Photo Dump

It's probably easier to just do a photo dump as a summary of life lately. So that's what this is. I'm also searching for a 52 item list of prompts to write about, which would give this blog a weekly boost. We'll see what I can find.

Disposable sherry glass at the hunter pace

It was a gorgeous day

I saw a rainbow on my way into work

And Gwyn used the setting sun to her photogenic advantage

Hazel is a cat, "If I fits, I sits" 

The fish and plants are doing well

Photographer from the Pace

My campsite at Oak Leaf Run. It rained. A lot. But I love my camping set up.

I stayed dry and warm!

My mom came to visit while I was off camping. Hazel wanted nothing to do with me for quite a bit.

Family photo

We deserve each other

School fashion for the fall

Kaylee's schoolwork

This may seem like an odd photo to post, but it needs some explanation. I gave the empty square tupperware to Hazel and told her to put it away. She went into the grain room and placed it on the metal grain bin all by herself. She is a year and a half and not only knows where things belong, she can interpret a vague instruction correctly. 

She is also insistent on helping out every night.

And she loves Velociraptor (and he seems to love her too)

Aquaponics system!

This is Piggy and Gerald. Kaylee brought them home for the weekend and had to write about what they did with her.

They went to the post office.

And came to my work to do SCIENCE!

And Kaylee got to try vortexing a sample. She thought it was hilarious.

We've had some very pretty sunsets.

Hazel also got in on the Piggy and Gerald action.

We went pumpkin picking on a ridiculously warm October day.

And got apple cider slushies.

Gwyn shares her dinner with Hazel.

We've had a skunk visiting the yard.

We got a new fish. A coworker was griping that her fish was getting too aggressive with the rest of her tank so I offered to take him so he wouldn't get flushed. We are up to 5 goldfish and one chinese algae eater now. They have lots of space roam. 

More kitty love.

The full system.

Year in Review

I haven't posted since the end of September. Damn.

Anyway, onward to a quick monthly recap because I can.

January
We made the most progress we'd make all year with our aquaponics project by acquiring cinderblocks and the pickle barrels.
I had lots of little rides on Gwyn despite doctors orders but felt MUCH better because of it all.
I got the nursery painted and Kaylee helped.

February
I had a very against doctors orders trail ride and felt spectacular
I tried to make Hazel a blanket and didn't get very far
We got a harness for skijoring and introduction for Gwyn pulling something behind her went... off the rails so to speak and Kaylee got upset that I broke her sled.
We started the process of putting in tile where we had hardwood!

March
I made a trip to Ikea all by myself while hugely pregnant and it was awesome
I got norovirus and dropped a ton of weight
I made monthly horse goals that I largely met!
We made good progress with the floors
We toured the hospital where I'd be giving birth.

April
We finished the floors and they still look fantastic.
I ended up in the ER again with breathing issues. No more clots but we finally figured out why I had a 4 month long cough (reflux)
Hazel finally flips head down and my huge worries about labor ease up
I anxiously wait through many bouts of false labor before finally being induced
Hazel is born!

May
I spent most of this month snuggling new baby
I also rode for the first time post baby

June
We did a test run of the water circulation for aquaponics
I had more baby snuggles
We enjoyed the start of summer and Hazel was a portable potato
I set up the electric fence tape so Gwyn and Saffron could assist in lawn mowing, much to Eric's delight

July
I find time to ride where I can with the assistance of baby monitors and long naps
We acquire an ATV and a small trailer to assist with farm chores
Gwyn learns to hi-tie
Kaylee turns 4
We visit a cool fossil park in Canada
I get a paid writing gig!

August
I start ramping up prep for endurance rides
Gwyn and I do the intro ride at the Metropark Express and easily meet our goals
I finally find a riding safety vest that fits me!
I get an interview for a microbiology job and get the job!

September
I start the new job and LOVE it, even if Hazel refusing to eat from a bottle is stressful
We explore the back roads and I find beautiful horse and hunt country finally
My posting starts to significantly drop off since I'm not at home

October
Busy horse month!
I compete in the Hunter Trials
I meet my friend Heather on my birthday for a Hunt Pace (which I never posted pictures of!)
I compete the 30 mile LD at Oak Leaf Run and camp with Gwyn solo for the first time!
Kaylee went trick or treating with her Aunt while I hung out around a fire with Hazel. Very pleasant

November
Not much going on. I rode maybe once.
Dealt with family drama over who was hosting Thanksgiving. Had a good holiday in the end

December
Decorated for Christmas and dealt with the arrival of the deep cold
Rode once, on New Years Eve
Family came to visit for Christmas, which was really awesome, my brother got to meet Hazel
Hazel starts crawling and cruising (walking around while hanging onto stuff)
Eric got a new car (Chevy Volt) and I'm using his old one (Sonic) so that my commute cost in gas can be reduced and so that I don't go over miles for the lease of the truck


So there you have it! You get a quick run down of the stuff I didn't blog about because I just didn't have time. We had a rough go of bedtime for a while so I couldn't escape Hazel and sit on the computer uninterrupted. And I just don't like blogging on my phone or tablet, which is what I'm using when I'm nursing Hazel.

More future potential stuff... but will I follow through?

Sometimes I feel like I talk a lot about things I could do without ever truly following through, especially in regards to going back to school or doing something in regards to a career.  This is another one of those posts.

Eric and I have been looking into Aquaponics as a way to be more self sufficient. We love the idea of growing our own food, because we like knowing where things come from, and the more we can do in that regard on a small scale, the better.

In regards to aquaponics, we'd be trying to set up a small, closed system at first. Because of Michigan winters we'd likely keep this all indoors to better control temperature and light.  An aquaponics system is a hybrid of a hydroponics system and an aquaculture system. A merger of the two, it uses the wastewater from fish to fertilize plants. The plants in turn filter the water that then return to the fish.

Our system will be a recirculating system, so the water is contained and doesn't go back into the environment. At first we'll just be using goldfish so we can get the hang of growing the plants, and cycling the water appropriately. Once that's stable, we'll replace the goldfish with Tilapia!

And then we'll have fresh fish grown in our own basement. We could potentially sell the extra fish, since Tilapia breed ridiculously quickly and grow to maturity pretty fast as well. And we'll have fresh veggies through the year.

I hope it gets off the ground. I hope we find an interest in the community for purchasing the fish in order to turn this into a business. Firefly Ranch could incorporate as an aquaculture farm!

We're off to visit my parents tomorrow, so this won't be realized until the new year, but it is something that Eric wants to do. I think he was inspired by a small hydroponics aquarium I got from a kickstarter.