On Farming

To those considering farming or just wondering why we want to do what we do…this post is for you.

Just like any other job – and really anything in life – there are pros and cons to it. You are probably thinking the obvious – “Farmers are at the mercy of the weather.” While that is most certainly true, there is so much more to farming than just that.

Farmers get pooped on.

Farmers get peed on.

Farmers also deal with vomit and other bodily fluids on almost a daily basis.

They get up with the sun but don’t normally get to go to bed with the sun. Why? A lamb isn’t eating well. The pigs escaped. There are 40-some chicks coming in the morning and there isn’t a spot ready for them. The trees need to be planted before the next storm hits, even if it means staying up ’till midnight.

They also deal with death on a regular basis.

In the 12 months we’ve lived on this farm we’ve lost nearly two dozen chickens and the ram we had bottle-fed since he was less than a day old.

They also deal with the death of trees, crops, fruits, and vegetables.

They spend more money on gas than most of you can even imagine.

Frustration is a frequent visitor to the farm. Tractors, trucks, and vehicles break down. Tools break, go missing, or stop working altogether. The ground can be too wet, too dry, too acidic, or too rocky. Some months find you with a shortage of water for crops or hay for animals. Other months hit you with storm after storm. Even other times you are faced with unpredictable weather. One day it’s 85 degrees and sunny and the next day it’s 38 degrees and storming.

They break their backs planting seed, only to have a torrential rain fall wash it all away.

They miss events that they were looking forward to because an animal is sick or needs attention. When farming is your livelihood, you can’t just take a break whenever you like.

Farming is hard on everyone and everything.

But.

Besides being a mother or father, Farming is one of the most rewarding jobs ever.

The wonder of seeing your siblings (or children’s) faces light up with joy when they get to drive the tractor for the first time.

Looking out the window and being able to say that everything you can see is yours. The sheep grazing on the spring grass. The lambs playing leapfrog in the field. The pigs running in circles when they’re excited. The crazy, hilarious, unpredictable behaviour of the chickens.

All the babies! Lambs, puppies, and piglets just enjoying being alive. Chicks, ducklings, and guinea Keats all scratching in the grass for bugs. All these bring laughter to your life, and remind you of the miracle that life truly is.

The sound of rain on the roof or the sound of a child laughing as he runs through the field.

The delight in the face of a little person when they hold a chick for the first time.

Seeing the green of new life in the spring after a long winter.

The taste of home-grown bacon. That’s a good enough reason to farm in of itself.

The amazement you feel when you step outside at night and see millions of twinkling stars.

The relief of having neighbors that truly care for and about you.

The feeling of satisfaction when you set a meal on your table that wholly consists of things you and your family grew or raised.

The friendly competition that develops between siblings, whether that’s who can grow the biggest watermelon, or who can harvest the most radishes.

And think about it… Farming is necessary! If there were no farmers, there would be no food.

So, to those considering farming or a self-sustaining lifestyle, I have two words.

Do it.

It will be THE hardest thing you’ve ever done. But it is worth it, Every minute of it.

~ Amy

p.s. Thanks to C. A. of inskirtsandwellies for your inspiration for this post!!

Lady Sheep

A few days ago, we purchased 4 Kathadin ewes, (female sheep), from a local farmer. We got 3 ewe lambs, (born this past spring), and one proven ewe, which means she is about 3 years old and has already had a couple of seasons of lambing. Lord willing, we’ll have 4-8 more lambs this coming spring. Every year, we’re naming our new batch of sheep after a certain theme, chosen by Mum. This year it’s herbs. Being that there’s 4 girls and 4 new sheep. We each got to chose an herb name.

The sheep in our horse trailer.
The largest sheep, in the back of the picture is the 3 year old, who I named Cicely. The black one was named Tansy by Grace has the brown one with the dark legs was named Ginger by Faith, and the biggest brown one was named Jasmine by Abigail.

The boys hefting Cicely over the fence

Cicely meeting Churchill

Daniel carrying Tansy

Ginger and Jasmine

Daddy watching the sheep to see how they like there new home.

The front of the sheep shelter during construction

The rear of the shelter.

Lastly, here’s a random picture of Samuel. Just because he’s cute *smile*

~ Amy

Verses

Before we put in our flooring, we wrote Bible verses on the subfloor. Some rooms had one, some had two, some even had three.

We wanted our home to be firmly founded on God’s Word, and this was a literal approach.

Starting with the girls room, here are the verses we used:

Girls’ doorway:

“. . .And may our daughters be like corner pillars, cut for the structure of a palace.”

Psalm 144:12b

Girls’ dormer:

“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue”

Proverbs 31:26

Girls’ bathroom:

“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self-control. . .”

1 Timothy 2:9a

Boys’ doorway:

“May our sons in their youth be like plants full-grown. . .”

Psalm 144:12a

Boys’ room:

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD. . .”

Jeremiah 29:11a

Boys’ dormer:

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 27:17

Boys’ bathroom:

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things; and give me life in Your ways.”

Psalm 119:37

Schoolroom doorway:

“Your faithfulness endures unto all generations; You have established it in the earth, and it stands fast.”

Psalm 119:90

Schoolroom:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

Psalm 32:8

Main dormer:

“You are good and You do good; teach me Your statutes.”

Psalm 119:68

Front door: (also our Ranch’s verse)

“So he called it Rehoboth, saying,’For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.'”

Genesis 26:22b

Piano space:

“Sing to Him a new song. . .”

Psalm 33:3a

Den:

“Chose this day whom you will serve. . .”

Joshua 24:15b

Dining room:

“These all look to You, [speaking of the LORD] to give them their food in due season. When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand it is filled with good things.”

Psalm 104:27-28

Back door:

“Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are Your works!”

Psalm 104 23-24a

Kitchen:

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”

Psalm 35:8a

~ Amy

Update

I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last post! All the house pictures have been on Josh’s phone and he’s been so busy with house stuff that he hasn’t had time to upload them onto the computer.

That being said, we’re almost done!! The entire main floor is painted except the for the kitchen, and the upstairs is completely drywalled and primed. Daddy has set the 24th of November as the move in date, ‘wether we’re ready or not’.

The things that have to be done before we move in are:

1. The kitchen needs to be painted
2. The hardwood floor needs to be laid down on the main level
3. The pantry shelves need to be built
4. Hanging rods need to be purchased/installed in all 4 clothes closets (Daddy’s, Mum’s, boy’s, and girl’s)
5. The upstairs needs to be painted (including ceilings)
6. Laminate flooring needs to be put down upstairs
7. The upstairs bathrooms need to be tiled
8. The upstairs toilets need to be purchased and installed
9. The upstairs vanities/tops need to be purchased and/or built and installed
10. And last but certainly not least, the stairs down into the basement need to be built

I know it seems impossible, but I am constantly reminded that, as Philippians 2:13 says,

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Please note that following this post will be a series of posts, (with pictures *smile*), that will hopefully bring you up to date.

Have a blessed day!

~ Amy

Our First Farm Animals

We recently went to the local Amish community to purchase some piglets to use for rooting out an area for our garden in the spring.. We got 2 piglets for ourselves and 6 for various friends, (a total of 8 piglets). They weighed between 27 – 40 lbs each and were determined to get away!! Add mud, barbed-wire, small spaces, and angry mama pigs to that mix and you’ll get a very interesting evening!

They were not the most helpful little fellows!

I know this isn’t a great picture but it shows the action of the evening. (smile)

The beautiful sunset as we finally caught the last of the piglets!

~ Amy

Entrance Trimming

This morning, Daddy, Josh, and Daniel went up to The Ranch to trim the slopes on either side of the driveway entrance. They borrowed a friend’s string trimmer and cut approx. 35 feet on either side of the entrance.  They took down all the small brush and grass but left the small saplings that were about 15 feet apart. Those, Lord willing, will eventually grow to be full size trees.

Before trimming it looked like this:

(to the left)

(and to the right)

Daddy cutting (Yes, it was as hard as it looks!)

And afterwords it looked like this:

(to the left)

(and to the right)

~ Amy

A Little Bit of Irony

Yesterday we got a call from the house building company saying that our house would need to come on three trucks as opposed to the original two, because they had underestimated the space that the 4 dormers would need on the trailer. That truck was scheduled to be delivered today around noon. The other two trucks with the rest of our house units are scheduled for delivery Friday, and the house setting is supposed to take place on Monday, October 1st.

This morning, we were notified that due to the severe fog and rain in our neck of the woods today the first delivery truck would be delayed untill tomorrow.

Also this morning, Josh got a call from a very bewildered FedEx delivery man. He informed Josh that he was at our address, (that is, our new address), with the flooring supplies. The good news the man said, the supplies are two weeks early, the bad news, there’s no house to drop them off at.

The irony of this situation? Well the house, which was originally scheduled for delivery 3 weeks ago has not arrived, while the flooring supplies which were not supposed to arrive for another 2 weeks arrived this morning. At our property. Where there is no house. Where it is raining.

All this to say, I am very thankful that God has written the story and already knows what the ending will be!! While I often do not understand God’s timing, or His way of doing things I am grateful that He is in control!

Now because I don’t like to post without pictures here are a couple of random ones from the past several weeks that have not really fit in with any of my previous posts.

Josh and Daniel talking about how to bush-hog around the trees.

Samuel driving the bulldozer with Mr. Horne (The owner of the excavation company we used for the driveway and the basement.)

As Samuel later said, “Making big, dirty, dust clouds!’ Just like a boy (smile)

~ Amy