Cherokee Winds: LIFE....where is your life gonna bring you?

Cherokee Winds: LIFE....where is your life gonna bring you?: You think of your most normal and typical day and most times it is totally uneventful and I won't use the word boring but nothing out of...

LIFE....where is your life gonna bring you?

You think of your most normal and typical day and most times it is totally uneventful and I won't use the word boring but nothing out of the ordinary.  My life did used to be just that.  I lived in a small rural town population of like 400,  we had a house with our manicured lawn and flower gardens,  raising our kids with the family dog.  Living life pretty routine except for my dark side..........My MASSIVE vegetable garden hidden behind all the awesome smelling lilacs that lined our corner double lot.  Along with my secret flock of Ducks and chickens and rabbits and WHATEVER animal I could fit inside or outside...hahahahaa.   My secret desire to live in the country and homestead was really not such a secret to my neighbors.  Guess I wasn't  fooling anybody.  It had ALWAYS been a lifelong dream.  From as far back as I have memory for.  My mother is always producing my strategically drawn out farm plans from 2-3yrs old.  My Grandpa Barrett and I were very close and shared the same dream together.  He always told me when he won the lotto him and I were going to buy a farm and live the way we wanted.  Sadly he passed before "our"  dream happened.  I believe to this day he would have lived here us.     So one day I am driving along quite early in the morning going to fill our tank for our gas grill...cruising along sun is shining and just coming up, windows down.     I happen to glance at an old farm house.  One that was in need of a lot of work.  Grass is as tall as me.  Some of the windows boarded up..actually kinda spooky really.     As I get directly beside it the sun hits it and a huge ray of sunshine shines thru out the entire house like a beacon saying..."you need to come here"!  I am totally serious too!  So I get my tank filled up and ask the clerk about the house and she gives me a name and jots it down on a little piece of paper for me.  Heading home now I glance again and turn onto the gravel road in which it sits.   I park on the road slightly intimidated by it's huge and stately manor.  I eventually am overcome by curiosity and slowly make my way up the overgrown driveway.  I wade thru the tall grass and make it to the Carriage entrance and look inside.  My heart just tingled with sadness and joy...oohhhh the possibilities  this beautiful house had.  The memories inside these once luxurious walls.  I felt a draw to the house like it was waiting for ME!   So I call my husband Joe and am telling him about this Farm house and he is like you want to move????  I am like you have to see this place so after work I bring him out there and he pulls up and say "Are you nuts"???  yep that is what he said.   But then I tell him look inside and his voice changed and he looks at me and says..it is a cool looking house..looks savable. So to condense the story a bit..we called and got to get inside and fell in love with the house and barn and property.   So August of 2000 Cherokee Winds was born.  My lifelong dream had become real!  I have learned and done so much more than I could have ever dreamed  during the past 15 years.  Don't get me wrong I have always been active and done alot and did crafty and DIY projects but this sent me in so many more directions.  My food preservation skills far exceeded my expectations.   Canning,  freezing,  dehydrating.  Who needs a grocery store?  Not us.  Fresh Eggs from our lovable  flocks of chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, guineas  and gotta have Peacocks.  Our Dairy goats that provide our milk,  cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and my Soaps and Lotions thus creating Lulu fays Country Suds.  Our Llamas that not only protect of herds but we shear every spring and use their fleece for spinning yarn and making rugs. Raw honey from our own beehives.  Our Donkeys and Horses are a fun addition.  And our array of dogs and cats.  We have 2 Great Pyrenees that guard our farm,  our 2 Aussies that herd our stock and our little dogs that think they do what the big dogs do..We have learned to make our own laundry soap and cleaning supplies,  We can our apples from the orchard and make ciders and some delicious hard cider too!  We have even made apple cider beer.  Our lifestyle can be hard and tiring and stressful at times.  Sleeping in the barn waiting for kids to be born or nursing a sick animal or chasing an escaped one also can be hard at times.  But the stories I have to tell would take a lifetime.  I can say I wish I had made this lifestyle change a long time before I did but I did do it and have NEVER had an regrets.  My crafty and homemaking skills have brought me so many ways that that is a whole other blog post..haha.  Now were looking into another farm in Florida..where I can continue my farm life but without snow.  Not sure what is going to come of it but it is a big  possibility.  I am guessing it it is meant to be it will happen and if not we will remain here.  I think the point of my story today is Life is so short and if you have dreams don't delay.  Nobody is promised tomorrow.  You have to make changes sometimes to be truly happy and fulfilled.  Those changes can be scary.  Don't let it keep you from being who you want to be.  Enjoy life to the fullest no regrets.

Still Winter....

Well it's still cold and icy out there....still must be winter.  I am reminded every morning as I trug outside to do chores.  Carrying buckets of water because the troughs keep freezing up and lugging 50lb bales of hay because the Tractor doesn't want to start....uuhhgggg....Our newest LGD Livestock Guardian Dog Ruby  is 7 months old now and quite large...just adopted another sweet girl a Great Pyrenees have not named her yet.  Hopefully once grown they will keep the coyotes at bay.  They are getting very bold lately.  kinda scarey!  Started feeding the chickens,  ducks,  Peacocks,   Guineans,  and the Turkeys spent grains from brewing beer.  They seem to be enjoying it.  Saving tons on feeding costs...and we get great tasting beer...always a great thing.  Started looking thru the Heirloom seed catalogs anxious to get in the garden.  Also any day our CallieJo will be delivering 4-5 Hava-Malts. They are going to be adorable puppies.

That's my quick update for Cherokee Winds.  So happy soaping or cooking or crafting what ever keeps you happy during the winter months.

Winter is here....Oh my!

I guess even wishing really hard can't keep old man winter away.  Seems like we have just been slammed with this cold weather...I never am able to "Be ready"  I always still have so much prep work to do.  Hay and straw to put up in the barn..making sure all the water troughs have heaters to keep their water from freezing.  Sadly we never got electric run to the chicken coops so every morning and afternoon I have to beat the ice from the frozen water dishes  in order to give the barn yard birds water...what a pain.     Even the poor garden is still in a state of disarray I

hope I can find my blackberry bushes in the spring???  Let's hope for a mild winter...Our next project will be building stalls in the barn for spring Dairy goat kids.....Our kidding should start around April if all goes as planned.  Stay warm!

Well Mother nature fool us again...I seriously thought this dreadful winter was over.  This I can honestly say has been the longest,  coldest, windiest, snowy-est winter...I never claimed to be an English major..haha as you can tell by my grammar.  I am just so tired of walking on slush and or ice or 8 ft of snow.  COME ON SPRING.  Looking forward to all that wonderfully tart Rhubarb from the garden...and all those pies.  And want to see them busy bees buzzing and making their liquid gold.  Have a Doe that's gonna deliver in April...I simply adore baby goats.  Beyond the cuteness they are comical and so energetic.  You can sit and watch for hours.  Have great plans for the Farm Crawl this year.  I think I am doing a soap making demo and not sure what else but it's gonna be great.  Mark your calenders August 23-24th from 10-5pm.  YES! 2 days this year.  Come visit our farm and plan on spending the day!  Been making my garden plans.  I think I've changed my mind like 10x's but that's ok.  I'll get it all figured out.  I do know I want a living Teepee for the grandkids to rest under,  and Nana will have her own little nook too....wink..wink.  Remember to check us out on Facebook to and LIKE our pages.  www.facebook.com/cherokeewinds  & www.facebook.com/lulufayscountrysuds     Time to get to work.  Have an AWESOME day everyone!

Back on the blog......

Back on the blog.....I seriously need to get back in the saddle as they say...Sorry I have been so neglectful  on posting to this blog.  So much has gone on Soap & Lotion biz is growing wonderfully...Cherokee Winds is getting to be known more and more...Have Facebook pages for both you can check out.  www.facebook.com/lulufayscountrysuds  and  www.facebook.com/cherokeewinds      I have been growing kitchen scraps...my garbage garden as I so fondly call it.  My favorite son-in-law is putting together a fantastic website for me.  I finally have my L.L.C established.  A lot of technical  paperwork at least for me and tons of research but finally it's done..yay...happy dance.   Desperately waiting on winter to be over and gone...ready to get in the garden...chickens are getting winter crazy as are all the farmstead critters...My horses actually walk right over the snow crushed fencing and take little walks around and greet me with hey you need a hoof?   I miss my fresh veggies and my fresh eggs....Even though I canned and froze TONS of summer awesomeness.  You still can't beat fresh.  There will be a lot of great change in the near future stay tuned....Have a great night all!