Planting in December

December is not a time for planting here in the Ozarks, or so I thought.  That paradigm was changed this weekend.

I spent a big part of the last two days helping my freinds, Jerry and Terry at Sonlight Farm planting blackberries; lots of blackberries; 900 blackberry plants.  The ground is cold and damp.  We have had several frosty nights lately including Friday night.  It rained mid-week.  So when we started planting about 10:30 Saturday morning the frost had just melted off the more shaded areas of the farm and the soil ranged from a bit too damp to gumbo-like.

The area for the berry plantation had been tilled repeatedly this fall.  As the rows were layed out Jerry tilled them again.  This at least broke up the frost in the soil and stirred it good.  The plants were planted three feet apart in rows ten feet apart. 

We (Jerry, Terry, a young man named Robby, and I) planted more than 400 on Saturday. Jerry, Robby and I finished the rest after dinner today.  The last plant was in the ground when there was just enough light left to complete the work.  The three of us shared a deep sense of accomplishment!

Jerry purchased the blackberry plants from Arkansas Berry & Plant Farm .  The plants were very nice with canes ten to twelve inches long and healthy roots.  They don't ship them until after frost in their location which is why they arrived here in December.  It is important that the plants be dormant before shipping. The picture above is of the growing fields of black berries at Arkansas Berry & Plant Farm.

None of us who worked at it would tell you the conditions were pleasant. The ground was cold and wet with an air temperature in the high 40's at best.  Three of the four of us are 60 or older.  But I believe each of us would tell you that the work was worthwhile and uplifting in that we were planting something in hopes of gaining and enjoying a harvest later. 



The discomfort of having our gloved hands (and our knees) in the cold mud was somewhat mitigated by the thoughts of enjoying warm blackberry cobler in the future.  The total experience was enhanced by the fellowship with others who all share a love of God and an appreciation for his creation and provision.

What will our efforts yield in reality?  Will blackberry plants that have been "mudded in" grow and flourish?
Well, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen", so I would say that what we engaged in this weekend involves a certain amount of faith.  Faith that the plants we put in the ground were truly blackberry plants and of high quality and vigor; faith that the soil in which they were planted contains the nutrients they require; faith that sufficient moisture will be available throughout the winter and the coming seasons to support them; and faith that God will bless our efforts.  Yes, planting in any season is an act of faith.



An exasperating day on the farm.

Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to say this has been an exasperating day on the farm.  When I went out to do chores this morning I found our boar Uncle back in the pasture with the bred gilts and the sow with the new litter.  I had seperated him to the next paddock yesterday and the day before that. 

The first time he got back into the pasture by pushing through at the botttom of the gate.  I double chained it thinking that would stop him.  It did; at the gate.  Instead he went over the 36" field fence last night.  Today I strung a hot wire (electric fence) above the field fence.  In the process I saw that one of the piglets was lying dead out of the nest.  The nest was pretty well beatendown so I have a hunch the boar was harrassing the sow and the piglet was collateral damage.

I had to go buy more straw today.  When I returned and was hauling straw out for the sow to augment her nest, I found another piglet mired in the mud and dead.  Then there were four.  Did I mention it has rained off and on throughout the day?  We really do need the rain so it is a blessing.

I slogged around in the mud trying to move the remaining piglets into the hog shelter.  The mama would have none of it, and valuing the wholeness of my limbs, I did not challenge her.  Perhaps if I had someone here to help, we might have been able to accomplish it.

Now it's dark out and the rain is pelting down.  I am trying to encourage myself with the thought that the sow might some how move her brood on her own.  Or she may have used the straw and rebuilt her nest to keep her young relatively dry.  Thankfully, it is not cold out.

"The Lord gives and the Lord taketh away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Births and birthdays

The resident granddaughters love the movie Charlotte’s Web. Consequently, I have more than a passing awareness of the story. Those who know that about me were not surprised when I named our Hampshire boar after one of the characters in the story. I named him “Uncle”.


Perhaps you recall Uncle the large, apparently not-too-bright, boar hog that won the contest for best pig. This left Wilbur’s life in the balance until he was awarded a special medal essentially for being famous. Yep, he was famous for being famous.  Sounds like some of the people whose names appear so often in the headlines.  Anyway, I didn’t name my big boar after Wilbur because, in my opinion, Wilbur was a sniveling little sissy.
You can take one look at my boar “Uncle” and know that he is no sissy!

I bought Uncle in the middle of July this year. The weather was hot! Not great for moving hogs and not great for breeding hogs. By the first of August, I could confirm that Uncle was taking his job seriously. Whether his job was being taken seriously by the gilt hogs remained to be seen.

Time passed and the gilts continued to come into heat one by one. And then they didn’t.

Now understand all of this procreation activity was taking place out in the pasture without supervision. That left me in the position of having to carefully observe the females and try to gauge the stage of their gestation. It has been twenty-five years or more since last I raised hogs so I have been floundering. My confidence in my own judgment and Uncle’s effectiveness has ebbed and flowed.

Well this morning the wondering and guessing ended for our first gilt. About 9:00 I found her and her litter in a nest she had scraped out out in the pasture. She chose to ignore the hog shelter I built and placed in the field for her use. I went back to the barn and got a bale of straw to augment the nest she had made. When I got back to her, she was up eating the afterbirth. Though I didn’t get real close, I could see that she had five piglets alive and four or five more that were not. 

When I went back out in the afternoon she had taken the straw and created a big billowy nest for her young.  While I watched she was still working it around to get it to her liking.  Two or three piglets wondered out of the nest and back.  After a bit she laid down and the five little ones locked on.

She is a first-time mother. This is the first time I have farrowed pigs in the pasture. But this is the direction I want to pursue. My goal is to have hogs that can reproduce and raise young without confinement buildings. If I was a commercial hog farmer, 50% mortality at birth would be catastrophic. On this farm it’s just a sadness. My father-in-law used to say in such cases, “As long as it doesn’t come closer to the house than the barn, it will be okay.”

By the way, today resident granddaughter number one turns six years old!

"Consider the Ant" Proverbs 6:6

Our little homestead has also been home to our daughter and two granddaughters for the last two-and-a-half years.  This suits me fine most days as I am a believer in multigenerational homes.  I wrote some about that in my very first blog that you can read here.

I really enjoy watching these girls grow and change from stage to stage. The oldest girl will be six years old later this month. This past summer she progressed from screaming and having a hissy fit whenever a bug flew by her to actually catching and holding bugs, caterpillars, and worms.  She picked up a tent caterpillar and kept it in a jar for weeks.  The accompanying picture shows her hands full of creepy crawly things she collected one afternoon.

At some point in the summer she learned about worm castings and ant holes.  She and her sister watched little brown ants "harvesting" a dead grasshopper.  I explained how each ant would take a little tiny bite of the grasshopper and carry down into their nest so that they would have food for winter.

As the summer progressed she counted the jars of tomatoes, pickles, and beans that we canned.  I told her that we were storing food for the winter just like the ants.  Since we weren't canning all of these vegetables at the same time, the idea of putting food by for use later was talked about several times.

Just a couple weeks ago during deer season, she asked, "Grandpa, are you going to shoot a deer for winter?"  I'm not a hunter at this point but I sure am proud of how my granddaughter has learned about putting food by for winter.  That is an important concept and a big part of why we live where we do rather than in a suburban neighborhood someplace.

I believe it is important now, and may become more important in the future, to know how to grow and preserve food at home.  If you are not familiar with the processes involved, I encourage you to learn about them. 

Is the Strike Really Over?

No, I'm not talking about the NBA strike. (That was actually a lock out I think and I could not care less!)


I am talking about the strike which my laying flock apparently was participating in. You see, it used to be that my laying flock was housed in two seperate buildings. We had about a dozen hens and a rooster in a little frame building with about 900 sqft of fenced run. and we had another thirty hens and three roosters in a hoop house that I moved every few days. These birds were also allowed to free range about 5 days a week. Then we had two groups of 20 -25 young birds I bought as straight run chicks this past summer in two seperate chicken tractors.


During the last few days in October, I consolidated all the mature hens in a new hoop house along with what I judged to be pullets from the two chicken tracors. There were also ten much younger birds hatched by two of the older hens from the frame house that I put in the new hoop house. All totaled there were and are about 80 birds in the new 200 square foot hoop house. You can see various pictures of it in the sidebar. The 15 or so roosters sorted out of the flock have been relegated to the old hoop house. The plan is to butcher some of them and then reintroduce the others into the laying flock after the first of the year.


The initial response of the layers was to quit laying. Work Stoppage! They were moulting and I am sure the trauma of being caught and moved kind of knocked them out of the egg-laying mood or what have you. It did not knock them off their feed though, that's for sure.


Well today I finished the fencing for the chicken run around the new hoop house. The birds were released into it about two this afternoon and seemed to love getting out in the sunshine. Every now and the one or more of them would run and then take off on the wing for a few feet. Of course, they don't ever get very far off the ground. I went out just after dark and all of them were in except for one who moved on in with little coaxing.


My intent is to keep the hoop house where it is for the winter. In the spring, I will get the wheels back on it and begin moving it. We will see. As my Grandpa used to say: "Man proposes and God disposes."


Oh and by the way, the birds are now laying around 18 eggs a day. Hopefully, I can encourage them to maintain and build on this. We will see.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

The text of President George Washington's original Thanksgiving Proclamation was posted by Brent Bozell on Facebook today. http://wilstar.com/holidays/wash_thanks.html

I am posting it here as well because of its historical importance and its continued relevance. It is not merely an American tradition. People everywhere ought to give thanks to God, "the great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be".

Have a blessed Thanksgiving day!


George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
G. Washington


NOTE:
Shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written, it was lost for 130 years. The original document was written in long hand by William Jackson, secretary to the President, and was then signed by George Washington. It was probably misplaced or mixed in with some private papers when the US capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C. The original manuscript was not placed in the National Archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress found the proclamation at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, in which it now resides. It was the first official presidential proclamation issued in the United States.

Fun With Blue Plastic Barrels

Have you noticed the big blue plastic barrels popping up everywhere? It seems like more and more products are being shipped in them these days. Much of what is packaged in plastic barrels now was once shipped in steel barrels. I guess that makes sense: the plastic barrels are lighter in weight and probably more durable than the old steel ones. So how come so many of them wind up for sale at swap meets and farm stores? It seems they are generally single-use containers; no deposit, no return.

I’m not complaining mind you. The fact that they are so readily available is a boon to me and many others who, like you perhaps, find myriad ways to re-use them while amusing ourselves. I used a 55-gallon unit as a rain barrel to catch and dispense water for a small flock of hens. My family went to a community festival last month where children were being transported in a train of modified blue barrels on wheels being pulled behind a lawn tractor. That was pretty cool and the grandkids thought I should get started on one of those for our place right away!

Recently, I used a 15-gallon blue barrel to construct a water fount to serve a flock of about 80 birds. I bought four 15-gallon barrels for a total of $10.00. In their previous life, these drums had contained syrup for a popular soft drink. Using a 1 inch spade bit, I drilled a hole about 3.5 inches above the bottom of the barrel. Into this hole I threaded the pipe threads of a salvaged brass fitting. The other end of the fitting is threaded with hose threads. I use a brass hose cap from an old soaker hose to cap the fitting when needed.

The next step in this project required finding a plastic tub with a diameter about 6 inches greater than the barrel. I considered cutting the bottom four or five inches off of a 55-gallon barrel for this but really didn’t want to “waste” a big barrel for that purpose. Fortunately, I found a plastic tub of that diameter and about 20 inches deep at a swap meet for 50 cents! I cut this tub off to create a pan just deep enough to submerge the brass fitting in when the smaller barrel is placed in it.

My Giant Fount was ready! I placed the 15-gallon drum in the tub, capped the brass fitting, removed the bung from the top of the barrel and filled it up. I replaced the bung in the barrel and removed the cap from the brass fitting. Water gushed out, splashing all over my boot tops. The water filled the pan and continued to flow over the top. Bummer! I tightened the bung down some more and the flow of water stopped.

That was a few weeks ago. The fount functions beautifully; it requires filling only about every third day. I have since made a “bung tool” to facilitate the tightening and removal of the bung. I am very pleased with how it has all turned out

Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs?

Years ago, country music legend Tom T. Hall made a recording titled "Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs". It was the story of a man who was deathly ill in the hospital. Though sedated, he kept on wailing the refrain, "Who's gonna feed them hogs?"

After a time, much to the surprise of the doctors, he got out of bed, put on his overalls and went home. He had hogs to feed, don't you see?

Now I'm not sick as sick goes. Yes, I've got a cold and feel crappy but that's no big deal. I did chores today and I'll do chores tomorrow, the Lord willing. I'll just get out and do them, and as much more as I can.

It's funny in a sense. When I was "working" if I felt like I feel today, I could and would "call in" and stay at home. It doesn't work like that now; or maybe it is more accurate to say that I don't work like that now. The chores need to be done, the critters don't care how I feel, they need their feed and water. It is important to me that the work is done. It is my work; my vocation; my calling. It is much less of a chore than "going to work" ever was.

A New Hog Hut

Today I finished my most recent project. It is a shelter for our hogs. Perhaps it will be used by one of the gilts when she farrows. I can hope.



The shelter measures 8 feet across, 6 feet deep and about 4 feet tall at the front. It is made of treated lumber throughout, glued and screwed together. It is built "Hog Tough"! It should last for a while. I can hope.



If you have any experience with full-grown swine, you know that they are very strong. When you factor in the weight of a mature boar (600 lbs +) you know that the equipment used with/by them needs to be strong and sturdy.

It is on skids so that it can be pulled to where it is needed. Today I pulled it out to the pasture with my Ford Ranger 2WD truck. Since the hogs are not yet in that pasture, the truck did just fine. I expect I will need a tractor to move it the next time.

Yesterday I was in Lowes to buy the two sheets of 1/2 inch treated plywood for the sides. These are displayed above the 3/4 inch treated plywood. I was about to reach above my head to grab the top sheet when a man said, "Can I give you a hand with that." I turned expecting to see a Lowes employee. Nope, just a guy shopping with his wife. I said "Yes, thank you very much!"

Together we grabbed the top sheet and saw that it was junk so we set it aside; same with the second. We loaded the next two sheets, one at a time, on to my cart. Again I thanked him and he went on to catch up with his wife.

After paying for my materials I went to my truck. Before I could get hold of the first sheet, the man getting into the vehicle next to me said, "Hi, can I give you a hand with that?" He was not a Lowes employee. Together we loaded the plywood into my truck and I thanked him. And I told him that another stranger had helped me get the plywood in the store.

As I was getting into my truck I was counting my blessings, having been helped by these two strangers. Then I was struck by this thought: Maybe I am starting to look my age. I can hope not!

I'm Back!

WOW! It has been a long time since last I posted here. Lots has happened; some good, some not so much. In it all, God has shown his goodness and faithfulness. Several times I have thought to make a posting but, to tell the truth, I couldn’t remember how to get back here. Yesterday I decided to make a new blog and in the process, found my way back to this one. I am so happy with this!

We live in times that hold abundant peril requiring preparations be made to establish a sustainable, life-sustaining lifestyle. My work here on our homestead has taken on a new sense of importance and urgency. By God’s grace, I am now able to devote my full attention to it.

As a husband and a father, it is and has been my responsibility to be provider and protector to my wife and to our children while they were in our care. Scripture mandates and largely defines this position of responsibility. Paul wrote regarding the responsibility of providing for one’s family to Timothy:

“But those who won’t care (provide) for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” (Timothy 5:8)

This verse appears in the context of caring for widows within the church. However, it is rightly expanded upon to include providing for one’s family, in many ways; providing clothing, food, and shelter at least.

To the Ephesians Paul wrote:

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…” (Eph. 5:25)

Can there be any doubt that giving one’s self for his wife is an act of providing for her? What riches Christ provided to the church when he gave himself for it! Without a doubt, this entails providing protection from harm.

Likewise, scripture provides stern warnings to those whose function and responsibility it is to watch for and warn others of impending harm or destruction.

“…take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. ” (Ezekiel 33:2- 6)

Whatever my performance of these God-given responsibilities in the past, I am not excused from performing them now to the best of my ability. To this end, I offer the following:

For months I have been reading and hearing reports concerning events in the U.S. and around the world that cause me concern. I won’t try to list them all here. Let it suffice to say that the political, economical, and social news does not bode well for the future in this country or in most other parts of the world. I firmly believe that America, as we have known it, is about to change drastically and suddenly. The current standard and means of living that we enjoy in this country are not sustainable. Our system of government, economy, and society, being completely intertwined, will collapse under their combined weight. Those people, who are attached to the “system” and dependent upon it for their sustenance, will find themselves displaced, disenfranchised and in many cases, desperate. The wiser individuals, seeing the icebergs ahead will get off the boat. They will position themselves out of harm’s way.

That is what I am trying to do here. Trusting God for his care and provision, I seek to follow his leading. In future posts I will share with you some of the things taking place here in the hope that you will find my efforts informative, helpful, or at least entertaining.