Being Followed

This is the start of a new week, thank goodness!!  Last week was a tough one.  There are times when we all have more on our plates than we think we can handle.  Days that almost shatter us.  I'm sure that all of you have had times like that too.
 
But now I'm just feeling grateful.  Saturday the weather was still quite chilly, but nice enough for my big boy and I to actually talk a stroll around the farm while doing chores.  Most of these winter days we have had to take a pickup, for heat and also to haul hay.  That little walk with my kid and my critters was just what I needed. 

As we stepped out the front door, the calves perked up, bawled at us and began to follow us along the fence. 

The little black mare took a break from grazing and came over to the road to say hello and joined the parade along the road towards the barn.  She thought I should definitely show off how hard she works to get good and dirty!

The alpacas met us at the gate and made a little marching formation, following behind us as we made our way up to their little barn and the feed room. This is Genesis making her, "feed me now!" face.

The chickens all swarmed around me, clucking contentedly and following behind as I went around straightening up their pen.  Even though they had a fresh meal in their house!  Happy little hens just hanging out to see what I was up to....

That was the moment.  The moment I looked up and took my first deep breath in a week.  The moment I realized everything really is going to be okay.  Even on my weakest days I have these happy little children and happy little critters to help me "pull focus" and remind me what's important. I felt like all of them had been following me around the farm, just to say "Hey! Don't forget! Life is good!"  Sometimes being followed is a good thing....


Bye for now,
PB

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/barnhopimage.png

So You Wanna Be A Farmer?

Lately there is quite a movement happening.  At least it looks that way to me.  There are more and more people, men and women alike, that are craving a more organic, agricultural lifestyle.  To put it simply, they want to be farmers. On websites like Pinterest there are oodles of boards named, "My Dream Farm" or something similar.  All of this is such a great thing!  The world needs a lot more people devoted to farming and feeding the world!

 

 

 

 

The images we see of small farms and homesteads are all pretty idyllic.  Happy little chickens, adorable baby goats, perfect cottage gardens with flowers every where.   A lot of that is truth!  The baby critters we have in the spring are precious!  The chickens are truly a joy to watch scratching in the dirt.  Sometimes there is time to tend a flower bed or two....

 

 

It can seem like a perfect life....

 

 

All the sunshine and fresh air a person could need for a happy soul.  The rewards of growing the food your family consumes....

 



 

 

But today, on yet another sub-zero day in north central Montana, I have to ask the people with the dream of farming dancing in their heads; "Are you sure you wanna be a farmer?"  I have a little list of things for you to consider before you jump into an agricultural life with both feet.

 

 

The day when the automatic waterer, frost free water spigots and hoses are all frozen.  Water gets hauled by hand, in 5 gallon buckets for whatever distance it take to keep the critters alive.  Of course it's usually -30 below when we're out hauling water. 

 

The day when the wind blows so hard it literally blows the doors off the barn and your sheep scatter into the wind on a grand adventure.  So then they have to be rounded up in the 100 mile an hour wind.  By a person, aka. you.

 

The day the both of your livestock guardian dogs do a great job of defending your farm from a porcupine and end up with faces full of quills.  Off the vet for enough drugs to keep them from biting your hand off when you yank the quills out one by one.

 

The day when you find yourself giving an alpaca an enema and helping him extract the blockage that is giving him colic and threatening his life.

 

The day when a hail storm comes and completely wipes out your entire garden just as it's starting to look so promising.

 

The day that your out riding your horse for some actual fun and relaxation and it's interrupted by a not-so-lovely rattlesnake that crosses your path and spooks your horse. You instantly envision getting bucked off right there on top of that rattler!

 

The day a coyote gets a hold of one or more of your chickens.  The ones you nursed along for two months in your garage to keep them safe.... I could go on.

 

I have had each and every one of those days sometime during the year.  I am not sharing this to discourage anyone from chasing their farming dreams!  But yesterday, as I hauled that water 300 yards, through 18 inches of snow, in -20 below temperatures, I was questioning my sanity just a little bit!  Then I thought of others with this dream and had to ask, "So you think you wanna be a farmer?"  I hope you do!  But be careful what you wish for because it just might come true!

 

Bye for now,

PB



 



February Freeze

It's a pretty regular thing for us to get our most bitterly cold weather in the beginning of February.  We can almost count on it. December really threw us for a loop this year with some of the lowest temperatures we'd seen in over fifteen years.  There was a week that the thermometer was stuck at around -30 below zero.  Then we had some serious wind chill at around -65 or so. Wicked.

So now it is February.  As predicted we are having another cold snap.  It was -25 when I got up this morning.  Thankfully there isn't much for wind.

The sunrise always looks a little different at sub zero temperatures....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge and I think it's just too dang cold!  We're gonna hang out here for a while and drink hot coffee.  Well, I'll have the coffee.... Judge is good with keeping his spot on the floor held down.

Stay warm everyone,
PB

Prairie Chickens

This morning the rugrats looked out the window and told me the chickens were out.  That's not good!  We have to keep them in their fenced area so the "guard dog", Jury doesn't eat them!  But when I looked out the picture window, I just smiled.  It wasn't the chickens.... it was the prairie chickens.  Also known as female, Ring Necked Pheasants. Lots of 'em!

These girls have been hanging out in our little, scrubby trees.  Most likely to get themselves up and out of the 8 inches of fresh snow we have.  The pheasants usually are found scurrying around in tall grass and the ditches along the highway.  Taking to the trees isn't something we see them do every day....

One of their very favorite tricks to pull on us humans is to try to get us bucked off of our horses!  It never fails that we'll be riding along, minding our own business and WHOOSH!  A pheasant or two will explode out of the grass right under our horses noses or bellies!  Even the best of horses will have a minor heart attack when that happens!  Heck, even I have a heart attack when that happens!! The pheasants laugh at us... I know they do.

But today there will be no riding.  We'll just watch them bounce around in the branches as we all wait for Spring....


Bye for now,
PB

A Winter Walk

This morning a little storm blew in.  It started snowing hard.  But the wind had kindly stopped blowing and the temperature stayed right around freezing.  Not any of that below zero stuff we often get at the end of January. 

I decided it was actually quite a nice day, in spite of the little blizzard going on.  So in effort to get a little exercise, I chose to walk around the farm to get my chores done.  Normally I have to drive something that can haul hay this time of year.  But there is a little extra stacked up in the barn so I didn't have to haul any today. Perfect day for a winter walk....

Today's snow is very heavy and wet.  It feels much like a Spring storm.  The girls almost seem to enjoy this weather.

Mudflap is not amused.... but he is never amused.

The calves were happy to see me put out their bales of lunch so they could stop rooting around in the snow covered grass.

The ponies are loafing in their shed....

The chores are done, the gate is closed and it's time for a cup of tea.....

Bye for now,
PB

Today I joined the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! Check it out for more fun!
http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2014/01/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-143.html

Is There Anything Better?

Yesterday I fired up the old John Deere and went to spread some new straw out in the barn.  But the weather was so completely lovely and perfect I decided I could take the time to clean out the barn too!  Usually that's a job we don't get to do until spring.  But I couldn't help myself....

The calvies had to follow me up to the barn and see what trouble they could get into.

 

Is there anything that feels better than a clean barn, bedded with fresh, fluffy straw?  Let's see.... maybe looking into your newborn baby's eyes for the first time.  Or the moment you realize the object of your affection loves you too.  Or maybe getting on the scale and seeing that you've lost ten pounds. Those all feel pretty good too.  But ahhhh.... a clean barn.  It's even more divine to me than a clean house!

Barn, sweet barn....

"Zorro" and his hens also got nice fresh straw in their winter house.

 

The calves were so happy I gave them a nice, clean bed!  They couldn't wait to get in to start messing it up, right away!!  It's a bit like cleaning house with my twin toddlers running around behind me, making more chaos.... Lord willing, I'll get to do it all again soon.

Bye for now,
PB

Mystical Montana

This morning we woke up to fog so thick we couldn't see past the yard..... I had to wait quite a while to take these photos for you.

 

 

Fog is probably one of my favorite natural occurrences. I know I have written about it before. (Click here to check out that post.)  Fog doesn't happen all that often out here.  Usually it signals a weather change is on it's way.  I'm praying this fog means Spring! A girl can hope right?  I do know we have February to get through yet. But when March rolls around we can usually at least feel a hint of Spring in the air.  I'm probably getting ahead of myself....

 

 

 

But it's easy to start thinking ahead to brighter, warmer days when everything is looking so beautiful!

 

 

 

 

I can't even believe I get to wake up to this wonderland....

 

 

 

 

It's a long way from the Seattle traffic or Houston chaos that were once my life....

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Mystical Montana at it's finest....

 

 

 

Well kids, I am off to go fire up the old John Deere and roll out some brand new, fresh straw in the barn. 

 

Bye for now,

PB