by Kristin Echols | Sep 23, 2018 | DIY Projects, Homestead
It has been six months since we retired and moved to Idaho, and what a busy six months it has been! I think we’ve accomplished a lot both inside and out. Inside Unpacked (mostly) Removed tons of nasty carpet and wood flooring Laid over 2,000 sq ft of new...
by Kristin Echols | Sep 9, 2018 | DIY Projects, Homestead
We are surrounded by wheat fields, so we know wheat grows well in our area. In early spring, Shawn planted a pound of wheat seeds in a row in our garden. For the longest time, it was the only crop in the garden that seemed to be growing. By midsummer, the wheat was...
by Kristin Echols | Aug 29, 2018 | Retirement
When we lived in Sacramento, we would head to Apple Hill every year to get our fill of fresh apples and baked goods at the apple farms. I found a similar area in Washington outside of Spokane. In Green Bluff, in addition to apples, they grow peaches, cherries,...
by Kristin Echols | Aug 13, 2018 | Cooking, Homestead
After a couple of weeks with days in the 90’s (and two over 100), we are starting to see fruit and vegetables ripening in our garden. We’ve picked some cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Armenian cucumbers, onions, tomatillos, chilies, and plums. ...
by Kristin Echols | Jul 30, 2018 | Homestead
I’ve never really had an interest in birds. Maybe it’s because we didn’t have a lot of birds in our suburban backyard in Elk Grove; just the annoying blue jays in our redwood trees. Now we have an abundance of birds in our yard. I cleaned the kitchen window...
by Kristin Echols | Jul 17, 2018 | Travel
While searching for things to keep a five-year-old entertained, I came across the Seven Stars Alpaca Ranch in Coeur d’Alene. According to TripAdvisor, the alpaca farm tour is the number one thing to do in CDA. The 90-minute tour is $10/adult and $5/child and...
by Kristin Echols | Jul 16, 2018 | Cooking, Homestead
I like cherries. In the past, I would buy a pound or so at a time when they are in season and enjoy eating them fresh. But now I have so many cherries I don’t know what to do with them. From our two trees, we have picked 12 lbs of sweet Bing cherries, 13.5...
by Kristin Echols | Jul 5, 2018 | Cooking, Homestead
We are lucky to have two producing cherry trees on our new property. We have been tasting the cherries daily to determine when they are ripe for picking. One of the trees actually has two different types of cherries: Bing and Alberta (according to our electrician...
by Kristin Echols | Jul 1, 2018 | Travel
Our five-year-old grandson, Malcolm, is visiting from California for a couple weeks. Entertaining an active five-year-old is a challenge, so we thought a camping trip would be fun. It was also a good excuse to try out our new fly fishing rods. We headed to the Big...
by Kristin Echols | Jun 30, 2018 | Homestead
Well, it’s official. I’m the wife of a pig farmer. This morning we drove to Cheney, Washington to pick up our two piglets. We borrowed a crate from our neighbor Katie, and then Shawn and Malcolm filled it with straw for the piglets’ comfort. At...
