Feet, Shoes, & Work Around the Homestead - Xero Shoes Mesa Trail ii Review

Feet. Most of the time we don't think much about them, but if they didn't do their job, almost nothing I do all day would be possible. So they are pretty important. As you know, in the depth of winter I love my custom made fur boots and wear them every day. But in the warmer months, warmer being a general term around here since much of the summer we get freezes at night too, there are often times my feet need a little protection due to cold, sharp objects in the ground, or just not being tough enough to handle the abrasions of miles of hiking over the rocks in the mountains here. While I have no interest in a shoe that offers "support" or a cast like atmosphere that prevents my feet from operating as they were designed to do, there is a company I have liked for years, Xero Shoes. They make footwear that is just what I want. Some protection, much like a pair of

Summer Highlights

Summers here seem to always fly by before I know it. And somehow with the long daylight hours and everything that needs to be done before winter returns, I just don't get time to keep up with blog posts. But winter is rolling in once again, the daylight hours are getting short, and once again I have some free minutes before falling asleep to write. 

So, a brief recap of some of some highlights that have happened over the past months. One of the fun things was our Mrs. Quack laid a bunch of eggs but then decided she didn't care about sitting for more than one day. And one of our hens, Ember, looked at the abandoned duck eggs and decided they needed a mother. So she sat on them till they

Why Spending Almost $100,000 on a Tiny House was the Best Financial Decision of my Life

This is an article I first wrote several years ago for The Tiny House Magazine, which if you are not aware of, you might enjoy checking out! https://tinyhousemagazine.co/   Anyway, I thought it was time to share here with those of you who didn't see it when it was first published.

$99,702.00 is a lot of money. At least for me it was. More than I had ever had in one place at one time for sure! But that is what my tiny house cost. And looking back now after having lived here in my house for 7 years, it was a great decision for me. This is true for many aspects of my life, but the one I want to address today is the financial side of that. I have seen and heard a lot of discussion about "what a tiny house should cost." Or that the "whole point of a tiny house is to be cheap." Or "tiny houses on wheels are a dumb investment because they don't appreciate

Choosing Icelandic Chickens for Our Little Homestead and Raising from Day Old Cold Brooded Chicks

 

Along with everything else involved with moving and settling into a new place this summer, we added chickens to our little homestead. With the continued goal of creating a place where we are able to produce more of what we need on a regular basis from our own property. In preparation for this, last winter I did a lot of research and reading about what breeds would best for our situation. Like most thing, this meant I first had to figure out what my main goals were, so I could then determine what would fit with that. I wanted something that would:

Kittens Growing up on the Homestead

 

If you have seen any of the videos over the past months since August, you have probably seen one or both of these kittens already. Living in an area just far enough out of the woods to have a lot less predators than frequented the old location, and observing that several neighboring farm or ranch cats seem to be fairing well over time, it was time to have some kitties join our new little homestead. Because cats are neat, and it's nice to have a good rodent patrol crew on the job. It seems many of you enjoy seeing kitten photos, so here is a collection of some of my favorite shots since these little fur balls joined us. 

Velcro, named for her desire to stick to people no matter what you are doing, joined us first back in the summer. She's the fluffy kitty and loves people more than any cat I have ever met. If you are sitting for even a second she will appear and

Wow a Lot Has Happened!

Whew! This summer was a whirlwind of busyness and too many projects. And now fall has come and gone and we're already into winter and the new year. So I hope you are all having a wonderful