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We have collected our thana (cornelius cherry) for a late summer round of raki. The fruit will ferment for up to two months before we are ready to distill. For some that have never tried thana same texture as a cherry, larger pit, little tart and have a tannins (filmy covering your mouth). Doesn't sound all that tasty, right? Well according to one publication the distillation of thana to raki is a common remedy for rheumatism both by consumption and topical application. We will test this theory out come winter. And drum roll please, IT IS FIG SEASON!!! This week we have entered mass daily quantity of figs creating a very much supply vs demand problem, our neighbors have a fig tree so we can't give them away, his sister and her family take gallons each weekend but during the week the three of us can't eat them fast enough so it is freeze or waste and trust me, we freeze. And how well do they keep in the freezer? Amazing, you freeze and take out months later, rest for about an hour and they are ready to eat just like the day you picked them. And it may be a sign we have too many when I star them as models for art. One day's harvest so if you are nearby and want to buy fresh figs, we have plenty! And we would sell locally but the market is saturated here most families have fig trees on property. In other news we have officially planted cabbage and leeks preparing for the winter. The grapes nearly ripe and the pomegranate and quinces are not far behind. Other fun news, schools are set to reopen in mid September which means we get to finally see our donated books on the shelves at the school. If you are new to our blog check out the book arrival, https://www.homesteadalbania.com/post/books-arrived And speaking of books, my debut fiction novel rough draft is complete. Editing phase is off to a long tedious slow start but it is coming together. We starting the prep for wine season if you are interested in crushing grapes this fall, hit us up in the comments below. Stay safe, stay well my friends.

June has started much cooler than last year no complaints minus a slower ripening of tomatoes. We celebrated Art's birthday with a full day of distilling our mulberry raki. This year our batch has clear crisp taste. The exploration of other uses for our mulberry trees has come full circle this year we made enough pekmez, mulberry molasses, for a year or more. We are even considering mulberry wine. Also did you know the mulberry leaves can be steeped for tea? It is apparently good for digestion. We still have a shake or two left of the four mulberry trees, according to my count we have collected just over 300 gallons of mulberries this season with at least 60 gallons more to collect. Our nephew's birthday also took us out the homestead on our first outing since the lock down to the south. We met up with family near Lezhe for a meal of meals. A popular seafood restaurant Trëndafili Mistik built up from a woman that would cook on a small grill on the beach is now a beautiful brick and mortar restaurant with large outdoor seating area on the Adriatic Sea with a view of the Albanian Mountains. The nature preserve around the area is beautiful with a beach and the day was stunning. Here at the homestead our garden is producing cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, beans, potatoes, onions, garlic, spring greens, parsley, and squash. The cool start has slowed the ripening of the tomatoes. Watermelon, cantaloupe, melons, pumpkins, egg plants, blackberries and bush beans are flowering. Our pears are starting to ripen even picking a few this week. If you have a favorite pear recipe please comment below. Other updates from the orchard. Our trees are full with fruit that will be ready later this summer and fall. Figs are next, we are talking of buying another deep freeze just for additional storage of figs and pomegranate juice. The vines are alive and well: We have also opened the vineyard to tours and guided hiking. If you come we are likely to send you home with seasonal fruits and veggies. https://www.homesteadalbania.com/tours We also new baby chicks, 20 total, and they are adorable. This group has some brave strong little chicks.

Art's passion for hiking has tripled since we have started homesteading here two years ago this fall. We have explored many trails here in northern Albania. A few nearby offer lake views, the black eye spring, old bunkers, an old abandoned army post and a few out buildings, and even the ruins of a castle with an old bunker. The rocky hillsides are alive with wild medicinal plants, wild fruit trees, wandering billy goats and mountain views in all directions. We have added a new service here at Homestead Albania. We have added an option for guided hikes here in Northern Albania with an option for photography and drone coverage services to save or share the beautiful scenery. Also an option for lunch at a lakeside cafe that offers fresh seafood caught daily. Bar Restorant Syri i Sheganit Castle Hike Preview: We have also added a vineyard tour, short hike on the mount behind our house offering views of the mountains, lake and the valley called Bajze. And for patrons of age we are offering tastings of our seasonal raki or wine while supplies lasts. Hike view at Homestead Albania: Checkout the options for tours, times and dates available. https://www.homesteadalbania.com/tours We are small outfit with limited parking so large tour buses are not an option at this time. Each tour will be guided by Art and/or Kim (me). We hope that when you visit Albania that you fall in love with northern Albania's beautiful scenery and majestic mountains. We look forward to sharing a little piece our corner with you.

When I first arrived to live in Bajze, Albania, I wanted to know more about this charming mountain valley town. Much like the small town I grew up in pretty much everyone knows everybody or is related some how in Bajze. History recap, the discovery of Bajze and settlement started after a solo rider became to weary and lost in the woods and stopped as he could not continue. He released the horse and prepared himself for eventual death. After the horse was released it began to paw/dig at a spot in the ground, the rider's attention to the horse's behavior forced his will to go and inspect. The horse had found a natural spring, this spring eventually became the town well and was locally called as the Cave of Frasher. The well is still active and present in the town today. The area was settled by seven brothers and my husband is a direct descendant of one brother, Ivanaj. Bajze had it's share of epidemics through the years, it was abandoned twice due to snakes and once heat. And his family bloodline was nearly lost during the era of the Ottoman Empire, one family member was forced to serve for 20 years in the Ottoman military or be killed. It was this man that carried the Malaj line forward as the rest of his family sadly died in a cholera outbreak during his time served abroad. The traditions, customs and language of the Albanian people are fascinating and I am learning more and more all the time. The language spoken here is Albanian, it is a beautiful language but also very challenging to learn. I understand slow conversations, can read and pronounce the language but the art of speaking still has my tongue tied. And before you suggest, there is not an app or software out there for learning Albanian so I have adopted the immersion and kid's books to start with the basics. I will write about some traditions and customs I have experienced and learned more about in a post soon. When you drive through the city center of Bajze today it has a new small park, a variety of shops, cafe/bars (occupied by mostly men, this is not the norm in other towns just this one), the schools, and the catholic church. The northern region is mostly Catholic unlike the majority of Albania, which is Muslim or Orthodox. A cross is on display on various hills including the one directly behind our home on our land. After the fall of communism, it was important for this region to take back their faith. During Communism if religion was mentioned or you made the sign of the cross in public you could be punished or imprisoned. My husband learned the foundation of his faith behind drawn curtains and closed doors in his family home by his grandparents.

We have four large mulberry trees here at Homestead Albania, three white (2 wild, 1 domestic) and one black (red). And a few more white, pink, and black on family land that we collect from each season. So when mulberry season strikes we are busy laying out the plastic, Art climbing and shaking each branch and hand sorting the mulberries for quality. This year, the season was perfect. They are plump juicy sweet. Last year we had a bit too much late rain that ruined the over all quality. The progression of our mulberries: The first shake of the white mulberry tree in the back was like a drip followed by a hail storm. We gathered a total 15 gallons of white mulberries from the domestic tree in the back and two at the family land. We (and visiting family of 5) ate about a gallon and the rest we hand selected for quality and smashed to extract the juice for pekmez (molasses). We let the juice rest overnight before we simmered for nearly six hours. No added sugars or flavors just straight mulberry extracted juice. The taste is almost as sweet as honey, consistency similar to a maple syrup. It is a great all natural sugar alternative for tea, coffee, dipping or ice cream. We cooled completely to obtain the height of thickness before reheating for canning the molasses for future use. What's next? We will continue shaking the trees to eat, 30 gallons set aside for two more rounds of molasses and fill a barrel to ferment for raki. The sweet fruity flavor of the black mulberries may make there way in to a pie or two. The life cycle of a fresh mulberry is less than 24 hours. It requires an immediate plan to consume, bake or ferment. Why consume mulberries? Mulberries may lower cholesterol levels, help prevent fatty liver disease, and improve blood sugar control. They also decrease oxidative stress, which may reduce cancer risk. And for my husband and his sister, endless smiles. It is the taste of their childhood. We have discussed selling some of our goodies but with the current pandemic, we switch to an online shop. New content added weekly. You can have a piece of Homestead Albania delivered directly to your door. https://www.homesteadalbania.com/shop Cheers!

There are two major winds here in northern Albania. The southern winds come from the Sahara bring sand and dirt with a hazy cloud of muck over the valley and the northern winds that clean the air and the muck out. The southern winds rolled in for about a week and we were hopeful for a northern front and some overdue rain. The forecast looking promising mid week but failed to produce ending the week with the sprinklers on and running. One disadvantage to our location rain comes in small bursts, no substantial amounts in the spring and summer. The grapes due well in our dry climate, most homes with a garden have at least a few vines. As previously posted, https://www.homesteadalbania.com/post/spring-garden-complete, we planted a large garden and this can consume a few hours a day with watering, weeding or pruning. We walk the vines and trees each day inspecting the health and quality of each tree, vine and plant. Everything is alive and thriving minus a few pears and peaches damaged from the late frost. The production of the veggies are with in a week or so of picking the first tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and baby potatoes. The pomegranate trees add a fall like color to the overwhelming green landscape with this beautiful bright red orange. We heard a few peep sounds on Tuesday coming from our hen, Mamasita, nesting cradle and by day end we counted 10 baby chicks. We have one more hen who is nesting currently so we could potentially have another ten or more in a few weeks. We used the nesting cradle Art made last year and our previous chicken "sick bay" is now the maternity wing for new mamas. We are extra aware of any falcons flying nearby or feral cats entering the garden (lost a few too many last year). After spending the week tending to the garden and hanging a power line next door (yes he is a man of many talents). We made a side road trip to our beloved Albanian Alps as some of the travel restrictions have eased in the green zones. Luckily our area has remained free from any known cases during this current pandemic but we were still under restrictions for major movement until this week. I will upload a new video to our growing YouTube channel, @Homestead Albania, later this week to share this adventure but here are a few snaps (unedited) to tie you over. When we returned from our short drive up the alps it was finally time to shake the first mulberry tree of the season. Sign up for the latest updates as I will be posting more on the mulberries this week. As always stay safe and well as we want to see your lovely faces someday in the future on this side of the pond. For those that are yearning for a piece of Albania but can't leave the walls of home check out our new shop: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/shop

May came in with warm sunshine, raki (moonshine) and additional blossoms. And hopefully a renewed since of freedom post pandemic. We had planned pre-lockdown to share the experience of making Raki with a group of local expats but could not host due to the movement restrictions and social distancing required during this time. Last fall we had filled a barrel with persimmons to ferment over winter. Every few days we would smash the mixture a bit more. Each time the lid was removed the aroma of Kindergarten enter my nose via memories Elmer's Glue. To play this video, view this post from your live site. This was our first batch of raki this year. Two days, five rounds of distilling and 7 gallons of smoothe persimmon raki. We were lucky to have bright blue skies and a warm breeze both days as this requires constant attention while babysitting the fire. We plan to make raki from mulberries (red and white) late June, plum late July, grape late October and maybe a small batch from thana. Last year we made mulberry and grape raki. I know I have posted the steps on how raki is made before but if you need a reminder: The garden is full of life with birds singing, bees and blossoms. The beans we planted last week have already started to sprout and potatoes are flowering. The fields are full of wild flowers and poppy blossoms. Today we managed our first long bike ride since the lock down started. It was a warm sunny bright day and very joyful to be pushing the peddles again. Hope that you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some beauty in your surroundings. Cheers!

We had a few warm days this week before a few days of rain in the forecast. We took a look at our seedlings and a few starter plants from town before we mapped out the rest of the garden. We do not own any fancy equipment minus a few shovels (called bells in Albanian), rakes and a hoe. We fertilized our soil with a mixture of dried sheep manure from the neighbors paddock after hand tilling the land. We had family visit in the afternoon on the last day and they assisted with last leg of planting and root clean up which was amazing. What did we plant? 36 rows of bush beans, 12 rows of potatoes, 3 rows of green beans, watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini squash, 2 rows of eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions, climbing beans, carrots, spring lettuce and spinach and a few cantaloupe, okra, strawberries, mint, chamomile, lavender, parsley. And below is the final map of where and what because I, second year gardener, fail at recognizing weeds from plants. Last years I weeded out some mountain tea plants on accident. Why do we plant this much? We are household of three, myself, Art (husband) and my mother in law. My mother in law cooks with garlic and onion almost daily and makes a bean dish a few times a week (one of my husbands favorites) and my sister in law and her family live in the city so we provide a fair amount of produce to their household as well. We walk the garden daily to inspect fruit trees for any disease or fatigue. The weather conditions have been ideal for our mulberry and thana (cornelian cherries) trees. Our pears are hit and miss, two trees basically picked bare after inspection of some vagrant worm and the peach, cherry, some figs show some damage from the late snow/frost on April 1st. The apple, cherry, plum, persimmon, kiwis, olive, pomegranate and kimchi (jujube) trees are starting to develop more each day. One cherry tree seems to be either dead or dormit for the year. We have several new trees, nectarine, plum, fig, pomegranate, and even a grafted quince with a pear doing well this spring. Today is the last day of April and we are still under movement limitations with the pandemic. Cases in Albania have started to flatten as of today the total number of cases 773 but over 470 have recovered. No confirmed cases have ever been reported in our region and other regions have been reported as cleared in the country. We are doing well, spirits high and energy good. Earth therapy does the soul wonders. I hope those trapped inside with out a garden can get out in May in put their energy back in to the soil. It heals. Our mission to support the local schools and community is still ongoing. If you want to learn more checkout: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary We have also added a new online shop for those that one a slice of our homestead in your home or office: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/shop Spring is alive from our city center looking back towards the Mokset Hills. Longer days in May, I want hike the lower green mounts featured below.

In the Roman Catholic town of Bajze, Albania April 25th is a holiday honoring the patron Saint Mark, a rose bud festival in Venice. My husband recalled memories of large town gatherings, loads of food, live music and a lively atmosphere the eve of and the day of St. Mark here in Bajze. The current pandemic has limited for this occasion to loads of food, small gathering of just the family and lively atmosphere. The table was covered with slow roasted lamb, fish, grilled pork, olives, cheese, pickled peppers, cubed baked potatoes, salad, wine and my addition, strawberry shortcake. A normal feast for most Albanian homes. The lively atmosphere was the entertainment of introducing my nephews and niece to the Heads Up game a bit of confusion and laughter was a fun way to end the evening. Our drive has several rose bushes and they are full of buds, soon they will pop! The day was stunning, warm with a slight breeze.

Mood of the day: We set our mission at the beginning of the year to bring books to the local school libraries here in Bajze. We fell short of the fundraising but were still able to pay for the shipment out of pocket. Thanks to all those that did contribute by donating. To find out more about the mission and how to donate: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary After a lot of logistical phone calls and several trips to the border customs office. Today this mission is complete. We unloaded two palates of books to the school library with some assistance from the locals. We peeked in a few boxes to check the content and quality and I was instantly transported. Several books I remembered reading while sitting cross legged in the middle of the aisle at the local library. I was beyond giddy. The books were in great condition thanks to the Int'l Book Project for the quality books! We can't wait for this pandemic to be over and we can host reading hours with the local school kids. We hope to complete the fundraising for the shipment costs and the needed improvements for paint and shelving for the school libraries. https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

We embraced a warm sunny day to walk the path to the cross that borders the valleys of Bajze and Goraj. The trail is rocky but easy going with level spots from the incline up and a switchback path near the top. Views of the small neighborhoods that back up to the ridge, a few old abandoned stone homes along with some pretty plants made the journey to the top less tiresome. A few spots of shade in the lower sections but all sun up top. At the neck, we deserted the trail and climbed to the cross that crests the mountain ridge between the two valleys. It is a 360° view of the valley of Bajze to Lake Shkoder to the border mountains of Montenegro, Ivanaj, Vukpalaj, Maja e Sukajt, Maja e Tatiqit, Maja e Veleçikut, Maja e Kashtes and the valley towns of Goraj and Zagore. We did not take a path down from the cross but instead through the bush, Art style. It was steep, rocky and thick with trees. Slowly we made our way back to the corner of one of the switchbacks before making the final descent down back to town. We left at 11 am and did not return till around 5 pm. The step app showed over 30,000 steps accumulated. And after two days, my quads are still feeling the gentle burn. A must pack for this hike is water, hearty snacks, sunscreen, hat and camera. We will likely do this again with visitors, once the world hits restart. The next hike adventure on my list is to summit the ridges of the Maja e Sukajt. We have hiked a few on the left when visiting the Mokset Castle but I want to hike the ridge from Mokset to Vukpalaj. Just over that rise is Lake Shkoder and Montenegro. Who is game to tag along? Our mission this year is to support the local schools with a shipment of books, projectors for the classroom and improvements to the shelves and tech in the school libraries. The shipment of books has landed and is arriving at customs this week. We have not reached our fundraising goal to provide additional support and with the current pandemic, fear that we may have to put our additional support on hold. If you are interested in learning more visit: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

The mount behind our house has cross centered at the top. On Good Friday, the town's Catholic Parrish and community walks from the church to the cross. After an opening prayer, the group pauses 14 times along the path lead by a man carrying a wooden cross and the priest, nuns and the community. 1st Station: Jesus is condemned to death 2nd Station: Jesus carries His cross 3rd Station: Jesus falls the first time 4th Station: Jesus meets his mother 5th Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross 6th Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus 7th Station: Jesus falls the second time 8th Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 9th Station: Jesus falls a third time 10th Station: Jesus clothes are taken away 11th Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross 12th Station: Jesus dies on the cross 13th Station: The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross 14th Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb A tradition that was cancelled this year due to the current pandemic. Our neighbors carried the tradition on from our house to the cross. Traditions on Easter morning starts with silence until after eating the morning meal with specific items: fresh spring garlic to ward off evil, fresh bread without yeast, fresh cheese without salt and a boiled egg. Morning mass followed by a large family meal. This year no morning mass or large family meal with the current pandemic. We will have close immediate family only with traditional roasted lamb, rice pilaf, kos (yogurt), fresh bread, cheese, olives, fruits and greens followed by baklava. Another Easter tradition is the decorating and dying of eggs. A guest will pick an egg and the host will pick an egg. The guest will then gently tap the other egg and winner is decided when the egg stays in intact. This has been a tradition for many many years here and is still done by both adults and children. Sweet treats like chocolate and fruits are still given to visiting family. To my knowledge no Easter Bunny or basket traditions in our area. We spent Good Friday with extended family that were released from self isolating after returning from the UK outdoors and with social distancing. We hiked up the Mokset Hills and took new paths (the one down I will likely not repeat rocky and steep). The landscape was dotted with fresh green, flowered trees and the grazing animals of nearby homes. The views never get old here and I know how lucky this small town girl from Missouri is to get to take this in each and everyday. We also worked on the garden this week as we are actively planting more and more now that the frost has come and gone (hopefully). This week we planted seeds for watermelon, cantaloupe, climbing beans, okra, cucumbers, zucchini, and carrots. Started seed sprouts for pumpkins, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon and blueberries. Also planted a few starter plants from the local tradesmen and neighbors for peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers. The spinach, green lettuce, potatoes, onions and garlic previously planted are all doing quite well. We are thankful for the large garden but thought we may need assistance with where we planted what. I have been mapping it out via excel, yes nerdy but necessary. We also spent a portion of the week working on the logistics for the donated books arrival to Albania. The latest is by Tuesday we will have the books delivered to the empty schools in town, classes are canceled till this fall. We will start the joy of unpacking and cataloging the content for the schools and separating the primary and secondary books between the two libraries. To find out more about our mission visit: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary Stay home and safe my friends.

My husband's favorite time of year is spring. He grins ear to ear with joy at all of the green returning, the trees and plants coming back to life and the beautiful blooms that come out each and everyday. I appreciate the buzz of the bees, the fresh warm sun and the brown bare trees gracefully covered with new growth and green goodness. We have had a few surprises this spring including an April fools snow shower that stuck around for the morning and melted by late afternoon. We pass part of the range above on our way to Shkoder and there is a part that has a distinct outline of a sculpted shapely bum. I have pointed this out to Art several times never really believing he sees it but after the snow I finally got a clear shot of the range with the figure. Do you see it? After this last cold snap and snow we started a new long row in the garden to plant beans, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, cantaloupe and watermelon. The potatoes had some frost damage on the baby sprouts but have recovered a bit. Spinach and green lettuce are thriving and we have sampled both! Grafted fruit trees are starting to show some evidence of catching which means more fruit producing trees next year! This year the trimmed quince, pear, peach, thana, mulberry, persimmon, fig, nectarine, and apple trees and kiwi and grape vines have all bloomed, started to flower and produce fruit. Still patiently waiting on the apple, plums, cherry, dates and pomegranate trees to reach beyond baby sprouts. April also brought us good news the book shipment from the states has landed in Europe. We should be receiving a delivery date this week. Schools are dismissed here for the summer with the current pandemic so we will be working with the teachers to make the improvements to the libraries over the next few months and introduce a possible summer reading program. Want to learn more about our mission: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

It has been a little over three weeks since we received the first positive cases of Covid-19 here in Albania. Overall the country has handled the crisis very calm and rationally. Schools, universities, sit in cafes and restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms, and malls were shut down for social activity almost immediately. Pedestrian car traffic in red zones were limited to medical personal going to and from work, ambulance, and transit of goods, special permission for trips to the airport before it was shut down and other needs can be requested as needed. Mass transit like city buses and passenger vans were also shut down to prevent close proximity with others. Land, sea, and air borders are now limited to transit of goods only. Special cases for those that were in transit to the Albanian borders during the shut down exceptions were made. The individuals were screened upon arrival and ask to self quarantine for 14 days. A curfew was set from 7 am to 1 pm to allow residents to run essential errands. Retail shops, grocery stores, and pharmacies switched to the curfew hours and have a limit the number of people in the shop at a time to reduce risk. The government ask that residents only go out one at a time and limit to one hour if possible. They are cautious and have learned from our neighbors across the sea that swift restrictions could flatten the curve and so far doing pretty decent. Today they are reporting 243 positive cases, 13 total deaths, 52 recovered here in Albania. The population of Albania stands around 2.8 million and almost a third of the population lives in the capital of Tirana. There is approximately 410,000 people over the age of 65. The rural areas have a large elderly population so spreading beyond city centers has a higher fatality risk. We live in a rural corner and are still at zero cases in our region. The swift action of the government to minimize the spread has greatly reduced risk of this pandemic reaching the rural areas. How did the Albanian people react to all of the above? Before the curfews, active runners, walkers, card players and strollers were dotted in the large city parks. Fines for breaking curfew curved the pedestrian traffic in the large cities and parks. The stores remained stocked with no over buying or stocking of massive amounts of anything were done here minus an observation of one cart with about 10 bottles of vegetable oil and large flour bags. Most homes have a bidet here so toilet paper is not an end all be all like other countries, cough the US. And on an economical note the mass buying power is not something affordable for most households. They are a society of mostly only buy what you need not what you think you might. Plus the majority of the population over the age of 40 have lived through worse, the rationing of food and goods enforced by Communism was extreme and left many hungry. Resilient and humble people. How are we handling all of the above? Our daily life has been business as usual. We do make a town run when needed in the mornings to pay for phone, internet or pick up items as needed. We still hike on our land and even went fishing one morning (thankfully we live near the lake). How as a country are we handling this current crisis? From an outsider looking in not too bad. I have had recent discussions with friends in New Zealand, the UK, Serbia, Switzerland, Italy and friends/family in the US. After reflecting on each conversation, I can honestly say I am very thankful to be tucked away in our tiny corner of the world. Stay safe my friends and please stay calm. Happier and lighter note: Spring is unfolding and blooming more each day. We are counting down till we can start planting our post frost crop. Potatoes, garlic, onions, lettuce greens and spinach are thriving. Checked on some of the grafting he completed earlier this month and seeing some success so we could be increasing our fruit production ever so slightly in the next year or so. Update on our Stock the Library mission, the books have arrived in Europe and will be land transported to Albania from a port in Slovenia. We are still actively raising funds for this mission to find out more or to donate please visit: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

Yes, I said mountain climbing. For those who know me well understand that my skills at walking on flat surfaces can be challenging at times so the thought of me mountain climbing may either make you cringe or just shake your head in utter disbelief. Well it happened thanks to my husband's childhood dream to summit a mountain he can see from the mount behind our home. We searched online for a trail or track that would take us up and finally found one that should take around three hours each direction. So we started prepping for this adventure by hiking our hill behind the house regularly, long bike rides to the next town over and a short 5 hour hike to a bunker/castle ruin in our town. The short hike was a near fail because of poor planning on water supply so lesson learned but overall not too bad. Pictures below are from this short hike. The 12 mile bike rides helped improve overall fitness but no major hills to challenge our upward momentum. And the path behind the house we have taken dozens of times and it helped but with all good plans and prep somethings are bound to go downhill eventually. Our nephew was visiting from Michigan and decided to brave the climb with us so we picked a day when the weather was clear and mild, a warm high of 77 F by midday. We started our ascent at 9 am with plans to be down by 3ish. We started on the trail head found online and about ten minutes in found that the trail had red markers on various rocks as we went a long so that was amazing. We made it about to 4550 ft by 11 am with a few water breaks but overall still going well. About 40 minutes in we ran in to a guy going down that said there was a small group ahead of us by about 15 minutes so we caught up enough to keep them in our line of sight but lost them and the trail, the trail we had mapped indicated a right turn to go around the side we were facing then ascend further but we could see the top from this position. So my eager husband wanted to make a straight bee line for the top but at this point we had literally spent the last 20 minutes climbing the side of the mountain and my nephew and I were still catching our breath. I love my husband but he can be a bit of an overachiever if the task is close. So he convinced my nephew to go straight up with him and I to follow at a much slower crawl. They reached the summit about an hour and half later and I took a slightly different path to the right hoping to catch eye of the trail but only to crawl up via rock and long grass to a small summit two and half hours later. The small group that we lost sight of came up the trail but did my husband ask about where said trail was, no because we make our own, famous last words from my husband. We knew my ability to descend was was going to be a challenge due to the shear side we crawled up and my handicap of ankle instability on flat ground so we sent my nephew ahead of us so he didn't have to keep with my slow pace. My attempt to walk down just behind my husband was short as my pace and his varied significantly. My best and less dangerous way down was crab walking or sliding on my tush. This was very time consuming and terribly humiliating to see my husband bound down the side only sliding a little but otherwise not phased. About 20 minutes in to my crab walk down the side I see the small group come casually walking down from the side we were suppose to originally take, frustrating to know that there was an easier way but I kept going. We did make it down and I only took one hard fall that included a sharp rock to the right kidney that did take my breath away. It was super challenging climbing down and we lost the trail a bit so it took a while to get back on track to get down. Overall the views were stunning, the climb was exhausting, lost one of two car keys, we just made it down before the sunset, and my husband has now banished me from all trails leading up. For me I was proud that I have added summit a mountain to my list of accomplishments. So when you visit my husband can take to you on any trail while I will be at base camp with water and food on your return. Cheers to childhood dream realized. P.S. Thanks Paige for the pant recommendations they held up well while sliding down the side of the mountain.

We had a busy few weeks prepping the vineyard and garden for spring planting and capturing some additional footage of the surrounding areas. Starting a new series to highlight the north otherwise known as the Malësi e Madhe, translation literally is Big Mountains. We will run the series each season to highlight the progression of the vibrant colors. Winter is still stunning but very brown. First in the series is a small neighborhood, Pjetroshan, our brother-in-law and his family are from this area. We are still looking for donors or partners to support the Stock the Library project. To find out how you can help: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/post/bajze-library-and-school-project The playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNFEwIe8QvbpQGnC9rYnO1jcm3PVoPI0z

We recently started gathering aerial footage of our little town and this video highlights the natural springs that border the lands or are part of the lake. The Pelican Eye's are a popular fishing spot for all local fisherman and the Black Eye is very serene and peaceful spot off the coast line of Bajze with Lake Shkoder. We are considering a new kayak just to explore more of the lake, if you have any brand recommendations please comment below.

We had a beautiful bright sunny day after a lot of rainy dreary days. Little progress made in the garden this week due to the rain but what we have planted has started to grow and our fruit trees are starting to blossom. March into April will be spectacular for new blooms and hiking. Be sure to subscribe to Homestead Albania for the latest news and updates. Our mission project for 2020 is stock to the local school library with new books and they are currently floating our way. If you want to find out more click the link below: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

Update here in Albania, the status in the major cities are still red zones with strict curfew hours for pedestrian movements. Saturday and Sunday pedestrian movements were restricted entirely as an attempt to flatten the curve. According to a recent news release, this is where we, Albania, stands. "Thirteen new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Albania, bringing the total number of infected people to 89. Eight of the patients who tested positive live in Tirana, one in Kavaja, one in Durres, and three in Korca. All of the patients had been in contact with other infected people. So far, tests have been conducted on 804 people. Out of the total of 43 hospitalized patients, four are in intensive care, though none require ventilator machines for the moment. The rest of the patients remain in stable condition. According to the Ministry of Health, 59 percent of the infected patients are men, and 41 percent are women, while the average age of those infected is 48, and for those hospitalized is 54. The Ministry of Health also announced that three patients who tested positive for the coronavirus in Albania are now cured. However, they will have to be quarantined at home for 14 days. Currently, there are 63 cases in Tirana, eight in Fier, six in Durres, two in Lushnja, two in Elbasan, two in Rrogozhina, three in Korca, and three in Kavaja." We are located in the far northern district of the country and have no known positive cases in our region to date. So we acknowledge the efforts the local and national governments are taking seem extreme to some, but it is saving lives by prevention of spreading to the rural regions of the country, which are predominantly populated by people over the age of 60. Art and I have taken this time to work on the list of projects we made during the winter months. A new trellis made to support a thick section of vines, and the start of a carport structure to provide shade for the car during our sunshine fueled summers. Additional tree grafting in and around the garden. What is grafting? Grafting and budding are horticultural techniques used to join parts from two or more plants so that they appear to grow as a single plant. In grafting, the upper part (scion) of one plant grows on the root system (rootstock) of another plant. In the budding process, a bud is taken from one plant and grown on another. We have several wild trees and domestic trees. We are trying different combinations. We plan to do a how-to tutorial later this spring after we can show the outcome of a few that were successfully grafted. One combo is quince with a pear. Time will tell if it takes. We are also attempting to graft some wild figs, pear, and plum trees on the hill behind the house. We are still fundraising support for the local library. The donated books were shipped mid March from the US to Albania. If you like to find out more please checkout our page: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary