This Country Life

blog moving

2009-02-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

Check out my new blog-site (and web-site). It should provide me with a much more flexible format.
http://getbusylivin.amillion.us/

Peace

A Day on the Farm

2009-02-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

It's definitely winter on the farm and the poor ducks want to know "Who shrunk the pond?!".

Peace

A Day on the Farm - broody turkey

2009-01-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

One would think that the first part of January wouldn't be a good time to start sitting on and trying to hatch eggs, but one of our heritage Narragansett turkey hens disagrees and has gone broody. As you can see, she has found a great place to lay her eggs and we can easily reach in and take them away from her. (It's a little more difficult to remove HER and put her in the hen house for the night).

Peace

Christmas flower?

2008-12-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

Son number one came through in the flower department again. He got me this plant for Christmas last year from the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. He lost the tag to it and couldn't remember what it was called or even if it bloomed or not. Well, as you can see, it does bloom - beautifully, I might add. But I still don't know what it's called or anything else about it. I'm just calling it my Christmas Flower for now. Any one out there have any clues?

Peace

A Day on the Farm

2008-11-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

In spite of the energy-efficient, passive-solar design , a fire in the wood stove makes the farm house so much more cozy and inviting when it's cold outside. Plus it helps to control the condensation on the windows, which has become a slight problem since we filled in the "pits".

Recently, at least part of every weekend has been spent cutting firewood. The neighbors had about 80 acres of timber stand improvement done, in which all the red oaks over a certain diameter were cut and logged. Of course the loggers just left the tops and a pretty big mess. The neighbors don't burn wood, and told us that we would be doing them a favor if we took what firewood we could get out of it. After the first day of cutting, it became apparent that there is enough wood to get us through several years. We are trying to decide where we are going to stack it all - I'll have to make sure I get a picture when we are done.

We decided it would be nice to have a wood rack inside instead of just have a pile of wood on the floor all winter long, but we couldn't bring ourselves to spend a fortune on one of those fancy racks from a catalog. We talked to another neighbor of ours who has a metal working business, and he made us this very simple rack for a modest price. It was not only affordable, functional, and fits the decor of the farm house; but it was made locally and we can feel good about spending our dollars with a neighbor and supporting our local economy.

Peace and cozy winter days

A Winter Day In the Farm House

2008-11-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

It's winter here in the Ozark Hills and the temperatures outside are testing the green, energy-efficient, passive-solar design of our non-typical farm house. Yesterday's high was 45 o and the temperature inside the house was a steady 70 o. This was without a fire or radiant floor heat (which hasn't even been turned on yet). The only thing maintaining the indoor temperature was the earth contact and the solar gain from the south-facing windows.

Last night we built a small fire in the wood stove and this morning when I got up it was 71 in the house and 15 outside. At 11am the mercury outside has risen to a whopping 17, the fire has gone out, and it is still 70 here in the house.

You just gotta love staying warm when it's freezing cold outside and not spending a dime on heating!

Peace and cozy winter days

A Day on the Farm - like-minded fellows

2008-11-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

We all know cats are terribly curious creatures, but did you know that turkeys are too? Our two heritage Narragansett turkeys have to check everything out - including the cats.

Peace

A Day on the Farm - chicken butchering day

2008-10-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

In April we ordered a straight run of 50 Americanus chickens with the intention of butchering most of the roosters and keeping the hens as layers. There were three main moral convictions that lead to this decision.

First of all, I am concerned by the fact that most Americans are so disconnected from their food. They have no idea where the chicken they are eating came from, what kind of miserable life it had, what kind of perverse "food" it was fed, or what drugs were pumped into it to keep it alive in it's stressful, overcrowded, sun-and-grass-deprived environment. If I am going to eat meat, I feel I should at least know that the animal had a natural, low-stress life with access to sunshine and grass. Better yet, I should have a real connection with that animal - I should nurture and care for it and ensure that it has a peaceful life and a quick and quiet death.

Second, I like to know exactly what I am eating and to know that it is healthy food. I want quality, organic, natural meat - not meat pumped full of pesticides and antibiotics.

Finally, I am a converted localvore. I believe in eating local foods that have not been shipped 1,500 miles to get to my plate. Americans consume an unbelievable amount of fossil fuel just transporting food. It's bad for the environment, it's adds to our country's dependence on foreign oil, and the quality of our food suffers.

By raising and butchering our own chickens, we can live more in keeping with these beliefs. Our birds have been free ranged with access to plenty of sunshine, grass and bugs. They have had a low-stress, natural, local existence and they will be organic, healthy food for us.

Well, yesterday was the big day. The long-awaited (and somewhat dreaded) "chicken butchering day" on the farm. The 22 roosters running around picking on each other and on all of the hens had gotten to be enough. It was time to move some of them from the yard to the freezer.

We got up at 6 am so we could quietly take one bird at a time from the roost and make their last few moments as quiet and trauma-free as possible. By the time the sun started coming up we had 10 headless roosters hanging from the clothesline. It took us the rest of the day to butcher them and prepare the meat for the freezer. I have to say, it was A LOT of work and I am exhausted - physically, mentally, and emotionally. But we have chicken in the freezer and I know we can do it again if we need to (although DH says if he has to do it every year, he's going to become a vegetarian).

I have included some pictures of the event. Quite a redneck hillbilly looking yard, eh?

Peace

A Day on the Farm - pond fishing

2008-10-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

"Quick! Get the camera!" is an phrase occasionally heard around the farm. I usually hear it when I'm busy in the garden or hen house. Whatever I happen to be doing, I drop it to grab the camera and document the latest "monster" caught from our pond. I don't really mind doing my part to prove that there are BIG fish living in there and that my husband is a superb fisherman, but just once I'd like to hear "Quick! Get the fillet knife!".

Peace

A Day on the Farm - cat in the hen house

2008-10-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Cash the cat spent the night in the hen house. Not sure what he was doing in there - sleeping maybe? I might have to start checking before I shut the doors in the evenings.

Peace

A Day on the Farm - Beans & Amaranth

2008-10-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

We had great success with beans this year. We planted three heirloom varieties; Contender (an excellent green bush-type), Molly Frazier's Cut Short (a pole bean for drying), and Elvie (a bush bean that also dries well). I'll try to post pictures of the dried beans later.

We also had good success with Amaranth, which we did not plant, but voluntarily came up from last year. I had planed on harvesting the grains and making flour from it last year, but the flood prevented that from happening. This year, we have been so busy harvesting and storing other crops, that I decided to just cut it and give it to the chickens. I gave them a little of it and dried the rest to feed them during the winter. It might help a little with the organic feed bill!

Peace

Stocking up for winter

2008-10-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy canning. I know that sounds pretty lame and geeky, but it's true. Besides being in the kitchen and cooking, I love the feeling of satisfaction and security I get from putting food up for the winter. Just looking at those jars and thinking about all the meals they will provide makes me feel warm and fuzzy. And I feel even better knowing that I grew that food myself. The whole process of taking a seed and turning it into great-tasting, nutritious, stored food makes me feel like I have really accomplished something real and meaningful.

Here are some pictures of the fruits of my labor.

Peace

The Pits are finally filled in!

2008-10-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

In our quest to live a self-sufficient life, we have always planned on building a green house. After all, if you want to be self-reliant, you need to be able to grow your own food in the winter too. We knew that the green house project would have to take a back seat to building the house, so when we designed our passive solar "green" home we decided to build in planter beds across the south side.

Well, we followed this plan, and after we poured the concrete in July of '07, there were two 24"-deep holes in the floor measuring 2 feet by 14 feet. The remainder of the house went up around these gaping holes and when we moved into the house in December of '07 they were still there. These holes became know as The Pits and "Don't fall in the pit" quickly became an often-spoken warning to all quests (and sometimes a caution to each other on a Friday or Saturday night after a beer or two).

We lived with The Pits for almost 10 months, but I am pleased to announce that they are now filled with soil (thanks to the help of our daughter and Neighbor Jim). Not only are they filled in, but they have plants in them. Yesterday I transplanted a couple of volunteer tomatoes and some herbs into them, and I will soon be starting some lettuce seeds. This means we may actually have fresh tomatoes and lettuce over the winter. Can you imagine?!

Peace

PRGN

2008-09-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce that my English Shepherd, Trailer, received his Permanent heRding Guarding huNting Certification from the American Working Farmcollie Association! That means that he has shown proficiency in all three areas. Yea!

Peace

Guinea chicks

2008-09-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago one of our guineas stooped coming to roost at night. In fact, we thought we had lost her until we noticed all 5 guineas in the field one afternoon. But that night and most of the next day we only counted 4. We realized that she was on a nest somewhere and was only joining the other birds for short periods to eat and drink.

We spent the next several days searching for her nest and finally found it in the sticker brush that had grown up in the round pen. In the nest were 18 eggs! Thankfully only 13 of the ping-pong-sized fuzz-balls hatched.

After they hatched, we decided to herd mother and chicks into the garden so they would be safe from predators. That's when we discovered that it takes a village of guineas to raise guinea chicks, not just a mother hen. When the dogs got too close, the mother would sit on the chicks and the other 4 guineas would attack!

A couple of days later there was an impending big rain event. We decided to catch the mother and all 13 chicks and lock them in one side of the hen house. After witnessing how they attacked the dogs, we planned our mission for early in the morning when the other 4 adults were still locked in the hen house and the mother was asleep. After holding a squawking bird trying to peck me, and DH scurrying around catching fuzz-balls for about half an hour, our mission was finally a success. All of the guineas - chicks and adults - were safely locked up on one side of the hen house. And there they will stay until we figure out what to do with all of them and/or they get much bigger.

Peace

More flowers

2008-09-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

My last blog - which was ages ago - was about the lack of flowers/perennials on our homestead.

Well, I stand corrected. Even though no human had planted any flowering perennials, Mother Nature had it covered. She is now showing off and making my new rose look small and unimpressive in comparison to her plantings along the spring branch (which just stopped flowing this past week, and hopefully will start again after the rain we are supposed to get from Gustav).

Peace and flowers

Flowers on the farm

2008-07-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

Usually when you purchase a property that someone has lived on for several years there are some established perennials. Daffodils, forsythia, lilac, tulips, or something. This was not the case with our property. There was not one single flowering (or non -flowering) perennial on the place. So when Mother's Day rolled around this year and the kids asked me what I wanted, I told them flowering perennials. Well, the oldest came through for me. He got me a really nice climbing rose and helped plant it by the garden gate. Now it is in full bloom and looks beautiful! I smile every time I look at it. Somehow, it makes the farm seem even more like home. Maybe because my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother always had lots of flowers in their yards and always took such pride in them. I guess that's why it was so important to me. It's not just the beauty of the plants themselves - it's the sense of tradition and home that I associate with them. Sometimes a rose is not just a rose...

Peace

Ducks to Water

2008-07-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Whoever came up with the saying "took to it like a duck to water" obviously didn't have Indian Runner Ducks. Yesterday we decided to "release" the ducks and let them free-range during the day so they could swim in the pond, eat bugs and grass, and do regular duck stuff.
I had envisioned them going right into the water and happily splashing around first thing. Well, that was not the case. When they discovered the water, they acted like they were afraid of it. They ran back and forth along the bank quacking nervously for 15 minutes before they would even drink from the pond. Then, when one accidentally wadded out too far, lost it's balance and had to SWIM, it absolutely panicked and flopped around for several seconds before it realized that it could float. This caused all of them to panic and run away from the water. Seriously! It took them an hour before they were all in the pond and then they never got more than 5 feet from the bank.
Only we could raise ducks that are afraid of the water!

Peace and happy swimming

copperheads!

2008-06-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Since moving to the farm we have run across 4 copperheads. By nature, I am a "live and let live" type of person and I enjoy most snakes and realize their usefulness. But when it comes to venomous varieties, my opinion changes. They are not welcome to live anywhere near my house, barn, pond, or pastures, and they will be dispatched of.
As of Monday night I have validation in my prejudice against them - a $300 vet bill and a sleepless night!
The evening started as any other. Trailer helped me with the farm chores and Barry and I went in to eat dinner. When I came out to shut the chickens in, I noticed that Trailer was holding his left hind leg up and it was swollen on the inner lower joint. He seemed fine otherwise and I couldn't find anything obviously wrong - I didn't feel any breaks or see any lacerations. I went back inside for awhile and decided to check on him before I went to bed.
When I came back out a mere thirty minutes later, he was curled up in a corner in obvious distress. His entire leg was swollen, he was lethargic, his breathing was labored, and he wouldn't get up.
I immediately suspected a copperhead bite and called the on-call vet. Of course they told me to bring him in since he was lethargic and having difficulty breathing. By the time I got there, it was midnight. In spite of his pain, Trailer wagged his tail and greeted all the staff when they approached him. But when it was just the two of us waiting in the room to see the vet, he just wanted me to hold and comfort him. I sat in the floor and he laid his head on my lap. Of course the vet wanted to take x-rays in case it was a break. Of course I let him. Of course there were no broken bones and the x-rays cost me an extra $100.
By the time I got home with my heavily-sedated, totally limp, 50lb dog, it was after 2am. I didn't want to try lifting him out of the crate so I left him in the car with the windows rolled down and got up every hour or so to check on him.
He spent about 24 hours sleeping and laying around and since then I've been trying to keep him quite and clam per the vet's instructions. Yeah, RIGHT!
I'm trying to keep him crated as much as possible and he isn't happy about it. He would rather run around doing all the stuff he normally does, dragging his balloon leg behind him. The vet said he needs to rest for at lease a week - it's gonna be a long week for both of us!

Peace

Here is a pic of my normal "happy dog", and a pic of my right now "sad dog"

2008-06-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Cats always seem to find peculiar places to sleep - like in your market basket on top of the refrigerator.

What a good barn cat!

2008-06-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

While making my way through morning farm chores today I came across a surprise left for me by Cash. A very LARGE, dead rat! This rat wasn't your normal small field rat with a short tail, but a big, fat long-tailed rat! Needless to say, I was very impressed. What a good barn cat! Our temporary feline is almost earning his way around here.

Peace and good hunting!

100 birds

2008-05-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Last week we picked up 32 Indian Runner ducklings from the post office, and yesterday we picked up 51 Araucanas chicks and 3 Narragansett turkey poults. Add those to our 5 hens, 8 Guineas, and 1 Cockatiel and we have exactly 100 foul! Right now most of them are very small balls of fluff, but I know how quickly they grow! Soon we will have birds all over the place... My oldest son will be so proud!

2008-05-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Four weeks ago I bought two raspberry plants at Baker Creek. One of them had several leaves on it but the other hadn't started leafing out - it was just a stick. After two weeks, it finally had one leaf on it. The day after I had noticed the leaf, I was leaving for work and happened to glance over and see that the entire plant was GONE. I jumped out of the car and began looking around to see if I could figure out what had happened to it. Guess where I found it - lying up by the house in Trailer's pile! My dog is somewhat of a kleptomaniac, he collects bones, sticks, antlers, shoes, and all kinds of things. Apparently, my raspberry plant with it's one leaf looked like a fine stick to be added to his collection. I chastised the dog, picked it up, and re-planted it, but - needless to say - it is minus it's one leaf. It's back to plain stick status. I hope the poor thing comes out of it.

Peace, healthy plants and obedient dogs...

Farm-pond Fishing and Dogs

2008-04-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what goes through a dog's brain? I mean, I realize they don't "think" like humans do, but sometimes you can just see the wheels turning in there.
My husband has been doing a little top-water fishing in the pond lately and my English Shepherd, Trailer, is enthralled! He stays right beside him, watching his every move. At first, he was mildly interested in the casting and reeling in of the tackle ("What is that? What are you doing? Why does it come back to you?"), but after that first large-mouth bass came splashing in, he became obsessive ("What the #@%% is that?! It smells funny! Can I eat it? Just a nibble?"). Now he sits and watches and the look on his face when the lure comes in without a fish attached is hilarious! He looks at the lure, then at my husband, then out in the pond ("Where's the fish?! Why didn't you bring one in?"). When a fish is released (which they all are so they can "grow bigger and reproduce") he wades out and looks for them. I guess you could say he is totally hooked on fishing now! LOL
Farm-pond fishing is great - relaxing for my studly, hard-working,house-building, farm dude, and entertaining for me and the dogs.

Peace and happy fishing...

We have outdoor living space!

2008-04-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Gone are the two concrete blocks for steps and the ugly rock and clay-covered space out my front door! They have been replaced with a beautiful, awesome deck! In keeping with our "good-for-us" as well as "good-for-the-environment" theme for this house, we steered away from treated wood as much as possible. Although we did use some CCA-treated posts, most of the deck is Douglas fir, and boy is it pretty! We counter-sank the screws and plugged the holes, and sealed the whole thing this past weekend.
Take a look!

Peace and happy outdoor living!

Tastes like chicken - eggs

2008-04-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Actually, guinea egg yolks taste creamier than chicken eggs; and they sure are cute!

2008-04-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some happenings around the farm:

1) The spring garden is in and the bedding plants are started. We have lettuce, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, turnips, carrots, peas, and kohlrabi up outside; and tomatoes, lemongrass, and peppers up inside.

2) Our sons cat, Cassius Clay (aka Cash) has moved into our barn and all the animals are adjusting. You gotta love 24 year-olds working on their masters programs...

3) The hens and guineas have intensified their egg-laying efforts and we are getting lots of eggs. Guinea eggs are SO CUTE!

4) Trailer, my English Shepherd, and I attended a herding clinic this past weekend with Bruce Nelson and we now have an inkling of what we are doing. Trailer showed a lot of driving instinct, but that may be due to the fact that he wanted to be close to me. I discovered that it was impossible to get him to gather if I was looking at him - all he would do was look back at me. But when I looked at the sheep and focused my attention on them, he would fetch them to me. I was also amazed at how easily he called off. All it took was an "ack" when he got too excited, and he would stop and look at me. Crazy, biddable dog!

Peace and warm spring days!

2008-03-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about spring is the sound of spring peepers. Although I have never seen one, I hear them every spring and have been listening to them for the past couple of weeks. The sound of them fills me with hope and anticipation for the coming warming of the earth. They call out in the cold dampness of March, seeking the company of a mate. Some mornings it seems too cold for such a little amphibian to be moving around, yet they continue to sing. They have such faith, such certainty that spring is just around the corner. It's almost as if these small creatures have winter on the run with their joyous awakening and search for companionship. As I listen to the peepers sing in the early mornings and late evenings, their optimism and enthusiasm seeps into my psyche. Their joy for life is contagious, and I can't help but feel it too.

Peace

2008-02-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I took my English Shepherd, Trailer, to a local herding instructor and he had his first exposure to sheep. My sister and her 3 year old Aussie, Izzy, went with us.
A man and his two boys were there buying some sheep and we spent a couple of hours waiting while sheep were sorted and loaded. Trailer was intensely interested in the two boys and all of the other dogs, and somewhat interested in the sheep. Izzy, on the other hand, was ALL ABOUT those sheep! She barked and whined the entire time we were waiting.
When the instructor took Trailer into the round pen with a few of the sheep, he didn't seem very interested. He was more worried about what all the other dogs were doing. After a few minutes, she let him and the sheep out into a larger pen with one of her Aussies. The Aussie began gathering the sheep and running circles around them. This got Trailer interested and he began running in circles around them also. The Aussie didn't listen very well and he would occasionally cut a single sheep from the herd. Trailer just kept circling the rest of them and making sure they stayed together in that spot. He kept looking at me to make sure what he was doing was okay, and when I called him off he came right to me. All of the other dogs had to be tied when it wasn't their turn to work but Trailer sat right by my side and watched as the other dogs worked.
When it was Izzy's turn the instructor had to spend several minutes just getting her settled down, but afterwards she did really well. Unlike Trailer, she wasn't interested in anything else BUT the sheep. I could really see the difference in the breeds. I'm so glad my dog has that ES "off switch".
We are taking the dogs to a herding clinic the first part of April and will start regular herding lessons after in a few weeks. I'm really looking forward to it, I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Peace

2008-02-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

Another ice storm last week - and another on the way tomorrow... I sure would like a great big snow instead!
Because of the cold and hard-to-get-around-in weather we have endured, I have had the time to accomplish several things in preparation for spring.

The garden is planned and all the seeds are in-hand, ready to plant at the appropriate times.

Several food-producing parenials are ordered and soon to be on their way. We will be adding asperagus, Edelweiss grapes, 3 more blueberry bushes, and 3 varieties of heirloom apple trees (Liberty, Spitzenburg, and Cox's Orange Pippin).

50 Araucanas chicks and 3 Narraguset turkeys will be delivered on May 6th. We will keep the hens as layers, butcher the roosters, and either butcher the turkeys or keep them as breeding stock.

Finally, I have started herding lessons with Trailer, our English Shepherd, so that when we get goats or sheep he (and, more importantly, I) will be more prepared to handle them. He had his first exposure to sheep last Saturday and did relatively
well.

When the weather changes, I'll be ready!
Peace out

2008-02-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Groundhog Day has come and passed and we've had a couple of days around 70 degrees - spring MUST be just around the corner. Just to prove that point, this brave little weed popped it's head up and came into bloom! What could possibly herald the coming of spring better than a Dandalion?

Wishing you peace and a forth-coming spring season.

2008-01-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

Flies in the middle of winter?!?!?!?!

Yep. We have been inundated with swarms of the nasty little creatures every day the sun shines!

After much head scratching, the fly swatter coming out, hundreds of fly carcases being vacuumed up, a box and fly strips, and a little research; we finally decided that they were laying eggs on the windows. When the sun was shining, it was warming the glass up enough for them to hatch out.

This weekend I cleaned all of the windows. We will see if that solves the problem. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I thought you might enjoy a visual - my 9 year old nephew said that they were "actually kind of decorative".

Peace

2008-01-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

The past year has in the Ozarks has been filled with wild and devastating weather. Less than a year ago we had an incredible ice storm that shut the area down and left homes and businesses without power for two weeks. Over the summer we experienced several heavy rains and flash floods around Joplin and one in Webster county that I personally will never forget. Last night wave after wave of tornadoes and severe storms with hail and heavy rain - and, yes, flooding - swept through this neck of the woods. What next? I'm ready for some boring, quiet weather. Unfortunately, I think I like in the wrong part of the country for that. The saying goes that 'if you don't like the weather around here, stick around, it'll change'.

2007-12-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

Good bye 2007! (And good riddance!)

Peace out

2007-12-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

Rule #1: "You couldn't be a homesteader if you didn't know something about plumbing"

That is a direct quote from my homesteader hubby on the morning of Christmas Eve while we were repairing the pipe that had frozen and busted. We awoke to discover that we didn't have running water (oh no! not again!). We immediately went to the well house - the pump was running but the pressure tanks weren't filling up. We let it keep pumping thinking that it just needed more time. A couple of hours latter my DH remembered that we had just caped off the water line to the mobile home after the flood. It was sticking out of the ground about two feet without any kind of insulation to protect it from freezing and, sure enough, it had frozen and busted. The cap had blown off and was no where to be seen. The PVC pipe was shattered about 12inches down and into the first connection. DUH! We quickly shut off the water, scrounged up PVC pipe and connectors, and caped it off again. Only this time we put a 5 gallon bucket with bat insulation over it!

I'm SO GLAD my hubby is such a pack rat! After 20 years of him collecting free or cheap pipe fittings, insulation, electrical ends and odds, etc., we have been able to go to the barn and find things we need these past few weeks without driving to the hardware store. Which brings up rule #2: "You can't be a homesteader if you aren't a pack rat" - you have to hang on to those things that "might be useful for something in the future.

Peace and happy belated solstice

2007-12-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

And then there was fire!

After much research and debate, we settled on a Jotul wood stove with a cook top, and what a difference it has made. Of course when the sun is shining the house really warms up, but the stove gets us to a toasty 67 or so. My DH and our dear carpenter friend installed it last week and a salesman who frequents the shop gave us some firewood to get us by until we can cut some (what a great guy!). All this happened just in time for the first snow storm of the season! What luck!

Counter tops are being installed this Friday so I will be doing my holiday baking and making gifts this weekend. I don't like waiting until the last minute, but I thought I'd wait until I had counter tops.

Peace

2007-12-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Now that we are moved into the house I have started my search for the ideal wood cook/heat stove. I think a fire on these cold winter nights will make the house seem more like home - even though it will be a while before it's completed. I guess I'd better add wood cutting to my list of to-do's!

2007-12-03T11:56:00.001-08:00

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

1. Physiological Needs
These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, including the need for water, air, food, and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.
2. Security Needs
These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include shelter from the environment, a desire for steady employment, health insurance, and safe neighborhoods.
3. Social Needs
These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments, and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community, or religious groups.
4. Esteem Needs
After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.
5. Self-actualizing Needs
This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.
Types of Needs
Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in motivating behavior. Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency needs (also known as D-needs), meaning that these needs arise do to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences.

Maslow term the highest-level of the pyramid a growth need (also known as being needs or B-needs). Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is most often displayed as a pyramid, with lowest levels of the pyramid made up of the most basic needs and more complex needs are at the top of the pyramid. Maslow believed that a persons needs on the basic levels needed to be met before they could “move up” and focus on the more complex levels. For example, a person whose basic needs for food, water, and shelter (physiological and safety needs) are not being met cannot think about cultivating friendships or romantic relationships (social and esteem needs).

I have always found Maslow's theory fascinating, and I think this last paragraph is especially relevant. Recently I have been thinking a lot about how applicable it really is when trying to understand human nature and people's behavior. I know that mine and my hubby's behavior has been influenced lately by our physiological needs for water and sleep as well as by our security need for shelter. Your perspective definitely changes when you are deficient in some of these lower level needs.

If you think about it, Malow's theory explains a lot about miscommunication and misunderstandings between people. It's hard enough for people to put themselves in another persons' shoes, but when one of the people involved is focused on a different level of the pyramid than the other person, it becomes almost impossible.

That is why, after my experiences of the last few months, I am vowing to be more empathetic, understanding, and to make sure I am really there and step-up for the people I love when they need me, for as long as they need me.

Peace

2007-11-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

Looking in my bare pantry last night I came to a sad realization. This past growing season was my best ever, yet very little of what I grew was used or put up for the winter. After June 12 (flood day), much of it went unpicked and simply rotted where it grew. This is evidenced in the garden by the brown vines with shriveled tear-drop shaped tomatoes still clinging to them.
After the flood, building the house became the priority and my beautiful garden was neglected.
Well, Spring is not that far away! I think it's time to start planning for the next growing season and dreaming of a full pantry and root cellar next year.

I'm attaching a couple of photos of the garden this past year and one of my current home - a 27 foot travel trailer.

2007-11-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

The weather has turned cold and life in the 27 foot travel trailer has been miserable! Besides the cramped space and the under-insulated walls, when the temperature dips below freezing we don't have running water (the hose freezes). We could run a more permanent water line and bury it, but we are just too close to getting the house to a point where we can move in. The hubby and the concrete guys are staining the floor today, appliances are coming tomorrow, and the propane company is coming Friday to hook us up.
We will probably take up residence this weekend. I don't think my hubby can take anymore. He has been working and worrying himself sick trying to do everything himself and to get it done quickly. I'm right there helping him and I try to stay upbeat and keep him spirit up, but I think he just needs to slow down and take a break from it - physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I'll post pictures when I have a chance.

2007-11-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

The String

I wrap the string tighter and tighter.

Bind it up to hold it together.

What else can I do to keep it from falling apart?

More troubles come.

I pull the string a little tighter.

The bundle that I call my life bulges and threatens to burst loose.

I stretch the string a little further.

How much can it hold?

For how long?

I need more string.

2007-10-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Windows and doors are going in this week! Soon we will be dried in!

I haven't seen any turkey for several weeks. I'm concerned that all the coyotes we have are hurting the turkey population. Hopefully the they are just steering clear of our valley because of the constrution.

The hubby and I laid out both Saturday and Sunday nights (Saturday with a friend and Sunday by ourselves) and watched the meteor shower. It was AWESOME weather and a great show! I love living in the country.

Life is good.

2007-10-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally starting to feel like Fall! It's my favorite time of the year. I love the brisk, damp mornings spent sitting in the tree stand waiting for turkey or deer to come by.

The house is taking shape. You can start to see what's been in my head for the past three years. It's exciting to design a space and see it become reality. The SIPS (structurally insulated panels)go on the roof tomorrow so we will be close to being dried in! Also, the bridge is done!

This past week the dump truck doing the back-filling behind the house broke one of
the water lines. I dug it up with the backhoe and repaired it myself (yea me! It's the first time I've used the backhoe).

The guineas are settling in and starting to lay eggs. They now only make their tremendous racket when they see a new car, person, dog, or anything out-of-the-ordinary (as opposed to every five minutes).

We finally got a shed for the horses. Now I won't worry about my 30 year old mare, Secret, being out in the weather so much.

Peace

2007-08-08T08:26:00.001-07:00

2007-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Building has started! People have always told me that building a house is a very trying experience and that it will put a great strain on a marrage... Those people were correct!
So many decisions to make, so many problems to solve, timing and order of each step to plan for and consider, materials to purchase and pick up, bankers and appraisers to deal with, etc.
On top of all this, we are our own GC and are doing alot of the work ourselves.
Barry has had a hard time dealing with the stress and it has put a strain on our relationship. Things finally came to a head this past Sunday and we had a very productive talk. We decided that we need to take quality time for US and not spend every minute we are together working.
My granma Evelyn died July 3rd. I miss her greatly. We also had to put our dog Rastus down that week. He was almost 19. I got a new pupy Aug 2nd. He is an English Shepherd and should be a great help around the farm.
In spite of all the stress, I am excited about the house. The walls are up and the floor should be poured next week! I am SO READY to get out of the "Barbie travel trailer"! I am attaching several pictures of the building process.

2007-06-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, June 12 th we experienced a flash flood. Although I have spent numerous days canoeing and camping on area rivers, and have seen flash floods first-hand, I was unprepared for how fast the water rose. Here is the story...

The ground was saturated from several small rain events during the past few days. Monday afternoon/evening we received 5 inches of rain. Terrell Branch (our normally dry creek bed) had a few inches of water in it but nothing noteworthy. I remember thinking that I would like to see it come up enough to make the bridge we built start paying for itself. (BIG MISTAKE to tempt the fates with a wish like that!)
I feel asleep to the sound of rain and woke up off and on all night as it continued to rain harder and harder. Around 4 am I looked out the windows and could see the water in the creek - 3 or 4 feet deep now. I told B that we might need to think about moving some stuff up to the barn if it didn't stop raining. I turned on the TV and internet to check radar but it was raining so hard we couldn't get a signal, so I turned on the radio. We were under a flash flood warning with 2 inches of rain falling per hour. Around 5 am I decided to go outside and look at the creek. I didn't get very far out the door before I realized that Terrell Branch was about to come out of its banks and was already 10 feet into the yard.
I ran back into the mobile house and told B that we needed to get some things in the truck and get up to the barn. I was getting worried but figured we had 30 or 45 minutes to get a couple of loads and the animals up to higher ground. B went out to take the skirting off of the trailer so the water could flow under it instead of pushing on it, and I through our financial papers and computers into a laundry basket. Not more than 10 or 15 minutes from the time I had come back into the house, I was carrying the laundry basket out the door and realized that THE WATER WAS ALREADY RUNNING THROUGH THE ENTIRE YARD AND UNDER THE ENTIRE LENGTH TRAILER!
I stepped off the porch into 8 to 10 inches of running water. My worry jumped to extreme concern at this point! I couldn't see B so I began screaming at him to "Come on! Get in the truck! We've got to go NOW!". When he didn't answer my extreme concern became sheer panic! I could envision him loosing his footing and being swept downstream. I screamed louder as I began to go around to the back of the trailer to look for him. I met him coming around the side and by this time the water was coming over the top of my Wellingtons (up to my knees). I told B we needed to get the dogs and cats and get in the f***ing truck NOW! We threw the cats into the cab and the dogs in the bed. I climbed into the bed of the truck I and yelled "GO! GO! GO!".
The amount of time that had passed between my checking the creek and us getting into the truck was not any more than 15 or 20 minutes, yet the water was up to the top of the bumper on our 4x4 Ford F250 and I wasn't sure we were going to make it out.
We did make it and spent the next 3 and 1/2 hours watching as the water rose high enough to push the mobile home off its blocks, break the tie downs, float it 30 feet, smash it into a tree (the tree actually came 3 feet into the living room), sweep away our grill and other outdoor stuff, and then recede back to its banks.
When we got back in, not much had been damaged (besides our home). The tree had saved our belongings from being swept down the creek. With the help of neighbors and friends we were able to get everything out, dried and up to the barn that day.
We spent the next few nights sleeping in the barn before buying a 27 foot travel trailer to live in while we build our house. Construction on the house is going to start SOON!
A couple of people have asked me how I can have such a good attitude about this trauma. All I can say is "It could have been worse". I can't express how fortunate I feel to be alive and to still have those I love. I'm glad we salvaged our belongings, but even if we hadn't, they are just "things". They really don't mean much in the big picture.
"I cannot be discouraged in a world that grows even one blade of grass" - well the grass is sure growing now!

Attached are pics -

2007-05-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Lettuce and spinach and collards, oh my! We are overrun with spring produce. Kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, new zealand spinach, turnips, beets, carrots - all coming out our ears (or somewhere anyway).

We also have broccoli about two feet tall that hasn't begun to flower yet, peas that are blooming and producing like crazy, and - believe it or not - tomatoes that are flowering!

I went to the local farmers market a couple of Saturdays ago and made about $20 on our excess lettuce, spinach and radishes. This week we are blanching and freezing the rest of the greens to make room in the garden for green beans and corn.

I can't believe how big all of our produce is! Looks like we are on our way to stocking up for the winter...

2007-05-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

Life has been too busy lately. Friends and family having surgery, kids graduating, grandparents going into nursing homes, altercations with drug addicts - shakes up the daily grind somewhat. I sure would like to just stay on the farm with my garden and animals!

Besides all of the turmoil, work on the garden and the solar system continues. I thought I'd post some pictures of the progress.

Enjoy the day, you can't get it back after it's over...

2007-02-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

After 6 weeks of cold dreary weather, we finally had a week of spring-like temps! I am SO ready for spring! There are small signs - tiny green blades of grass in the pasture, more eggs in the hen house each day, the rooster chasing the hens around ...
Speaking of the rooster, he and I had it out the other day. I had to kick him several times before he quit coming after me. I'm glad he has been de-spured.
We are very busy right now - planning the garden, getting ready to build the house, setting up the solar system on the barn - but I am looking forward to all the work outside in the spring-time weather that I know is on it's way!

2007-01-26T14:04:00.000-08:00

January the 12th we got hit with a massive ice storm. Power was out to 70% of the Springfield metro area! The shop (work) was without power until January 22nd. Some places still don't have power! We were lucky at home. We only lost power for a few hours - late Friday night through early Saturday morning. We were prepared, though. We had the generator set up, the vehicles fueled, lots of extra gas, food, and alcohol.
Many people were not prepared. The area had gas, kerosene, food and candle shortages for several days. The gas stations that had power quickly ran out of gas. I think the whole ordeal was a dress rehearsal for things to come. This country is heading for some difficult times. We ARE going to run out of oil and/or the power grid is going to fail, and the transition is not going to be a smooth one. It has strengthened my desire to build a house. One that is passive solar and doesn't rely on the grid. We all need to be able to survive on our own. We need to wean ourselves from reliance on civilivation as we now know it, because things as we know them may not be so for much longer...

2006-12-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the snow/ice storm and the well house.

2006-12-04T06:41:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday and Friday we got hit with the first snow/ice storm of the year (actually the first of the past five years). It's given us a chance to experience another aspect of country living. The good news is both our four wheel drive vehicles have been able to make it up and down the hill on the ice. Our neighbors in the valley have not been so lucky. We have witnessed a lot of carnage during there multiple attempts to get out.
Before the five or six inches of sleet/ice and snow we got about two inches of rain. I must admit, I was glad to see it turn to a frozen form - I stayed up all night Thursday checking the creek and worrying about our decision to move the mobile home down by the creek. I think we should start the house this spring for sure!
Saturday we walked up the creek bed and were supprised to find that the main creek was no longer flowing. All of the flow we still had downstream was coming from the spring! We could see in the spring pond where it was coming out of the ground! We are unsure of the property line and are hoping that the fence dissecting the pond is not the actual end of our soon-to-be property. We decided to have it surveyed as soon as we get clear deed from the county. (We bought that 8.1 acres for $5,200 at tax sale on the Webster county cort house steps but the original owners have one year to redeem it by paying the back taxes and 10% interest on our money.)

Recent accomplishments/happenings at the farm are:
1) The bridge is in. For the reasonable price of around $10,000 we have a re-built railroad bridge spanning our creek bed. Barry has spent many hours back filling on either side of it so we will actually be able to DRIVE over it. At this point we are able to walk over it, which as a good thing Friday morning. We just left a vehicle on the other side of the creek.
2) The well house is built and the solar panel is mounted on the roof and running the pump to our water system.
3) We have a four year old foxtrotter mare. Her name is Wanoka Smoke and she is black with a white blaze and three white socks. I am in the process of convincing Barry that she will be useful around the farm and is not just a pet.
4) The chickens are laying again! Three of them, anyway. The rooster has also learned how to crow and do other roosterly things. I think we will let them hatch some chicks this spring to perpetuate and increase our flock.

2006-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am starting this blog for several reasons, and putting things down on paper (or at least in some sort of writing) always helps put things in perspective. It puts some emotional distance into the equation and forces a different view point.
One of the main reasons for starting this blog is, there have recently been several significant changes in my life and I have a need to sort through them. These changes have not been bad, necessarily. My oldest son graduated from college and is now living in St. Louis working on an internship. My daughter is going to college in town, but recently moved out on her own. My husband, my youngest son (who is a senior in high school), and myself moved to the country this summer and are getting ready to build a house.
You could say that these changes are all "dreams come true". Moving to the country and rearing successful kids have been long term goals my mine. Once these goals have been attained, then what?
That is exactly what I hope for this blog to be - a record of the "now what" of my life ...