First Deer

I have grown up with hunting, I married into hunting, and I have been hunting for years. However, the idea of killing such a beautiful harmless creature wasn't something I felt compelled to do. But, I always understood the butchering process and knew exactly how our meal got there to my dinner plate. I know meat just doesn't appear in the grocery store cooler.

      I didn't get a hunting license until I married. This year with the babies being a little older was the first year I was really able to go out a couple weekends with the husband hunting. And, I actually managed to get my first buck.

      Over the last few years my ideology has changed a bit. I now have a family of my own, and I find my views and instincts with nature constantly evolving. I feel either one has to make a vital choice to live a vegetarian, vegan lifestyle or one must accept the role of the food chain. I fall into the second category.

      I still like to think of life in a bit savage kinda way. It is very important to have an active roll in the food we put on the dinner table. I like knowing where my food comes from and how it was handled. Hunting brings out that savage mentality. It feels quite natural when the senses become so active and heightened as of being in the wild. Every inch of life has it's part in the food chain. It is the raw side of life that adds just yet another tie with nature. I respect that which is natural in all aspects.

Welcoming Autumn 2011

It's amazing how you can smell Autumn in the air. The leaves are getting crisp and you can find the men gearing up for hunting season. Even with the option of running to the store if we run out of an item, it's instinctual to prepare to make it through the year. I love the challenge and also the tradition.

Butchering was done early September. We have a freezer full of beef now, and by the looks we may need another freezer by the end of hunting season. This year we butchered a Holstein and split it in half with my folks. A half beef seems to be plenty for my young family of 5.

Cost to have a half cow butchered

Cow purchased :approx. 300.00.    150.00 for half

100% grass fed, and free hay:         50.00 diesel/ beer

Butchering cost:                              346.00



My father always gifts my family the cow for our birthday/ anniversary gift which are all during this time of year. Late August- late September. We also hay our fields for merely the cost of diesel and beer. All we pay is the butchering costs of 346.00

                                                        Other Meats:

Chicken:  also buy Foster Farms chicken breast from Costco approx. every 3 months at approx. 22.00 per bag
Fish, clam digging, crabbing:
 Salmon and sturgeon are basically free due to access to fishing. License and cost associated with fishing and clam digging are considered entertainment/hobby costs.

Total monthly meat cost approx. = 35.00 per month

The Slow Life

My Moment of Reflection

Taking a moment to reflect on this past year I can honestly say, I never once felt like time passed me by. My youngest will be two in February, and I received many comments such as "already?" Or, " Wow, that just flew by."  People always look funny at me when I respond "not really." But I have come to realize I accomplished my last year goal of slowing down life.

 I have also come to appreciate my commitment to becoming a stay at home mother. Because honestly,  I haven't always praised the decision. I have had my moments of insecurities. I have always worked, and had good jobs too. I have felt more attached to dirty dishes and laundry than the outside world. I have had my fears. Afraid that others may look down upon my choice referring to it as "doing nothing", "lazy", or "spoiled."  With the rolling movements of women of the 80's and 90's, being a stay at Home Mother's hasn't been quite at the top of achievements. However, I have come to appreciate it, and now refer to it as an opportunity.

 I am also very grateful to my husband for providing for us financially so we are capable of providing this slower paced lifestyle. I am fortunate to have a husband of good work ethic and traditional morals. He and I both had mother's who stayed at home with us when we were young. And, I have come to respect that.

I love being a mother and I take my place in the circle of life very seriously. From every inch of pregnancy to the hours of labor, to the very moment of birth, from nursing to humming lullabies. I embrace it all whole heartily and very tenderly.
 There couldn't be another possible thing on earth other than motherhood that could bring a human so in touch to nature. To feel intertwined with Mother Earth and God our creator.

The face of a newborn- kissed by the angels. The scent of a new babe- a hint of that of heaven. The love of a child- a reminder of the love of God. Tender, pure, natural, real.
I am apart of the ever evolving circle of life. From the mother wolf to her pups, from the eagle in her nest.

We are created to reproduce, programmed to survive, and privileged to think, express, and feel. Beyond our cultural differences we are yet very much the same. We create life, we die. And all that which is in between; we live.  At the very core we have yet ever inch in common. We are all that of the human race.

Genesis 3:19

"By the sweat of your brow
      will you have food to eat
   until you return to the ground
      from which you were made.
   For you were made from dust,
      and to dust you will return.”





Garden 2011

God has been good to me this year. Mother nature very kind. That along with a little hard work, a healthy dose of fertilizer, and daily water, my gardening experience this year has been successful. It seemed I even managed to time it this year perfectly. I planted May 22 the only nice weekend which was followed with 4-5 weeks straight of rain. Gotta love this coastal Washington weather! Even though we hardly broke an average temperature of the lower 60's with very cool nights into the lower 40's the seeds germinated well. I did find for a period during the cooler temperatures the growth seemed to stand still but once July came around and we finally experienced warmer temperatures the growth was amazing.

Fertilizer:
I really do believe this is what makes it or breaks it. Last year my garden being a 1st yr. garden spot we did not nearly work enough fertilizer into the soil before planting. This year I used fertilizer from Pacific Gro . It is an organic fertilizer composed of fish products. This stuff is more than amazing. My peas are over 6 feet tall, and I have zucchini leaves past my waste and wider than my body. Though a good dose of any fertilizer can be the trick. I really do believe this stuff to be superior. Check out their website for more information. Just click on the link above to check out their website. They are located here in Raymond Washington and ship product all over.

June 6 2011, 2 weeks after germination

A month and half after germination

July 28, 2011 2 months after planting

 

Peas are up to 6 ft.

The babies enjoying some peas

Woodstove Installed

   We recently had a wood stove installed. Boy, have we been happy with it. My father has blessed us with three or four cords of dry wood. In exchange for the dry wood my husband had rock delivered to my parents home, and he leveled their driveway. Money is never accepted in our family so we bless each other with gifts.                  

Within less than a month of wood stove use our PUD bill lowered 30.00 for that billing cycle. Last February, no kidding our bill was over 300.00! This February our bill was below 200.00!

   Other things we changed to help with the electrical expenses were that we changed our light bulbs out from 65w bulbs in each can light to bulbs that only burn 5w per bulb. Also we made some adjustments to the heat pump that have to do with the strip heat. We haven't noticed any changes in the home but have noticed a drastic lowering in our PUD bill.

In billing cycle number 2 (a whole month of wood heat) our bill was down almost another 30.00.

So far we are looking at between 30.00-60.00 a month savings by using wood heat from solely using the electric heat pump.

Buck 21 Made in America Wood stove with blower.
Natural Slate Pad with Cherry stained riser to go
with wood flooring.

We are going to put up a natural slate surround with some sort of mantel somewhere down the road to make our wood stove area complete.