End of January 2010

We have been planning the completion of our fence project for several weeks now. Mother Nature is not cooperating. Rain for two weekends and snow this one. I am about to go nuts! Who needs a fence?

We picked up 9 heritage turkeys a couple of weeks ago. We built a turkey tractor and promptly put four pyrenees pups in it instead. We plan to put the turkeys in this next weekend.

We have verbally commited to about 30 New Zealand rabbits and 13 Guinea Hogs.

Also, we are buying 5 Dwarf Nigerian goats from Linda at Good Measure Farm. Thanks Good Measure Farm.

My Sweet Heifers

Ok, now we've gone and done it. We just bought 2 ADCA registered Dexter heifers. They are Ebony and Rosie. We plan to pick them up soon. I can't wait to get these guys here.

Off Grid Living

Ok, not a tree hugger, but we have been completely off-grid since August. For me, it is liberty, at a big price of 'normal'. Anyway, we are giving up and going back to the grid until we are able to get a better solar set-up. Our main concerns are hot water, lights for kids homework, HOT WATER, and cooking. Also, using hand saws to build has been sooooo time consuming that we are falling more and more behind. Now that both Kat and I are back in school to finish our degrees, I have very little time. Trying to keep the business going to eat and school leave little time for our farm. So, we will go back to the grid and long for the day that we are able to get back that liberty we have enjoyed so much. Showers in an unheated bathroom at 8 degrees with luke warm water from a wood burning stove in a 5 gallon bucket does not make for a good experience no matter day or night. Call me weak, this one must be fixed and soon...lol.

Maraschino, Rylie, and Sarah

What a week. The family and I went to Oklahoma City to work this week and the weather turned off very cold. Not much work got done, but I had some time in the Motel 6 with internet access and a desire to move our farm forword. I found Rylie and Sarah. They are a mother daughter Great Pyrenees pair that needed new homes. Rylie is likely pregnant with pups from a full blood pyrenees too. We visited them and met an awesome lady. She just recently had to give up her goats and other animals due to health problems. She was a joy to meet. We set up the date to pick the girls (Rylie and Sarah) on our way back home the following Saturday. I was so excited that I changed my backdrop om my laptop from the political satire that so often graces it to a picture of the girls. Much excitement in the whole family, including our reluctant 18 year old homesteader that is our oldest son. That evening, I found Maraschino online for sale. He is a an ADCA registered Dexter Bull. Dexters are the breed we chose and this was perfect. The owners and I emailed back and forth for a couple of days and we finally went to visit them on Saturday. What a visit it was too! These guys are living a life similar to the one we invision for our family. This was without a doubt a blessing from the Lord to meet and get to know this fine family. We paid for Maraschino, our new herd bull, and went to pick up the girls. When we arrived, Rylie was AWOL. Sarah rather reluctantly got into the back of the suburban, and the kids immediately began petting her. We waited for about and hour, searching, and calling neighbors to see if she was near. No Rylie, so we paid for Sarah and left. We spent about an hour a few miles away eating a McDonald's icecream and shopping at Wal-Mart waiting to see if we would get a call saying she was back. Nope! We headed home, about a three and a half hour drive. About an hour or so into the drive, we got the call that she had returned home. Our oldest son will return this week to work on the jobsite in that city, and he will bring her home with him this weekend. As for Maraschino, he is awaiting his vet papers for interstate travel, and we will go pick him up then. If you would have told me that we would be coming home with two Great Pyrenees pups and a Dexter Bull when we left for the job on Wednesday, I would have not believed you. Well, we are now another couple of steps away from realizing our goals. Thanks to the Lord, the lady with the Pyrenees, and the awesome family we bought Maraschino from. All-in-all, what a week! Welcome to the family Maraschino, Rylie, and Sarah.