The Farm Chronicles

We've Moved!

2006-05-22T11:10:00.001-07:00

Please follow the link to our new web address:

www.blessedacresfarm.com

See you there!

The Raingutter Regatta

2006-05-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, Benjamin and I have been working on our latest Cub Scout project, the Raingutter Regatta. For the uninitiated, the Raingutter Regatta is another father-son craft project where you start with some raw materials and work together to create the best model you can. It’s similar to the Pinewood Derby we did last fall and to the Shuttle Race we did earlier this year.

Starting with little more than a block off balsa wood, you carve, shape, and fashion your diamond-in-the-rough to look as much like a boat as you can. A little sandpaper and and a lot of imagination go a long way, here. Then you add a mast, sail, keel, and rudder. When you are satisfied with your design, you add a couple of coats of paint and some enamel to keep the boat from taking on water. When it’s completed, you take it to the competition to see how you fare against the other father-son duos.

As the name implies, each Scout places their boat in a raingutter that has been filled with water (after it has been detached from the house, of course). Unlike the Pinewood Derby (which is gravity powered) and the Shuttle Race (which is powered by rubberbands), the Raingutter Regatta boats are 100% powered by the breath of Scouts. It’s a great competition! At the sound of the gun (or in our case the sound of the Scout Master counting to three) the Scouts start huffing and puffing to empower their vessel down the makeshift river. You’d be amazed at how much hot air can come out of a 7 year old!

Benjamin and I created a Pirate’s ship. I helped with the sanding and gluing, but the rest was up to him.

Out of the approximately 12 boats we finished in the middle of pack. Our ship just didn’t want to stay on course and kept bumping into the sides of the raingutter. But, for the third time in as many competitions, Benjamin’s craft was voted in the top 3 best looking! The Pinewood creation came in second place while his Shuttle took top prize!

He was happy, but most importantly we got to do it together.

Fluffy Yellow Fanny Follow-Up

2006-05-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Remember that poor chick whose mother abandoned it? Some people have asked whatever became of it, so I thought I'd post an update.

Some friends from church came to visit with their children a few days ago. The kids promptly fell in love with the little darling and begged to take it home. Since these folks have a farm, too, and were interested in getting more chickens, they took it home with them. I am happy to report that this chick seems to have been adopted by a fluffy yellow fanny of theirs who was childless. Everything has turned out well.

White Trash?

2006-05-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a study in sociology for you- do kids raised in a “trashy environment” grow up to be thugs? Or will they be able to rise above their mean surroundings and go on to do great things- pull themselves up by their spurs so to speak?

My mother-in-law Becky and I moved this White Rock hen down to the chick nursery/barn stall at a time when both the other 2 brooding coops were in use. Last year, a hen had chosen this clean empty trash can in which to rear her young when it blew over, so I decided to give it another try. Becky held the flashlight while I carried the angry broody to her new location, all the while telling her what a good mama she’d be and how she’d like this private room better anyway.

Once she saw that beautiful clutch of a dozen eggs nestled in the cedar shavings, she quit muttering under her breath and soon fluffed herself over them. Her eggs were a combination of White Faced Black Spanish and Sicilian Buttercups that I had shipped from a breeder in AL.

The White Faced Black Spanish is kind of self-explanatory, but very striking in appearance. The Sicilian Buttercup roosters, though, grow a round crown-like comb I’ve heard described as looking like a Reeses peanut butter cup. Can’t wait to see them develop! I hope we HAVE some roosters in the bunch (the hens don’t grow these fancy combs but possibly could pass the trait on to their male offspring).

Before bed on Wednesday night, I could see a discarded shell and a tiny foot sticking out from under Mama’s downy chest. Thursday morning, two Buttercup babies were tottering
around her, but she hadn’t gotten up from the eggs yet. Friday morning, I went out to check on them and feed them. Mama was out of her trash can and I could see that every one of them had hatched. Sadly, one seemed to have been stepped on accidentally and had died.

It's strange that I'm not broken up about unhatched eggs, but this lost little one, just on the verge of life on the outside of the shell, really got to me. It doesn't cause me undue upset to "process" our adult birds now, but maybe that's in part because they tend to be the surplus roosters that are harassing the hens, and so no one misses them. Somehow this loss felt personal for me and I cried over it. So close to Mother's Day, maybe what bothered me is that it just seemed to parallel our own loss of Daniel. But this Mama had 11 left in her brood and wasted no time tending to them, focusing on the many for which she was responsible.

By today, they were all up and about, taking notes from Mama about what's good to eat and swiping food out of each other's beaks. Ah, sibling rivalry!

The Penedesenca bunch from the second yellow Mama are doing well. Two of them are already starting to disobey their mother. They totter off too far, occasionally slip through the chicken wire (and require rescuing by ChickenMama), and won't take naps when she tells them to. They won't even get in bed (under Mama). After dark, I have to walk down to the barn/chick nursery and put them up in the brooding coop with the rest so they won't chill. I'm thinking that these little rebels are going to be trouble.

Here are some pictures of adult White Faced Black Spanish from Feathersite.

An adult Sicilian Buttercup strutting his stuff and a juvenile with a tiny "crown".

Somebody's 7

2006-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Benjamin has been counting the days for a couple of weeks now and finally it came yesterday- his birthday. He was serenaded by several relatives and got a day out of school- it was shaping up to be a pretty good day even before he opened his presents.

At lunch, Mommy let Benjamin and Rachel have pizza Lunchables, complete with "dessert pizza" while having a carpet picnic.

For supper, we had Benjamin's favorite meal- Build Your Dinner. The basic idea is that you get anything that you can stick a toothpick into and use your imagination to construct something and then eat it. The kids chose from hard-boiled eggs, pickles, mini-tomatoes, carrots, squares of cheese, thick banana slices, and so on. Benjamin created a dinosaur. Rachel made a "rock star" but ate it before I got a picture. Here she is holding a set of barbells.

Benjamin got phone calls from LOTS of people wishing him a happy birthday, many cards, and some really fun presents. They broke out the water toys as soon as the sun was shining! Thanks to everyone who made it a great day for him.

Easter Chicks Gone Bad

2006-05-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

I found this posting on a homesteading website and it really made me smile. Sounds like something I could have written (except that all OUR chickens are well-behaved :-) ).

http://www.homestead.org/SheriDixon/EasterChicksGoneBad.htm

Cheep! Cheep!

2006-05-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hooray! A good hatch!

After 21 days of patient "setting,"this next Buff Orpington was rewarded with 8 new downy fuzzballs. They began emerging Saturday night and, by Sunday afternoon, 8 of the 12 eggs she had beneath her had hatched out. (I couldn't see any Saturday evening, but I could hear the squeaks and chirrs coming from underneath her).

I love the "angry eyebrows" she's got in this picture! "Don't mess with my young'uns!"

I am hopeful that this mama will turn out to be a better mother than the last one. Once her hatched ones began tottering about, she took them out to feed them and get them their first drink of water. She seems very protective of them, too- good sign.

Did you know that just before hatching out, a baby chick absorbs the remainder of its yolk? This allows it to survive for up to 3 days without food or water.

When a hen goes broody and is left to her own devices, she typically lays for several days in the hidden spot she wants to brood, then stops laying. Since the first egg may be a couple days older and warmed a day or two longer than the last, it may hatch that long before the others. Having its yolk as a food source for a while keeps it from starving or dehydrating before the last ones emerge.

These chicks are not actually this chicken's offspring. These are Penedesencas, a Spanish breed that lays chocolate-colored eggs. (The varieties of shell colors just make my heart go "pitty-pat!"). We didn't have any of these so I purchased the fertile eggs from a breeder and had them shipped (very carefully!).

Chickens are pretty good about hatching whatever you put beneath them. We are planning to let the next broodies set heritage breed turkey eggs for us. Can't wait!

This a photo of the color eggs these Partridge and Wheaton Penedesencas will lay from one of my favorite websites.

Shark Teeth

2006-05-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Benjamin was just days away from his 7th birthday and had yet to lose a single tooth. He'd been asking me for 2 years when he would lose one. About 6 weeks ago, he began complaining that his gums hurt. Lo and behold, his permanent teeth were coming in BEHIND his "baby teeth." By Monday, the front two bottom permanent teeth were almost all the way up, yet the teeth in front had not come out yet. This interesting dental arrangement prompted a new nickname- "Shark Teeth."

On Thursday , Benjamin was finally able to wiggle one enough that it was just barely hanging on. Daddy gave it a tug and out it came!

Hopefully the dentist will be right and they rest will come out on their own too. (Daddy had to have all his baby teeth pulled, so maybe we should find ourselves some really good dental insurance, just in case!)

Which Fluffy Yellow Fanny Do I Follow?

2006-05-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Poor little peep! Remember the Mama Hen who had only one little chick hatch out of the dozen eggs she was setting? Well, she has turned out to be a rotten mama- no wonder she only hatched one! She soon left the special protected “nursery” area of the henhouse yard and returned to the “big house” to sleep among the others on the roosting poles. Who cares if her baby isn’t big enough to hop up that high? She eats the best stuff herself instead of giving first choice to her baby. She forgets it and runs off to take a dust bath with “the girls” and leaves it crying pitifully. It calls to her but she doesn’t answer. It tries to catch up, but there are a lot of big fluffy yellow bums from which to choose. “Are You My Mother?” to quote one of my favorite childhood books. You can’t sidle up to just any yellow behind for warmth and protection and be welcomed.

The mother hen is a Buff Orpington. I chose that breed in part because they are considered dual purpose- pretty good egg layers AND fairly meaty birds for the table. The other main reason I got them last year is that this breed has not had its setting and mothering instinct bred out of it like many others. They are usually excellent mothers. This mama hen was the first to go broody this spring and persistently set her eggs (although she only hatched out one chick), but she failed the final test. Cutting your baby loose before it has feathered out is a no-no. Coq au Vin, anyone?

The best mother hen we have had is one that is older than the hills (for a chicken, that is). She lived here when we bought the farm and is at least 3 years old. We named her Sergeant Black because she has arthritis so badly that she goosesteps stiffly when she walks. She is also the one that is most docile and tolerant (not to mention SLOW), so she has to endure a lot of love from children. She set eggs back in the fall so her youngest children are now grown-ups, but they still love their mom and she loves them back. Sgt. Black can’t manage sleeping on the roosting poles anymore with her infirmity, so she sleeps in the nesting boxes instead. If you go out and shine a light in there after dark, you will see at least 3 other full-grown “babies” peek out from around her just like they did as chicks.

Pests Aplenty and Bald Chickens

2006-04-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here, on the cusp of May, we are off to a good start in the vegetable patch. The weather has been very cooperative. Lots of sunshine, occasional rain, and no frost for about 20 days now.

The sweet peas are starting to vine and flower. The radishes have already plumped up and a few have even begun to bolt (flower and then set seed, not run away). We have almost everything already planted in the “main garden,” with the exception of the melons. J says that you are supposed to put those in before sun-up on the first day of May, no matter what the weather. Guess I’ll be up early tomorrow morning!

I say “main garden” to differentiate from the “auxiliary garden” a.k.a. “dove field.” After getting the veggie garden started last year, we put in a ¾ acre patch in one of the pastures near the ponds. It should have been a dove’s dream come true with lots of corn and sunflowers, but alas, they didn’t come. All it actually drew was deer, raccoons, and some big fat crows. This year it really will draw the migrating doves, Joe hopes, but also be the overflow spot for what we can’t fit in the main acre garden. I also hope to try some grains –quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and amaranth- and some sugarbeets called mangels to feed our livestock for the winter.

The potatoes are also doing quite nicely this year. The first three rows we put in are quite large and we’ve pulled the dirt to them twice now to keep the developing ‘taters
covered. (J noted that the last 2 rows were a little sparse and wobbly. When I told them that we had let our kids and their friends- Mary Margaret, Sarah Beth, and Lily Kate Richards- plant them, he said that was a relief. He thought maybe we’d been drunk when we put those in!).

We are really looking forward to a bumper crop of spuds and are pleased to see them take off. Unfortunately, the Colorado potato beetles arrived early and also think they are wonderful. Last year, they reduced our crop to nothing but skeletonized leaves in just a couple of days. This year, we were determined not to give them to the bugs, but yet, I really didn’t want to use a chemical pesticide on food we will eat. We decided to try a natural remedy first. This picture was taken 2 days after that remedy (agricultural sulphur). Notice the hole chewed in the leaf. If I’d turned the leaf over, there probably would have been bright orange eggs stuck there too. Apparently, the beetles don’t know they are repelled by sulphur.

Our potatoes aren’t the only ones suffering from pests. We have an absolute plethora of these caterpillars this year. They seem to be everywhere and the chickens don’t have a taste for them, I’m guessing because they are a little fuzzy. (But what do I know? I wouldn’t eat most anything that a chicken finds quite palatable!).

I’m not sure if these caterpillars are the culprits, but our plums are almost all spoiled already. They have been “stung” (as J calls it) by some insect. I looked up a picture of this problem in a gardening book I have. The book said it was due to Curculio and recommended a pesticide to solve all my every problem. Again, I don’t want to spray chemicals on fruit we plan to harvest, but we’ve been looking forward to fresh plums and plum jelly. Next year, I guess we will see if we can find something organic to save the fruit.

As annoying as the insects are, they aren’t the only critters that have made pests of themselves. The deer have also been a real nuisance. Our fruit trees valiantly survived the drought last summer just to be nibbled off by the deer! We are planning to put tomato-type cages around them to protect them from now on, just as soon as we get them made. Last year, we planted about 30 melon hills and ate about 5 melons all summer. Just as they got ripe, the deer would punch as hole in them with their hooves and eat out the centers and then move to the next one. It was infuriating. The electric fence will hopefully help with that this year.

We also hope the fence may deter the chickens. We are working on getting “chicken tractors” (see earlier posting) for the majority of them so they can fertilize the pasture and be safe from predators. We plan to leave a dozen or so birds loose around the house to control the ticks, though. The problem with that is that chickens LOVE tomatoes. We had 70 tomato plants last year and still only had about enough at any given time for our own use (very few to give away or can). The reason? The beautiful red color would beckon you into the garden to pick it. You would reach in and grasp it, but just as you began to gently squeeze and turn, tomato juice and seeds would squirt out onto your shoes. A chicken had been beckoned first! But it had only wanted one bite of each fruit!

This very morning, I saw the electric fence in action for the first time. A chicken that had escaped and was hungry was following me around. I had turned the corner at the garden outside the fence, so the chicken decided to cut the corner and catch up. Bad idea. This particular hen was one that was bald from aggressive suitors. (The eager young roosters grab their women by the "hair" and accidentally pull out the feathers leaving them bald and sunburned. We need to “process” some more roosters!). It had also been raining. When her bald damp head touched the low wire as she walked through the wet grass, she received a zap. She squawked and hightailed it back to the henhouse she had earlier been so eager to leave. Bet she won’t be back to rob the garden anytime soon! Joe got into the electric fence twice today, but he didn't run to the henhouse- just went to change his pants. Hee hee.

In the doghouse & hot water, too.

2006-04-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Benjamin went outside to ride his bicycle for a while this morning, but before long the rain came to Blessed Acres and drove him indoors – though not exactly to our house but to Lucy’s and Daisy’s house. Lucy enjoyed the company, but Daisy was a little miffed over being displaced by someone less odiferous.

Today was Loyalty Day at Church. It’s something like a homecoming where people who used to attend Bethel are invited back for worship and, of course, to share a good ol’ fashioned luncheon consisting of iced tea, fried chicken, and the obligatory and omnipresent Baptist casseroles.

After the lunch, Laura and I had a home improvement project on our agenda. Our water heater began leaking a few weeks (okay, a few months) ago and we finally got around to doing something about it. We bought a new one yesterday at Lowe’s and today, since the rain kept us indoors, we installed it. Neither of us has installed one before. But like all good homesteaders, we asked ourselves “How hard can it really be?” So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Now, just a few short hours later, we have a new 80 gallon hot water heater (upgraded from a 50 gallon model – “ho ho ho” to quote Tim-the-tool-man Taylor). She’s a beaut, huh? Next time you come to visit, there’ll be plenty of hot water.

The scouts visit ACFD

2006-04-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Last monday, the Tiger Scouts visited the Ashland City Fire Department. We had a great time! While we were there, a call came in and two of the trucks had to leave to rescue someone from an overturned car.

We got to see their other trucks and even got to sit in the cab.

Benjamin got to try on a real Fireman's protective suit. They said that to keep in shape they sometimes get fully dressed in their firefighting suits and play a game of basketball.

Sunday afternoon planting

2006-04-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, we bid our Alabama kinsfolk fare-thee-well with a huge appreciation for the work they did while visiting. We’re looking forward to them coming back soon!

Sundays are a day of rest and relaxation for us. We go to church and spend the rest of the day doing things we enjoy as a family. For us, that means no WebbTech work and no housecleaning or daily chores. But gardening and working in the pasture are fair game since we all really enjoy being outside and appreciating the beauty of God’s creation.

So Sunday afternoon we got back in the garden and planted 4 more rows of sweet corn – about 440 linear feet worth of corn! We also put in 70+ tomato plants. The kids enjoyed ferrying the peat moss to the tomatoes plants – how often as a kid are you encouraged to dig holes and play in the dirt?

Rachel gardens with style, doesn't she?

Anyway, I know it sounds like we’re trying to feed an army, but we’re just hoping to can and freeze quite a bit this year so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor year round and have some to share with family and friends.

Hard-Working Visitors from Alabama (Saturday)

2006-04-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning came with a better looking sky, but wet ground nonetheless. After another trip to Rural King for farm staples like extra chainsaw chains and tick repellent, we got back to that oak tree.

After lunch, I turned the giant compost pile while Becky mowed. The guys took a rest from hard labor to fish with the kids down at our ponds. J caught a nice-sized bass and helped Rachel land several bluegill and bream.

By late afternoon, J declared the garden was dry enough to work. We made the melon "hills," planted cucumbers and squash, and put in a few rows of J's favorite corn, a field-type called Moses Prolific. Then we retired to the porch again to watch and see if the deer discovered the "hot" fence. Wearily, we headed into the house for bed shortly aftern sundown.

Hard-Working Visitors from Alabama (Friday)

2006-04-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Joe's mom, Becky, and his grandfather, J, have been talking for weeks about when they could come up to help us get our garden in. On Thursday afternoon, they rolled up, horn a-honking and arms a-waving.

Joe grew up spending his summers at his grandparents' farm in Russellville, AL. He worked alongside J putting in fenceposts, working cattle, hoeing out weeds, and digging up potatoes. J doesn't put in a garden of his own anymore, but he is still eager to share his wisdom with us young'uns.

After a walk around the farm noting the blooms on the pecan and walnut trees, the enormous fallen oak, and the caterpillers wreaking havoc on the developing plums, we settled on the porch in rocking chairs to visit.

Friday morning, we were up early and watching the weather forecast. Rain was predicted but we had lots we wanted to do. J thought we ought to get done what we could before it started, so with nothing but a cup of coffee in our bellies, we headed out to the garden.

J started with the potatoes and pulled dirt up around them. We began hoeing out the radishes, carrots, sweet peas, and onions, and then the rain started. We headed back in for a big breakfast, hoping the rain would quit. About an inch of rain came down by mid-afternoon making the garden impassable, so we turned our attention to other things.

First on our list was an electric fence. Last year, we gave away a lot of fine produce to the deer and raccoons. Already this season, we have found many tracks in the freshly tilled garden rows. We hope to put a stop to that.

Next, we turned our attention to the huge oak that in November came down across our power lines and driveway stranding us. Joe and 2 good neighbors used chainsaws to cut our way out, but the bulk of the tree had not been dealt with. J sharpened the chainsaw he had given us as a "farm-warming" gift a year ago and then we headed down the driveway.

Joe cut up the branches and split them and the rest of us put it in the bed of his truck. We talked a lot about how much warmer we'll be with the old woodstove Becky brought to take the chill out of the winter air. Benjamin also did a fair amount of balance beam work on the trunk of the tree while Lucy (our "Tennessee Black Dog," as the pound called her) lounged in the cool hole left by the upturned roots.

With a bed-load of firewood stacked, we went to the house. J fried some crappie he caught and some home-made hush puppies for dinner while I took notes for future reference.

By sundown, we had heard from Joe's sister, Robin, that his dad, Jim, had come through surgery in OH with good results. With a prayer of thanksgiving, we headed to bed.

Awkward First Attempts

2006-04-19T11:27:00.001-07:00

Remember those awkward first attempts at something in your youth? You know, like the clay “bowl” you made in third grade that looked more like a volcano, post-eruption? Or that popsicle-stick “snowflake” you glued together that more closely resembled the chemical configuration of a sulfuric acid molecule? Well, that phenomenon isn’t limited to us humans.

Back in the fall, we had 3 hens insist on setting eggs despite the increasing chill in the night air. Their chicks grew quite well and have become our most recent round of “teenagers.” As the six month old mark came, the teenaged girls began to reach maturity and start laying eggs.

First eggs, kind of like first attempts at many human ventures, can be a bit uncertain and frequently don’t turn out quite the way you expected. Once or twice last year, we got tiny eggs with no yolks. A few times, we got eggs that were close to 4 inches long and contained enormous yolkS inside. Joe said that chicken really DID have something to crow about when she laid those, and boy, I’ll bet she feels better now.

Yesterday, while collecting eggs, I noticed some more anomalies in the nesting boxes. One had a very thick shell with angled creases and lumpy places all over it. Another was completely without a shell! (You know how there is a membrane inside the shell that actually contains the white and yolk? THAT was all that was covering it!). It was soft and jello-like. Shortly after this picture was taken, “someone” enjoyed the feel of it too much and it sprang a leak. Oh well.

P.S. Did you know that shell color is determined by the breed of chicken laying the eggs? We have some blue-green egg layers in addition to the brown eggs layers and if you collect the eggs too soon after being laid (before they are completely dry) the color can smudge off. It is one of the last layers applied to the egg before it is laid.

One New "Peep"

2006-04-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Germinating seeds, more daylight hours, vivid green grass, and the return of the butterflies all make my spirits soar as springtime sets in. But one of my favorite things about spring is broody chickens!

Apparently, the same things that delight me with the coming of April also stir something within our heritage breed hens. One day, they go about their business of scratching and pecking and hopping in and out of the nest boxes to leave their gift for the humans. The next day, one declares a hunger strike, settles into one of those boxes, and begins to warm the batch of eggs beneath her.

The hen fluffs herself out so that she can cover a dozen or more eggs at a time. She sacrificially goes without eating or drinking for amazingly long periods of time for the sake of the progeny beneath her that must not get chilled. The mother-to-be will gently turn each egg over with her beak and chirr softly to the babies so they will know her voice after hatching.

After 21 days of devoted sitting, the eggs beneath her begin to move and tiny beaks, complete with “egg tooth” begin to peck holes. After several more hours, tiny wet, defenseless newborns emerge. The mother patiently tries to hatch every one while her growing brood begins to wander about. Finally, the new mama takes her little flock out into a small piece of the world to look for food.

Most of the time, this is how it happens. This year, we had a hen go broody in March, so we moved her and her eggs to a “private room” (a brooding coop I built last year for this very purpose) in the separate “nursery” area of the chicken yard. There she could be unbothered by the other chickens, her babies wouldn’t be bullied, and they wouldn’t have to compete for food.

Sadly, after 22 days, the mama hen had only one little peep hatch. Being the devoted mother that she is, she continued sitting on the unhatched eggs. Meanwhile, her one chick was in need of food and water in order to survive. I tried coaxing her off her eggs with preferred food (bread and kitchen scraps), but to no avail. Finally, I had to get thick leather gloves (knowing she would bite me with all the might she had) and remove her from the nest. I quickly took her eggs away and closed the door to her coop for a while. After much pacing, she finally began to turn her attention to the hungry one at her feet.

Mama and baby have bonded now and she is fiercely protective of her little charge. They “talk” to each other constantly and the mama is teaching the baby what to eat. When she encounters things too big for the little one’s tiny mouth, but things she thinks it should eat (like corn), she cracks it into pieces with her own beak while making the “come and get it” sound that brings it running. (That is what is happening in the picture of the two beak to beak). Several more hens have volunteered for duty in the last 2 weeks and we are eagerly awaiting a bumper crop of darling “peeps.”

As you probably know, you can get almost anything on eBay- even eggs to hatch. I have found some of the breeds I have been wanting so badly that lay dark, chocolate-brown colored eggs. The second broody volunteer is setting a clutch of Partridge and Wheaton Penedesencas as I write. They will be due to hatch on May 7^th. I can’t wait! I’ll keep you posted!

The promise of things to come

2006-04-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

We were talking yesterday about all the seasons of the year. Each one is special in its own way. Summer has its long days, eating fresh vegetables right out of the garden, enjoying the fruit right off the trees, and the kids are out of school (that was Benjamin’s #1). Fall has the cool chill in the air, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course college football. Winter brings with it snow on the ground – at least the hope of accumulation, early evenings, and drinking hot chocolate by the fire on a cold winter night. And spring, spring has the promise of things to come. There are flowering plants like the azaleas and other plants around the yard. The plants in the garden are beginning to peek through the ground leaves are budding out on the trees.

But spring also brings with it other promises of things to come. Today is Easter Sunday; the day when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead. For a believer, it’s the most joyous day in the history; it’s a day when our fallen savior rose again after being put to death for our sins. Without the resurrection, our faith is worthless and we are to be pitied.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
~1 Corinthians 15:17

If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
~ 1 Corinthians 15:19

For the believer, our faith hinges on the resurrection. That’s why Easter is more important than Christmas. Christmas remembers Christ’s birth, but we’ve all been born. Easter commemorates Christ’s resurrection.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.
~1 Corinthians 15:20 – 22

It’s a day of wonder and amazement!

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
~ Luke 24: 1- 9

We hope and pray that you have a great Easter and that it means more to you than the commercialism and the Easter bunny. Not that there is anything wrong with that aspect of it; it’s just incomplete.

Here are some pictures from our Easter egg hunt at the church and at Grams and Bepop’s house yesterday.

Washington, DC - Day 5

2006-04-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our last day in Washington, DC. We had a flight scheduled for 5:30pm from Baltimore back to Nashville. Saturday afternoon I had taken a quick stroll around our hotel to see if I could find a church service for us to attend on Sunday morning. I found a Baptist and Methodist church within walking distance of the hotel. But when Sunday morning came, we began to feel a bit guilty about asking the kids to sit still in a pew with us for an hour and a half before having to sit still during our travels. So we didn't attend Palm Sunday services in Washington, DC.

Instead we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then took the Metro to Union Station. We walked around the shops and browsed the stores for a couple of hours before catching our Amtrak train back to Baltimore. From there we boarded our plane to Nashville and rode in the limo back to the parking site.

We had a great trip!!! I'm so glad we all got to go. But it’s so good to be home; back on our little slice of creation in Middle Tennessee.

Washington, DC - Day 4

2006-04-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a rainy and chilly day, but the kids were troopers as we walked from place to place. We had been looking forward to visiting the Spy Museum, so that was our first stop.

D.C. sites are almost all easy on the wallet. The federal buildings (museums, monuments, zoo) are free (well, not exactly, but we already paid for admittance with our taxes). The Spy Museum is privately owned, so NOT free. We had to decide whether to blow the entire day’s “allowance” on entry to the first stop of the day or to skip it and disappoint the kids. We decided on a compromise- we skipped the museum, but bought souvenirs! Benjamin picked out a spy notebook, complete with ink that can only be read under a special light. Rachel picked out a “spy dog”- ANOTHER stuffed dog!

From there, we headed toward the FBI building- almost as good, right? Well, it’s closed until next year. There were no signs explaining why and our tour books all gave info about what you could see there.

Onward in the cold rain, we headed toward the Archives building to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and so on. This is one of the buildings where several scenes from National Treasure were filmed. As we turned the corner, we found a very long line snaking down the sidewalk. Decisions, decisions. Leave yet another site without seeing it or wait in the rain some more to see documents that won’t mean much to the kids anyway. We left.

Undaunted, we headed to the Smithsonian American History Museum- Fonzie’s jacket and Oscar the Grouch are there you know. This time, we actually entered a building! Benjamin loves science and wanted to go to the experiment room made for kids first thing. It is a very popular place, so you have to get passes for certain times for a spot at the tables.

There were stations to learn about radioactivity, 3-D spatial relationships, “mirror-image smells,” etc. The kids enjoyed those, but the highlight was the set of experiments they got to do at the counter with a staff member.

When it was our turn, Benjamin chose a chemistry experiment. The kids got to wear safety goggles! The lady showed them dry ice, explained its chemical structure and why it is colder than regular ice. She “poured” the vapor onto their lit candles and made them go out, too.

Next, they learned about acids and bases. The kids each got to pour a half beaker of thymol blue. Some then started blowing bubbles while others put a piece of dry ice into their beakers. The blue magically turned yellow! This experience more than made up for the disappointing morning.

We ate lunch in the museum and then were drawn like a magnet to one of the many gift shops. I stood in line to pay while Joe and the kids went on. We agreed to meet on the second floor. Big mistake! The “second floor” is quite large and there were several thousand people wandering around. It took us about 45 minutes and the help of a nice couple to find each other.

From the museum, we decided to walk to the White House. We saw the presidential Christmas tree and took pictures. As we walked along the iron fence, Benjamin wondered why we couldn’t just climb over and walk up. (Joe had earlier jokingly lamented that we hadn’t brought a dozen eggs to “stop by” and give to the president as a gift). We laughed and told him that before his feet hit the ground on the other side, the FBI would be there to arrest him. A day after we returned, that very thing did happen and was on the news!

We were pretty tired and quite wet by this time, so we headed back to our hotel for dinner, a hot shower, and an early bedtime. Just one more day in the Capitol.

Washington, DC - Day 3

2006-04-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Benjamin was very disappointed that we were not able to get tickets to go up in the Washington Monument to view the city on Thursday. Our first priority Friday morning was to get back to the monument in time to get tickets that day. But, due to the fatigue from the previous day’s walking, the kids and I had a hard time popping out of bed early. We dressed as quickly as we could, ate cereal bars on the way, and made our way to the Dupont Circle Metro stop.

We bought our day passes and tried to put them through the ticket feeders at the gate, but they wouldn’t open. We tried again. It spit the tickets right back out once more, and then a message on the display said to see the station manager. I explained why I was at his little window. He looked at me like I was of inferior intelligence and then said I couldn’t use them yet. Huh? I bought them for the current day. After several more questions in my nicest voice (with a honey-dripping smile), he finally elaborated enough to explain that a rush-hour ticket is more expensive and I can’t use a day pass until after 9:30. (Then why didn’t that machine that was so eager to take my money tell me that?). Since I continued to stand there to solve my dilemma, he finally let us through his little gate with a sigh. He said I would have to see the station manager at the other end and tell him the same thing when we got to our destination so we could get back out.

By the time we emerged at the other end, went through our spiel with that gatekeeper again, and sprinted to the Washington Monument in the drizzle, the man in the ticket kiosk had hung out his “tickets all gone” sign and was slamming his little door. I tried my smile again and asked if there was any way to get a ticket for the next day since it was really important to my son. He shoved a little card through the glass that had a telephone number on it and turned away. (The public servants we encountered Friday morning were not very pleasant, but aside from that, we have found almost everyone we met to be very nice).

A very disappointed and dejected little boy’s shoulders slumped and his feet barely shuffled along. I started talking up the Air and Space Museum as the rain began to fall. We headed there at a snail’s pace. When we finally arrived, we joined the long queue outside. Spirits lifted as we entered and saw all the planes hanging overhead and a piece of an actual moonrock to touch. We wandered around, (mostly from gift shop to gift shop), and saw the Wright Brother’s plane and a lunar landing module. We paid entirely too much for the one “personal size” pizza, French fries, and drink we got to share for lunch. We supplemented with Mommy’s stash of cheese crackers, juice, and lunch pack cookies. By this time, the kids’ had pretty much maxed out their interest in suspended aircraft, so we headed off to the zoo.

The Metro has a stop named for the zoo, so we hopped back on. When we got up to street level, we began following the signs to the zoo. Usually, the Metro comes out within a block or so of the institution for which it is named (the Smithsonian, Chinatown, etc.). I would have to say that naming this stop for the zoo is a bit deceiving. From the subway, you walk uphill for about 12 blocks. The zoo itself is also “horizontally challenged” and you have to conserve your “pep” just to be able to leave after seeing the last animal at the bottom of that huge incline.

Nashville has a very nice zoo with well-designed “habitats”. After becoming accustomed to that, it seemed odd to see just about all the animals dog-sized and smaller with only dog kennels to sleep in. Some had plastic kids’ pools as their “ponds”. The elephants were housed behind iron bars like a big jail and the giraffe had a chain-link fence yard. They were renovating some areas, so possibly some of these aspects were temporary, but it made me appreciate the wonderful zoo we have at home.

We got to see a panda, giraffe, bald eagle, zebra, seals, orangutans, cheetah, sea lion, prarie dogs, and wolves, among other things. We also got to watch Woodstock the Giant Pacific Octopus get fed. That was really fun to see. Shortly before we left, a T Rex came out of nowhere and almost got Benjamin. Luckily for us, he was ticklish and we managed to escape.

After the zoo, we headed back to the subway- downhill 12 blocks this time fortunately, since we were pretty weary by late afternoon. We got off at the stop for our hotel and then people-watched until Joe finished imparting knowledge to the IRS. While we were waiting, the new Park Police trainees came by. Do you think it was coincidence that their route took them right past the Krispy Kreme we were sitting in front of? They didn’t stop, but then again, there were no hitching posts to tie up to. We decided that Gus would not have liked being a “city horse.” He didn’t like being ridden for starters, but he wasn’t fond of cars, noise, bright lights, or even most people. Probably a good thing that he retired in the country.

Joe’s students, who had been pretty quiet during the coursework, suddenly had oodles of questions as the class ended. One guy wanted to stay behind and talk shop for ages. In the middle of all this, several kind folks from back home were contacting him to see if we knew that our house may not be standing anymore. Two tornadoes had blown through our area and caused quite a bit of damage. Carol, our wonderful, faithful, kind friend from church went by and checked things out for us. She reported everything appeared to be in tact, but the dogs were digging their own storm shelters just in case.

Joe was finally able to collect his course evaluations and met up with us at about 6:30. We ate at the Front Page Grill, which I think Rachel insisted on because it was exactly 15 steps from the ledge we had been sitting on. The food was very good. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed, preparing for a fun day with Daddy on Saturday.

Washington, DC - Day 2

2006-04-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning dawned brightly. Joe headed off to enlighten the IRS (lots of room for that!) and the kids and I loaded down the backpack with drinks and snacks, cameras and sweatshirts, maps and guidebooks, and walked to the Metro to take the subway to the Smithsonian/Mall area. I had a fear that only ONE of us would get onto the Metro before the doors closed, so there was a LOT of hand-holding!

We started at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. After seeing the elephant in the entry way, we checked out the mammals and dinosaurs and then we met up with a friend of mine, Kristin Passantino, from FRA (where I taught and few years ago). She brought her 14 month old daughter Mia and her brother who was visiting. We saw all kinds of interesting things- fossils, bones, mummified cats, the statue from Easter Island- you name it.

After we tired of the crowds in the museum, we headed out onto the Mall. The weather was beautiful and we were drawn toward the Washington Monument that Benjamin was just itching to go inside. The tickets to the top had long since been given away, so we kept going.

We headed towards the Lincoln Memorial by way of the fountain area near the Reflecting Pool. As we continued on, Rachel took note of every single ice cream vendor and all his offerings. We saw the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Vets Memorial. We couldn’t think of anyone we knew who may be listed there, but we made a rubbing of Theodore W Webb just in case.

As the sun began to sink, we parted company with Ms. Kristin, Mr. Jim, and Mia. We met up with Daddy after he educated the IRS folks and headed to D.C.’s Chinatown. We had a delicious dinner at the Capitol City Brewery. The kids are in front of the China Friendship Archway.

We headed back to the hotel full and tired, but full of anticipation for the next day.

Washington, DC - Day 1

2006-04-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

The homestead is our very favorite place in the world to be, but every once in a while, we pack up and explore new places. Joe was asked to teach a course for the IRS in Washington, D.C. Being homeschoolers, we could hardly pass up the opportunity to tag along and take in some history. So, Wednesday morning, we headed to the airport for what would be Rachel’s first plane ride and the first one Benjamin would remember.

We drove the “Mommy Truck” (we are a 2-pickup family, you know) to the remote parking site near the airport. The lot attendants then ferried us to the terminal in a limousine. The kids’ eyes were wide as saucers when it rolled up to get us. They even got to ride backward all the way there!

We watched planes taking off and landing and our excitement grew. It was finally our turn to go. We checked our last suitcases at the gate (I really would have to recommend this way to save on airfare- okay, just kidding).

Rachel really liked the “bouncy-bouncy” on the flight- it made Mommy a bit green, but we arrived it without incident. When we de-planed, we caught a bus to the train station. (We flew into Baltimore, so we needed to catch a train to D.C). From there, we took a subway to our hotel stop. The kids were absolutely beside themselves- a truck, a limo, a plane, a bus, a train, AND a subway all in one day!! If we could have found a boat, believe me, we would have taken it!

We pulled/carried/dragged our suitcases about 10 blocks (just a stone’s throw from the Metro, you know) to our hotel and settled in. We capped the day by letting the kids pick the sleeping arrangements, so Daddy bunked with Benjamin and Mommy with Rachel. A few kicks to the kidneys and elbows to the nose, and it was morning.

And the adventure begins…

A New Grams Original

2006-04-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Rachel proudly wore a just-completed Grams Original dress (from the new spring line :-) ) to church today. It is so sweet- yellow with pastel stripes, an eyelet lace collar, dogwood blossom buttons at the waist, and a sash that ties in back. Grams even provided a pretty matching ribbon for her hair. One of the matrons at church exclaimed over it and said it was prettier than the fancy one she had seen at Dillard’s (and that one had been on sale for $50!). When we told her Grams made it, she oohed and aahed all the more and said we’d better be good to Grams!

Processing Day

2006-04-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday afternoon and we're doing farm things together as a family. Over the past year or so, we've grown our chicken flock from 6 to approximately 50 chickens. For the most part this has worked out really well. We get our own farm fresh eggs from free range chickens. The eggs are much better than anything you can get from the store. And as you can probably imagine with 50 chickens, we have a surplus of eggs so we give them to friends and neighbors. It gives us a good excuse to stop by and see some of the older folks who don't get out that often.

I said it's worked out really well "for the most part". We have a few too many rosters running around fighting with each other and harassing their women. So, yesterday we decided that it was time to allow some of the roosters to contribute to the farm in another way.

It's much easier to catch chickens when they've gone to their roost for the evening than trying to chase them around the farm during the daylight hours. It's also far less embarrassing as Benjamin and I found that out the hard way when we chased down 3 ugly ducks to take to the lake.

Anyway, last night after Percy (the big man on campus) put them to bed, Laura and I went out and put 3 of the younger roosters and a hen called Hook in a re-purposed dog crate for the evening. Hook got her name because her lower and upper beaks didn't meet properly. This deformity didn't seem to hamper her eating, but it did give her a pretty foul disposition.

The other reason for putting them in a cage the night before is that it's better to keep the chickens from eating for 24 hours or so prior to...their contribution.

This afternoon we went out to finish the task. Three will go in the freezer while the fourth will be on the table tonight. Benjamin and Rachel have gotten use to the idea that animals were placed on this earth for us to take of and to provide food for us. In fact, Benjamin was eager to see the heart and actually wanted to know why we couldn't keep the feet. We've had our own chickens before and they've eaten some venison that I harvested this winter.

We definitely feel very blessed to live here on this plot of land that God has entrusted to us during our time on this earth. We really enjoy life in the country and getting back to the basics. It's started to rain now so I think I'll spend the rest of the afternoon in a rocking chair on the porch.

Stilts

2006-03-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Benjamin was looking through one of my old Cub Scout books a couple of weeks ago and discovered stilts. So, the next the thing you know, we have a pair. We’re finding that walking on them is not as easy as it looks in the book.

Chicken Tractors

2006-03-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the chicken tractor we built. We can keep about 10 or so chickens and one rooster in it comfortably. They didn’t like it at first, but now they are pretty used to it. As a matter of fact one sneaked out while the door was open and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out how to get back in.

The idea of a chicken tractor is that you can keep the chickens safe from predators (and off our porch!) while still allowing them to get good, fresh grass. We move the tractor 1-2 times a day. A big plus is that they are fertilizing our pasture for us!

Once we get another 2 or 3 of these built, we'll arrange them side by side and name it the "Whispering Pines Chicken Mobile Home Park".

2006-03-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the very first posting of the Webb Family Farm Chronicles! We’ll post a bit of background and a more proper introductory message a little later. Right now, I just wanted to get something out there. This has been on my to-do list for quite some time. I (Joe) have a blog that I use for professional activities, but we as a family haven’t had a good way to keep our geographically dispersed, extended family updated with the happenings in our lives. That’s what this blog will hopefully do for us. I don’t expect, or want, it to replace a good old fashion visit, phone call, or even an email conversation, but I would like to have a place where people can easily see what’s happening in our lives at their leisure.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids. We walked down to our ponds this afternoon and went fishing. The 3 geese in the northern most pond didn’t seem to mind too much. We caught a bunch of bream and both Benjamin and Rachel caught a large mouth bass. They both are certain that it was the same fish.

We'll write more as time permits. Right now, we're heading out to dinner.