The Princesses And The Peeps

More baby chicks! Only this time the purpose is to put their eggs on the table instead of themselves.
Heidi is beside herself with joy, she can't wait to find out which are the girls and have them grow up so she can have the responsibility of collecting the eggs.
What? Isn't this what everyone does with their baby bathtub?
We got an incubator and hatched this batch ourselves, making for some great learning opportunities for us all.
This is probably old news for anyone with any knowledge of chickens, but I didn't realize that the chicks start peeping before they ever come out of their shells.
Or that it takes 24 hours from first little tap tap taps to baby chick.
I'm hoping we have lots of little egg layers in there.

Hey Daddy! Hay Daddy?

"Okay girls, run to that blob in the field over there."" What is it?"
"It's Daddy, stacking bales on the tractor."

"If you ask real nice, he just might let you climb the bales...

and maybe even give you a ride."

"Woo hoo!"

For the record, that's a doll Hannah's holding, not Levi.

As to why Heidi's wearing a broom around her neck, I know not. You'll have to ask her.

A Shorter Moniker

For those of you who noticed the change in my blog title, I thought I would provide an explanation.
I felt from the beginning that "Dirt In My Oven, Grass In My Blender" was a bit of a mouthful, but Karl liked it, so there it was. However, it seems now is the time to shorten it.
The dirt in my oven is an ongoing occurrence. Until I can find another way to sterilize the dirt I need for potting soil, my oven will be filled with dirt every spring. That part of the title stays.
The grass in my blender, on the other hand, was a one time experiment. One I really don't plan on repeating - it was a mess to clean up after. I have also found (through researching what brings others to my blog from Google searches) that many seem to think I am indicating a type of "grass" that I personally have never had in my blender, nor do I ever want to. In fact, I would rather not be associated with that sort of "grass" at all. That part of the title goes.
So, I now blog at "Dirt In My Oven", and with the advent of rainy weather, daily wonder at the dirt that shows up in my entrance, my living room, my bathroom, my kitchen sink, my washing machine, my shoes (the ones that haven't gone outside), my desk, my table, my...well, I think you get the idea. Such is life in the country.

"Daddy drives the tractor wary well!"

Before all the rain this past week, the girls and I went to watch Karl cultivate the field.

That may not sound too exciting, but to the girls it was a definite highlight.

Watch Daddy's tractor go, play with rocks. What could be better?

Riding Together

Daddy and Heidi went for a horse ride last Sunday. Heidi thinks they should do it every day. I'm thankful we started with a team of steady old fellows. They put up with a lot. Especially considering that they had never been ridden before we got them. And while we've ordered new bridles, they're not in yet, so we make do with old ones that are falling apart and use lead ropes for reins when riding. We improvise lots and are learning even more, but these guys just look at us and continue on as if nothing is wrong

Hannah would have gone for a ride as well, but she was a pretty sick girl last week, so she stayed inside with Momma. No worries, though, she likes her comfort and set herself up on the couch with her pillows and blankets just so and her water and baby doll handy for when she wanted them.

Transition

Extremely excited?
Extremely scared?

I've been wavering somewhere between those two emotions the past couple of weeks, never really sure which one was winning.

Why? My Karl and I decided to take a step of faith with our lives. Due to some board decisions at his arena job which he could not reconcile being part of with being a believer, he resigned.
We've been talking for years about making the farm our sole income, but have put it off, knowing we needed a bit more financial stability first. Now we've taken the plunge. Going into the farm full time at the beginning of the season when there is no income doesn't make much sense, but we are trusting that this is what God has called us to for the moment. Won't it be an exciting ride?!
We've also made some decisions about the farm that leave me wondering how things will go from here. We've dropped our organic status, meaning that while we will not change the way we farm we can no longer advertise as organic. What this also means is the end of huge stacks of meaningless paperwork twice a year, keeping a fair amount of money in our own pockets each year, and much more freedom in how we do things. We think we'll actually be able to farm more sustainably without the organic certification. For instance, I'm excited to be able to compost without having to track (with receipts and such) the certified organic orgin of every orange peel, egg shell or apple core included. And to not have to write for permission every time I want to apply said compost.

If you want to know more, my Farmer Husband has started a blog of his own to chronicle our adventure. I'm sure he'd love for you to stop by and say hi at http://stonysoil.blogspot.com.

I do think the extreme excitement is beginning to win as we look forward to seeing how God directs us as we walk in faith.

Our Little Farm Hand

Heidi spent the day with Daddy yesterday. It was great fun to see her tromping along beside him as he busily got the farm ready for spring. At one point they came for the gas can and I can only imagine she asked to help carry it, for when I looked out the window she was holding his hand and walking, pulling the wagon with the gas can in it with her other hand.

Later, I looked out the window and saw this: Apparently Karl had been cultivating and Heidi got to ride. He said she had been singing away as they went around the garden.

She informed me that Daddy let her drive too. He had let her take the lines in front of him and go around with the harrows a couple of times. "They went when I said 'Giddy up' and when I said 'whoa' they stopped!"

Just don't anyone tell her she's a wee bit smaller than the beasts. She really does think she's the boss 'o them and issues commands with all the authority in the world.

Planting Seeds

Today it was time to start planting and once again I had some great help!

Preparing the Soil

The girls and I got ready to start seeds in the greenhouse yesterday. I'm thrilled to have potting soil left over from last year so I don't have to tie up my oven with dirt right now - not really something I could do with a blood clot anyway. All we had to do was fill our trays with planters and fill the planters with dirt. I had lots of willing help!

I told Heidi she was a good farmer. She made me laugh as she vehemently countered, "I am not a farmer, I am a farmer's WIFE!" Then, laughingly corrected herself, "Actually, a farmer's daughter".

Hannah enjoyed the dirt, but it was really the sand on the floor of the greenhouse that caught her attention.

I think we're all excited to be working in the dirt again.

Playing In The Harvest

From Oatmeal To Oats

I know it's usually the other way around, the oats turn into oatmeal. But, what can I say? Friday was a crazy day! I knew it was going to be that way, so in an effort to get two things done at once, I gave the girls their breakfast and left the room. Sometimes it really does save time to simply concentrate on the task at hand. We began the day covered in oatmeal (if anyone has tips on how to clean a ______ covered baby without getting it all over yourself, please share!) and ended the day by playing in oats. Daddy was moving some of last year's crop into the greenhouse so it would be closer for feeding the horses and cow, and the girls got to help. More fun than a sand box!

Now that I've confessed...

I can show you some more up close pictures of the weeds I'm trying to conquer. Heidi and I have done lots, but there's still lots to be done. Right now I'm just trying to find the plants and clear enough space around them that Karl can see them and take the tiller through the garden without getting the plants too.

We had fun playing jungle today. In the midst of all those weeds, we found some treasure as well. One ripe cherry tomato!

YUM!!!!

The Cows Came Home

Well... actually there's only one cow. And I guess technically, it's not a cow, it's a steer. But it is home, although it may end up spending more time in the freezer than the pasture.
BEEF, it's what will be for dinner this winter!

Heidi Helped Me Weed

As to why exactly she needed a turtle tied around her waist to do so, you'll have to ask Heidi.

She was a great help, and even greater company!

Confession Time:

You see the green behind Heidi in the above picture? (No, not the darker green, that's the oak trees, the lighter green in front) that's our vegetable garden. Or, more accurately, that's where our vegetable garden should be, it's where we planted it. It is there still... somewhere. You just have to hunt through the weeds to find the plants. Yes, all that green belongs to WEEDS!

We got a bit discouraged this year when, just after we transplanted the seedlings in June, there was frost, and even though we covered the plants, many of them died anyway. Add that discouragement to Karl having a new job which took more of his time, and then getting another new job a month ago and the garden being away from the house and having a crawler who gets filthy in the mud and no water at home to bathe her in, and you come up with a sorrowful case of neglect. Which in this world affected by the curse, adds up to a whole lot of weeds.

I know that weeds are the result of sin, but I wonder sometimes if God put them there to remind us of what sin can do in our lives as well. If we notice a "weed" and deal with it early, it's not such a big deal. Minimal disturbance of the soil, not much effort needed. if, on the other hand, we put it off for awhile, think, "Oh, I'll get to that soon enough", it grows. It can become like the weeds I was working on today. I was enjoying working in the shade until I realized the shade was coming from the weeds! Weeds that big take some effort to pull. Both hands grasping the stalk, whole body effort. A lot of dirt comes with them, and sometimes it even disturbs the roots of the good plants, just as sin can affect all areas of our life, even the good. Yes, weeding is much easier done early, when the weeds are first noticed. I pray I remember that in the future, both in the garden and in my life.

*Thanks to Grandma for watching Hannah so I could work unhindered!

Cultivating With Horses...

...is NOT as easy as Karl makes it look! We were able to find and purchase a used set of harnesses last Monday and have spent a few evenings this week learning how to put them on and how to make the horses go. I did okay with ground driving the horses around the yard (just driving while walking behind them) so when Karl offered me a chance to cultivate I didn't hesitate to try. The spring tooth harrows are the only implement we're fully set up to use at the moment and I had been watching Karl use it with seeming ease. I neglected to factor in that his walking speed is roughly equivalent to a charging elephant - which is to say, it's not exactly a relaxed saunter. I got behind those horses, asked them to go, and off we went! Now, freshly cultivated land is a bit rough, and soft, and with me tripping over the dirt and going as fast as I can just trying to stay upright and keep up with those horses, it was a full half a field length before I remembered I was in control and was supposed to be steering the beasts! After making a round, I gladly handed the reins off to Karl and declared it it be men's work after all. I'll be driving the wagon from now on, thank you very much!

Meet Tim and Zack

Yesterday was the big day. The long dreamed of additional "horse power" for our farm pulled into the drive around 10:30 last night. Now we just have to learn how to use it. Tim (l) and Zack (r) are 20 and 18 respectively. At this age they're nearing retirement, but we're hoping they'll teach us a thing or two before they're done. Our Belgians were used to pull wagons in provincial parks for years (yes there was an ulterior motive to last week's trip to Spruce Woods) and came highly recommended from a friend of ours who knows quite a bit more about horses than we could ever claim.

Zack drinking from the river

Heidi, delighted to finally have her horses, pets Tim.

We hope to use them for our vegetable gardens and to pull some sort of a cart (which we have yet to obtain) for the time being. After that, if we decide we like working with horses... we'll see where we end up. Another chapter in our organic farming adventure has begun.