Greenhouse Build- Video of Progress

Here's a video of our Greenhouse build progress onYouTube @ RedwoodshireNY

Green House Build- The Site

And so begins our green house build.  We arrived at this idea a couple years ago- started hunting down old windows on craigslist, and then changed out minds.  Too much time.  Too much money.  Too much effort.  Too many other projects.  But inevitably, every spring rolls around and we longingly wish we had that green house.  Our house is wonderful, but we do not have enough sunny windows to sustain our seedlings in the spring.  We plant our seeds indoors, and set them in the couple south facing windows we have, to get as much sunshine as they can get.  The seedlings always get leggy as they reach, reach, reach their hearts out to get sunshine. 

Recently the Laird changed his tune, and this project has been on the forefront of our minds while we finished up a the blueberry enclosure and chicken run.  A few weekends ago, we picked up a bunch of old windows from a friend who had their home windows replaced.  With our collection of windows in possession, I could now work out a lay out.  I spent a couple hours one night, with all the window measurements, and thought I came up with a super plan for each wall.  Then I translated that to laying the actual windows out on the ground and seeing the configurations.  Well, let's just say all my well laid plans on paper flew out the window when it came to fitting all the windows into a tidy wall formation.  I figured out each wall and then had about 6 windows to spare!

While we've been finishing up other projects, we have been moving plants from the green house site.  We considered two sites for our green house.   We have always thought right near the house  and barn, amidst our flower beds, and near the stream would be a lovely place.  But it's not a full sun location.  It gets decent sun in these spring month, when the sunlight is most important for our seedling.  The other spot we considered was out back in a full sun spot near our garden and berries.  We decided that near the house and water source was a better spot as we would have easier access  being in proximity to the house.  We would also be able to appreciate it's loveliness more every day, being within sight of our kitchen and entry door.  

Here's a photo from the 2012 Zillow listing of our house when we bought it.  Clearly the photo was taken in June, since the peonies are in full bloom and all the greenery is in full.  That tree in the center of the photo is the former tree belonging to the stump that the Laird has been working to cut down.

Here is the current state of the future site of the green house.  It is north of our barn and east of our house.  

The green house site

The Laird has been working hard to shorten this enormous trunk. 

This beast of a tree trunk had to go- it was blocking the view

With the trunk cut down as far as the Laird wanted to spend time chain sawing it, we could move onto the foundation.  Originally we planned a 6' x 11' layout, with the long wall on the south side.  Then we decided to rotate and have the long wall face our house.  And then the layout grew to be 8' x 11'.... lots of changes to accommodate and maximize materials to be used with the least amount of waste.  We planned to have the green house closer to the tree trunk, but once we started digging holes for the corner posts and the foundation we ran into huge roots.  Roots so big that the axe wasn't big enough for the job.  It was as though a flat table of wood was 3 inches below the surface of the soil.  The Laird chain sawed a channel through the enormous root so that we could lay down the concrete block for the foundation.

Digging the borders for the foundation 

Massive roots had to be chainsawed out

We have done enough projects to know that our original plan is not what we usually end up with for the finished product.  So we just go with the flow of changes that come up as we go.  We will figure out how to make it work.  Usually things end up better than we planned.  Now that we are building a different size green house than the original plan, means all the layouts I created with the windows before will have to be reconfigured for the bigger walls.  We also need to decide where exactly we want our door to be located.  Eventually we will decide the interior layout.  That is a long way off, as there are many steps between here and there!  Please follow along as we build our "Better Homes and Gardens meets Pinterest" green house!

Yesterday we set the 4 corner posts with concrete.  The past week has consisted of a steep learning curve- we had no idea the enormity of the underground root plate we would encounter!  We had to move the site out a few feet from the tree stump just to be able to dig the 24" corner post holes.  Which then meant all the foundation trenches that I dug last weekend.... will have to be re-dug this weekend.

Please follow along as we build our "Better Homes and Gardens meets Pinterest" green house!

Next up:  Laying the foundation

1000 Hours Outside

Mendon Ponds Park- Fairy/ Birdsong Trail

Last year we discovered 1000 Hours Outside.  It's basically a community of people who strive to spend 1000 hours outside, over the course of the year.  In an attempt to match time in nature with screen time.  A very noble goal in this day and age.  It's a huge goal for sure, especially during those months when the weather is less than idea for going outside.  We live in Western NY, and winters can be tough for getting outside.  The old saying goes... there is no bad weather- just bad clothing.  I must say, having this goal for 2020, gave us something to reach for.  We spent many more hours outside during the winter months, than ever before.  And the greatest thing was that we made so many memories in the process of tracking hours.

We previously started this goal last summer.  But I tried to keep track of hours digitally on my google calendar.  Not having a smart phone, that became a little too much effort to track hours.  So we started over on January 1, 2020 with our 1000 Hours Outside Tracker sheets (see below).

It's really quite simple.  You can print up a tracker here.  Color in 1 circle for every hour spent out of doors, intentionally interacting with nature.  There are no prescribed rules to follow.  It doesn't have to happen in a calendar year.  You don't even have to reach the 1000 goal.  It's all whatever you want to make it!  We use a different color for each month, and then we can see how months compared to each other throughout the year.  

Me and my kids all have our own trackers.  I didn't realize it, but every person having their own tracker is key.  Even while my kids are young, we don't necessarily all spend the same time outside.  Sometimes the Laird takes the kids out, while I make meals or clean up.  

If you have Instagram, you can join #1000hoursoutside, and be part of the community throughout the world who are committed to spending more time outdoors.  It's really neat to see the photos people post of their adventures and hours spent out of doors.  I decided I wanted to document our year with 1000 photos for 1000 hours outside.  Here are some of our memories so far!

January 2020

A Snow Squall- Sledding in Mendon Ponds Park

Highland Park, Rochester, NY

Corbett's Glen, Penfield, NY

Seneca Park Zoo

Seneca Park Zoo

Building an Igloo

DIY Kick Sled- testing it out on the trail

Lehigh Valley Trail

Largest snowman EVER!!

Lehigh Valley Trail

Seneca Park Zoo

Riding the Green Dragon (a.k.a John Deer)

Planting peas- April 2020

 Our hours are increasing each month.  We averaged about 1 hour/day in January and February.  March we were an average of 2 hours a day.  Maple Sugaring gave us some 4-6 hour Saturdays, helping to make up for the 1 hour days in Jan/Feb.  In order to reach 1000 hours in the course of 1 year, you have to average about 3 hours a day outside.  Tough to do through the winter.  We figure our cold winter months, we strive to make it outside for an hour.  Then the transition months of Spring and Fall, we need to shoot to hit that 3 hours/day mark.  And then during the warm summer months, we need longer days to make up the hours we didn't get during the winter.  We're somewhere around 150 hours for 2020.

Join the challenge and get outside!  You will be grateful you did.

WHY FOLK SONGS?

Have you thought about learning folk songs to enrich your children's education?  Actually, forget about making it another school thing.  Let me take a minute to introduce you to a few good and beautiful reasons to expose your family to folk songs, to enrich your learning, and life in general.  

From Wikipedia: The terminal state of the loss of folk music can be seen in the United States and a few similar societies, where except in isolated areas and among hobbyists, traditional folk music no longer survives. In the absence of folk music, many individuals do not sing. It is possible that non-singers feel intimidated by widespread exposure in recordings and broadcasting to the singing of skilled experts. Another possibility is that they simply cannot sing, because they did not sing when they were small children, when learning of skills takes place most naturally. Certainly it is very common for contemporary Americans to claim that they cannot sing.

There is anecdotal evidence that the loss of singing ability is continuing rapidly at the present time. As recently as the 1960s, audiences at American sporting events collectively sang the American national anthem before a game; the anthem is now generally assigned to a recording or to a soloist.

Inability to sing is apparently unusual in a traditional society, where the habit of singing folk song since early childhood gives everyone the practice needed to able to sing at least reasonably well.

 Give it a try!  You may find that your young children will LOVE learning and singing folk songs.  And if your children enjoy it, you will find that you like it too.  Learning folk songs with my kids, definitely makes my heart happy.  These songs often tell a fun story.  Some have an upbeat and lively tune, while others are more serious and melancholy, telling a story or message with a sad ending.  Folk songs are a vital part of our cultural heritage because they draw you into the mood of earlier times and help you understand the people and historical events through song.

Little Brown Dog (Autumn to May). This old American folk song is the one we're learning for the month of April.  Folk songs are passed along by word of mouth, and often words or verses added or changed along the way.  So not all videos of folk songs will have the same exact lyrics.

Genevieve & the Laird made up the final verse of their recording on YouTube.

Check it out:   Little Brown Dog

So won't you join us? Add a new element to your days during this time at home. We usually start out by watching many different versions of the song on YouTube.  We find our favorites and watch those more often.  We do this most often during our tea time, meals or as background music.  By the end of the month, you and your kids will know the song and be singing it at various times throughout your day.  And by the end of the year, you will have enriched your life and the lives of your children by restoring this dying art form.  

We were introduced to folk songs through our homeschool curriculum Ambleside Online.  We follow the AO Folk Song Schedule each month, which allows us to connect with and learn our monthly song, alongside many other families.  Things are generally more fun to learn, when others do it too.  Every time my daughter sees her friend, they break into "Bean Porridge Hot, bean porridge cold.  Bean Porridge in the pot, ___ days old, I like it hot.  I like it cold...."  Though it's just a rhyme, it's the shared knowledge that makes it fun to sing and clap together.  

Let me know if you join us!  

If you'd like updates and the new folk song video each  month, please subscribe to GEN FOLKSONGS

Picture/ Artist Study- Ansel Adams

ARTIST & PICTURE STUDY

The Milkmaid by Johanes Vermeer recreated by GEN

Each term we study a different artist for 10 weeks.  In this time we get to know about 5 different pieces by the artist.  I usually have prints done at Kinkos that we then hang up in our kitchen to be able to view regularly.  Engaging with the artwork and artist each term has looked a little different depending on the artist.  When we first began picture study--with Monet and Van Gogh, we painted or used crayons to re-create the different pieces we were getting to know.  But once we got to Johannes Vermeer, I noticed that my daughter's interest in recreating the pieces was dwindling.  So we changed it up that term and re-created different pictures by dressing up and setting up the scene for a photo.  This was an amazing way to engage and get familiar with Vermeer's works.

Woman Reading Letter by Johanes Vermeer
recreated by GEN

This past term we have been studying Ansel Adams.  I have loved the art of photography since I took my first high school photography class in 1997.  That was before digital photography was king and film was still cool.  I chose Ansel Adams specifically because we will be visiting many National Parks on our road trip this summer.  He was commissioned in the 1940's by the National Parks Service to capture images of the parks.  So becoming familiar with his famous works, of various parks we will visit seemed like the perfect preparation to get to know and appreciate both Adams and the parks we will be experiencing.  One freshly snow fallen day, I let my daughter use our SLR digital camera to try to take "Ansel Adams" photos while hiking around our property.  We also got out some old and very old film cameras and the kids got to pretend they were photographers.  I pulled out some old film I had for my oldest to see and touch- which she was pretty impressed by.  In this age of instantaneous photos, children don't even have any concept of film anymore.  

taken by GEN 6yrs old

taken by GEN 6 yrs old

Some books we have enjoyed:
Antsy Adams by Cindy Janson-Elliot and 
Eye on the Wild: A Story About Ansel Adams by Julie Dunlap

While on our journey of getting to know the life of Ansel Adams, I made the connection that we live in the city so well know for the beginnings of photography for the common folk- Rochester, New York.  Home of George Eastman, the founder of Kodak.  I have always known this was the home of Kodak, but I had since lost touch with my love of film photography.  Learning local history is always a great way to engage children with things and people of the past.  

Once we finished up reading about Ansel Adams, we started reading a book I picked up at a book sale, Click! A Story About George Eastman.  In the book we read about George Eastman's mansion and Kodak Park- the Kodak Factory.  Both of these places I have been to and am familiar with.  So we took a little drive by tour this past week and stopped by the George Eastman House and the George Eastman Memorial at Kodak Park.  His ashes are buried at this memorial site on the factory grounds.   Of course everything is closed, so we just looked from the outside.  Eventually, when life returns to normal and opens back up again, we will make a trip back for a tour of the George Eastman House. 

Then something cool happened this week.  While reading our local newspaper, the Democrat and Chronicle, I saw an article about an Ansel Adams photo in the obituaries this past Sunday!  Check it out.  Basically I learned that Ansel Adams came to Rochester in 1952 to shoot photos for a campaign to merge the men's and women's colleges at the University of Rochester.  While there, he photographed a woman by the name of Shirley Fien, who passed away recently.  The photo in her obituary was the one that Ansel Adams took of her at the UofR so many years ago!  There is a video about Ansel Adam's visit to the University of Rochester here!  I find it SO cool that Ansel Adams came to Rochester and photographed this area so many years ago.  It's amazing how many things you can learn when you allow connections to be made beyond the scope and sequence of what you're supposed to come away having learned from your lessons.  

Though my children may not fully appreciate the works of Ansel Adams or George Eastman, and the places in history they hold, I am confident that they have simply gotten to know the people that they were and the lives that they lived.  Connections will continue to be made throughout their lives- and that is a foundation of a lasting education.  As they see me loving what we're learning, they will join me.   History happened here!

Chicken Run Expansion

 We've had chickens for about 4 years and we have loved having these feathered friends around.  In the early days, we would allow them to free range to their own heart's content.  But then the fateful week hit where we found a pile of feathers left behind by Mr. Fox in addition to a dead chicken right in front of the coop- the work of Mr. Hawk!  We didn't change our ways, right away.  We simply got a little more attentive and present when the sun started to set.  But then again last year, we lost a few of our new hens to Mr. Fox and family.  We were enjoying the Kentucky Derby, when suddenly my step-dad saw a fox outside.  We knew we had a resident fox here, because we had seen it on multiple occasions.  But this day was different.  There were 2 foxes running around out back and heading toward the chicken coop.  Thankfully the chickens were enclosed in a temporary outdoor run, and we didn't loose any that day.  But ever since then, the Laird has felt pressed for something more permanent than the snow fence he staked into the ground around our coop.

   So with the current state of life at home due to the Corona Virus, we have been taking full advantage of the post-work-day-evenings and the can't-go-anywhere weekend days.  Two weekends ago, we built the new blueberry enclosure for pleasurable berry picking.  Last weekend we got down to work and started building an outdoor run for our chickens.  We finished it today.

Laying out the chicken run

   We used some old cement pavers that we picked up for free off craigslist 2-3 years ago to lay down the foundation.  So glad that "free find" wasn't in vain!  Whenever I find something that we could utilize listed for free on craiglist or fb marketplace, I hurry over and pick them up.  The load of pavers was a job I had to wrangle the Laird into, and based upon the crumbling shape of many of them, it may not have been the most worthwhile trip.  So we have used a few in our garden as a patio, a walkway, and simply weed block.  Well, let's just say the rest have been sitting in a stack waiting for their purpose.  For two.years.Maybe.three!  But the Laird is a gracious man, and he never reminds me of these impulsive needs.

Leveled the cement blocks for foundation

One wall at a time

  

So we used the best old pavers from the stack as the foundation.  It was a tricky location as it was located on a slope, but we did our best to level them with the slope so that the frame of the fence would lay stable atop the pavers.  Then one wall a day went up, until they were all up.  

    

 Finally while the Laird attached the cross bars, I started painting.  In an effort to save money, the Laird only bought pressure treated lumber for the base plate.  He regretting this attempt to save $50 after the fact, as we needed to paint the framing in order to help protect the wood from an early demise by way of rotting.  But with every old house, comes many partial gallons of old paint.  

The Laird learned many years ago, while working at a horse camp for the summer, that you could just mix all your left over paints together for a shade of brown to use for outdoor needs.  So that was his plan.  He didn't find too many outdoor paints to utilize for this purpose, but he did find an outdoor grey oil based paint... with the top completely rusted and the paper label worn off.  When he opened it, it was completely full!!!  So we ended up with a decent color run fence, that actually goes well with the chicken coop and nearby barn (same color red).  We were able to re-use some of the chicken wire for the door, but most of it was purchased new for the walls.

  We're all excited about how sharp it looks, in comparison to the make-shift fencing that was there before.  It was the chicken run that the Laird never wanted to build, as the design of our coop allows for the chickens to walk free down beneath the coop.  But of course you learn, and we learned that space wasn't nearly big enough.  We had expected to let the chickens range free on our property.  That was before we knew about Mr. & Mr. Fox living somewhere very close by.  So here we are.  Thanks to the Corona Virus and the time it has permitted us to be home, we now have a great chicken run.

We buried the chicken wire to keep diggers deterred

Hammer skills

Today we attached the upper wire to the walls of the run.  It was also the day to clean out all the poop from the chicken coop and wheel it to the garden.  "Stinky!"  The kids spread new wood shavings inside the coop and freshened things up a bit. 

Another project finished

This mandatory-time-at-home has proved very productive for us.  Now that the blueberry enclosure and the chicken run are finished, we are onto our next project:  A green house made of old windows.  We are both really excited about building this greenhouse.  But there is a lot of work to do clearing and leveling the land.