Setting them up to Fail

Yesterday, someone told Rick that home schooling our children was "setting them up to fail."

Many people do not support home schooling, and most of the time comments like these roll right off my back and are not given a second thought.

Until yesterday.  For some reason, I let this comment clog up my brain the rest of the afternoon and into this morning.

Truthfully, failing would be saying that we are home schooling then not doing any schooling at all.

This person sited how we need to provide the children with more social interaction.  This is the most common anti-home-school argument.  It is also the one with the least merit.

When you see our list of our children's social interaction opportunities, you just might put us on the "hyper-scheduled" list.  Some "experts" feel that children should have no more than 1 extra activity per season.  So often I want to ask "So, which way do you want it, people? More or less?"

I'll use my oldest child as an example.

Kid #1
4-H:  One interaction per month-either a meeting, service project, or trip.
Music:  Two hour long lessons per month.
Swimming:  1 per week-when finished, replaced with another learning opportunity.
Church:  2 per week.
Field trips:  About 1 per month with the home school group.

These are just the scheduled items. This does not include time spent with other families for fun, time spent with cousins, time spent working outside with us and the hired help, or any interactions with the neighbors and people we do business with.

We are not locking these kids inside the house and not letting them see the light of day.  In fact, if we spend any more time away from the home,  we might not even be considered a home school.

Our kids interact with youth in their age range as well as adults.  They are exposed to different generations, backgrounds, and characters (to say the least!).  They are not confined to the same age group all day long.

This reminded me of when we put together our plan for this farm.  Less than a handful of people were supportive.  Most everyone else said "You'll never make it".  I reminded myself that I did not listen to those people then-I knew our plan would work.  So I'll try to not let this bother me now.   From the list of options concerning our children's education, we've picked home schooling.  Later on we may or may not pick something else.

If I had the chance to ask this person in what areas he thought our children were going to fail, I would.   Would it be work? Relationships? Personal development? Are any of us perfect in those areas, or do we fail from time to time?  Every time one of my kids slip up as an adult (they will) is it going to be blamed on the home schooling? Really?

Be careful how you judge people and the decisions they make.  Rick did not tell this person that they were failing their own children by sending them to school.  We realize that there are many different ways to get from point A to point B, and there may come a time when we pick a different route...they may too.

I couldn't help it...

I'll take the dirt road...

...going right through our farm.

Last week we constructed our cow lane. Saying we "re-constructed" our cow lane would be incorrect, because that would make one assume that at one point we had constructed one, when in reality, we only put up the fence and did nothing with the actual lane.  So, we finally know the answer to the question "how long can a start-up farm go without constructing cow lanes?" .....12 years.




Looking to the South, towards the farm, you see the original lane on the left.  This year's by-pass is on the right.  All the spring rain made the by-pass necessary, just to get the cows to the barn.

Here, you see even the by-pass getting bad.  We knew we would not be grazing this section of the farm next spring if we did not fix this.
 

This was Rick's emergency fix so we could leave the farm and go get that bale unroller.  It rained just prior to our trip, and this was unpassable.  (looking North from the barns)
 

What a waste of pasture!  This picture just makes a grazer's stomach churn.

First, the dozer took off the mud and topsoil from the original lane. 

 

We rolled out an 8ft wide layer of geotextile cloth.  The cloth keeps the gravel and crushed concrete from sinking to China. On top of the cloth is a layer of gravel.

 

On top of the gravel is a layer of crushed concrete.

 

Each layer is packed with a roller.

Rick and I, with help from the boys, framed up pads for the water tanks to sit on.  The white tube is protecting a water hydrant that we plug into with a hose hooked on the water tank.  We'll back fill around the drinker pads with clay and soil, and replant those areas.  The cows will stand on the drinker pad to drink.

 

Ta-Da!!!  If it only went that fast.  A predicted two day project turned into three.  We did two half days of school and took the third day off.  To finish this project we will replant the by-pass areas of the pasture back to grass along with the area around the drinker pads.

 

I'm sure you noticed the increase in the price of the milk and butter you have bought at the store.  For various reasons the price of milk is up, and I am glad to share with you the ways we have been trying to be good stewards of the additional income.   By fixing the lanes, our cows will be less stressed and cleaner, employee moral will be raised and we will be relieved of some of the effort needed to maintain the quality of milk we strive for.  We are always careful and intentional when the price of milk is up. We tithe accordingly.  We pay bills, put money into savings (for dry time and taxes), then work on project(s), and finally pay off debt.  We look at it as an opportunity to use the high year to prepare ourselves for the lower year that usually follows.  I told Rick it seems as though God has provided financially for the abundance of repairs we needed this year (up 60% so far) so next year, with potentially lower prices, we will be okay having already fixed those things.  Its just as (or more) important that we not waste God's blessings when they come in abundance...and always be thankful.

 



The new addition...

It took a ton of logistical planning, including 4 people to do chores and 2 people to care for the kids, for us to make a quick trip to Pennsylvania to pick up our new purchase.

We’ve been looking for a vintage Ford truck. Earlier this year I had plans of picking one up, and even showing it at the Don Boak benefit car show at Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers. 

So, here it is, folks! 
(You might have to use your imagination. A little black paint... some tires... an engine would help…..)

 

No, it is not a John Deere!  However, it matches that one yellow rim on the tractor quite nicely!

…yeah,   I know.  It’s not my truck. It’s Hustler Bale Unroller.  Reality kicked in and our responsible selves won over our desire to reward ourselves for hard work.

The closest dealership that carries these is located in northwest Pennsylvania.  We made arrangements with our friends who farm there, had the machine delivered to their farm and picked it up on Saturday.   We negotiated the price as best as we could, gaining an extra 5% off retail (for %15 total) if we paid in full ahead of time.  So we got to pick up a new machine, visit with old friends, and enjoy some time off.

If you know these folks, you know we had a great visit!  Our 4.5 hours seemed like mere minutes.

In the winter of 2003 into 2004 we owned 1 tractor with a set of bales tines on the back.  It didn’t even have a loader.  To feed the cows hay in the winter we would roll the hay out by hand.   We milked at 10am and 10pm then, to accommodate Rick’s job, so around midnight each night we would go out and roll enough hay out for the next day.  It was a lot of work. A LOT.  When the snow got deep for a time, we borrowed a skid steer and lined up bales of hay in a small paddock. We used round bale feeders and polytape to feed the cows one row at a time.  The problem with the round bale feeders is the mess the cows make when they congregate around a bale feeder.  Remember, at this time we only had 1 tractor for our line of equipment.  We couldn’t afford to create more work.  So we started rollin’ them out again. 

In November of 2004 we scraped together every last penny we could spare and bought a DML bale unroller.  The relief that thing brought is almost unexplainable.  It was the best $4500.00 we spent and the first piece of equipment we bought with cash.   Winter was much more tolerable with the bale unroller.

Our old Bale feeder.

Now, 10 years later, it needs some serious repair.  The chain that unrolls the bale is British Standard Chain.  British Standard Chain is a custom-order only item that requires 4 months for delivery, and total repair costs were going to be around $2000.00 As is, the DML can only unroll off of one side now, and let’s just say you operate it with as much care as possible.

 The thought of getting rid of that first bale unroller was almost unbearable.  I know-it’s a piece of equipment, just a hunk of metal.   But if you rolled out as many bales of hay as I did that first winter, you’d understand why I feel that way.  So let’s just say it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. We’ll keep it as a back-up, and then when the chain breaks we’ll take it to the scrapyard.  It wouldn’t be ethical to sell a machine that requires that much effort to get it repaired, anyway.  British Standard Chain….really?

My e-devotional this week included a verse from Proverbs 24:27
Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
(we should carry out our work in proper order)

 Growing up we were often reminded that “the barn will build the house”.  The verse in my email was conformation that we did the right thing.  While it would have been more fun to drive home a “new-to-me” truck, not having to roll out bales by hand when the chain breaks on the old machine sounds way more appealing.

Here are some other snapshots of our quick trip:

I often think how enjoyable it would be to farm down there....until the hay on those mountains need to be raked. Then I change my mind.

Getting ready to milk at our friend's farm.

Kid #4 was very excited to see this "blue" load the machine.  He wants one with a cab, too!

It was fun to see the impression on other's faces while we drove home. I wonder what they thought this machine was used for?

We made a stop at a popular cheese house on the way home.

Yeah.....we like cheese!

No, we're not trying to turn the 806 into a JD one piece at a time...

Thanks to Mom, Dad, Chloe, Chris, Carrie & Kid #1 for making this trip possible!
 

The 95%...

Wow! What a day-

Recently we had an inspection of the dairy facility.  Too make a long explanation short, this one involved many farms, and their total score had to be 90% or above to pass.  The group squeaked by with a 90% exactly.  Today we got our score-a 98%.  Now most people would be thrilled with this, and normally we would be too-except for one little problem.  The 2 points they deducted were from the inspection of the well that feeds the house, not the barn.  They inspected the wrong well, found a problem with it, and deducted 2 points from our score.  So, needless to say, we are a part of the "95%-plus-you-get-a-hat-and-not-a-plaque" club.  Don't worry-I made some phone calls.

Our oldest son, the budding electrician, was trying to make a sale to our daughter today, and boy did she want this item:

She insisted I give her $10.00-which I did not.  I told her to ask him what the family discount was.  She came back, and said that it was $5.00.  I still did not give her the money.  She came back a third time, very excited.
     "Mom! What if I make cookies, and sell them to Daddy? Then can I buy it?"
     Okay, now I had to give her a lot of credit for coming up with that.  She's 5 yrs. old and has already connected the dots on work, money, and rewards.  To encourage her resourcefulness, I agreed.  I did not mention to her the costs of making the cookies.  We'll get to that part later on.  Her excitement was just too much to dampen today.

On the farm.....

We've been offering the cows some supplemental hay.  Some of our paddocks are less than stellar and do not have enough for a full feeding.  We feed the hay on the feed pad at the new barn, but don't let them lay in the barn (they lay in the paddock).  Tonight's paddock had an exceptional buffet of grass.  It was interesting to see that most of the cows went straight out to graze after milking, without eating the balage (hay).  However, about 30 cows stayed at the barn and ate the hay.  This made me want to go and record their names, and sell all of their offspring next Spring.  I want cows that are going to forge in the paddock and put some effort into attaining their own feed, not just stand in the barn, free-loading, waiting for it to be fed to them.  Given this is an election year, I thought too many people might read too much into this observation of mine, so I almost didn't share this.  From a business point of view, it makes sense.  Those cows work for me, and I want them to do just that-work.  I'll stop sharing now.

Great job to those who thought of creative ways to get from point A to B, and to those who were short-changed-you're great too.  Your efforts might not be rewarded the way that they should be, but the truth always comes out.

Cookie, anyone?

-Terri



 

Home Canned Tomato Soup

Home canned tomato soup is one my family's favorites.  I like it because it healthy and convenient all in one jar!  At mealtime it only needs to be warmed up.

 

First, quarter your tomatoes and fill up your roaster pans.





 



 

Next put those roaster pans in a 350 oven for 1.5 hours.

 

Get your supplies ready while those bake.  I use a fruit & vegetable strainer on my KitchenAid stand mixer.  I use this for applesauce, too.

 



 

Process your tomatoes through the strainer.  Hand crank strainers work just fine, too.

 

 

The recipe I use calls for 10 quarts of tomato juice, so I use 5 jars, fill them each twice, and dump them into a big pot.

 

 

To this you add sugar, canning salt, pepper, onion salt and celery salt.

 

 

While this heats up on the stove, melt 1lb of butter in a saucepan, and have 2 cups of flour ready.

 

 

After the butter melts, mix in the flour, followed by some juice to make a smooth mixture.

 

 

Now, mix this in with the soup in your big pot. Bring to boil, and its ready to can!

 

 

Process quarts 30 minutes in a hot water bath canner.

 

 

Today's bushel made 19.75 jars of soup, 2 jars of juice (used to goulash, soup, etc.) and about 6 large tomatoes in the fridge for BLT's. Yum!!

 

Some people think that juicing tomatoes wastes too much of the tomato.  You actually get the keep the juice and the pulp, and only let go of the seeds, skins, and cores.  From 1 bushel (-6) tomatoes, I had this to feed to the pigs:

 

 

Here is the link to the recipe I used:

 

Easy Canned Tomato Soup

 

Happy Canning!

-Terri

Gravel, Gutters & A Third Lamb???

Fall on our farm is usually a time to coast-there is no more new calves, most of the haying is done, and the activities of summer wind down as we settle into a more regular daily routine.  However, this year we have found ourselves to still be quite busy with all the things that are left on our "to do" list.  The plethora of rain we received the spring and summer created a harship on the whole farm.  Not only did it create excessive damage to the cow lane,  lesser quality pasture, a garden that's producing at about 10% of it's normal production, it was a lot of stress on the driveway.  Rick said to me one day, "I have Sean coming with his dozer and a couple loads of gravel to fill the holes in the driveway."  Sounds like a little repair, right? Nope-we got a whole new driveway!  Your car won't bottom out if you drive up to the barn now-and neither will the milkman!

 

 

We also had new gutters installed on the shop/pole barn.   Benjamin Thomas Carpentry has done all of our gutters. They're seamless, and have held up well.  On this day he brought his daughter to help, and with Rick they finished just in time for the next rain.  This time, the water was directed away from the barn. Hooray!!!!  

Last Tuesday, we got a third lamb!  This one is just visiting, though. Our good friend Chris bought a buck (boy un-casterated) and brought it over to visit Bonnie and Avery.  If all goes well we'll have new baby lambs next February.  The lambs, which will be born at the right time for 4-hers, are suppose to be sold, which is suppose to make this project break-even (or better). Stay tuned!

We started school last Tuesday with the rest of Michigan.  We are trying some new curriculum for our older son, and so we are both learning many new things!  I'm very grateful for friends who have helped me learn how to administer and operate the program.  An exciting addition to our homeschool this year is Kid #4!  He started pre-school.  He was so excited the night before, he dragged Rick into the office to show him his crayons and pencils.  He said "Look! 2 long ones and lots of short ones!"  :)  If that's all it takes, why then I'll go buy you a box of 64!

Rick has taken up running.  It seems to come very easy for him.  He said he wanted to so we had something to do/work on together.  His intentions are very sweet, but quite frankly, he runs faster than I can keep up with.  Imagine what he could do if he practiced?  At our last 5k, he got his medal, and I said "that's the fourth time he's run."  Another lady asked, "you mean, run a 5k, right?" and I said "no...ever. He's only run 4 times in his adult life." We continue to sign up for 5ks in our area.  Many of them raise funds for worthy causes and it keeps us running.  It's too easy to quit if there is no goal.

Rick's first 5k at the Harrison Street Fair.  It was a last minute decision while we were on vacation.  Want to know the easiest way to earn a medal? Join a race that only has 11 people.  That's right folks, they're all pictured above!

This was the toughest run I've ran.  I was slow by 2 minutes, Mom by 4 minutes, and according to Rick's time at the Farm to Fork, he was slow by about 2 minutes. 

One of the problems with this blog is how long-winded the writer gets-so I'll save the tomato tutorial and the camping pictures until next time! 

Fair, Frank, and Farm Fun!

Last week was our county fair.  Kid #1 entered a convenience food, model, diorama, electrical science, and a feeder calf.  Kid #2 entered a model and a feeder calf.  They worked hard on all the projects, but the competition in this county is fierce.  Many wonderful, successful adults have come out of this program.  In the truck on the way home from set-up, I told the boys that I had prayed that God would reward their hard work somehow, and that it would be interesting to see how He does that.  I want them to grow up expecting that God will do great things, not just hoping that He will.  They did have a good week.  Kid #1 was awarded a rosette on his electrical science, Kid #2 a rosette on his model (which I thought was amazing. You take ONE project and you get a rosette?), and Kid #3 took home a trophy in the kids' pedal pull.  She is just a Cloverbud, but she sure did start her 4-H career off with a bang!

 

 

The prospect beef show also went well.  One made it to the final showmanship round, and the other to the final market class.  Each year we take a picture in the park for the tack box.  This was my favorite:

For the first time ever we were able to make a purchase at the Livestock Sale.  We bought my nephew's pen of chickens and a lamb.  The lamb was Rick's idea....then before I knew it my sister sold him another lamb!  The plan is to breed them and sell the offspring.  We'll see how this goes....

Our friend's son had a rooster at the fair.  The dad wanted to butcher it, the son could not do that. The compromise was that it came to our house to live.  We gladly took Frank home the last night of the fair with Bonnie, the lamb.  There were a lot of unusual noises the next morning when we went out to milk!  The following Sunday we played a little joke, and left a cooler in our friend's drive with a meat bird in it.....except it wasn't quite as funny to them as it was to us until later in the day when we reassured them that it was NOT Frank!  Now we call him Frankster the Prankster.

Yesterday we had the windshield in the truck replaced.  I went out and asked if I could take some pictures, and he said "Yes, but you're not allowed to swat mosquitoes on the windshield anymore!"
In reply I said "For the record....I got 'em!"

 Our garden has not fared well.  The very wet spring and summer has been hard on it.  We're getting some tomatoes but I'm not sure if there will even be enough for the minimum amount of canning that needs to be done.  On the bright side, the gladiola bulbs that Rick and the kids gave me on mother's day are beautiful.

"There's no big loss without some small gain."
-Caroline Ingalls

Have a great week!
-Terri