Author Archives: Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Six months with Cedar

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Our little orange kitten has become a champion barn cat, a much-loved family member and so much fun.

Cedar has been with us for six months. You may recall we adopted him and his brother Maple at the same time as the chickens and turkeys arrived in the spring.

We kept the kittens confined in the coop for several weeks so we could get to know each other and get through their neuter surgeries. (The birds were still in their brooders in the house.) After we let Cedar and Maple out to have free range, Maple disappeared just a couple of days later. We’ve never found any sign of Maple, but Cedar has stayed safe and stayed home.

He is a very social little cat and loves to be with us.

He’s usually waiting outside the mudroom door for Cigo and me in the morning and then runs to the barn for his breakfast. If we’re inside and he feels left out, he will sit on the steps outside the living room door or on the kitchen windowsill and meow. He hasn’t figured out how to break through the screen on the kitchen window, but he keeps trying.

Occasionally he comes into the mudroom if the door is open and one rainy night he made it as far as the living room until he decided he was ready to go back outside.

He’s gone on the trampoline, the saucer swing and the treehouse, loves belly rubs and tolerates being carried around by Ellie. He’s accompanied us down the driveway to the school bus and gone with Cigo for a walk to the back field.

The biggest adjustment has been Cigo. Cigo has always been super excited by cats, so it took a while for him to get used to Cedar. He chased Cedar several times and got dragged back to the house for a timeout. Cedar learned climbing trees was a good escape–a good lesson for predators beyond Cigo.

But Cedar is an easy going, tolerant, confident cat. So he kept venturing out of the barn even though he knew Cigo was around. We kept doing supervised visits with Cigo and Cedar and lots of treats for everyone. Eventually, they got used to each other and now we all–including the chickens–can be together with no issues.

Cedar can sprint past Cigo or walk through Cigo’s legs, and Cigo doesn’t blink. In fact, sometimes he seems to say, “Little dude, can you give me a break?” They occasionally try to play together, but haven’t figured out how to manage the size difference yet.

Beyond the fun, Cedar is also doing his job. He is a prolific hunter, and we find dead bodies in the barn and on the lawn regularly.

For winter, we’ve added a cat house full of straw outside the mudroom door. He also has the barn with lots of straw filled spots.

Cedar has added to the love and joy in our little family, and I’m very glad he’s with us.

The magic of monarchs

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The first time I raised monarch butterflies, I was amazed throughout the whole process.

The teeny tiny caterpillars who depend completely on their leaves of milkweed. The big fat caterpillars who munch through their milkweed so loudly I can hear it. The chrysalis inside the caterpillar. The glimpse of black and orange wings through the clear walls of the chrysalis. The butterflies’ first flutter, first flight. Their migration.

That was 9 years ago, with Matt. Matt had raised monarchs before as a child. He was just as enthused to raise them as an adult here at the farm.

Since then, there have been more seasons, more butterflies. Ellie was born. Matt died. The cycle of life has continued.

This year, Ellie and I continued our monarch tradition.

We collected caterpillars and milkweed. We even collected two eggs and successfully hatched them. We found more caterpillars and added them to our nursery. We released butterflies. Found more caterpillars. We started in July and finally released our last butterflies at the end of September.

I documented our monarch journey this year as it was happening. You can share the magic in this series.

We ended up with a record 32 butterflies.

The number is phenomenal. We have never had so many monarchs. Part of me fears this flurry reflects a last gasp before the population truly collapses. A larger part of me hopes that this is a sign of resilience and strength. Or maybe it doesn’t have meaning, and it’s just life.

Life is a cycle. It is amazing and hard and magical and special. Seeing it up close through the monarchs is powerful. It reminds me to fully appreciate my life. Not take my time for granted. Do my part to support those around me. That I am part of something bigger.

Watch our monarch journey.

Odds & sods

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Sedum blooming in September

September has kicked my butt. I’m teaching again and loving it again. But I have three classes plus a new course that I’ve never taught before. Setting up the courses, making my lessons, marking assignments feels like it’s taking all my time.

Add in fall and the looming spectre of winter and everything else that I have to do for the farm and it feels like a lot.

I don’t like to come here and complain. I’m grateful to have a job that works with my life and that I enjoy. I’m grateful to have an amazing girl that is so much fun. I’m grateful to have this special place that feels like a sanctuary most of the time. Also a big part of my to-do list, but most of the time a source of peace.

Amongst the busy-ness of the month here are some things that provided some breaks and distractions

Happy cows.

I’ve never been into historical sewing, but Bernadette Banner is so engaging, entertaining and educational. All of her projects are super interesting, but Greensleeves is a standout.

Another favourite sewing personality, Emily Hallman, has returned to Instagram, and she’s as full of inspiration and motivation as ever.

Another great sewing resource that helped me figure out the bathroom shower curtain. Jann Newton has tutorials from beginner to advanced.

Despite how full my day is, I try to start with a hike with Cigo. I’ve added a weighted vest to my routine to try and up my fitness a bit more.

I am also still trying to prioritize care. This podcast really helped me adjust my habits, and even though my schedule has been super full, I’ve been doing a bit better on sleep.

This week is about teaching, marking, month-end for some of my client work and a much-needed haircut.

What was September like for you?

Fall to-do list

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Fall is here. That means the clock in my head is ticking as I review the things-to-do-before-winter list.

Today, I’m getting that to-do list out of my head.

There are the usual winterizing tasks like putting away the mowers and patio furniture, turning off the outside water, stacking firewood (thanks to Matt’s Dad, his brother and nephew for all their work last weekend), taking off the window screens, cleaning the eavestroughs. But there are a few special additions too.

Coop

The most critical item on my list is the coop. I need to make sure the chickens are all safe and set for winter. Some of my tasks are basic, like clean out the pens and put in fresh straw (the turkey pen also needs cleaned, though they obviously don’t need fresh straw). Others are a little more involved like hunting down a few drafts in the walls and leaks in the roof and patching them. I also want to clean up the scrap wood that has been scattered around since I took down the old coop and set up a designated area for my bales of straw.

Barn grading

I have been slowly working my way around the barn for years, clearing brush from along the foundation and mowing closer and closer. I was able to get a few loads of dirt this summer from the landscaper who did our patio. He dumped them at one corner of the barn where the grade needs to be adjusted. The corner also held a bush, a wire fence and an old split rail fence. I’ve tackled most of the fence and have just one post left to pull. The bush needs a bit more time with the saw and perhaps a shovel. Then I need to spread the dirt and finally finish this corner.

Driveshed siding

Some time ago (I’m talking more than a year), I noticed some boards on the driveshed were in rough shape. Just how rough became obvious when Cigo got into the driveshed while the door was locked. I didn’t know where he was, called his name and he popped out through the wall. I blocked the hole with a piece of plywood, but I need to do a proper patch with actual siding.

Mowing

I’ve made good progress at clearing the septic bed and alongside our front field over the past few years. To keep them clear, I need to mow them a few times a year with our big rotary cutter. I’ve done them once, but I want to do one more cut. Given that I haven’t cut the main grass at all this month, this is perhaps a bit optimistic. I feel like I have one more mowing in me, and while I have the tractor out, surely I can hook up the big mower and get it done. Right?

Brush chipping

After I disconnect the rotary cutter, the next attachment in line is the wood chipper. As always, I have a brush pile. In previous years, this pile has grown extremely large. If I can chip once a year, the pile will stay under control.

Swallow shutter

My final task is back at the barn. I uncovered a broken window on the back of the barn in the spring, so that the swallows would be able to get into the barn to nest. It worked well, but I now need to close it back up. I’d like to make a shutter so I can open the window again next spring. However, in the interest of time and simplicity, my “shutter” may be a piece of plywood I screw in place for now.

While the clock in my head is ticking urgently, making me feel like I’m already behind, I’m reminding myself I have three months until winter officially arrives. Laying my tasks out here is one step and a helpful one. Now, I will get to work.

What’s on your fall to-do list?

Wood storage hutch in the bathroom

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The bathroom is slowly approaching the finish line. Another big piece arrived a little while ago. And it is literally big.

Our new storage hutch.

The bathroom is a good size, and it had a large linen closet. But the closet lacked both style and function. I tried to stack things neatly and used baskets to conceal less attractive things. The shelves could store a lot, but they were just one type of storage. With this renovation I was eager for an upgrade.

Main bathroom

I decided I wanted a wood cabinet with a mix of drawers and shelves. I was envisioning an antique pine piece, something like might have been in an old farmhouse. I spent some time looking online and in antique shops and didn’t find anything the size I wanted, let alone with the storage configuration I was looking for.

Next I tried cabinet makers, but I struck out there too. Then one day I was driving by a local Mennonite furniture store and I pulled in. Maybe they did custom work?

They did.

They took my drawing and measurements, showed me wood options, and gave me a quote. It was $3,400, including finishing, delivery and set up. For a fully custom piece this size, that felt like a very reasonable price. I paid my deposit and carpentry began.

And finally it’s here.

The whole cabinet is 22 inches deep (the same as the vanity counter), 42 inches wide and 8 feet tall. It is huge. It fits perfectly at the end of the vanity. Thank goodness (says she who did all the measurements).

The cabinet has six drawers on the bottom. After living with the open linen closet, I wanted some closed storage. I was very specific about the measurements for the drawers, as I planned to store shampoo and other bottles standing up. So the four bottom drawers are 12 inches high. The top two are 8 inches. They hold so much.

The top of the cabinet has four shelves behind glass doors. I liked the idea of some more open storage, rather than closing off this corner entirely. The shelves are where I’m putting towels and toilet paper (stacked neatly, of course). The baskets from the previous linen closet (which are actually from our previous house) work well here too and hold things like sheets, Christmas towels and other less coordinated items.

I chose black hardware to contrast with all of the polished chrome we have elsewhere in the bathroom. There are bin pulls on each drawer and small knobs on the doors.

The wood is wormy maple. It has lots of character with darker sections and actual worm holes. For the stain, I chose a finish that matched the wood frames on our mirrors. I feel like it has a bit of the warm antique tones I was going for.

The wormy maple is the one thing I’m questioning on the hutch. The drawer fronts are a little stripey, which I don’t love. I’m wondering about going back to the builder and asking for plain maple fronts.

But overall I love the hutch. It holds so, so much. Plus the beautiful wood tones add so much warmth. The vision that I had for our new bathroom is coming together.

Have you ever had custom furniture made? How do you mix wood tones into your house? What do you think about the wormy maple?

The chickens are laying

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We have our first eggs from the chickens.

Mid-August our first egg arrived (the hens were about 16 1/2 weeks old at this point). It was laid on the roost and had a soft shell, so it was broken when I found it. We had one more soft shell roost egg, and then a few days later, I discovered three small greeny blue eggs in a corner of the coop. We ate them for breakfast–and one was a double yolker.

Since then, we’ve consistently had two eggs a day. They’ve been either olive or blue (it’s hard to tell) and small. We’ve had enough for ourselves and shared a few with Grandma and Papa.

On Friday, we had our first full sized egg, which turned out to be another double yolker.

Ellie found some chicken patterned fabric and sewed a cloth to line her egg basket. She collects the eggs every day, as she has anticipated doing since before the chicks arrived.

We’re waiting for everyone to start laying. My research says that most hens start to lay between 18-20 weeks. Today is the start of week 19, so we’re right in that window. We’re also waiting for them to try out the nesting boxes rather than the corner on the floor. We’ve switched the chickens to a layer food and added oyster shell to their diet, so I’m sure that will help move the other ladies along.

You want me to do what?

Every day is exciting to bring in new eggs, count how many there are, assess their colour and size, and eat our super fresh home grown breakfast. Also exciting? For the first time this weekend I didn’t put eggs on my grocery order.

Any other egg fans out there? Have you ever eaten a blue or green egg? Anyone else have experience collecting eggs?

Odds & sods

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Summer is such a special time. It’s hard to feel it coming to an end.

Ellie and I had a campout on Saturday. Probably our last campout of the year. As I was packing up the tent yesterday, I thought to myself, “I hope Ellie remembers this when she’s older.”

I hope she remembers the things we did and the fun we had. I hope she feels like her Mom put in the effort to make things special for her. I hope she realizes how much I love her and that she’s the most important thing in my life.

The two phrases below came up in one of the books I read this summer. They fit with how I try to live my life and feel especially appropriate now.

Hora pars vitae. Every hour is a part of life.
Serius est quam cogitas. It’s later than you think.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

Here are some other things I came across this summer

We are in the midst of our summer tradition of raising monarchs. We’ve released two butterflies so far and our last caterpillar changed into its chrysalis this weekend.

The lifestyle of the world’s oldest chicken.

Ellie’s fascination with Greek mythology continues, and we’ve been “Greeking Out” with this podcast. The Oracle of Wifi is hilarious.

Another summer read that I’ve been thinking of as I prepare to return to the classroom.

“Every young person has the potential to contribute. When we respect, honor, and support that potential through a combination of high standards and high support, then we motivate and inspire young people from all groups to reach higher, accomplish more, and make our society stronger.”

10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager

We are continuing to “do” summer through this last week. There will be a park, possibly a beach, and our annual tradition of a “fancy waffle.” The more ice cream and toppings the better.

How are you feeling about the end of summer holidays? Do you have any favourite summer memories?

Goodbye to the turkeys

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The turkeys went to the “processor” last week. Such a clean term for ending a life. It was hard for me, and definitely hard for Ellie.

Our plan from the beginning was to eat the turkeys. We spent three months with them, from little fluffballs who climbed onto Ellie’s lap to large birds with their own personalities. Ending that was a big responsibility–as it should be.

One of the things I have been thinking about is food should be hard.

Over the years, food has become easy. As we have become distanced from the labour of producing food, we have lost sight of the investment that goes into what we eat. We ignore or are ignorant of what it takes to grow food, whether it’s a turkey or a tomato. The work of raising, sheltering, feeding, watering, harvesting, killing, butchering, storing, cooking is hard.

There is also a cost. That cost comes in the toll we take on our soil by growing monocrops, using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, draining the water table. It comes in the quality of life for our animals, the diseases that spread, the pathogens and contaminations that arise. It comes in the nutrients and flavour in our food, or lack thereof. It comes in the physical, financial and mental health of farmers.

Food should reflect those investments and costs. It should be something we consider and value more than most of us do. Food is our connection to the land and to each other. It should be nourishment, health, community. It should reflect the quality of the soil, the care of the animals and the labour of the farmers. It should be grown, harvested, bought and eaten with respect and gratitude.

I am grateful to the turkeys. To Strawberry, Medea, Stewart and Tutu. The experience of caring for an animal and growing our own food is powerful.

Bathroom countertop is in

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I am so excited to be back with a bathroom update. The countertop is in! Our fabricators were here on Friday installing the counter, backsplash and shower ledge.

The counter was making me very nervous. You may recall in the last update, I talked about selecting each element of the bathroom on its own and then hoping they all look good together. The countertop was allllll of that.

I loved the marble in the yard. But would it look good with our tile? Would it look good with the vanity? Would I like it in our bathroom? Would the fabricators lay everything out in the way I liked? Would everything fit?

The answer to all of that is yes. 1000% yes. It is fabulous.

I chose Arctic Ocean marble in a leathered finish. I saw this marble in March on our first visit to the stone yard and immediately fell in love. When we went back in July to finally pick our slab, I still loved it.

The Arctic Ocean is a busy stone with lots of veining and a big range of dark and light. I wanted the counter to be more dramatic, and AO was a perfect fit.

The leathered finish is super cool too. The stone has a texture. It’s smooth, but it’s not perfectly flat. It’s also extremely matte and not shiny at all. I feel like this highlights that it’s a real stone, which is a good fit for the farm.

The other thing I wanted was a fancy backsplash. If you recall my inspiration picture, the counter comes with an ogee edge and some cutouts. I drew a few different designs and then quickly picked one and passed it off to my fabricator. They did a fabulous job of bringing my vision to life.

The backsplash was another source of worry though. I wanted the splash to go up 6 inches behind the sinks. Our faucets are quite tall, so I wanted the splash to look proportionate to them. But our mirrors are also very tall. Would I have room between the top of the backsplash and the bottom of the lights for the mirrors (which were one of the first things I picked for the bathroom)? We do. It’s a perfect fit.

The fabricators made two side splashes as well for either end of the counter. These have the ogee edge, some swoops and perfect corner joints to the backsplash.

The installers had a moment of confusion when they arrived and said, “Um, Miss? This counter is supposed to go wall to wall.” The second “wall” will be the wood storage hutch which is still with the carpenter. The installers left me a tube of silicone and I’ll install the second side splash myself when the hutch arrives.

The one wrinkle with the countertop was the sinks. When our fabricator came to measure a few weeks ago, I showed him the sinks and he said, “Those won’t fit.” The sinks were too wide (front to back) for our vanity. So I quickly went back to my bathroom supplier and ordered the narrowest sinks they had. The sinks are a bit small, but there’s room for the backsplash, faucets and mirrors–and we get to see more of the beautiful marble.

The final bit of marble we have in the bathroom is the ledge in the tub. I love that I decided to do this full-length ledge. It will hold everything we need and the marble is such a beautiful feature in the tub. This ledge highlights what a good match the Arctic Ocean is for the tile and also the colour variation of the AO (see the hint of blue by the taps?).

All of this marble is so special. It’s definitely a major showpiece in the bathroom. Even better, with this installation, we are definitely nearing the end on this bathroom renovation.

Do you have any marble in your house? Do you like dramatic veining or a more quiet pattern?

Adding a ceiling fan to our stairwell

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More than a year ago I mentioned I was thinking about buying a ceiling fan for our front hall. I was hoping a fan might help regulate the temperature between upstairs and down, particularly in the summer, particularly when we’re using the air conditioner.

The feedback I collected and the brief amount of research I did suggested that the ceiling fan might be more helpful in the winter. The fan would push the warmer air downstairs, more than it would pull the cooler air up.

Shortly after those musings, I was in a local store that was going out of business and I spied a basic ceiling fan on sale. I decided I was done thinking. I bought the fan.

But that’s as far as I got. The prospect of installing the fan over our stairwell was not something I was enthused about. So the fan sat in its box on the mudroom landing. For more than a year.

Then summer returned. Temperatures rose higher than ever. The basement was frigid. I really wanted to give the fan a try.

Finally, I had a brainwave. Our electricians were here for the bathroom. I could ask them to install the fan. Problem solved.

The electricians were happy to take care of the fan for me. And I’m very glad I asked them to do it, as install included switching the electrical box with a fan-rated box, something I wouldn’t have known was needed. (Also, there was the whole hovering over the stairwell while holding a large heavy fan over your head thing.)

So we now have a fan in the front hall. I’ve been running it most days. It does move the air around, though I’m not sure I’ve noticed a huge change in the upstairs and downstairs temperatures. The air currents extend into the kitchen, so I feel a nice breeze sometimes when I’m in there.

I’m curious to see if I notice any difference in the winter.

For now, I’m happy the fan is no longer on the mudroom floor and instead on the foyer ceiling as intended.

Are you a ceiling fan fan? Any tips for this fan newbie? Who else has bought something and then gotten stuck on the install?