Weekly Update: 2.15.26
After the arctic January weather, the springlike February has felt a bit shocking. We went from insulated bibs to t-shirts in mere days. Where we had covered windows and taped up exhaust fans one week, we have open windows and running fans the next. The warm weather has been such a gift. I keep expecting winter to return, but so far it hasn’t.
As soon as the snow receded, we returned to our outdoor lives. Even on chilly mornings, I’ve been enjoying almost hourly walks down to our spring with my mom. It’s a lovely break from life to stretch our legs, talk, and get a short blast of nature. It also boosts those pedometer numbers, which is much needed after the last snowy weeks. It’s our only cleared trail at this time, but we are looking forward to clearing more paths throughout our property.
Bonnie-Jean started prepping our garden for the new season. We want to rotate the location of our various little crops in hopes it reduces pest issues. This week, Bonnie-Jean started dumping out and moving the squash boxes — the mini-raised beds we use for each summer squash plant. She is putting the dirt back into rows so that it’s ready for another season of vegetables.
Bonnie-Jean and I also spent time working on our exterior siding, along with our dad and brother Jeremiah whenever they were off work. We are so close to being finished with the siding — we all can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. We had to dip a few more boards in Eco Wood Treatment this week — we are dipping just small batches as we don’t know exactly how much more we will need. The more we have worked with Eco Wood Treatment, the more we love it. Even after we are finished with our siding, I have a feeling we will be keeping a package of it on hand for smaller homestead projects.
Grace had a cold early in the week, so she took it slow for a few days. By midweek she was well enough to help us prep for some realtors to tour our bunkhouse on Friday. We have some tax paperwork that requires a Fair Market Value estimation of our property. We did some research and tried to crunch the numbers, but it was complicated. Finally, I took to Facebook to ask locals for suggestions. A realtor from our area, Icy Baily, volunteered to give us a FMV estimate free of charge. So, on Wednesday and Thursday, we gave the homestead a little extra love — making sure everything was tidy outside and dust-free inside. For the evaluation, Icy brought along the rest of her team — Dennis Cooksey (her father) and Kristen Stokes. The Cooksey Team couldn’t have been kinder or more professional. It was a real encouragement to meet them — and it will be a huge blessing to be able to properly fill out our tax paperwork.
Every time I meet someone new and share our story, I am thankful. Meeting the Cooksey team was no exception. In the midst of life, we can so easily forget the abundant blessings we have. The extraordinary becomes ordinary with daily use. God has been so good to my family. I remember how many years we looked for the right piece of property. I can hold in my mind the miles we drove and the hours my mom and I poured over property listings. I can count how many years it took to actually move out here once we found our place. And then there were our tent years while building our bunkhouse. Each step was difficult, but each had its bright moments. In the end, they all led us to right where we are. There is still so much to do — but on a homestead, one never “arrives” anyway. I’m thankful that this is the path God has led us to — especially when I look back at where we’ve been.
It was Valentine’s Day yesterday. We sisters made some of our great-great-grandma’s tea cakes first thing in the morning. Our brother Jeremiah threw his annual Festival of Hearts party. Once again, we sampled more than a dozen international candies. We all competed in a no-recipe cupcake bake-off. And today, we will finish with the always humorous Valentine’s TMI trivia game. It has been a very festive ending to the busy week.
