Summer used to be my favorite season. Long days, swimming, vacations, swimming, no school, swimming. You get the idea. After adulthood came along and I had work year round (the unfairness of it all!) with no swimming breaks, summer lost some of its appeal but was still my favorite. Anymore though, I think I amContinue reading “Summer must be winding down”
Author Archives: Sourwood Hill
The saga of the well continues.
Well, my apologies to the previous owners of this farm. They did not in fact concrete the water pipe all the way past the coupling. They did run rebar that far though. As I knew he would, my dad knew exactly what to do and we got everything dug up in one afternoon and didn’tContinue reading “The saga of the well continues.”
Of Water Wells and Family Ties
When you buy a house, you hire a home inspector and expect them to know what they’re doing and tell you if you’re in for big trouble down the road. However, don’t be an idiot (like me). Research every single thing on that checklist for yourself. Today, I want to spin the saga of whatContinue reading “Of Water Wells and Family Ties”
Enjoy the little things
Yes it’s from a movie, and one that isn’t in line with the rest of this post. But it’s an apt quote nonetheless. Sunday last, we went to the visitation services for my cousin, Joe, who died in a motorcycle wreck just four days before. Monday, the family laid him to rest. My great AuntContinue reading “Enjoy the little things”
The Building of a Brooder Box
Our chickens turned a year old in April, and in my estimation, were well old enough to start brooding out babies. While the breeds we bought were eclectic (Rainbows from Hoovers Hatchery; dominique and black sex link from TSC, and an americana), I had initially purchased them for meat birds with the hope that IContinue reading “The Building of a Brooder Box”
Blackberry Wine Week 3(ish)
We are finally to the taste testing part! After watching something for close to 20 days, I get nervous wanting to make sure it’s not all been a waste. Especially if your fermenting bubbles slow down toward the end like mine have. Week three is the final “adding” step to your wine mixture. After rackingContinue reading “Blackberry Wine Week 3(ish)”
Blackberry Wine -Week 2
What a week! I am so happy that this week’s wine tending was short and sweet. This week was adventurous enough getting through more of the blackberry harvest, jam making, starting to pick the silverberries, and having our first farm calf born (eeekkkkkk!), but today, Toby decided to scare me to death and start limpingContinue reading “Blackberry Wine -Week 2”
Delicious Wild Blackberry Wine – Week 1
I was never a huge fan of wine, the whole dry makes your mouth pucker experience wasn’t for me. Give me juice with alcohol content and I’m good. Last summer, we had a person decide to trespass on the old logging road that cuts across the back side of our property. Said person got hisContinue reading “Delicious Wild Blackberry Wine – Week 1”
How far is far enough?
We treat non-venomous snakes fairly well on the farm. If it is an exceptionally fine specimen, we may catch them and tell them how pretty they are and to go catch a mouse, but that’s really it. And thankfully we’ve only seen one venomous snake. This arrangement worked beautifully until we got chickens. Really, itContinue reading “How far is far enough?”
All the Berries!
When you live in rural any-where, there are not just four seasons to the year. In addition to the Big Four, there is also rain season, calving season, chick season (dates set by the local Tractor Supply store and when they have peeps in stock), and so forth. One of my favorites is berry season!Continue reading “All the Berries!”
Sourwood Hill 