Wild Moon Cottage is a small working homestead in the pristine Ozark Mountains. We have dairy goats, poultry, organic herb and vegetable gardens, a start of a tiny fruit orchard, several black walnut trees, wild berries and fields of wildcrafting goodness. We raise our own milk, our own eggs, much of our own medicine and food. I do laundry by hand, make my own vinegar, candles, soap, bread, cheese ........ For a living I am an artist and herbalist. My goal for myself and our homestead is to be as self sufficient and self sustaining as possible.

Friday, July 16, 2010

7.15.10 Wringers & Runners

What an amazing life I have. It's always actually been pretty amazing, the good and the bad, but for the last 8 years or so it's been mostly just good amazing. Choice. That is the line for me that makes almost everything what it is. We can never control anyone else but we can choose how we respond, react and receive.


Anyway :) :) :)


I got a wringer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A wonderful and very beautiful woman sent it to me. I intend to send her some things but she just sent it to me, nothing asked in return. When Nik went out the other morning we found it by the porch. He yelled there was a package I yelled "It's the wringer!". I cried when I opened the box and saw it. It's so wonderful. And magical ! and now it's mine :) :) :)



Next time I do laundry I'm going to try to remember to take pictures. I've been meaning to for a while but forget.


Last Sunday we went to an Ozarks Gathering potluck at a little road park with a live creek running through. We got rained on but it was no worries and we had a most excellent time. We did some fancy trading and I came home with 3 new Indian Runner ducks and 2 new Ameraucana hens, more echinacea seeds, an aloe start, a bunch of candles and some little white pots to start more herbs in :) I traded 3 hens, lots of herb starts and dried herbs.

For the gathering I made teas and a very pretty marbled YinYang cake. I wish I had taken a picture, it was really pretty :) I'm sure similar cakes have been around for ages but I kind of made this one up. For the Yang I made a simple vanilla cake recipe with egg whites and my own homemade vanilla. for the Yin I made a cocoa cake. I poured the Yin chocolate cake in the pan first and the Yang white on top and gently swirled them together here and there.

And, thanks to our trading we now have green eggs again ! It's been over a year since we had green eggs and we've missed them terribly. I've also missed having Runners, they're such wonderfully odd creatures, they certainly seem to belong with us :)

Speaking of chickens ... not one broody hen this year at all. I've never had that happen before. we usually have a broody hen by March and chicks by now. We've raised mixed and Ameraucanas mainly over the years, sometimes another breed or two. This year we were going to raise just Barred Rocks, RIR's and Black and Red Stars. We have two beautiful roosters, Fox the RIR and Sir Didymus the Barred Rock. But I think we're going to completely switch and go back to Ameraucanas and maybe Buff Orpingtons. The Buffs were excellent layers and almost always broody. We'll see.

Another great thing that happened this week was apple trees :) A local farm store was selling a last few for 75% off and I was able to get 2 dwarf red delicious. We got them planted, Nik did a wonderful job with pick and shovel, and our tiny orchard is growing. We now have apple trees, blueberry bush and raspberry bush!

10 comments:

WrethaOffGrid said...

How great that you have a wringer now! Isn't it nice that things like that happen?

Chickens are definitely in our future, but not this year, maybe next spring... it will happen when it's time.

Peggy said...

I just love stopping by and catching up with you. You give me the peace and calm to accept and enjoy my day. Love your wringer!!

Stacie said...

That is a beautiful wringer for sure! Glad everything is going so well...I bet the cake was delicious!!

Heidi said...

I love your wringer!! I wish I could come visit you. I'd bring you some eggs from my Ameracauna bantams. Those hens go broody at the first warm breeze. And they are AMAZING mothers.

Mary Bennett said...

We loved our Buffs, very calm and gentle! But our Arucuna rooster, quite another story!! Love reading your blog!

Granny Sue said...

each time I read your blog, I come away with a smile and a feeling of peace--and belief that living simply truly is the best way to live.

the wild magnolia said...

Wonderful post. So happy for your goodies and trades.

Blessings, and happy day!

JoyceAnn said...

Your wringer is a beauty and the Ozark gathering sounded wonderful. I haven't had a chicken go broody this year either , wonder what's up with that.

~ Peaceful Blessings ~

Annie said...

That wringer has got to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! Congratulations! I definitely look forward to the pictures (of you using it for laundry) when you get around to it. I can't wait until I can start adding livestock (ducks, chickens, etc) to my 'homesteading' set up (right now I'm still in an apt with a small garden). I have to say, Buff Orpingtons are definitely the breed of chickens I would go with, too. Let me know how they work out for you.
And how wonderful about the apple trees! I hope they produce very soon for you. Happy day!
*Annie

Unknown said...

What a beautiful thing. Aren't you blessed!