THE NANCY PLACE IS

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Best of luck to the new owners, wishing you many uears of learning and joy. 

At the Nancy Place Homestead in North Orland, Maine we slowly, over 16 years, carved a forested retreat, 1/4 mile off the rural road with a terraced hillside for gardens and permaculture plantings. The property has grapes, kiwi, jerusalum artichoke, elderberry, and many young fruit trees and bushes. Although life has changed drastically and rapidly for us, causing a need to move from what was thought to be our forever property, we have infused the land with love and hard work, and it's ready for new owners to carry forward their vision here. It's ideal for back-to-landers, permaculture enthusiasts, environmentalists, and bug-out property seekers. It'd also be great for a communal living situation. 

The Nancy Place paid its own way over the years. We've hosted guests in our two rental (on site) properties via Airbnb and have watched as the howl of a coyote or the hug of an animal melt the barriers & resistance to personal change. We've stood by as guests were moved to tears and vowed to change their lives as they disconnected from their "normal" busy routines. We've also assisted many with pain relief through Maine's medical marijuana program as outdoor organic growers. With the addition of two high tunnels on an adjoining leased property we also sold veggies, blueberries, crafts and baked goods both at a farmers market and directly from the property. 

Old and New

Last night was our "old and new" dinner. It is sort of an unofficial tradition, a head nod among lengthening busy days, as we use the last of winter's storage and combine it with spring's first crops.

We used up the last of our winter squash,  a Spaghetti Squash turned into pizza earlier in the week, and there was only one lonely pumpkin left. We collected parsnips, greens (spinach, lovage, dandelion, chard, kale & chive) and fiddleheads from the spring garden and turned the pumpkin into curry soup and muffins for our Old/New Dinner.

We are already feeling well-fed again by our little farm, with abundant eggs and ample meat, greens, herbs and parsnips. We feel such gratitude for this little slice of paradise!

Homestead Update

The last week has snowed us in, measuring in feet, not inches. Only a couple weeks ago we had our first thaw of 2015, complete with rain, mud and then ice as it froze over again. The freezing rain came just as we said goodbye to our second January guests. Unexpected in the cold of winter, the pilgrimage of city-weary people needing to feel that vital spark from deep forests never stops awing me. Nature calls to us all.

As we said our goodbyes, the rain froze--and left us unsuspecting as we made our way to retrieve our youngest daughters from grandma's.  40 mph into the forest is not an experience anyone would want, but we walked away with only minor injuries, gratitude deeply felt.

On the homestead, we find ourselves falling ever more behind in projects already started and failing to get new, exciting, time-sensitive projects off the ground. Shawn is a steady sort of guy and has managed, even with the constant set-backs,  to finish a new chicken feeder. This enables us to use our barn more efficiently, as now goats and pigs can't get into the chicken grain but can still shelter together. He also did some rearranging of horse stalls, creating a small fresh air turnout attached to each stall. This takes the edge off tight routines for us while still ensuring happy, healthy horses.

We have also begun clearing a room in the barn loft for a potential apprentice. Still, finishing this room, as well as the airbnb cabin exterior ( See cabin interior here ),  decking on the main house (2yrs behind now), and the sugar shack--all still wait, long overdue. It does become stressful as projects pile, with new ones losing magic in the long waiting--pitted against finances and unforseen problems. Homesteading is not an easy path. Seasonal needs always take priority, no matter how long a project has waited. Now here comes firewood and sap,even as we continue to move snow and battling freezing water buckets,  followed quickly by starting seeds indoors, all with the threat of spring (which really we can't help but crave), with its tourists, planting, milking. Milking? Yes! 

Here are some specific updates:

Goats: Our two Lamancha does, acquired last spring, went into a few heat cycles before we managed to find them a sweet buck, just coming into his own. He is small, mostly Lamancha it appears, and really, VERY SWEET as far a Billy's go. He's here on a barter, so in trade, one of our new doelings (fingers crossed we don't get all bucklings) will go to his former owner after weaning. We will begin milking our does a bit after kidding and the new variety of dairy into our diet will be quite welcome. We had many guests ask about goat products last summer and will be looking forward to sharing!

The Meaties (Red-bro chicken broilers) have been disappearing 2x2, extra fattened by the long extension on their expected lives (normally they would have been gone by November). 

Kune Kune pigs: The two original pigs, Agnes and Gideon, are doing MUCH better this winter after a rough start last winter adapting to the cold. The transition to winter this year was very sudden and that was quite rough, however. Gideon even was angry enough about his different type of rations that he bit a chicken, twice, resulting in the quick deaths of said chickens. He responded quite well to severe reprimand and got his act together quickly. Shawn made quick use of the chickens. Sadly, Agnes and Gideon seem to have fallen out of love and we feel sad to say that we have come to believe that we were a bit "taken" as newbies when buying Agnes. Although we paid top dollar for her, expecting her to be able to produce regular, average litters-- she does neither and also does not mother well or engage with us nearly as well as all the other pigs. WE will be honest and find her a good retirement home, maybe at a petting zoo and try MUCH harder not to make so many newbie mistakes. About anything. The girls from Agnes' first litter, Solita and Luna, will likely be on the farm as pets. We have fallen madly in love with them and hope to share their good nature with our many homestead guests throughout the seasons. Gideon and Agnes did have one litter together, which produced three gorgeous boys. We still have two-- they are still for sale and would make really great breeding stock. 

Horses:  Belle and Beauty have become permanent fixtures, cheering us with their antics and mareish hysterics. We have a lot of work to do to make Beauty sound, as it has become clear that the founder she had upon her arrival nearly a year ago could not be healed by regular farrier visits or a solid, healthy diet.  We are looking into some mineral remediation as well as gelled booties to keep her comfortable. We keep hoping to help her become more sound to take advantage both of her amazing ride, but also of Belle's -- Belle won't leave her behind, so even if we just let Beauty tag along, her pain limits the length of the ride. 

Layers: The newest layers, the ones born on the farm last summer, are laying regularly now-- as we come to terms with letting some of our older layers go. There are a LOT of chickens in the barn and with layers not laying and meaties still hanging around, things are inefficient and pricey out there! Getting a handle on this is STILL at the top of the to do list. 

Honey Bees: No good news here. We keep trying, and the saying goes it's insanity when you keep trying to do the same thing expecting different results, but that little thing called HOPE keeps us resilient. . . The first two times we tried bees, we failed due to mice infestation. This time, it was failure to winterize. It was not something we can escape blame for. We just got behind. We worried about mice, but when Shawn tried to check he was stung so badly, especially on the face and he refused to check them for some time after that. And then it got unexpectedly cold. Fast. And that's how quick we lost them. It's a particularly hard blow to us because this hive was such an immense gift from creation --scroll down this blog and check the details of how they came to live with us last summer The Sweet Spot. 

Community: You may have read in (blog link here) that we have been working to get a new community center off the ground Bald Mountain Community Center. It's slow going with everyone kept so busy in ordinary, extraordinary lives. We have also been in a big fight against corporate wind. And the town officials who are inviting them in on false pretense. It's a hard battle because in many ways its 3 battles-- we battle to protect our families and environment against health and ecosystem damages, we battle the nearsightedness of money-minded, right-leaning working-class who haven't researched the deal enough to understand the corporate grabbing and loose-lipped promises won't bring about thicker wallets, and most difficult to change, the hopelessness of earth loving liberals who can't accept that big wind isn't an answer to the hot mess of destruction we find ourselves in. We are protecting, calling out bad form and bluffs, educating and all but begging others to care about our cause. A hard go when the news is full of pipelines, disease, beheading, economy woes and climate battles. If you, reading this, find yourselves confused about wind turbines, I urge you to research it more fully before assuming that it is a good direction for earth stewardship. Support small wind, solar advancements and better research for a sustainable future.

Homeschooling (unschooling):  Our approach, a sort of combo of unschooling and homeschooling, continues to amaze me. We have 2 self-motivated learners who manage 95% of their learning themselves. No lessons, no "teaching" in the classroom sense. Coming in from outdoors one morning, I opened the door to find one completely engaged in yoga poses while the other took a hand-drumming lesson on YouTube. The girls follow some loose guidelines that keep them focused each day. This has led to deepening Spanish skills, feverish reading, mastery of most countries in the world by location and shape, a good start on US geography, all sorts of history, biology, physics and (with less enthusiasm) the memorization of math facts and long multiplication/division.  We have been hugely impressed with our variation of the unschooling model, finding that it inspires a love of learning, self-motivation & self-knowledge. 

Planting Seeds in Happytown

Happytown: a little community bridging the corners of Ellsworth, Dedham and North Orland. Filled with neighbors who labor as farmers, artists, poets, teachers, lobstermen, lumbermen, librarians, carpenters, small business owners and everything in between--sprinkled with more than a healthy dose of fun-loving musicians. It is a special place that has a rich history of developing connected community that waxes and wanes (and waxes again!) with the ages. The news here is that we are really coming into our own as we seek to ward off big business and future environmental problems through our  Friends of Dodge Hill project and through the recent community acquistion of The Bald Mountain Community Center. We already have a giant land trust (Great Pond Mountain Wildlands) in our backyard and a snug little town nearby for groceries, local made items, and light entertainment (http://www.bucksportmaine.gov/) , but we needed a place to invite others in-- to begin to grow our little community into its potential. Happytown isn't a secret to you keep for yourself, it bubbles up in you and you just want to share it!  More than a year ago, we had started organizing to take over a defunct grange hall-- the one pictured above, The Victory Grange. Hosted at our home, we had an exciting turnout from the Happytown area.

Here is us, starting small, at our first meeting, held at The Nancy Place

We thought hard, imagined big and took many challenging steps to bring the Grange Hall under new management. However, for the aged population of members, the time for revitalization had come and gone and nothing could be done to sway them as they turned the property over to a nearby Grange in Blue Hill. We even got the state involved to try to halt the transfer, but little could be done and the Halcyon Grange, aware of our troubles but in the midst of a capital campaign, promptly put the property on the market. Knowing the property was received at the cost of nothing, we borrowed money from family, put it in the bank and made an offer as individuals-- hoping to get it paid off and then turn it back to the community. However, at the same time, Halcyon received another offer, slightly larger than ours and that was that. What might happen next was anyone's guess. However, there is just no question that Spirit moves in mysterious and generous ways-- because now, at just about a year later-- here  we have it! The most amazing luck; the greatest gift! A community member was the purchaser and although no one really knew him, he took a risk on this little part of the world and began working to manifest the Victory Grange's return to the community-- now known as The Bald Mountain Community Center. So much gratitude, such a generous spirit, and my, aren't we having fun (!) raising money for fixes and upgrades, meeting new friends, dancing, playing music, having bonfires & EATING a ton of delicious, shared, food.

We are still so under-organized and all a little confused about how it will all work, but we are fueled by endless ideas and so, SO, much gratitude! Concerts, community gardens, game nights, Grown-up proms, HS throwbacks, playground games, winter soccer, sliding, yoga classes, art classes, music classes, service window for snowmobilers, our own gas station (come now, that is getting out of hand! but, yes, it was mentioned!). We know well that when we plant the seed, and dream a little while it sits cold in the soil, then we nurture it as it struggles to emerge-- we know well that this creates strength, resiliance, health, and abundance. We will nuture it well, to be sure. We can't wait to share it with you!

A Brand New Community Center
by Maizey

The day before yesterday we had a New Years Day party at the Bald Mountain Community Center.We also had a Solstice party a few weeks earlier. I think a party can be a lot of different things for different people. For instance, to some the meaning of the party is the most important part, like dropping the ball or throwing the Yule Log into the fire.To some a party is just a party-- but to me its about hanging out with your friends and having a good time! 

Pick-your-own wild blueberries

We have a sweet little secret here on the homestead that we are sharing with you all for the first time! The contents of this delicios little field usually heads right to the factory, but this year we are shaking things up a bit and trying something new. We are offering pick your own berries on our remote field-- many wild varieties, they taste the best all mixed together.

 

 

Handpicking is open by appointment now, Raking will be open weekends or by appointment August 1st.

 

Please call ahead and for directions 207-949-0880 or email us at mainefarmstore@gmail.com

 

Bottomless 7/21/14

The endlessly broken car. The frantic to do list. The f-bombing teenager. 

Backache. Weight gain. Lice. Lyme. 

This. Is. Nothing. 

Thank God I know and recognize this nothing and more, am filled with gratitude for it. What a blessing. I am so, so grateful for my sassy teen. The conversations with my littles while combing through licey locks are always interesting. My body, in all its shapes and forms, illnesses and aches, is here, working as hard as it can, feeding my family and caring for my homestead --and it is healing. My to-do list has great, exciting, reasons to keep me running around frantic. 

This week, two nearby strangers will put their babies in the ground. Two small towns with two great tragedies. These two strangers have affected me, even with my news media boycott, because they have impacted people I love. Friends with my friends and my childhood community, close to my sisters-in-law, school-mates with my niece and nephew. The loss these families, and their communities, are holding is bottomless. 

I touched the edge of this emptiness once. I hope and pray fervently, with every cell, that I never touch it again. It is vast. An empty, roaring, dreadful, power. My parenting lapsed for a moment. It is easy now to say, hey, I'm human-- but then, I don't know. I was sure the ocean had swallowed her. I screamed, this scream that exists in a world between, through the ocean, to the ocean, with the ocean-- connecting with a world of screams, chorusing with separated mothers around the world. Ancient, archetypal. . . endless. 

My friends ran the beach in all directions, my friends-- holding me with tears as I screamed. My baby was alive and well. I will never stop being thankful for it and being awed by that narrowly avoided fate. We all avoided great tragedy that day, but I have never been, nor would want to be, the same. 

I forcefully choose to live life as fearlessly as I can. My baby girl, now 8, swims in my brother's pool, in ocean waters, mountain rivers and at her grandparents camp. She's not a great swimmer, and I worry. But I refuse to live fearfully. I let them all adventure, my wild children. 4 wheeling, hunting, skiing and snowboarding-- experiencing deepens us, makes us-- and sometimes destroys us.  

We must choose to LIVE, while we are here. We must flip off our worries and fears and dive in. Comments like "an avoidable tragedy" or "was anyone watching" or "those things are so dangerous-- I would never let my child . . . " are not only unhelpful and shaming, they speak to a culture with its head in the sand. Shall we keep our anxious, fear-ridden, selves in a bomb proof home eating survival food with a high shelf life? 

The truth is, sometimes life just deals us a wicked hard hand. These families will find a foothold in the depths of their loss-- and they will steady. They will do this for their other children, if not for themselves.  

As we live it and feel it, here in this earth-plane, goodbye feels definite and resolute. Too often, goodbye catches us unprepared. But worry and fear are the opposite of its message-- instead reach out. Reach out to live fully and without regret-- do what you love, and encourage your children to do the same. Swim, 4-wheel, fly, and walk in the forest.  Yes, understand and connect with the devastation --or with the desperation in the case of Central America-- and keep judgment in check. Especially, though, especially, wake each day and look around at your loved ones. Embrace the opportunity, each day, to BE better, BE healthier, BE happier, and Be MORE filled with LOVE. And tell your kids, spouse, family and strangers, that you love them and wish them well. And remember that separation is illusion, if it helps. 

Do not stand at my grave and weep 

I am not there. I do not sleep. 

I am a thousand winds that blow. 

I am the diamond glints on snow. 

I am the sunlight on ripened grain. 

I am the gentle autumn rain. 

When you awaken in the morning's hush 

I am the swift uplifting rush 

Of quiet birds in circled flight. 

I am the soft stars that shine at night. 

Do not stand at my grave and cry; 

I am not there. I did not die.

                           -- mary elizabeth frye

The Sweet Spot

We were in the garden, Maizey and I, last Sunday.   Tension seemed to be mounting as we fought off the cucumber beetles-- the little newly transplanted squashes and melons were succombing quickly. Already riddled with holes after only a few hours of lapsed attention, we squished the bugs between our fingers and dug around the little plant stalks looking for the ugly squash bugs (which are too big for finger smooshing, so they are placed with a little prayerful thought, under our shoe).

 

Agnes Nancy Place Litter #2,
Double-wattled Kune Kune boar Jenny x Mahia Love

To temper this violent scene, I should let it be known that we are a pretty non-violent family. We let the squirrels nest in our eves. The birds return each year to their mud nest on the side of our home. The bats have a huge family just under some trim boards. We remove all spiders to the outdoors, or more often, just ignore them. Snapping turtles dig our gardens to lay their eggs.  Still, we make an exception with cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and tomato hornworms (we even typically remove slugs rather than squashing, which I think is pretty generous of us)-- so we sat there, in the evening sun, as the black flies swarmed our heads, the mosquitios buzzed our ears, and the no-see-ums chewed visciously at our ankles--  we sat there squishing bugs.

 

Then we were both looking in the sky, craning our necks into the glare of the setting sun. We could hear them before we saw them-- a redemptive flock of geese overhead--we called to Shawn and Ella to witness this beauty, this perfect V, flying over our perfect life. How often we let the little things ruin an otherwise wonder-filled day, failing to be amazed by irritations and imperfections. Amid this unhappy chore of protecting plants and being a meal for others, there was stunning beauty, holding the balance amid the unpleasant, creating the sense of deep perfection-- made only better because my girl knew it-- looking at me in awe, she said, "THIS has been the best day!" 

 

My girls playing midwife on the homestead-- learning is everywhere!

 

And it WAS a great day-- and aren't they all??  This one, punctuated by our first baby-bat rescue (to be followed by many more), an anticipated skit at church, some family down time in Bar Harbor, the doula experience of newborn piglets and then, the geese overhead!

 






How awesome is it that Ella is out here doing her non-fiction
homeschool reading for the day while covered in piglets?



Our summer days have been filled, thus far, with long days in the garden, work that is exciting, lounging with farm friends (including the newborn piglets), visiting with, and sometimes living with all manner of wild creature--to TODAY, when a swarm of bees flew directly to our home, swirled above our barn, then next to it, and then, like a little tornado, swarmed right into the empty bee hive from last year's attempt at bees. This, only 1 hour after ordering new bees-- and a day before sending payment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is our little tornado-- I told Shawn that I ordered money to fall from the sky on Father's Day, just for him.

 

 

The world is amazing. The small miracles that fill each day abound, if only we are there to honor them. When each day is filled with a sense of  gratitude, when awe and wonder become normal, when each day we search out the thread that weaves love, light, and abundance-- that is the sweet spot. We are so lucky to have found it most days-- and we will keep striving to find it in each moment.

At one week old-- outside sniffing the earth at the Nancy Place Homestead