Puppy Love and Old Man Winter

Meet our newest addition to our farm family, Millie our corgie/heeler cross, she is about 10 weeks old and totally adorable. We have had her for a week now and she is behaving very well.
Her training has been going very well also, the whole family absolutely adores her, and hopefully this spring we will train her to herd something. Just not sure what yet!

Yes, the weather guessers might be right, we could be having the worst winter in 55 years, with this La Nina weather pattern. Spokane has already beat the winter of 55 for snow totals. Are you getting this, 1955, worst winter in 55 years, we are in the year 2010, you do the math and grab a snow shovel, lol. This is our house in all its snow glory, of course I didn't get the corn stalks and pumpkins picked up from our fall decor display before the snow came, might have to wait till spring for that.

My #1 son, Alex, (my only son) is doing an awesome job of plowing us out. He works so hard, so when his dad gets home, dad doesn't have to plow us out, since he has just plowed for the county! My boys work very hard this time of year, hoping they get a bit of a break soon.

Productive Day

So today I was cleaning the kitchen for Thanksgiving, I had started cleaning in July, got too busy to finish, so now I have started over. Normally when I clean I take everything down from each wall, wash and put back up. But since I had done that just a few months ago I just had to dust and move on.

Got the three walls re-done that I had completed in July, now I am starting on the last wall, which also has my dishes cupboard and the sink area. Tomorrow I hope to get quite a bit done, but will probably have to finish on Friday since I have plans on Thursday. It wouldn't take so long if I didn't have so much stuff!

When my honey and the kids got home from work and school today, we decided since it wasn't raining to go outside and get some more clean-up done. Moved some stumps I wanted for decor in the yard, then we moved to the garden.

I had to still tidy up the greenhouse and packing shed, also had pots and hoses to pick-up, my honey and the kids helped me get it all done, so even though the rows aren't clean (can do that in the spring) I won't be freaking out at the first snow.

A few more small projects and let the snow begin, and even though we are done with this years garden season, got my first 2011 seed catalog today, no rest for the weary.

Sorry no pics, forgot to take the camera to the garden.

Fall Finale!

We always finish our fall clean-up with the burning of the brush pile! We add to it all spring and summer and when we are done for the season we burn it and have a little party. Sometimes we have people over to celebrate but this year too much was going on so we decided to torch it on Sunday. I didn't even have hot dogs so it was a snack food and beverage party.

Ron & Alex trying to get it going and then Ron all excited when it starts to burn. Like you can't get something to burn with a propane torch!

Here's Alex adding some branches we just cut.

After we get the pile going, the kids decided they wanted to have paintball wars in the orchard area. Here's my kids coming back after alot of running and shooting. What an awesome family day on the farm.

Crazy week!

This is one of our farm views in the fall, I absolutely love it! Even with all the craziness, I am so
glad to have views like this to enjoy!

This week was super busy, I spoke at a class on Sustainable Farming last Tuesday night in Sandpoint. I talked about what we do on our diversified farm, how long we have been farming and I also show pictures of our farm.

I have been doing these classes every year for a friend and fellow farmer, Diane Green of Greentree Naturals, in Sandpoint. She teaches the class and her students every year are awesome, some want to go into farming as a profession while others want to just learn for themselves and their families.

The rest of the week was busy with the usual family/farm stuff.

Friday was crazy, had to go to Sandpoint to Woods Meat Processing to pick up my beef, 8 boxes later, I was stopping at Wal-Mart for a few essentials. Then home to shove those 8 boxes into the freezers. I had to then run the kids to Newport for their dental cleaning, a stop to drop off Lissy's friend, then home to make a goodie for my Farmers Market meeting and potluck.

We had our Farmers Market meeting and potluck in Sandpoint, (yes, another trip) but it was great to see all of our market friends and to see what will be happening in the next season. Lissy went with me and we took a apple cobbler to add to the potluck table. Kind of looking forward to next seasons market.

This next week we'll be getting ready for Thanksgiving, we will be having family and friends over to enjoy our 27# turkey!

Things have been kind of quiet on the farm front, still need to do a bit of garden/greenhouse cleaning, I am hoping we can squeeze that in before the snow!

Steers and Halloween Fun

So it was time to load the steers to take to the processors. Always a bit sad, but it is great to know we will have awesome beef for ourselves and our customers without any recalls. They left the farm over a week ago, so it will be time to pick up our meat soon. They were very nice steers, always staying in our pastures and never challenging the fences, no fun chasing cows through the neighborhood, been there, done that. They also put on some good weight this year with all the nice grassy pastures we had, the rain throughout our growing season really helped.

So of course, the day after steer loading was our Pumpkin Party, we always have a night when all the kids carve pumpkins, the big girls even come home, even though they hated it when I made them help the little kids years ago! Of course now that we can have wine time while we carve that is probably what brings them home.

I always make cupcakes and this year the Great Pumpkin brought their goodie bags early, lol.

I also made a pot of soup for dinner with cheesy biscuits. Yum!!

My awesome kids carving the biggest pumpkins I have ever grown! Tried a new variety, will probably go back to the old variety, these were rather large. Lots of pumpkin guts for the chickens though.


Here we have our spooky trick or treaters! Hannah, Alyssa's friend has been coming with us since they were in the first grade, they are now seventh graders! Maybe one more year??

I just love Halloween, it is my 2nd. favorite holiday with Christmas being #1.

Hope to have some things to blog about since farm season is over, will have to talk about the holidays I guess. We are all decorated for Turkey Day and it is coming soon!

Best Laid Plans

So my honey was off of work for the last 5 days, we had awesome plans to take advantage of the nice weather last week and do more farm winterizing. Well, after taking the hogs to the processor Wednesday, we get a frantic phone call from Amanda in Coeur d'Alene, her car won't start!

So, Thursday we head down to check on her car, got it started, left my Suburban, and brought hers to up to our mechanic. We thought starter, plus it needed some other work she had been putting off. On Friday, did deliveries, got feed, checked on the car, and still no farm work! Picked the car up, but it still needed some things done, so my honey heads to the parts store to get the supplies for what he could do. Back home to do more mechanic work!

Saturday was a volleyball tournament for Alyssa, that took most of the rainy day, again no farm work.

Sunday was raining, and still a bit more mechanic work, after getting her car all up and running, went to Coeur d'Alene to deliver it and get my Suburban.

Gotta love those kids, thank goodness Ron was off for those days to get things done for her car,
winter is coming and we can't have her an hour away with a unreliable car!

So maybe between rain storms this week we will do the absolute necessities, and clean up in the spring, like we always do! Calling for snow in the mountains, WINTER IS COMING!!!!!!!!!

Barn Work Day

Another gorgeous fall day in Priest River, how can you not want to be outside working? Sunday was barn cleaning day, we cleaned the goat barn, trimmed hooves, and wormed everyone. Now I know why my arm is hurting this morning, since we have 8 does, 32 little hooves can be a bit tough to trim in one setting!


Here is Alyssa cleaning the brooders, working with her happy farm heart! We had 7 chicks delivered to us by our new layer for this year, she is a Speckled Sussex, and is obviously a good mom, they will be in the brooder for awhile though.
Ronald, my honey, and main farm worker is working hard, hoping to catch some afternoon football when we are done! We just cleaned this barn this spring, so not too bad cleaning.
Alex, my #1 son, has his very happy farm smile on, he loves farm work as much as I do, the goats are in the background, anxiously awaiting a clean home. Again, the weather is gorgeous,
the weather man said the nicest October in 5 years. No wonder I am enjoying farm work so much this fall. Hope everyone is enjoying their fall work as much as I am!

Garlic Planting

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, thought about going to Coeur d'Alene to check out their farmers market since they will go on for two more weeks, but the practical farm side of me won out, and since we had to be back in town for commitments by noon anyways, we decided to get the garlic planted.

We decided to double our planting this year from 5# to 10#, and since I sell everything I grow, I figured it was a good idea. After breaking the heads apart, tilling and adding compost, we are planting, we ended up only using one row, since we added another hose in the center, our rows are 4' by 50', can't wait to clean it all next summer.
Another thing to cross off our fall list, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday was bark day!

Every fall and sometimes when we have time in the spring, we go to Panhandle Post and get a load of bark. This year we only had time this fall because of all the spring rain we had.

It is really nice and shredded and totally cheap, $20.oo for a truck load up to the racks! And they load it! The animals all love it in their pens, it keeps the mud down to a minimum and looks and smells great. Yesterday we picked it up and unloaded on the most gorgeous fall day, kids were at school and usually they help, but pretty easy for me and my honey, couldn't have asked for a better day.

Fall Happenings

I can't believe I haven't posted since May, so much has happened. The farm has just moved along, even though our summer wasn't so great. We only have 2 more farmers markets left!
Produce deliveries are done for the season and we are starting to button up things for winter.
We already have 6 garden rows cleaned out, only 15 more to go, woo hoo! Have our last batch of meat birds, our Thanksgiving turkeys, our last butcher hogs and our steers all go to process in October. I am hoping November is a quiet family month. Kids are back at school so we have volleyball and football games to attend, along with farm work. Somehow it is all getting done, thank god for the good weather this week. Our surprise this week, a rogue hen who doesn't stay in the coop hatched out 11 babies, what a wonderful fall present. Already planning on changes to the farm next week, and getting ready to plant 10# of garlic for next summer harvest.

Already May!

I cannot believe it is almost the middle of May! This year is just flying by, it will be snowing before I know it.

Tons of stuff has been happening on the farm, had a surprise litter of piglets, didn't think the sow had bred, but managed to save some to raise for butcher hogs. The goat kids are getting really big and running everywhere. Our pasture birds are getting big and will go to the processor next month. Got our second batch of meat chicks last week so we are just rolling right along. Also picked up our steers to raise for fall processing so they are enjoying our pastures and all the fresh spring grass.

Finally managed to get the packing shed all painted, hope to move things in today. Can't wait to have all my supplies nice and organized, it will make the harvest season so enjoyable.

Have gone to two Sandpoint Farmers Markets so far this season, it of course has rained both times. Even with the cruddy weather we sold plants and goodies so I am not complaining, we have an awesome awning so we stay dry, but it is still a bit cold.

Starting this week the weather is supposed to get better and be in the 70's, I hope so, I need to thaw out these bones, lol.

Have got a few things in to the garden, peas and onions are sprouting, waiting for the chard and radishes. Will pick some spinach this week I planted in March, have two more plantings seeded, really trying to do better with succession planting, it definately is my weakness.

Have lots of nice plants this year to take to market and hoping the garden does well, this being our second season in Sandpoint, I think we should have a better year than last, and I was really happy with our last years sales. After 7 years at the Newport Market, Sandpoint feels like the big leagues for sure.

Hoping to do better this garden season with my blogging and to get some pictures posted, wish me luck!

Photos!!

Here are the photos I wasn't able to get printed for the post below, fabulous new steps and my tomato babies!

Busy weekend!

Was a bit surprised with how busy we were this weekend on the farm. Started our Friday with a trip to Home Depot to get supplies to wire, insulate and finish the packing shed. That is where I store and process produce throughout the summer garden season. We have only had it about 8 years and just used it the way it was. Don't want to rush into anything.

Saturday was spring chicken coop cleaning day, got that done pretty quickly along with cleaning a small shed next to it for feed and supplies, just kept everything inside the coop before but the chickens would rather roost on the feed cans than on their roosting ladder, imagine that.

Moved onto the packing shed, needed to level it before wiring could begin, also needed to build stairs after the leveling process was done. After leveling but before the stairs we emptied the shed into the large horse trailer that we are using now for storage. That will motivate me to finish it as I will need that trailer to get spring steers. Another trip to the hardward store for stair risers and some vent covers.

Why is it that every project takes twice as long and costs twice as much as you think???

Sunday was definately a day of multi-tasking, while the boys built stairs and started the wiring, I got going in the greenhouse. I moved a few flats of tomato starts out from under the grow lights in the basement to the greenhouse. A huge bale of potting soil later, I had a shelf and a half full of tomato starts, almost 300! I still have a flat and a 1/3rd. to transplant, not sure what I was thinking, I guess plenty of tomatoes to take to the Sandpoint Farmers Market in May.

Today is a cool, drizzly day, a great day for the tomatoes to be cozy in the greenhouse with the heater on, way warmer than the basement.

Goat kids have arrived!

Our Nubian cross doe just delivered two boer cross kids Sunday evening! They are adorable, we have a doeling, Camille and a buckling, Cupid, he has a heart shaped spot on his back. They are doing super good and Chocolate their mom is doing a great job. Just in the time it took to work on todays blog and upload this picture, I had another doe, Zeva in labor in the pasture!!!

By the time I got there she had already delivered a kid. After I added shavings to her birthing pen, grabbed the kid and pulled her into her pen within a few minutes she had another. So far everyone is good. Heading down to check on everyone... more pictures to come...

Busy days!

So spring hasn't officially started yet and I am already busy! Last week, got a call from a gal who had 4 day old orphaned piglets, her sow pulled her heat lamp down and burned up her shed, mama didn't make it out but the piglets did. The gal had given away 2 and got my number from the Sandpoint extension office. She had 5 left and asked me if I wanted them so I said sure, so off on a road trip to pick them up! Super cute but kind of tramatized, got them to eat milk replacer from a pan by that afternoon. Of course they are in the kitchen so I could keep an eye on them!

Lost one at the end of last week, the couple was new to pigs and didn't know they needed to iodine their umbilical cords when first born. The other four are doing great now, so I should be okay at this point. I love baby pigs! They are my favorite farm animals.

Chicks arrived at the feed store for me on Wednesday, this year we are raising Speckled Sussex, I saw them at fair last year, they are super cool looking, and they are adorable chicks! Every year we raise a different breed so we can keep track how old everyone is and when we need to cull.

Plants are growing in the basement, tomatoes and most of the peppers are up, just started some herbs and lettuces this week, and am going to start some flowers today. The pellet stove is keeping the basement nice and warm for them so they will be ready to head to the greenhouse by the end of March and then I can start transplanting!

eded the cold frame with spinach, will reseed another in two weeks, am trying to work on my succession planting, that is one area I really blow it in. I just seed, transplant and move on, need to rethink that idea.

So in the mist of all this great weather we are having yard clean-up has started. We started raking and cleaning up branches, cleaned the goat barn last week getting ready for kidding this month. Only have 2 does that look to be expecting so that is manageable.

Still working on my spring cleaning projects, sewed new valances for the sun porch and busy dusting it down and washed the inside of the windows, now if we can get the outside windows washed that would be an accomplishment...hope to clean the chicken coop this weekend, we will see...our last basketball game is Saturday, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we have Saturdays to do farm work until the Farmers Market starts in May...life just goes on and on, but we love it!

Spring is on its way!!!

Sorry it has been so long since I posted, I cannot believe how fast time as been zipping by.
The family is all doing well, everyone is just super busy right now.

Even though we have had no snow on the ground since the middle of January, I have been very hesitant to think spring will be early. Yesterday was my first real sign, we had our first robins!!
We also have grass growing, but the robins always make me motivated to start farming again.

So today I finishing cleaning up my records and notes from 2009 and starting my scheduling for 2010. I will be going to the basement today for our first seed starting, yeah!!!!! Winter is almost over, and even though it has been super mild compared to last year, I am really looking forward to some new projects will keep you posted...