What I Am Reading

I read a lot. Reading is my favorite pastime, and my love of reading is the reason I became an English teacher. Although my teaching career feels like a lifetime ago, literature and writing remain essential in my world. Jenna, The Bean, and I have a friendly reading competition going. The girls have downloaded an app that keeps track of their reading lists and personal libraries and connects them to other readers with the same interests. I choose to go a more traditional route, and I keep my books on a bookshelf alphabetically by author.

To date, I have read six books this year. I have set a goal to read two books per month. I am behind. Sigh. I have recently started book number seven for the year. I am reading a UK author, Rosanne Hodin's book Growing Goats and Girls: Living The Good Life On A Cornish Farm. Although the author's writing style takes a bit of getting used to, I am immensely enjoying this real-life account of a city-living family turned farmers and the learning process that carries over thirty years. The book is written as a personal diary and loosely organized in chronological order. I find that I am enjoying her snippets approach to sharing insights into her daily life.

Although she has a much different attitude about farming than I do (I could never hold ducks still on a chopping block and take an active role in their demise), I find myself chuckling at her foils, and I can definitely relate to her many mishaps. We share a fear and disdain for large pigs. I readily recommend this book for its light, humorous approach to rural life, insights into rearing children and goats, and the wisdom gathered along the way. It is a lighthearted read that is easy to revisit because each chapter is filled with short anecdotes about rural life.

What are you reading, dear reader? I am always looking for book suggestions. I prefer historical fiction, classics, modern fiction, anything with a touch of magic (Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton, Sarah Addison-Allen), and WWII literature. My interests are varied and eclectic. I honestly just enjoy a good story that is well told. If you are looking for a light, easy read that can be left and revisited with ease, I strongly recommend Growing Goats and Girls: Living The Good Life On A Cornish Farm by Rosanne Hodin.

On this foggy spring day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy a good book, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Spring Simmering Pot Recipe

Recently, I have become obsessed with simmering pot recipes. A simmering pot is a small pot filled with water and various natural ingredients to scent your home. My bib overall wearing wonder buns does not like it when I burn candles. He fears I will burn the house down if I forget to blow the candle out. Whenever I light a candle, he blows it out and buries the wick in the melted wax. He's a lot, he really is. Simmering pots are my natural alternative to burning candles. Although it still requires a flame, I am less likely to forget a burner on the stove being on than a candle burning in a different room.

I prefer simmering pots over candles because they are a natural alternative. Simmering is the steam distillation of what you choose to include in your pot. Some candles are filled with chemicals and fake scents like body care products. With The Bean having asthma and having two dogs, I am conscious of what I use in my home. A simmering pot has no chemicals or fillers; pure, natural ingredients are boiled in water.

Our kitchen is the center of our home. We walk through the kitchen at least a dozen times a day. It's easy to keep an eye on the simmering pot when it is centrally located. One can purchase simmering pots in classic, lovely cast iron creations. If modern and sleek is your style, you can also buy a glass simmering pot. I have a small stainless steel pot I use specifically for simmering. An alternative to a stovetop simmering pot is a small crockpot. You simply fill a small crockpot with water and whatever ingredients you choose to simmer. Remove the lid and enjoy the fresh scent when the water gets hot enough to steam. Fill the crockpot as needed when the water gets low.

I usually use a simmering pot in the fall and during the holidays. My fall simmer pots always include cranberries, cinnamon sticks, allspice, oranges, lemons, and rosemary. Don't allow the water to evaporate and get too low. I keep a jar of water near the stove, and as I pass through the kitchen, I add water as needed. I use the ingredients for two to three days. The house smells fresh, warm, and inviting.

I'm unsure why using a simmering pot in the spring never occurred to me. It was only recently that I began simmering "spring" scents. Several weeks ago, I was kicked out of my Facebook account. It feels as though I have to sign away my life to validate my identity to sign back into my account. I don't miss Facebook enough to scan my license to sign back in, so Pinterest has replaced my mindless scrolling. I have a rather extensive board of "beautiful scents." This is my inspiration for soap scents and simmering pot scents.

Most recently, I have been simmering lemons, Sweet Home Vanilla's dehydrated beans and pods, and sprigs of thyme. The scent is clean, fresh, sweet and citrusy. I am considering turning this combination into a soap scent; it smells that good. The combinations of herbs and fruit are endless. For a more floral scent, lavender buds, lemon, and vanilla smell amazing together. There is no end to blends and scent ideas.

I gently encourage you to try a simmering pot to scent your home. It's a natural alternative to chemical-laden candles; you can control the ingredients. It's straightforward, and your home will smell amazing.

Spring Simmering Pot Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 Cups of Water

2 Lemons, Sliced Thin

2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Pods

4 Thyme Sprigs

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small pot or simmering pot, place over a low burner, and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. Turn off the flame and let steam fill your home with a fresh, clean scent. When the scent begins to fade, turn on the stove burner to a low setting and let simmer for another hour or so. Add water as needed. The ingredients can be used for a day or two.

I like to burn a simmering pot on cleaning days or when we expect company. It's a fresh, clean alternative to burning candles; most ingredients are in your pantry. Stay safe, be smart on this rainy Friday, try simple, clean alternatives to chemical-filled products, and keep washing your hands.

Also, you can now wash your hands with honeysuckle or almond-scented Foaming Hand Soap! It's on the website and ready to make you smile. Have a wonderful weekend.

The End Of An Era

Well, dear reader, we have closed the chapter on raising pasture pigs. My bib overall-wearing buddy finally admitted defeat. After almost two years of trying everything to doctor his beloved pigs, he has accepted that keeping six six-hundred-pound pigs and one huge, loveable boar is no longer a viable farming practice. The last two girls went to the market, and we no longer have temperamental bulldozers as part of our farm family. It is much quieter here on the farm.

We are no longer met with loud snoring, high-pitched squealing, or oinking chatter when we enter the barn. Although I am not a fan of pigs, I feel the quiet that has settled over the barn. I will not miss the dramatic squealing, fighting, and general discontentedness that the pigs brought. However, when they weren't in a hormone-driven rage, they were somewhat charming and comical from a distance.

I am never supportive of ending a life, and I struggle with raising animals for meat. However, even in my naivete and tender-hearted approach to animal keeping, I realize that keeping six six-hundred-pound plus feed guzzlers is not sustainable for long. Sadly, no one else is interested in keeping an infertile, six-hundred-pound pet with a bad attitude. Our options were limited.

Fortunately, Cleetus went to a new home. He is such a ball of sunshine, albeit annoying sunshine, but he truly is a happy, smiling fellow. Cleetus will go on to sire babies, annoy his swine family, and spread his sunshine. Cleetus and Wendy, Jenna's pig, were an inseparable pair. Again, I know I am not the norm when raising animals, but it made me sad when Cleetus was loaded up and sent to his new home. I am certain he and Wendy missed each other. I feel it is unjust to separate friends and family. However, sometimes, our hands are tied, and we have no other options. This aspect of farming is something I will never get used to.

For now, the farm is pig-free. In a year or two, I would like to introduce small, friendly, docile Kune Kune pigs. Kune Kune pigs grow to around two hundred pounds and are known to be calm, gentle, intelligent, and friendly. My largest goats are around two hundred pounds. I believe I will like the smaller breed better than the massive monsters we had. Kune Kune pigs have funny, squishy faces only a mother could love. The phrase " so ugly they are cute " applies to the Kune Kune breed. However, we have some work to do before we reinstate pigs.

The Bibbed Wonder wants to clean the barn well and spray it with a disinfecting agent several times before he thinks about getting more pigs. He also wants to give the ground time to rest and reset if there is anything microbial in the soil. We have inquired about having the soil tested, but thus far, we have not found any solutions. The cause of Eric's beloved pig's infertility remains a mystery.

One day, in the near future, I hope to see funny-faced, small, striped piggies with a litter of little ones plodding through the fields, eating snakes, and playing in mud puddles. Until then, we will do what we can to prepare for a new era of healthy, productive piggies. I am a bit concerned about having a single-species farm. I worry about increasing parasite loads, soil quality decline, and illness. We are diligent about keeping a closed herd. I can only see us becoming more careful and protective of our goat herd. As with everything, only time will tell.

On this overcast, windy spring day, stay safe, be smart, appreciate learning experiences, do everything you can to improve and keep washing your hands.