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The Road to Here: Blog Posts Archive

2018 - Present

In this last year, we’ve been so focused on the productions of 6 acres of hemp, that there hasn’t been much time for the blog. One big milestone this year was installing the solar modules!

Reflections on 2019

We’re back after a long blogging break! If you’re a regular reader and have missed the monthly Reflections blog, thanks for coming back! If you’re new to the

Reflections on Jan, Feb, and Mar 2019

Welcome back, my dear readers who have missed my monthly updates. Aunt Debra, ye shall worry no longer! We are all alive and well, even the last remaining

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Reflections on December, 2018

As promised, here is our Winter Solstice tree, with borrowed lights and decorations thanks to Nana. Standard Christmas tree lights use a lot of power by the way,

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Reflections on November, 2018

Friday, November 2nd I wake in the night for some unknown reason and can’t get back to sleep. I get up to use the restroom and get a

Reflections on October, 2018

I love October for the cooler temperatures, and the diminished flies. The leaves change color (not like the brilliant Illinois colors) but pretty in their own Oklahoma way. I

Reflections on September, 2018

Fall is fast approaching. This September, we’ve had several rains lately of 2 or more inches and much cooler nights. The air seems so clean and clear, with

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Reflections on August, 2018: Black Iron

Black iron! Last month I left you wondering what we’d use as a material for light fixtures. Black iron pipe is quickly becoming a theme around here. I

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Reflections on July, 2018

What to do With a Perfect Day: Own It. July, 2018 I am standing on a ladder, one that my husband made from scrap wood. The spacing between

Reflections on June, 2018

It’s warming up on the homestead. We spend some afternoons inside on the cool soil-cement floor to escape the heat. When it’s 95 outside, it’s only 88 inside.

Reflections on May, 2018: That’s a WRAP

I used to stand outside the semi-trailer each evening while brushing my teeth, and look at our unfinished house with its partial walls and flapping tarps. I would

Reflections on April, 2018

The absence of April showers equals a lack of flowers, unfortunately. We finally had some wintry mix on the morning of the 7th this month. The kids’ excitement

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Reflections on March, 2018

March: Motivation, Baby! What a fantastic month we’ve had here on the farm and off! The weather has been steadily getting warmer and so has our interior home

Reflections on February, 2018

Hello folks! Welcome to Home Farm, where our children are always dirty, our blogs are always clean, and our projects are always unorthodox. This month, as a monthly

Reflections on January, 2018

Welcome 2018! This year is going to be uber-progressive, I can just feel it. Each day and week are going to bring us that much closer to “done-ness,”

2016 Blog Posts

2017: Completion of the porch and roof as well as a lot of indoor cob and plaster.

Reflections on December, 2017

Solar power is in the pipeline! The ground mount frame for the solar array is now secured in the ground. Each of the 12 posts are stabilized 6

Reflections on November, 2017

We’re now moving into the 5th year of building our home. At the beginning, I assumed it would take 2-3 years. However, my mother’s death, the birth of

Reflections on September and October, 2017

Ah, the power of music! I’m going to let you in on a little October secret: if you are facing a tumultuous task, turn on some music. You

Reflections on August, 2017

Welcome back to the homestead, readers. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Our pastures are as green as my birthstone, the emerald, and it’s

Reflections on July, 2017

What a contrast this July has been compared to last year! Saul, my name for the wind, has taken a hiatus for some reason. I usually complain about

Reflections on June, 2017

It is the 30th day of June and I type this next to a window that frames a glorious rain which broke the pattern of heavy and hot

Reflections on May, 2017

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I am serious; mothering is hard work. We have 3 children, 2 dogs, a cat, 9 chickens, 1 remaining

Reflections on April, 2017

April showers are no match for our homestead endeavors! We made some real progress this month. First and most importantly, we are totally and entirely waterproof! No more

Reflections on March, 2017

So maybe you’re not into reading about uterine contractions and placental encapsulation, but there is one thing you must know about the birth of Earthbag Build Oklahoma’s 3rd

Reflections on February, 2017

Wow, talk about a short winter. I think we’ve had over 5 days of t-shirt weather and fewer than that number of freezing nights. I’ve noticed that my

Reflections on January, 2017

Consisting of a mixture of pseudo-spring days and bitter cold snowy ones, January has been quite an exciting month. In the beginning, the kids watched out the window

2016 Blog Posts

Getting so tired of building. Landscaping projects, cob and plaster, indoor plumbing!

Reflections on December, 2016

Once upon a time there was a small family. A strong man, a long-haired woman, and two young and rambunctious boys. They lived in Oklahoma, where the wind

Reflections on November, 2016

I need chocolate. I mean, really need chocolate. “The struggle is real,” they say, or “First world problems,” they say. Well “they” actually live in this “first world.”

Reflections on October, 2016

October is a second spring in this region. Plants that appeared desiccated to their death have reawakened. Fall rains and cooler temps have granted them new life. So

Reflections on September, 2016

Delicious tomatoes, the juiciest cantaloupe, and a giant bag of okra kicked off this September of 2016. They didn’t come from our soil of course, but the Lawton

In case you were wondering, building a house is exhausting. I mean serious, fall-asleep-before-your-head-hits-the-pillow exhausting. We’ve been at this house-building business for 3 years now and I am

Reflections on July, 2016

The fireworks were a blast. The flies are terrible. The heat is miserable. Happy July. The end. Well that’s what I felt like writing during my 102 degree

Reflections on June 2016

Summer is upon us. The heat is on. The grasshoppers are just beginning to annoy our gardens, and all the rain has caused an explosion of mosquitoes. It

Reflections on May, 2016

Ah, the most glorious month in Oklahoma is upon us. May is gorgeous. It is fresh and green and alive and there are perfect days with sunshine and

Reflections on April, 2016

In order to accurately reflect on the month of April of 2016, achievements and milestones would fill a copious list. While I’m surely going to miss a couple

Reflections on March, 2016

I thought March was supposed to be rainy. We’ve only had a little rain this month. I sure love the “spring green up,” with all the new life

Reflections on February, 2016

Note: This blog was posted on the day that only exists every four years, February 29th. Feeling much less like winter than December and January, February has bestowed

Reflections on January, 2016

Welcome to the new year, everyone who keeps up with H.O.M.E Farm shenanigans! Lots of new stuff is taking place so far at the homestead. I feel like

Reflections on December, 2015

Snow is the only redeeming quality that winter’s barren landscape has to offer. It blankets the naked ground in a magical sort of way. We got some snow

Reflections on November, 2015

November sends chilly breezes across the landscape as the winds shift and begin to blow from the cold north instead of the warm south. I always imagine the

Reflections on October, 2015

Living in an off-grid situation makes one resilient, creative, and open to utilizing resources in a way that most people might never imagine. It makes one more independent

Reflections on September 2015

Reflections on September 2015: A Roof Over our Heads This month marks a very important turning point in H.O.M.E. Farm’s history and development. We have officially moved into

Reflections on June, 2015

Ode to my Mother June of 2015 was bittersweet. The weather was not like last year’s June. It was much milder. Warm days and cool nights and the

Reflections on August, 2015: Reciprocity

Reflections on August: Reciprocity Reciprocal: in mutual relation; concerning, given, or owed by each with regard to the other. A compliment. Reciprocate: give and return mutually; act in

Reflections on July, 2015

Reflections on July, 2015: Wall Completion! As far as Oklahoma summers go, this one has been the nicest yet. It actually rained around the 4th of July, around

Reflections on May, 2015

The Month of Rain… The week of perfect days. Those were the last couple of days of April and the first couple of days of May. The wind

Reflections on April, 2015

The rain falls and breathes new life into the soil, enticing green stuff to reach for the sky. It is during this month that I actually feel

Reflections on March, 2015

March Muscles This month has been an exceptional one for weather, spring cleaning, getting back to work, and my mood, which has been positive and forward-thinking. At the

Reflections on February, 2015

Surviving February Oklahoma February is a roller coaster of weather. Some days are frigid and windy and icey, and others are in the 70’s for 3-4 day stretches.

Reflections on January, 2015

Reflections on January 2015: Thinking Outside the Box-Kitchen A new year. I have never really agreed with the calendar that the middle of winter marks the new year.

Reflections on November & December 2014

I wondered when this would happen, knowing it was inevitable. We got too busy to keep up on the blog. So, that is why these last two months

Reflections on October, 2014

Welcome, October! How I love the cooler temperatures, the receding of the grasshoppers, and the tranquility of light. When the sun begins to lower its passage across the

Reflections on September, 2014

That we suffered an embarrassing, yet successful harvest this year is grounds for a post about the real dilemma of food. Embarrassing because the grasshoppers ate better than

Reflections on August, 2014

Them’s Grayasshoppers! Ah, hot ol’ August again in Oklahoma, the only month that, despite my hatred for it, I miss the wind. Some days are 100 degrees with

Reflections on July, 2014

Time keeps on tickin’ tickin’ tickin’ into the future. To produce much of one’s own food is the epitome of self and family health. It allows the grower

Reflections on June, 2014

June is my second favorite month in Oklahoma. Our second son was born on the 5th. You can read about our Home Birth Story if you haven’t already.

Reflections on May, 2014

My Favorite Month in Oklahoma Thus Far Being 9 months pregnant on our farm has not been very fun. Bending over is required for nearly every task, I

Reflections on April, 2014

This month, I thought I’d do the blog a little differently. There is a monthly magazine that comes to the in-law’s house called Farm and Ranch Living. It

Reflections on March, 2014

Starting Seeds, Hugelkulturs, and Earthbag Rows! I think maybe its because February is short that we expect for March to be long. However, it always seems to fly

Reflections on February, 2014

Garden Prep: Permaculture Style Ah, February, the month of staying warm in the house, on the verge of becoming totally sick of being inside. Craving the spring, despising