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...

School has started!

What a frenzied last few weeks! The garden is in full swing, and we have been harvesting for Tuesday produce deliveries and Saturday Farmers Market in Sandpoint. We of course also harvest for ourselves and I have been trying to get a bit of canning in also. This picture is of our

outside washing and process area. I love having running water outside to clean produce, no messy kitchen.

The last week of August we spent at the Bonner County Fair because the kids were showing and selling their market hogs. They did pretty well, and were happy to sell at the Auction. It was crazy for us because we drove back and forth everyday to do our chores at home along with fair chores. We did manage to stay at fair a few nights in our trailer which the kids enjoy. After we got home on Sunday, the kids packed up fresh clothes and went camping with friends for three days, to leave mom and dad to clean out the trailer and recoop! I managed to get the rest of their shopping done while they were gone and we got bedrooms cleaned and organized before school started, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love clean rooms at the start of school.

So this Tuesday was the first day back and of course produce delivery day, so another busy one for me, but yesterday I didn't HAVE TO DO ANYTHING OR BE ANYWHERE, so I puttered around the house and got a few things cleaned and enjoyed the peace of no running!

Today, back on track, I am making jam for this weekends market, I have pretty much sold out and need to restock, also this is Taste of the Market weekend, so I need to have some samples available of my goodies I make, along with all the produce I bring. Not sure how long I will be able to harvest, it has been a bit chilly the last few days...

Fair Time

So no matter how much I organize and prepare, getting ready to go to fair is insane!
I clean and pack the trailer, even though I clean it when we put it away it still gets dusty.
I keep kitchen items and linens on board but I still need to go through and make sure everything is there and clean.

Every year we have to fix or replace something, did I mention that the trailer is 35 years old? We got a great deal and for a week at fair so worth it. So this year had to replace the toilet, found one and cleaned & packed the trailer this week, in between produce deliveries, finishing our fair books, birthing piglets, getting feed and baking for the market this Saturday. Have I mentioned the month of August is my least favorite month.

Got the trailer up to fair last night to get a decent spot, won't actually haul the hogs or ourselves up until this Tuesday. Now I only have to unload feed and harvest and pack for market tomorrow. Winter is starting to look better everyday!

Once I get to fair we have a great time, lots of time in the hog barn of course and we take the kids to the Demolition Derby on Saturday night.

I have this vision that next year will be better and more organized, I say that every year and in some ways that does happen, but we always end up with drama too. Such is the life of a farmer,
but I couldn't imagine a job I would love more.

Drama Week

This week has been a nightmare! Started on Monday going to help daughter #2 finish moving, that went ok even though we needed to drive an hour to help. Long day and the little kids and I were beat. Managed to keep the household/farm running pretty smoothly.

Tuesday started out good, and I thought at about 7:30 I so have things together. Big, huge mistake! Tuesday is produce delivery day, so I need to bake mini breads first thing in the morning and then harvest. Well by 7:45 two of our sows had busted out of their pen. So after moving multiple pigs around and some pen revamping we got everyone situated. So by 9:00 I am back at the house to start baking, got that done along with vacuuming and hanging out the laundry. By 10:15 on to the garden to harvest, of course hot already but I could manage. Fifteen minutes later Alex is rushing Alyssa to the house, she stepped on a nail, so out comes the peroxide and after some cleaning things are okay. Needed to find her shot records, so realized she needed a tetnus shot. Back to harvesting and will get the shot on our delivery route in the afternoon. So the rest of the afternoon is uneventful, get everything done, daughter #2, Amanda decides to come up for the night, so have to make a decent dinner etc.

Wednesday was looking really promising, that is my quiet day, no deliveries, I usually don't even need to go to town. I try to can or do some other project that needs done. Well by 9:30 Alyssa was at the house from the barn sick. She looked awful, as the day progressed she was getting worse and her fever was getting higher. Took her back to the clinic thinking maybe a reaction to the shot, ended up at the ER with a meningitis scare, only to end up being a reaction to the tetnus shot. Imagine that, I thought that was what it might be, so tons of tests later, she is fine!

Thank God! I can't remember the last time I was so scared.

Needless to say I am hoping for a quiet day of baking today! Will be another hot one today, with thunderstorms possible this afternoon.

Our tour and a field trip!

Our workshop went really well, we had about 15 people total. We toured by the chicken coop, then on to the barn to see all the animals. We then went through the garden to end up at the picnic area in the shade for snacks and networking time. The weather looked ugly in the morning but cleared off nicely by noon. I think everyone left with some good farm info and hopefully can apply it to their future projects.

Went to a workshop last night at High Country Orchard at Greenbluff. They were talking about food safety and value-added projects, really good info provided. They have awesome outside areas for their customers and we finished the evening off with pie, so worth the drive!

So needless to say today I am tired, went to bed way past my bedtime. Need to go harvest more brocolli to blanch and freeze, we are in brocolli heaven this season. Also need to have the kids check on the pie cherries, might be making pie filling and jam this week, gotta love farm life, never a dull moment. Thank goodness for winter, then I can catch up on my sleep!

Week 2 of produce deliveries went well this week, everyone loved what was in their bags last week, I love how every week something new ripens, it is so fun to put new stuff in the bags every week. The kids decided they like harvesting and washing way better than weeding.

I hope everyones summer is going well!

Farm Life

This is an early spring shot of the garden, it has grown alot since this picture was taken.

So what have we done lately, well lots of weeding, the kids have been doing an awesome job, as well as my dear hubby, we have all been working really hard getting ready for our workshop/tour we are hosting this Sunday, July 12. A fabulous organization we belong to, Rural Roots, is coordinating this and we are hosting.

http://www.ruralroots.org/

So of course, my crazy, perfection ways take over, like a farm can be perfect, please!!! But, I will try of course, lol. This week is reality week, just getting done what we absolutely can. But I am sure everything will look fine, it always does.

Betsi had her piglets last week, she had 10 but we have 6 left. That is the life of a pig farmer, the mortality rate is high, but it so so worth it, I love the piglets!

Last week, we picked up our first load of hay, four tons! And used our elevator to move it to the back of the barn, that was awesome! This week we will pick up six more tons, that should get us through the winter. Have I mentioned I hate to move hay, I am the stacker, and I hate it, but when it is done I am so relieved!!!

We had some really nice rain today, a bit of wind, but so much cooler than last week, like 15 degrees cooler! It sure felt good after last weeks heat. Most of this week will be cooler with a few rain showers here and there, good farm work weather that is for sure!

I will let you know how the tour went next week, wish me luck!