Unbuttoned Farms

While I was driving to my mom’s house in galena,Ray and Robert were in Michigan driving a trailer north to make some dreams come true.

I’ve been on a mission for two items: a red round bale ring (have you seen what uno and the steers do to these things?!) and FREE HAY through Facebook marketplace and these guys made it happen!!!!

I am so grateful to you for getting a trailer, driving up to Sparta and Rockford and for picking up the red hay bale ring from Jennifer and the FREE hay from Sunset Meadow Farm! 

The hay felt like a particularly timely gift and eliminated a portion of an upcoming expense. It is so fun to see what things flow into our world “right on time”. I’m in a second slow week of work but abundance through kindness and gifts/repayments has been so lovely to receive-especially as I take time away from the farm to be with family.

I am so grateful for ways we can barter, buy, sell or gift items to others on similar paths.

I’ll be checking out some Illinois farm stands tomorrow!

Until then, good night!

Ask us in 30 days if we have baby bunnies. That’s all I’m going to say about that. 🤦‍♀️😅🫪😳🤦‍♀️

To the rest of you, go follow Sweet Briar Farmer so he can give away a mini cow 🐮 when he gets to 1 million followers.

-goodnight

Amanda here-Our Fourth of July this year will be remembered as “fine tuning” while grieving.

My grandma passed away this week after ten years with Alzheimer’s.

I was incredibly close with her-there was nothing more I could have said or asked at the end and yet there will still never been enough time with her-never, ever.

I found spaces to nap and cry while he worked on fencing, pastures, watering corn, side dressed corn, rotations, plans for baling, tending the neighbors garden and caring for their horses (so fun and healing!),
rabbit hutch cleaning and mending, planting black eyed Susan’s and potting other flowers, him brush hogging, ordering mineral and feed, working on fencing in the rain.

Seems like for all seasons of heart, the path forward is to make art, cry, remember, pause, connect with others, curl up alone, nap, eat, soften, repeat.

It’s was a very slow week for interpreting work but not for farming . Slow work is good for mending the heart. I’m taking orders for pet portrait commissions again. 🙂

I’ll spend the rest of the week with family in Illinois before dear dear friends arrive for a visit later this week. ❤️💝

- Amanda

No one is surprised

We cooled off at Rivertown mall this week after lots of barn chores and other tasks. Little Rosie helped take branches and twigs out of the round pen with us in the heat, we housesat for our neighbor (which was super fun, now I want a big garden too!). Summer is in full swing here.

Our herd

Two things:

Does anyone want to come get some Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) from the farm? This is a succulent that is edible, can be grown outdoors or indoors, can be propagated and is beginner friendly! We have an abundance and we’d love to share it. Come out to the pasture with us and we’ll show you where to pick it!

An unfinished page from the farm journal that I worked on yesterday while I hung out with Dwayne and Danita. ❤️ So much is happening all the time, I want these books to become part of the farm history here.

Thanks again Bonnie for the journal. I can’t wait to see what others add to it.