Hello, friend, and welcome to my brand new family blog! We're going to be known as the Farmer family until further notice, as our situation is going to be a bit vulnerable throughout the main thrust of this blog and we don't want unsavory characters to be able to track us down. All names have been changed to thwart the guilty. So, setting aside our admittedly pseudonymous nature, who are we?
We're a growing family, striving to follow God by loving each other, living responsibly and doing our best to be good stewards of what He's given us. We have a passion for all aspects of homesteading: for growing, harvesting, preserving and preparing food from the ground up; for acquiring, growing and learning better ways of handling new plants and animals; and for improving our own character with the hard work and responsibility inherent in the homestead lifestyle. Let's dive a little deeper into this little family of ours before we take a closer look at the homestead!
Dad
This man is a machine. Or a beast. I don't know, he's been called both. He works his tail off to keep this homestead going and growing, driving truck for more than forty hours a week and spending the rest of his time doing chores and building infrastructure. He worked full time for too much of his bachelors and masters programs (for religion and theology respectively) and still graduated from both on time or better. He has history working on dairy farms and at a landscaping company, and he was a valued employee everywhere he worked; as a truck driver he's reliable and motivated. And in the winter he is headed off for a new time of growth and testing: he'll be going to Basic Training to join the Air National Guard, followed by tech school for munitions.
Mom
That's me! I've always been a writer, first of novels and then of short stories and most recently of blog posts. I have a passion for teaching people about reducing waste and eating well. I love homesteading because it burns calories, gets me outdoors in all the weather, and lets me keep fun animals (and eat all the eggs I want!) I love making cheese, baking artisan bread, deep frying in lard, and dry curing bacon. I have a bachelor of arts degree in music. I homeschool the kids, cook three meals each day, hold down the fort while Dad's driving truck, and (soon) will be the sole responsible party for this six acre homestead and four child home!
Tea
Our oldest daughter is already a gem and her polish gets shinier all the time! She's got a strong bossy streak but she's been working hard to overcome it and start leading her siblings by example and praise. Her parakeets and cat are her pride and joy, and she responsibly takes care of all the chickens every day, without fail, even when it's hard! (We're working on more pleasant ways to ask for help that don't involve crying!) She also does dishes a lot (often without being asked!) and is really good at school as long as she's focused and willing. She is very good at climbing trees, riding bikes, and doing tricks like somersaults and cartwheels.
Bean
This boy is a tree stump. He's strong willed and stocky, he does not give up, he's loyal and helpful and kindhearted if sometimes a bit thoughtless. He needs a job, something to build or alter, or else he'll alter something we liked as it was (like drywall or a drawer...) but he's so smart and so driven and we are so proud of him! He feeds and waters rabbits and also helps Tea Rose with chickens as long as she's really nice when she asks.
Kensie
Firecracker. That's the only way to put it. This kid could trashtalk hard enough to make her brother cry when she was two. We've softened that a bit so now she just trashtalks uncooperative beads or dolls or air currents. She pulls zero punches and takes all the names. She feeds the ducks and gets very angry if someone else does it first. She loves water and slides (why don't we have a water slide? I'm not sure...) and wanders around narrating her own life to herself.
Dilly
Firecracker 2.0. Seriously, though, we have no idea how we had to exact same baby almost 3 years apart. Aside from being my first baby that wasn't super scrawny, Dilly is just like Kensie but smaller: equally daring about slides and water, equally assertive and verbal. She likes to dance to music (like Kensie) and can already carry a recognizable tune at 19 months (also like Kensie). The only discernable difference between these two is the fact that Dilly may be more mischievous... which is scary.
Our Place
Our homestead is set on six acres in the 43rd parallel of latitude. In case you didn't know, that means it snows. Before we bought this place, it was a neglected and abused bank foreclosure; we purchased it super cheap, intending to fix it up as a flip, but then our living situation changed and it became home to us and all our critters! In addition to the house it has a large engineered steel building, in which Dad has been slaving for weeks to build a hay loft and stalls so we don't have to tie every single hooved mammal we own to the truck. Unlike last year. (ok, ok, we didn't tie the swine to the truck.)
Our Oxen
Meet Bruce and Charlie! These two look fuzzy, contented, stupid, and kind. But only two of those adjectives actually apply, and I'll give you a hint: they're both morally neutral. They are daddy's boys, through and through, and barely tolerate me picking up their manure, let alone actually working them. (Ever try to plow a field with oxen when the team keeps trying to run away from the drover?... No? Anyone? Really? OK, moving on...) But work with me they shall, and let me clean up their manure too, because daddy's going to be gone and momma will be the sole dispenser of hay and water and bedding and work, and if they can't haul their own manure out to the pile then they might end up in the freezer before he gets home. (In all reality I'm really hoping that this winter they will finally come to recognize me as an authority and a friend. The sole advantage I have in this is the fact that I can sing... and they like it.)
Our Calves
We have three bull calves that we picked up for free in the spring. Milk prices were so low that the market had more cattle than it could handle, and farmers who sent bull calves to market often saw them not be sold at all; the calves would then be euthanized and the farmer hit with $30 in fees for disposing of their bodies. So, knowing that Bruce and Charlie weren't getting any younger, we decided this was a great time to start our replacement team. We bottle raised them and taught them to walk willingly on a lead, and to respond to voice commands and stick signals. Their names are Willem, Joost and Hans (good Dutch names for Holsteins, and only one of them is pronounced the way it looks). By winter they will have a yoke and take turns helping us haul manure out of the barn; next year we will have to decide which two of them make the best team, and the third wheel will be freezer beef.
Our Milk Cow
Oh, Apple Tart. She's a spunky little jersey cross, she of the crooked horn, and don't let the big brown eyes deceive you--she can be real trouble. We bred her via artificial insemination in March and fully expect a calf any minute, at which time our life will be enriched with incredibly creamy, rich Jersey milk and all its products and byproducts! Because I knew I would end up being the one who milked her most, I started to try to ingratiate myself to her around the time she got bred. I'm not saying I'm a cow whisperer, but she loves udder massages so much that she'll stand on three legs to make them easier for me. (I'm actually not sure how that's going to impact milking... at least her heart's in the right place? more as it develops.)
Our Chickens
We have three flocks of hens, plus the bantams. At the moment only the three silky hens are laying, and their eggs are very small; but that should change once the days start to lengthen after the solstice! The plan is for those silky hens to set eggs from the other girls come spring, allowing us to replenish our flock with eggs from our own birds--a life goal of mine that seems to come easily to others but which has been fraught with mishaps for two generations of my family. Maybe this time...!
Our Ducks
Why do we have ducks...? Such a good question. Hey, Dad, why do we have ducks? Oh, yeah, because it's pointless to farm unless you have a sampling of every single farm animal known to the western world! Well, hopefully we'll be able to make duck egg custard in the spring, and maybe the hens will set their eggs and we'll have enough ducks to be able to butcher some in the summer... which means we'll have to figure out how to pluck them...? But in any case, they need to survive the winter, so I'll be managing the appleyards, the khaki campbells and the lone Cayuga all winter along with all the other animals.
My Horse
The old, old horse. He's happiest when he's eating grass, and grass is scarcer than hen's teeth over the winter. He doesn't like drinking much water these days, especially when he's in the barn. I'm honestly worried about his ability to make it through the winter, but he's happy and comfortable for the most part so I'll keep giving him all the hay he will eat and all the water he will drink and hope for the best. He's been a good friend of mine for over a decade, and was among my only friends for part of that time, so even though he doesn't get much riding lately I'm still happy to care for him in his dotage. (And don't let his appearance fool you--he still likes to thunder across the pasture like a grand charger when the moon is full.)
My Dog
This is Victory, my viciously protective wolf from north of the wall. … OK, yes, she's one of those frowned-upon white German Shepherds and she's mostly just an over-exuberant cuddle machine, but she does look rather wild and fierce, doesn't she? She's my chore buddy and accompanies me whenever I go out the door.
The House Pets
… I feel like they're summed up pretty aptly in this picture. Cuddles, Sunflower, and Graycoat. They all belong to Tea Rose. I'll only add that Cuddles has never actually killed a mouse; the closest she ever came was that she once pawed at a poisoned mouse for like 10 minutes until it died on its own. Oh, well, she tried... sort of.
So that's the menagerie. This, if you will, is us. Is it a lot? Yes, it is. Will I have sole charge of all of it in about 2 weeks? Yes, I will. Can I do this...? Keep reading to find out ;)
We're a growing family, striving to follow God by loving each other, living responsibly and doing our best to be good stewards of what He's given us. We have a passion for all aspects of homesteading: for growing, harvesting, preserving and preparing food from the ground up; for acquiring, growing and learning better ways of handling new plants and animals; and for improving our own character with the hard work and responsibility inherent in the homestead lifestyle. Let's dive a little deeper into this little family of ours before we take a closer look at the homestead!
Dad
This man is a machine. Or a beast. I don't know, he's been called both. He works his tail off to keep this homestead going and growing, driving truck for more than forty hours a week and spending the rest of his time doing chores and building infrastructure. He worked full time for too much of his bachelors and masters programs (for religion and theology respectively) and still graduated from both on time or better. He has history working on dairy farms and at a landscaping company, and he was a valued employee everywhere he worked; as a truck driver he's reliable and motivated. And in the winter he is headed off for a new time of growth and testing: he'll be going to Basic Training to join the Air National Guard, followed by tech school for munitions.
Mom
That's me! I've always been a writer, first of novels and then of short stories and most recently of blog posts. I have a passion for teaching people about reducing waste and eating well. I love homesteading because it burns calories, gets me outdoors in all the weather, and lets me keep fun animals (and eat all the eggs I want!) I love making cheese, baking artisan bread, deep frying in lard, and dry curing bacon. I have a bachelor of arts degree in music. I homeschool the kids, cook three meals each day, hold down the fort while Dad's driving truck, and (soon) will be the sole responsible party for this six acre homestead and four child home!
Tea
Our oldest daughter is already a gem and her polish gets shinier all the time! She's got a strong bossy streak but she's been working hard to overcome it and start leading her siblings by example and praise. Her parakeets and cat are her pride and joy, and she responsibly takes care of all the chickens every day, without fail, even when it's hard! (We're working on more pleasant ways to ask for help that don't involve crying!) She also does dishes a lot (often without being asked!) and is really good at school as long as she's focused and willing. She is very good at climbing trees, riding bikes, and doing tricks like somersaults and cartwheels.
Bean
This boy is a tree stump. He's strong willed and stocky, he does not give up, he's loyal and helpful and kindhearted if sometimes a bit thoughtless. He needs a job, something to build or alter, or else he'll alter something we liked as it was (like drywall or a drawer...) but he's so smart and so driven and we are so proud of him! He feeds and waters rabbits and also helps Tea Rose with chickens as long as she's really nice when she asks.
Kensie
Firecracker. That's the only way to put it. This kid could trashtalk hard enough to make her brother cry when she was two. We've softened that a bit so now she just trashtalks uncooperative beads or dolls or air currents. She pulls zero punches and takes all the names. She feeds the ducks and gets very angry if someone else does it first. She loves water and slides (why don't we have a water slide? I'm not sure...) and wanders around narrating her own life to herself.
Dilly
Firecracker 2.0. Seriously, though, we have no idea how we had to exact same baby almost 3 years apart. Aside from being my first baby that wasn't super scrawny, Dilly is just like Kensie but smaller: equally daring about slides and water, equally assertive and verbal. She likes to dance to music (like Kensie) and can already carry a recognizable tune at 19 months (also like Kensie). The only discernable difference between these two is the fact that Dilly may be more mischievous... which is scary.
Our Place
Our homestead is set on six acres in the 43rd parallel of latitude. In case you didn't know, that means it snows. Before we bought this place, it was a neglected and abused bank foreclosure; we purchased it super cheap, intending to fix it up as a flip, but then our living situation changed and it became home to us and all our critters! In addition to the house it has a large engineered steel building, in which Dad has been slaving for weeks to build a hay loft and stalls so we don't have to tie every single hooved mammal we own to the truck. Unlike last year. (ok, ok, we didn't tie the swine to the truck.)
Our Oxen
Meet Bruce and Charlie! These two look fuzzy, contented, stupid, and kind. But only two of those adjectives actually apply, and I'll give you a hint: they're both morally neutral. They are daddy's boys, through and through, and barely tolerate me picking up their manure, let alone actually working them. (Ever try to plow a field with oxen when the team keeps trying to run away from the drover?... No? Anyone? Really? OK, moving on...) But work with me they shall, and let me clean up their manure too, because daddy's going to be gone and momma will be the sole dispenser of hay and water and bedding and work, and if they can't haul their own manure out to the pile then they might end up in the freezer before he gets home. (In all reality I'm really hoping that this winter they will finally come to recognize me as an authority and a friend. The sole advantage I have in this is the fact that I can sing... and they like it.)
Our Calves
We have three bull calves that we picked up for free in the spring. Milk prices were so low that the market had more cattle than it could handle, and farmers who sent bull calves to market often saw them not be sold at all; the calves would then be euthanized and the farmer hit with $30 in fees for disposing of their bodies. So, knowing that Bruce and Charlie weren't getting any younger, we decided this was a great time to start our replacement team. We bottle raised them and taught them to walk willingly on a lead, and to respond to voice commands and stick signals. Their names are Willem, Joost and Hans (good Dutch names for Holsteins, and only one of them is pronounced the way it looks). By winter they will have a yoke and take turns helping us haul manure out of the barn; next year we will have to decide which two of them make the best team, and the third wheel will be freezer beef.
Our Milk Cow
Oh, Apple Tart. She's a spunky little jersey cross, she of the crooked horn, and don't let the big brown eyes deceive you--she can be real trouble. We bred her via artificial insemination in March and fully expect a calf any minute, at which time our life will be enriched with incredibly creamy, rich Jersey milk and all its products and byproducts! Because I knew I would end up being the one who milked her most, I started to try to ingratiate myself to her around the time she got bred. I'm not saying I'm a cow whisperer, but she loves udder massages so much that she'll stand on three legs to make them easier for me. (I'm actually not sure how that's going to impact milking... at least her heart's in the right place? more as it develops.)
Our Chickens
We have three flocks of hens, plus the bantams. At the moment only the three silky hens are laying, and their eggs are very small; but that should change once the days start to lengthen after the solstice! The plan is for those silky hens to set eggs from the other girls come spring, allowing us to replenish our flock with eggs from our own birds--a life goal of mine that seems to come easily to others but which has been fraught with mishaps for two generations of my family. Maybe this time...!
Our Ducks
Why do we have ducks...? Such a good question. Hey, Dad, why do we have ducks? Oh, yeah, because it's pointless to farm unless you have a sampling of every single farm animal known to the western world! Well, hopefully we'll be able to make duck egg custard in the spring, and maybe the hens will set their eggs and we'll have enough ducks to be able to butcher some in the summer... which means we'll have to figure out how to pluck them...? But in any case, they need to survive the winter, so I'll be managing the appleyards, the khaki campbells and the lone Cayuga all winter along with all the other animals.
My Horse
The old, old horse. He's happiest when he's eating grass, and grass is scarcer than hen's teeth over the winter. He doesn't like drinking much water these days, especially when he's in the barn. I'm honestly worried about his ability to make it through the winter, but he's happy and comfortable for the most part so I'll keep giving him all the hay he will eat and all the water he will drink and hope for the best. He's been a good friend of mine for over a decade, and was among my only friends for part of that time, so even though he doesn't get much riding lately I'm still happy to care for him in his dotage. (And don't let his appearance fool you--he still likes to thunder across the pasture like a grand charger when the moon is full.)
My Dog
This is Victory, my viciously protective wolf from north of the wall. … OK, yes, she's one of those frowned-upon white German Shepherds and she's mostly just an over-exuberant cuddle machine, but she does look rather wild and fierce, doesn't she? She's my chore buddy and accompanies me whenever I go out the door.
The House Pets
… I feel like they're summed up pretty aptly in this picture. Cuddles, Sunflower, and Graycoat. They all belong to Tea Rose. I'll only add that Cuddles has never actually killed a mouse; the closest she ever came was that she once pawed at a poisoned mouse for like 10 minutes until it died on its own. Oh, well, she tried... sort of.
So that's the menagerie. This, if you will, is us. Is it a lot? Yes, it is. Will I have sole charge of all of it in about 2 weeks? Yes, I will. Can I do this...? Keep reading to find out ;)
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