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...

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.