It's still winter

Everything outside is white.  These Minnesota winters take some getting used to.  I HAVE to have a greenhouse, otherwise I'm going to go nuts.

Latest doings-- I'm almost finished building my beehive.  I was too late to get bees, but I'm happy about the the beehive!  Next year.

Bellydancing is way too much fun.  I'm not very good at it, but I sure enjoy it.

My daughter Camilla is going to serve her mission in California.  This is such a wonderful thing.

I applied to have "Edible Estates" do my front yard.  Let's see if I get picked!

It's been so cold this past winter I've had to have Frankie and the chickens in the garage several times.  They're in there right now.  I need to get their coop better insulated next year.

I'm almost at the end of teaching a knitting class to a group of 1st/2nd graders.  It is really hard to teach something so "hands on" to a group.  I know they've enjoyed the class.  All of them have learned to knit at some level.  Some have really caught on, some not so much.  One of the girls latched onto finger knitting and I haven't gotten to get her back to try anything else.  She just happily uses up yarn as fast as she can.  It's cute.  They are all cute, there are just too many of them to have much real teaching going on.

Everytime I shop I vote with my money

Everytime I shop I vote with my money.  As I become more and more concerned with eating organically and sustainably  I am trying to spend money the way I believe.  I want the animals I eat to have had a decent life. I don't want to be supporting chemical farming practices.  I don't want to support wage slavery (or actual slavery).

Last year I joined a CSA.  Last year I met a farmer who raises pigs and cattle.  I bought a pig and had it butchered.  That has been a good experience, although it was way too much meat for our family.  It was just a huge temptation to eat it all.  While I am ok with eating meat it should be eaten sparingly.  This year I am going to attempt to grow A LOT more of our own vegetables.  This year I'm thinking about buying a cow, but asking several people to go in on it with us.

Other things I'm going to try this year.  Beekeeping.  I'm taking a wood working class and am going to build a Top Bar Beehive.  From there I'll attempt to ....  keep/shepherd/watch/grow/allow/supervise a colony of bees.  See how that works out.

I am a part of a co-op where they have bulk food available.  I bring my own containers and fill them there.  I just love that.  I use mason jars for just about all of my food storage and I bring a box of them to the co-op and fill them there.  It is really cool and I have lots of people say, "I wish I had thought of that."

Lots of plans for this coming year!