Almost overnight work on the farm went from a relaxed, busy pace to a brisk hustle. Along with the routine work, the birth of our calf added the chore of milking twice a day. We feel blessed to have good quality dairy again and yellow butter (even though our cow is not on pasture yet). We have also been planting trees, seeds, and plants, along with the continued projects on our house. At the end of the day we are ready for a good night sleep. We are also thankful to own land to grow good quality, clean food for ourselves and others.
April started more like winter than spring on the farm with a light dusting of snow and frigid temperatures. Many of the days in April were below the average temperature. We delayed planting our early crops like potatoes, broccoli, and cabbage until the later part of the month. With all the work indoors, I barely noticed the weather. Usually at the end of February I feel as though I can’t wait until spring, but this year has felt different. I have enjoyed the time inside as we anticipate a very busy growing season. As the busyness starts, we are thankful we have dedicated so much time to planning, organizing, and preparing. Despite our own plans, I know there will be struggles and hardships along the way. It’s always easier to look back and see why we have to endure them as they teach us patience, compassion for others, humility, and perseverance.
Animal News
Kailey’s goat, Ginger, had an unexpected baby named Nutmeg, in January and has become the new family pet because she loves to roam around the place like a dog. After she jumps her stall in the barn, she prances to the house with a pleased expression. It is obvious she is well-loved by Kailey since Nutmeg follows her everywhere and cries at the door for her when Kailey is doing school. Nutmeg was found shortly after her birth in bitter, cold temperatures and was quickly placed in a warm bathtub (this is not something I would have ever guessed I would be willing to do), and Kailey spent the day drying her periodically with the hair dryer to keep her temperature up. Kailey also fed her with a syringe after we found out that Ginger had 4 abnormal teats and we couldn’t get any milk out of them. Kailey was up twice with Nutmeg the first night to feed her. She had made a home for Nutmeg in a box in the room next to hers, and learned what is was like to get up in the middle of the night to feed an animal. Kailey was thankful it was only one night! Because of the extreme cold Nutmeg slept in the house a total of three days. Kailey was especially glad when she didn’t have to continuously clean her goat’s home. The timing couldn’t have been better since the baby had just started to jump out of its box.
We recently put all the pigs to work on tearing up the potato patch from last summer. They are also doing a great job of cleaning up the tree line. In their excitement, they almost dug up enough dirt along the fence that they could jump over it. My husband had to pull all that dirt off the fence and was glad he found it before they escaped into the field adjoining us. We were all so thankful they didn’t escape because we have learned that pigs are not easy animals to herd.
We ran out of hay a few weeks ago. We were blessed to be able to buy some GMO free, chemical free round bales from our neighbor that we also buy corn from. With the cooler temperatures the grass has been slow to grow. We are hoping to wait a little longer than normal to put the animals on the pasture. Getting the right timing has been our biggest struggle. I’m sure we will learn more again this year.
Projects
One evening we all worked to set up our new round pen. This will provide a safer place for working with our horses. Kailey has used this almost daily in working and riding our horse, Ace. She looks forward to getting her new horse, Queen, which she started training alongside her grandma last summer. That same evening we tore out all the concrete in front of the house. We were able to use our step-dad’s skid steer which made the work easier and more efficient.
One Saturday Cory finished the water lines to the outside to make our watering more efficient and easier. He also took a day off from work to plant alfalfa mixed with oats on land we are renting. Lord willing, the oats will come up with the alfalfa and help to choke out any weeds while the alfalfa is getting established.
In the beginning of April, we planted a row of hazelnuts along the road as a source of nuts for our family and wildlife, a wind block, habitat for animals like birds, and an early source of pollen for our bees. We also ordered heirloom apple, cherry, and pear trees. These arrived in the mail a few weeks later and we planted them that evening. For the first time, we finished the planting without the use of a flashlight. We also transplanted some peach trees that I had planted from seed. I have tried this several times in the past and never had any success. In the fall of 2016, I found a spot in the garden, spread out the peach seeds on the ground, and added a large amount of compost on top of them. I kept them wet and they sprouted and thrived! We were all very surprised when they came up.
Family Life
Much to the boys dismay, we learned how to square dance as an extra activity in our homeschool. After a week of free lessons online, our family enjoyed dressing up in western garb, eating a cowboy supper, and a night of square dancing one Saturday evening. The girls surprised me by dressing Abigail (the baby) in an indian costume with an indian head band. She looked adorable. Asher wanted to dress up in a clown outfit, so he didn’t fit the theme so much, but that didn’t matter. Annika picked out a prairie dress and bonnet and the rest of us dressed as western as possible. The evening was fun, the dancing was certainly not pretty, and it ended too quickly with many sore feet.
Conclusion
As spring begins, we look forward to blessing others with our products and the work that lies ahead. Homesteading and farming are not simple tasks, but when you enjoy the work you are doing and get to feel a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, it is completely worth it. As spring approaches we pray that you are encouraged to grow great food, find and meet a great farmer to buy from, slow down and enjoy each day, and be blessed with abundant health!