Winter ... Well, Almost

You know, we were just looking back at our experiences when first moving here. Roberta commented, "You know, now I think I'd feel stupid if I asked someone something like, what's the difference between hay and straw?" They're all farmers out here, and we're beginning to finally understand some farm lingo. Here's some pics of what else we're doing around here. We're busy, but through the midst of it all, we'll try to keep you posted. Bye for now!

The impressive stack of firewood next to the back door. Don't worry, there's always more in the woodshed, which Dad keeps impeccably neat. I wish you could see it!

Joe, burning leaves and leftover straw from the dog's pen. It was really smoky!

Abby and our cat, Zoe. Abby's a little cherry nose this time of year! Cherry cheeks, too! So are we all, if we go outside without a jacket. The last few weeks have been really cold- the dog's water bowl is frozen stiff in the morning!

Our Chickens

Believe it or not, we actually do have more animals, nineteen chickens and one rooster. We think. Hopefully, we don't end up with more than one rooster. If so, we'll just have to eat him...if he's too loud! The chickens are still mostly too young to tell, but we're pretty sure that we have the right amount. Now the ratios have turned, the girls way out weigh the boys now. When Princess died and we acquired two boy dogs, boys to girls was 8 to 7. Now it's 9 to 26!

We're also preparing for winter- yesterday, we went "wooding" which is when your entire family, including moms, babies, kids, and girls, go out to cut, pick up, and stack firewood. Only Dad and Joe went last time, and the family they went with took the crowd with them. So, next time, all of us girls are heading out there to stack and move firewood. Eventually, we settled into a routine and formed an assembly line. We were done with almost two cords of wood by 10:30 am. (A cord of wood is a measure of wood 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long and has a volume of approx. 128 cubic feet. I got that off a website, I'm not that well informed yet!). Joe and I (Hannah) split the wood with axes. When Mom saw that I was doing it, she got a real kick out of seeing me with the axe. I thought it was great!

Our girls. I don't know any of the names of the breeds except the Rhode Island Red on the left of the group in the center.

The chicken palace (as Dad calls it). He spent a long time building it up and cutting windows, but at least he'll have lots of eggs from them as a reward!

Mom, Sarah and Roberta watch our girls come out into the barnyard. They're really chickens.

The chickens come out into the yard. They're so funny! Abby really likes their little clucks and fussing.

A Yard Hydrant - and Other Stuff

For all of you who don't know what this is...it's a yard hydrant. Mom had noticed that there was a comment on here by someone who doesn't know what it is. It's just like a spigot, only easier to use, you lift that green handle up and the water comes out!


Joe and Dad hook up the electricity to the machine shop, so that we can have electricity run to the woodshed. A VERY good idea!


Joe works on one of the many electric gadgets... I don't know what!

The Ladies and Gentlemen

"I got 'em!!" "No, I got 'em!!" "You just get out of the way, he's gonna get away, quick!!" As interpreted.


A most unusual place to nurse your kitten, don't you think, Shawney? I guess not!! Actually, I did close the suitcase for 30 seconds to see what would happen...nothing. Those zany cats just kept on snoring away!



The lady Zoe


A dead dog. (Chip) Just Kidding!! He's asleep in the driveway. Come to think of it, he will be a dead dog if doesn't move...

October 15, 2007

Princess Pittelkow, November 04- October 07.

On October 15, 2007, Monday morning, at about 3:00 in the morning, our parakeet, Princess, died of a severe birdie illness. We don't know what it was, she's been going downhill since earlier this year, and we found her on the bottom of the cage, "asleep" on Monday morning, after a racket in the cage at 3:00. We supposed it to be when she was dying, and the other birds were making a fuss. She was always a favorite with them, and the most beautiful, quiet, and neat bird we've ever had. We buried her in the corner of the top Field,on Monday afternoon, and I took these pictures from then. Angel, Duchess, and Buddy, are very sad, and miss her. They're debating who should take over leadership of the cage, as she was the "queen".


Mom says goodbye to Princess before we bury the "coffin".


Joe filling the the hole that we buried her in, as Abby looks on. It's marked by a huge stone.


Princess, in the days of her youth, July of 2006.

More Fun!

Hi, everyone! So here we are again, with more fall weather and falling leaves, and more pictures of it! You know, alot of the things I've said before are becoming even more so, now. Like on September 13, I noticed that under a picture of the dogs I wrote, "Growing dogs. They're so heavy now it's hard to carry them to their kennel at night!" You don't know how true that statement is! They're way to heavy now for us girls to carry, good thing they know how to walk to the kennel without problems! Sorry, Nate, I can't get those cats and dogs to sit still long enough for a comparison, but I'll keep trying! Here's some pictures of raking leaves, growing dogs, and setting suns.


The Boys. That's their official name now, they even come when you call, "Boys!"


Our only deciduous tree in the front yard, (It's the one on the far right) is shedding it's summer coat. I'm grateful, now, that there's only one!


Roberta and I with our baby cat, Zoe, on the day we raked five bags full of leaves.


Sarah and Zoe. You would not believe how much Zoe screams when you throw her into the leaf pile! Stuart doesn't mind.


The midday sun peeks through the leaves on our tree.

Excavation, Irrigation, and Speculation, Continued

More pictures. I couldn't do it all in one post, of course!I forgot to add that us girls cut corn for freezing and canned peaches, in addition to everything else I wrote. And, yes, the kittens and dogs continue to grow!

The girls (l to r, Roberta, Sarah, Hannah) cut corn for freezing.That was a long time ago, we just had our first frost (first real frost) yesterday. I think we did that in September!

Sarah cuts peaches for canning. Yum!

Sarah's 12Th birthday celebration, and us girls, (l to r, Sarah and the new Izzy the Monkey [birthday present] Abby, Hannah, and Roberta)

Excavation with the backhoe. You know, a lot of that had to be shovelled back in by hand as not to puncture the pipes.

Joe and Dad read the instructions for putting in a yard hydrant.

Excavation, Irrigation, and Speculation

After we've last updated, our farm has changed - alot! We'll do a quick update for you all. Mr. Engall and his backhoe were here to dig up our irrigation trenches, Joe and Dad laid the pipes and installed the rest of the irrigation for the upper, lower, and middle fields, Mom, Roberta, and Joe (mostly) have laid out the seed to cover the overturned dirt so it won't wash away in the spring rains. There are little tiny buds coming up already! Mom calls them her "babies". Today we've been covering the garden with straw so it won't wash away, too! Joe and Dad have built a new pump house to cover the new pump, and Sarah turned twelve on September 30! And... we've got pictures to cover all of it! (or most of it!) So, here we go!

Abby and Hannah (with the help of Zoe the cat, of course) help Mom spread straw over the garden.

Mom and Dad speculating where to put the chicken coop.

The pump house with it's primer on (Abby wanted to leave it this way!)

The pump house gets a new roof. (Dad and Joe cut the metal for it themselves!)

Hey!

Hello, everyone!
Sorry we haven't updated in a while. Our computer had a virus. Actually, our hard drive had given out after a few more years of faithful service than required! It's pretty old, thankfully, we're up and running now! Thanks for all your prayers, keep them coming!We're getting along great. Pictures to soon follow, I have to go now!
Love to you all!
-Hannah