December 2018

 In order to roll the hoophouse to its new location for the next year, the end walls need to hinge up to clear the ground.  The new metal frame (with Trex lumber sideboards) that Linc had fabricated and installed last summer worked like a dream compared to the rotten lumber that he'd replaced).  Below, you can see the hoophouse ready to move towards camera, and in the second photo in the new location - a 24'L x 24'W x 14' high structure moved 24 feet over in about 2 hrs by 2 people.  Nice!

For Jeanne's birthday, we drove down to Ridgway, went for a nice ski tour up Corksgrew Gulch off of Red Mountain Pass in chilly (10F) temps, then back to Orvis Hot Springs where we car camped, snuggling into our -40F down bags (temps down to 6F that night) and spent a lot of the evening and next morning exploring the various soaking pools, sauna, and then discovering the 55 F cold plunge pool next to the 110 F "lobster pot" pool, and spent hrs going back and forth between the two.

 That shiny stainless steel $4000 high efficiency wood stove that came with the tiny house on wheels never worked all that well.  Linc took it out, put it on Ebay with a description of the problems we were having with it, sold it immediately for $2500, and bought this replacement, a Grizzly Cubic Mini wood stove (12"w x 11"d x 15"h, that IS mini!) for $600.  A MUCH better stove.

Meanwhile, besides all of the usual farm chores, and getting out every other day or so for some exercise running, skiing or biking, we slowly worked on our larger "to do" list.  Jeanne decided she'd prefer that we restore the old 89 Toyota pickup rather than keep the 98 Tacoma, so Linc spent some time in the new workshop, popping out a couple of dents, then sanding and repainting the Tacoma to make it easier to sell.

Another project Linc finished in December was to pipe up hot and cold running water to a shower head above the bathtub in the cabin greenhouse.  So now, 9 years after we started building the cabin, we took our first showers!

Summary for 2018

Water

We received a total of 10.5" of precipitation for the year, lowest month was April 2018 at only 0.14" for the month - talk about a dry spring!  Snowpack in the mountains from the 2017-2018 season was a record low, 60% of the normal.  Irrigation water for our farm went off on July 4th, about 2 MONTHS earlier than normal.  The forests throughout the west caught on fire.  We stored what we could in the soil and in an old swimming pool and in the pipeline, and miserly watered it out over the rest of summer and fall, saving enough in the pipe for minimal winter hoophouse watering, and watched our healthy plants shrivel.  Still, despite the lack of water, we still harvested and ate pretty well - the farm is becoming more and more resilient!  

Farm Harvest

Chicken, duck and turkey Eggs - 260 dozen

Goat Milk - 540 gallons

Meat - 102 lbs

Asparagus - 21 lbs

Beets - 96 lbs

Broccoli - 16 lbs

Cabbage - 37 lbs

Carrots - 37 lbs

Corn - 65 ears

Garlic - 320 bulbs

Cooking greens - 185 lbs

Salad greens - 98 lbs

Onions - 65 lbs

Green onions - 41 bunches

Melons - 55 lbs

Parsnips - 45 lbs

Peas - only 10 lbs

Peppers - 28 lbs

Potatoes - 185 lbs (blighted, reduced crop)

Winter Squash - 282 lbs

Tomatoes - 120 lbs

Turnips - 65 lbs

Zucchini - 180 lbs

Garden Apples - 19 lbs

Garden cherries - 6.5 lbs

Grapes - 6.5 lbs

Garden peaches - 65 lbs

Plums - 1 lb!

Berries - only 2 lbs!

Rhubarb - 35 lbs

Hay baled - only 65 bales (about half of previous year)

Total farm product (not all shown above) - 6700 lbs, not counting hay

Market value of product - $18,800

We started out the year continuing at the daily routines of homesteading, gradually taking on projects, doing what we've done for 9 years or so now.  It's a satisfying life, and has its inspiring moments, and is a strange mix of being tied down with daily care of domesticated animals and birds while feeling a strong sense of belonging and attachment and love for the land, water, plants, animals and birds that have co-evolved with and sustain us.  Missing, at times, has been the opportunity to really get out in the wilds and feel the awe and inspiration that comes from that.  That all changed after Amber arrived and we started getting out for longer hikes, then an overnight backpacking trip, and the bike packing adventure in Moab.  Life is suddenly changing for us.  We probably get a little less done on the farm now, but we're super energized and becoming more and more inspired.  Nature is the source, and wild nature is the strongest source there is.

On to 2019!