Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! We had a wonderful day and I'll share plenty of pictures later. Enjoy the holiday! Eat lots of goodies (like persimmon pudding with gold sauce, heaven on a spoon!)

Country Christmas

Our little town hosts a country Christmas celebration the beginning of December. It is a great time that includes lighting of the hospice fundraiser Christmas tree, Santa, a bonfire, specials at area shops, and even a hay ride. Nate was out of town so the boys and I headed in and met my parents for the evening of fun.

After the tree lighting we ran to the local VFW to order burgers for dinner, and then to the town hall to visit Santa. Isaiah loved him. He never said a word, just stared with his big brown eyes. After the Santa visit it was back to the VFW to eat dinner with Papa and Papa Bud, and Grampa Elder. From there we decided to bundle back up and check out the hay ride. Kohen was SO excited when we got the the wagon and there was his buddy from this summer's farmers market with her family (Kohen regards her so highly he named his bunny after her!) Hugs and cuddling up close on the bench together brought smiles to all of us. It was a beautiful, cold night to listen to the bells on harnesses as we were pulled down main street and around for a short tour. It was wonderful. After a quick warmup and hugs goodbye by the bonfire, each of the boys chose an ice candle from the assortment flickering, and we headed home. A great small town experience with family and friends.

Sausage

The finished product.

One of our favorite things to make with venison is sausage. We did not make any last deer season, but had enough in the freezer to last us until this summer. So even though Nate did not have time to hunt this year, we cleaned all of the venison from last year out of the freezers, and got ready to grind. The discovery was made that the grinder works much better when it does not contain toy matchbox cars! Once the pieces were removed and the grinder cleaned, we tried again. Nate uses a combination of venison and pork. We also experimented with some lamb sausage this year. This was the first year that the boys observed and participated in the process. Their enthusiasm grew as the sausage was stuffed in the casing. Kohen went from the reserved one, washing his hands every two minutes, to coiling the casing as it came out of the stuffer. Nate then smoked the links for some excellent flavor. I have a tough time eaten store bought sausage now. It has much more gristle, and less flavor. We use the sausage for grilling, and also a mean sausage and peppers with pasta.

Kohen the coiler.

Isaiah the observer. (Yes the pumpkins in the background give away that these pictures were taken over a month ago, I'm playing catch up on posts before the end of the year.)

Unfortunately this picture should come first in the series. This was Kohen's hands-off, you can't make me touch raw meat, pose.

Birthdays

Since I've been so lax in posts, I'm going to combine the boys's birthdays into one post. Isaiah's celebration was a tractor/duck party, and Kohen had a Diego/bowling party.

My big five year old.

Kohen and two of his seven bowling buddies.

My bit of a two year old.

Kelly and Isaiah, party time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turk and Christmas

Hmmm... Christmas?

Old Turk is happy for another reprive this year, he doesn't realize that we like meat that is chewable!

Sheep

Yesterday I was able to spend a length of time in the pastures, with the sheep. The boys had spent the night at their grandparents, the weather was beautiful (for Minnesota in November) and I simply enjoyed my sheep, and turkeys, and chickens, and donkey, and dog. I am so spoiled.
Fiona, my first sheep. Icelandic ewe.


The infamous Shrek. She had two other names previous, but Shrek is what stuck. Due to her lack of cute shetland ears. I'm not sure how many ear tags she ripped out before her arrival here. The flightiest sheep we have. You don't dare look her in the eye, she's gone. But, she's a great mom, and has beautiful fleece.
J.J. icelandic/shetland ewe lamb, named for Grama Jan. She's a big girl, and carries her mom Fiona's gentle disposition.

Marshmallow: ram lamb from Good Mama and Bam. Marshmallow was gifted with a group of 9 ewes. He is a happy boy. He has the most beautiful fleece with lots of crimp. I'll have to study up on micron sampling and send some in soon I think. Marshmallow is a mellow, friendly boy, who is not too pushy to humans or sheep. A good kind of boy to have around.
Cocoa and Sugar: I am anxious to see what these two give us in April. Sugar is a 2008 ewe we purchased from Rayna. She is 7/8 shetland, and Ag. She was not bred last season. She has grown well this past year, and I am anxious for some lambs from her. Cocoa is the gorgeous girl in front. She is the daughter of Shrek, who has now redeemed herself with this daughter and secured a spot on our farm. Cocoa began as a moorit girl, but also carries the Ag gene that turns her grey. I am completely in love with her fleece, and cannot wait till shearing next spring to get my hands on it.

I was lucky enough to spend some quality time spinning today with some lovely ladies, and Mike. We have gotten together and spun one Sunday each of the last three months. My turn to host will be our next event in January. These ladies are the same who taught me to spin. It is just a great time and the only chance I get to spin in my busy schedule. Yesterday I washed Annafleece's lamb fleece and today I began to spin it. She is our black bottle lamb from 2008, who still doesn't realize she really is a sheep. She maas to us whenever we step out the door, and tries to slip out the gate to go and stand on the deck whenever she is able. Kohen awoke from his nap to see the ball of 2ply yarn I was able to create sitting on the counter. "Is that my Anna?" he asked as he felt the soft yarn. His eyes lit up when I nodded. He is anxiously awaiting his mom learning to knit him some mittens.

Thank a Vet

Thank You Grampa Butchy.

Thank you Uncle Mike.

Thank you Anthony, Correy, and Breanna!

I only watched a small portion of the memorial service at Fort Hood today, but it was enough to remind me of the sacrifices that many give for me to live the life I do. Those listed above have all served at different times, in different conflicts, but we all owe them thanks and honor.

Rams In

Since I was home with a sick boy today, naptime proved to be an excellent opportunity to establish our breeding groups for this season. For my own record keeping here is the info:

Ram: Marshmallow (shetland, white)
Anna
Ella
Shrek
Cocoa
Sugar
Plum
Emma
Cream

Ram: Jimmer (1/2 shetland, 1/2 suffolk)
Sunny
Bunny
Scar
Jacobs
Fiona
JJ
Kizzy
Poppy
Pamela

Marshmallows group is all pure shetland except for Cream. He is such a gorgeous ram, with outstanding fleece that we wanted to try and capitalize on that. The ewes he has been placed with are our finest fleeces and best conformations. Well, except for spoiled AnnaFleece who somehow managed to squeeze herself under the fence when I was cleaning out the water trough. I figured if she needed to be with Ella and the others that accept her so bad, I would not deny her.
Jimmer's group is our ewes of unknown background, more experienced shetlands, and icelandics. The plan is that these will all be market lambs.
Speaking of market lambs, we slaughtered our own this year. It was tough, but not as tough as I thought it would be. I know it would have been different if it was a sheep I was attached to, but I still have my favorites in our current group of 19. We had five lambs that are on their way to the processor as I type. They are already promised to freezers from here to the twin cities.
Nate and I also have the hides drying in preparation for sending in to the tannery. I think my husband is more excited about sinking his toes into a gorgeous 1/2 shetland, 1/2 Jacobs pelt than he is about a freezer full of lamb!

A 4 year old obsession

This past summer Kohen would talk about musical instruments he saw on television, or heard in a song. We would often listen to Josh Groban in the car, and Kohen fell in love with the song, "You Raise Me Up." His favorite part is the violin. This blossomed into discussions about violins, and a desire to play the violin. I don't want to be a pushy parent, so I would discuss and encourage, but that was all. Well, after a month of listening to Kohen talk about learning to play the violin, we relented and arranged for lessons. The unfortunate part of living in such a rural area was finding an instrument. Kohen and I ventured to the closest music store, 30 minutes away, and had him sized for a violin. He needed an 1/8 size which they did not have in stock, but would get sent up. Two weeks later, still no violin. We found a violin shop in Duluth that had an instrument his size we could rent, and Nate was in Duluth, so it worked.

Kohen began his first lesson with some nerves, and ended with some disappointment that he couldn't just pick up his bow and play all the songs he loves.

Three lessons later, he now knows all the parts of his violin, The notes of his strings, and how to pluck. He also knows the position for his first and second fingers, and we are working on adding in the third.

It is sometimes a struggle to keep this active boy focused for a thirty minute lesson. He wants to move/eat/go to the bathroom, generally in that order! We are lucky to have found such a patient teacher that just laughs at his antics and brings him back into focus. But so far his desire has not waned, and we will continue as long as he enjoys it.

Building a Barn- Take 2

So last Saturday was supposed to be our barn raising. Horrible weather and a lack of manpower limited our progress. The posts are in, the materials are standing ready. Our hope is to get some beams up sometime this weekend. Even though it's a small barn, it takes time and work. Rain, snow, and cold have been wearing on our ability to work outside lately. We finally used the last of the left overs last night for some split pea and ham soup.
In other news we have had the fun of Kohen's first stitches, a long weekend during MEA, Christmas and birthday pictures, and just plain busy times. We are trying our best to dodge the H1N1, and waiting patiently for vaccinations (both seasonal and H1N1 are unavailable in our area right now.) I worry the most about Isaiah with his history of breathing problems. Daily vitamins, probiotics, LOTS of handwashing, garlic ear oil drops, saline nose swabs, and hot tea are all preventitive methods currently in use at our house. Speaking of tea...

A Barn to Be

Mark your calendars: Saturday, October 17th, 9:00 am.

It's an old fashioned barn raising ya'll! We may not be amish, but we sure are going to try, and we need all the manpower we can get.

All summer Nate and I have discussed the necessity for better shelter for the critters come winter. We are planning on wintering 20 sheep, along with the donkey, and 3 or 4 turkeys. We've decided we must just do it. So the plans are in the works for a barn raising. Excellent food is promised, along with plenty of friendship and laughs.

So, if you can make it stop on by. We will need more than just manpower. Try some WOman power, plus some wonderful assistance to watch the children.

A Boy and the Bus

Last Thursday was a milestone in Kohen's life. For the first time he attended 'real' school. Our district has a school readiness program that allows children who are at least four to attend school one day a week. They attend for a full day, and are even able to ride the school bus to and from school. The school bus ride is even more special for my boy since my dad drives the bus. I was home sick and was able to see my boy off on his bus before heading to the clinic for some antibiotics to combat a sinus infection. I held it together until the bus headed down the hill, and then the tears came. How can he be this old already? Time moves much too fast.

They don't look excited about the school bus coming up the hill, do they?



Kohen loving up his brother as we walked out to wait for the bus.
Kohen loved his first day of school, and was able to see some of his friends who are seasoned first graders. Of course he did not want to be picked up after school, but rode the bus home as well.

It was one tired four year old who stepped off that bus at 4:05 pm. I knew the standard question of "What did you do today?" would be met with the standard response, so instead I asked Koe what his favorite part of the day was. "Riding the bus home," a genuine, honest, answer.

Isaiah wasn't sure what to make of Kohen not being with us, but was most excited to see Papa driving the bus. He now believes every bus he sees is "Papa's Bus."

Not quite a month...

So in the last 48 hours I have had three calls/discussions about my lack of updating on this blog. What can I say? Life gets too busy. Which is unfortunate, because I would really like to share a little bit of this life with all of you out there. So here it goes...

September 12th was our last day at the local farmer's market. Kohen and I sold our apple cinnamon scones and mini apple pies that we had made, along with produce. Nate's mom Jan was up for the weekend, so we headed up to Ely after the market to attend the Harvest Moon Festival. Kohen's favorite part was listening to Pat Surface and the Boundary Water Boys, especially the fiddler, but more on that in a later post.

The following weekend we headed to Rochester for some visiting and farmer's market shopping. The cousins had a wonderful time together, and it was a great visit. I stalked up on garlic to plant, and lots of other good treats. We were able to pick some perfectly ripe pears at Holly and Cory's. Kohen loved having a reason to climb the ladder.

How adorable are these three?

Not Sure About the Critters 'Round Here...

This is the scene that greeted me when I headed out to do chores tonight. One of our turkey hens had managed to get herself into the ram lamb pen, and wasn't at all sure how to get out. Have to admire her resourcefulness, she chose the mellow Marshmallow to give her a lift. He didn't bolt, or panic. Marsh just nudged her feathers as if to say, move on please. She was in this position long enough for me to see her and run to the house for the camera. I took pity on her after three pictures and went and hoisted her from Marshmallow's back over the fence, where she promptly ran back to the coop. Sorry for the quality, our dailylight is fading fast these days!

This is an example of the usual pictures of Marshmallow I end up with. He was one of Good Mama's twins from this Spring. His brother Cream had the traumatic beginning and did not make it. Well, we spent a lot of time in those first two weeks trying to help Cream, and Marshmallow must have realized that people aren't too bad. So far there have been no problems with him being too pushy. He wants a scratch of the horns, and when you shove him, he goes back to eating. Current thoughts are that we will use him on a group of ewes this fall. He has the best fleece of all the ram lambs, and has the Good Mama/Bam lines that we want to carry on.

Well the first day of school is completed. I do have to admit to getting a bit emotional when I viewed the chaos of our kindergarten wing this and realized that next year my son will be in the midst of it. I feel like I was just expecting him!

Nate is still working, so I was flying solo doing chores tonight. Not a real big deal, but I've gotten spoiled having him around to help. Chickens, ducks, turkeys, bunny, not a big deal. The meatbird chicks are pretty easy too. It just involves dragging their pen to a new stretch of clean grass, and filling the feeders and checking their water. I'll plug in the heat lamp when I head out to lock up the chickens and ducks. For some reason they are roosting later and later, I don't think they want to accept that fall is coming either. I also had to fill mineral in the ram lamb pen and for the ewes and ewe lambs in the pasture along the river. This is pretty straight forward task. The ewes also needed water tonight, which we've been hauling in the infamous rubbermaid trash can/water hauler, in the trailer behind the garden tractor. Sounds pretty easy too, right? It would be if not for a lamb ram named Marshmallow, who knows his name. He sees me approach the gate with the tractor and bee lines for me. Some shoves and he moves just enough for me to squeeze the lawn tractor through the gate. Quickly jump off and shove the gate shut before all seven of the little buggers break out. (Have a shared that they have the richest pasture, filled with beautiful clover? The grass is always greener...) Across the ram pen and approach the gate to the ewe's pen. By now they have heard the garden tractor, which they associate with food, and come running from all corners. Ease the tractor through the gate, and get outsmarted by a donkey who kicks up her heals as she runs into the ram pen. Not a real big deal, but I want her protecting the ladies along the river, not the rammie lambies. Fill the mineral, fill the water, give a couple of pats, and then spend five minutes coaxing Daisy Donkey back into the pen with the girls. Then drive back across the ram pen, weaving through Marshmallow and his counterparts, who show no fear when I am returning without water sloshing out of the sides of the trailer. I managed to get the tractor out successfully and latched the gate. I returned to give Marshmallow a quick scritch scratch, and then headed back to the house. Just another night along the Rice River.

So Long Summer

It feels like you raced by. Like two little boys in a jeep, in 2, with a border collie bringing up the rear.


Even though the majority of your days were cool, and cloudy with rain, making us want to cuddle up with something warm and soft, like Zoolly Bunny.

It's ok summer, we'll forgive you, as we slide into fall.

Tomorrow begins another school year. Here's hoping it's a good one.

Garden, Garden, Cross Your Poles

The forecast for our area is 32 degrees for tonight. Since we are in a valley along the river, we usually get colder. The linen closet has been emptied of all available sheets and most of the plants have been covered. How can it freeze before I have a single ripe tomato? We had a delicious dinner tonight of pasta with fresh picked garden goods: beans, peas, swiss chard, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, parsley, tarragon, dill and basil. It was heavenly, but not what I want to think of as my big garden meal of the year. So fingers crossed that we are still producing after tomorrow morning. The good news is it looks like a warm up after this cold spell.
In other news, we have new additions. A trip to the Carlton Chicken Swap resulted in the purchase of three turkey hens. They are 4-6 month old bourbon red/narragansetts. Turk quickly began courting (presenting and drumming), and the hens were making cute cooing noises to him.
We also came home with some hot salsa, raspberry jam, 20 pounds of pickling cukes, a lionhead bunny, and some killer beef sticks. Oh, and 900 pounds of feed. (The Carlton Feed Mill has good prices and our poultry likes their feed. I'll try and get pictures of the new additions up tomorrow.
We also moved the ram lambs into the big field, and moved the meatbird chicks into their styling chicken tractor. A chicken tractor is a moveable pen so that we can keep them on fresh grass. Of course with the cold weather expected they are covered with a tarp and have a heat lamp.

Denial

I'm in denial right now. Denial that my summer is rapidly fading. Tomorrow morning will bring the start of leaving my house before 7 am the majority of days, for the next 9 months. Of waking sleeping boys and shoving them into clothes, strapping them in the car with a cup of milk/coffee (Kohen has a caffeine habit, I know...he's 4) and cereal that will ultimately end up on the floor, under the seats, and in those impossible cracks that no vacuum can reach.
So, if I were smart I would be running around, organizing, cleaning, and getting things prepared so I will have a smooth morning tomorrow.
Instead, I've spent the last 40 minutes catching up on blog reading, on facebook, and craigslist. I did take the time to lay out clothes for the boys, put away the majority of their clean laundry, and pack a bag of extras for daycare. However, my room is littered with laundry baskets of clothes- all clean mind you- but certainly wrinkled, and the guest room has no less than 5 loads of laundry waiting in the wings. Add to that the fact that I need to go feed the meatbird chicks, who are beginning to frighten me (they REALLY like their food, and can mistake a hand for it) and lock up the chickens and ducks, and do one last check on the sheepies. Perhaps I should be attacking that list instead of blogging? But, blogging is my aid to a clear mind and helps me process through my thoughts and frustrations.
I know part of the reason I was so angry with Kohen when he decided to cover his body in black mud today was because I'm crabby about having to go back to a routine, and work. I love our summer routine with lots of outside time and always a bit of down time in the afternoon during Isaiah's nap. My boys cannot understand and should not be blamed for adult pressures that make me less carefree and less willing to spend twenty minutes catching grasshoppers, picking raspberries, or building train tracks. The idea of daycare is not terribly exciting to either of them and I expect tears tomorrow morning. But, the bright side is only two days this week and two days next week before we start the five day a week brunt. A planned trip to the State Fair in the middle should help us give one last wave to our carefree summer.

Soggy & Slugs

Soggy Daisy.Waterlogged J.J.

Bunny and one of her daughters (whom Kohen calls Cream since she is white.)

Scar's ram lamb, J.J.. Fiona, and Scar.

Finnegan, our prospective ram for next year. He is 1/2 shetland, 1/4 icelandic, 1/4 border leicester. Beautiful fleece, and a bit of size on the purebred shetlands.

Those two words sum up this summer for me. We have not had much of a summer. We have had a lot of rain, mist, and cool weather. Most nights have been down into the forties. It is good weather for lettuce, broccoli, onions, peas, and chard. It is not good weather for peppers, tomatoes, or corn. Or little boys wanting to play. We ventured out during a break in the rain yesterday, but were soon soggy up to our knees.

And slugs... oh the slugs. It is a paradise for them this year. I am so sick of slugs. Looking at them, picking them, smashing them. We've been trying to be as natural as possible, and coffee has seemed to work quite well on the slugs. Unfortunately a family of cabbage worms decided to visit the broccoli row this last week, and frustrate us even more.

So even though I haven't gotten to enjoy much hot weather, or a bountiful harvest, I can't say I haven't enjoyed the summer. Being able to spend so much time with my boys (some days too much) and enjoy my spot on the planet has made for a wonderful season. Along with spending lots of time with old and new friends. I've also ventured into some new areas, with the farmer's market. My list of 'gotta get dones' may not be done, and I may have to start working again next week but I'm filled with a sense of happiness, peace and a bit of accomplishment.

Odds & Ends

Just a few odds and ends, and some cute pictures.

Isaiah surveying part of his flock. (Yes, he climbed up there himself.)
Daisy's birthday. Shortly after eating her carrot spice birthday cupcake. She did let Kohen blow out the candle though. Her shiny new yearling halter was her birthday present, I don't think it was on her list.

My boys riding in the jeep. Kohen is becoming quite the driver, though for some reason his brother isn't wanting to ride with him lately. He makes the entire loop up to the morton building and back down, often taking a pitstop to pick some wild raspberries, which never seem to make it back to the house. Kohen's newest nickname- Baja Boy.

Cocoa, my favorite ewe from this year's lambs. She is standing beside her mom, the infamous Shrek. Cocoa's fleece is turning grey, and has a beautiful luster to it, just like her mom's. Even though Shrek was the ewe Nate most wanted to part with, she will be staying. She proved herself to be a good mom who passes her beautiful fleece to her offspring.

Tractors like Candy

Blogger won't put my pictures where I want them today. Sorry!

Last Thursday found us paying a visit to Nate's Aunts and Cousin's farm. Kohen's first stop was the sweet corn field, where he promptly husked an ear and bit into it. (He had been talking about eating raw sweet corn for the last three weeks!) Then some time on the pedal tractors and a quick gator ride from Elaine's over to the farm to check out the tractor "shed" - I use that term very loosely! We spent twenty minutes visiting with all the tractors, plows, and the combine. My boys would have probably been content for at least another 20 minutes, with no keys turned or movement. Just eyeing up the huge machines and climbing ladders to sit in buddy seats. Kohen is still trying to figure out the mechanics of the combine, something his mom was unable to enlighten him with (the corn stalks go in here, the corn comes out up here and the waste comes out back here.) I'm sure Rod will be able to give him a much more detailed explanation to satisfy his engineering senses. It was cute to see Isaiah enjoying the equipment as much as Kohen always has. Plus, we had to take some pictures of Isaiah to add to those of Kohen with all the green and yellow machinery on their bedroom walls.

Belated Birthday

Ok, I'm a poor poster lately. Happy Belated Birthday to my hubby who turned 32 on Friday! He spent the day oh so excitedly picking sweet corn, driving 300 miles with two crabby kids and then 4 hours of selling sweet corn. It looks like we will have to have a belated celebration next weekend.

goosebumps

Ok, here's a website you have got to check out. It's just plain wonderful. I won't bore you with the roundabout way I managed to find it, but I will let you know that I've just spent the last thirty minutes reading all the posts, and still have goosebumps...and that good, heart-swelling "God is great" feeling in my chest. Just go check it out, you won't be sorry!

(In)Courage

Happy Birthdays!

Happy Birthday Braeden! Braeden turns three today.

Happy Birthday to our Daisy girl who turns one today! Kohen asked for a party, complete with a cake. We'll see what I can do about that. Daisy is turning into a wonderful donkey. Since she was weaned and we sold her mom Lucy, she has really come around and is very friendly and great with the kids and sheep. She still has her obsession with Scar, one of the shetland ewes. She will follow Scar around and chooses to graze right next to her most of the time. It's bizarre, but she is very gentle and never hurts her.
We've been trying to figure out how we were going to choose and get down to one donkey. We love Hee-haw, but having an intact jack donkey around isn't the best idea. We don't want Daisy bred when she is too young, and Hee-haw has a tendency to be unpredictable. Two days ago the boys and I were feeding some excess lettuce to the critters and Hee-haw decided to grab Isaiah's hand along with the lettuce, and hold on to the little fingers on his hand with his teeth. Not a good situation. Isaiah is fine, but I was not happy.

Well, things work out and I received a call last night from someone who had seen a photo and ad we had posted on the board at our local feed mill a year ago. She is very interested in him, and coming to see him tonight. We talked it over with Kohen, and he was not happy. Nate and Kohen finally reached an agreement- after the whole livestock are not pets explanation- that if she does buy Hee-haw, Kohen will get half the money, enough to buy a new bike "with a brake."

In other news, the boys and I painted the chicken coop yesterday. A nice deep barn red. Now to add some new white trim, and one more project is crossed off my summer list. More paint is needed before I can get the duck shed painted. I've also added updating the mudroom to my to-do list. New paint, cabinets, and maybe some curtains. Not sure what possessed me to add more to my list, but a girl's got to have goals.

We finally had a nice day weather-wise yesterday. But it got down to 40 degrees again last night. Temperatures that certainly do not help my garden grow. I processed and froze a batch of beets that Auntie'Laine sent up from Kasson. Thank goodness for relatives with gardens that actually produce. On the kitchen list for today is turning 1 1/2 gallons of pincherry's into jelly. Pincherry jelly is one of our favorites.