamas, clean and dry and fold the diapers - all in 15 minute increments between the baby's naps and nursings. It is tough, y'all. Sometimes I work so hard to get myself and Further ready, wrangle him into his carrier and gather together diapers and wipes and extra clothes. I grab my water bottle, stuff some giant nursing pads into my bra, and just as we head out the door to walk to the garden and join the crew - Jesse comes back to the house and tells me they are already finished. It is hard to not feel useless, even though I KNOW that what I am doing is not nothing. Mothering is not nothing. Still, though...sometimes I don't feel all that productive. Especially during those early weeks, it was hard to feel productive when all I could say by the end of the day was that I was wearing real pants and half of the pile of dishes had been washed and we only had one poop explosion.But lately - I feel like I am hitting my stride. I am figuring it out, getting the hang of it. As Further gets older and I get more practice, everything becomes less dramatic and confusing and more just...normal. I feel helpful and able to contribute. And like I said, I started milking again! This was a big step for me - a small hour to myself (the longest I had every been away from Further) and a time to reflect on all the changes that have taken place since my last time at the milking stanchion in December. As the spring is roaring into life around us these days, I am thankful for the timing of Further's birth, for a few precious months that allowed this smooth transition, this time to adjust.- Hannah.

FARMACIST PRINTS.

Hannah and I truly love to help small farmers. So when our dear friends Jordan and Jackson of Think Little CSA told us they were going to raise money for some new equipment, we tried to think of everything possible to help them out.Being idea rich but cash poor, we decided that in order to give them the biggest boost possible, we had to get creative. Literally. So we created a handful of hand-stamped Farmacist prints. They are available exclusively through their campaign, which only has a few days left! So please, go over, check it out, donate and share their project. Maybe pick up a poster while you're there. They are limited, so hurry!A few words about Think Little. If it wasn't for Jordan and Jackson's work in Bowling Green, The Community Farmers' Market––our market––wouldn't be the amazing place it is. They have worked hard to allow our vendors to accept WIC and SNAP––even created a double dollars program that doubles one's SNAP benefits up to 12 dollars––and every week during the season our mobile market (driven by Jackson) takes fresh veggies to low income families. The community outreach, and community building these two have facilitated at CFM has been an inspiration, to say the least. Oh, and they're also full time farmers. So please join us in making their campaign a success! It means a lot to us to give back to these two.