tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265931712024-03-07T18:57:30.179-08:00Ironwood Farm ProjectWe call it a project because there are lots of things going on here. We are a family of four living semi-rurally in our owner-built off-grid straw bale home, attachment parenting, homeschooling, farming and homesteading with two other family members on 10 acres. Our goals are self-sufficiency and sustainability as we prepare for the future while living joyfully in the present.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-22436882238669525332012-09-16T11:45:00.001-07:002012-09-16T11:45:22.202-07:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">Recent Happenings on the "Fram"</span><div>
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This photo was taken a bit earlier in the season, but the sunflowers have been lovely...we are now drying the seeds for harvesting.</div>
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Our pigs! Meet Krupke and Munsen.<br />
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Pretzels treeing her chicks. Pretzels came back to live at Ironwood when family friends had to move out of the area. She is settling in nicely...<br />
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The kids had friends over and were most helpful loading hay bales onto the trailer...<br />
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Our dog (Jack) helped too...<br />
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We were solar cooking fools in the heat of summer! The menu included flan, fritata, apple bread, and pictured here, banana bread.<br />
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A visitor...<br />
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Our new calf, Indie! This was taken July 5th, the morning after she was born--hence the name "Independence". <br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-52379347195205389402012-05-30T17:28:00.001-07:002012-05-30T17:28:53.246-07:00Birthday Party at Ironwood Farm<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This past Saturday, the annual spring party, for Chris' and Scotty's birthday was held. As always, a wonderful time was had by all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> There was delicious food </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A farm-style slip-n-slide</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">with a pool at the bottom, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">wagon rides with Scotty driving the tractor</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eliza with a red-sided garter snake found at the farm, and later released.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ducklings</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">bucket rides into the mine shaft </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">with Scotty operating the hoist</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">water play in the sand pit</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">rides on the dirt bike</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">hanging out in the garage</span><br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-68127644901519029872012-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:002012-05-03T14:31:03.581-07:00Road Building<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For years, we've needed a road between the houses at Ironwood Farm. We're putting in a road now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Through the boneyard</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Moving the boiler out of the way</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The road is finished. </span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-7507351701886278292012-05-03T14:25:00.004-07:002012-05-03T14:25:53.069-07:00Early May on the Farm<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Baby lambs
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">New laying hen chicks.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kids swimming in the stock pool</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the greenhouse....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Corn knee-high by the first of May</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> .....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">bunching onions....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Aquaponics....</span><br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-89471796322830320442012-05-03T13:37:00.000-07:002012-05-03T13:38:55.021-07:00More Bees<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilESqB2oMdh_JxwaNHBhQ2C4xraCClSVnENjnZezhFeB6FhGAviqpcv8R-0vFnes_b0VII9niqbm3xDAgphYyqujmdKVwBvDFAKxpzmKPXLLX9Tg5HTP5UeoplDSow9xExsCNbw/s1600/DSC00300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilESqB2oMdh_JxwaNHBhQ2C4xraCClSVnENjnZezhFeB6FhGAviqpcv8R-0vFnes_b0VII9niqbm3xDAgphYyqujmdKVwBvDFAKxpzmKPXLLX9Tg5HTP5UeoplDSow9xExsCNbw/s400/DSC00300.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recently we had a swarm of bees on a peach tree here at the farm. </td></tr>
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I decided to lop off the whole branch and put the bees into an empty hive. <br />
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Here it is after I cut the branch from the tree.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrysQ7BM4qdkMNAI-UTT_jhz3OYKcRYFBAxdTDYNo_TtLsGWG0wFDMxefwOSGha5t_6B3_AMq8TQ3S3a3tcWzMUZWgL81mEtf3nW-LjqfuCExz2YBjfxIA7QSoWUD2hgpSXMJX5w/s1600/DSC00327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrysQ7BM4qdkMNAI-UTT_jhz3OYKcRYFBAxdTDYNo_TtLsGWG0wFDMxefwOSGha5t_6B3_AMq8TQ3S3a3tcWzMUZWgL81mEtf3nW-LjqfuCExz2YBjfxIA7QSoWUD2hgpSXMJX5w/s320/DSC00327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I cut the branch I carefully lowered the whole thing into the
hive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pPsS0v4LCuRaniGkCVkWAVewzPOfTsKapApPCAXoV-K1JTfGHwwDoIPvuuzFATDgSE-pmRXHi2vq5ofE5huzADLqDSefigT61T2iEyFcpFqLpnMk6fQYoU9Ru3u_IHKXjIihFA/s1600/DSC00336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pPsS0v4LCuRaniGkCVkWAVewzPOfTsKapApPCAXoV-K1JTfGHwwDoIPvuuzFATDgSE-pmRXHi2vq5ofE5huzADLqDSefigT61T2iEyFcpFqLpnMk6fQYoU9Ru3u_IHKXjIihFA/s320/DSC00336.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I left the hive there for the rest of the day so that any remaining bees
could find their way inside, then moved it over to our place that
evening. The next day I pulled out the rest of the branch and let them
make themselves at home.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-80473250748257833162012-04-06T11:03:00.008-07:002012-04-06T11:24:35.327-07:00College Students VisitIn March, a group of college students from Eckerd College, in Florida, visited Ironwood Farm as a service trip.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIB_mAucoWbgHlvTxyjX_ljH-d176G6TAambTX6XyvnHgXVCip3maRzvnA5snC_-5jpe-qiah5aPW3MRVzgylgR4snQ5qRUXwtpJ8baEYzdrJPJpZgEAW4FZrauzOsIOYx86QxQ/s1600/DSC00115.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIB_mAucoWbgHlvTxyjX_ljH-d176G6TAambTX6XyvnHgXVCip3maRzvnA5snC_-5jpe-qiah5aPW3MRVzgylgR4snQ5qRUXwtpJ8baEYzdrJPJpZgEAW4FZrauzOsIOYx86QxQ/s320/DSC00115.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728353923724586946" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOEDaA1mtbWqEt8JgwNTJuDvZYoLULG72lxv6zz9bxhYJ7mAwjzkcEpWtTgCzgZi48xUPYgTdzoLCDcuIfKzugThrlDetpW0Z_rhXgB3u_KurMm_r96jGjdp_utETfz4heWnHaw/s1600/DSC00084.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOEDaA1mtbWqEt8JgwNTJuDvZYoLULG72lxv6zz9bxhYJ7mAwjzkcEpWtTgCzgZi48xUPYgTdzoLCDcuIfKzugThrlDetpW0Z_rhXgB3u_KurMm_r96jGjdp_utETfz4heWnHaw/s320/DSC00084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728353537170795538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQLPdaqtSHjLYCDMIfxE6mZIO-ZnBxfeF4XaOgWfhI8heVtbxJjrqCnbF3KDjs55t51b0Iwc1oTXohvoGMsn9dzAKIBh67Z-jHXLb8STXOMuztAnbGbVpo59MMiYX_m7RDQIEVw/s1600/DSC00076.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQLPdaqtSHjLYCDMIfxE6mZIO-ZnBxfeF4XaOgWfhI8heVtbxJjrqCnbF3KDjs55t51b0Iwc1oTXohvoGMsn9dzAKIBh67Z-jHXLb8STXOMuztAnbGbVpo59MMiYX_m7RDQIEVw/s320/DSC00076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728352123505498786" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">in the house, getting the tour<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynYpSpseK2TDHNCe9cQk2gNUjxW3hgyJgCcyEJJaK8mcCjYutk4MySe6bt2qwY-SdHNvmFfJUfcSQxlWoxbSoKryR1JOgmr21qTi69I2bksUo6yK2it9VOr0-iouUtv9gmnf2sQ/s1600/DSC00109.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynYpSpseK2TDHNCe9cQk2gNUjxW3hgyJgCcyEJJaK8mcCjYutk4MySe6bt2qwY-SdHNvmFfJUfcSQxlWoxbSoKryR1JOgmr21qTi69I2bksUo6yK2it9VOr0-iouUtv9gmnf2sQ/s320/DSC00109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728354574886999426" border="0" /></a>Putting in a culvert for the new road across the ditch.<br /></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-23973174676274524592012-04-06T10:43:00.005-07:002012-04-06T11:00:49.853-07:00Adobe Floor WorkshopOn the weekend of March 24th, with the help of some interns from <a href="http://wwoof.org">WWOOF</a> (wwoofers) an adobe floor was installed in the garage area of the workshop building behind the house.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rLVraxSE9SK2B895HFzOPVV1NiMEcy61-OtYC6b9Ob_XbhnwWTogM9Z3D1sGd1LUy56dmWx2tsnqRnMgR0O6I1Uv_xn74csVSKQKrxw53lXZs3Zpqws7t-92tSIYWR1vvil0Kw/s1600/DSC00134.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rLVraxSE9SK2B895HFzOPVV1NiMEcy61-OtYC6b9Ob_XbhnwWTogM9Z3D1sGd1LUy56dmWx2tsnqRnMgR0O6I1Uv_xn74csVSKQKrxw53lXZs3Zpqws7t-92tSIYWR1vvil0Kw/s320/DSC00134.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728348554030699746" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVsM9E3bhGivGfQJUKX3YQYUHw48taDiY2GbZzlWQ-S8j_aWoyEay_UHVZhlMl5NyoulP6nmX3EhGk-cyEctwGtEyTR3lhIYijb6nZS0FYc9dh-BbyEr_ZWnpNGI9GPsXWm90Y0w/s1600/DSC00130.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVsM9E3bhGivGfQJUKX3YQYUHw48taDiY2GbZzlWQ-S8j_aWoyEay_UHVZhlMl5NyoulP6nmX3EhGk-cyEctwGtEyTR3lhIYijb6nZS0FYc9dh-BbyEr_ZWnpNGI9GPsXWm90Y0w/s320/DSC00130.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728348299986544466" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-B0f4m3QEWGm29hRflp2scBxfqQimyzyo_dFe-1KBTSCXyoqtzhVf4L465fGeLc-Nyr-Xf8KscJo_W9AqnjGnvwL27TSg_5Ja-TWZOOCZoKtoQEe24hpEgK4niqCa66XB_NNWg/s1600/DSC00137.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-B0f4m3QEWGm29hRflp2scBxfqQimyzyo_dFe-1KBTSCXyoqtzhVf4L465fGeLc-Nyr-Xf8KscJo_W9AqnjGnvwL27TSg_5Ja-TWZOOCZoKtoQEe24hpEgK4niqCa66XB_NNWg/s320/DSC00137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728347923888484770" border="0" /></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-8116003983014587612012-04-06T10:20:00.007-07:002012-04-06T11:03:28.228-07:00Permaculture Institute 2012 Class<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5H0e_X4h6OdPEcYw6GUyefocgPZwJdxGUjtn42e4OO36PnpyO8HMph9-JcaNhin08V5dwIgdzc5bMDon3E71TTaFwK-n3_undCeoeSk__ZBa_uizOcVK1mWL01nVSKwHroKcrA/s1600/DSC00059.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5H0e_X4h6OdPEcYw6GUyefocgPZwJdxGUjtn42e4OO36PnpyO8HMph9-JcaNhin08V5dwIgdzc5bMDon3E71TTaFwK-n3_undCeoeSk__ZBa_uizOcVK1mWL01nVSKwHroKcrA/s320/DSC00059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728344632769362882" border="0" /></a><br />In March, Ironwood Farm hosted the Appropriate Technology Field Trip, as part of a weekend course offered by the <a href="http://permaculture.org">Permaculture Institute</a>, taught by Scott Pittman. Chris conducted a tour of the farm and house and discussions about aquaculture and pasture farming.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ0qCDTnTe0eb7uktUYSK9cARjU6IAoN_u99IddtoJ1_mzw2usqjzbIs7GmyfAgbnNfdY8_9R40_b9gkUR64BdPKH1tTScitdXFKxOD5JZUMq_DH72jDaapPUuiihnuIQcaWy2Q/s1600/DSC00057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ0qCDTnTe0eb7uktUYSK9cARjU6IAoN_u99IddtoJ1_mzw2usqjzbIs7GmyfAgbnNfdY8_9R40_b9gkUR64BdPKH1tTScitdXFKxOD5JZUMq_DH72jDaapPUuiihnuIQcaWy2Q/s320/DSC00057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728342666253689394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2RkScdMFm23O4_wrGu2B7neh3KJqHt_fmhyphenhyphenfiJIg1mH2dN_x0UODY902VEibFQQiKDG0sCPG2sXqqIONFEj0iKOoBndA9vdoSHrsOTFhW1KDqREqhzuvtGGEoaGYGw2XjnpMBw/s1600/DSC00059.JPG"></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-6732818402087682882012-02-24T11:10:00.010-08:002012-02-24T11:23:52.558-08:00In The GreenhouseJust a few photos from the greenhouse this week:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnpUWabkYvPq30FAgaLCFV6c3pLYydlmUDWWiZCYvAiaRA1kKNkIQvwg6AsF8tJcg3Z7Y-iK1ZQxU87FrqJDbNPJyicUICU9io1vwqsGaYwWQDf_ERsu4IV1EQemT66cATiw1Ww/s1600/DSC00002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnpUWabkYvPq30FAgaLCFV6c3pLYydlmUDWWiZCYvAiaRA1kKNkIQvwg6AsF8tJcg3Z7Y-iK1ZQxU87FrqJDbNPJyicUICU9io1vwqsGaYwWQDf_ERsu4IV1EQemT66cATiw1Ww/s320/DSC00002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712783981137471522" border="0" /></a><br />Uncovered row bed, facing south in the greenhouse.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtuzggiLqn5gO1rSn_h8S2vJ1PFQr6hMHZeDsbuM8F6lyrdnKX6ks0J-Wr6uBg9m5MxJgw-30Gi9jFrzDPZwStYlT3r_MnHewoXJqYauGRQp85wzfLbq1V_Pn2H71pVPWkRGNGQ/s1600/DSC00016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtuzggiLqn5gO1rSn_h8S2vJ1PFQr6hMHZeDsbuM8F6lyrdnKX6ks0J-Wr6uBg9m5MxJgw-30Gi9jFrzDPZwStYlT3r_MnHewoXJqYauGRQp85wzfLbq1V_Pn2H71pVPWkRGNGQ/s320/DSC00016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712783805916450258" border="0" /></a>Chard & Arugula<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKsNOxGbCsMzUI5B0D4UtHJXfHXqML21XGpdyjIONOOQpezl68-bFyPkCWc1L_QQNG9vajzQW8ecRL0nLgSew0IOI8kg98xgaUvYJ-fpigC8OSwX8QcbZiHFZxAFTmbCHvBwYfg/s1600/DSC00004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKsNOxGbCsMzUI5B0D4UtHJXfHXqML21XGpdyjIONOOQpezl68-bFyPkCWc1L_QQNG9vajzQW8ecRL0nLgSew0IOI8kg98xgaUvYJ-fpigC8OSwX8QcbZiHFZxAFTmbCHvBwYfg/s320/DSC00004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712783431252497682" border="0" /></a>Kale & Red-veined Sorrel<br /></div><br />These went into a lovely, big salad yesterday. Next time, we'll share a photo of the salad, before it's all gone!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplylHd0czcgq5QVEpGpPNW4M1z9iGE9FdLv45LolykHJVh2BbXEKMgmCOI5sfIfAfFY_EYhdQdJaLJf8LQa92jsF3yH8RM41zjaE1qLFq6acasGIJR00JF7iQ8Yb2Fh-h8l92FA/s1600/DSC00014.JPG"></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-11635025166536788512010-03-20T11:52:00.000-07:002010-03-20T12:10:00.242-07:00Volunteers On The FarmWe've been pretty busy on the farm and are always looking for volunteers to help.<br /><br />Two of our current volunteers and <a href="http://nottoosimple.wordpress.com/">Justin</a> and <a href="http://theorganicsister.com/">Tara</a> Wagner. They are traveling full-time and are staying with us for several weeks with their 10 year old son. (The kids have all had fun playing!) They have taken part in milking the cow and goats, tending to the gardens and fields, helping with projects (like building chicken tractors and sealing adobe floors) and eating good food.<br /><br />Here are some photos Tara took:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26696967@N03/4427806847/" title="Benny's Home For Now by TheOrganicSister, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2709/4427806847_d616228e37.jpg" alt="Benny's Home For Now" width="350" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26696967@N03/4427804637/" title="Chicken Catching by TheOrganicSister, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4427804637_44ebde6c1d.jpg" alt="Chicken Catching" width="350" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26696967@N03/4443943627/" title="The Boat Experiment by TheOrganicSister, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4443943627_fbed202cb5.jpg" alt="The Boat Experiment" width="350" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26696967@N03/4427839851/" title="Did I Tell You I Milked A Cow? by TheOrganicSister, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4427839851_8026b9f0fa.jpg" alt="Did I Tell You I Milked A Cow?" height="500" width="334" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26696967@N03/4427823331/" title="Hitchin a Ride by TheOrganicSister, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4427823331_3ed0c624ce.jpg" alt="Hitchin a Ride" width="350" /></a><br /><br />If you are interested in volunteering, let me know!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-58982664523615373162009-10-20T09:52:00.000-07:002009-10-20T10:08:05.580-07:00Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPN9y2EUZ6r5UiUiOskYIIE73hfdRjWQXxllNem7GrmnAVAdNyrYWfeVbAyDRE7lJ5f9VuIc6ETors9DmV6XjbKy4MMW5SVX14cvR2V3EY5UN-wFV1Sjso7wRuUmtSQnHDPiB8Q/s1600-h/IMG_4182.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPN9y2EUZ6r5UiUiOskYIIE73hfdRjWQXxllNem7GrmnAVAdNyrYWfeVbAyDRE7lJ5f9VuIc6ETors9DmV6XjbKy4MMW5SVX14cvR2V3EY5UN-wFV1Sjso7wRuUmtSQnHDPiB8Q/s320/IMG_4182.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394729140384026450" border="0" /></a>This is Itsy, the larger of the two does. She is the mother of two bucklings and one doeling.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKkqEM83KWQAwf464SB1RqV4LKV5infyS3jX_90PYruogT9vVHqWURgTD97RwOUZarPPRdTLKxb4M8rK4i1OrhZv42Jox6Wc-zXTZ1-V16ILUObSWa9heZrTHlQ6NMvPiqBRNhA/s1600-h/IMG_4180.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKkqEM83KWQAwf464SB1RqV4LKV5infyS3jX_90PYruogT9vVHqWURgTD97RwOUZarPPRdTLKxb4M8rK4i1OrhZv42Jox6Wc-zXTZ1-V16ILUObSWa9heZrTHlQ6NMvPiqBRNhA/s320/IMG_4180.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394728423912643938" border="0" /></a>This is Bitsy. She is very small yet easily raised three kids. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMYTPyaPU93XnsNsbtiSXzwyUCerez_5-kaEhTS5YmOQLjaOcHOAaJwji08YNBzylg1VT-orOSGVsLMngdiislF116XuMB-RfHLA40-A8gM-9VmTJ8RjGRxBnDZkZOm55DV4Gmw/s1600-h/IMG_4179.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMYTPyaPU93XnsNsbtiSXzwyUCerez_5-kaEhTS5YmOQLjaOcHOAaJwji08YNBzylg1VT-orOSGVsLMngdiislF116XuMB-RfHLA40-A8gM-9VmTJ8RjGRxBnDZkZOm55DV4Gmw/s320/IMG_4179.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394728415417583106" border="0" /></a>The doeling in the foreground is out of Bitsy, and the one in the background is a real beauty out of Itsy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXNXQaC0Tj02Lp_oEin-BekwkgG5QVDQQftuOjt5V83j0hdOMYbr4NnyJdLEJvoCXctQ7KAJMgIAjENQgl7QORAJzzTZeinKD_8_JOszZgiGhbyikAEe0cZuW1AqpsUkUWk2m4A/s1600-h/IMG_4177.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXNXQaC0Tj02Lp_oEin-BekwkgG5QVDQQftuOjt5V83j0hdOMYbr4NnyJdLEJvoCXctQ7KAJMgIAjENQgl7QORAJzzTZeinKD_8_JOszZgiGhbyikAEe0cZuW1AqpsUkUWk2m4A/s320/IMG_4177.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394727111183625090" border="0" /></a>Another doeling out of Bitsy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNf-Rdp50TDiQy4uABQ1eH51t8_rEfTezCM-ENLr96PiVoinVtCt5DJGUk4mh0DUvt8V-WP8VbW92IaYZmNTAfSjy6SoJNjR7j2a1aaSMB-V62hAjQgCNrY_rSC17fdkRDipIiQ/s1600-h/IMG_4176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNf-Rdp50TDiQy4uABQ1eH51t8_rEfTezCM-ENLr96PiVoinVtCt5DJGUk4mh0DUvt8V-WP8VbW92IaYZmNTAfSjy6SoJNjR7j2a1aaSMB-V62hAjQgCNrY_rSC17fdkRDipIiQ/s320/IMG_4176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394727097586059650" border="0" /></a>Here's Itsy's beautiful girl. We call her Cloud.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7Yyu3j9CT2vqP-pQXJ3N0qb6QK0vhhTcC8NaYUysAlwNMHl7vtCTAgAqGXarcJ8oGAJxLlmo8HDpvUStzHwyIFxK5IZa6oSIi5SWboZr9KZzpQtyt7_ikX5Ze9bbtA-Hymwx4g/s1600-h/IMG_4174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7Yyu3j9CT2vqP-pQXJ3N0qb6QK0vhhTcC8NaYUysAlwNMHl7vtCTAgAqGXarcJ8oGAJxLlmo8HDpvUStzHwyIFxK5IZa6oSIi5SWboZr9KZzpQtyt7_ikX5Ze9bbtA-Hymwx4g/s320/IMG_4174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394727089860792370" border="0" /></a>This is Bitsy's buckling. He is a real character and definitely the most animated of the three.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-42389584374801451952009-07-15T21:56:00.000-07:002009-07-17T22:04:56.718-07:00This is a boy who knows where his food comes fromWe take animal slaughtering very seriously and the kids are on hand to help or watch if they so choose. So far Eliza has chosen to opt out, but Scotty has been a willing and thoughtful helper.<br /><br />Here is our outdoor abattoir, or chicken slaughterhouse.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9PGbE9tc4yvz2lSWVCt3TRh9lo9KaQK6B9j5m766Vqii964RW7z_xpS6V-LCvmWmKMLLQSu4s9XnWHd2O4lwHTGNagwIQ6YR77GBLFEq2IFHDNkHwJaTXnBErJs__SSgMVb0uQ/s1600-h/IMG_3652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9PGbE9tc4yvz2lSWVCt3TRh9lo9KaQK6B9j5m766Vqii964RW7z_xpS6V-LCvmWmKMLLQSu4s9XnWHd2O4lwHTGNagwIQ6YR77GBLFEq2IFHDNkHwJaTXnBErJs__SSgMVb0uQ/s320/IMG_3652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359660552619308834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-Wi8pye_GVAVrs7iUMvl4Vp87dispLm7BmZhRmpfJLNIxbtHpZrz6N5FTdI6wEnOOY6EskfSLXEkTYi5YixW9t2o5h2MAnOe77QxP7uMgPgScFFDJp5DGT_JjkW4srVBZBev2w/s1600-h/IMG_3649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-Wi8pye_GVAVrs7iUMvl4Vp87dispLm7BmZhRmpfJLNIxbtHpZrz6N5FTdI6wEnOOY6EskfSLXEkTYi5YixW9t2o5h2MAnOe77QxP7uMgPgScFFDJp5DGT_JjkW4srVBZBev2w/s320/IMG_3649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359660556895213394" border="0" /></a><br />Scotty helps to bring in the chickens and keeps them calm<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoetfVYXSfI4Yuulm8lv8VT84Azrs4LAesBobaMjzuknXedt8qPT4jxh_pto2JVC3lp2e7ZNMtKtcrZRwO2pnQm-aFg6_ZEsXyO0QMsYZiDa9sMl1VVoLszNnMz6O4IkmaTkwTMQ/s1600-h/IMG_3659.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoetfVYXSfI4Yuulm8lv8VT84Azrs4LAesBobaMjzuknXedt8qPT4jxh_pto2JVC3lp2e7ZNMtKtcrZRwO2pnQm-aFg6_ZEsXyO0QMsYZiDa9sMl1VVoLszNnMz6O4IkmaTkwTMQ/s320/IMG_3659.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359660544013103362" border="0" /></a><br />and he has begun to learn how to eviscerate them. Here he is working with Crystal, our most faithful helper on butchering day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdOSMeF4ZJn8Wq_Zi-JuUDigXu1ClRnD-LSJKxunLgPeQZOi6_TZzdG9ArdaQhEkntu3wl6nL3ddlsFuPfU_aDCuKUbW95sFwvm3T2FuOrt7IINXZbk6XOWo2z3gi6t-ED5o-QA/s1600-h/IMG_3668.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdOSMeF4ZJn8Wq_Zi-JuUDigXu1ClRnD-LSJKxunLgPeQZOi6_TZzdG9ArdaQhEkntu3wl6nL3ddlsFuPfU_aDCuKUbW95sFwvm3T2FuOrt7IINXZbk6XOWo2z3gi6t-ED5o-QA/s320/IMG_3668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359661227353035842" border="0" /></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-64398064920364200182009-07-10T21:33:00.000-07:002009-07-17T21:53:35.849-07:00Bee swarm captureOur neighbor recently discovered a swarm of honey bees in a tree on her land. Chris and the kids were out camping that day, but fortunately I had an empty hive and a couple of fine helpers and was not only able to capture the swarm but got some great photos taken of the process!<br /><br />The swarm was in a small tree and the neighbor didn't mind if we lopped off the whole branch. I felt kind of guilty topping the tree that way but it really was a great way to capture the swarm with few losses.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9L9JOGJVEv36PEZ96aAsiB79GjyLkcE_b7Jmis6UeYFNtqbGJlvtpT3YcSZt9cVFFUnoMask1i-V9JvCE32oh3ddux4QKQ6sxKXJdBqw2aS7QJgQx4gUI2fyeR7w2B9tirdjIQ/s1600-h/IMG_3602.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9L9JOGJVEv36PEZ96aAsiB79GjyLkcE_b7Jmis6UeYFNtqbGJlvtpT3YcSZt9cVFFUnoMask1i-V9JvCE32oh3ddux4QKQ6sxKXJdBqw2aS7QJgQx4gUI2fyeR7w2B9tirdjIQ/s320/IMG_3602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359657091973420546" border="0" /></a><br />I approached the tree with the loppers and quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to cut the branch AND hold onto it at the same time but luckily my helper Stephanie was willing to do the lopping. Swarming bees are usually very docile so she was pretty safe doing so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWxUpIiieV6P1fMKOA4XatjYDnlMfPZ0J8Q3ZH1pX7iS5MwllxDt3NTVUfcPhkmuv4LabpjaKEbvz7jGVBl5iUh6GRTaf6vW1hLosevZciHbcueozmYD2CtURVvaJ0DPmmOteYg/s1600-h/IMG_3604.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWxUpIiieV6P1fMKOA4XatjYDnlMfPZ0J8Q3ZH1pX7iS5MwllxDt3NTVUfcPhkmuv4LabpjaKEbvz7jGVBl5iUh6GRTaf6vW1hLosevZciHbcueozmYD2CtURVvaJ0DPmmOteYg/s320/IMG_3604.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359655734390411346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoD8H2yjhSa9dvT7YTM3lfguUH35cyAUCUNk6fdykmrflWYXARWF9lqFz9cyrIKyTikAdxanbJFf5ma7hnsIhflbbUFFECJ_MFSNh7hGSIf_Gbosa6bH8FeTSPf4FS16kZnVHiA/s1600-h/IMG_3605.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoD8H2yjhSa9dvT7YTM3lfguUH35cyAUCUNk6fdykmrflWYXARWF9lqFz9cyrIKyTikAdxanbJFf5ma7hnsIhflbbUFFECJ_MFSNh7hGSIf_Gbosa6bH8FeTSPf4FS16kZnVHiA/s320/IMG_3605.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359655730673753586" border="0" /></a><br />After we cut the branch I carefully lowered the whole thing into the hive. It was surprisingly heavy! I had placed a top bar with a honey comb on it from another hive into the new hive so that the girls would feel at home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvpVAZ0WleHTo5ok2j0wqs8eGL47CXmmnKdLr0fNSWz6wn77kyaJ1BXs3JJ_n-kpK50beJpR9KVLZaOH5oSQEpJakeWq4SH4VPeRz7PiHofTlHxusCjb43kiCmM4_KWF2j2O6ng/s1600-h/IMG_3606.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvpVAZ0WleHTo5ok2j0wqs8eGL47CXmmnKdLr0fNSWz6wn77kyaJ1BXs3JJ_n-kpK50beJpR9KVLZaOH5oSQEpJakeWq4SH4VPeRz7PiHofTlHxusCjb43kiCmM4_KWF2j2O6ng/s320/IMG_3606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359655727883415026" border="0" /></a><br />Next I cut off as many of the peripheral branches as I could so that I could close up the hive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqdWbcaL95Yhi0tKULwmPo7FokVTUnOhWaIhiOOO9RDYcJbY0WzjCC7wG52pgES6qbf44UrIm73xHc8zqXkOFq2RpLj95U4B_oO3fF8syarrr8hO03WjpmdbJldAD9SUdOVBXXQ/s1600-h/IMG_3609.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqdWbcaL95Yhi0tKULwmPo7FokVTUnOhWaIhiOOO9RDYcJbY0WzjCC7wG52pgES6qbf44UrIm73xHc8zqXkOFq2RpLj95U4B_oO3fF8syarrr8hO03WjpmdbJldAD9SUdOVBXXQ/s320/IMG_3609.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359654567694645122" border="0" /></a><br />Then I added the top bars until it was shut tight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCF4LWZJSXJnV5TJrSV1hhAAWitMClpt5-arOLfFgdKzX7gZmjjyd6qTyTBBqPuBKOR6Dtz2tmiSVpSioUrIqRHZYnQjQ0n1ndq1YJb6aPDR29ETeg1Sa581bo0tsNNikRtQNAVQ/s1600-h/IMG_3611.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCF4LWZJSXJnV5TJrSV1hhAAWitMClpt5-arOLfFgdKzX7gZmjjyd6qTyTBBqPuBKOR6Dtz2tmiSVpSioUrIqRHZYnQjQ0n1ndq1YJb6aPDR29ETeg1Sa581bo0tsNNikRtQNAVQ/s320/IMG_3611.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359654575722469154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-4tbqpPfvx0SYVykQNg5izVlZ7hVPhuMoY0rkqV9C2o1FNad54hIUbSrta_d98rDItwH4JvMnesJoVycJC-wjq3ludD3y4eYiAVVkX_Vd-mnV9yH1VHifhPNOsPYUga5mnc2Kg/s1600-h/IMG_3613.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-4tbqpPfvx0SYVykQNg5izVlZ7hVPhuMoY0rkqV9C2o1FNad54hIUbSrta_d98rDItwH4JvMnesJoVycJC-wjq3ludD3y4eYiAVVkX_Vd-mnV9yH1VHifhPNOsPYUga5mnc2Kg/s320/IMG_3613.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359654585395059650" border="0" /></a><br />I left the hive there for the rest of the day so that any remaining bees could find their way inside, then moved it over to our place that evening. The next day I pulled out the rest of the branch and let them make themselves at home. They were quite pleased and set about making new comb right away! I now have four hives and have harvested over four gallons of honey so far this season.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-78015780627795126132009-06-29T21:59:00.000-07:002009-06-29T23:55:21.438-07:00Recent livestock photosI went out recently with the camera to snap some photos of the cows because they were looking particularly beautiful now that they had shed their winter coats. The pasture and sky were also lovely that day.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqtN1rjpFQxyk0jIau0hgTWb8Im1nboRl-uEmJC0ONTHVM0r3OxkThpfzKWzbX5_M8Q8EC2m33rNbfm7NbgffrU7oixYvG3uowmjNQ3xJmerf3XQ8lmulAOVYv5hK907I7n9dUQ/s1600-h/IMG_3559.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqtN1rjpFQxyk0jIau0hgTWb8Im1nboRl-uEmJC0ONTHVM0r3OxkThpfzKWzbX5_M8Q8EC2m33rNbfm7NbgffrU7oixYvG3uowmjNQ3xJmerf3XQ8lmulAOVYv5hK907I7n9dUQ/s320/IMG_3559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352982349345806258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7DRJlXd7Hjk3KVPlApTFuJkHvfKEnbSFXrhWsOUCmoKwhsnjkaT_MFXo0O0slzv3AFj0BX9zChCN9aCV5K4MMhwK_2HI9M6497QLZA7BFk55BLKEXqjcPqcfeq2dsILHANTMPw/s1600-h/IMG_3549.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7DRJlXd7Hjk3KVPlApTFuJkHvfKEnbSFXrhWsOUCmoKwhsnjkaT_MFXo0O0slzv3AFj0BX9zChCN9aCV5K4MMhwK_2HI9M6497QLZA7BFk55BLKEXqjcPqcfeq2dsILHANTMPw/s320/IMG_3549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352985422591883650" border="0" /></a>The sheep are spending the summer on the next door neighbor's pasture. This year they are sharing the pasture with two beautiful horses.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPVVaQKhXO0wx1u512GV_gL-env7nm3g3o9bMuspqGMkXk6-NFOAHiMnjSZvICGqjupL1BPV6fOrf9kpkYmzClHfwzLj1SjcghvYyH8DbPmK6bD7Pe0Lpf2CJ9cckGhFyevBq_A/s1600-h/IMG_3515.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPVVaQKhXO0wx1u512GV_gL-env7nm3g3o9bMuspqGMkXk6-NFOAHiMnjSZvICGqjupL1BPV6fOrf9kpkYmzClHfwzLj1SjcghvYyH8DbPmK6bD7Pe0Lpf2CJ9cckGhFyevBq_A/s320/IMG_3515.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352985420457642610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPw_dDHckrwRJxOTV0uKgNLxUmg-F65ScJEP_9NKMcr_bOmGAgJQPUEDCkil3BCtH67HlWq7bxslvegRSuwXiazWpoKqMZChaeBcLNgQ6SO-xXGqCabrCD169WdjxcZP30uj4PQ/s1600-h/IMG_3519.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPw_dDHckrwRJxOTV0uKgNLxUmg-F65ScJEP_9NKMcr_bOmGAgJQPUEDCkil3BCtH67HlWq7bxslvegRSuwXiazWpoKqMZChaeBcLNgQ6SO-xXGqCabrCD169WdjxcZP30uj4PQ/s320/IMG_3519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352982343985777682" border="0" /></a>Here are the new goats, Itsy and Bitsy. No, I did not name them, and their names would have been changed in an instant were it not for the fact that I happened to mention them to the kids, who thought they were great and completely vetoed any renaming. In this shot they are both very pregnant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb0s50ZTbpo37NwRg4O-6Hz9gjcdK7KMtOQslFNdI1YbYk6R3sesoXnVchG_9AFoQXZcI8B10nBG0NLt5y-aUECxmgLD8ttMy9PbORdJ4WJu5AzARHYR86muQw-7YXlVp_7RoAQ/s1600-h/IMG_3503.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb0s50ZTbpo37NwRg4O-6Hz9gjcdK7KMtOQslFNdI1YbYk6R3sesoXnVchG_9AFoQXZcI8B10nBG0NLt5y-aUECxmgLD8ttMy9PbORdJ4WJu5AzARHYR86muQw-7YXlVp_7RoAQ/s320/IMG_3503.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352982334181791858" border="0" /></a><br />The piglets are growing fast and learning all of their mothers' bad habits. They are small enough to get through the cattle panels and graze the irrigation ditches.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-FFnuyV_jBMxM3tHwQ1gX18eiRR3boczAHd2e95lXDijRBpFdbtA_bokXrP92nwHew6frxddpkXloWRsRRG1jce95EnhXzMkfBX0fIF_Insmm2KYl-swZ5cLBf-bj2JLcZ22bA/s1600-h/IMG_3578.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-FFnuyV_jBMxM3tHwQ1gX18eiRR3boczAHd2e95lXDijRBpFdbtA_bokXrP92nwHew6frxddpkXloWRsRRG1jce95EnhXzMkfBX0fIF_Insmm2KYl-swZ5cLBf-bj2JLcZ22bA/s320/IMG_3578.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352985433421216466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY_hp_jm3tAThmPKttgxoCe_RoHVHKr9CHsCdA7aNFCN24xjNKwauqyGfVESjpRoPJTmcEmRnw1RNfVOZzq4SVkGxrbZScOn-NlvoP_ylPm0_6h38r-deZbQbsPYW_CbZbFDotw/s1600-h/IMG_3581.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY_hp_jm3tAThmPKttgxoCe_RoHVHKr9CHsCdA7aNFCN24xjNKwauqyGfVESjpRoPJTmcEmRnw1RNfVOZzq4SVkGxrbZScOn-NlvoP_ylPm0_6h38r-deZbQbsPYW_CbZbFDotw/s320/IMG_3581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353000719831898770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGULlFpKrXXsjZYqT60EwavXLVgHhyfzBsGMZDzQ9X5zjgraH18MClYtXvl2zVqfTN7Y4EOzM-N878TEw1i-jwvRaCr42uGrCi34t6v5TISLlZ_LV_ub0Ay4gWpHeMA_2oDQj5OQ/s1600-h/IMG_3580.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGULlFpKrXXsjZYqT60EwavXLVgHhyfzBsGMZDzQ9X5zjgraH18MClYtXvl2zVqfTN7Y4EOzM-N878TEw1i-jwvRaCr42uGrCi34t6v5TISLlZ_LV_ub0Ay4gWpHeMA_2oDQj5OQ/s320/IMG_3580.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353000717045257042" border="0" /></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-59285686301808998652009-06-11T15:14:00.000-07:002009-06-11T15:28:55.127-07:00BearAs promised, here are some photos of our new livestock guardian dog, Bear. Bear is around 14 months old and he came to us from a farm in very rural Kansas where he was the faithful guardian of a flock of chickens. We chose to purchase Bear as opposed to a new puppy because he was already trained to work with birds and he was also good with kids. He does not disappoint! He has settled in beautifully here at the farm and he guards his poultry with great attention to detail. He even protected them from a ferocious toad the other evening. I caught the toad and reassured Bear that toads are welcome visitors on the farm, but it was pretty funny to see him snarling and growling at the poor toad.<br /><br />Bear is a Great Pyrenees dog, a large breed that is historically used for guarding livestock. I became interested in this breed for several reasons, not the least of which was meeting Thistle, a Pyr owned by our farm friends at Sunflower River. Bear is a big boy--he is about 105 pounds right now and will grow a bit more. A nice thing about Pyrs is that they don't eat very much relative to other breeds so even though he's big, we are able to feed him well with bones, organs, and other meat products from the farm (chicken heads, etc). We have not lost one chicken to raccoons since he came home. He lives with the chickens but gets lots of love and attention during the day from people. We are just thrilled with him and will probably never again be without a livestock guardian dog, at least for as long as we have livestock.<br /><br />Here he is hamming it up for the camera:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKU19nvF3mpxFUUaMWYjWQiABX7WE9uXJN4m3d0mSKtnuz-fA2W_0R_spSNz4NXn-65RnvMfAgHBDuH6dzZw3XyTSE1ivUS3IgRxeNIxNLPi_8hGR9vicuLFZDekeWpTuSyswZuQ/s1600-h/IMG_3520.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKU19nvF3mpxFUUaMWYjWQiABX7WE9uXJN4m3d0mSKtnuz-fA2W_0R_spSNz4NXn-65RnvMfAgHBDuH6dzZw3XyTSE1ivUS3IgRxeNIxNLPi_8hGR9vicuLFZDekeWpTuSyswZuQ/s320/IMG_3520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346197723438202290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpuuSezjMkCbdYmeBV_3BFGg2CYcGfO2Xxey2i2LCh1BfPwOIhpNrYkSwy7ncicC8OnYC_ULFG3MUxaY9EZKVchFH8XB-8BUDgTV9Exnrytp30cuauDgGhXR-GJXBhaF8rMOvTw/s1600-h/IMG_3523.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpuuSezjMkCbdYmeBV_3BFGg2CYcGfO2Xxey2i2LCh1BfPwOIhpNrYkSwy7ncicC8OnYC_ULFG3MUxaY9EZKVchFH8XB-8BUDgTV9Exnrytp30cuauDgGhXR-GJXBhaF8rMOvTw/s320/IMG_3523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346197734763192610" border="0" /></a>Here he is meeting Sylvia for the first time. This gives you an idea of his size and his love of people.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfE1fxjAAuBHyzTdh_3sJfV4xquzaS1aWvuGyIpUI_9BDrS4Rnu1Jgnbin7Iuj2mRMPKOHKYDI6FZSg7exfwt6YoC_jnaLsLCcnnjWyjNkutyZDHL3GI-z_gi9CqOHmQauV9-mQ/s1600-h/IMG_3456.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfE1fxjAAuBHyzTdh_3sJfV4xquzaS1aWvuGyIpUI_9BDrS4Rnu1Jgnbin7Iuj2mRMPKOHKYDI6FZSg7exfwt6YoC_jnaLsLCcnnjWyjNkutyZDHL3GI-z_gi9CqOHmQauV9-mQ/s320/IMG_3456.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346197737446150738" border="0" /></a><br />Oh, and he works sometimes too! Here he is patrolling the chicken yard for invaders.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFukolL2YTkYqxTDbWspF2l3iKKQwqTDglYOQPuqpjNcilU5lZ7Aq5YjVdTVb12vgaXUUXMpI3Mt8gebDMoY1hpD-SszXyZpVIYO-9TGPvmOUhH_vvevU3zxJJvSxVM9T1WLpTg/s1600-h/IMG_3452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFukolL2YTkYqxTDbWspF2l3iKKQwqTDglYOQPuqpjNcilU5lZ7Aq5YjVdTVb12vgaXUUXMpI3Mt8gebDMoY1hpD-SszXyZpVIYO-9TGPvmOUhH_vvevU3zxJJvSxVM9T1WLpTg/s320/IMG_3452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346200316858726418" border="0" /></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-10582327796767782362009-06-11T14:27:00.000-07:002009-06-11T15:13:10.094-07:00Latest kid doingsWe had Chris and Scotty's usual birthday steam-up again this year. Scotty is 9 already! We kept it a bit smaller this time but some new friends came from our homeschool group in addition to other friends and family and we had a great time. Of course we had the steam tractor running with steam hoist rides.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwTy_QNitF5t9IUWly7Vr5Xj6J9q71xiSBfUZMoQGX9mzJ1eGkyh7ivK24VV8fk2-cEqtdzBYr_9WF2W6kEekHQ0LuH7W-rw3bZESOo-oedHfU5kspBpFYYb1Wyll4cjG2jUGCg/s1600-h/IMG_3487.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwTy_QNitF5t9IUWly7Vr5Xj6J9q71xiSBfUZMoQGX9mzJ1eGkyh7ivK24VV8fk2-cEqtdzBYr_9WF2W6kEekHQ0LuH7W-rw3bZESOo-oedHfU5kspBpFYYb1Wyll4cjG2jUGCg/s320/IMG_3487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346186092709289682" border="0" /></a>We also tried a water balloon launcher this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL66F19vh38lwPCOQzP1EcN_6cgVPuI4CLNoVlhDI94cH_HFB6ikYjj8R19yPUSa2o-ldbv4vxNWQ-HnBXjQrp3Sn3cH-AOb5l0y3PL1QDaFTAANXF4JgUwJk_bmAkl7ySZhHdsg/s1600-h/IMG_3490.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL66F19vh38lwPCOQzP1EcN_6cgVPuI4CLNoVlhDI94cH_HFB6ikYjj8R19yPUSa2o-ldbv4vxNWQ-HnBXjQrp3Sn3cH-AOb5l0y3PL1QDaFTAANXF4JgUwJk_bmAkl7ySZhHdsg/s320/IMG_3490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346186097013205234" border="0" /></a>We finished it off with the ever popular potato cannon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IUWlPlz1UOWtAivjHgBpnsZPGdkctg16shIjg_TneG2489AZwrAqxp4w08OyNKeiuV3oVlj82HZvam1jWYgArEPpwHQ5RhDjPF3XOxe3RByTdpyBiWHY7gOV5qnGRrb5VGG4DQ/s1600-h/IMG_3496.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IUWlPlz1UOWtAivjHgBpnsZPGdkctg16shIjg_TneG2489AZwrAqxp4w08OyNKeiuV3oVlj82HZvam1jWYgArEPpwHQ5RhDjPF3XOxe3RByTdpyBiWHY7gOV5qnGRrb5VGG4DQ/s320/IMG_3496.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346186112335206818" border="0" /></a>Earlier last month, Eliza had two friends over to celebrate her new bedroom. The girls had a great time making stop motion animation videos, playing music, dying eggs with natural dyes, and visiting the animals.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYg7d9KSdMt8NR9WtP8PBabvDixCSTJYrdw13w9wsyl-IOt5ycC5qE1lMGTwl8h8CcO0UoHt1xXSWzjAwWdK147bUF1l5dI4apMEZdEAQkP1RZaq2DAdn97REgkGqFavjIhr9_QA/s1600-h/IMG_3300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYg7d9KSdMt8NR9WtP8PBabvDixCSTJYrdw13w9wsyl-IOt5ycC5qE1lMGTwl8h8CcO0UoHt1xXSWzjAwWdK147bUF1l5dI4apMEZdEAQkP1RZaq2DAdn97REgkGqFavjIhr9_QA/s320/IMG_3300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346189514332084530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJIs2qSWtmbX19D8g-Hv7kYWF_63Fk04zMtUOHRTuweVnRAUnME1EOeK6qIrdNpeLOw7FGoEJxJy4fVE51bT3HGoSyq2Ch9SeBSOdZS5-S4QMMySsoWymlehsV1PWlB3NKqOXkA/s1600-h/IMG_3302.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJIs2qSWtmbX19D8g-Hv7kYWF_63Fk04zMtUOHRTuweVnRAUnME1EOeK6qIrdNpeLOw7FGoEJxJy4fVE51bT3HGoSyq2Ch9SeBSOdZS5-S4QMMySsoWymlehsV1PWlB3NKqOXkA/s320/IMG_3302.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346189507813907906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajA_i9NVrHMHLbml8sEQMSTzWCjQzwNvrSTGemZonBB-SM1zfm-WSUhMLu50hAebylc3Sg2KValm11isKTjRpsV4tWPqRLxkbI2eeK7jYeOixtrbU7LXOVfgxfRYOSyaE_QRyow/s1600-h/IMG_3298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajA_i9NVrHMHLbml8sEQMSTzWCjQzwNvrSTGemZonBB-SM1zfm-WSUhMLu50hAebylc3Sg2KValm11isKTjRpsV4tWPqRLxkbI2eeK7jYeOixtrbU7LXOVfgxfRYOSyaE_QRyow/s320/IMG_3298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346189519359601186" border="0" /></a><br />Eliza was thrilled to be able to show the girls her new loft bed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTtVb7juI8A6jNYqm1pQ57VxIA3dsD7VHGHaTdc4cLIITP6Z6FT7zhqD7n2x7vkCvW6Rvn6ZK7EoUjKEDmK49NqYARjIz7VMpyKPt71D9CpQ9T7IuB5bDCaP2PT5z1KzfScyLcg/s1600-h/IMG_3305.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTtVb7juI8A6jNYqm1pQ57VxIA3dsD7VHGHaTdc4cLIITP6Z6FT7zhqD7n2x7vkCvW6Rvn6ZK7EoUjKEDmK49NqYARjIz7VMpyKPt71D9CpQ9T7IuB5bDCaP2PT5z1KzfScyLcg/s320/IMG_3305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346190797782213778" border="0" /></a><br />Meanwhile, Scotty has become quite a skilled tractor operator and he has really started to help out around the farm. Here he is hauling a load of compost up the driveway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4pNPh9JgPfSjLDi2xZIeDxHt4poFnA7w4X6kYBNGICbdI2fZxlDurHyWQPWBMOfMR57_rwsNFrSxI_grHxRwbVRR0TcFrB5Zl4DJdhQ2Osv1DOdvWwpQ5v7eIufbEnb9kpXTyw/s1600-h/IMG_3508.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4pNPh9JgPfSjLDi2xZIeDxHt4poFnA7w4X6kYBNGICbdI2fZxlDurHyWQPWBMOfMR57_rwsNFrSxI_grHxRwbVRR0TcFrB5Zl4DJdhQ2Osv1DOdvWwpQ5v7eIufbEnb9kpXTyw/s320/IMG_3508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346190800346893170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjjq8Hy4BFlXak1bAC9QN6V8-vj8CRfJCUzN86lXqPA_tTK9NB_OfjexZ8xIp4ZusvRVrWt1WAPPhJ5tP-8_RGIm4Vt_AUu6_qluWbpqFVTkrRUvH96WZ3mEePV2xvILTT5feNw/s1600-h/IMG_3509.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjjq8Hy4BFlXak1bAC9QN6V8-vj8CRfJCUzN86lXqPA_tTK9NB_OfjexZ8xIp4ZusvRVrWt1WAPPhJ5tP-8_RGIm4Vt_AUu6_qluWbpqFVTkrRUvH96WZ3mEePV2xvILTT5feNw/s320/IMG_3509.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346190804766627810" border="0" /></a><br />Later he drove along while I shoveled the compost into one of our garden beds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzj2brJTDGwkDT1k2TZ_h4Out_9ztSCsuD5z3G0LZuaZsD2ulX4Qv8zzzDjahCoIDSbHEOw7gt_t295mt0m_RkYaae1kHx4rkRIAcKnrn6lIa_3WZj18dM4WSWndUSdJclN8fYw/s1600-h/IMG_3539.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzj2brJTDGwkDT1k2TZ_h4Out_9ztSCsuD5z3G0LZuaZsD2ulX4Qv8zzzDjahCoIDSbHEOw7gt_t295mt0m_RkYaae1kHx4rkRIAcKnrn6lIa_3WZj18dM4WSWndUSdJclN8fYw/s320/IMG_3539.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346191824545787426" border="0" /></a><br />He also pulled the trailer and hay loader for us the last time we picked up hay. It's really a thrill to see--he can even make the turns and line up the loader properly for the next run. In short, the kids are doing very well!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-86214030839769270732009-06-09T13:18:00.000-07:002009-06-09T13:36:37.136-07:00Piglets!Our first litters of piglets were born a few weeks ago. These are special births because they are American Guinea Hogs, a rare heritage breed that is near extinction. Through the efforts of several enthusiastic breeders around the country their numbers are climbing, which is a good thing because this small, gentle breed is a real treasure. The piglets are the size of a soda can at birth and are unbelievably cute.<br /><br />Here is one of the moms a few days before farrowing. This one had 8 piglets!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAgpFp5VYZs1h2eOLiwMWuLbZnRqM4AImBqQVsaKzcRFGQkeK4yHCUxpJBD7yWFthPAB8WpQJEJwfxInpfhTEFWcRhWYyK-EfaIpUe5gvBQ37J6cKYRU6dLJYe1ceEHjG15V5Pg/s1600-h/IMG_3466.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAgpFp5VYZs1h2eOLiwMWuLbZnRqM4AImBqQVsaKzcRFGQkeK4yHCUxpJBD7yWFthPAB8WpQJEJwfxInpfhTEFWcRhWYyK-EfaIpUe5gvBQ37J6cKYRU6dLJYe1ceEHjG15V5Pg/s320/IMG_3466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345428132686247602" border="0" /></a><br />More cute little babies for the kids to hold. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfGDnphW1rAPnvRdlnYqmYSYvtr2RUP6REoDsukxUTkSAmZNV6I6SJ2YzaX8kdE5zVhcTnw6qLm6otFyXDXAF_8SmA0NtJyXeIBVlkH199Z5knC62Mn_s881nazCoTYxQYEKj6A/s1600-h/IMG_3476.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfGDnphW1rAPnvRdlnYqmYSYvtr2RUP6REoDsukxUTkSAmZNV6I6SJ2YzaX8kdE5zVhcTnw6qLm6otFyXDXAF_8SmA0NtJyXeIBVlkH199Z5knC62Mn_s881nazCoTYxQYEKj6A/s320/IMG_3476.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345428140583175298" border="0" /></a><br />Less than one day old!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnRDmhduWDwlsz0DSNCokW5OeaL5YQ3R2S0_YxA3yh-YzahyU1y9PRw75qyRYxX2nR7GG_IMqWj0QDs5bWE8DoNKrj3kjpTfWatrAJ3iz6udj1yNbnHeVOMQ87KEutpdW_96Xcw/s1600-h/IMG_3478.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnRDmhduWDwlsz0DSNCokW5OeaL5YQ3R2S0_YxA3yh-YzahyU1y9PRw75qyRYxX2nR7GG_IMqWj0QDs5bWE8DoNKrj3kjpTfWatrAJ3iz6udj1yNbnHeVOMQ87KEutpdW_96Xcw/s320/IMG_3478.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345428146362106034" border="0" /></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-57617768318341651512009-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:002009-06-08T20:27:36.580-07:00A quick getawayAfter the long and difficult start to 2009 we decided to try a little mini vacation, which we felt was much deserved. Of course, our version of a vacation does not involve much rest! It all started when the place in my heart for a dog that had been vacated by Hank three years ago was finally filled when we decided to get a livestock guardian dog to watch over the chickens. Too many losses to raccoons (and events that resulted from those losses) convinced even Chris that a LGD would be a useful addition to the farm. The dog will warrant a post of his own, but for now just know that the dog I found for us was located near Pratt, KS, a 9 hour drive from home. Never missing an opportunity to turn an errand into an adventure, I felt compelled to see what else was going on in or around SW Kansas and lo and behold I found the annual steam tractor show in Pawnee, OK just a couple of weeks away!<br /><br />So at the end of April we set out for a "quick" trip to OK and KS, squeezing in two half days of steam engines between three long days of driving. We picked up the dog on the third day and by day four we were home.<br /><br />The weather was horrible at the steam show but the sight of up to 10 steam tractors all under steam at once, driving around the grounds, was well worth it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l5tnRLNXHQJ2ThY3NJE91Ky8sP6jqn6AZBZ0yEBPmWfvuXHwZhjNNpDtRDvlN7iH5Ip48JK0PxM5ZPaXZzdgHRxLVxHo_p0PSo2dOsQhfKSTVoVVzfJ9TCuCGln3Sw_CxQrvTw/s1600-h/IMG_3411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l5tnRLNXHQJ2ThY3NJE91Ky8sP6jqn6AZBZ0yEBPmWfvuXHwZhjNNpDtRDvlN7iH5Ip48JK0PxM5ZPaXZzdgHRxLVxHo_p0PSo2dOsQhfKSTVoVVzfJ9TCuCGln3Sw_CxQrvTw/s320/IMG_3411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345157110762183778" border="0" /></a> On day 1 we were totally unprepared for the thick mud, rain, and brutal wind. We only lasted about an hour. By day two we were ready for anything! This was Chris' first major outing since his injury and he did amazingly well given the conditions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn13pooSkplycA_nq9tGFttauMpXHSK3U6ig40zG8B8JtnbGbvSgdvIllKxLQUMAX40wBr7NvenEhhLttzkyRRzQEa8eIO7eiQHvARRe6GuJTXfTcT166NsEjVGHxoozgPRKSJjg/s1600-h/IMG_3418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn13pooSkplycA_nq9tGFttauMpXHSK3U6ig40zG8B8JtnbGbvSgdvIllKxLQUMAX40wBr7NvenEhhLttzkyRRzQEa8eIO7eiQHvARRe6GuJTXfTcT166NsEjVGHxoozgPRKSJjg/s320/IMG_3418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345157115085308210" border="0" /></a><br />This little quarter-scale tractor (I think) was Scotty's favorite. He talks about it all the time to this day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiTwbIyxww96AiTCtlY2tEYjrh-yoGZ-x7UWUgZyvNqpiMs9VCCfQRTML7jeFi5vpMSFD5itsO8qqpeZFtzm9-e9Yz9EEgjY7HFdpl5YBdSxWOztXLkouDGpDt9YRh1Leij20lA/s1600-h/IMG_3426.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiTwbIyxww96AiTCtlY2tEYjrh-yoGZ-x7UWUgZyvNqpiMs9VCCfQRTML7jeFi5vpMSFD5itsO8qqpeZFtzm9-e9Yz9EEgjY7HFdpl5YBdSxWOztXLkouDGpDt9YRh1Leij20lA/s320/IMG_3426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345157118708086354" border="0" /></a>This Minneapolis engine was Chris' favorite. They had it running at full steam which was quite impressive I must admit.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEvGg39b_Po5WGdHGSyLs8vmzNqSpLpD-Gomeq41E5oO_zPAgF-3RqRbiHnEtEMgqjrvHSG8d6gPnw8nLz-4lm4aB5fl67lHs5BWCrtTcxi4LVHgHM0gFtyD3AuFWWEPav3VD1g/s1600-h/IMG_3445.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEvGg39b_Po5WGdHGSyLs8vmzNqSpLpD-Gomeq41E5oO_zPAgF-3RqRbiHnEtEMgqjrvHSG8d6gPnw8nLz-4lm4aB5fl67lHs5BWCrtTcxi4LVHgHM0gFtyD3AuFWWEPav3VD1g/s320/IMG_3445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345161310387166930" border="0" /></a><br />It was a nice break between a tough winter and a busy farm season. Chris and Scotty are talking about going back next year!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-72822997416602577882009-05-25T18:59:00.000-07:002009-05-25T19:15:54.159-07:00Interesting but not surprisingThe kids spend their days on the farm moving from one activity to the next, often on their own initiative. A couple of weeks ago Chris came upon this scene:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRqvm0scINu7_SNW4ndZ82ih9MjOscY0165_1w5IvwfAxHvi_SQZ4FTzAoVCQg7cpdnFb68HoBkFJp-_g710uCrwOh39Y8eUXMOQucS59EFxPLNXHQlQqQSi-0dmrDgBLBXrThg/s1600-h/IMG_3362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRqvm0scINu7_SNW4ndZ82ih9MjOscY0165_1w5IvwfAxHvi_SQZ4FTzAoVCQg7cpdnFb68HoBkFJp-_g710uCrwOh39Y8eUXMOQucS59EFxPLNXHQlQqQSi-0dmrDgBLBXrThg/s320/IMG_3362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339947706694521970" border="0" /></a><br />Note the safety goggles and ear protection. Apparently it hadn't occurred to Eliza that a shirt might be a good idea too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQERMgBLNm1ShzxPkn-s9RCqUN1XblpuWyVyHDgMkGp4DywJnmQSTLCWhg72P4wERqzvpDnsop9Gm-THqYT3f0Kxlf-RXIhNb2oGbc2znLHu41cPF-3k6Rsgf-tSIcBB826a57vw/s1600-h/IMG_3358.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQERMgBLNm1ShzxPkn-s9RCqUN1XblpuWyVyHDgMkGp4DywJnmQSTLCWhg72P4wERqzvpDnsop9Gm-THqYT3f0Kxlf-RXIhNb2oGbc2znLHu41cPF-3k6Rsgf-tSIcBB826a57vw/s320/IMG_3358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339947714201362786" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not sure what they were doing but it certainly looks interesting! They do seem pleased with the results.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5w-OHjrjO_dYaBI40Wz8T0OhfGPR9hHn6dd-42pu9G9bkL8BTyrNrSkz6EMtOZEu-tBDHKMDDaJ9hUK3h168f0ZK5hzN_KSt8H5TrEVvXdgRu9dM-Bap9qQFtD4It5YxG2Ba_Q/s1600-h/IMG_3367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5w-OHjrjO_dYaBI40Wz8T0OhfGPR9hHn6dd-42pu9G9bkL8BTyrNrSkz6EMtOZEu-tBDHKMDDaJ9hUK3h168f0ZK5hzN_KSt8H5TrEVvXdgRu9dM-Bap9qQFtD4It5YxG2Ba_Q/s320/IMG_3367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339947719669701042" border="0" /></a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-2751728594936943142009-05-11T08:19:00.000-07:002009-05-11T08:59:54.479-07:00Farm progressSeveral times recently I've gone out with the camera to document the status of the farm but I'm so bad at keeping up with the blog that most of the photos become outdated before they get posted. So I'll just give you a summary of what's been going on here the last couple of months.<br /><br />Here is a shot of the greenhouse in March after I managed to get some greens planted.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVDd4csyWisaaqt3DrU2vpE3txE_qHa8MnHmH5VJVxEV9GYiqraPDPIA9wAFvp8bc98tIk__P02bKNnxrPRJrsqZx2b6pizMIkRxHa2VaD8hG9P6EpWjEM1TEQgmn5CFXly5KVA/s1600-h/IMG_3240.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVDd4csyWisaaqt3DrU2vpE3txE_qHa8MnHmH5VJVxEV9GYiqraPDPIA9wAFvp8bc98tIk__P02bKNnxrPRJrsqZx2b6pizMIkRxHa2VaD8hG9P6EpWjEM1TEQgmn5CFXly5KVA/s320/IMG_3240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334588160955910626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxlM4Ixv66zlxaL12tZUiBboF6ZjMFe61u8rQra6yfbIFeH7vocnzbir7-E2W_dt1By5RkgnUijCPdbsxBJbrPb7w8Ko_ILptE2RvAIxcMIgnNBJJ20sjTNQRGI1GTRBKqVdPnw/s1600-h/IMG_3241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxlM4Ixv66zlxaL12tZUiBboF6ZjMFe61u8rQra6yfbIFeH7vocnzbir7-E2W_dt1By5RkgnUijCPdbsxBJbrPb7w8Ko_ILptE2RvAIxcMIgnNBJJ20sjTNQRGI1GTRBKqVdPnw/s320/IMG_3241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334588165310645522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In April we were visited twice by students from the UNM Sustainability Studies program. These folks were wonderful to have here and they were terrific help. The first time we planted potatoes, worked on the solar panels, and worked on the rainwater catchment system on the greenhouse.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhn3xy0An64w9DQMw8z8Tm_-rC-uAqoq2do965jG7Hg3Br4IcD1LjB_2fA_P1YKWPfqx-ftpppSeKp3TXf2J4vf0gz59_FUoaEjfDRb36vkWYfuBsfVSA7BBT2uJxXL2LklA88_g/s1600-h/IMG_3249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhn3xy0An64w9DQMw8z8Tm_-rC-uAqoq2do965jG7Hg3Br4IcD1LjB_2fA_P1YKWPfqx-ftpppSeKp3TXf2J4vf0gz59_FUoaEjfDRb36vkWYfuBsfVSA7BBT2uJxXL2LklA88_g/s320/IMG_3249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334588169506542450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJruQedLm-9iHsV9r-oNanRa7i4TBTw0VuhpQMTkkcuNoZO2T8Fi9uf402tBYNjPzU9NtgSg9NDpO29GR4ETspczYevPixyVvdw9tn5nSHk0uu9Jeyep0F4m0glUVS5don-EuuXw/s1600-h/IMG_3250.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJruQedLm-9iHsV9r-oNanRa7i4TBTw0VuhpQMTkkcuNoZO2T8Fi9uf402tBYNjPzU9NtgSg9NDpO29GR4ETspczYevPixyVvdw9tn5nSHk0uu9Jeyep0F4m0glUVS5don-EuuXw/s320/IMG_3250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334589901453093746" border="0" /></a><br />When they visited again two weeks later we planted the sweet potatoes in the greenhouse and continued the catchment installation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJQRB0bpxTM0sjNOP3aBT1L_WR3V8kdC-9xt0xvJOkD39hnXtff7wVv1xvh0GDavbwz1YqL9ixHoUqJp7xAS7tWdruNq4EwDFUm-Qnpe4DhNHWUzSA4jkseCGJF8ZcJVKTYS6RA/s1600-h/IMG_3307.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJQRB0bpxTM0sjNOP3aBT1L_WR3V8kdC-9xt0xvJOkD39hnXtff7wVv1xvh0GDavbwz1YqL9ixHoUqJp7xAS7tWdruNq4EwDFUm-Qnpe4DhNHWUzSA4jkseCGJF8ZcJVKTYS6RA/s320/IMG_3307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334589906996218546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT48sDyjBs2oFBipysyjdsADdgjKdBIk647mFuJRCcBv07huJuD1DQMBVZyGJpMP-ZdPgxWzs2vuL1W-XTrK5nJz_Qw94bFDQBz1okYshA3zfOBdcfeRUPrxARBP1-4ibHCIrJlA/s1600-h/IMG_3315.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT48sDyjBs2oFBipysyjdsADdgjKdBIk647mFuJRCcBv07huJuD1DQMBVZyGJpMP-ZdPgxWzs2vuL1W-XTrK5nJz_Qw94bFDQBz1okYshA3zfOBdcfeRUPrxARBP1-4ibHCIrJlA/s320/IMG_3315.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334589909021611682" border="0" /></a><br />We really enjoyed talking with these students and their instructor and hearing their thoughts and ideas on sustainability. Here we are discussing the merits of aquaculture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowAQEJl2slHzroIUOuhvsZLRkBMBBFIsYWJXSYLswdzBIupgMWXw7vC471Bb7smSij9VxJnRg_lJw3EkV246dQfjyAvmsZajZvInbdE9h6GH131YFnT47xlHtxxuyLWbmkiKTWA/s1600-h/IMG_3316.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowAQEJl2slHzroIUOuhvsZLRkBMBBFIsYWJXSYLswdzBIupgMWXw7vC471Bb7smSij9VxJnRg_lJw3EkV246dQfjyAvmsZajZvInbdE9h6GH131YFnT47xlHtxxuyLWbmkiKTWA/s320/IMG_3316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334591730407043202" border="0" /></a>Meanwhile we have been following the progress of the pig pregnancies with much anticipation.<br />The girls are very friendly and just love having their bellies scratched so it's easy to get them to lie down for a belly shot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUib-lrfcm55rZCc-FHXePg4UnokJ86gWoeeHve_77tvZmgVBg5lOvxg-Ai8ZFCy3BtNQaXabTyz2PGTSNQsLScRFOI8KvnrczOSoSoqiEx7ZFU1cCNYHcCsvA9oOL49FZ950gw/s1600-h/IMG_3312.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUib-lrfcm55rZCc-FHXePg4UnokJ86gWoeeHve_77tvZmgVBg5lOvxg-Ai8ZFCy3BtNQaXabTyz2PGTSNQsLScRFOI8KvnrczOSoSoqiEx7ZFU1cCNYHcCsvA9oOL49FZ950gw/s320/IMG_3312.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334591739144867010" border="0" /></a><br />This is Aelita about three weeks ago.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxFSq2PCtBGtTuMWIM3zrsjqMUSGldiWArdNNcLOl1R1EeL9eF6-uUCEPVKWy2zAbQnuaOrsqeAoUDNx82fyyM0WlmcuJ3_soX3WGV3q4-lX2MlsqDxZORcAXmJCNPrQQUjvpzA/s1600-h/IMG_3322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxFSq2PCtBGtTuMWIM3zrsjqMUSGldiWArdNNcLOl1R1EeL9eF6-uUCEPVKWy2zAbQnuaOrsqeAoUDNx82fyyM0WlmcuJ3_soX3WGV3q4-lX2MlsqDxZORcAXmJCNPrQQUjvpzA/s320/IMG_3322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334591746384545922" border="0" /></a><br />And here she is just before she farrowed. I know the feeling!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxEudsJeAeMBOB3GqZtOB173l27kH-JV6umRh7FM6hZ1I9O0Wt5w9H2BizSbzWVdYczh6UbHBtypa0RfgP3Zuhwi0NBMAySo1WfxMB5Bi0iS1JAV5pY_lVoef2Gof09dzts0DBg/s1600-h/IMG_3466.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxEudsJeAeMBOB3GqZtOB173l27kH-JV6umRh7FM6hZ1I9O0Wt5w9H2BizSbzWVdYczh6UbHBtypa0RfgP3Zuhwi0NBMAySo1WfxMB5Bi0iS1JAV5pY_lVoef2Gof09dzts0DBg/s320/IMG_3466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334594535392986194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW8FH5n2QfeUXxT9-vSRHt8-JT_-9KOFX0OfKOr9lU8zrA5FckHX9ldFXuuuMYcOvX5xlzdTeOquyGFdm5W9QqG0cs1kQAMowjAEM0ANLlsdKvqIzmWZq2rw304o7JgGasMOQrg/s1600-h/IMG_3463.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW8FH5n2QfeUXxT9-vSRHt8-JT_-9KOFX0OfKOr9lU8zrA5FckHX9ldFXuuuMYcOvX5xlzdTeOquyGFdm5W9QqG0cs1kQAMowjAEM0ANLlsdKvqIzmWZq2rw304o7JgGasMOQrg/s320/IMG_3463.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334594542238838114" border="0" /></a><br />Of course it wouldn't be springtime on the farm without lambs! We have 10 little bouncy lambs on the ground and there is a possibility for a couple more. The lambs have formed a little gang and they roam around together looking for trouble in the early evening. One of their favorite activities is to "hop on pop" in which they jump on and off the ram.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyWhLKEHfQhAZDgCniutHJosb55b9KekiqCBGBR4sukSoV2uPgVkJAx_8hq_WDTYGJrJGa-qBvEBRR5i-j284o0lMnj-hKnXCKUPGJaDk_GAEGJAC51SXZNPoeJ4Ke9lPRcChBQ/s1600-h/IMG_3461.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyWhLKEHfQhAZDgCniutHJosb55b9KekiqCBGBR4sukSoV2uPgVkJAx_8hq_WDTYGJrJGa-qBvEBRR5i-j284o0lMnj-hKnXCKUPGJaDk_GAEGJAC51SXZNPoeJ4Ke9lPRcChBQ/s320/IMG_3461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334594543835762978" border="0" /></a><br />Stay tuned for new piglets, Bear the dog, and a little road trip.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-53191714400769700512009-04-28T21:13:00.000-07:002009-04-28T22:10:34.331-07:00Finally, bedrooms for the kidsWhen we moved into the house over three years ago there was a lot left unfinished. We did not complete the planned bedrooms for the kids at that time because they were so young that they didn't really need their own rooms and we just wanted to be done and moved in so we said we'd get the rooms done "someday." Well, that someday came this winter after Chris' injury. The kids were ready for some personal space and in the light of Chris' disability we also needed to create an office/spare room where we could potentially put an intern to help us out on the farm.<br /><br />After the injury we received an outpouring of offers of help as well as some financial gifts from family members too far away to help in person. We took those offers and decided to go ahead with the room construction. The first thing we had to do was clean out the entire West half of the house, otherwise known as the playroom. My mom spent several days down here with me helping to sort through all the mess and put everything in boxes. Here is the "before" photo after clearing stuff out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgtK9I6WxmMvGjV_I3VeG2d4G5bO4QEf2m8vimD30jODyqM5oC6QWiNBMi-pfv5DG5m-pLU84dljEreIQig1sHOXe2Ys9dACo1Vw-THODcUH6S_G0plwBCWA2xCSp-o3OZQBm8w/s1600-h/IMG_3182.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgtK9I6WxmMvGjV_I3VeG2d4G5bO4QEf2m8vimD30jODyqM5oC6QWiNBMi-pfv5DG5m-pLU84dljEreIQig1sHOXe2Ys9dACo1Vw-THODcUH6S_G0plwBCWA2xCSp-o3OZQBm8w/s320/IMG_3182.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329963620311299794" border="0" /></a><br />Our friend Aaron is a talented carpenter and in just two days he had the majority of the three rooms framed. This was a difficult job because of the earthen-plastered walls and floor which are inevitably NOT square, but Aaron figured out how to deal with it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepHA_8Ov_40eSYqp5dIMcdPVezTnWxURJLGQAn_C8eyncJHMK3xw9r7KHtrtPp4OiOZ018afUyTp2jbkwDyzdVVo2nIvJ7ZWlSDdFLGkeV_o4R7dM7q7-FDGcHIELGISsNPDplg/s1600-h/IMG_3184.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepHA_8Ov_40eSYqp5dIMcdPVezTnWxURJLGQAn_C8eyncJHMK3xw9r7KHtrtPp4OiOZ018afUyTp2jbkwDyzdVVo2nIvJ7ZWlSDdFLGkeV_o4R7dM7q7-FDGcHIELGISsNPDplg/s320/IMG_3184.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329963623287423490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjildASWDM5rXf02tr5WoGSmWo6Jx3c6DoGEbyNFelL_vSMCD1JxCkfe5i5sBMkfnoZeKc-ZnU7h1Obm6s_x8ZmH2uiAbWWMLK3AT1R9YQ3PqTKT4EKU8eKDHu-2EM0-P8QIGXxNw/s1600-h/IMG_3185.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjildASWDM5rXf02tr5WoGSmWo6Jx3c6DoGEbyNFelL_vSMCD1JxCkfe5i5sBMkfnoZeKc-ZnU7h1Obm6s_x8ZmH2uiAbWWMLK3AT1R9YQ3PqTKT4EKU8eKDHu-2EM0-P8QIGXxNw/s320/IMG_3185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329963630934332706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSI_s8Oyo-Z8mGeKs5qWyigtRxKNb6r3tkACVnRYDHJiBVFPWiOajRTuXt5WDASCKRg4zTtf9zS4AXGjnsXnb83RgUWa5y6TctT1WdAEfvPoCKoHn7Y1AHQle6ClIM4ov49SRDGQ/s1600-h/IMG_3187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSI_s8Oyo-Z8mGeKs5qWyigtRxKNb6r3tkACVnRYDHJiBVFPWiOajRTuXt5WDASCKRg4zTtf9zS4AXGjnsXnb83RgUWa5y6TctT1WdAEfvPoCKoHn7Y1AHQle6ClIM4ov49SRDGQ/s320/IMG_3187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329963635545518546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFnqY2Ui15qX3rhPQZrwdB1tyejPZk_9vPCLmQLboDp9m8dpY0_BQwapFYMyVAitP5-YyWs8XNGIlWHj-u_S8VYPUTNOWDbiFuCyiHC-Bd3DRK1wmLIYZwofI5QBd-vCsC4QSnA/s1600-h/IMG_3190.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFnqY2Ui15qX3rhPQZrwdB1tyejPZk_9vPCLmQLboDp9m8dpY0_BQwapFYMyVAitP5-YyWs8XNGIlWHj-u_S8VYPUTNOWDbiFuCyiHC-Bd3DRK1wmLIYZwofI5QBd-vCsC4QSnA/s320/IMG_3190.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329967538620165250" border="0" /></a>After the framing was done, my Mom's friend Paul and his wife came down to spend a day on the project. They even brought a helper and lunch for everyone!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBWQsfoe2M0_JLPwhaey3zz9spAuqYZmrFT5iN_txLzfGzS8mZpdKKCRFqgTKkT_KYJDIFiGc21WA2hJBZkyukUg4tT-lKtRkUZRxSi-ySxrFxuHLG7QBR4qnopQIJpIMu_dAzA/s1600-h/IMG_3193.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBWQsfoe2M0_JLPwhaey3zz9spAuqYZmrFT5iN_txLzfGzS8mZpdKKCRFqgTKkT_KYJDIFiGc21WA2hJBZkyukUg4tT-lKtRkUZRxSi-ySxrFxuHLG7QBR4qnopQIJpIMu_dAzA/s320/IMG_3193.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329967540540169762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ58NZU04mlta8u-2I8HJOzjQqonOVekifhOG-lFZu0sHIRpIxyMWhkUJPpgEmPxtKmyCs1FIYH-XSzzvGfgCAX8YL60XPxaMJogrwdlNUyedbc6R4h-wWL3rabLChNuvdbNGFrw/s1600-h/IMG_3202.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ58NZU04mlta8u-2I8HJOzjQqonOVekifhOG-lFZu0sHIRpIxyMWhkUJPpgEmPxtKmyCs1FIYH-XSzzvGfgCAX8YL60XPxaMJogrwdlNUyedbc6R4h-wWL3rabLChNuvdbNGFrw/s320/IMG_3202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329967547610253122" border="0" /></a><br />We got much of the rock on that day and I even ventured up into the attic to work on the wiring. It was an enormous boost for us and it was so much appreciated.<br /><br />The following weekend my brother, his wife, and my niece Aris volunteered several hours to painting. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrwanihJ16cVL5g0FK0TkpIHkwCB0gP68wmcmJcEudOYrr0pN6dpwR2qR5ECGAOnZaeWLm_J1nukzUR3YO_HF-n5IOo6r7vUnUbldbL-amQn_F-Y2v7gCh26_Pkmq9yPxJeyTgg/s1600-h/IMG_3217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrwanihJ16cVL5g0FK0TkpIHkwCB0gP68wmcmJcEudOYrr0pN6dpwR2qR5ECGAOnZaeWLm_J1nukzUR3YO_HF-n5IOo6r7vUnUbldbL-amQn_F-Y2v7gCh26_Pkmq9yPxJeyTgg/s320/IMG_3217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329973228572189570" border="0" /></a><br />Here's the view of the rooms from the outside.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHnZD1_nP_-m7pOuFPHx7g4NqHnp22xuCt99-nHB3Ff78rkiFrLthmohqoKLmeY_fAyYnfDpZumPrU7GbGT6UIPGh5oun_6_BWX_3JNgDBKfLLiz_RMChKoFHzSgw2kYCCZ_x4Q/s1600-h/IMG_3218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHnZD1_nP_-m7pOuFPHx7g4NqHnp22xuCt99-nHB3Ff78rkiFrLthmohqoKLmeY_fAyYnfDpZumPrU7GbGT6UIPGh5oun_6_BWX_3JNgDBKfLLiz_RMChKoFHzSgw2kYCCZ_x4Q/s320/IMG_3218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329973232345960386" border="0" /></a><br />The kids enthusiastically helped with the painting. Fortunately the paint was clay based so it washed off the floors easily.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVr6GoAu7f17cEL-WHUR2CbBrA7SWc9a3EpM_xPw9gSc3xuWf_3dbTqcISvxwcQJyv_yu98_NJhxIZnrsy_FxA9BMrOeFtQU7IAWeI2HxBzTF_DrR-fNW8r3ftc56evw2IfB1TUg/s1600-h/IMG_3220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVr6GoAu7f17cEL-WHUR2CbBrA7SWc9a3EpM_xPw9gSc3xuWf_3dbTqcISvxwcQJyv_yu98_NJhxIZnrsy_FxA9BMrOeFtQU7IAWeI2HxBzTF_DrR-fNW8r3ftc56evw2IfB1TUg/s320/IMG_3220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329973235544987282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UveG-dGupkXKMoN5XywyP-dqIcUXDGT1hPiFQt8fdfX1Uvt6M1Tqg00j3tVqHpT7XxQ4HwH5LDEB_Uja6UsGG3zxRaIZ5C-8SKEgbPoHWfOFFNR_cXAit_w4m18d5-ohpsrn8A/s1600-h/IMG_3235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UveG-dGupkXKMoN5XywyP-dqIcUXDGT1hPiFQt8fdfX1Uvt6M1Tqg00j3tVqHpT7XxQ4HwH5LDEB_Uja6UsGG3zxRaIZ5C-8SKEgbPoHWfOFFNR_cXAit_w4m18d5-ohpsrn8A/s320/IMG_3235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329974240903948466" border="0" /></a><br />Scotty demonstrates the use of Eliza's little climbing wall on her bunk bed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoE-IG9jOLJf0oGG9cvb7FFwKjvXxV6DVPcQ-tfoKQBdceMzfCstvJaFjpzk3209yHbtrRZObpjyeH_AFL231LienemL8xCLAv9KMtmys1mKDYM-xj8kJIDmrN2kljCwgFE5LRw/s1600-h/IMG_3222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoE-IG9jOLJf0oGG9cvb7FFwKjvXxV6DVPcQ-tfoKQBdceMzfCstvJaFjpzk3209yHbtrRZObpjyeH_AFL231LienemL8xCLAv9KMtmys1mKDYM-xj8kJIDmrN2kljCwgFE5LRw/s320/IMG_3222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329973243320074274" border="0" /></a><br />More photos of the finished rooms coming soon!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-28190152089716961872009-04-28T20:20:00.000-07:002009-04-28T21:10:24.149-07:00A massive erection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsAb7NhOXfpRtAFlH1L2x8Doqub7r9OTRQSWcHR9Q4TQ5I9_aEUcW0KaFh9_iepVYDYOdrIeBhGR6eTavXlo9TdQb7DZlPXwzbrjt0QLEHI2XVxyy3l0-Ma7oP2lyaBnSON-O6Q/s1600-h/IMG_3071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsAb7NhOXfpRtAFlH1L2x8Doqub7r9OTRQSWcHR9Q4TQ5I9_aEUcW0KaFh9_iepVYDYOdrIeBhGR6eTavXlo9TdQb7DZlPXwzbrjt0QLEHI2XVxyy3l0-Ma7oP2lyaBnSON-O6Q/s320/IMG_3071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329956768186962818" border="0" /></a><br />No, it's not what you think. It's a big ol' greenhouse!<br /><br />I'm finally getting around to posting about the greenhouse film installation which we did just days before Chris' hospital stay in February. This was something that we really wanted to get done and as I think back about that time now I can't believe we actually did it. I'm sure glad we did though because we have enjoyed fresh greens for the last month or so now and we've even sold some at the market--all possible because of the greenhouse.<br /><br />Even though Chris was in terrible pain he crutched out there to coordinate the project. The kids were on hand to help, along with our friend Crystal and our helper Jason. The first step was to roll out the film. Note the chicken in Eliza's arms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiunrph2EeFd-9S_bvG79pTy03z5yOcCTcLgr7zUQwDQKFLeDic3pbXV3WeN7KviaSF0n4iXfUWr9vr0rmtL2NZY3m9D9OeNkxsr1_cBrc4DW6vnySS_ahjwvdM5t6UheQnPrpQ/s1600-h/IMG_3086.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiunrph2EeFd-9S_bvG79pTy03z5yOcCTcLgr7zUQwDQKFLeDic3pbXV3WeN7KviaSF0n4iXfUWr9vr0rmtL2NZY3m9D9OeNkxsr1_cBrc4DW6vnySS_ahjwvdM5t6UheQnPrpQ/s320/IMG_3086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329953650060496562" border="0" /></a><br />We used baseballs and rope to tie the film in three places before pulling it up and over the frame. Basically you bunch some of the film around a baseball and then tie a rope around the ball. This prevents tearing and works really well. Jason, Crystal, and Scotty each took a rope while I ran around making sure the film unfolded properly and didn't get caught on anything. Chris had camera duty. Click on the photo to see Scotty at his post at the back. He was a great help that day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqTwCIy5wxDoyivxA0C7SqdU82OPOddKbZOQELBwh-poKYn-17FuCokrK-fE7H-l3iYyTMg9us_hI1TRgho8HJENJhq5zem8BazyFoZYdJNH38c9iw_ulL1DfR5UPp3T3kyLUDw/s1600-h/IMG_3095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqTwCIy5wxDoyivxA0C7SqdU82OPOddKbZOQELBwh-poKYn-17FuCokrK-fE7H-l3iYyTMg9us_hI1TRgho8HJENJhq5zem8BazyFoZYdJNH38c9iw_ulL1DfR5UPp3T3kyLUDw/s320/IMG_3095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329954969212948786" border="0" /></a>Of course once we got the film up and over the wind started to kick up. The film had to be held down at the back until we got it clipped into place, which was a perfect job for Chris and the kids.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnW3khevH7G-XuwYYitRV0Q0HpXCOmVKGzll3TRWQBeKj7PoWY5iFglAbxzdzv_CSdVIIRshudXRVsDk2abfMbqtt_BDav_sLfQupIIQ7z6okQ56vsK3sBxVShS0Fk9wnUUsNQUQ/s1600-h/IMG_3104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnW3khevH7G-XuwYYitRV0Q0HpXCOmVKGzll3TRWQBeKj7PoWY5iFglAbxzdzv_CSdVIIRshudXRVsDk2abfMbqtt_BDav_sLfQupIIQ7z6okQ56vsK3sBxVShS0Fk9wnUUsNQUQ/s320/IMG_3104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329954975513841650" border="0" /></a>We almost lost it a couple of times but we got the clips in place. Chris designed a rainwater catchment system on this greenhouse complete with gutters so the film got clipped in just above the gutters. Underneath the gutters the film rolls up to provide cross ventilation.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmMxZss1t2ap_FdrMD1F4IT_NimPKYLYno2Yf8IH9y2hOEQc53DSuY8pupSnak180K2s8ZfQ8m35zb7LT1dSni0iME-in2AEKiR3lGXOYA8xhEJsxnT1d-mGkBmjXTTTenRC9iA/s1600-h/IMG_3102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmMxZss1t2ap_FdrMD1F4IT_NimPKYLYno2Yf8IH9y2hOEQc53DSuY8pupSnak180K2s8ZfQ8m35zb7LT1dSni0iME-in2AEKiR3lGXOYA8xhEJsxnT1d-mGkBmjXTTTenRC9iA/s320/IMG_3102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329954976917544546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kOAfVRxx_u5N8vrRyMvplhW7f8TS8_ai3FaseJhjsFlAi8bc7bwKbljJLjfIy0j_ffFfHZ-0fSHc4_Lt7jL8Ir6wLr7hMMnXgFrFJ753Ke94o8ONpWMMp1k8DnGEsziIPQJEbQ/s1600-h/100_7490.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kOAfVRxx_u5N8vrRyMvplhW7f8TS8_ai3FaseJhjsFlAi8bc7bwKbljJLjfIy0j_ffFfHZ-0fSHc4_Lt7jL8Ir6wLr7hMMnXgFrFJ753Ke94o8ONpWMMp1k8DnGEsziIPQJEbQ/s320/100_7490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329959624500085362" border="0" /></a>The greenhouse measures 24' x 60' and is almost as big as the house! Before the day's end we had to cover the front with film because at this point it was just a giant wind sock sitting in the field. The piece of film was fastened from the bottom up with furring strips. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dKCHquAppaj__FvdSurDKOIVdfYSEO5Qflk-cUTQ0b9u3b12bglgoUR5jHq7-ufkkk1tka1bjAxVnWzCCO5fl3sL_0dNtP9wAhxv2bN9kFljMoJphYhiQYRfzwooyR4cGx-iaQ/s1600-h/IMG_3106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dKCHquAppaj__FvdSurDKOIVdfYSEO5Qflk-cUTQ0b9u3b12bglgoUR5jHq7-ufkkk1tka1bjAxVnWzCCO5fl3sL_0dNtP9wAhxv2bN9kFljMoJphYhiQYRfzwooyR4cGx-iaQ/s320/IMG_3106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329954980748777906" border="0" /></a><br />In order to fasten the film, Jason needed Crystal, Scotty and me to hold it up for him from underneath. We took the opportunity to toss the camera back and forth for some fun pictures. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bcFYgUDP8ztDEWKVrL3yGHMIg4N8-AiiZ9BBcXaZdiYs_uSuaHz1obvhKMb2G2Lr4r9FM8Poqb8PV5gja0UW4z-NC4HcsN8lrpui3EkW_zCNIJ-FC4v3FA1CobEvyWqSTb_TYA/s1600-h/100_7498.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bcFYgUDP8ztDEWKVrL3yGHMIg4N8-AiiZ9BBcXaZdiYs_uSuaHz1obvhKMb2G2Lr4r9FM8Poqb8PV5gja0UW4z-NC4HcsN8lrpui3EkW_zCNIJ-FC4v3FA1CobEvyWqSTb_TYA/s320/100_7498.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329959633587447618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BcvCBL54GUr6FozgG-XMIGn0GsKLK9nlqfZ39s3TxcCSoCAyeYIG-tilL2yhGQvYFiywoOfQE5DPnr6qwQCFHO54VG-OOcCRaCE01t0qfCcEZNA1_Cq7FvwH2n2kvaFMe9boKg/s1600-h/100_7497.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BcvCBL54GUr6FozgG-XMIGn0GsKLK9nlqfZ39s3TxcCSoCAyeYIG-tilL2yhGQvYFiywoOfQE5DPnr6qwQCFHO54VG-OOcCRaCE01t0qfCcEZNA1_Cq7FvwH2n2kvaFMe9boKg/s320/100_7497.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329959630132156482" border="0" /></a>A harrowing but ultimately successful day.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-25761129025979663472009-04-08T12:01:00.000-07:002009-04-09T14:37:59.789-07:00Solar lamb warmer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57GGUKasFKMJjiuV8N9KolSVtvrYXhh44kQgZNLIlLir1o_a6fidowXmsDKR34yY4ZqDjfNqcYZDBQEAFp5-st2R8Jg_eB07sABJTDn_Nm2BgbYoMjuQgRVIHzSZ5djxVE3Sk9w/s1600-h/IMG_3062.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57GGUKasFKMJjiuV8N9KolSVtvrYXhh44kQgZNLIlLir1o_a6fidowXmsDKR34yY4ZqDjfNqcYZDBQEAFp5-st2R8Jg_eB07sABJTDn_Nm2BgbYoMjuQgRVIHzSZ5djxVE3Sk9w/s200/IMG_3062.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322176645762070546" /></a><br /><br />This is from before Chris' injury but I just had to share this great idea we had back in early January. We had a lamb born to a skittish and reluctant mom and we found it in the morning, chilled and lethargic. Lambs like this need to be warmed quickly so after a warm water bath we set him up in the kitchen with the reflectors from one of our solar cookers, a sleeping bag, and a towel which we used to cover his eyes. It worked wonderfully and the little guy perked up pretty quickly.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-44271732179311916472009-04-07T19:42:00.000-07:002009-04-07T19:44:14.388-07:00CHRIS WALKED WITHOUT HIS CRUTCHES!!He made it about 20 paces to the kitchen and back. That's a pretty major accomplishment for someone who hasn't walked in 3 months. <br /><br />I'm getting ready to upload some photos and get the blog updated. Stay tuned!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26593171.post-12036045565190393542009-02-20T21:40:00.000-08:002009-02-20T21:45:12.894-08:00UpdateChris began an 8 day hospital stay on Feb 10 and <br />returned home two days ago. The treatment in the hospital was very <br />difficult and I felt that he needed someone by his side 24/7 for the <br />first five days or so because he was so heavily sedated and basically <br />helpless, but still had moments where he would come out of it a bit and <br />be unable to find the call button for the nurses (who were generally <br />wonderful but understaffed). Several of you came to the hospital to <br />visit or take shifts with him, and I can't thank you enough for that. <br />It meant so much to him and it was a great comfort to me knowing that <br />you were there while I was dealing with my other responsibilities, not <br />the least of which was spending time with the kids, who are <br />understandably a little freaked out by all this. Many of you also took <br />the kids for certain periods during the hospital stay so that I could be <br />with Chris, and that was just as valuable to us. Many, many thanks. <br /><br />We had hoped to see great improvement after the treatment but it appears <br />that at best we have only slowed down the progression of the disease <br />(CRPS II). This does not mean that he won't improve over the coming <br />weeks and months, but it has been a disappointment for us that the pain <br />has not subsided much. He is currently on an intense cocktail of <br />medications designed to reduce pain, inflammation, anxiety, muscle <br />cramping, etc. These are serious meds that currently leave him somewhat <br />"altered" and give him trouble with memory, motor function, and so on. <br />Basically he is pretty loopy. Between the pain and the meds he is <br />unable to care for the kids on his own at this point, so I am in need of <br />backup kid care on occasion.<br /><br />He has had good moments and bad moments since coming home. He is trying <br />very hard to remain optimistic, but he slides back every so often, <br />especially at night. We both slept well last night though, which has <br />helped us to start this morning with some energy and hope. We are <br />waiting for the medication regime to settle in with his body and we <br />expect that he will get more used to it and that it will become more <br />effective. We are pursuing physical therapy and other healing <br />modalities that we hope will help him. And of course we are counting on <br />the "tincture of time" to be a great source of healing. In the short <br />term, we are developing coping strategies for each of us that are <br />designed to minimize stress, which exacerbates his pain. <br /><br />So that's where we stand today. As for the farm, we are going to take a <br />look at our plans for this season and we will obviously have to <br />streamline our activities. But the reality is that the farm must be a <br />source of income for us this year and the show must go on! The season <br />is beginning now and there are even some things to start planting over <br />the next few weeks. <br /><br />One thing we are going to do right away is build the bedrooms on the <br />West side of the house. The kids are past being ready for their own <br />rooms, and we have decided to build a third room that will provide <br />housing for a live-in farm intern. This week my mom and I are working <br />on clearing out all the toys and clutter from that side of the house so <br />that we can begin construction ASAP.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.com5