I spent two weeks of the last month working in Northwest Alaska. I saw a whole new view of the world from the window of a helicopter and grazed on tundra blueberries and cloudberries. Alaska is gigantic and beautiful and helicopters are like the world’s greatest rollercoaster times a million. I loved it. It was a privilege to experience such a beautiful, mystical place. I know when the day comes to start farming full-time, trips like Alaska won’t come around all that often. So I embraced it. Well, I would have regardless of the situation, because it was awesome. Why mourn trips of the future that cannot be when you can enjoy the present?
Next month M and I are taking a trip of a different sort. The tickets have been purchased, so this one is official. We are setting off on a 16 day road trip through New England, Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, the Smoky Mountains and whatever happens to be in between. It is an ambitious agenda that we haven’t fully settled on so things could change. But I hope to cover a lot of ground, because this trip is more than a road trip. You see, land in the Pacific Northwest–particularly decent farmland–is getting awfully expense. And so we are embarking on this epic journey to see what’s out there. I think it is a very worthy investment. What are the possibilities and what speaks to both of us? And of course, what is affordable? Good vibes. Off-farm work potential for M. Affordable. I think those will be the keys to success. That’s the awesome part about not having our own place yet. We can be open to all the options. Will we end up in Maine, West Virginia, Tennessee or back in Oregon? Who knows! I don’t. But I sure do like adventures.
Now I’m home with the bunnies and the garden. Trips are fun, but I really like being home too. I’m looking out the window right now and see Jimmy lounging on the brittle summer grass and clothes drying on the line. Summer is a fine time when it’s not 104 degrees out. My farm library is expanding and this weekend I plan on delving into the topics of soil quality, sheep, and market gardening. You can never have too many books
Oh and the baby rabbits are getting huge like they do. Socorro ended up raising 9 of the 11 to sizeable little buns. The runtiest died at two weeks old and another died while I was in Alaska of what sounded like some sort of choking issue. The first bunny deaths are their own story though. The remaining nine are large and healthy. Oh how quickly they grow. Check this out:
In other news, I think seeds are awesome. Their different shapes and colors are just so cool. Like calendula seeds. I harvested some today and they all look like weird little caterpillars:
And I’ll leave you with that for this update, folks. Have a wonderful weekend!
Quiet Owl Farm 