King of the Mountain

We live on Old Green Mountain Road which runs along the ridge of Green Mountain. It is a tiny mountain compared to the Blue Ridge Mountains just west of us. In fact, it really seems more like a big hill. Anyway, seeing this photo that Austyn took reminds me of the Mountain, as the kid goats climb upon Mount Holly and playfully slide down her slopes.

Spring is in full swing. I have decided to make "permanent" bed 3'x15' in the garden using the "Lasagna Garden" style. This is great because it eliminates tilling. Each bed or mound will have organic matter added to it throughout the growing season to reduce weeds, conserve moisture and add nutrients to the soil. In the fall, I will layer leaves/manure/old hay on each bed to allow for slow composting over the winter months. I have completed 8 beds. Planted the potatoes in a large patch instead of the mounds, because a lot of the soil has eroded down the hill in that section of the garden. After the potatoes are harvested we'll have soil delivered.

We have the cutest pigs ever. Here's a favorite picture of one piglet after enjoying some broken eggs. Notice the yolk stains on the face of this contented little "Babe". This photo is a testimony to the fact that Bessette-raised pigs live a completely stress-free life! If you look really closely, you may see Charlotte spinning a web that says "Some Pig"! I know everyone is familiar with that story...but if you have never read Charlotte's Web by E.B.White you are missing out on a great family read-aloud.

One of our dear neighbors has a very successful small animal farm. She has several Great Pyrenees to protect her herds. The oldest, semi-retired dog is named Badger. He is a big guy...in stature as well as heart. He has always loved children and often comes to visit us dragging his aging body about a half mile to see HIS kids. He is old and stiff. Yesterday morning as I went out the basement door to start chores, our own two dogs (Gus and Loretta) ran down the hill to greet me. They were jumping and wrestling each other, rolling around under my feet (I'm convinced they were trying to trip me). Suddenly Badger appeared. He wanted in on the fun. This old guy began leaping and wagging along with Gus and Loretta. He looked so happy... I'm sure he was smiling! What a good dog!


In other news, everything is growing!

Baby goats mean that Spring has arrived. This year our Alpine goat "Flower" had the usual...2 bucks...despite my "wishful thinking" I did not get a doe...never have...from this goat. Unfortunately this year she did have a doe, but sadly it was dead at birth...maybe next year. This goat usually has her kids out in a field...perfect mom..never have had any complications...I guess the trauma of having 2 kids..then a mal-positioned dead kid made her reject one of the bucks.... so, we have had the pleasure of bottle feeding this little guy named "Peanut". It amazes me how quickly an animal bonds to the first species that feed it. This guy just loves us!

Esmont had some high winds this month and lots of rain...good for the grass/pastures, but not so good for the chicken coop. One morning I looked out and saw that the 400 pound coop was no longer in the chicken yard. It had lifted up and over the fence, landing on the corner of one of our portable chicken coops...unbelievable! Only one chicken died...probably of a heart-attack at the startle, because we couldn't see a scratch on her!

Today we finally completed the fencing that opens up about 5 acres of grazing for our cows. We have been working on it gradually, buying fence posts and electric wire, as we had the money...installing as we had time. The 3 big cattle gladly moved into the new pasture to munch on the virgin-grass! It has been over 15 years (or more) since animals grazed this land...we are happy to increase the fertility of the land with the presence of cows. God provided this awesome cycle of energy. The sun provides energy to the "producers" (grass)...the "primary consumers" (cows)eat the grass...that energy converts to meat and milk, which the "secondary consumers" (humans) eat...providing energy via protein/sugars and fat to nourish us! Amazing! Not to mention that the bacteria present in the soil improved the cows rumen/stomach for good digestion...and then the manure decomposes, passing nutrients to the soil so that the plants can grow more strongly! Miraculous if you ask me!

The girls and I visited Colonial Williamsburg last week. I was inspired by the beauty of the Colonial gardens. They utilized raised beds and cold-frames, with lettuce and chard growing beautifully. Today I worked in my garden...setting up semi-permanent "raised beds". These beds are 3'x15'. I planted beets in the 1st, turnips in the 2nd and prepared a 3rd bed for spinach, which will be planted next week. I planted peas (snow-peas and sugar snap peas) several weeks ago, and they are finally peeking up out of the ground. They are located near our pool-deck so that they may be supported by the deck, as they need a trellis. Onions, cabbage, broccoli, basil, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and some hollyhock flowers are growing indoors under lights! I have all of my seed/potatoes ordered and a fairly well-planned garden this year. So far so good!

I am most excited about the hops vine that I bought for Dennis this year for Valentine's Day...quite romantic...I know! It should grow to about 20' high...we plan to let it grow up on our pergola to shade us while at the pool. Hope we can learn to make beer this fall. We will grow corn and barley to add to the mix. A local brewery, Star Hill, recently released a beer that was made with the same ingredients Thomas Jefferson's Monticello produced quite some time ago. My grandma "Mutz" used to drink an occasional "light" beer, in a glass, with an ice cube! Sounds so funny to me...I must take after her though, because I do prefer beer over wine, especially after a long hard day of gardening. I'll have mine dark/amber...in a frosty-mug...no ice-cube please!

What's new in 2011

We celebrated the new year with a party and friends. Some stayed very late...which pleased us greatly! Dennis and I actually slept in until 10:30 the next day! I tried to analyze any symbolism that may have been attached to that unordinary act of sleeping in...what does this mean for 2011? Should we have a restful year? A lazy year? Still not sure, but the days of sleeping in have been limited to one this year..so probably not indicative of the rest of 2011!

On the first Monday of 2011, the Bessette's began a new diet...The Liver Cleansing Diet (LCD) by Dr.Sandra Cabot. This is an 8 week cleanse that eases into a Vegan diet. Not only is it Vegan, but it is no sugar, no sugar/fat-substitutes, no white flour or white rice! WOW! very different from the Bessette's normal diet. With the abundant supply of meat, eggs and dairy we have here at the farm, I confess that our plates have gotten out of proportion. My meals were centered around which meat we would eat. Then I would have the obligatory side of grain/veggie.

We are pretty much sticking to the new diet(minus Den's Birthday and a couple of other special occasions). The results have been remarkable. We have all lost some weight. We feel so much more energetic. We have generally not had food/sugar cravings. I realized what an emotional attachment I have had to my favorite food and how much I over-used them. Bacon, butter and cream/cheese are my comforts....I had been a big "supporter" of the Weston Price Foundation (which is almost anti-Vegan). This foundation claims that meats/fats eggs and dairy products are very good for you as long as they are raised without conventional farming methods. They too discourage the use of refined products such as sugar/white flour and oils/fats that are processed or produced in high temperatures (unless expeller or cold pressed, even olive oil can fall into this category). Unfortunately, I approached my diet "cafeteria style" picking out what I liked about each food philosophy and ignoring the biggies.

We would justify over-eating of our farm products because they are "healthy". Even though I own and milk a Jersey cow, I still bought butter at Sam's in 4# quantities. I'm sure I would use much less butter if I had only home-made butter to use. Same with tubs of sour cream or pounds of processed cheeses. I think it is not the dairy that is an issue, but the processed dairy products. I would justify drinking Jones Soda because is had real sugar instead of the evil High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup! 2011 realization....white sugar is harmful too.

So, I think after the "cleanse" is finished, the Bessette's come out of it with a more balanced approach to life in the year 2011. We are really enjoying our vegan meals and beans/rice combos. We really don't miss white flour that much. We ate way too many desserts in 2010. We did not eat enough vegetables. I still LOVE cheese...and bacon...and butter.



My new-year's resolutions look like this:

*Have a super-big vegetable garden this year!



*Raise fewer animals... because we are eating less meat than ever! So we can swim/relax more during the time we used to be managing animals for food!

*Chose wheat over white, green-tea over coffee, drink more water.

*Make more of the foods we love instead of buying them at the store...my gut says that raw-milk products and free-range eggs are just fine for our health. (Why not try home-made mayo? I should make butter/cheese/yogurt and sourcream consistently and NEVER buy these products at the store.

These bodies that we carry around for 70-80years on average, are entrusted to us to be used here on Earth for God's work and for His glory. I want to be a good steward of this gift. I acknowledge that my health and well-being is in the hands of a merciful and loving God! So, in the end, I resolve to pray to Him more, that he will guide us to ways that would serve Him. What an abundance He has provided for us... to actually be able to pick and choose what we eat instead of just "surviving". God, I want to be satisfied with whatever you provide for nourishment to our family and grateful for your provision. May our 2011 honor you Lord!