Made a commitment

The blog has officially moved to Wordpress. Not sure how it came about other then a want to have even more control over how the site looks and finding information within it faster. So a few days have been spent with a few more to get everything from all the blogs moved over and in fantastic order. 

Although I am content having two actually 3 journals/blogs/sites going at once (perhaps I should see a therapist) I am enjoying having all my many personalities in one spot. I would love for you to stop by and say hello.

The Forks Farm on WordPress is a creation to express more of myself. A mix of Army Wife Living, Art, Food and Life. Feature all the shops in one place and giving a voice to every part that makes me ME. 

One thing I am rather excited about is the fact that you can simple click on one link in the blog to get all the Urban farm dream updates and random pin up housewife fiasco's with some forks on etsy updates.

I have imported all the posts from this blog to Wordpress so no one is missing comments and you can see how the shops have progressed over the years. 

Stop by Say Hi

The Forks Farm on Wordpress

If you are interested in getting quick updates and finding out about specials in the shop

Facebook Fanpage is up

making decisions

The Plan... We have had a loose plan for a few years. The "when we are out of the Army" plan. And that plan always contained a bit of travel. Our plan had Australia in mind 90% of the time. As the "out of the army" date ever so slowly gets closer we are making a few decisions that center around saving money for that trip. Does this mean we might eat out less? Perhaps. Does it mean Happy Hour becomes cheap happy dinner out if we do go out? Definitely. This may hamper the idea of getting animals (chickens & goats) and having a functioning late season vegetable patch. Not only for the reason of moving in less then a year and placing our things in storage. But as the list grew of things we will need so did the price point and although we are thrifty and handy in adapting things to work for us. The end result was do we need it or should we save the money. I raised my hand and said save the money.

Although I won't be documenting my growing garden and mini farm critters I will be glad to document the ones I visit. Friends you know who you are. I leave you with a great picture of a friend from an evening out at a 1960's themed Cocktail party.

picked a plum

It was beautiful outside today. The middle of September in Washington is normally not 86 degrees with a clear blue sky. It has been this way for the past 4 weeks and you can see the excitement on people as the days move along with the same weather report for the next few days to come. We are an easy crowd to please. So Summer was late, rain stuck around a little longer then most would have liked, but now with the days shortening but getting warmer we smile. 

The other smiles come from the fruit trees in the yard. We did have a day of rain around the 30th or so of August and that rain made the world explode. Balckberries went crazy, so did the weeds in the yard and the Mole. The other big change, the plums took on a bit of color around Sept 2nd. I patiently waited for more color, for the rest of the tree to turn. Keeping an eye on the one in all the photos. Hoping that a wind wouldn't knock him off or a hard rain split him open. I read things about this plum and watched a little longer. 

Plum fact 101: "wild" plums as opposed to farm, commercial plums... will not get big and round. The will be smaller then even the small sad plums at Walmart, They will be smaller then a Kiwi Fruit. Similar to the weight of a Mandarin "cutie".

I did not have it in me to pick my favorite plum just yet. He is looking to great and holding strong, but his neighbor was looking more ripe, deeper purple and a little give when squeezed. This picked plum is the all clean good looking fellow on the cutting board. And then I cut open the great looking plum and was Plum disappointed...

 

Looking Good

 

Um What's That ? ? ?

 

YUCK!

A very sad plum and a very bummed almost urban

farmer I became. No taste test today. Hope the rest of the plums are happy edible ones.

Tidy Little Lady

I suppose I am a housewife for better lack of a descriptive word. I do have an online business that takes up quite a bit of my time making creating and talking aka typing about what I do. But that business just barely pulls in enough money for a part time job. My full-time job... housewife. Although sometimes that feels a bit lost on me. I am not the Keep Tidy type. I make piles, piles of papers, books, yarn, stencils, stone tiles, bills. And don't even look in my Studio when an idea hits. Granted they are clean piles but still not the Tidy Little Lady people picture a proper housewife to be. I do wear an apron when I cook, I dawn gardening gloves when digging in the dirt, but my house although clean, ignore the dishes in the sink for a moment, is not shipshape. 

Let me explain these piles in more detail. I am Not a Hoarder. I have watched the show and I come nowhere close to them. These piles are small and somewhat orderly, as orderly as piles can be. They never consist of dirty things, again ignore the dishes, but they are there. My method for cleaning said piles... I move them to a different room and start a new pile there. Is this an issue? Not exactly but it does put the question in the air of what makes a tidy little lady a great housewife? Better yet what makes a tidy little lady pleasant to be around. Would it make me happy to forever be cleaning, shuffling, wiping down spaces, moving this paper and that notebook into a specific spot? Scooping up the random note before it hits the table to put it in is place. No it wouldn't. In fact I think I would become slightly crazy with the thought of my husband coming home to just mess it all up again. I would constantly be on his heels picking up after him as he moved from room to room. Did I mention The Soldier makes piles too? But then would it make him happy to have a Tidy Little Lady as a wife? I have asked this question and the answer, after some thought... No. He says it doesn't bother him and would hate to come home to constantly feel like he is doing everything wrong and putting everything down wrong and pissing me off. So Tidy Little Lady is a bit messy. But my meals are good and the house smells fresh, once we finally got rid of the cat smell, from the cat that didn't live here before us. Gotta love renting. 

What's your definition of Tidy?

Do all things have a spot?

Can the house look lived in and still be Tidy?

 

made a few changes

Sometimes a change is good and once in a while it is great. Thanks to Erika I have a fun background and have been inspired to look at my blog(s) again with fresh eyes. That and free templates help too.

I chose: Modern Patriot 

From "The Cutest Blog On The Block"

For obvious reasons. The classic colors and because it reminded me of the pattern on the top of jam jars. It will still work if we make it out to the Giant Island affectionately called OZ (the flag colors are similar)

A few Other changes... The Banner at the top. That is from a Coaster I made to test out an ink and see how well it would show in photographs. I thought it looked pretty good and matched me more then using a produced put together thing that didn't feel like it had ME in it. 

New background, new banner and some new buttons. Why the change up? Life is changing, my style clothes are changing, my creative outlets are changing. Felt the Blog should change with me. 

Coasters

Blackberry Heaven

Finally!

Blackberries have finally ripened. Not all of them and not in the most reachable spots. But the ones I could get to, without being stuck a thousand times by thorns, were beyond ready to pick. Most fell off the stem with the lightest touch. And pleased to say the Bees and I did just fine together.

Something about picking a berry and eating it right away. A quick little blow across it seems to make me feel like they are clean and bug free. But once the berry melts in your mouth all thoughts of dirt and bugs quickly leave your mind. A few nibbles later and the rest became the best addition to Greek Honey Yogurt.

 I don't think I will be able to get enough berries to eat and also preserve. The Hot Pacific Northwest Sun was a bit late and only stuck around for 3 weeks. So those green barely there berries turned in a hurry. Birds have found them and some are beyond being able to hold for picking. So all this week I will just be armed with my bowl and maybe thick leather/rubber pants (or ask The Soldier to do it) and eat berries everyday.

Surprized myself

I have found a love for Bees. Yep those things I used to run screaming from. Swat at if it came within 5 feet of me or hold my breath until someone else shooed it away. But last week I was able to shock myself and fall in love with them. While out documenting in pictures the growth of the plums and apples a patch of bright yellow dandelions caught my eye. They had grown quite large and tall. Kneeling down to take a few close-up pictures a bee landed on the very one I was photographing. And there it was. I didn't scream, shoo, hold my breath or run away. Instead I took the picture. Then proceeded to follow this little bee from flower to flower. Taking what felt like 100 pictures. 

I sat watching this bee happily work minding his own business and paying no attention to me for what seemed like an hour. He did get close and I did NOT freak. He buzzed, hovered and  landed on flowers that were touching my knees. He slowly and curiously came to my camera a few times never landing just looking or smelling and then would move on to the closest bloom. I realize he doesn't want me, doesn't care about me and wouldn't hurt me. All this time I had them out to be mean stinging machines, forgetting that if he stings me he dies and why would he purposely do that unless I was about to get his prized possession... his queen. So this bee and I are now friends. And the next ones I meet will be treated with respect.

What has a critter...

stinging, biting, soft or cute and fuzzy,

taught you lately?

a bit of a slacker

Well, last week I had high hopes and the weather did also. Sunny warm and perfect outside. So what went wrong what was my reason for not getting the veg garden up to grade and blah blah blah. I think it may have been 1 part laziness combined with two parts over scheduling and 1 part feeling a little down. 

I try really hard to not get caught in a downward spiral of poor me and why can't this be that way. I try. And most of the time I am doing great. But last week was not a "doing great" week. It was a moment of all the moving in the past 2 years catching up with me. Add to that the stress of hearing your husband almost died, losing our Lovey Fur Child... Jeffery Dog *a yr ago and finding out truths about people just caught up to me. So it was a Blah, overwhelmed and needing a good cry week. 

But it did get me thinking about farm animals and if veg was growing out in the yard. If having one of these bad weeks would have happened while I am taking care of "the food" that would go on our tables... I guess I would have been talking to a goat and crying with the chickens. Because no matter how I might be handling the day for the animals it would have been business as usual. Or would they have picked up on my mood. Would the goats let me milk them if they sensed I was off? Would the chickens allow me near their eggs and would the onions be even more tear-filled?

If having an Off day or week isn't allowed on the farm.

How do you cope with HAVING to work?

I guess the same would apply to having a cold or the Flu. The animals still exist and no amount of talking will make them understand you need to cough up a lung.