April is flying by!

We've been busy around the farm, cleaning up trash that blows in, caring for the animals and generally just living life. 

PH and I have been finishing up the siding on the South wall of the house, it's finally done! Yeah!  I have been the forklift operator, and PH stands in the basket to reach the high places.

We had our Resurrection Day services (Easter) here at the land.  This is the fourth year we have had these services.  This year we were able to meet in the house, which everyone seemed to enjoy.  The kids hunted eggs and we had a pinata.  We had a huge lunch and lots of fun.  I really enjoyed the day, though PS#2 got a little sunburned.

I always love to hear Pastor preach, and our honoring Christ's resurrection made it very emotional for me, even more so than celebrating His birth.

The three stooges (the pigs) keep breaking out of their pen, so PH will be welding a new pipe fence this weekend.  I can't wait!  We do let them free range, but when we aren't home and at night I like to pen them up.  They are cute, but very destructive.

I bought five grown Freedom Ranger roosters from a friend.  I'd like to butcher them this weekend, but will wait and see what PH has on his schedule.  We are also putting 42 more eggs in the incubator, and pray that a few will hatch out.  This will give me (hopefully) a few more egg layers or roosters to butcher.

I've been able to continue work on my pantry and enjoy stocking up, and being able to actually SEE what I have.  Makes it so much simpler to see what I am out of or low on and need to replenish.  I am also excited about organizing the inside of the container, and have purchased a few rubber maid totes to separate items. 

Two items added to my Lehman order will be a well pipe bucket and oil lamp holders w/reflector and smoke bell for the walls.  I am ordering ten. 

We've also been given an estimate for a small tornado shelter.  Hoping to be able to install it once the outside of the house is complete (i.e., the metal roof).

The weather has been beautiful, though hot some days.  We have had a few sprinkles at night, and the wind at night is amazing!  Tonight I had to close the windows in the house because things were flying off the table, and I was actually cold! 

The whole house fan that PH installed helps to keep the place cool during the day, but at night I try to keep the windows open until early a.m. when it is just too cool still and I end up closing them.

The garden is flourishing and Praise God my tomato plants are flowering and the corn is thriving.  Watermelons are next to be planted, and on the agenda for the weekend.

Nothing too exciting, just normal everyday homestead living.  Gardening, cooking, baking, taking care of the animals, collecting the eggs, hanging out the laundry and scaring the hawks away from the chickens.

Heat Prostration in Pigs

Learned a lesson with the pigs yesterday.  They can't stand heat.  They had tore up their pen, and it needed to be fixed, so I put them in the dog kennel.  They had shade and water, but they knocked  both over and when I checked on them they looked bad.  All three were lying down, and panting HARD. I couldn't get them to budge and to go out of the pen into the barn for shade.

I spent an hour pouring buckets of water on them, until they recovered enough to move on their own.  I will still lock them up at night to keep the coyotes at bay, but they will be out "free ranging" during the day.  They spent today in the pond, tearing up trash I left out (bad mama), and knocking over a full bucket of laundry soap I had just made.  I "almost" regretted reviving them yesterday.  

The cute stage has passed.

It's A Beautiful Day...to dust a chicken

A pretty yellow flower

Daisy

The weather is beautiful lately.  It doesn't really make me want to do much around the farm, but sit and enjoy it, but there is work always to do to make sure we are ready for whatever emergency befalls us.

With the tornado a couple of weeks ago, it made me realize how woefully unprepared I was for even a tornado.  Because we were in the process of moving the pantry from one "house" to another stuff was everywhere.  I couldn't find flashlights, we didn't have any more kerosene on hand, and the generator had to be hauled from the barn to the house.  Thankfully, we had gasoline on hand, but only 10 gallons.

There are so many things to do, and not enough time or money it seems.  I am sure that is the way for most people.

It can be hard to focus and decide where to work first, but I try and concentrate on one area at a time:

1) Food - pantry move and organization, inventory and shopping list

2) Water - We have the 1100 gallon water tank full, primarily for use if the pump goes out, but I have purchasing the Berkey filter on the list, plus additional filters for my Brita pitcher

3) Clothing/Shoes -

4) Medical Supplies -

5) Safety Supplies

These are just a couple of categories you could use. 

This week we are concentrating on our personal living space.  Making sure it is organized and set up in a useable, workable manner.  We are also working in the garden, weeding, mulching and planting potatoes. 

This morning I did take time out to clean out the chicken coop.  The chickens are infested with fleas, as are the dogs.  I've been sprinkling the DE around the coop area, and dusting the dogs, but this morning we cleaned out all the manure, and I will be using it to make compost tea for the garden.  I then sprinkled DE all over the inside.  Placed new hay in the nesting boxes, and sprinkled more DE on top of that.  We also dusted each chicken.  I left them cooped up this a.m., removed one at a time, dusted it, and let it go.  They were unhappy chickens let me tell you.

Green Beans

Corn

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

More Roma Tomatoes

A Texas Sunset

The siding going on the South side

New Pantry

A work in progress

PS#2 picking flowers for Mama

Happy April!

The weather here on the farm has been HOT! 92 yesterday and the same today.  We've been sweating up a storm.  I wish I had a pool!

PH has been working hard on the house, and the siding is on two sides, plus the pantry is done, and the whole house fan has been installed.

My tomato plants are flowering, and the garden is doing great.  I'll post more later.  PD#1 wants to watch a movie, and the laptop is our form of entertainment ;-)

It looks like a house.....

Well, the house is starting to look like a house.  PH purchased enough Hardi plank boards to cover the front (east side) and the south side.  These are two sides that face the road, so at least the house will LOOK done, once the roof is put on.

Today, because of the heat, PH opted to take a break in the afternoon and pick up the siding to complete two walls of my pantry.  This will allow me to start getting organized.  I am so excited, I will finally be able to SEE what I have, and what else I will need.  It will be a busy week getting things moved from the cabin-tainer into the house.  I will take a picture of the "before" and "after" of the pantry and post later.

We sold our final buckling to a 12 year old boy who is in FFA and will be showing him.  I am so happy for both of them.  The young man was very excited to get Ares (his mother is Hera).

I asked PH to rest tomorrow, since it is Sunday, but he is anxious to get the windows put into the kid's rooms.  It is supposed to be hot tomorrow too (85) and he is working on the south side of the house.  He plans to work on the siding in the early morning, then inside on the windows.  It is truly amazing how much cooler it is in the house with the doors and windows open, then the container.  It's a HUGE difference, even without AC!

PS#1 and his grandfather have finished the chicken coop for my MIL.  I will be providing 3 hens and a rooster for her, and we will be ordering more to raise.  I also am finalizing my turkey order, plus another order for the Freedom Rangers (meat birds).

We have provided several meals at the community center this week.  Many in our community take hot meals in the evenings for the storm victims, volunteers and relief workers.  This week I used a venison roast I was given and cooked it along with onion soup mix in the crock pot all night.  Man! it smelled so good!  I added potatoes in large chunks and a pint of carrots I had canned recently.  I also added several teaspoons of my Watkins Beef Soup/Gravy Mix, salt, pepper.  I had rave reviews from the workers, they really enjoyed it.  I am so glad.

We also had a casserole night where our home school co op provided the meal.  I made homemade mac n cheese (my mom walked me through it), and roasted one of my Freedom Ranger chickens.  I brushed it with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and rosemary.  I stuffed the cavity with apples and onions, and cooked potatoes and carrots around it.  It was beautiful.  I wanted to take a picture of it, it looked that good.  Don't now how it tasted though ;-). 

Yesterday, I cooked a 20 lb turkey in the roaster all day (6 hours).  It smelled wonderful in the cabin-tainer!  Though it was way too hot to roast a turkey.  I spent most of the day in the house to keep cool.  PD#1 and I took the turkey and a big pot of corn.  Today, I simmered the turkey carcass all day.  This evening I poured the broth in a big pot and set in the fridge to hopefully can asap.  I picked through all the bits and pieces of meat left, discarding bones and yucky bits.  I had a pot full of meat left!  I think I will make turkey pot pie and take it up to the community center on Monday, IF they still need hot meals.

I feel like I am not doing much to help.  I can't physically do much and I need to care for the kids, so cooking is my way.  Though PH said there is a limit, and I need to step back and lets others do their share.  So after the pot pie, that will be all that I can provide.

Well, not stocking up this week for me, money is going towards the house, and I am getting the pantry in order.  Have a good week!

A Lesson In Being Prepared

Our tornado Monday

We had a tornado touch down about 5 miles north of us on Monday.  While at our home school co op day it was bandied about that we were in for some severe thunderstorms.  After co op, everyone rushed home.  We are mostly rural families, and we had farm chores to accomplish plus animals to feed.

We arrived home and immediately fed the animals, not wanting to risk feeding and putting everyone up for the evening in a downpour.  They evidently knew something was up, because everyone was back by the barn under the overhands, and they were all subdued and behaving.

We came inside early, and good thing.  We could see the storm racing across the sky, and I even pointed out to the kids "see that cloud and the way it is shaped, tornadoes come from those".  Lo, and behold it was actually a tornado.  The wind was high where we were, and the Tyvek wrap on the house was threatening to bust loose, but it held.  We could see the tornado rushing north towards the small town closest to us.  It is a horrible feeling to be so helpless.  Who to call? What to do?

The rain started, so we hunkered down in the container.  It isn't underground, but we have withstood some pretty fierce storms in it, and felt safer than in the house shell.  Our power soon went out, and PH plugged in the generator, because you know we can't miss Swamp People, or Swamp loggers, or whatever was on the television.  The kids were watching "City of Ember" on the laptop, and I was checking Facebook on my phone.  Soon the play by play of the storm unfolded via Facebook.  Those friends and family that could get on FB did so, giving the progress of the storm, and posting pictures as the tornado tore up a 10 mile swathe through our local area.

A good friend lost their house and barn, though no one was hurt.  Praise God! Over 30 homes in our area were destroyed, but no loss of life.  Amazing to me, especially in an area that isn't known for basements or storm shelters.

The tornado was an F2.  Not huge, but not small and equally as scary.  My MIL, FIL and eldest son were hunkered down in a hallway of their mobile home, listening to the tornado rip through houses and trees directly in front of them, but missing their home.

From all of this I learned that I need:

matches in a damp proof container
candles and oil lamps within easy reach (it's hard to hunt for them in the pitch black)
weather radio
more water (my ten gallons in the house wasn't enough while the power was out - we have 1100 gallons in an outside tank, but who wants to go outside during a severe storm to get more water)
a cleaner house (it is horrible stepping on Legos and plastic dinosaurs in the dark, while trying to find matches that work and an oil lamp)

The past two days the kids and I drove around to see the destruction left behind, and have taken meals to the local community center for the relief workers and storm victims.  We also took food to the local food pantry.  I don't tell you this because I want kudos, I tell you this to encourage you to do SOMETHING in a disaster.  I couldn't go out and use a chainsaw to cut debris, not with kids in tow, but I can cook.

Other than the weather, we've been busy planting.  The corn has been planted and has sprouted after 4 days.  The beans and tomatoes are thriving.

In order to inventory what we have on hand for emergencies, and what else we need, we are continuing to declutter and clean.  It's hard!  The more I declutter, the messier the place looks.  I can't wait until we are done.

A bit of positive news, we won a raffle that a relative entered our name on.  It was a $1,000 gift card to Lowe's!  How awesome is that!? They didn't have the roofing supplies we were looking for, so PH purchased the HardiPlank boards to side the front of the house.  We will do the front and South side to give the house a finished look from the road, then the roof, and then start on the inside.

My original post was going to be what I did to prep in the week since I last posted, but the power going out Monday ate that post.  So, this week I've purchased the following:

additional tooth brushes
additional toothpaste
another tooth care kit (with dental mirror, tooth scraper, and tooth pick - the kind the dentist uses with the little sharp hook on one end)
4 bottles of Ibuprofen (2 for 88c at the local grocery store)
U.S. Army Survival Kit from Barnes and Nobles for PS#2 (he wanted the whistle, compass, waist pouch and canteen - I kept the waterproof matches, emergency mylar blanket, hand warmers and the U.S. Army Survival Field Guide.)
10 gallons of gasoline for fuel storage (for generator)

Sold 3 boer bucklings (2 for cabrito, 1 for future breeding purposes) - still have 1 left to go

Working in the garden...

After three days of rain and chilly temps in the 40s, it has been a blessing to have such warm, wonderful weather the past few days.  Today is partly cloudy, with only a 10% chance of rain.  The sun just broke through the clouds.  I've been working in the garden each day, doing a little bit more each time.

PH did get the containers in the garden, now I just need more dirt.  Today I planted 4 rows of an heirloom bantam sweet corn from Baker Creek Seeds.  I also planted:

marigolds
sunflowers
lavendar
mint
echinacea
lemon balm

Previously I have planted cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, mescullin, green beans, cilantro and one other item that I CANNOT remember.  It is so frustrating.  I wrote it down, but can't find it.  I had hope I had posted it here, but didn't see any references to it lately.  I'll have to wait until it sprouts.

I plan to plant even more green beans, and once the corn sprouts, I'll plant watermelons between the stalks.  Once the watermelons are done (about July).  I'll plant pumpkins for the Fall.  I will also be planting Amish Pie Pumpkins, Pennsylvania Crook Neck Squash, Hubbard Squash and LOTS of other items, just as soon as I get those containers full of dirt. 

I will also be picking up tires this week to make a potato tower, and planting Virginia peanuts.

Busy, busy, busy.