Glorified camping

When the husband was still working, we were in "park housing".  It was one of the perks of the job

and it was great.  Well....since retiring and moving to the farm....we've been "homeless of sorts".  When

we  built the  shop building, we enclosed a corner of it to include the pressure tank for the well, a

shower, stool, shop sink and the washing machine.  We also have a classic 1972 Winnebago motor home.

Since I'm an outside kinda gal....it would be very difficult for me to stay inside of it all day long.  We

 just use it in the evenings to get inside and eat supper and then sleep in it.  And since I'm kinda

frugal....I don't know that I want to pay the electric bill to keep it cool all day long.   It's not the most

 energy efficient thing!  And I'd feel kind of guilty sitting in the cool while the husband is out

working in the 100 + temps we've been having. 






When we have decent tempertures we "live" in the shop building where we've got a queen sized bed,

recliners and a decent sized television as well as the fridge, stove, microwave and freezers.  Life is

pretty good then!  I just have to keep remembering....as I swat flies and sweat....that this is just a part

of the journey.  We lovingly refer to our current lifestyle as "glorified camping"!!


The good news is that the builder thinks that he can get started on our foundation next week!

  Yippee!!!   If we could just see some progress on the house....it sure would make things a little

better!!

Designing the farm house

While driving to the farm, I had noticed this roof a short distance fromt he highway.  I really like the look of it.  It's just a silver metal roof and white siding.  It's the look I can envision for a farm house.   Nothing too precosious or outstanding...just something you'd see on a farm. 

When I had the time one day, I drove by it to get some better pictures and low and behold it's an old church!

I love this look and hopefully our "farm house" will look similar!

More cows!!

Since my last post, we've added to our herd.  We've bought some lovely ladies and their babies.   (They don't understand when I ask them to all pose together! )  We've bought 4 black cows with their calves and 4 charlois mix with their calves and one red cow who is still to calve.

 One of the gals haven't calved yet, so we're anxiously waiting on the Belties and one other. 

We also added a hereford bull to the group.


He was already with some of the cows we bought and he seemed really gentle and a good

price.  We just couldn't resist!

  We chose to purchase from individuals rather than chance purchasing from the sale barn. 

We could see them in the pasture and observe that they were not really wild or mean.  We

certainly don't want that!  Everyone seems as happy as can be just grazing away!   We've

moved them once since they have all been here and they moved very easily from one

pasture to the other.  We didn't really know where we would need gates in this electric

fence, but it's easy to add one when you need one.  It just requires adding  brace posts to

your two gate posts and a handle for your gate wire.  It won't be long before the herd

needs to be moved again to let the pasture grow and eat the previous one down again. 

We've got so much grass this year that we're keeping them off of 3 of the paddocks which

will be cut for hay soon.  We worked out a deal with a local man to cut and bale for us on a

60/40 share.  The cattle are to be rotated around the paddocks when they have eaten the

grass down to a certain height, but it's a little difficult to tell as they don't eat the grass that

is tall and putting on a seed head. 

Hopefull I'll be able to post pictures of a new calf soon and the first one born on the farm!

The Cows have arrived!

Well...it's finally happening!   After 4 years of blood....sweat.....tears and a  LOT of HARD WORK, our dream is coming to fruition!  On the 17th we had two beautiful Belted Galoway cows delivered to the farm.

We should be expecting calves from them both in the next couple of months.  These are such a docile breed.  We can walk right up to them out in the pasture and pet them.  I think they'll make great cows for our farm herd.

You might have noticed the electric fence that they are grazing close to.  We have chosen to use a rotational grazing system.  Our farm is broken up into 5 different paddocks.  The perimeter is standard 5 strand barbed wire fence.  The interior is diveded with the electric fence.  The cows are moved from pasture to pasture as the grass is eaten down.  This allows for newer more tender grass for the cows and should also help with some of the plants being eaten that they wouldn't normally eat.  Some weeds will be eaten when they are young and tender, but not when they get older and tougher.

It's spring and has been in our area for the last couple of weeks.  Last week we received about 3 inches of rain and the grass is showing it.  There is just more grass than those cows can possibly eat. 

We've also purchased 4 more cow/calf pairs as well as another pregnant cow and a bull.  They are to be delivered soon.  I just hope they are all as happy as the Galloways are!

Stay tuned....There's more to come!

MOVING TO THE FARM

Oh my Goodness!!!  It's HAPPENING!!!   WE ARE MOVING TO THE FARM!!!!!

Things have progressed a little faster than we had first anticipated.  We get to move to the farm!  So now comes the dreaded task of packing :(

As I begin this process of packing my life, I stop every so often to think of the things that I have that once belonged to someone I loved.   They have passed from this earth only to leave “things” behind.  But then again maybe not, since I am having wonderful memories of these people…..they have also left these behind.  These memories are for us to enjoy and keep us mindful of who we ourselves are.  We are not just here and now, but we all have a past.  Sometimes good and sometimes bad, but we are a collection of these things.  What we choose to do with these things is up to us.   I have chosen to make  an amalgamation.  I choose to take  all the good things, pile them all together and try to make myself the best person that I can.  Hopefully, any of those who have passed already would be proud of who I am and what I am doing with my life today.   I also hope that after I’m gone and my “things” are left behind, someone also holds them and remembers good memories of me.

Installing Cattle Waterers

Cattle Waterers

As part of putting this farm in to use for cattle, we needed to install three freeze proof waterers. We will

have electric fences separating the place in to five different paddocks as we are planning on utilizing

rotational grazing. That required a backhoe to come and dig the water line. It needs to be approximately

24" deep in our area as that is the freeze line.

First, in the country you've got to find out who has a backhoe

and when they can come. So, after asking around, a name comes up, you ask around about their

reputation and then you give them a call. You have to find out what they charge and if they can do the

job. Then find out when they can come and hopefully they show when they say they will. Before the

digging even started, we located a plastic pipe manufacturing facility that was fairly close (35 miles) and

spoke with them about purchasing 3000 feet of pipe. No problem....they have what we need. So we load

up in the wonderful green and white dump truck (that's another story) and head off to get our pipe. The lines all get dug

and now comes the part of laying out the pipe and gluing them together.  It also helps when you can get your son to come and help!!

 Everything works pretty

good...we have a few snags such as a few of the pipe pieces not fitting snugly enough together to make

a good seal. Somewhere in quality control, they missed these pieces. So....you cut them apart and

reapply the glue and move on down the line. Once the pipes are all laid and a riser attached, then

the insulated tube is dropped over your water pipe to insulate it from freezing.  This tube will meet up with the tank to form a good insulative barrier.


 

Then backfill....

It never hurts to have a dozer around to help with the process!   Work smarter not harder!


Now you're ready to

 build forms for the concrete that will be poured as a base for the waterers.   

After the concrete is dry, remove boards and set the tank in place.  These come with instructions so it's pretty easy.

We had 3 waterers so 3 forms were needed.  They were built to extend past the waterer a bit.

 This gives the cows

something to stand on and keeps the ground from getting muddy and nasty around it.  We had considered mixing our own concrete, but instead decided to call the local concrete company and have a

truck sent out.  We needed 3 yards and that was just too much for us to mix up on our own.  So, now…….concrete is set…..now comes setting the tanks.   The last thing to do after checking for leaks, is to fill in the lines.  That’s when that bulldozer came in real handy!!

First semester of senior year over and in-between seasons

Oh my....if anyone is still reading this, you're probably wondering if I've fallen off the face of the

earth.  Not to worry....I'm still here and have survived the first semester of my senior year in the Early

Education Program.  Whew....it's been busy this last several months.  I've been in a classroom

placement twice this semester for three weeks at a time.  During those placements, we have several

assignments and projects to keep us busy just in case we thought we were in charge of our lives and

time .....ha!   Then came the final two weeks of the semester....we were back in our classroom with our

instructors and then came the finals!  But you know what I realized after they were all done....those

should be the last finals I ever have to take as this next semester is interning and I don't know how you

could give a final over that...but I'd better not give anyone any ideas either!



Now I'm in-between seasons.  I just got finished washing one of my pumpkins that I had used for a fall

decoration.  Then I chunked up what would fit in the pressure cooker and it's doing it's thing right now.

 I hope y'all haven't wasted a good thing like that.  You can use it anywhere pumkin is called for in a

recipe or stir it into soups, cakes or cookie recipes to fortify them.  Pumpkin is one of the super foods!

See the little bowl off to the side.....be sure and save your seeds to replant for the next season.  Wash

them off and let them dry before storing them til spring.  I save old pill bottles to store seeds in.  You

can write on them with a permanent marker so you'll be sure to know what you have next spring!

After you've pressured the pumpkin about 15 minutes, check to see if it's soft enough to scrape from

the rind or peeling.  Scrape it all out and then store in plastic bags, jars or freezer boxes in the freezer.

Uhm um good!

Now that the Thanksgiving decorations are down.....I can begin the Christmas candy and cookie

productions!   Last night I dipped the bon-bons and have started the chocolate dipped ritz crakers with

peanut butter between them.  Tomorrow it will be the rolled sugar cookies and white chocolate dipped

chocolate sandwich cookies!