Christmas Letter, 2013

Oh the weather outside is frightful …  thank you for the thin layer of frost reminding us it is 22 degrees outside.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Y1 on the farm has been amazing, starting with the discovery of a pair of Great Horned Owls courting in the trees out front and wrapping up with 400 sheep showing up literally overnight to graze in the neighboring alfalfa fields. We bring a flashlight out for the last potty break of the night for the dogs and there are hundreds of pairs of eyes glowing back at us. The lambs skirt the fence and wander around our yard, playing King of the Hill on the pile of left over wood chips.  

We brined last winter’s olives for seven months, and it was fun marinating and sharing them. We fertilized and watered the trees like crazy and what a difference in the crop, which we harvested a couple of weeks ago and put into brine. We thought they were Kalamatas, but now we aren’t sure. They are double the size of last year.

Randy’s been busy in the workshop with raised garden planters and a perimeter fence to keep out the ground squirrels. He is enjoying the (new-to-us) tractor.  Veggies have done well here. That spindly tree in front turned out to be a Pomegranate, and the gnarly old one out back is a Mission Fig, and both produced well this season, so I’d have to pick the most useful new skill is learning to can jellies, jams, relishes, applesauce and pickles.

A dog wandered into our lives in the middle of the night last summer so now we have two rescue pups to spoil and indulge (and also train, starting in January).  Lily and Sam are both about two.  Lily is an English Staffie who the vet thinks was used as a breeder dog and dumped in the country.  What a love bug.  

We experimented with natural essential oils and came up with a helpful mosquito/gnat repellent for the community.  People seem to like it, and we just finished testing it in a lab affiliated with UC Davis.  That was a great, great experience.

We are both working full time still, but the farm calls to us more and more. You know me: I want chickens and a goat, and a couple of those lambs near the fence that are calling my name. Naaaaaaan.  

What we will remember most about 2013 is falling in love with country life; sharing it with those who came by; and laughing through the steep learning curve ... like the frozen pipes we woke up to a couple of mornings ago ...

We hope you found our FB page (Cityfolk Farmers) and the family blog (http://cityfolkfarmers.blogspot.com). FB helps us not feel so far away from those we love when we can share all the great things going on in your lives. 

Spending Thanksgiving with the boys in Tahoe for several days was just about the best gift ever, so yes, we opened our present early!   May 2014 be all about service to others, dessert first and making dreams come true.

Christmas, 2013               
Randy and Nanci & the Fassio Bros.

Just the Idea of It

They're baaaack! And they brought lambs!

The kickoff for winter comes in the form of a large herd of sheep that arrives overnight and grazes the field. There's rich and nutritious alfalfa, and the temporary electric fence just rolls out and clips to temporary posts.

The dogs discovered nearly right away the advantages of keeping clear of the fence. And at first, the sheep curiously watched the dogs as they ventured near, clearing a path for the Lab but mistaking Lily for a cow. 


Grown up mosquito repellent testing went on this year at UC Davis in an esteemed lab. We came away inspired and encouraged. On with the experimenting! And on with the planting of lavender, lemongrass and eucalyptus!

The kennel found its final resting place and the dogs can now be safely outside without us. Perimeter fencing is coming soon. Maybe even gutters for the house.

Lily still lights out after farm equipment and ATVs driven by farm workers wearing low brimmed hats.  She has her own History that she yearns to remember, but we'll still work on listening skills in January with an obedience class.

I suppose December with its dark, short days makes us more reflective.

Hard Working Hands

It was a very hot summer with a very large number of mosquitos! A year of unexpected loss and uncertainty. A year that in a lot of ways was a reality check. A year of breaking down barriers (thank you, Lily) and pulling closer the relationships we treasure. And for me, 2013 was about maneuvering the minefield of a changing work landscape and coming to terms with my age.

What I will remember most, though? The sheer joy of country life overtaking my spirit.
   


Clay Critters by Denise on FB

The rumbling sounds of the tractor and the high hum of the power tools; the dogs racing around the yard chasing squirrels and tennis balls, ears flapping in the breeze. They are such goofballs.




Clay Critters by Denise on FB



Pickled baby artis & cukes
 

I enjoy canning and cooking with the veggies and fruits we grow, and the pride in harvesting a more robust crop of olives after tending the trees.

A Zamora Dragonfly

I don't mind so much the dust and being knee-deep in leaves on the gravel drive, or the work ahead to whip this place into shape. It doesn't bother me to catch a field mouse in a Tupperware cup and gently put it outside.

Those are my moments: weddings, and celebrations big and small, and laughing happy tears with the re-telling of old stories. Living it up right here, right now.

And now, something else on the horizon: considering retirement, so sweet and so near.