Biochar and final family retreat day of 2018

We've had a very full week...of fun! You know we must be getting into the winter groove when Jason and I get a few hours alone this morning to take a hike, and we get home ready to make concrete plans to get our pond dug this coming year. We are impossible! I should say, to our credit, that we also decided to bump the major winter project of building cabinets in our back kitchen to a future winter. That feels like a big relief and the "pond exploration" is exciting and we'll see where it takes us. Jason was 14 when his parents put in the pond at his home place, and it is clear he'd love to see Kali get some years of enjoying it before she decides to expand her horizons beyond T.W. We are VERY content to think that that could be more than a few years hence, but also realistic enough to know that it may not be.

So winter gives us enough time to get us dreaming and hopefully when we get to do it together we are a bit more realistic in the scope of our dreams. So for this winter yet we hope to have Jason and Kali build her "hanging bed" in the girls' bedroom so that when Terah is ready to transition from our bed to her own, there will be one awaiting her! Even before that will be for Jason to get the expanded garden fence in. That's at the top of the list so that we can protect our most productive gardens from chickens (and other critters). So while we aren't expanding our cultivated area (we've actually reduced it somewhat), we hope to make what we are using intensively even more productive! Then there's the hoped for deep cleaning that is on the docket, but Jason getting ready for his conference workshop in late January will have to come first. It's hard to believe we'll be planting our first seeds in just about a week from now when we ring in the New Year!

But first things first: we've still got a little of 2017 left and this week has included some of my favorite rituals and traditions of the year. It was only our second annual "winter carbon party" though we have done biochar burns for a few more years than that. Last year we decided to invite others to join us, had such a delightful time that we decided to do it again. And it was equally wonderful - the crowd was very small (it seems that we aren't the only ones having invitation after invitation sent our way that we have to sift and sort through to choose what to prioritize). Having just a few folks around for the digging and biochar burn and then just a few families for the evening potluck made for more quality visiting, which we all enjoyed. We got to meet and get to know a few neighbors better and make some meaningful connections that we can build upon in the future. It was a great day!

The only part of the day that was disappointing to me was that the burn went so well and quickly that Terah and I missed all but the start of it. I figured they'd be hauling brush until dark but they were putting the fire out before Terah woke. Someone has to be inside with her during her nap and it is also the time we have carved out daily for my work hours. So I had a twinge of missing out (something I always hate!), but it dissipated pretty rapidly and was completely replaced by gratitude and joy when the next morning we got to all be outside as a family of five for HOURS sorting the remains of the brush pile. I love this kind of process. Here's more or less how it goes:

We take down trees that need to come down.
We get some logs milled into lumber for various projects.
We cut up some for firewood or mushroom logs.
We haul all the brush to a large brush pile.
Around the winter solstice, we do a biochar burn in which we burn most of the brush pile.
We sort what remains into pieces too big for mulch that go on top of next year's pile.
We make a pile of twiggy stuff to spread as mulch for blueberries and raspberries.
The sifted duff we put in a wire ring to add to compost in the spring.

The "critch" (brush pile) before biochar burn...

Sorting the remains the next day!

I know that this may not sound fun to the vast majority of folks, but I actually believe that if folks would join us they would find that it is really fun! Especially with a very excited 6 year old chattering almost nonstop about the process (and now being old enough to be truly helpful) and a 2 year old that is having fun dropping little sticks through the holes in the sifter (in all honesty, she also was complaining a lot at the start about wanting to go inside until she got in a groove).

It was such a fun family work time that it was almost noon before we came in to make breakfast. Oops! Thankfully everyone had had something little to eat before going out so no one completely fell apart before getting in a "real meal."

Then yesterday was a day packed full of family time - it is a good thing we like each other so much. It was our last family retreat day of the year and it was Alida's to plan. The night before we sketched it out in detail and other than getting to bed about 1/2 hour later than planned, we did all she had hoped for and even some additions (like welcoming Grandma and Grandpa who showed up to surprise the girls in the evening - and then all putting together a puzzle before bedtime).

Our first "marching order" from Alida was that we were to get up at 8, but NOT before. So we were all to stay in bed until 8. Then out for duck and chicken chores all together by 8:30, in by 9:30 and eating our brunch of chicken sausage and nutty sweet potato waffles and fruit salad by 10. We ate while playing the farming game until noon (I snuck in cleaning up in between turns towards the end such that we could play until closer to 12:30). Then we gave Terah some undivided attention before her nap and also let the girls open a present. I had made via Shutterfly a memory game for Terah with pictures of her (which she loves) and a puzzle for Kali and one for Alida with pictures of them. The older girls got theirs put together during Terah's nap and towards the tail end of it, we even got to play some 4 person Rook with no 2 year old to distract from our cards! It was delightful! By 4 p.m. we were starting to work on our pizza supper, taking a break around 5 to shut in animals in the pouring rain, and then back in to decorate pizzas with our choice of sausage, roasted red peppers, fresh spinach, pesto, homemade mozzarella, caramelized onions, fresh garlic, black olives, homemade ricotta, and home dried oregano. Yum! The evening was full of eating good food (including ice cream that Alida and Terah shared with us from their co-op purchase), playing more games (Apples to Apples) and then Alida wanted us to end the day with family "wiggle wiggle time" on our bed. My parents are probably glad they had headed to their quarters by that time! Yes, it was PURE silliness, just the way she likes it! I took a bunch of pictures at the start of the day and then got too absorbed just enjoying it! The ducks and chickens were a fan of the retreat too as they got let out early and we brought the ducks some spinach thinning for them to dabble!

I noted at one point how the day (while laced with some really unique things) was spent doing lots of things I often spend quite a bit of time on in any given day - food preparation. BUT what was so fun and special about it was having Jason and the girls join me. When there were little breaks where not all hands were needed, Kali read old family meeting minutes out loud for all of us to enjoy. They were from the time when Kali was Alida's age. So, so crazy to see all the issues we now have with Alida coming up with Kali - wasting soap or toilet paper, bedtime routines, not putting away toys when done with them, etc... We laughed, I groaned, and I also felt feelings of hope (it was a good reminder that these stages come and go and that some day we'll laugh together about most of it!).

Then, if our day yesterday wasn't glorious enough, my folks took all three girls to church with them this morning and Jason and I got to hike to Hensley's Pond just the two of us. I feel like I've already been gifted with more than my share of Christmas presents!

And so we are back to where I started...

In closing I'll just note that one of my favorite times of day right now is reading stories with Terah before she nurses to sleep. She LOVES the book we have called "On Christmas Day in the Morning" which is a song. In just a week's time, she has more or less learned it. She has started trying to sing along. We were partway through it last evening when Jason grabbed the camera, so here's a taste of it for you to enjoy. Merry Christmas all!