Schoolhouse 63

07/09/2026

Today my 15 yo girl is debudding some of the culinary sport of our Hidcote Blue lavender, which will become lavender simple syrup and lavender herbal sugar cookies for a custom baking order she received. My kitchen smells amazing right now. And I get to enjoy the creative pursuits that my daughter engages in using materials and supplies she gathers herself.

06/17/2026

Foraging the flower petals while getting in their first swim of the day.

06/15/2026

We are adding 3 little ducklings to the homestead. These 3 Welsh Harlequin girls arrived about 12 or so days ago. They are growing so fast! We are building their duck enclosure and I hope it's ready in 2 weeks when these girls should be fully ready to move outdoors. Today we are having high heat - it's brooder temperatures outside, so the little girls can come out for a supervised swim. Since they came from a hatchery it takes time for them to build up their waterproofing oils. Also. They still have their down and do not have feathers yet. They have been itchy today, making me think they will get their feathers soon

06/02/2026

Update: the Battle Ground Mystery Flock is with its new owner. We may get to learn what kind of ducks and hear how they grow. I have decided that this is a prologue event to getting our 3 welsh Harlequin girls. Want ducklings? Today is interesting. A well known poultry hatchery sent us the wrong duck order. While they will be sending us the correct ducklings soon. We currently have 15 mixed. Unsexed day old ducklings that we need.to.find homes for. They arrived today. Have had water and starter crumbles and appear to be happy and healthy. If these ducklings are what you want please contact me. You will need to take at least 3 as ducks are social birds. We are west of Creswell.

05/04/2026

Waht's Happening at Schoolhouse 63:

A mix of planning, scavenging, and getting hands in the dirt.

Girl15 has been working on her strawberry beds—starting with a trip to BRING to find roofing tiles to build raised beds, and building out her plan from there.

She’s also been keeping a strawberry journal to track layout, spacing, and what’s actually happening as things grow.

Boy13 is designing a duck pen. Lots of math, site selection, material consideration, and watching videos on how best to take care of ducks.

A little bit of school, a little bit of real work, and a lot of figuring things out as we go.

04/20/2026