Filed under: February 2023 | Tags: home butchering, honey, maple syrup, maple syrup season, Suffolk Punch horses, weather
February 12, 2023
What a crazy busy month it has been so far! We started out very cold and seasonable. We attended a local chamber of commerce event in the nearby town of Geneva, Ohio for their Winterfest celebration. Amee and Abby were well dressed for the occasion. They got their manes and tails braided and all shined up to give wagon rides. The street looks lonely, but believe me it was bustling, just quiet at our loading zone.
They did an awesome job. People were very pleased to meet our girls. The traffic, the trains and the commotion from the celebration didn’t bother them one bit. They were included in many photos.
We are working on the last of our butchering for the year too. Pork has been the focus these last 2 weeks. Our family’s freezers are filling up. What a great thing!
These yummy hogs are now sausage, chops, ham and bacon. It’s good to have that work behind us!
Thanks to two very good friends, we got our 2022 honey all extracted. The bees gave us 26 pints of beautiful, mostly clover honey. It is good on everything. I like it in my morning tea.
Speaking of sticky jobs, the 2023 maple season is upon us. I am a bit behind, but plan to tap our trees this week. A few local guys are off to a great start and have made a little syrup already. This is a bit earlier than usual. That is part of the reason I am behind. I do have the sugarhouse partially set-up and a bit of my spring cleaning done. Hopefully we will have steam boiling soon! This wacky weather came out of nowhere, but as they say, “Time and the tides wait for no man”.
Filed under: March 2020 | Tags: draft horses, foal, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch, weather
March 28, 2020
Last night after chores, I took the mares for a walk through the woods. The mare on the left will foal in the coming weeks. I like to keep her exercised daily. These quiet walks are good for us all.
As we all face many changes due to the COVID-19 virus, quiet time, alone is good for us all. We are going through many changes here on the farm as well. My black Percheron horses are making their ways to new homes. It is a tough thing for me, but I see much opportunity in our change to the endangered Suffolk breed.
These horses continue to please me. I am excited to start the farm year with them. They will pick up where the blacks left off, after maternity leave of course!
Our Percheron mare Abby has gone off to “finishing school”. I have a friend in the nearby Amish community who also has a single black mare for sale. They look very nice together. We will get them all worked down and dolled up to show off all of their best traits, then put them in a draft horse sale in Topeka Indiana. The sale is scheduled for June. Abby will be headed there, unless I sell her private before then.
Today, the rain is sure making things wet. It started raining last night at dark and is still falling steady. It is supposed to continue all day. Perhaps it is just a preview of our normal April showers? Let’s pray we have a good planting season and normal growing season. We are due, but we know who is in control. We will plan, prepare and be ready to go once the time has come.
Filed under: June 2019 | Tags: farm income, planting season, Small Farming, spring work, weather
June 6, 2019
The rains held off just long enough for me to finish plowing this sweet corn and pumpkin patch. I even got this whole area planted before the skies opened up yet again. Some farmers are not as lucky as I have been. Sure, we were delayed, but we are now finished and the corn is up!
I did 80% of this work with my horses. I am blessed, not bragging. I kept at it when the weather allowed. The use of horses gives me a few days that tractor guys can’t even move. It makes up for my lack of speed and need to rest the horses. I have completed my planting, until later in the year when we plant the spelt crop.
We now move on to the job of making dry hay. The sun will come out. I just need to be patient. I am considering making some baleage and having those bales wrapped in airtight plastic. That makes very good cow feed and can be done in wet weather. I just need to stay focused.
The sun and rain means much to all of us, but farmers are at the mercy of the weather. We must just have faith and wait upon the Lord….there are times when our human nature makes waiting almost impossible. My heart goes out to many of our area farmers who are way behind. Unplanted acres are everywhere this year. Farm incomes already stretched, will take another hit. Keep our farmers in prayer. Help them find a way to … “Slow down, get smaller, mix it up and care”. That is my recipe for success…But I admit, it is not for everybody.
July 5, 2016
The sheep and cows are grazing a field where the hay has been cut already. The regrowth is good, but a little rain would sure help. It seems us farmers are always fretting about the weather. It’s too wet or too dry, too hot or too cold, I guess we just need to enjoy the day no matter what and just relax. God knows what he is doing, we just have to be patient.
The sheep and cows make good use of the grass. They each eat different kinds, making the best use of the forage. They consume a lot of feeds between the two species. The pastures are holding up for now, so I will watch and wait. The nice thing is that I have these animals to watch as I wait.
Hot muggy weather is upon us this week. We may get a little rain from all the moisture in the air. The humid air makes the biting flies go crazy. The biting flies make the horses go crazy. No big deal for me, folks have said I’ve been crazy for years!
Filed under: April 2014 | Tags: baby lambs, barbershop, farmers, old men, snow, weather
April 16 snow and cold
April 16, 2014
Okay, I like winter, perhaps even more than most people, but even I have had enough. It started snowing last October…I think 6 months of winter is enough. I am ready for spring and all that comes with it. The peepers have been singing. I am sure they have been “frozen out” twice already, so according to local folklore, one more freeze for the peepers and it will be spring! I am soooo ready!
Lambs are starting to hit the ground, but mother nature is being pretty rough on those little fellows too. They just need a day or two to get their footing and then they are very hardy. Being born on a rainy, sleeting night, is hard on any creature. I don’t know if it is the full moon signaling the mothers to drop their babies or simply that it is time, but the babies are coming, ready or not.
The weather is supposed to turn more towards normal in the weeks ahead. I am sure that before I know it…I will be complaining that it is too hot! I am just hoping for a return to normal in the weather department. A drought year followed by a very wet year, then a long cold winter…is sure stretching farmers to the limit… at least this one 😮
The good thing about the crazy weather is, that it gives us country guys plenty to talk about at the barbershop and feed mill!
March 18, 2013
I am not sure who decided which groundhog to watch, but I’m thinking the one they decided upon was mixed up! Our maple season has been much later than most years. Today, freezing rain is falling on four inches of sloppy snow. Tomorrow’s forecast says much colder and snow… Hey, it has been six weeks you stupid groundhog!
Chores take longer on a day like today. I have to shuffle my feet like an old codger…maybe I am an old codger 😮 Anyway, I have to be careful… I don’t want to fall and break my hip!
Today , I mourn the loss of our pastor. She was a wondeful woman and a true child of God. She married my boys, mentored to all of us and kept us in God’s fold. I will miss her dearly. I am sure our lives were blessed to just know her. Pastor Meredith Coleman may you rest in peace in the loving arms of God.
The sap ran yesterday and is starting to drip today. We will collect everything before the next cold snap sets in. The day is a bit nasty, but the job must be done. I guess that is the way sugaring is… just like hay..You have to make it when the sun shines! Stupid Groundhog!
RicelandMeadows 