Author: Heather Bartlett

Yesterday Eric decided it was time to harvest some honey from the four bee hives that he keeps.  He picked up a two frame honey extractor and all of the other miscellaneous equipment needed.  It’s a bit of an investment but amortized other the years it will pay off. Eric just started beekeeping last year with only one hive and didn’t get much honey from it.  This year he upped his game and has three.  One hive is from a captured swarm in July so we don’t expect to get any honey from that one this year.  One of the other hives has been to say it mildly, crazy… it already has three honey supers on it while the other two only have one each.  Eric obviously chose to harvest the hive with the three supers.  

Upon inspection of the frames he found that about eighteen frames had capped honey.  He gently bushed the bees off of the frames and swapped them with empty ones.  Since Eric is rather new to this, he readily admits that mistakes were made and lessons to be learned.  

First lesson don’t extract the honey where the bees can find you… He had set up his honey extractor in the garage which is on the other side of our house from the bees.  Everything appeared to  be going well but soon after starting the bees found him.  When I peeked out there to see how things were going he was completely swarmed by bees, thousands of them.  The sad thing about this is all of the bees that drown in the honey while trying to eat it.  Next time he says that he’s going to set up his equipment in the sun room and keep it well shut so that he doesn’t have to deal with the bees.  

All said he got about four and a half gallons of honey from those eighteen frames.  Unfortunately he also has a small bucket of a mixture of wax and dead bees.  He is going to let all of the equipment sit out by the hives so that the bees can clean it all off for him and then try to recover the wax for me to make candles.  So it was a good harvest of honey and probably in the coming weeks he’ll extract honey from the other two hives.  He wants to have everything extracted before September so that he can prepare to get them ready for the winter.  That will be the topic of another blog post.

Last night I made a family favorite, Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing.

Peanut Sauce

5 tablespoons  chunky peanut butter

5 tablespoons water

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic powder

sricacha sauce to taste

Blend are ingredients in a blender (I use Magic Bullet) until smooth

Salad

1 package edamame

1/2 cup shredded carrot

2 cups chopped cabbage (I used purple)

Soba noodles cooked according to directions

Toss everything into a salad bowl and mix in dressing.  Delicious!

A couple of years ago I was standing at my kitchen window, drinking my coffee and trying to figure out what was so different about my backyard.  Something had changed, but I wasn’t sure what.  A few minutes later my daughter walked through, looked out the window and asked “why is the grass dead?”  Aha!  Dead grass was the change in my landscape.  I immediately knew that Eric was behind this drastic change.

When I asked what was up, he told me he killed all the grass on purpose because he was going to turn the back yard into a native prairie.  I thought it was good idea, but I wished he would have at least told me of his plans.  He claimed he did, he didn’t 🙂  I definitely would have remembered any conversation that started with “I am going to kill our backyard.”

Fast forward 2 years and we have an established prairie in our backyard.   Eric belongs to a local organization that promotes the use of native plants in landscaping.  He was able to get us started with a discount on plants because of his membership.  Last year was a bit of an investment, but this year I believe he had to replace 2 plants.  Not bad. Thankfully, we do not live in a subdivision that has a rule saying we can’t do this.  We are also fortunate to have neighbors who encouraged us.  I have friends who do not have the options we do with their property due to HOA rules.

There are many benefits to turning your backyard into Native Plant Landscape.  They include the following:

• Bees and butterflies love native plants.  As I was taking pictures today, a monarch was flying around.  The fact is, if you have native plants in your backyard, you will have butterflies.  It probably goes without saying, our bees love our yard.
• You don’t mow a prairie.  The plants just grow, allowing native species to thrive.
• Native plants are beautiful.  Honestly, looking at those plants while sitting on my patio allows me to be truly at one with the natural world in my own backyard.
• Native plants do not require pesticides or herbicides, keeping the poisons away from your family and pets.
• You will save money.  Less water and no chemicals.

I am 100% sure that I have missed several other reasons why native plants are beneficial, but you get the gist.

Milkweed-Monarchs love these

Give native plants a try.  They are so much better for our planet.

The chickens have started to wander the lawn.  They are exploring their surroundings and hopefully eating some ticks!  We have had them for close to 3 months, which I find unbelievable.  Time sure flies, but I guess that is discussion for a different blog post.

It has been a really hot summer for these gals.  We have had temps soar to a heat index of 105, but they have been able to keep cool thanks to the coop they have which allows for shade.

The dogs have been very interested in them, requiring us to keep them inside when they are out of the coop.  The exception to that rule is the puppy, who sits in her little play enclosure just observing.  She appears to be more used to them than the dogs who have been around them for 2 months longer.  I suppose that she is just used to them because she has known of them since she got here.

Eric feeding the chickens.  He uses meal worms to bribe them.

Three of the girls wandering about.

I hope that snack is a tick.  I read that chickens eat the ticks and I am counting on that.

The chickens are not the only critters who are active. Our honey bees have been very busy.  Fall should provide us with a healthy honey harvest.  Eric was called on Friday night to catch a swarm of honey bees.  He actually amazes me, he caught that swarm and was stung once.  We are waiting for pictures of that adventure from the homeowner who requested help, when they arrive, I will write a post about it.

On a final note, my daughter Maeghan, celebrated her 16th birthday today.  We celebrated as a family tonight with dinner on the patio.  Her brother and his girlfriend came over to celebrate with us.  It was a perfect night, even if with the mosquitoes.

Happy Birthday Maeghan!

Yesterday I was able to harvest our first batch of black raspberries this season.  Don’t these beauties look delicious?  Tonight I will serve them over vanilla ice cream and then I will probably freeze any left over.  Tomorrow will require another harvest.  I don’t think we will have enough for jam, but enough for some ice cream topping and the random fruit salad over the coming months.  Over the next couple  years, we should have blueberries and red raspberries, but until then, these will do!

I spent the last couple days visiting my parents in Green Bay.  My dad and I went to a state park on Lake Michigan on Friday.  He loves to search for rocks and has a knack at finding some real beauties.  He found a beautiful fossil within a pile of rocks.  I don’t know how he does it, but I wish I had paid more attention to this when I was younger and had spent time with him when he does this.  He is 100% one with nature when he is on the prowl for rocks.  I searched for a while and then found the perfect log to sit on and closed my eyes to listen to the waves.  We don’t live by an ocean, but we have a beautiful Great Lake in our back yard that I don’t enjoy nearly enough!  

On our way back from the lake, we stopped at a local market.  I saw a sign that said “fresh curds” and knew I had to stop.  Cheese curds are in my top 10 favorite foods and I will purchase them when I can find them very fresh.

Finally, an update on Luna.  She is just the best puppy!  She has settled in nicely and while she still has accidents in the house, I think she is getting the potty training thing.  She goes to the back door and pees there if we don’t get to her.  I think that shows that she is connecting the dots.  Maybe?

I should be back on a more regular basis.  As lame as it sounds, my computer has been giving me a hard time.  Eric has put on a band-aid on it for the time being, but it appears that we will need to upgrade very soon.  Happy Sunday!

I am going to keep today’s blog short, but I have big news.  Luna, our new Golden Retriever came home today.  As you can see, she is going to be vicious!  I don’t anticipate that she will make a great watch dog.  But, she is super sweet and fitting in nicely.  She will never replace Stella, but she will make the pain of losing her a little easier.  Happy Saturday!

In the last year I have noticed that my local library (also my employer) has started to print our annual savings on our receipts.  As you can see in the photo below (I know, it’s a terrible picture), I have saved a significant amount of money since January 1, 2018.

I do not know what every library has to offer, but I know that mine offers a lot of resources that can help keep one within their budget.

Books – I almost never buy a book.  I check out everything from the novels I read to the cookbooks I use.  My husband checks out his homesteading books and computer books from the library.  That is not to say we never purchase books, but most of the time, those books are purchased from Goodwill.

Movies – Our library carries recent releases, several copies in fact.  They have a program called “It’s Your Lucky Day”.  Those are hot movies that give a 3 day check out window.  I can safely say that at this time Black Panther is flying off the shelf.  These movies are all free.  We watch the majority of our movies from the library. The one exception would be the Super Hero movies.  My husband collects those, so we purchase those movies.  We also rarely go to the movies, opting to stay home instead.  I do go to the movies a few times a year with my mom or my girls.

Cellular Hotspots – Yes, you can check cellular hot spots out from the library.  I know people who cannot afford internet who utilize this.  Those who are traveling also check them out to preserve their data.  Again, free.

Newspapers – Newspapers can be expensive.  Reading the paper for free at the library can save a lot of money in subscription costs.

Magazines – This is one area I need to get better about.  I do not check magazines out.  I have looked at my library and the magazines I subscribe to are not available yet.  Maybe someday they will be.  But, I see a lot of people who come in and check out their favorites every month.

Wii Games – Why buy video games that you know your kids will get sick of?  If you find one you love from the library, then buy the game.

CD’s – I check out CD’s to listen to and then return for something new.  It keeps variety and I don’t have to spend $15 for the album.

Audio Books- I enjoy having a book going in my car CD player.  I can multi task, get some reading in while running errands.  Win Win.

Storytime – Storytime is free and it such a great way to introduce little ones to reading.

Youth Programs – In the summertime, libraries have weekly youth programs for children.  My kids have seen magicians, animals and helped plant a garden in the summertime youth program.  All for free.

Adult Programs- Last night, our library had a take and make activity for adults.  They made wind chimes.  The adults had a great time, gathered with community and took home a decoration for free.

Book Clubs – I would guess that most libraries have book clubs.  Again a free activity that probably focuses on the book, not the wine:) 

Kids Summer Reading Programs – When my kids were little, they participated in the reading programs at the library. We got into Wisconsin State Parks, museums and the zoo at a reduced cost or for free, just for reading.

I am sure that the library offers even more than I could come up with.  I talk about this because I hear and read about people trying to save money.  When I saw my savings this year, I was shocked.  We so easily forget about what is readily available to us in the age of online shopping.  It seems so much easier to shop online than to just go to the library, but that trip can yield a significant savings.

Today’s haul from the library

Several months ago, I left my job in the insurance/financial industry.  I won’t get into the reasons of why I left.  I am not even sure if I have a concrete reason for why I left.  I guess it was a lot little reasons.  In a nutshell, I was not happy.  I had been there for 4 years and had spent 3 years, 9 months trying to find a reason to leave.  Instead of finding a reason to leave, I had a million reasons for why I needed to stay.  My husband had been encouraging me to leave for a couple of years, knowing that I was not happy and that my health, both physical and mental were suffering.  So, with Eric’s encouragement, I put in my 2 week notice and left my former company on February 28th without a job lined up.  I had posted my resume online requesting NO INSURANCE inquiries.

I had been in the insurance industry since before I graduated college.  In fact, I worked at an insurance company in high school and worked at that same company for summer vacations.  When I graduated college, I naturally found a job at another insurance company.  When my kids were born, I stayed home with them and worked in retail part-time for several years.  That was strictly spending money, 15 hours per week at Yankee Candle does not pay the bills, but it was a fun place to work and I was happy.  When I decided to go back to work 9 years ago, my resume only attracted insurance companies, so back I went.  Knowing with 100% certainty that I was going to hate the industry, the job and for the most part, my 8am to 5pm existence.  Boy was I right!

When I took the job I recently quit, it came with a 50% pay increase, better benefits and more security.  It seemed like a no brainer, but when I accepted, my stomach sank and for 4 years I survived on Tums.  I did not listen to my inner voice, that was a huge mistake.  For 4 years I went to work, dreading the day ahead of me.  Every Sunday night depressed me and I lived for the weekends. When I had a day off, it was like Christmas for me.  A coworker once remarked that I loved days off more than anyone she knew.  I was more than a little embarrassed, but she spoke the truth.   I used to mark every day off of my desk calendar because it marked the end of another day of being there.  I told my coworker who asked why I did that, that I marked the days off so that I knew what the date was immediately if asked.  It seemed plausible.  When I told my kids I left my job, I told them to never stay at a job that makes you so unhappy that you are excited to mark off the days of your life, which is what I was doing.  In a nutshell, I was living in a soul sucking environment, I never should have stayed with it as long as I did.

When I think about my departure, the phrase “death by a thousand papercuts” seems like the perfect description.  Like I said, I can’t think of one instance, other than the one that finally set me free, that made me so unhappy.  There was just a lot of little things, that is no way to live.  I would encourage anyone who is reading this that if they feel like this, reexamine your life.  We only get one trip on this planet, make it worth it.

I knew I had to find a job that allowed me to live a life that made me happy and allowed me to live my values.  I value my family, friends,  community,  the environment, a free exchange of ideas and living a life with intention.  With those ideas in mind, I felt like I hit the jackpot when I saw a job opening at my local library.  I will spare the boring details of how I got the job, but I did get the job.  I have not had heartburn since March 1st.  Seriously, it immediately disappeared when I left.  I no longer dread Sunday nights.  Yes, I have to work Monday morning, but I enjoy my job and truly enjoy everyone I work with.  I am working in my community.  What says community more than a local library in a sleepy suburb? I work with people who share the same values I do and we talk about it.  I no longer have to pretend I am something I am not or keep my mouth shut so I don’t offend.  I have time to pursue the things I want to do.  My hours are reduced and while they do not conform to the normal 8-5 workday, I am able to sleep in a bit and spend time with my husband and daughter in the mornings.  I have also lost weight.  I have more time to exercise and spend a lot more time moving.  Being chained to a desk all day is a recipe for weight gain no matter how well take care of yourself.  Simply stated, I am happy.