Today was long is some ways and short in others. It was short since David and I spent all day driving to and from Bismarck for another committee meeting. We had a good trip there and found out there will be at least one more meeting next Tuesday regarding cow-share regulating.
On the way home we stopped and looked at an E-250 Ford panel van south of Minot to see if it would work for deliveries. It would, except it is a little out of our price range at the moment ($6,400). While in Bismarck we stopped at a few dairy supply stores and some iodine teat dip and a new brush for the milking equipment.
David is a really big help in navigating the maze of roads in Bismarck/Mandan. He's also been instrumental in changing the minds of Representative Kiefert and Headland at some of the various committee meetings recently. Good work David! It goes to show that no one is too young to make a difference.
What made the day seem short was having so much to think about. There is a battle of ideas going on out there. It is important to have an understanding of the teachings in the Bible to be able to decipher the errors in what people say and reconcile it with an understanding of the Truth. We are thankful that the Lord has all things in His hand and will bring about His will through this legislation.
Peter
=Sent from my PPad (paper pad)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
April 8th, 2013
Greetings,
Last night some of us congregated in the living room just before bedtime. David and I were able to get one round of the Farming game in while Dad cleaned up milk dishes for me. While we were all sitting there, I noticed Mom's box of old blog posts from around 2005 sitting in the corner. I grabbed it and we read aloud some of the adventures that Jonathan wrote about on his blog a while back. We were talking about old times and reminiscing about all the experiences we've had. I am grateful that we wrote what we did when we did it, because just reading some of those old posts is enough to spark my memory about those exciting times we had.
But the excitement isn't over! I am still living an exciting life and I know that what is written now will be useful for future edification and encouragement to others. I'm sure we will look back and appreciate the time spent jotting a few daily happenings, even if they aren't that unusual.
So, last night I scribbled down the following blog entry on a spare sheet of paper in my Bible. It recounts some of yesterday's happenings. Written with a blunt pencil in sloppy cursive, the sentences may not be as nicely put as they could have been if I had typed them on a keyboard.
April 8th, 2013
Today was a productive day for me. I started the day by gulping down a half gallon of water right after I got up. It is refreshing to drink a bunch of water all at one time as long as it is not ice cold. I filled a milk bottle up before going to bed last night so it could warm to room temperature.
Dad and Jonathan are pouring over the egg laying chicken proforma right now, trying to refine the numbers to make it more profitable.
I copied and sent some of the contracts that have been sitting on my desk for too long. They become a part of the scenery and I forget about them, so it's nice to get some of them taken care of finally. I had to buy four stamps from Mom since I'm out right now.
After lunch I went upstairs to take a 20 minute nap and had been laying there for about 10 minutes when David burst into the room and called out that Doug Goehring was on the Scott Hennen radio show. I was immediately alert and flipped my covers off to get out of bed to join David downstairs. We tried to get the radio program number off the web, but the connection was too slow to get anywhere. I called a different number and left my message, then we got the radio going online and heard just enough to miss the call number that the host rattled off so quickly. Andrew went upstairs to see if he could get Dad's computer to find the phone number while Dad was on class, but David finally figured out the number and I called in. They asked me my name, area, and what I was calling for. Then the radio began playing and the host came on air. After a minute or so (my heart beating) Mr. Hennen said something to the effect of, "Let's take another caller here, . . . Peter in Bottineau, what's on your mind?" I replied that,"I was calling in regard to the discussion on Senate Bill 2072 about cow-sharing, and I just wanted to make it clear to everyone listening that we are not talking about anything to do with the sale of raw milk (which is the most common misconception regarding true cow-sharing). It's an issue of state regulation of private cow ownership." Another few seconds of explanation and I said what I needed. He basically agreed and let me off the line.
Those kind of experiences are rather fun, if I know I am doing it for the sake of the Truth. David kept the recorder going to capture any additional comments that may be made, while I went out to do barn chores.
I hear kittens scratching in the box behind me. We haven't paid as much attention to them this batch. Well, I suppose it's time to go. Peter
Comments:
Peter
Last night some of us congregated in the living room just before bedtime. David and I were able to get one round of the Farming game in while Dad cleaned up milk dishes for me. While we were all sitting there, I noticed Mom's box of old blog posts from around 2005 sitting in the corner. I grabbed it and we read aloud some of the adventures that Jonathan wrote about on his blog a while back. We were talking about old times and reminiscing about all the experiences we've had. I am grateful that we wrote what we did when we did it, because just reading some of those old posts is enough to spark my memory about those exciting times we had.
But the excitement isn't over! I am still living an exciting life and I know that what is written now will be useful for future edification and encouragement to others. I'm sure we will look back and appreciate the time spent jotting a few daily happenings, even if they aren't that unusual.
So, last night I scribbled down the following blog entry on a spare sheet of paper in my Bible. It recounts some of yesterday's happenings. Written with a blunt pencil in sloppy cursive, the sentences may not be as nicely put as they could have been if I had typed them on a keyboard.
April 8th, 2013
Today was a productive day for me. I started the day by gulping down a half gallon of water right after I got up. It is refreshing to drink a bunch of water all at one time as long as it is not ice cold. I filled a milk bottle up before going to bed last night so it could warm to room temperature.
Dad and Jonathan are pouring over the egg laying chicken proforma right now, trying to refine the numbers to make it more profitable.
I copied and sent some of the contracts that have been sitting on my desk for too long. They become a part of the scenery and I forget about them, so it's nice to get some of them taken care of finally. I had to buy four stamps from Mom since I'm out right now.
After lunch I went upstairs to take a 20 minute nap and had been laying there for about 10 minutes when David burst into the room and called out that Doug Goehring was on the Scott Hennen radio show. I was immediately alert and flipped my covers off to get out of bed to join David downstairs. We tried to get the radio program number off the web, but the connection was too slow to get anywhere. I called a different number and left my message, then we got the radio going online and heard just enough to miss the call number that the host rattled off so quickly. Andrew went upstairs to see if he could get Dad's computer to find the phone number while Dad was on class, but David finally figured out the number and I called in. They asked me my name, area, and what I was calling for. Then the radio began playing and the host came on air. After a minute or so (my heart beating) Mr. Hennen said something to the effect of, "Let's take another caller here, . . . Peter in Bottineau, what's on your mind?" I replied that,"I was calling in regard to the discussion on Senate Bill 2072 about cow-sharing, and I just wanted to make it clear to everyone listening that we are not talking about anything to do with the sale of raw milk (which is the most common misconception regarding true cow-sharing). It's an issue of state regulation of private cow ownership." Another few seconds of explanation and I said what I needed. He basically agreed and let me off the line.
Those kind of experiences are rather fun, if I know I am doing it for the sake of the Truth. David kept the recorder going to capture any additional comments that may be made, while I went out to do barn chores.
I hear kittens scratching in the box behind me. We haven't paid as much attention to them this batch. Well, I suppose it's time to go. Peter
Comments:
- Doug Goehring is the ND Agriculture Commissioner. He is responsible for encouraging the state Dairy Director to ban cow-sharing this legislative session.
- I was interviewed on the Scott Hennen show a few days ago about SB 2072. The conservatives in ND don't agree with the Commissioner, and we wanted to add some clarification to his take on on cow-sharing in ND. That's why I called in.
Peter
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Twenty-eight Below
Greetings!
A chilly day here today. I rolled out of bed to a rather cold bedroom this morning. All of us boys are now sleeping in the almost-completed master bedroom in the main floor of the house. We don't have the woodstove ductwork installed yet so the only heat is what comes up through the ladder hole and a few vent slots in the floor.
In the beginning of this week we heard rumor of cold temperatures coming for a short time, so we were prepared mentally for the weather we have experienced today and yesterday. But it is hard to be physically prepared for temperatures like we had this morning. Andrew said that he talked to Mrs. M at Metigoshe Ministies this afternoon and she said her thermometer read -28 degrees F! That is not including the windchill which Mom said was being reported at about minus fifty-five. I will be thankful when the balmy five degrees above zero arrives as predicted.
Part of the challenge in the cold weather is keeping the cows' teats from freezing. They say you should protect the cow's udders from the cold whenever the temperatures fall below 10 degrees OR you have a significant windchill. We had both today. So, the three currently milking cows were locked up in one side of the barn for overnight and most of today and are there again tonight. The other half of the barn housed eight other cows which needed the barn for shelter. After about 2 p.m. I had to let the cows out to fill up on hay since I wasn't able to fork enough to satisfy them in the barn.
I could tell tonight that just after the short time the cows were out in the cold, Sandy's forward right teat got a little frostbitten and a few others may have as well. Milking is more difficult once the teat is swollen and then it will blister and eventually recover. In the mean time it is important to keep it sanitized with the teat dip and clean to avoid infection entering the udder.
Just wanted to let you know what I've been up to.
Talk to you later,
Peter
.
A chilly day here today. I rolled out of bed to a rather cold bedroom this morning. All of us boys are now sleeping in the almost-completed master bedroom in the main floor of the house. We don't have the woodstove ductwork installed yet so the only heat is what comes up through the ladder hole and a few vent slots in the floor.
In the beginning of this week we heard rumor of cold temperatures coming for a short time, so we were prepared mentally for the weather we have experienced today and yesterday. But it is hard to be physically prepared for temperatures like we had this morning. Andrew said that he talked to Mrs. M at Metigoshe Ministies this afternoon and she said her thermometer read -28 degrees F! That is not including the windchill which Mom said was being reported at about minus fifty-five. I will be thankful when the balmy five degrees above zero arrives as predicted.
Part of the challenge in the cold weather is keeping the cows' teats from freezing. They say you should protect the cow's udders from the cold whenever the temperatures fall below 10 degrees OR you have a significant windchill. We had both today. So, the three currently milking cows were locked up in one side of the barn for overnight and most of today and are there again tonight. The other half of the barn housed eight other cows which needed the barn for shelter. After about 2 p.m. I had to let the cows out to fill up on hay since I wasn't able to fork enough to satisfy them in the barn.
I could tell tonight that just after the short time the cows were out in the cold, Sandy's forward right teat got a little frostbitten and a few others may have as well. Milking is more difficult once the teat is swollen and then it will blister and eventually recover. In the mean time it is important to keep it sanitized with the teat dip and clean to avoid infection entering the udder.
Just wanted to let you know what I've been up to.
Talk to you later,
Peter
.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
19th Winter
Well, I've just past the date that marks my 19th winter. . . I turned 18 on January 27th!
I can't express how thankful I am for all the kind words and gifts I received on my birthday. Thank you all very much! I have everything I need right now, so anything more is a real blessing.
I got in from doing chores and found Mom had cooked up a delightful breakfast of hot oatmeal with raisins and apple chunks mixed in, and besides that she made crispy donut muffins and served fresh oranges.
We usually gather as a family for devotions at breakfast, but that day Dad and David left to do some milk delivering for me. Jonathan took Dad's place and led the reading of the Word and then we sang our morning hymn together.
I opened up the gifts and found some pretty special surprises. Thank you all for the cards and kind words! One of the gifts was a particularly practical item from Andrew. He gave me was a compact, sturdy little LED pocket flashlight. I carry it around with me all the time now. It's the perfect size for a tool light and bright enough for spotting varmints at night. Thank you Andrew!
Jonathan gave me a very inspiring and thoughtful gift. It is the book called The Family by J.R. Miller which gives a very important Christian perspective on what family life should be in terms of God's Word. I will cherish the book for many years to come. Thank you Jonathan!
Mom gave me a clever and creative gift. Have you ever seen a tea tumbler? I hadn't. It is basically a glass thermos, so it is easily kept clean, with an insulated lid and a mesh straining insert that fits into the mouth of the bottle. In the early morning before I go out to the barn, I can boil a little water and pour it into the tumbler with the tea leaves, and then cap it and let it steep. The mesh filter strains the tea as you drink it so once the water is poured in you are ready to go. I don't have to wait until it has steeped to pour it into the thermos to drink, it is ready immediately. Thank you Mom!
Dad and Mom gave a gift that will certainly free up some time for the bottle washer. An envelope with money towards a dishwasher (which I am now looking to purchase). I appreciate all the time Mom has volunteered to keep the cabinet stocked with squeaky clean bottles, but with the addition of an automatic dishwasher in the near future I hope she will have more time to do the things she has set aside due to bottle washing. Thank you Mom and Dad!
One gift I received from David a couple days prior to my birthday. He bought me the DVDs of the new movie Courageous and the not-so-new Flywheel which were made by the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood Baptist Church. I hadn't seen Courageous before and am really thankful to have been able to see it and have a copy to show others! It delivers a powerful message of the importance of godly fatherhood. You can't help but feel the hand of God motivating you to be like the courageous fathers that you see in the film. It is a great tool for influencing the minds and lives of all who see it. Courageous is now sold in our local Walmart! Thank you David!
". . .for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11
I can't express how thankful I am for all the kind words and gifts I received on my birthday. Thank you all very much! I have everything I need right now, so anything more is a real blessing.
I got in from doing chores and found Mom had cooked up a delightful breakfast of hot oatmeal with raisins and apple chunks mixed in, and besides that she made crispy donut muffins and served fresh oranges.
We usually gather as a family for devotions at breakfast, but that day Dad and David left to do some milk delivering for me. Jonathan took Dad's place and led the reading of the Word and then we sang our morning hymn together.
I opened up the gifts and found some pretty special surprises. Thank you all for the cards and kind words! One of the gifts was a particularly practical item from Andrew. He gave me was a compact, sturdy little LED pocket flashlight. I carry it around with me all the time now. It's the perfect size for a tool light and bright enough for spotting varmints at night. Thank you Andrew!
Jonathan gave me a very inspiring and thoughtful gift. It is the book called The Family by J.R. Miller which gives a very important Christian perspective on what family life should be in terms of God's Word. I will cherish the book for many years to come. Thank you Jonathan!
Mom gave me a clever and creative gift. Have you ever seen a tea tumbler? I hadn't. It is basically a glass thermos, so it is easily kept clean, with an insulated lid and a mesh straining insert that fits into the mouth of the bottle. In the early morning before I go out to the barn, I can boil a little water and pour it into the tumbler with the tea leaves, and then cap it and let it steep. The mesh filter strains the tea as you drink it so once the water is poured in you are ready to go. I don't have to wait until it has steeped to pour it into the thermos to drink, it is ready immediately. Thank you Mom!
 |
| Tea Tumbler |
 |
| Me holding the candles for my cheesecake dessert. Mom has a great recipe for cheesecake that uses homemade yogurt cheese and whipped cream for the filling. |
One gift I received from David a couple days prior to my birthday. He bought me the DVDs of the new movie Courageous and the not-so-new Flywheel which were made by the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood Baptist Church. I hadn't seen Courageous before and am really thankful to have been able to see it and have a copy to show others! It delivers a powerful message of the importance of godly fatherhood. You can't help but feel the hand of God motivating you to be like the courageous fathers that you see in the film. It is a great tool for influencing the minds and lives of all who see it. Courageous is now sold in our local Walmart! Thank you David!
Sincerely,
Peter
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Thank you Andrew
Here's the finished results of an idea that I had a while ago. We recently submitted these to be printed on magnets by Vista Print.
Each family that owns a share of a cow will receive one of these magnets to show which cow they they own. Being on a magnet, they can display it on their refrigerator for others to see. I think it will connect them to the farm a little better and make them appreciate where their milk really comes from. It is also a great way to spread the word about our dairy as it will bring up conversations at the customer's homes about them really owning their own milk cow.
Andrew did all the work of designing on the magnets and used his latest new program Adobe Photoshop to do a few touch ups to the pictures. There is few tools in Photoshop that he used to brush the cows and smooth out a few spots that their hair was ruffled. He also swatted the flies on Sandy's nose with one of the tools. Combine the skill of the user with the professionalism of the program and you have some pretty amazing results. Thank you Andrew!
More another time,
Peter
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2
Each family that owns a share of a cow will receive one of these magnets to show which cow they they own. Being on a magnet, they can display it on their refrigerator for others to see. I think it will connect them to the farm a little better and make them appreciate where their milk really comes from. It is also a great way to spread the word about our dairy as it will bring up conversations at the customer's homes about them really owning their own milk cow.
Andrew did all the work of designing on the magnets and used his latest new program Adobe Photoshop to do a few touch ups to the pictures. There is few tools in Photoshop that he used to brush the cows and smooth out a few spots that their hair was ruffled. He also swatted the flies on Sandy's nose with one of the tools. Combine the skill of the user with the professionalism of the program and you have some pretty amazing results. Thank you Andrew!
More another time,
Peter
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Upgrade
Hello,
Well, even though spring is a busy time of year, we are still able to take some time to do things we enjoy. For me, one of those things I enjoy doing is playing guitar.
Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to purchase a Blueridge BR-160 guitar at a discount price! It's retail value is $995 according to one dealer. Having a high quality insrument has inspired me to play more now, and I can tell it has made a difference in the smoothness of my playing.
Here's a short tune I played this afternoon. Enjoy!
Amanda's Reel from Bartlett Productions on Vimeo.
Well, even though spring is a busy time of year, we are still able to take some time to do things we enjoy. For me, one of those things I enjoy doing is playing guitar.
Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to purchase a Blueridge BR-160 guitar at a discount price! It's retail value is $995 according to one dealer. Having a high quality insrument has inspired me to play more now, and I can tell it has made a difference in the smoothness of my playing.
Here's a short tune I played this afternoon. Enjoy!
Amanda's Reel from Bartlett Productions on Vimeo.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Spring Preparations
Well, spring is getting busier all the time! After a few very busy weeks of traveling to the homeschool convention and going to Carlton Minnesota, it is good to be back to a routine and be able to get things ready for the season ahead.
We have some new additions to the farm that you have probably heard about from the other blogs. One of them is the new pigs. Blackhock the gilt had a litter of 13 half Hampshire and half Berkshire pigs. We have taken one in the house to feed since it didn't grow fast enough for some reason and it wasn't getting a chance to nurse.
I'm back to milking now, since Della delivered her calf. It's a heifer and she is doing really good. We separated the calf from her mother soon after she was born so that we wouldn't run into problems keeping them apart later. The weather was nice too so there wasn't the threat of it getting chilled. It was an easy and fast delivery.
My days now include about an hour of horse training with David and Darla. It is a pleasure to work with an animal that tries really hard to do what you want. She is learning very well and will be all set to ride by the time the snow has melted.
PeterTuesday, March 01, 2011
Done milking
Hello,
I just thought I'd let you see the brochure up close. Here's the links to the images:
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Front.jpg
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Inside.jpg
Early Saturday morning, Jonathan and I packed up and left for Minot to instruct at the Appleseed at the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club's indoor range. We got a call from the shoot boss the day before saying that he was half way here from Iowa and that he had to turn and head back home for a family emergency. Jonathan was already going to be trained in to be shoot boss, but it was a surprise to us to hear that we were the only full instructors to attend. It all went very well and we had 15 shooters on the line on Saturday, and about 10 on Sunday. One other Instructor In Training was there and helped us out on Sunday. We didn't get any riflemen out of the weekend, but two of the shooters got 208 and 206 points of the 210 needed to score Rifleman or "Expert" on the AQT.
I milked Sandy for the last time on Friday evening. She will be dry now until April 27th (Lord willing!) and then the other cow is due on March 21st. So for now, I have a break from milking! The evening of the first day of the Appleseed, we stayed at some friends place in Minot, which for me, was the first night away from home since December of 2010. I do miss going out and bringing in a bucket of milk though.
Until next time,
Peter
I just thought I'd let you see the brochure up close. Here's the links to the images:
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Front.jpg
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Inside.jpg
Early Saturday morning, Jonathan and I packed up and left for Minot to instruct at the Appleseed at the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club's indoor range. We got a call from the shoot boss the day before saying that he was half way here from Iowa and that he had to turn and head back home for a family emergency. Jonathan was already going to be trained in to be shoot boss, but it was a surprise to us to hear that we were the only full instructors to attend. It all went very well and we had 15 shooters on the line on Saturday, and about 10 on Sunday. One other Instructor In Training was there and helped us out on Sunday. We didn't get any riflemen out of the weekend, but two of the shooters got 208 and 206 points of the 210 needed to score Rifleman or "Expert" on the AQT.
I milked Sandy for the last time on Friday evening. She will be dry now until April 27th (Lord willing!) and then the other cow is due on March 21st. So for now, I have a break from milking! The evening of the first day of the Appleseed, we stayed at some friends place in Minot, which for me, was the first night away from home since December of 2010. I do miss going out and bringing in a bucket of milk though.
Until next time,
Peter
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Check it out!
Hi there,
You may be able to read a little from the picture but it would help to have the .pdf version of the page. I will post a link to that full color file as soon as I can. Right now it is stuck on the laptop computer that crashed.
Well, it's been a very long wait for me with lots of time and work involved. I began planning this out last fall, so I was really exited to have it arrive here in the mail today. Check it out below
Yes, it's what it appears to be -- a brochure! I spent many, many hours writing and revising the contents, and so far I haven't found anything I would change about what is said inside. The topic is Real Milk. "Taste the difference, Experience the Benefits" as the front panel says.
The brochures are not cheap to print. They cost about $.50 cents each so I will be giving them out to very interested people only. We used the company VistaPrint for printing these brochures and the business cards. I highly recommend them for their service, accurate printing and professional products.
Peter
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
17 Years . . .
Hi,
On the 27th of January, I turned 17. It doesn't seem like it was very long ago that I turned sixteen, but it has already been a year!
I had a enjoyable morning and received a few gifts from family. David and I shot a couple AQTs before lunch while Dad and Jonathan delivered eggs to town (it was Thursday, our weekly delivery day).
Usually, we have pizza for supper on a birthday, or lasagna, but I asked if we could have tacos instead. And we did! Very good ones too with plenty of tomato and lettuce, refried beans, chips and salsa and good fresh milk too.
I appreciate all of the gifts I received and one was really exiting to me. It's a book called "The Milk Diet As A Cure For Chronic Disease" by Charles Porter. It's a small reprint of an old book written in the early 1900s by a doctor who used a strictly milk diet to cure thousands of patients of various chronic diseases including arthritis, diabetes, and asthma. The book was written to his patients who were to read it before the treatment so it explains what and how to complete the cure. I talked to one person that might be interested in a cow-share, that was probably following this treatment since she had regained part of her kidney function because of raw milk.
Another creative gift was from Andrew. He put together this "dairy award" for me for my "valuable contributions" to Bartlett Farm. See below>>
It's a mini wooded milk tote with the wooden ribbons and tags glued on.Thank you Andrew, and everybody else! I am truly blessed.
No, those books aren't all mine. Dad gave one to each of the family.The day after my birthday, Dad and Mom and Jonathan went to Minot for a check up on his jaw surgery. Everything looks good and so Jonathan is able to get back into work slowly. While they were away we had an incident here.
We hadn't stoked the woodstove as well as we should have so it was mostly out with only a few coals in the firebox. David spent about 15 minutes warming up the chimney with newspaper and sticks until it caught the logs on fire. He left the intake open and the flu wide open to let the fire get established, and then he would close it down.
Andrew came in from picking up a UPS package outside and noticed creosote ash scattered on the snow all around outside. He called David and I outside, and we looked for the source of the particles. Then we noticed about half way up the chimney, the smoke was pouring out between the cracks in the two sections of new pipes. Figuring something was not right with the wood stove, I came back inside and closed the air intake and flu on the chimney. I put my boots on and grabbed a jacket and gloves and went outside again to look at the chimney. Now it was billowing out of two joints of pipe! Andrew and I ran to the shop and retrieved the long ladder from it's storage place. We rushed up to the house and ran the ladder up a few rungs and leaned it onto the edge of the roof. I didn't think of it, or tell him to do it, but David had a bunch of buckets of snow ready and waiting for me to take up to the roof. I took one with me and climbed twenty feet upwards to the edge of the roof. After safely footed on the dry shingles (thanks to the snow-tread on my bunny boots) I ran over to the top of the chimney and found pretty much what I expected. Sparks and ash propelled out of the pipe and a roaring sound. That confirmed my suspicions of a chimney fire. I dumped the bucket full of snow into the pipe and it sizzled its way down. I peered down into the smoke-filled black hole and saw that the pipe lining was red hot. A few feet away, on the north slope of the roof was a wide snow drift which I shoveled into the chimney pipe with the bucket. My right hand being bare, since I had taken two of the same handed glove out of my bin, was freezing now so I pulled one of the knit liners I kept in my pocket out put it on. I do not recall the exact procedure for putting out a chimney fire, but I did remember that our good friend Steve talked about using snow to extinguish one. It worked and not too long later the smoke peacefully drifted out of the pipe and water dribbled from the cleanout below. I climbed down and we gathered at the base of the ladder and thanked the Lord for directing us in extinguishing a potential house-threatening fire!
Just another one of those exiting adventures that we have around here.
Peter
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Bought a Cow
Hello,
Praise the Lord! She's home safe and sound.
Yesterday, Dad and I traveled to Oak Hills Dairy near Fordville ND to look at some Jersey heifers for sale there. I had looked around the state (on the phone) and found quite a few farmers with Jersey crossbred cattle they wanted to sell, but only found this one dairy that had what I was looking for.
He had four heifers that he was selling, two had Holstein in them and two didn't. He milks about 36 mostly Jersey cows in a tie-stall arrangement that we got to see. Milk production is most important to him and he gets more money for his milk when the butterfat content is higher, that's the only reason he is milking mostly Jersey and Jersey/Danish crosses. He did have one big Holstein with an udder like a balloon that was milking out about a hundred pounds of milk each day! Poor cow.
Well, I brought my money along, hoping to find something that I liked. I like the Jersey breed the best, partly because that's what we have right now, but also because everyone recommends them for a grass-based dairy operation. They are smaller cows, and give milk that is the highest in milk solids (everything except water) and many people wanting to drink Real Milk are looking for a Jersey cow-share. There is debate among some people wether Jersey or Gurnsey is the best, but a local person here told us that Jerseys winter here much better Gurnseys because of our cold area.
The two Jerseys that had my eyes on were registered purebred Jerseys. The only thing I wasn't sure about them was that they were bred to a Danish bull. I hadn't heard about Danish dairy cattle until now, but I guess they are similar to the Jersey in butterfat content. The dairy was breeding to that since they are running out of bull selection for their AI-ing.
One heifer was due to calve in the end of February, and the other in the end of March, a few days before our cow Sandy due. Not having a warm place to have a cow calve, I decided that it was better to choose the one that was due later.
I bought her and we loaded it up without any problems. This morning when we unloaded her she seemed very gentle. I will be spending some time with her to tame her more, but at least she's not afraid of us.
No, I didn't end up with a perfect grass-genetic cow, but I will try to find something to start breeding to that will improve their offspring's ability to milk well without grain.
I'm happy! So is Della.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Milk Room
Hello,
This afternoon I put in just a few of the tiles you see in the picture above. They are self sticking, vinyl, grout-line tiles from Menards. The temperature is colder than normal outside, so the temperature inside the room was below the manufaturer's recommended installation temperature. I'm looking for a little heater to put in the room just until we get the duct from downstairs installed. The walls are all done now and the floor is next on my list for that room.
I have a 31 inch stainless steel wash tank to install when the room is done that will be for all the washup after milking. Also, a couple of refrigerators to move in there, a cream separator, butter churn, lots of bottles and assorted cleaners, a cabinet, milk scale and probably a few other odds and ends as well.
I wouldn't take the time and effort to keep the milk buckets as clean as I do, if I were not that I am milking for other people.
I recently got the results from a series of tests I had done on a couple of milk samples that I sent to DQCI Services near Minneapolis, MN. I am very glad to say that the bacteria levels in our milk, are quite low. Meaning that it has an extra-long shelf life.
According to the "Raw Milk Production Handbook," the Standard Plate Count test (measures the overall bacteria levels within the milking equipment) should be less than 10,000/mL. Our milk was less than 2,500/mL.
Another test was Preliminary Incubation, or another perspective on the cleanliness of how the milk is handled. Should be less than 50,000/mL. Ours was 2000/mL.
The measure of the somatic cells in our milk was 140,000/mL. Raw milk producers like to see it below 300,000 but the commercial guys are okay at 750,000. The higher the SCC count is, the more likely it is that there is infection in the udder.
Those tests above, give me an idea of how well I have been cleaning the buckets, and how long the milk will last. I had DQCI do five tests altogether, the last two were both good and they were coliform count, and Ecoli.
It was a bright and sunny day here today. The wind is brisk now, and the snow from last night is blowing sideways out in the yard. We had a high of about 1 degree here today, but with the windchill, I think it was somewhere around -20. It's good the animals are sheltered down at the barn so aren't getting the full blast from the direction of the prevailing winds.
Slowly but steadily I've been working on the Milk Room as we call it. It's the bathroom on the main level of the house that will be used for milk bottling and storing. I will be able to move all the dish washing items from down here, up there and free up some space here. It will be much easier for me to keep things clean when they're in a separate room.
This afternoon I put in just a few of the tiles you see in the picture above. They are self sticking, vinyl, grout-line tiles from Menards. The temperature is colder than normal outside, so the temperature inside the room was below the manufaturer's recommended installation temperature. I'm looking for a little heater to put in the room just until we get the duct from downstairs installed. The walls are all done now and the floor is next on my list for that room.
I have a 31 inch stainless steel wash tank to install when the room is done that will be for all the washup after milking. Also, a couple of refrigerators to move in there, a cream separator, butter churn, lots of bottles and assorted cleaners, a cabinet, milk scale and probably a few other odds and ends as well.
I wouldn't take the time and effort to keep the milk buckets as clean as I do, if I were not that I am milking for other people.
I recently got the results from a series of tests I had done on a couple of milk samples that I sent to DQCI Services near Minneapolis, MN. I am very glad to say that the bacteria levels in our milk, are quite low. Meaning that it has an extra-long shelf life.
According to the "Raw Milk Production Handbook," the Standard Plate Count test (measures the overall bacteria levels within the milking equipment) should be less than 10,000/mL. Our milk was less than 2,500/mL.
Another test was Preliminary Incubation, or another perspective on the cleanliness of how the milk is handled. Should be less than 50,000/mL. Ours was 2000/mL.
The measure of the somatic cells in our milk was 140,000/mL. Raw milk producers like to see it below 300,000 but the commercial guys are okay at 750,000. The higher the SCC count is, the more likely it is that there is infection in the udder.
Those tests above, give me an idea of how well I have been cleaning the buckets, and how long the milk will last. I had DQCI do five tests altogether, the last two were both good and they were coliform count, and Ecoli.
Most dairies have each load of milk that they ship out, tested for different bacteria levels, and they get higher price for milk that has a somatic cell count of less than a certain amount. The government sets the standards, and the prices that the farmers get for their milk. I will be sending out samples for testing monthly, so my customers can trust that their milk is as cleanly produced.
Since I do not sell milk, I'm not under government inspection or regulation. This puts a great responsibility on me, to keep the milk perfectly clean.
It is much more motivating to have healthy cows that produce healthy milk when you talk to the person who needs real milk for whatever reason. A large bulk-milk dairy is worried about milk production and dollars rather than clean and healthy milk.
Have a good rest-of-2010!
Peter
Thursday, December 16, 2010
I figured it out
Hi again!
Well, it's been a while since I wrote a blog post on here, so maybe someone happen to see it!
Winter is here in full. I have kept busy doing things that I don't get the time to do when the weather is nice. Mostly studying. Homeschool takes up most every morning, Monday through Friday, and the rest of the time we usually spend maintaining the animals and learning new things.
I've been reading The Untold Story of Milk and taking notes all the way through. It has been helpful for me when talking to customers to have a thorough understanding of the background of raw vs. pasteurized milk.
I think I've finally figured out why the government has been manipulated to restrict the sale of raw milk. It all boils down to the belief in the germ theory, rather than the "internal terrain" of your body.
The problem with the germ theory, if you go down to the very bottom line, is that you become dependant on the government to inspect, and scientists to confirm, that your food is not contaminated. I think most of us mix the two ideas together and say we got sick as a result of catching a "germ", while at the same time working to build our immune system. There still are certain viruses that go around and challenge your immune system, but the fact that they do not make everyone that is exposed to them sick, is evidence of the difference in people's immune system strengths and weaknesses. It's not only because you got the "bug".
If I am correct, then the reason that we can't sell raw milk is because: the big food companies (subsidised by the government) benefit from the drug companies, which fund the studies for their drugs, so that the scientists that ran the studies, write the textbooks that the medical professionals use, to convince the legislators that raw milk is inherently dangerous! So now anyone that needs raw milk (everybody) has to own their cow or move to a different state.
If everyone knew why to eat healthy, and didn't believe the advertising that the drug companies put out, then the big dairies couldn't sell all their "reduced-fat milk" to people, and make money on ice-cream instead.
I want to write a review of the book, so stay tuned. Very worth reading!
Peter
Well, it's been a while since I wrote a blog post on here, so maybe someone happen to see it!
Winter is here in full. I have kept busy doing things that I don't get the time to do when the weather is nice. Mostly studying. Homeschool takes up most every morning, Monday through Friday, and the rest of the time we usually spend maintaining the animals and learning new things.
I've been reading The Untold Story of Milk and taking notes all the way through. It has been helpful for me when talking to customers to have a thorough understanding of the background of raw vs. pasteurized milk.
I think I've finally figured out why the government has been manipulated to restrict the sale of raw milk. It all boils down to the belief in the germ theory, rather than the "internal terrain" of your body.
The problem with the germ theory, if you go down to the very bottom line, is that you become dependant on the government to inspect, and scientists to confirm, that your food is not contaminated. I think most of us mix the two ideas together and say we got sick as a result of catching a "germ", while at the same time working to build our immune system. There still are certain viruses that go around and challenge your immune system, but the fact that they do not make everyone that is exposed to them sick, is evidence of the difference in people's immune system strengths and weaknesses. It's not only because you got the "bug".
If I am correct, then the reason that we can't sell raw milk is because: the big food companies (subsidised by the government) benefit from the drug companies, which fund the studies for their drugs, so that the scientists that ran the studies, write the textbooks that the medical professionals use, to convince the legislators that raw milk is inherently dangerous! So now anyone that needs raw milk (everybody) has to own their cow or move to a different state.
If everyone knew why to eat healthy, and didn't believe the advertising that the drug companies put out, then the big dairies couldn't sell all their "reduced-fat milk" to people, and make money on ice-cream instead.
I want to write a review of the book, so stay tuned. Very worth reading!
Peter
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
First snowstorm
Hi,
Winter started with about an inch of rain and then about six inches of snow. It started snowing yesterday morning and didn't quit until this afternoon, and the wind must have been about 50 mph or so. We now have four foot drifts of snow across the driveway so I think were stuck here until the plow comes. We will try to see if we can get out tomorrow morning because Jonathan needs to deliver to Bottineau in the morning and I should go to the church to vacuum in the morning too.
I would have liked it to stay dry for another week so that we could finish outside work. We still have 80 bales in the field to get to the barnyard somehow. The hoop house needs to have the plastic put on without wind and I was hoping to get the barn fixed up before the animals were put in. I'm sure we can get it all done, but it isn't as nice to work in the wet!
I have a refrigerator full of milk that someone from Minot is going to pick up tomorrow for their group. Dad and Jonathan might meet them half way and give them the milk at the republican meeting in Newburg tomorrow night.
We are all toasty warm in here with the wood stove running. That new triple wall insulated chimney works really well.
This morning I calculated how much area the cows covered this summer and figured I used about ten and a half acres of the farm total. Also, the three acre pasture in the big field produced about 46 cow-days per acre over the season. You'll understand what that means if you've read the book "$alad Bar Beef". I will be able to record how many days it is grazed next year and do the same math and see how the production increases. Hopefully with the hundreds of chickens, turkeys and the goats roaming that area, we will see a definite jump in the productivity next year.
I just ordered a few books in the mail; "Grass-fed Beef", and "The Untold Story of Milk" so I want to check out the winter grazing section of the first book and see how it might work here. I've got frozen alfalfa/grass about eight inches tall out there under the snow, but I didn't want to leave the cows out there to dig for it in this blizzard! I guess I have some reading to do this winter.
Until next time,
Peter
Winter started with about an inch of rain and then about six inches of snow. It started snowing yesterday morning and didn't quit until this afternoon, and the wind must have been about 50 mph or so. We now have four foot drifts of snow across the driveway so I think were stuck here until the plow comes. We will try to see if we can get out tomorrow morning because Jonathan needs to deliver to Bottineau in the morning and I should go to the church to vacuum in the morning too.
I would have liked it to stay dry for another week so that we could finish outside work. We still have 80 bales in the field to get to the barnyard somehow. The hoop house needs to have the plastic put on without wind and I was hoping to get the barn fixed up before the animals were put in. I'm sure we can get it all done, but it isn't as nice to work in the wet!
I have a refrigerator full of milk that someone from Minot is going to pick up tomorrow for their group. Dad and Jonathan might meet them half way and give them the milk at the republican meeting in Newburg tomorrow night.
We are all toasty warm in here with the wood stove running. That new triple wall insulated chimney works really well.
This morning I calculated how much area the cows covered this summer and figured I used about ten and a half acres of the farm total. Also, the three acre pasture in the big field produced about 46 cow-days per acre over the season. You'll understand what that means if you've read the book "$alad Bar Beef". I will be able to record how many days it is grazed next year and do the same math and see how the production increases. Hopefully with the hundreds of chickens, turkeys and the goats roaming that area, we will see a definite jump in the productivity next year.
I just ordered a few books in the mail; "Grass-fed Beef", and "The Untold Story of Milk" so I want to check out the winter grazing section of the first book and see how it might work here. I've got frozen alfalfa/grass about eight inches tall out there under the snow, but I didn't want to leave the cows out there to dig for it in this blizzard! I guess I have some reading to do this winter.
Until next time,
Peter
Monday, October 04, 2010
Driver's licence
Hi again,
This morning Dad and I went to town so I could do the road test for my driver's licence. It was at 11:20 so we headed out early so I could drive around for a bit before the test. We had checked the lights and horn but only tested the emergency brake when we were on the road a couple of miles from home, and found out that it didn't work. That is one of the requirements (says the book) for a safe vehicle. We turned around and went home to tighten it up. Dad screwed the adjuster until we thought it must have been pretty good, and then found out we turned it the wrong way. We got it cranked back the other way, a quarter of a turn at a time, and then it started to work properly. We arrived in town a few minutes early for the test and the instructor didn't even ask about that brake.
I know what you're thinking. The answer is .... Yes! I got my licence.
I drove myself over to the church to vacuum this afternoon and it was pretty quiet in the car.
This summer/fall we spent a day and a half tearing the usable lumber and metal roofing off this cattle shelter at the neighbor's farm. Some of the foundation was from the old barn that was built in the 1800s.
Andrew shot these pictures with his new Canon.
This is the end result of the work. We got about 75 good pieces of twelve foot long ripple tin (or whatever you call it), and a whole bunch of ten foot 2x6s and twenty foot 2x6s.
Peter
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Cutting corn, Gospel music festival, Butchering chickens, Trip to town, Apples
Finally, back to my blog! There has been lots going on and I've enjoyed every bit of it, so the blog got pushed aside for a while.
We picked our first harvest of sweet corn about a week ago and we spent an afternoon cutting it off the cobs and freezing it. We staggered the plantings of the corn so that it wouldn't all ripen at the same time so there is more for us to sell later on. We got called up by the owner of the Birchwood restaurant asking us if we would provide 70 cobs of corn for a cookout they are having there, and also asked if we would set up and sell fresh garden produce like a farmer's market for the group attending. That is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, so I hope we have ripe corn!
A week ago, Jonathan and David and I went to the Peace Gardens to hear some of the International Gospel Music Festival. Some friends of ours were performing there in the afternoon so we went after lunch and came back just in time for evening chores. We did get to jam with them after they played which was a lot of fun! We rarely get to play music with anybody so it was really fun. It gets us motivated to learn to play better when we hear other bands do so well.
Tuesday morning while we were doing chores, Dad fired up the scalder and we began butchering chickens about 9:30. Jonathan put together the "whizbang" chicken plucker from a kit and we tried it out for the first time that morning. It didn't meet our expectations at first because the belt was too loose and the pulley would slip, but it did wonders when we got it running right. After a good scald, the chicken would be dropped into the whirling plucker and in less than 20 seconds it would be plucked free of feathers! Sometimes the tail feathers would need to be pulled by hand and we had David check it over and get the pin feathers with his Leatherman, but it did a very clean job of plucking. We did one chicken at a time in it because most of them ended up dressing out at 7-9 lbs. They would make the belt slip if we did two or more. It probably can be adjusted somehow.
The next day Dad and I went to Minot with the pickup to pick up the soffit material for the house and do some other shopping. I did the driving in town and on the way there, and Dad drove home. I can get my full driver's licence anytime, but I don't drive very much so I haven't made it a priority. We are working on finishing the upstairs bathroom and making it into a milk room until we move up there. We needed a few things to be able to continue on the sheetrock and we brought back flooring and a door to close it off. When it is finished, I'll be able to keep all the things I needed for milking and cleanup along with the refrigerators and a freezer and the dishwasher and the soaps and all the cleaners up there. Then the kitchen won't be so cluttered and customers can come in and pick up their milk.
This afternoon we started on the apples that are sitting in the living room. David and Jonathan went to town for a garage sale and stopped at the person's place that we picked apples at before and they let us take them again this year. They have two trees in their front yard and the apples were already starting to fall off so we got them at a good time. Mom is using her new Champion juicer for making applesauce with them and we will probably dehydrate some and can some chunks. The apples are a little sour but they taste good if that's all we have! Our young trees have some apples on them this year but they are not producing very much yet. I was out in the orchard today weedwhipping, and saw that we are going to get plums off of some of the trees and grapes on the vines too. There were a few ripe cherries that I ate. Yum!
I guess I'll go back to apples for now. Peter
We picked our first harvest of sweet corn about a week ago and we spent an afternoon cutting it off the cobs and freezing it. We staggered the plantings of the corn so that it wouldn't all ripen at the same time so there is more for us to sell later on. We got called up by the owner of the Birchwood restaurant asking us if we would provide 70 cobs of corn for a cookout they are having there, and also asked if we would set up and sell fresh garden produce like a farmer's market for the group attending. That is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, so I hope we have ripe corn!
A week ago, Jonathan and David and I went to the Peace Gardens to hear some of the International Gospel Music Festival. Some friends of ours were performing there in the afternoon so we went after lunch and came back just in time for evening chores. We did get to jam with them after they played which was a lot of fun! We rarely get to play music with anybody so it was really fun. It gets us motivated to learn to play better when we hear other bands do so well.
Tuesday morning while we were doing chores, Dad fired up the scalder and we began butchering chickens about 9:30. Jonathan put together the "whizbang" chicken plucker from a kit and we tried it out for the first time that morning. It didn't meet our expectations at first because the belt was too loose and the pulley would slip, but it did wonders when we got it running right. After a good scald, the chicken would be dropped into the whirling plucker and in less than 20 seconds it would be plucked free of feathers! Sometimes the tail feathers would need to be pulled by hand and we had David check it over and get the pin feathers with his Leatherman, but it did a very clean job of plucking. We did one chicken at a time in it because most of them ended up dressing out at 7-9 lbs. They would make the belt slip if we did two or more. It probably can be adjusted somehow.
The next day Dad and I went to Minot with the pickup to pick up the soffit material for the house and do some other shopping. I did the driving in town and on the way there, and Dad drove home. I can get my full driver's licence anytime, but I don't drive very much so I haven't made it a priority. We are working on finishing the upstairs bathroom and making it into a milk room until we move up there. We needed a few things to be able to continue on the sheetrock and we brought back flooring and a door to close it off. When it is finished, I'll be able to keep all the things I needed for milking and cleanup along with the refrigerators and a freezer and the dishwasher and the soaps and all the cleaners up there. Then the kitchen won't be so cluttered and customers can come in and pick up their milk.
This afternoon we started on the apples that are sitting in the living room. David and Jonathan went to town for a garage sale and stopped at the person's place that we picked apples at before and they let us take them again this year. They have two trees in their front yard and the apples were already starting to fall off so we got them at a good time. Mom is using her new Champion juicer for making applesauce with them and we will probably dehydrate some and can some chunks. The apples are a little sour but they taste good if that's all we have! Our young trees have some apples on them this year but they are not producing very much yet. I was out in the orchard today weedwhipping, and saw that we are going to get plums off of some of the trees and grapes on the vines too. There were a few ripe cherries that I ate. Yum!
I guess I'll go back to apples for now. Peter
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Shade tent
I put this shade tent together for the cows a few days ago. I had to stake the back end down so it wouldn't get knocked over, but the front posts are just planted on the ground. At least it makes me feel a little better about leaving them out in the paddock when it's 90+ degrees out.
Peter
Friday, July 30, 2010
My Red Hat
Hello! I'll just finish the story of the boot camp real quick here.
Jonathan and I have been Instructors In Training for the appleseed project for about a year now and have passed the tests for each different level of IIT. This appleseed was our 4th one that we had instructed at.
Peter
The last two days of the week long RBC were conducted like a normal appleseed shoot. The shooters of the boot camp were to instruct other shooters that came for the weekend in the skills they had just practiced.
Jonathan and I have been Instructors In Training for the appleseed project for about a year now and have passed the tests for each different level of IIT. This appleseed was our 4th one that we had instructed at.While we were eating our lunch on Saturday, Jonathan and I were surprised to find that we were going to tell the story of April 19 1775 to the five new shooters as they finished their lunch. We hadn't prepared for telling it this time, but we had recited it once before to a few other instructors that told us it needed work. I told the first strike, and Jonathan told the second and third strike later on in the day. My part came out better than I expected it to, but I left out a few important parts that I forgot all about. Jonathan did better than me and it all worked out fine. The other more experienced instructors added a few things to help wrap up the story and apply it to today.
Then, Saturday evening as we were about to end the day, the shoot boss for the weekend pulled out of his box, two red RWVA hats and handed them to Jonathan and I as he explained that we had earned our Full Instructor status. Now we are on our way to becoming Shoot Bosses! 
Peter
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
A lesson from the Boot Camp
Hello again,
We were thankful to be able to come home for a shower and to do the chores in between each day of shooting. We left in the morning right after I milked and we got to the range about 8:30. Mom strained the milk for me and did the milk dishes for the morning milking. Thank you everybody for keeping things running after we were gone!
One of the most important things that I learned was how to apply the bullet trajectory to long distance shooting. Every bullet drops as it goes out the barrel and it drops more as it goes to farther distances. So even if you fire a good shot, you are going to miss the target unless you adjust your sights to compensate for the bullet drop. After I understood what I was doing, it was an easy matter to figure out the drop of the bullet for my caliber.
I'll quickly explain how to chart the drop of a bullet as it leaves the barrel so you can do it on your own. Zero your rifle at 25 meters and make sure you can get all your shots in about a 1 inch square. If you try to collect information from a random group, then you will get incorrect data and plot your bullet drop wrong.
Then move out to 100 yards and fire 5 rounds from prone at the center of the target. Check your target and measure the distance that the center of the five-shot group is from the target. Write it down! But don't adjust your sights. Make sure you convert all the inch measurements into Minute Of Angle measurements before you write it down. Otherwise your numbers will confuse you like they did me. (if you don't know what a MOA is, go to an Appleseed shoot!)
Then go out to 200 yards and collect the same data as you did at a hundred yards. The groups might be high or low, depending on what type of cartridge you are firing but don't make any adjustments on your sights. At the RBC we were shooting at 20" wide silhouette targets that had a backer that was about five feet square so it caught any stray shots or groups that ended up being low or high.
Then move out to 300 and 400 and as far out as you have room to shoot. You should be able to draw out a chart like this that shows how the bullet drops. Each of the verticle dashed lines is 100, 200, 300, 400 yard marks. The little squares represent each MOA up or down that the bullet traveled at each distance. 
As you see, at 100 yards the bullet hit 3 MOA high, then at 200 it was 1 MOA lower than before, at 300 it was right on and 400 it was 1.5 MOA low. With those measurements I can adjust my sights from where it was sighted in at 25 yards, up 1.5 MOA and make a hit at 400 yards without firing a shot! If I didn't adjust I would hit 6 inches low with this caliber.
As you see, at 100 yards the bullet hit 3 MOA high, then at 200 it was 1 MOA lower than before, at 300 it was right on and 400 it was 1.5 MOA low. With those measurements I can adjust my sights from where it was sighted in at 25 yards, up 1.5 MOA and make a hit at 400 yards without firing a shot! If I didn't adjust I would hit 6 inches low with this caliber.We were told that we need to make up a bullet drop chart for each different ammunition that we own, and for each different rifle, and store the charts with the ammo so you always know the sight adjustments for it.
I have more to tell, so stay tuned for the next post!
Peter
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