Sandy (no she hasn't delivered her calf yet).
This is where the cow will be when we will milk.
Peter
Thursday, December 17, 2009
It's melting out!
Right now the sun is shining and it is above freezing outside! I think it is the first day in December that is above zero. I went down to the barn and took a few pictures last evening...
Sandy (no she hasn't delivered her calf yet).
This is where the cow will be when we will milk.
Peter
Sandy (no she hasn't delivered her calf yet). This is where the cow will be when we will milk. PeterWednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Making a furniture puzzle
Hello again,
This afternoon I went out to the shop and cut out a couple of furniture puzzles with the band saw. I took a few pictures of the process for you to see:
I mark out the first cut on one side of the block. The block is two inches thick and about 2 1/2" by 4 1/2".
This afternoon I went out to the shop and cut out a couple of furniture puzzles with the band saw. I took a few pictures of the process for you to see:
I mark out the first cut on one side of the block. The block is two inches thick and about 2 1/2" by 4 1/2".
After that those cuts are made I cut out the two pieces you see on the scroll saw. The band saw can't make that sharp of a turn so I use the scroll saw for that job.
Then I turn the block on its side and cut out the two chairs and the pieces under the chairs.
Then I tip it again and cut out the little bench from under the chair.
And that is all the pieces. There are no extra parts in that block of wood! There are 10 pieces: two chairs, two benches, a table and what is supposed to be a couch. I would like to have some hardwood to try making one out of but these were made of pine. We got one that I copied from a garage sale that was an antique, made of redwood, but the only other place I've ever seen one made was in one of the "Foxfire" books.
Peter
Monday, December 14, 2009
Potato chips
Hello,
Right now the temperature says -11 and the wind picked up this afternoon so I'm sure it feels even colder than that outside. I have been still milking the goats (even though we're not getting much) and the first few squirts that hit the bowl freeze onto the metal. My hands aren't very warm either! It would be nice to have the barn insulated but that won't happen for a while. Mom and Jonathan are in Minot selling at a heath food meeting with Paulette. Jonathan was just going to advertise his chicken but Mom brought a bunch of jam and bagels to sell there.
Tonight Dad sliced a bunch of potatoes and we fried them and salted them. They taste just like real potato chips!
That's all for now,
Peter
Right now the temperature says -11 and the wind picked up this afternoon so I'm sure it feels even colder than that outside. I have been still milking the goats (even though we're not getting much) and the first few squirts that hit the bowl freeze onto the metal. My hands aren't very warm either! It would be nice to have the barn insulated but that won't happen for a while. Mom and Jonathan are in Minot selling at a heath food meeting with Paulette. Jonathan was just going to advertise his chicken but Mom brought a bunch of jam and bagels to sell there.
Tonight Dad sliced a bunch of potatoes and we fried them and salted them. They taste just like real potato chips!
That's all for now,
Peter
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Saturday
Hello!
Yesterday was a little bit warmer than it was today but even though it was cold I was still able to get some things done outside. Yesterday Jonathan and I put together a head-holder for the cow down in the barn. I will post a few pictures when I have some to post. I was out in the shop today starting to work on making a few furniture puzzles but it was getting dark and really cold so I had to quit for the day. Jonathan put the topper on the back of the truck this afternoon and this time we bolted it on because last time we had it on truck we used small C clamps and they ended up bending so we couldn't unscrew them anymore. Bolts should work better.
Every time I'm outside I am usually wearing all of these:
Yesterday was a little bit warmer than it was today but even though it was cold I was still able to get some things done outside. Yesterday Jonathan and I put together a head-holder for the cow down in the barn. I will post a few pictures when I have some to post. I was out in the shop today starting to work on making a few furniture puzzles but it was getting dark and really cold so I had to quit for the day. Jonathan put the topper on the back of the truck this afternoon and this time we bolted it on because last time we had it on truck we used small C clamps and they ended up bending so we couldn't unscrew them anymore. Bolts should work better.
Every time I'm outside I am usually wearing all of these:
-my insulated bibbed overalls,
-my navy blue carhartt hat,
-my polar king work jacket given to me from my Uncle,
-my new Gemplar's waterproof insulated pigskin gloves,
-and my extreme cold U.S. army issue "mickey mouse" boots.
Even with all that on sometimes I get cold when the wind is blowing hard!
Peter
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Tuesday
The temperature outside tonight must be well below zero! It was too cold to be outside much but I did go out and put up a gate across a doorway in the barn this afternoon. We are getting everything ready in the barn for the cow to deliver her calf which should be in a week or so. Jonathan, Andrew and David went down to Willow City to get some grain with the pickup. They left about 2 pm and we got a little worried when they hadn't showed up at 5:30 so Dad took the car and drove the route they would have to go on to come back and thankfully met them a mile from our driveway. They had to stop in town and fill up one of the tires that was low but they didn't get stuck and it just took a while to get there and back. Willow City is about 30 miles from here. When they got home they were covered in grain dust from holding open the bag to fill it and the heater in the truck didn't kick on until the trip back so on the way down they froze! 
All the animals seem to be doing well. The goats sleep in a bit later than usual in the cold weather and the horse doesn't even go into the barn when it is this cold. She has got an inch or so of hair on her hide already so she can't even tell it's winter!
We are all set on our wood supply for the winter thanks to a really nice fall and so far the wood stove has kept the house warm and sometimes it's too hot in here.
Dad brought down some pumpkins that were upstairs because it was about 35 degrees and we didn't want them to freeze. As you can see he cut some of them up this afternoon also.
That's all for now,
Peter
P.S. the cat just knocked a plant off the window sill and covered the piano and floor behind the chair with dirt!
All the animals seem to be doing well. The goats sleep in a bit later than usual in the cold weather and the horse doesn't even go into the barn when it is this cold. She has got an inch or so of hair on her hide already so she can't even tell it's winter!
We are all set on our wood supply for the winter thanks to a really nice fall and so far the wood stove has kept the house warm and sometimes it's too hot in here.
Dad brought down some pumpkins that were upstairs because it was about 35 degrees and we didn't want them to freeze. As you can see he cut some of them up this afternoon also.
That's all for now,
Peter
P.S. the cat just knocked a plant off the window sill and covered the piano and floor behind the chair with dirt!
Friday, December 04, 2009
Friday
Well, hopefully we are done with raw meat a while! The sun was out for the first time since it snowed so I was outside for a little bit. It is kind of hard to adjust from fall to winter in a few days.
David had our snowboard out (an old one that doesn't have any place to attach your feet) and was sliding from near the house to down the hill a little ways so I thought I would give it a try too. He said I could do it after he had gone a few more times so when he handed me the rope, I decided to try the steep hill in front of the house. Part way down the hill I fell over. When you stand up on a slippery snowboard without your knees bent you usually don't get very far, so I went back up to the top to try again. This time I got all the way down the hill, plowing through about eight inches of snow I felt the snowboard hit a log and then I toppled over and landed on a tree half buried in snow. I had known there was some trees there and piles of sticks but I didn't think to steer around them so right now I'm sitting here with a sprained thumb. At least it is my left hand so I can still type with my right one. Jonathan had me put on a onion poultice to help make the swelling go down. Earlier this year I sprained the same thumb while trying to snap a small board in two and it took a while before it healed up.
It's time for supper now. Venison steak, yum!
Peter
David had our snowboard out (an old one that doesn't have any place to attach your feet) and was sliding from near the house to down the hill a little ways so I thought I would give it a try too. He said I could do it after he had gone a few more times so when he handed me the rope, I decided to try the steep hill in front of the house. Part way down the hill I fell over. When you stand up on a slippery snowboard without your knees bent you usually don't get very far, so I went back up to the top to try again. This time I got all the way down the hill, plowing through about eight inches of snow I felt the snowboard hit a log and then I toppled over and landed on a tree half buried in snow. I had known there was some trees there and piles of sticks but I didn't think to steer around them so right now I'm sitting here with a sprained thumb. At least it is my left hand so I can still type with my right one. Jonathan had me put on a onion poultice to help make the swelling go down. Earlier this year I sprained the same thumb while trying to snap a small board in two and it took a while before it healed up.
It's time for supper now. Venison steak, yum!
Peter
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Venison
Not too much to say right now. Last night we took a few quarters of deer out of the freezer to thaw so we left them upstairs in a safe place to keep the mess out of the kitchen until we were ready to cut it up. We brought it all down this morning but none of it was soft enough to process. It was about 45 degrees up there and apparently that wasn't warm enough, so we ended up leaving it on the kitchen table until this afternoon. I went to vacuum after lunch and was hoping that when I got home everybody else would have started cutting up venison without me and would be almost done! When I got home Jonathan was just sharpening knives and the meat was still a little stiff so we got going late. We finished doing what we had thawed out a little while ago. It is about 9:00 pm now. We will do some more tomorrow.
Peter
Peter
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
A Morning in November
I rolled over in bed and opened my eyes. The clock on the dresser read six twenty-five. I had a habit of waking up in time to milk but this morning the fire in the wood stove had been left to die out and the house was chilly in the morning air. It felt good to stay in bed a little longer than usual and besides it was probably still too dark to do chores yet anyway. I just laid there relaxing under the warmth of two thick blankets trying to feel like getting up.
A few minutes later I reopened my eyes to find that the clock read six thirty-one. Flipping the covers off, I slipped out of bed, ducking to avoid striking my forehead on the bunk above me and walked softly to the peg where my jeans were hung. After dressing quietly in the bathroom I was trying to walk as silently as I could through the hall leading to the kitchen when I stumbled on a box that was invisible to me in the darkness. Just then I heard one of my brothers roll over in bed so I waited until all was quiet again and then entered the kitchen.
The glow of moonlight that shown through the window was enough to allow me to make my way noiselessly to the lamp resting on the sill above the sink and switch it on. I moved over to where the stainless steel milk pail and dishes were kept and brought them to the sink, filled the smallest dish with warm soapy water and then setting it carefully into the other dishes I picked up the handle and carried them along with me. On my way to the door I stopped and opened up a small container above my desk and picked out a wash cloth and dropped it into the soapy water.
In the entry way I stooped down to put on my sturdy leather work boots and before I had tied the first knot I felt two small paws pounce on my hand and then disappear into the shadows. It was the kitten we had kept in the house since it was small, playing with the laces of my boots as I tied them. Reaching out and picking up the cat I stroked its soft fur and it began to purr contentedly.
By now the darkness outside had become a lighter shade of gray as the sun approached the eastern horizon and I knew I probably should have been down in the barn by now. So, I buttoned up my faded denim chore jacket, grabbed my well used LED flashlight and picked up the milk pail and headed outside. Samson, our family German shepherd dog, slipped from his dog house and came trotting towards me wagging his tail excitedly. With my free hand I reached down and petted him as he came up and he gave a groan like he does when you find the right spot as my fingers scratched his ear. I told him he was a good dog as we started down the trail to the barn and he gave a little bark to show he understood what I was saying.
I walked down the wood chip covered pathway winding down the hill to the chicken coop, sweeping the ground ahead of me with the beam of my flashlight. The sound of my feet crunching the blades of frozen grass alerted the animals of my approach and the horse greeted me with a friendly nicker as I passed by.
With one smooth motion I unfastened the latch on the barn door and it creaked as it swung open, resting heavily on the strap hinges that supported it. After I closed the door I heard the rustle of the goats moving closer to the small interior door waiting their turn to be brought out and milked. Opening the cabinet where I kept grain and other items commonly needed in the barn I set the milking pail and dishes on an empty shelf and lifted the wooden latch on the goat door to let the first goat out onto the milking stand. With a graceful jump the goat was on the stand putting its head through the slot into the feed tray. I tossed a partial scoop of corn and oats into the bin for her to eat and wiped its udder with the wash cloth. Samson gave a contented sigh as he settled down into a pile of straw near by and watched me take the bowl down and begin to milk.
A little bit later I poured the contents of the smaller bowl into the larger two gallon container and brought out the second animal. This one did not jump up onto the milking stand so easily but was eager to have the grain in the tray so it managed well enough.
In a couple minutes I finished stripping out the last goat and poured the rich white milk into the pail thinking to myself of all the delicious food that it would be made into. Samson stood up when the last animal was put away and put his paws on the milk stand as I lowered the empty dish down for him to lap up any milk left in the bottom. I splashed the rest of the soapy water over the bowl when he was done and wrung out the washcloth onto the dirt floor and stacked the empty dishes. A few steps later I was outside in the morning air, headed for the house with Samson trotting along beside me.
A few minutes later I reopened my eyes to find that the clock read six thirty-one. Flipping the covers off, I slipped out of bed, ducking to avoid striking my forehead on the bunk above me and walked softly to the peg where my jeans were hung. After dressing quietly in the bathroom I was trying to walk as silently as I could through the hall leading to the kitchen when I stumbled on a box that was invisible to me in the darkness. Just then I heard one of my brothers roll over in bed so I waited until all was quiet again and then entered the kitchen.
The glow of moonlight that shown through the window was enough to allow me to make my way noiselessly to the lamp resting on the sill above the sink and switch it on. I moved over to where the stainless steel milk pail and dishes were kept and brought them to the sink, filled the smallest dish with warm soapy water and then setting it carefully into the other dishes I picked up the handle and carried them along with me. On my way to the door I stopped and opened up a small container above my desk and picked out a wash cloth and dropped it into the soapy water.
In the entry way I stooped down to put on my sturdy leather work boots and before I had tied the first knot I felt two small paws pounce on my hand and then disappear into the shadows. It was the kitten we had kept in the house since it was small, playing with the laces of my boots as I tied them. Reaching out and picking up the cat I stroked its soft fur and it began to purr contentedly.
By now the darkness outside had become a lighter shade of gray as the sun approached the eastern horizon and I knew I probably should have been down in the barn by now. So, I buttoned up my faded denim chore jacket, grabbed my well used LED flashlight and picked up the milk pail and headed outside. Samson, our family German shepherd dog, slipped from his dog house and came trotting towards me wagging his tail excitedly. With my free hand I reached down and petted him as he came up and he gave a groan like he does when you find the right spot as my fingers scratched his ear. I told him he was a good dog as we started down the trail to the barn and he gave a little bark to show he understood what I was saying.
I walked down the wood chip covered pathway winding down the hill to the chicken coop, sweeping the ground ahead of me with the beam of my flashlight. The sound of my feet crunching the blades of frozen grass alerted the animals of my approach and the horse greeted me with a friendly nicker as I passed by.
With one smooth motion I unfastened the latch on the barn door and it creaked as it swung open, resting heavily on the strap hinges that supported it. After I closed the door I heard the rustle of the goats moving closer to the small interior door waiting their turn to be brought out and milked. Opening the cabinet where I kept grain and other items commonly needed in the barn I set the milking pail and dishes on an empty shelf and lifted the wooden latch on the goat door to let the first goat out onto the milking stand. With a graceful jump the goat was on the stand putting its head through the slot into the feed tray. I tossed a partial scoop of corn and oats into the bin for her to eat and wiped its udder with the wash cloth. Samson gave a contented sigh as he settled down into a pile of straw near by and watched me take the bowl down and begin to milk.
A little bit later I poured the contents of the smaller bowl into the larger two gallon container and brought out the second animal. This one did not jump up onto the milking stand so easily but was eager to have the grain in the tray so it managed well enough.
In a couple minutes I finished stripping out the last goat and poured the rich white milk into the pail thinking to myself of all the delicious food that it would be made into. Samson stood up when the last animal was put away and put his paws on the milk stand as I lowered the empty dish down for him to lap up any milk left in the bottom. I splashed the rest of the soapy water over the bowl when he was done and wrung out the washcloth onto the dirt floor and stacked the empty dishes. A few steps later I was outside in the morning air, headed for the house with Samson trotting along beside me.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Busy week
Yesterday and a few days before we drove over to a friends place and helped them work on a pole barn they had started and wanted to get done before snowfall. We left our place early to get there about eight o'clock each day that we went.
The first couple days we fixed trusses and put a few of them up on the walls. The building was one that was taken down a few years ago so a lot of the trusses needed repair.
The pink insulation we stapled down before the tin so that water in the air wouldn't condense on the tin and drip after it was finished.
We had all the roof tin all screwed down before we stopped for lunch. Then after lunch we put up almost half of the wall tin.
This is where we stopped for the night. We ate a good supper and then got home around 10:30 pm.
This morning Dad, David, Andrew and I went out on the lake skating. The ice is somewhere around three inches thick in most places. We went out to the peninsula where the beaver lodge is and back a few times (about a quarter mile) and only heard an occasional crunch in the ice so it must be thick enough.
Peter
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Noodle making
After lunch I offered to help Mom make noodles since we were running low on our supply of them in the cabinet. I was in the shop when she called me in to tell me the batter was done being chilled and I could do them when I was done. David had asked me to help him make some miniature wooden cargo ships according to some directions we have in a book to try selling at a home business sale going to be held at the homeschool convention next year. We had just finished the step we were on so I went inside to roll and cut the noodles.
These are some of them. A little while after I had the first batch done Mom made a second batch for me to do since we had everything set up. 
The noodle maker has seven different thickness settings so I started with 7 then went to 5 then 2, and that was thin enough. You can make spaghetti noodles with this machine but we were doing regular egg noodles. In the picture above the dough being rolled for the last time.
It makes it easier to put the thin noodles on the drying racks if you hold a butter knife against the noodles as they come out and lift up to make them drape over the knife then transfer them to the rack. It takes a little while to do a whole bunch of noodles but when we have a lot done we put them in the freezer to have in soups and casseroles later . So far as I can tell these noodles are much better tasting than store bought egg noodles!
We just got done with supper--fresh pork, fresh potatoes, beans from this year and homemade applesauce. Can't get much better than that! Makes me feel like going to bed.
Peter
These are some of them. A little while after I had the first batch done Mom made a second batch for me to do since we had everything set up. 
The noodle maker has seven different thickness settings so I started with 7 then went to 5 then 2, and that was thin enough. You can make spaghetti noodles with this machine but we were doing regular egg noodles. In the picture above the dough being rolled for the last time. 
It makes it easier to put the thin noodles on the drying racks if you hold a butter knife against the noodles as they come out and lift up to make them drape over the knife then transfer them to the rack. It takes a little while to do a whole bunch of noodles but when we have a lot done we put them in the freezer to have in soups and casseroles later . So far as I can tell these noodles are much better tasting than store bought egg noodles! We just got done with supper--fresh pork, fresh potatoes, beans from this year and homemade applesauce. Can't get much better than that! Makes me feel like going to bed.
Peter
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Hay feeder
The feeder is simply two pallets put together with sections of old floor boards with legs nailed on to those. When the cow knocks it over and it all falls apart you just put some additional nails in along with the old ones and it is like new again!
Now I will fill up three feeders each morning.
These were a few of this year's kids that we will soon butcher.
Pounce.......
......got him!
That's what happens to mice around here. But we have been giving the cats cat food so they aren't hungry enough to want to eat the mice they catch right away so they play with the mice until they don't move any more and then eat it or else a different cat takes it away and eats it.
This morning the sun hadn't risen above the tree tops until around 8:15. So I do chores in the dark, morning and evening.
Peter
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday
It is another nice day outside today! On Sunday, a friend of ours and his family came up from the Minot AFB to visit and have supper. We hauled three heaping pickup loads of wood with his help from near the old cabin also. They left after supper around 9:30 pm.
The lake is almost completely frozen over now with thin layer of ice. We haven't chopped a hole to see how deep it is yet but when it is a few inches thick we will try skating on it. If it freezes before it snows we have a 60 acre skating rink! That is a lot of fun. We usually break off curved sticks for hockey sticks and cut a slice of hardwood for a puck and have fun playing hockey (with our own set of rules).
Jonathan is playing banjo now so I'll go join him,
Peter
The lake is almost completely frozen over now with thin layer of ice. We haven't chopped a hole to see how deep it is yet but when it is a few inches thick we will try skating on it. If it freezes before it snows we have a 60 acre skating rink! That is a lot of fun. We usually break off curved sticks for hockey sticks and cut a slice of hardwood for a puck and have fun playing hockey (with our own set of rules).
Jonathan is playing banjo now so I'll go join him,
Peter
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Quick post
Today we hauled 4 loads of composted sheep manure from a neighbor north of us. He used his tractor bucket to fill up the trailer and truck and then we unloaded it by hand and spread it over the garden. With such a long fall we have been able to do a lot more garden clean up and preparation for next year that we hadn't been able to get done other years because of snow in the end of October or beginning of November. I got back not too long ago from picking up tables and vacuuming at metigoshe ministries. They had a quilting retreat and needed me to help clean up for church tomorrow morning.
Peter
Peter
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Yesterday and today were somewhere close to 50 degrees so we have been outside mostly. Today it has clouded over some and I think it is supposed to get colder soon. Yesterday I helped Andrew and David finish the dry kidney beans that were in the shop so today Andrew was busy cleaning up and organizing in there.
That is Henry on Andrew's back.
When I'm down at the barn Samson will jump up on the hay bale to get attention.
He loves it when you kick the ball for him to chase. He will pounce on it and then pick it up and bring it back to you to kick again. Any of the balls we want to keep nice we have to keep out of his reach or he'll ruin them within a couple of minutes.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Monday
We got the barn all painted yesterday. At least we used up the paint in the one 5 gallon bucket we started with and thought we had a whole bucket left but it ends up that the other bucket of the same company paint was oil-based and a totally different shade of red. We had all the sides that you can see on the barn painted and had 3/4 of the back side done when we ran out. We will leave it like that for now until we get some more paint.
Today we did homeschool like usual and after lunch I went to metigoshe ministries to vacuum. When I got back Jonathan was doing a final till in the garden so I went down and put a homemade latch on one of the barn doors. I came up with the design. It is just a piece of re-bar cut about four feet long, bent at a 90 degree angle five inches from the end (for a handle). The handle goes through a upside down "J" slot in the door and the top fits into a hole that goes through the top of the door into the barn wall. When the door is unlocked the handle rests in the bottom of the slot and the tip of the re-bar is flush with the top of the door. When it's locked the handle sits in the end of the "J" that is a few inches higher than the bottom of the slot and the re-bar is sticking up through the door into the wall. So far it has kept the doors shut.
This evening Mom made a new recipe that we hadn't had before. It was for bagels. They tasted really good! She had to boil the dough in water for a certain amount of time and then bake them. I will look forward to having them often!
Peter
Today we did homeschool like usual and after lunch I went to metigoshe ministries to vacuum. When I got back Jonathan was doing a final till in the garden so I went down and put a homemade latch on one of the barn doors. I came up with the design. It is just a piece of re-bar cut about four feet long, bent at a 90 degree angle five inches from the end (for a handle). The handle goes through a upside down "J" slot in the door and the top fits into a hole that goes through the top of the door into the barn wall. When the door is unlocked the handle rests in the bottom of the slot and the tip of the re-bar is flush with the top of the door. When it's locked the handle sits in the end of the "J" that is a few inches higher than the bottom of the slot and the re-bar is sticking up through the door into the wall. So far it has kept the doors shut.
This evening Mom made a new recipe that we hadn't had before. It was for bagels. They tasted really good! She had to boil the dough in water for a certain amount of time and then bake them. I will look forward to having them often!
Peter
Friday, November 06, 2009
Barn Priming
Today it got to be about 70 degrees so we were able to finish priming the barn. We all went down the hill to work on it right about noon and had lunch a little later and then finished it about 4 o'clock.
If it is warm enough tomorrow we put the paint on it. This morning Dad went to town and did some shopping and errands and then in the afternoon installed a window upstairs in the room where the bathroom will be.
Most every day Jonathan and I have been practicing music together and we like to listen to music while we work, so we brought the CD player down to the barn and played one of our favorite bands "Blue Highway." It was kind of funny to watch the animals reaction to the music. They were all sitting in the shade of the barn (because it was actually hot in the sun), chewing their cud and almost every single one of them (including the cow and horse) had their ears pointed towards the CD player and their eyes shut, listening to the music. We were wondering if we sped the song up would they chew faster? We didn't try it.
Mom is cutting everybody else's hair tonight. I had mine buzzed not too long ago so I don't need it yet.
I guess Dad is going to go read G.A. Henty to us so I will stop here.
Peter
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Hi again,
I think it's supposed to be nice out today but right now I feel pretty chilly! We didn't bother to start the wood stove this morning so my toes are cold. Yesterday Jonathan helped me put another door on the barn we built last fall. When Jonathan and I designed the barn, we made it with a 12'x8' door on each side so that it would be easier to clean out and let air flow through. Earlier this year our friend Steve came and cleaned it all out with his bobcat and it fit through the doors nicely. It's not a very big barn, 20' x 32', but it is big enough for our needs right now. It has 10' walls so we can add on an addition if we run out of room. Anyway, we had put up the doors on the north side last year but hadn't put the ones up on the south face until now. Now the snow won't blow in as much. We made the doors in two 6' sections that hinge and the part we put up yesterday was only the top 4' of the door so there's room for the animals to go in and out when the doors are shut. We will hang something over the opening that they can push through so it blocks the wind a little more. I'm still milking four goats and getting two quarts each time so we've been having yogurt for breakfast sweetened with homegrown raspberry sauce. Yum! If it warms up enough we are going to prime and paint the other half of the barn before it gets really cold out.
The cow is looking really big now so it won't be long until she has her calf. That will be fun to have a bunch of cream and butter!
Peter
I think it's supposed to be nice out today but right now I feel pretty chilly! We didn't bother to start the wood stove this morning so my toes are cold. Yesterday Jonathan helped me put another door on the barn we built last fall. When Jonathan and I designed the barn, we made it with a 12'x8' door on each side so that it would be easier to clean out and let air flow through. Earlier this year our friend Steve came and cleaned it all out with his bobcat and it fit through the doors nicely. It's not a very big barn, 20' x 32', but it is big enough for our needs right now. It has 10' walls so we can add on an addition if we run out of room. Anyway, we had put up the doors on the north side last year but hadn't put the ones up on the south face until now. Now the snow won't blow in as much. We made the doors in two 6' sections that hinge and the part we put up yesterday was only the top 4' of the door so there's room for the animals to go in and out when the doors are shut. We will hang something over the opening that they can push through so it blocks the wind a little more. I'm still milking four goats and getting two quarts each time so we've been having yogurt for breakfast sweetened with homegrown raspberry sauce. Yum! If it warms up enough we are going to prime and paint the other half of the barn before it gets really cold out.
The cow is looking really big now so it won't be long until she has her calf. That will be fun to have a bunch of cream and butter!
Peter
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Wow!
"Wow!" that's what Mom said when I told her I was going to blog! It's been over a year now since I blogged last but now I would like to start it up again.
Today we spent the most of the day cutting up one of our pigs. Andrew and David helped Jonathan kill, gut, and skin it yesterday while I was away doing my vacuuming job at metigoshe ministries. We sold the other pig to two people and brought half down to the butcher in town for them to process and delivered the other half to people that wanted to cut it up themselves. We just finished cutting the fat into smaller pieces to be rendered into lard when Mom is ready.
This week is supposed to be really nice weather like today so we can get a bunch more outdoor things done before snow. 
I've been having fun driving myself around. A week ago or so I passed the test and received my driver's permit down in Bottineau. The day after I got it we were going to Minot (100 miles away) so I got to drive there. It's not too difficult in the rural areas but I'm not comfortable driving in town yet. I have a silly kitten sitting in my lap right now that plays with anything he can reach even if he has to climb up your leg to get to it. He's watching my fingers typing ready to pounciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg---------------o0oooooooooooooo he just walked on the keyboard and typed his uyfrrrrrrrrrrrrr message to you.
I've been having fun driving myself around. A week ago or so I passed the test and received my driver's permit down in Bottineau. The day after I got it we were going to Minot (100 miles away) so I got to drive there. It's not too difficult in the rural areas but I'm not comfortable driving in town yet. I have a silly kitten sitting in my lap right now that plays with anything he can reach even if he has to climb up your leg to get to it. He's watching my fingers typing ready to pounciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg---------------o0oooooooooooooo he just walked on the keyboard and typed his uyfrrrrrrrrrrrrr message to you.
Peter
Friday, June 06, 2008
We're getting some rain!
Hello,
We're finally getting some badly needed rain here. Someone said about 65 hundredths of an inch. We might be getting more tonight. In the fields our hay is only a couple of inches high so we have to move the goat pens twice a day instead of once.
This is our super inexpensive goat pasturing pen. It is four cattle panels put together with a pen on wheels that is detachable. I fits about four mothers + kids. We detach it with the goats in the cattle panel area and then move that and then move the shelter and re-attach it. In the picture is my fancy milking stand that folds up against the pen. It works really good!
Here's one of our kids.
Yesterday and today we practiced doing a little survival skills getting ready for an event coming up in New Salem called Prairie Days. Jonathan is going to help with a survival hike. Yesterday we made a water purification tripod (I don't know what it is really called) and drank lake water. Here's a couple of pictures:
You pour the water in the top through the grass, then it seeps through the sand, then it goes through charcoal.
The water on the right is pure lake water and the one on the left is water that was filtered. It made it a little bit clearer when we filtered it.
We poured it through another cloth to strain out any silt that got in there and Jonathan and I both tried it and thought it tasted pretty much like regular filtered water.
Since it rained last night we tried another way of gathering water today. You are supposed to tie a cloth to your leg and walk through tall grass, but we just dragged a rag around to the old cabin and back and along the way squeezed out the water when it got wet enough. The water from that wasn't as nice looking as the filtered lake water but we tried it and it tasted like distilled water. You're supposed to do it in the dew instead of after it rained but we thought it was close enough. Hopefully we won't ever have to depend on those types of getting water but it is good to know.
Peter
We're finally getting some badly needed rain here. Someone said about 65 hundredths of an inch. We might be getting more tonight. In the fields our hay is only a couple of inches high so we have to move the goat pens twice a day instead of once.
This is our super inexpensive goat pasturing pen. It is four cattle panels put together with a pen on wheels that is detachable. I fits about four mothers + kids. We detach it with the goats in the cattle panel area and then move that and then move the shelter and re-attach it. In the picture is my fancy milking stand that folds up against the pen. It works really good!
Here's one of our kids.Yesterday and today we practiced doing a little survival skills getting ready for an event coming up in New Salem called Prairie Days. Jonathan is going to help with a survival hike. Yesterday we made a water purification tripod (I don't know what it is really called) and drank lake water. Here's a couple of pictures:
You pour the water in the top through the grass, then it seeps through the sand, then it goes through charcoal.
The water on the right is pure lake water and the one on the left is water that was filtered. It made it a little bit clearer when we filtered it.
We poured it through another cloth to strain out any silt that got in there and Jonathan and I both tried it and thought it tasted pretty much like regular filtered water.Since it rained last night we tried another way of gathering water today. You are supposed to tie a cloth to your leg and walk through tall grass, but we just dragged a rag around to the old cabin and back and along the way squeezed out the water when it got wet enough. The water from that wasn't as nice looking as the filtered lake water but we tried it and it tasted like distilled water. You're supposed to do it in the dew instead of after it rained but we thought it was close enough. Hopefully we won't ever have to depend on those types of getting water but it is good to know.
Peter
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