First off, we are very proud of Riley for opening an Etsy shop where she sells stationary with pressed wildflower arrangements. You can check that out here – Delicately Dressed Co. – Etsy Shop

Recap: Thanksgiving; local high school football game; Christmas decorating; Paige AND Samantha’s birthdays; fishing; smoking bacon; hog butchering; Santa’s Workshop; Adam & Sarah Thompson visit (with Aki); Ron and Donna Guendjoian visit

As we prepare to mark the anniversary next week of our arrival to this “beautiful middle of nowhere” as one friend put it, a little reflection is in order. In the couple years leading up to moving to Tennessee, we experienced a growing desire to put our values and interests into greater action. In God’s providence we had found and purchased our property several years before, and each time we visited we saw more clearly how perfect a place it was to experience the seasons, grow a big garden, raise much of our own food, and be in nature. It is no small thing to have the freedom to order our common affairs the way we desire, and we are deeply thankful for that freedom. And as we could never have expected, we’ve seen how much more God had in store for us here in Tennessee than we could have imagined when we set out on this adventure.

Some Successes – heating with wood, pig pen, a prolific garden, electric fence, garden deer fence, canning, trim carpentry, orchard established, tractor and implements, chicken coop, birding, reduced expenses, wood chopping, chick hatching, seed saving

Some Failures – seed starting, tree grafting, dairy cow not pregnant, poor tomato plant support, poor potato yield, dogs eating chickens, raccoon eating chickens, snakes eating chickens, dog issues

One year in, and our appetite is eager for year number two. We have a list of untried projects and plans, and a number of adjustments to make to things we did try this first year.

Going forward, we are going to try posting monthly instead of weekly. We’ll see how that goes.

Our motto for this first year has been the quote from Picasso, “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it”, and that curiosity-based approach has opened up whole worlds to us. We pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone, failed plenty, and have found great satisfaction in the whole complex process. What a great gift life is!

October 29, 2022

Weather/Nature

Some pockets seem to be in peak fall color, but much of the forest is past peak, headed toward full leaf drop and bare trees. Even though we’ve had some hard freezes, most days are still mild, with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 40’s. But it has been dry. The lack of rain hasn’t been too serious since the garden is all in, but we would like some rain on the oats and clover seed that is laying out in the garden for our winter cover crop, and we’re getting tired of watering young fruit trees by hand.

I had to fly to Sarasota for a quick work trip this week, and on the way back to TN got to enjoy a sunset.

Down On The Farm

We are in a lull between garden/veggie work, which is all done, and the butchering of our pigs in the coming weeks. The break has been nice, and we’ve used the time to knock out some house projects, clean, etc.

While I was away, Erica and the kids defrosted some frozen pork belly and started the curing process to make it bacon. It will be ready to smoke in one week.

Best Thing We Ate

Riley’s homemade chocolate ice cream with raspberry topping from the orchard

From Family Worship

Our Bible reading finished in James, and we jumped into Daniel. The context of Daniel and his friends being exiles in a land hostile to their religion immediately confronts us. Even though these events took place in 600 B.C., the setting of hostility is familiar. With very few exceptions over the last 2,600 years, God’s people have almost always been the outcast minority, persecuted for their faith by a world of darkness that hates the light.

Christians in the West have generally enjoyed religious freedom the last couple hundred years, but that is in the process of changing. This shouldn’t surprise us if we look at the big picture of history, and we do well to remember that it often takes external difficulties to sharpen and grow our faith. The book of Daniel is timeless, as all of God’s Word is.

Other Happenings

It was a surprise treat to get to see Gigi down in Florida – a remarkable woman!

We were out of town this week, visiting with family at a Georgia meet-up, so nothing to report from the farm. It is always good to spend time with family, and we enjoyed a few days of Georgia “lake life”.

October 15, 2022

Weather/Nature

On Tuesday we had the first frost of the season, and we needed an evening fire to take the chill out of the house. The leaf color is more striking each day, and there’s no doubt we are in the heart of fall.

The hummingbirds are all gone, as expected. We learned they winter in Panama. Imagine such a small thing having the strength and wherewithal to make it that far. We are hoping to spot an American Redstart, which would be a lifer for us, but the window is closing to see one this fall as they migrate through.

Down On The Farm

The garden is officially done for the year. We harvested the last of the winter squash, storing them underground, and fed the last of the field corn to the pigs. All three plots have been sown to oats and clover as a winter cover crop, the tiller stored in the barn until spring.

The garden was a ton of work through the summer months, and we learned a lot. There are some things we’ll plant more of next year, and some things less, but overall it was a success for us. The winter months will provide time to read through all of my garden notes and strategize for a new year to come. It is highly doubtful we would have purchased all of the food listed below from the store if we had no garden, but it is still insightful to record harvest amounts and their retail value. The more we align our diet and menu to the produce of the farm, the more it will directly reduce our grocery bill.

Best Thing We Ate

Pumpkin pie from our pumpkins…John’s nose approves!

From Family Worship

We’ve been reading through James, a chapter each night. So much wisdom for everyday life: not favoring the rich over the poor, loving our neighbors as ourselves, using our words to give life and not tear down, understanding why we quarrel and argue, and on and on. As the very Word of God, the Bible is matchless in its insights, and most of all, its remedy.

Other Happenings

October 8, 2022

Weather/Nature

It is impossible to overstate the perfection of October weather. Maples and the Virginia Creeper vine are blazing red and purple in the woods, and other trees are turning from green to yellow. We think the bulk of the color is still ahead, but this season is new for us, so we are learning.

Down On The Farm

Sweet potatoes and various winter squash are coming in heavy now, and we are going to try to store them underground in the storm shelter.

Okra seed has been harvested for next year. This closed loop of saving your own seed from year to year, with the variety becoming more adapted to a particular location, is fascinating and satisfying.

Best Thing We Ate

Ginny’s Chocolate!

From Family Worship

As we wrapped up our reading of Nehemiah, we benefited from the comment we read that just like the walls of Jerusalem provided physical protection for the city, so the precepts of God provide spiritual safety for us. Even in Nehemiah’s time, the rebuilding of the physical wall was always accompanied by the Word of God.

Other Happenings

Riley, Sam, and Paige camped down by the creek Thursday night. We were proud of them for doing everything themselves, making their own dinner over the fire…and making it through the whole night!

We were also visited this week by one of Erica’s dear college friends and her family, who live just two hours away in TN. It had been maybe 15 years since we’d seen Ginny Braddock, now Ginny Wilson, and it was wonderful to meet her husband Randy and their two sons. Their family business is a chocolate shop they started in their small town, so they lavished us with much chocolate!