House Diary.

Hosted the entire Jones clan for Thanksgiving— much fun was had!

Had cousin Shaun and Jenelle over to help make cider. Fresh pressed juice with a splash of whiskey kept us warm while we worked.

Baby's first Halloween! She went as a carrot.

Celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a quick dinner at Mucci's in St. Paul. Lots of new and exciting adventures in our first year, and surely more to come.

Ida Mae made her big debut. Welcome to the show, sweet baby!

Braided the onions for storage.

The primary bedroom is finally finished! On to the nursery!

The monster sunflower bloomed— over 15' tall!

The dreaded squash beetles have arrived— early harvest for most pumpkins.

Picked corn, melons, and canning pumpkins.

Picked all of the potatoes— nearly 200lbs!

Returned from a three-day babymoon on the North Shore to our sunflowers blooming— a sure sign of the blessings ahead!

Harvested onions— huge haul!

First batch of sauce in the books! Really reaping the benefits of the greenhouse this year— tomatoes are bountiful and way ahead of schedule.

Harvested all of the garlic— much better crop than last year, still room for improvement.

Jam Fest 2023! Picked 60lbs of berries in the morning and had lots of extra hands to help process— another successful year!

Baby shower at Ravine—we're having a girl! Huge thanks to our family for putting everything together and to all who attended and made the day so special.

Installed the first few sections of drip irrigation in the main garden area and the new back section.

Tilled the back section of the garden and the pumpkin patch to break up soil compaction— no-till moving forward.

J reclaimed discarded bricks in the woods that K used to build a new cut flower bed by the house.

Planted forbs on the back hill as part of the ongoing prairie restoration.

Garden is fully planted out! Enjoyed some spring onions and salads with dinner.

Mother's Day celebration at the farm with the Betcher Clan. Later, w sampled the first bottle of strawberry wine K made last spring— delightful!

Attended the Friends School Plant Sale and the MN State Fair Grandstand with Ma Jones and Chelsea. Had a truly wonderful time and look forward to establishing a new annual tradition.

Sowed a billion carrots!

With the all clear from the UMN Extension, we transplanted tomatoes and peppers into the greenhouse and began transplanting additional crops outdoors.

Braodforked the garden beds in prep for planting— should reduce soil compaction and produce higher yield.

J did a little window maintenance on the main floor and remediated some wood rot on the porch.

Transplanted lettuce into the greenhouse and onions into their respective beds. Warm weather has resulted in increased egg production.

Spring thaw means the river is on the rise— record high in our short time here.

Garlic sprouted in the garden! The first true sign of spring and the bountiful summer to come.

Lots of snow this morning! Wet and heavy. Ventured to Ma and Pa Jones to help with removal.

Did some garden prep in the greenhouse, where temps were in the mid-70s.

Finally started plaster repair in the primary bedroom, more than a year after restoration began! Looking forward to wrapping this project up, but there is much left to be done.

Sowed the first round of seeds in starter trays! Very excited for the forthcoming garden season.

Began demo in the second bedroom, which involved tearing out the carpet and popcorn ceiling.

Found a letter from Isadore while doing some research at the MN Historical Society. Contents suggest he attempted to buy the farm just north of our property in 1905, eight years before buying this farm.

K's birthday! Celebrated with friends at Cosetta's and the Dolly Parton tribute show at the Turf Club.

Suprise! We’re having a baby!

B’s first birthday! Celebrated with special treats and lots of snuggles.

Huge snowfall to ring in the new year— 13+ inches in total.