For the last 20 years our family has had a hobby farm: goats, chickens, dogs, cats, calves, bees, and even yak. We produced maple syrup, collected honey, grew vegetables, had blackberry and blueberry bushes and two crab apple trees that came from my grandfather. My in-laws had a good-sized farm where they raised chickens, goats, donkeys, and made hay. My husband was 8th generation to live on the farm he grew up on! To say we identified as "farmers" would be a true statement.
Last March as we struggled to have enough hours in the day to produce the maple syrup, we began to question just how we were going to keep up. We were down to just Samantha living at home and she was in full time public high school. Abby was doing the best she could, but her nanny job and her own daughter made boiling sap difficult. Sam was working crazy hours with his two jobs and I was also now working off the farm part-time. We dumped a lot of sap that turned sour before we could get to it, despite boiling from 4am until 10pm most days. This was also about the time that Sam and I had started praying about our bucket lists and what direction God wanted our family to go in.
In late April there was a knock on my door early in the morning. Abby was out back taking care of the livestock while I fed Ava breakfast. A woman with a business card showing she was from the State of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, explained that there had been a complaint made against our farm. The claim was that we were making and selling Maple syrup without the proper equipment and in violation of state regulations.
Honestly, at first I thought it was a joke. When we converted our barn into the sugar shack and farm store, we had spent considerable time and money making sure we were in compliance with all federal and state laws. In fact, our facility exceeded most of the requirements. But she wasn't joking and I called Abby to the front steps.
After much discussion and several calls to her supervisor, it was decided that in fact we were completely in compliance with the laws for Maple syrup. BUT according to them, the way we made our infused Maple syrups had no regulations or rules. They decided that this meant they could dictate what they believed those rules should be and enforce them. They advised us that we needed to use a commercial kitchen to make and bottle our syrup. That they could inspect our farm store, unannounced, at any time, including during the off season. They would require us to have our water tested. The woman filed her report, deemed our case closed as "unsubstantiated," warned us that to continue to operate could bring more complaints being filed, and left.
Abby said, "I think God just gave us our answer." We went to the back yard and discussed what needed to be done to close the farm. Many people have asked why we didn't just stop producing infused maple syrup. And the easy answer is that the profits we made from the infused maple syrup sales were what financed the rest of the farm: hay, grain, vet care, etc. Without those sales, the farm could not stay in the black. The not so easy answer was complicated, nuanced, and hard to articulate other than to say, we knew God was speaking.
Letting go of farming in some ways has been easy. It's nice to have the option to sleep past the crack of dawn. We have been able to take and plan trips without rousing an army to care for the animals. I have gone three or more days without checking the weather forecast. In other ways it has not been easy. I miss the comradery we had with others when talking about the weather, haying, and showing livestock at fairs. I miss the smell of fresh cut hay stacked in the barn, the breath of goats in my ear, the squawk of a rooster as the sun comes up, and the grunt of a yak as she spies you walking across the yard.
Farming is in our blood: Sam's family can trace their farming heritage back to 1620 and the Plymouth colony, and the family has farmed the same piece of property in Connecticut since 1869. Abby aspires to own a farm one day and raise her kids like she was raised. Nathalie works for Tractor Supply. Hannah will soon be a camp director's wife. Rachel works for a dog kennel and training facility. Samantha plans to get a degree in Agricultural missions after she graduates from high school. They are all using the skills they learned from being farmers.
Letting go is easier when you know what you have learned and experienced will never be gone; they will live on in our kids and our memories.
Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Lessons Learned
These last two years have been filled with lessons learned. Not the least of which have been taught through great losses.
Two years ago, Sam's mom was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and passed away. Our family witnessed another sad event just fourteen months later, when Sam's dad suddenly took ill and died. In between these two events, Sam's brother Doug was diagnosed with cancer. His passing occurred a few months after his dad's.
In those events, our family got a raw and up close view of what is important at the end of our days. Grandma and Grandpa Smith needed reassurance that they were loved; that their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids, were near. Sam's mom had no regrets. She knew she had done her best, knew God was with her, and knew she was going to be with Jesus. It is hard to say with Sam's dad because his illness was so quick and effected his brain, but he was "Swamp Yankee" stubborn to the end. He left a lot of unfinished business behind with his kids.
Doug, also, just wanted those he loved nearby. He wanted them to know that he loved them. He said "I love you" to Sam more times in his last six months than in all of his 64 years prior. Doug loved his farm, his horses, the people, but he admitted that it kept him from doing the other things he wanted to do. He had a bucket list of about fifteen items that he had never done because farming is a 365/24/7 kind of life.
Sam and I did a lot of soul-searching. We came to realize that we loved what we had done with our kids: dairy goats, chickens, yak, maple syrup, cows, dogs, cats, horses, 4-H. It was all good! Our kids were better for it; our family was better for it. We have zero regrets! (Lesson from Sam's mom) But... our kids were growing up. Only Samantha was living at home and getting the "farming" done took longer and was harder with fewer hands. We were doing it, but we were leaving a lot of unfinished business in the process. (Lesson from Sam's dad)
In March, Sam and I wrote out our own individual bucket lists and made a date to go over them (busy people need to make appointments). It wasn't surprising how many similar items we had on our lists. It was surprising how many identical items we had! We talked about making plans to start doing some of the items (Lesson from Sam's brother) and what it would take to be able to do them: money, time, coverage for farm, etc. We agreed to spend the next 30 days in prayer about it all.
And here's the thing about prayer: God listens. Through a series of events that only God could orchestrate (a post for another day), our farm was closed in June and sold in July. We now have the time, money, and freedom from chores to work on our list.
With all that going on, I spent a lot of time at the ocean. It's my go-to place when my life feels stormy. Something about standing in salty, wild waves, soothes my soul. I reason that if God can deal with an ocean, He can deal with me.
And He does.
Lesson learned.
Two years ago, Sam's mom was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and passed away. Our family witnessed another sad event just fourteen months later, when Sam's dad suddenly took ill and died. In between these two events, Sam's brother Doug was diagnosed with cancer. His passing occurred a few months after his dad's.
In those events, our family got a raw and up close view of what is important at the end of our days. Grandma and Grandpa Smith needed reassurance that they were loved; that their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids, were near. Sam's mom had no regrets. She knew she had done her best, knew God was with her, and knew she was going to be with Jesus. It is hard to say with Sam's dad because his illness was so quick and effected his brain, but he was "Swamp Yankee" stubborn to the end. He left a lot of unfinished business behind with his kids.
Doug, also, just wanted those he loved nearby. He wanted them to know that he loved them. He said "I love you" to Sam more times in his last six months than in all of his 64 years prior. Doug loved his farm, his horses, the people, but he admitted that it kept him from doing the other things he wanted to do. He had a bucket list of about fifteen items that he had never done because farming is a 365/24/7 kind of life.
Sam and I did a lot of soul-searching. We came to realize that we loved what we had done with our kids: dairy goats, chickens, yak, maple syrup, cows, dogs, cats, horses, 4-H. It was all good! Our kids were better for it; our family was better for it. We have zero regrets! (Lesson from Sam's mom) But... our kids were growing up. Only Samantha was living at home and getting the "farming" done took longer and was harder with fewer hands. We were doing it, but we were leaving a lot of unfinished business in the process. (Lesson from Sam's dad)
In March, Sam and I wrote out our own individual bucket lists and made a date to go over them (busy people need to make appointments). It wasn't surprising how many similar items we had on our lists. It was surprising how many identical items we had! We talked about making plans to start doing some of the items (Lesson from Sam's brother) and what it would take to be able to do them: money, time, coverage for farm, etc. We agreed to spend the next 30 days in prayer about it all.
And here's the thing about prayer: God listens. Through a series of events that only God could orchestrate (a post for another day), our farm was closed in June and sold in July. We now have the time, money, and freedom from chores to work on our list.
With all that going on, I spent a lot of time at the ocean. It's my go-to place when my life feels stormy. Something about standing in salty, wild waves, soothes my soul. I reason that if God can deal with an ocean, He can deal with me.
And He does.
Lesson learned.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
A New Direction!
Last year we decided to sell our herd of goats and take a break from that part of our farm to concentrate on our Maple syrup production. With all the crazy stuff that has happened in our family since last October, when the last goat left, we know the Lord was directing our path and we are happy that we chose to follow His leading!
In the last few weeks we have done a lot of talking with Abby and have decided to take a new direction, even further away from the animals. (We are still raising our own chickens for food and eggs, and may raise a veal calf this fall for our own use) Now we will be focusing on creating a place where other small hobby farmers can showcase and sell their products.
Farmer's markets are becoming the place to sell farm products, but for the really small farmer it can be difficult to secure a space or commit to twenty weeks of sales. The fees for fairs and shows can be higher than a very small farm or craftsman can absorb and the start up equipment for such shows (tent, table, chairs, signage, etc) make achieving a profit very difficult.
While I was convalescing and Sam had a couple of weeks off from work to take care of me, we (meaning Sam, Abby, Rachel, and Samantha) stripped out "phase one" of the barn. The cement floor was scrubbed, the walls and ceiling were washed down.
Wiring was run, sheet rock hung, and lights were installed.
In the last few weeks we have done a lot of talking with Abby and have decided to take a new direction, even further away from the animals. (We are still raising our own chickens for food and eggs, and may raise a veal calf this fall for our own use) Now we will be focusing on creating a place where other small hobby farmers can showcase and sell their products.
Farmer's markets are becoming the place to sell farm products, but for the really small farmer it can be difficult to secure a space or commit to twenty weeks of sales. The fees for fairs and shows can be higher than a very small farm or craftsman can absorb and the start up equipment for such shows (tent, table, chairs, signage, etc) make achieving a profit very difficult.
While I was convalescing and Sam had a couple of weeks off from work to take care of me, we (meaning Sam, Abby, Rachel, and Samantha) stripped out "phase one" of the barn. The cement floor was scrubbed, the walls and ceiling were washed down.
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Through the window is the new room (used to be the "baby barn") for the evaporator. We aren't sure when we will move it up from the old building because we still need to pour the cement floor for it. The window will allow even the smallest guests to view the syrup making process without getting so close to the wicked hot evaporator!
A sink and stove, with counter space and cupboards will be added to Phase one. This gives us space to finish and bottle the syrup all in the same area. Shelves will line the walls for products. We are looking to add items from local farmers, producers, and craftspeople, to be showcased and sold. We will be organizing more farm events similar to ones that have been so successful in the past and our new farm stand will give us space that is not weather dependent.
It will take time for all these changes to happen and come together, but we think it will be a great new direction for us!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Small Business Saturday
So I got this great idea!
"Let's make an event at our farm for Small Business Saturday!" I said.
So we decided that we would clear out the living room and set up my displays of skirts and dresses, bibs and aprons. We'd make up some Vanilla Bean Infused Maple Syrup and some Cinnamon Infused Maple Syrup and let people taste it while checking out our new evaporator and sugar shack. We also would let people visit with the goats too.
And then.
Hannah.
She suggested she could display her handmade jewelry. I thought, "Hey! Why don't we invite other people we know who are 'small business' and see if they want to come too?"
So we did.
And our little event is now a good sized event.
Nathalie will be serving goat milk cheeses from Oak Leaf Dairy, as well as other tasty treats she will be making. One of the potential names she liked for her future bakery was "Nat's Nook". So that's what we are using.
Hannah will have her jewelry. Some really cool stuff she has created with hardware store finds!
Oak Valley Farm will be coming with their honey and hand crafted lamps.
A local artist will have her work displayed. You'll be able to purchase notecards and other items of Bopha Smith's artwork.
Another friend will be bringing her goat milk soap and knitted items for sale.
Quilts and quilted items from Beth Larson.
Lip Balms and herbal salves, as well as candles from Scarlet Begonias
We'll be setting up the grain dispenser so guests can feed the goats.
Of course, I'll be setting up my handmade items for sale as well. https://www.etsy.com/shop/CedarsofLebanonFarm
So on November 29th from 9AM- 4PM stop by and check out our little farm and our amazing friends who make some pretty awesome things!
"Let's make an event at our farm for Small Business Saturday!" I said.
So we decided that we would clear out the living room and set up my displays of skirts and dresses, bibs and aprons. We'd make up some Vanilla Bean Infused Maple Syrup and some Cinnamon Infused Maple Syrup and let people taste it while checking out our new evaporator and sugar shack. We also would let people visit with the goats too.
And then.
Hannah.
She suggested she could display her handmade jewelry. I thought, "Hey! Why don't we invite other people we know who are 'small business' and see if they want to come too?"
So we did.
And our little event is now a good sized event.
Nathalie will be serving goat milk cheeses from Oak Leaf Dairy, as well as other tasty treats she will be making. One of the potential names she liked for her future bakery was "Nat's Nook". So that's what we are using.
Hannah will have her jewelry. Some really cool stuff she has created with hardware store finds!
Oak Valley Farm will be coming with their honey and hand crafted lamps.
A local artist will have her work displayed. You'll be able to purchase notecards and other items of Bopha Smith's artwork.
Another friend will be bringing her goat milk soap and knitted items for sale.
Quilts and quilted items from Beth Larson.
Lip Balms and herbal salves, as well as candles from Scarlet Begonias
We'll be setting up the grain dispenser so guests can feed the goats.
Of course, I'll be setting up my handmade items for sale as well. https://www.etsy.com/shop/CedarsofLebanonFarm
So on November 29th from 9AM- 4PM stop by and check out our little farm and our amazing friends who make some pretty awesome things!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Fall 2014
It's my favorite time of year! The weather is cooler, the humidity is lower, and the air is clearer. And we are super busy, just the way I like it! My birthday this month adds to the fun too!
I love the colors of fall. The leaves, and the flowers in my garden have these amazing hues that just sparkle in the early morning or late afternoon sunlight. The sky gets this amazing color of blue and even at night the stars seem brighter against the crisp darkness.
Our 4-H club gets started up again, after a summer break. We had our introductory meeting the other night and had 10 new kids come and check us out! The group had some great ideas for events, activities, and community service projects. I am so excited to get started with this great group of kids and adults!
The Big E is happening! We bring some of our dairy goats (and some friends' dairy goats, this year) up to the Big E. The goats get petted and pampered for a few weeks while they are used daily to demonstrate milking a goat to the public.
The last weekend of the Big E is the 4-H goat, sheep and dog shows. Sam is once again a chaperon and gets to sleep and eat in the dorms with the boys, while I hang out in the barn and camper. Samantha is the only one from our club to be officially eligible to participate, but next year we have about seven kids who will be able to attend!
Every weekend from now to the middle of October, we will be bringing the animals (chickens, goats, and calf) to the local garden center (Burnett's Country Gardens) for the public to experience and learn about small farm living. I'll also be setting up a booth with my dresses and skirts for sale (Etsy Shop). Abby and Hannah will be doing a face painting booth to raise some money for their college expenses.
Farm life doesn't slow down much this time of year. It's breeding season so we'll be watching for heat cycles and getting our does bred for February and March kiddings. Since we also offer our buck for stud services, we'll be busy arranging boarding and breeding for others. The calf will head to the slaughterhouse in mid-October, and apple, squash, and pumpkin picking will mean lots of canning and freezing. The girls and I are helping Sam to get enough firewood split and stacked for the wood stove in the house, and the evaporator in the sugar shack. Sam is also researching a way to store extra water for the animals, should winter storms knock our power out.
Hannah has a new job that requires some driving, and so she'll be getting her license in the next few months! Abby is moving forward with her wedding plans. Nathalie is back at Bob Jones University to complete her associate's degree in Culinary Arts. Rachel is helping with sewing projects and has taken on a sewing student, while Samantha has more responsibilities in the barn with the goats. My sewing business is taking off and keeps me busy in the sewing room at least two days per week.
Soon enough the snow will start to fall and we will be hunkered in for the winter months. But no worries, the planning of the Christmas Eve Brunch will occupy our time!
I love the colors of fall. The leaves, and the flowers in my garden have these amazing hues that just sparkle in the early morning or late afternoon sunlight. The sky gets this amazing color of blue and even at night the stars seem brighter against the crisp darkness.
Our 4-H club gets started up again, after a summer break. We had our introductory meeting the other night and had 10 new kids come and check us out! The group had some great ideas for events, activities, and community service projects. I am so excited to get started with this great group of kids and adults!
The Big E is happening! We bring some of our dairy goats (and some friends' dairy goats, this year) up to the Big E. The goats get petted and pampered for a few weeks while they are used daily to demonstrate milking a goat to the public.
The last weekend of the Big E is the 4-H goat, sheep and dog shows. Sam is once again a chaperon and gets to sleep and eat in the dorms with the boys, while I hang out in the barn and camper. Samantha is the only one from our club to be officially eligible to participate, but next year we have about seven kids who will be able to attend!
Every weekend from now to the middle of October, we will be bringing the animals (chickens, goats, and calf) to the local garden center (Burnett's Country Gardens) for the public to experience and learn about small farm living. I'll also be setting up a booth with my dresses and skirts for sale (Etsy Shop). Abby and Hannah will be doing a face painting booth to raise some money for their college expenses.
Farm life doesn't slow down much this time of year. It's breeding season so we'll be watching for heat cycles and getting our does bred for February and March kiddings. Since we also offer our buck for stud services, we'll be busy arranging boarding and breeding for others. The calf will head to the slaughterhouse in mid-October, and apple, squash, and pumpkin picking will mean lots of canning and freezing. The girls and I are helping Sam to get enough firewood split and stacked for the wood stove in the house, and the evaporator in the sugar shack. Sam is also researching a way to store extra water for the animals, should winter storms knock our power out.
Hannah has a new job that requires some driving, and so she'll be getting her license in the next few months! Abby is moving forward with her wedding plans. Nathalie is back at Bob Jones University to complete her associate's degree in Culinary Arts. Rachel is helping with sewing projects and has taken on a sewing student, while Samantha has more responsibilities in the barn with the goats. My sewing business is taking off and keeps me busy in the sewing room at least two days per week.
Soon enough the snow will start to fall and we will be hunkered in for the winter months. But no worries, the planning of the Christmas Eve Brunch will occupy our time!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
It's Official!
Abby OFFICIALLY is the new Sole Proprietor of the Cedars of Lebanon Farm!
She processed her paperwork for the state and has her tax number. We changed the website to reflect her new venture with the farm: goat-milk-fed-pasture-raised veal. We also added things she felt were important: links to pedigrees and the 4-H club's Learn By Doing day. Look for other new things in the coming months and 2014, like milk-fed-cage-free pork and Maple syrup, as well as a brand new logo!
You can check out the new website here: Cedars of Lebanon Farm
She processed her paperwork for the state and has her tax number. We changed the website to reflect her new venture with the farm: goat-milk-fed-pasture-raised veal. We also added things she felt were important: links to pedigrees and the 4-H club's Learn By Doing day. Look for other new things in the coming months and 2014, like milk-fed-cage-free pork and Maple syrup, as well as a brand new logo!
You can check out the new website here: Cedars of Lebanon Farm
Monday, November 7, 2011
What A Weekend!
This weekend my sister Emily flew in from Kansas with her husband and two kids. Our 4-H club took a tour of a local Dairy farm where they make ice cream and they all tagged along with us. Then we had a party at my mom's for Seamus and Charlie who were both turning two.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Circle of Life
I follow several blogs. Most of them have something to do with homeschooling, firefighters, or farming. There is one blog follow about a farming family (her name also happens to be Amy). In one of her recent posts she shared this about her life:
"Sometimes when asked about the farm, I say, “Nothing’s going on,” but that’s a lie: something’s always dying, about to die, got out of the fence, or in the case of our goose who wouldn’t stop messing on the driveway, got shot and fed to the pig."
I had to laugh when I read this, because it is so true. Our farm is all about the learning curve. Oh, we read up about a project with books from the library, we Google it, we talk with other farmers. But then we do it, and it's nothing like the books, Google, or the other farmers. We have some very expensive turkey, chicken, and veal for our efforts.
And while we often have something dying or about to die, we just as often have something being born. Just this past week we lost all but one of our turkey chicks. In the span of six hours they went from healthy and happy, to not-so-happy and dead. We boiled an egg yolk and mashed them up with goat milk and fed the lethargic turkeys with an eye dropper. We mixed up some antibiotic and electrolytes and fed them that as well. And for all of our efforts, one lived. There is a saying about chickens: A sick chicken, is a dead chicken. Apparently the same holds for turkeys. (And just in case you're wondering there is a similar saying for sheep: Sick Sheep Seldom Survive)
While we were trying to keep the turkeys alive, the chicks were hatching in the incubator. Four in all. Cute, fluffy, little things. At this point we don't know if they are roosters or hens. We don't even know what breed they are as we have two roosters in the coop: a White Silkie and a White Rock mixbreed. We know one of the chicks is a Leghorn cross, because it came from a white egg.
Given our track record, they are probably all roosters.
"Sometimes when asked about the farm, I say, “Nothing’s going on,” but that’s a lie: something’s always dying, about to die, got out of the fence, or in the case of our goose who wouldn’t stop messing on the driveway, got shot and fed to the pig."
I had to laugh when I read this, because it is so true. Our farm is all about the learning curve. Oh, we read up about a project with books from the library, we Google it, we talk with other farmers. But then we do it, and it's nothing like the books, Google, or the other farmers. We have some very expensive turkey, chicken, and veal for our efforts.
And while we often have something dying or about to die, we just as often have something being born. Just this past week we lost all but one of our turkey chicks. In the span of six hours they went from healthy and happy, to not-so-happy and dead. We boiled an egg yolk and mashed them up with goat milk and fed the lethargic turkeys with an eye dropper. We mixed up some antibiotic and electrolytes and fed them that as well. And for all of our efforts, one lived. There is a saying about chickens: A sick chicken, is a dead chicken. Apparently the same holds for turkeys. (And just in case you're wondering there is a similar saying for sheep: Sick Sheep Seldom Survive)
While we were trying to keep the turkeys alive, the chicks were hatching in the incubator. Four in all. Cute, fluffy, little things. At this point we don't know if they are roosters or hens. We don't even know what breed they are as we have two roosters in the coop: a White Silkie and a White Rock mixbreed. We know one of the chicks is a Leghorn cross, because it came from a white egg.
Given our track record, they are probably all roosters.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
"Busy Season" Begins
We have developed names for the various "seasons" in our life here. There is Fair Season, which starts in early July and goes until the middle of October. Then there's the Holiday Season, spanning from mid November until the beginning of January. Homeschooling starts in early August and goes until mid May and kind of encompasses all the other seasons. Breeding season is from early October until early December, and mid February until mid April is the "Busy Season".
Busy Season kicks off with the 4-H Public Speaking Competition (this Friday, by the way!). The girls spend weeks (okay, days) preparing and practicing their speeches and presentations. We have made this competition part of our homeschool curriculum, starting with lessons in choosing a viable topic, researching, developing, and writing, and ending with their oral presentation before a panel of judges.
Quickly afterward "kidding season" starts. This year we have does bred to freshen on or around March 4th, 6th, 7th, 12th, and 24th. A few more are due to deliver in early April, for a total of ten bred does. This means a potential for twenty or more baby goats being born in about a forty-five day span of time! Thankfully this year I have only one 4-H'er who is a first timer in birthing goats, so my emergency calls should be light!
Then of course, there is preparing for tapping the Maple trees, collecting the sap, and the hours spent boiling it down to syrup. In that same vein is going over all the beekeeping equipment: fixing and repainting supers, and assembling frames of foundation for the new colonies due to arrive in late March. The baby chicks will be arriving in mid to late March this year.
In the middle of all this we have Nathalie's birthday and St. Patrick's Day. This year involves a major coming together of my parents, brothers, and sisters and their assorted families, in Connecticut. With some grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins thrown in, it'll be days of food and fun!
The 4-H club starts to ramp up the fundraising with multiple Hot Dog Sales at Tractor Supply. As the weather warms up, the club plans more community service activities and hands-on educational programs. The 4-H Fair Association also requires more time as things begin to come together for the fair. The Southern New England Poultry Show and 4-H Goat Day take place too.
Then there's the garden and yard clean-up to get started. This year we have plans to fix field fences and add more pastures, as well as fixing and painting our wooden boundary fences. The patio, which has been in the works for three years now, has finally moved up to closer to the top of the list. The temporary horse barn will need to be taken down and replaced with a more permanent structure.
No wonder we call it the "Busy Season"!
Busy Season kicks off with the 4-H Public Speaking Competition (this Friday, by the way!). The girls spend weeks (okay, days) preparing and practicing their speeches and presentations. We have made this competition part of our homeschool curriculum, starting with lessons in choosing a viable topic, researching, developing, and writing, and ending with their oral presentation before a panel of judges.
Quickly afterward "kidding season" starts. This year we have does bred to freshen on or around March 4th, 6th, 7th, 12th, and 24th. A few more are due to deliver in early April, for a total of ten bred does. This means a potential for twenty or more baby goats being born in about a forty-five day span of time! Thankfully this year I have only one 4-H'er who is a first timer in birthing goats, so my emergency calls should be light!
Then of course, there is preparing for tapping the Maple trees, collecting the sap, and the hours spent boiling it down to syrup. In that same vein is going over all the beekeeping equipment: fixing and repainting supers, and assembling frames of foundation for the new colonies due to arrive in late March. The baby chicks will be arriving in mid to late March this year.
In the middle of all this we have Nathalie's birthday and St. Patrick's Day. This year involves a major coming together of my parents, brothers, and sisters and their assorted families, in Connecticut. With some grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins thrown in, it'll be days of food and fun!
The 4-H club starts to ramp up the fundraising with multiple Hot Dog Sales at Tractor Supply. As the weather warms up, the club plans more community service activities and hands-on educational programs. The 4-H Fair Association also requires more time as things begin to come together for the fair. The Southern New England Poultry Show and 4-H Goat Day take place too.
Then there's the garden and yard clean-up to get started. This year we have plans to fix field fences and add more pastures, as well as fixing and painting our wooden boundary fences. The patio, which has been in the works for three years now, has finally moved up to closer to the top of the list. The temporary horse barn will need to be taken down and replaced with a more permanent structure.
No wonder we call it the "Busy Season"!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Updates
Well, I survived the interrogation by the school psychologist. She was very nice. She was surprised at some of my answers, which is a little unsettling. I know I am different, but I certainly didn't think I was that abnormal! Apparently my methods of discipline and my life goals for my kids are unusual?
We also got through our Parent/Teacher conferences. Both girls are doing fine. Samantha is interacting more with the other kids and not clinging quite so much to Rachel. She is giving her teacher less attitude (apparently saving it all up for me!). Rachel is being Rachel and everyone loves her sweetness and innocence. She is enjoying her role as "mother hen" in the classroom.
We have our PPT for Rachel scheduled for next Tuesday. This is the one where we learn the results of all the testing that has been done in the last month. At least this time I am prepared for the results; not like when they gave the OT/PT results at the end of the last school year.
Today is our church's missionary dinner banquet. I'm making cranberry sauce, peach trifle, and baked beans. Tomorrow is another church dinner after the morning service. For that I am making stuffing and Nathalie and Abby made chocolate chip cookies. They had to triple the recipe so it counts as math class!
Also today the van is picking up the FFA kids from the airport. Unfortunately this means we'll be missing out on cousin Olivia's birthday party. I didn't learn of the party until 2 days ago and had already promised the van by then.
Yesterday Sam and Rachel finished the chicken coop to replace the temporary rooster shelter. Now the roosters will have a warm house and we can free up some of the fencing for the laying hens which need more space.
Sam and Rachel also replaced all the fire bricks in our woodstove. The old ones were very cracked and crumbling. Rachel was trying to figure out how old the woodstove was. My parents gave it to us about 9 years ago and I know it was in their house for about 12 years. So let's just say it is over 20 years old. Hopefully with the new fire bricks, it will last another 5-10 years.
The next project is the shelves in my mud room. We were able to purchase the sheet of plywood we needed yesterday, so Sam will start on it when he is home on Monday.
The older girls and I sorted through all the winter things and thankfully, only Abby needs snowpants. Rachel and Samantha are the only ones who need snowboots. Everyone has a "good" winter coat and a "barn" winter coat. My mother-in-law keeps us well stocked in hats and mittens. So, that project is done.
Thursday a group of homeschoolers came to tour our farm. We had a fun visit and almost sold some goats! I did sell a lot of my honey and discussed "goat shares" with one couple. If the chickens had been laying, I could have sold several dozen eggs too.
Two goats will be going to auction on Monday. Abby has decided to pay for her goat's feed every month, rather than send it to auction. She is hoping to sell it in the spring to a family.
I think that is all that's news here...
We also got through our Parent/Teacher conferences. Both girls are doing fine. Samantha is interacting more with the other kids and not clinging quite so much to Rachel. She is giving her teacher less attitude (apparently saving it all up for me!). Rachel is being Rachel and everyone loves her sweetness and innocence. She is enjoying her role as "mother hen" in the classroom.
We have our PPT for Rachel scheduled for next Tuesday. This is the one where we learn the results of all the testing that has been done in the last month. At least this time I am prepared for the results; not like when they gave the OT/PT results at the end of the last school year.
Today is our church's missionary dinner banquet. I'm making cranberry sauce, peach trifle, and baked beans. Tomorrow is another church dinner after the morning service. For that I am making stuffing and Nathalie and Abby made chocolate chip cookies. They had to triple the recipe so it counts as math class!
Also today the van is picking up the FFA kids from the airport. Unfortunately this means we'll be missing out on cousin Olivia's birthday party. I didn't learn of the party until 2 days ago and had already promised the van by then.
Yesterday Sam and Rachel finished the chicken coop to replace the temporary rooster shelter. Now the roosters will have a warm house and we can free up some of the fencing for the laying hens which need more space.
Sam and Rachel also replaced all the fire bricks in our woodstove. The old ones were very cracked and crumbling. Rachel was trying to figure out how old the woodstove was. My parents gave it to us about 9 years ago and I know it was in their house for about 12 years. So let's just say it is over 20 years old. Hopefully with the new fire bricks, it will last another 5-10 years.
The next project is the shelves in my mud room. We were able to purchase the sheet of plywood we needed yesterday, so Sam will start on it when he is home on Monday.
The older girls and I sorted through all the winter things and thankfully, only Abby needs snowpants. Rachel and Samantha are the only ones who need snowboots. Everyone has a "good" winter coat and a "barn" winter coat. My mother-in-law keeps us well stocked in hats and mittens. So, that project is done.
Thursday a group of homeschoolers came to tour our farm. We had a fun visit and almost sold some goats! I did sell a lot of my honey and discussed "goat shares" with one couple. If the chickens had been laying, I could have sold several dozen eggs too.
Two goats will be going to auction on Monday. Abby has decided to pay for her goat's feed every month, rather than send it to auction. She is hoping to sell it in the spring to a family.
I think that is all that's news here...
Friday, April 11, 2008
Brownie Scouts Farm Tour
Fourteen Brownie scouts descended on us yesterday afternoon. Abby left for Cirque de Soleil with my parents and Hannah left for her volunteer job. This left Sam, Nathalie and I to herd the girls through our various "stations" that we had created.
We checked out the bees, the baby chicks, the 7 week old chicks, and the show chickens. The girls gathered eggs from the laying hens and scattered feed for the non layers. We talked about how everything on a farm has a job to do, even the non laying hens. We talked about livestock guard dogs and how we make maple syrup. The girls brushed the goats and then everyone took a turn at milking. The children pet the baby goats and let them suck on their fingers. We let them throw hay for Jazz and Patrick. The girls then washed the eggs that they had gathered. Nathalie showed them what we do with the milk after it is brought in from the barn and then I made a quick cheese. Rachel showed her goat milk soap and passed it around for everyone to feel and smell. Next we laid out apples with honey and maple syrup for dipping; also various kinds of goat cheese with crackers. The girls were hesitant at first with the cheeses but once one of them tried it and announced it was good, there wasn't much left at the end of the day!
The girls really seemed to have a good time. I hope we can have more groups come.
We checked out the bees, the baby chicks, the 7 week old chicks, and the show chickens. The girls gathered eggs from the laying hens and scattered feed for the non layers. We talked about how everything on a farm has a job to do, even the non laying hens. We talked about livestock guard dogs and how we make maple syrup. The girls brushed the goats and then everyone took a turn at milking. The children pet the baby goats and let them suck on their fingers. We let them throw hay for Jazz and Patrick. The girls then washed the eggs that they had gathered. Nathalie showed them what we do with the milk after it is brought in from the barn and then I made a quick cheese. Rachel showed her goat milk soap and passed it around for everyone to feel and smell. Next we laid out apples with honey and maple syrup for dipping; also various kinds of goat cheese with crackers. The girls were hesitant at first with the cheeses but once one of them tried it and announced it was good, there wasn't much left at the end of the day!
The girls really seemed to have a good time. I hope we can have more groups come.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
My "not real" Farm
Calico Jack and Capt. James Flood are banded (Trust me you don't want to know what that means). Jones, Abby's 11 pound buckling, has been disbudded. The yard is getting there. As my mom so aptly reminded me yesterday: "You have a working farm, you're not going to have a Better Homes and Gardens house". Even if Kelly W. says it isn't a "real" farm like Donna's. ;)
I have about 15 Brownie Scouts coming on Thursday to learn about hobby farming. We will talk about beekeeping, goats, chickens, and sugaring. They will get to taste honey, goat cheese, and maple syrup. They'll get to feed and milk the goats, pet a chicken, feed the free range chickens, and I've set up an empty bee hive for them to check out. If there is time I will show them how to make cheese (Just a quick vinegar queso blanco). If we run out of things to do, I am ready to do a bit about gardening. One way to get the peas in!
The daffodils are blooming; the irises (or is it irisi??) are up. This morning I have to finish washing the tile in the mudroom so Sam can grout it. I have to clean out the green trailer so the new owner can pick it up at the end of the week. The new chicks need chick feed. We are almost out of goat grain. We are down to 30 bales of hay. The barn needs a thorough cleaning. The Older Reds need to get out of the barn. The doghouse needs to be moved so we can get the dogs away from the property line with our neighbors. (Their kids think teasing the dogs is fun). The garden needs to be turned over... The list is endless, but at least it isn't a "real" farm.
I have about 15 Brownie Scouts coming on Thursday to learn about hobby farming. We will talk about beekeeping, goats, chickens, and sugaring. They will get to taste honey, goat cheese, and maple syrup. They'll get to feed and milk the goats, pet a chicken, feed the free range chickens, and I've set up an empty bee hive for them to check out. If there is time I will show them how to make cheese (Just a quick vinegar queso blanco). If we run out of things to do, I am ready to do a bit about gardening. One way to get the peas in!
The daffodils are blooming; the irises (or is it irisi??) are up. This morning I have to finish washing the tile in the mudroom so Sam can grout it. I have to clean out the green trailer so the new owner can pick it up at the end of the week. The new chicks need chick feed. We are almost out of goat grain. We are down to 30 bales of hay. The barn needs a thorough cleaning. The Older Reds need to get out of the barn. The doghouse needs to be moved so we can get the dogs away from the property line with our neighbors. (Their kids think teasing the dogs is fun). The garden needs to be turned over... The list is endless, but at least it isn't a "real" farm.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Taxes are so... well, taxing!
I started working on our taxes. I hate working on the taxes. I even have Turbo tax and I still hate "doing the taxes".
We have two businesses: My husbands woodworking business and our farm. The woodworking business taxes are difficult because my husbands idea of filing the reciepts, etc. is to simply put everything in a drawer. Bank statements, Lowes charge card statements, invoices from sales, invoices from purchases, gas station reciepts, etc. etc. etc. It takes me hours to sort everything. And, yes, I have tried a filing system for him. In fact all the LABELED files are hanging at the FRONT of the drawer in which he tosses the reciepts!
The farm business is much easier. For starters, I actually file my reciepts when I get them! Also the outgo is very much more than the income and I am dealing with much smaller numbers. Maybe someday that will change... hahahahahaha! Actaully our outgo and income this year were much closer than last year, and that was with having NO honey sales this year! Actually just looking at things, if this year I'd had as much in honey sales as I had last year, we would have broken even!
We have two businesses: My husbands woodworking business and our farm. The woodworking business taxes are difficult because my husbands idea of filing the reciepts, etc. is to simply put everything in a drawer. Bank statements, Lowes charge card statements, invoices from sales, invoices from purchases, gas station reciepts, etc. etc. etc. It takes me hours to sort everything. And, yes, I have tried a filing system for him. In fact all the LABELED files are hanging at the FRONT of the drawer in which he tosses the reciepts!
The farm business is much easier. For starters, I actually file my reciepts when I get them! Also the outgo is very much more than the income and I am dealing with much smaller numbers. Maybe someday that will change... hahahahahaha! Actaully our outgo and income this year were much closer than last year, and that was with having NO honey sales this year! Actually just looking at things, if this year I'd had as much in honey sales as I had last year, we would have broken even!
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