WELCOME!
I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.
My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.
Join Us!
LATEST POSTS
-
Sadly Mr Flowers has Passed Over
Yesterday morning Our John found Mr Flowers dead under his usual night-time perch in the barn. Dead on the floor. There was no evidence of a predator. No battle. He appears to have died in his sleep. and fallen off his perch. It is a miserable loss to the farm. To us. John dug a…
-
The Walk and The landing
The world is out of kilter when I have no farm animals to manage. So I set my mind to writing. And as you and I have established; the first thing I set up on arrival anywhere is my writing corner. Yesterday I set up my office on the long wooden table. Gently relocating laundry…
-
The Family Web of Survival
Most of what we do is mere survival. We assume it means nothing. Cleaning. Bathing. Avoiding the phone. Sleeping. Eating. Washing our hair. Sitting on the toilet thinking. Sweeping the floor. Grocery shopping. The smile for the person in the store. Food for our friends chased from their homes into our gutters. Mascara. Fighting the…
-
San Francisco. TKG Travel
There is a whole history of people writing travel logs that stretches back through hundreds of years. Lots of our favorite writers wrote entire novels at little tables by the sea in far away places. ‘There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately no-one knows what they are.’ Somerset Maugham. Right? But air travel…
-
Last Big Farm Day
Today is a big day on the farm – getting it all ready for my 6 weeks away. I have help coming. Then Saturday I will focus on the house. First stop San Francisco on Sunday (leaving early) then out to Melbourne Monday night – late – so I will have plenty of time to…
-
Cat Ladder
The ladder of cat joy. The old, long, once-red ladder rises from the ground up to the little window into the hay loft. A walk up into where I store the straw. A cosy spot. We call it the Peacock Palace. From this window I can throw down straw for the pigs. The ladder (and…
The Kitchen's Garden
Sustainable. Self Sufficient. Loving the Land. Join Us!
Site Navigation
Letters To My Mother
Want more?
Join me on Substack where I tell stories of growing up in a different time, a simpler time, a time when all those sustainable tips we are relearning now were normal and ordinary.
Join us at The Sustainable Home:
Sign up to our monthly newsletter for tips on managing a sustainable home.
The Kitchen's Garden 