planting these ones . . .

I normally don't respond to mail campaigns for donations.  I am a little, really a lot, skeptic that even a dime goes to the actual cause.  But a few weeks ago I got a letter from the Arbor Foundation that wanted a minimal donation of only eight dollars.  Even when they are minimal like that, I don't respond.  I like helping people or organizations out where I can see where the money has helped them, not being used to pay a WHOLE bunch of people who sit behind a desk to solicit more funds.

On this occasion they send me 10 flowering trees and 2 Lilac bushes.  I had dug the holes on Friday to plan out where I wanted to see some beautiful foliage in the future, then yesterday some of the children and I went about planting them.  Since it was a warm day, they went barefoot, AND got to dig in the dirt!  Does it get any better than that for a child?

 The trees that came were color marked so we were able to tell the difference between them.  And they were really small.  It will be several years before we get to see the fruit (the beautiful spring buds) of planting these ones.  In a week or so I will be receiving the 11 fruit trees I ordered, and the 30 raspberry bushes that will be adorning the small patch of woods next to the house.  I am excited to get, and plant them.

more farm skills

Since it is now officially spring, we have the great pleasure to get out in the garden and start the planting for this year.  And this year, the peas we planted the other day are going to have a new look.  We cut some branches off the "down" wood in the woods, and then plugged them into the ground for a trellis of sorts.  And a pretty, natural kind of trellis at that!  I love natural looking, functional things.

And to the city slicker, we looked like pros taking the pig into the butcher shop tonight.  To the farmer . . . we looked like what we really are . . . GREEN at it all!

Our pig reached the grand scale weight of about 344 lbs so it was time to take him to the market.  That weight, plus I had already put close to $250 worth of feed in him.  The trip to the butcher shop started the other day with putting a hitch on the van.  Which  didn't work.  So we "phoned and friend" who helped us out with his truck.  Along with the borrowed truck, and the borrowed trailer, we coaxed the pig to the end of the barn, and with lots of help, and using some old futon bed frames, got him in the trailer with relative ease.  I was quite impressed with the children and their help.

For those that want to know how to weigh a pig that you can't actually pick up, you simple follow the string (or flexible tape measure) method.  Measure the distance from between the ears to the tail.  Then measure around the heart girth right behind the front legs.  Multiply the hearth girth, times the heart girth, times the length and divide by four hundred.  For example, if the measurement of your pigs length is 53, and the heart girth is 48, then the math would look like this . . . 48 x 48 x 53 = 122,112.  Then divide that number by 400. It goes like this . . . 122,112 / 400 = 305.28  At that point, you can estimate that your pig weighs around 300lbs!  Once you get over 300 lbs, this way tends to over estimate the weight by a few pounds.  As well, if the pig is under 50 lbs, it will tend to underestimate the weight a slight bit.

All this to say that we will have some choice cut pork in the freezer in the next couple of days that averaged us around $1.74 a pound, and a whole new set of farm skills.

growing food in hard times . . .

My newest art venture is the barn quilt I am working on for my barn.  I have always been fascinated with quilting patterns, and have done several projects in and outside the classroom with designs notable on quilts.  This one is a 4' x 5' piece of plywood that was on the property when we moved here.  It was one of two signs that advertised the family's antique and dried flower business.  The other sign I used as a giant chalkboard in front of the farm to write notes on.  The design on this sign has a pattern on a 4' x 4' section in the middle of the board.  I added the words BARN on the top and QUILTS on the bottom 6" sections in hopes that I can conjure up some barn art business.  I am hoping that this launches a whole new idea to people of how to display art on the outside of buildings.  Barn Quilts are recognizable art for people who who want to adorn their barn with art. To me, that is just the start!

 Today we started the groundwork for two new sections for the garden.  I first started by putting some recycled concrete in places to mark out the garden spot.  Next, I mowed it down as far as could to get most of the grass and weeds clipped off.

 After the mowing was complete, I had the boys help in spreading some of the barn manure on the area; a great way to clean out the barn, and to add matter to the soil to make it more fertile.  My next step is to add some COF materials (complete organic fertilizer) and then we will be ready to plant.  It will be another few weeks before we put anything out but we are getting ready now since the weather is so nice outside.  I am currently reading "Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food In Hard Times" by Steve Solomon and am motivated to try gardening in a different way.

 

 These two new plots adds 3000 more square feet to our garden.  In total, this year we will try to keep up on 9000 square feet of garden space.

new items . . .

Finished activities around the farm.  A list form of all the new items.

• I am now on Spring Break (yeah I get to do homestead stuff)
• The puppies are ready to find new homes. (one is gone already and we are going to keep one)
• Spring has sprouted
• I have trimmed and sprayed the fruit trees
• Purchased and am "walking on" red clover and tall fescue on the pastures
• The patio is set up to use again
• Cleaned out the garage
• Multi-purposed the butchering table as my Etsy shipping table
• Tilled and planted strawberries

This week I am expecting to do a myriad of jobs to shake off the winter look from the farm.  It's Spring now!

fun with friends . . . and animals

Miss Leisa is now on holiday and visiting us here at Foutfolk Farm.  About a month ago we were chatting through our mutual online connections, and she mentioned that she was due for a holiday soon.  Naturally, I told her that she should make it up to stay for a spell.  So, she took me up on the offer!

It had been a year and a half since her last visit with us here, and this was the first time to our new homestead.  The first few days we showed her around the place.  And since it is cold and wet outside now, we are all mostly inside staying warm, enjoying our time visiting, resting, and she is learning how to knit. Wool socks!

 On our trip out to the barn, the children decided to see if they could ride the pig.  Now that he is HUGE, around 230lbs, he is able to take the weight of small children.  Even though he didn't really care at all for it.

 In addition to the spectacular pig riding event, she got a close-up look at our new little puppies Floppy had about 6 weeks ago.  In just two short weeks all ten of them will be able to leave the farm to be joined to a new family.  Hopefully we will have an easy time finding a great home for them.

washing all the oil off . . .

So we were on the road, a tiny bit late for the Ohio Music Education Association's District 1 High School Solo and Ensemble Event and we ended up with a flat.  After slowing down considerably, Nolan yells from the back that it is coming from the rear passenger wheel well.  I pull over, get out of the van, and indeed . . .a flat.  Mind you that Nolan is supposed to be playing his piece in front of a judge at 10:30 and it is currently 10:15 with about 8 miles to get to the competition.  So he and I get out to change a tire.  It was a good thing that Nolan had previously wanted to learn how to change a tire on the vehicles.  He already had practice changing tires on the Gator, but felt like he needed to change one on the van or car since he drives quite a bit by himself now.

Since we had never used the spare in the 11 years we have owned that vehicle, I was not sure how to get it out from under the van.  After laying on my back on the freezing cold country road, and not having brought my gloves (because we were going to be inside all day) Nolan came up with the idea to get the manual out.  I was glad!  My stomach and neck muscles were tired from holding my head up from the rocks and the ice on the road.

Skip forward to our arrival at the competition.  Back on the road a fellow stopped to see if we needed help.  It was a great help because he let us use his cell phone to call the children's piano teacher who was a little concerned where we were.  So we arrive, Nolan and I get into the bathroom to wash all the oil and grime off our hands and arms, and we all proceed to find room 123.  When we get there, a note advises us that the piano solos have been moved to a different building.  Scurrying as fast as we could for eight of us, we make it to the auditorium where we are to be, and walk in as quietly as possible.  And it was really quiet in there!  Altogether, there were about 20 people, a judge and his helper, and a big, black Baldwin grand piano on the sparse stage.  After a little conversation, Nolan was given the chance to "make-up" his missed time slot.  And he was given the chance to do it right then!  And he still had his coat on.  :)

After taking off his coat, he squeaked across the lonesome stage and sat for his performance.  After a couple of scales, the judge told him to play his piece when he was ready.  He took a breath, and then played L'Orage (The Storm) by Friedrich Burgmuller. Here is his home, candid version of the piece.

another birthday celebration . . .

Today is Ildi's birthday.  Today is the BIG  . . . no it is not the big . . . it's just another year added to all the rest. :)

Birthdays, as you get older, change. They usually don't carry the same excitement they once did.  In fact, some people dread them!  The older you get, the more they are a reminder of our finite life here on earth.  The fact that we are all slowly dying.  In some ways, the can actually be depressing.

The older you get, and however uneventful and depressing a birthday celebration can be, it is still a day to celebrate the birth of a wife, a mother, a friend, and a child of God.  It is time to reflect on the purpose of our existence.  A time to "count" our blessings.  And not one by one.  But by thousands!  Celebrating a birthday should include the understanding that we were formed with His pleasure in mind.  That we were fashioned to His liking, and He is pleased with us.  That we were born for a reason.  Our prayer, and yours I hope, is for Ildi to find peace in His kindness for her, love in her heart for His people, and contentment with His plan for her life.  With love and God's grace, Happy Birthday to you!

 

a cord of wood . . .

This morning it is dark outside, and dark in the house.  It was a little warmer than usual for chores, and Asher went back up to bed not feeling well.  I lit a couple of candles liking the glow and the mood that it sets for the morning.  Quite, calm, pondering.
Macy made it up early this morning.  She's cuddled up in the rocker reading a book.  Nolan is just finished eating breakfast and is on his way out the door to do horse chores at "the barn."  Each day he has a part time job feeding and training horses in the morning at a local horse boarding farm.  He's starting the endless road most of us started years ago with work.  It is good for him.
I put another few pieces of wood in the stove already.  Now I am just waiting for them to catch.  I'm behind on wood being cut, and we still have a few weeks of cold weather ahead of us, so I bought some wood.  Today a fellow is going to be bringing over a cord of wood.  It's funny how years ago I had no idea about "cords" of wood.  No idea about how much wood that actually was.  Now, I am VERY familiar with it, and actually depend on knowing that kind of information when purchasing it.  I bought it because it's a whole lot cheaper to buy and burn than propane.  And even though we heat mostly with wood, I still had to buy propane this year.
Today is going to be a slow day.  A restful day.  I can feel it already. (besides the cord I will have to unload and stack later on this afternoon)

a new set . . .

Today I start another 4 day weekend off from school.  In the month of February, the school systems always celebrate President's Day and we get a Monday off around the third week of the month.  In addition to the Monday off, since we had parent conferences this week and stayed late a couple of nights, we get today off as well.  Times like this gives me additional working time to get caught up on all the pending chalkboard orders that I have.  That's what I'll be doing today . . . making hundreds of mini chalkboards. Literally, hundreds!

The majority of the "getting this farm into working order" is over.  Last year, being our first year here at FoUTFoLK FARM, we had tons of cleanup to do since the house and farm sat empty for a long time.  All of the big jobs are done, and now I can focus on some of the details in and around the house.  Since I have a few days home, I am planning on installing the new curtain rods I purchased at the ReStore.  The ReStore is a used furniture/clothes/everything store that sells used and new items.  For the past couple of weeks I have been purchasing new, unfinished curtain rods for the family room, and have gotten some that are stained already for the bedrooms and living room.  Originally, a new set of unfinished 4' rods would be $49.00 including buying all the parts separately.   And I needed two sets of those, and two sets of 8' ones, which are even more, to dress the larger windows in the family room.  Not counting the other rooms in the house.  Fortunately, I was able to find the ones I needed for $14.00 a piece for the 8' ones as an entire set.  Altogether, instead of spending about $232.00 to finish the family room, I was able to get all of what I needed for $44.00.  I love deals like that.

some history together . . .

The other morning while Nolan and I were milking, we somehow got on the conversation about my alarm clock.  He said that it sounded like an "old man" while it buzzed to wake me up.  He said it was a "tired, grumpy sounding noise" like it had spent years telling me to get up and start my day.  It is like the droning voice of my mother saying "boys, get up" for the time that I went to school. :)

And he is right.  It is an old man, like me.  It has been waking me up now for more than 28 years!

I got the alarm when I was back in high school.  I am using my graduation date as the time frame to calculate how long I have had it, but I am sure that I got it before then.  It was probably a Christmas gift even way before then.  And it is hard to believe that it is STILL beckoning me to get up and do what I must do for the day.  More recently, it wakes me up two times now.  Once at 3:00am to put more wood in the cook stove, and then again at 6:00am for milking before I go off to work.

That clock and I have some history together.  It has seen me for years.  It watched me disregard it's message so many time.  In fact, I remember in my unscheduled college days, after staying up most of the night, there were plenty of times I would hit the snooze button every nine minutes till most of the day was past.  WHAT ON EARTH was I thinking?

It has seen me go through the "new" plan for waking up again so many times as well.  Setting my alarm to "wake up early" to spend time reading, praying, or to exercise.  All to no avail.  :(

On more than several occasions I have thought about updating my wake-up call trading it in for a newer model, an alarm clock that looks like it was made in the last ten years!  A cool, functional accessory that sits regally on my night stand that wakes me up to a new day with a new song. 

I think I am going to stick with my trusted companion.  I think we might be able to tough it out for several more years together.  In fact, I have grown quite accustomed to it's grumpy, old voice.