Going Well

Things are going well, if as crazy busy as ever. Kohen and I have both adjusted to our new school, though he still misses many of his friends. Isaiah loves his new day care, and has done well with the transition.

I can say that I love teaching sixth grade. I also love the convenience of working so much closer to home. The boys and I only travel to Virginia one day per week, and that is for violin lessons, and errands.

Nate is staying busy with plenty of varied jobs. Roofing, log restoration, and building. We still have to roof our house and plenty of projects to complete around here, but it's tough when he is working seven days a week! My parents are making progress on the garage/apartment they are building next door. Right now the boys walked over to "help" so I have five minutes to blog!

Animals are doing well, though we are again struggling with deer liver fluke infecting the sheep. I've lost three since July- two ewes, Shrek and Splash, and one ram lamb. The breeding stock is now on a five week rotation of the only two wormers available that kill adult liver fluke. The animals being raised for meat only have one or two weeks until processing, and I do not give any chemicals to our meat animals, so I'm crossing my fingers.

We are currently at 15 pigs. Lyle, Gertie, Gwenie, and pigs we are raising for meat. Last week Nate made a trade of boars, one of our young red wattle boars for a berkshire. He definately stands out in the group! Black and white with erect ears compared to the dark red and floppy ears of the red wattles. The plan is to do some crossbreeding next year. The May litter has a few more weeks of growing before processing, but I'm getting anxious. We are finally purchasing a large pig feeder so I don't have to crawl over the fence with buckets twice a day. Will lighten the labor load as the weather changes.

Speaking of weather, it has been beautiful. Isaiah and I even enjoyed a boat ride/lunch with Carlsons on the lake yesterday. I know that soon it will be a memory so we are trying to enjoy it as much as we can. The amount of waterfowl that have been passing through on the river is amazing. I love doing chores in the morning as they are beginning to take off from the water.

The picture above is Northwestern yesterday. We have the ewe flock in an area along the river that has some brush, and they have never been in before. When I checked the sheep yesterday morning, Northwestern was sporting a bright orange fishing lure firmly attached to her fleece. Mom and I were able to remove it before it worked its way to her flesh. One hazard of the area that I hadn't planned on!

Snow Flying

It may be March 12, but in northern Minnesota the snow is flying, the wind is blowing, and the "feels like" temperature is 7 degrees! Even that fine forecast doesn't daunt me from preparing for Spring, at least the necessities.
This morning found Nate, my dad and I along with pockets of vaccinations, in the sheep pen. It was time for CD & T, and BosE shots for all the sheep. This is the first year I've vaccinated everyone with BosE prior to lambing. Last year we lost two lambs from white muscle disease. We are in an area that is severely deficient in selenium. Even with free choice mineral, we made the decision to have some added protection this year.
The process actually went quite smoothly. (After three years you would hope that we would start to figure it out!) I caught and vaccinated, Nate handed me syringes, and dad held up a piece of plywood over the exit to the pasture. Along with a donkey. Daisy has been very loving lately and wanted her share of attention. She did get some pats, rubs, and loves, along with a dose of wormer.
Of course the infamous Shrek was too smart to be caught easily. She saw us block her escape and headed into the sheep shelter. Saving her until last, I still had to bite the bullet and crawl through the small door (all the snow has made the opening a lot smaller than it was in October!) and corner her and Cocoa. Cocoa was an easy catch and I vaccinated her inside the shelter. Before I could even turn her lose Shrek headed out the door. She is a sheep with some serious intuition. Once Nate grabbed her she stood calmly for her two shots. She may be a headache but she gives us beautiful fleece and lambs. She's also managed to survive with far less wormings than the rest of the flock. I'll admit, I sometimes give up before catching her when vaccinating. Nine out of ten times she won't even come near the feed when we are watching.
I took the opportunity to feel udder development on all the girls. My hope is at least fourteen of them are bred this year. April will be busy!
I just looked back at pictures from March 20th of last year. Darla Gay arrived then, and the field was bare of snow. The picture will be slightly different this year.
Besides vaccinating I managed to get some seeds planted, and some spring cleaning started. Tomorrow will be another meat shop day, with plans to make 100+ pounds of sausage. Potato sausage, venison/pork snack sticks, and italian sausage are all in the works. This means the smoker will be fired up tomorrow too.
Come on spring, I want to see geese flying, not snow!

Winter...and that's all I'll say about that...

Shep modeling his latest accessory...snow.

Beautiful snow boy.

Kohen and Isaiah trekking out to the "animal rescue center" aka play system. (This picture was taken three weeks ago, and we've received even more snow.) Notice Kohen using a broom to "clear" a path. Isaiah made it out there but I had to go and rescue him back.

Kohen standing in front of one of the giant snowbanks.

A few weeks without internet and extra paperwork at work makes me a poor blogger. I'm going to take a page from cousin Chelsi and try to catch up, and be better.

First off, Hi Don M from Texas! Gramma Butchy is nudging me to blog more for you, so I'll do my best.

All the living things on our bit-o-farm have survived the massive snowbanks and bitter cold. I was a bit worried about Turk for awhile. In the coldest days (highs staying below zero, lows ito 40 below, he didn't come out of the pine tree for two days.) I guess his old age of five has taught him how to conserve his energy and make it through. Right now our numbers stand at 19 sheep, 3 goats, 1 donkey, 17 chickens, 7 turkeys, three outside cats, one indoor cat, one dog, and one guinea pig. The plan is to make the trek for the hogs in two weeks. I am excited for their arrival, but need to get a spot prepped for them. The south pasture where their permanent home will be won't work until the snowbanks reduce enough in size to get gates opened and shelters moved. Looks like they will be the first inhabitants of the barn.

I'm getting excited for spring, and starting to thinking about starting some seeds, peppers first. I'm excited for February to be here, it always feels much closer to spring for me.

Since it's Friday night and the boys don't have to be in bed at 7:30, the plan is to pop some popcorn, snuggle on the couch and watch "Ramona and Beezus." Geez, Taryn should be here!

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.

Ah...Gust

Like a sigh at the end of summer. Only what summer this year? Our weather has been very poor. Cool, and rainy. My garden is stunted. I've never seen zucchini grow so slowly.

August is my mixed feelings month. Usually filled with glorious days of outside activities and lots of visits with family and friends who avoid our tundra region the rest of the year. August brings birthdays, and fun. It also signals my shifting back into professional mode, with thoughts of students, goals, and lots of paperwork for the upcoming months. I've done a good job of avoiding school this year. I have not stepped into the building since June 1st. But the thoughts of school planning are starting to lurk. Getting the boys ready to go back to daycare, making the daily 40 minute commute, not things I'm ready for yet. Usually we are in the grips of heat and lazy sun. Instead it is cloudy and 65 degrees. The last three weeks of the Farmers Market has been a weather nightmare. Rain, sun, wind, rain, mist... However, my scones have been selling well, I only wish there was more produce being produced to go with them. Let's hope for a late fall and great September! My goal for August is more posts, wish me well!

January Thaw

Today brought a blessed January thaw. Temperatures rose into the thirties. In typical Minnesota fashion it was overcast this morning, then beautiful sunshine, and then the wind picked up and blew in some rain. Wonderful. Of course the sunshine period occurredl while Koe and I were napping so we were not able to enjoy it. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the twenties, so we'll shoot for then.
I spent some quality time with the sheep and donkeys today. They were quite frisky with the nice weather. I brought some treats and earned lots of love. Poor Daisy somehow froze part of her ear and it's looking pretty rough. I guess I'll have a donkey with a not so long ear.
With the recent frigid cold weather (it was -30 four nights last week) we've had a few casualties. Two bantams (the seabright hen, and a black fantail rooster) and a drake duck. I've decided that we are doing all that we can for them: water, plenty of food, straw, hay, heat lamps, and the strong will survive. Somewhat of a cruel view, but an honest one.
Ok, the wind is now up to 40 mile an hour gusts, and I'm waiting for the power to go out. My parents and grandparents have already lost power. However, we are lucky enough to have underground in most of the surrounding area, but I still don't think it will last all night.

Been a bit...

Yes, it has been a bit since I've blogged, but believe me, I've got plenty of excuses. The most recent being I joined facebook. I've been avoiding it for some time because I knew it would cause me to spend more time on the computer. I justify it with the weather being below zero for what feels like ages.

We run outside to do the essentials, and that's about it. There hasn't been much snowshoeing, sledding, or skiing. Kohen is driving me crazy he has so much energy. Currently he is using his stuffed animal Lemur's tail to swing like a vine from the top of the castle.

If you haven't experienced the castle let me explain. About two years ago Kohen was asking for a playhouse. Nate being Nate could not buy a plastic Little Tykes playhouse. Instead he built Koe a 4 foot by 4 foot by six foot tall castle. With two levels, and a climbing wall. Did I mention that it is a fixture in the great room? Did I also mention that it is only half painted since the lazy woman of the house would rather blog than break out the paints? It is currently used as an animal rescue center for my Diego loving boy. Hence the lemur tail-vine.

This isn't the best picture of the castle, but it's what I've got on this computer. Alexa is hanging out the lower level window, the climb wall is to the right.

As a taste of summer we had a summer meal this evening, walleye, lemon vinaigrette couscous, and sugar peas. Ok, time for boys to bed and my weekly date with Gregory House, MD. I love that man!

Like Livin' in a Snow Globe

The new picture on the header is what it looks like out my window today. Literally. I didn't even step outside to take it. I cracked the window open and stuck my hand out. Sad I know, but it is nasty out there! Would you believe there are three donkeys and 15 sheep in that shot? It's pretty tough to tell how much snow we have gotten because there is a harsh wind out of the north. Nate and I were supposed to attend a contractor appreciation party tonight, which has been cancelled. So, it's time to cuddle in, and enjoy the swirling snow outside my window.
Nate, Koe, and I headed out this morning when it was snowing half as much and made sure the four leggeds were ready for this. This include hauling water, hauling straw, and hay. Kohen and I used the wooden sled to haul a bale of alfalfa and straw from the morton building. It was not an easy task. I'm a wimp. I haven't worked out in forever, and my body was screaming from hauling the sled through the snow. So I decided to let Kohen help. Ok, I really just let Kohen pose for a picture. He was so cute, and worked hard at chores. He did a great job of crawling in the sheep shelter and spreading straw out. He also had the job of keeping the sheep at bay as Nate and I (ok Nate) moved a round bale into the enclosure. It worked great because he pushed it into the end of the hoop shelter that we built for the donkeys. Now they can eat in shelter. It also makes a great wind break and insulator. Daisy still chooses to use the sheep shelter when she wants to escape the elements. The sheep don't seem to mind her company.

Do we dare hope for a snow day tomorrow? I'm supposed to drive to International Falls for a consult. Not really looking forward to that drive. We'll see what morning brings.

Party Time & Preparations

Kohen and Brennan check out the cakes.

PARTY TIME: So we celebrated Kohen's 4th birthday today. It was a great party with family and friends. Kohen's best friend, Brennan, from daycare, came which made the day for him. The theme was fighter jets. Captain Kohen even wore a flight suit! The cake was a runway shaped like a 4, with Blue Angel jets taking off. I also used the scraps to create a fighter jet cake for Kohen. He liked it. The kids also got to frost some plane cookies, and play a lot. He received some great gifts, and has been playing all afternoon. Gramma Jan had arrived from Rochester last night and was a great help in getting everything ready for the party. She always gets stuck on KP duty.

PREPARATIONS: They are predicting a big storm to hit us tonight. Nate made sure that the donkeys, sheep and ducks all had plenty of food and water. After the party I headed out to the coop and spread a new layer of straw on the floor and in the nesting boxes, and cleaned the waterer. We have been losing a lot of eggs to freezing. Yesterday morning it was -31 when I left the house at 7 am! Of the eight eggs in the boxes today (2 days worth) 5 were frozen. My chickens have never been ones to lay at a consistent time, and with being gone from 7 am till 5 pm the eggs don't always get collected in a timely fashion. We do have a red heat lamp on all the time in the coop, along with a white heat lamp on for 6 hours in the evening. The waterer is also heated. Unfortunately, some of my hens like to lay in the nesting boxes furthest from the heat, and on the outside wall of the boxes. It isn't too bad, I'm just happy they are laying again!

So we are ready to hunker down and watch the snow. Nate and Jason spent some time cutting wood so that the woodshed is ready too. Hopefully I'll have some good northern Minnesota snow pictures for tomorrow!

Fowl Weather

This is the view on this gray, blustery fall day. I was out to do chores and had to take some pictures of the geese. There have been a lot of Canada Geese flying over the river and resting here at night. Today we have a very miserable north wind with periodic rain/sleet/snow. The perfect day to stay inside and make a big pot of bubbly soup, fresh bread, and apple crisp. In addition to the wild geese overhead, there is the ever present flock of ducks underfoot. We've decided that we will butcher them soon, they make an awful mess in the chicken coop, and I don't look forward to that for the winter.

I also had to post a followup to my previous two left feet post. I have further discovered that one of the boots is a size 7, and the other a size 8. This works well if I manage to get the 8 on my right foot, if not there is some discomfort and a hitch to my walk. Such was the case this morning when I was out in the pasture, Nate had a laugh and head shake at me.

Hee-haw is not a fan of the snow. But of course he won't leave the gate when there's still a chance that I'm bringing a treat!

Finally, here's a picture of Chase (4months) and Isaiah (two weeks shy of 1 year) yesterday. The boys and I spent the night at Taryn's in Duluth. 4 boys under four keeps one (or three adults) busy!

Duck Weather

Of course it rains on the opening day of fishing. It isn't bad enough that there is so much ice/slush in front of G&G Butchy's that Kohen can't even go fishing. He's been promised some river fishing if it quits raining tonight. He's already scoped out some areas with worms (that hole...in the field...under the sheep water) and is ready. Last year all we caught were suckers, but maybe we'll have better luck this year. The consensus is that the cold weather and high water will make fishing characteristics different fo rthis early season.

So the ducks are about the only ones really enjoying this weather. They are all over the lawn right now. Everyone is in hiding. Woody in his doghouse, Anna in the mudroom, most of the sheep in their sheds, and Urho in the garage. Whatever works right? I'll go and shag him down to the field later when it lets up.