Mind Your Business

Mind Your Own Business

As a child, pestering my older siblings as younger siblings are want to do, I can recall being told, “Mind your own business.”

Perhaps you also heard that refrain from your playmates or even from your parents, teachers or other adults when you interjected yourself into situations that did not concern you.

I believe that it is actually very good advice. The First Continental Congress certainly thought so. When the first penny coin minted by that august body was struck in 1787, it bore the motto “Mind Your Business”. What sage advice to the citizens of the fledgling nation.

At that time, the ink on the U.S. Constitution was barely dry and the document not yet ratified by the States. Much work was to be done to secure the safety and organizational integrity of the nascent Republic.

It was a time when each Citizen could best serve their country by minding their own business; as a farmer, blacksmith, sawyer, cobbler, printer, baker, or candlestick maker. The products and services of each one, produced with integrity and competence, were required for their well being and the well being of their neighbors. The commerce that would ensue with the exchange of these goods and services would enable them to lay the foundation of a country that would later cover nearly an entire continent and lead the world in many ways.

At some point, things went awry. The causes for this and the subsequent costs incurred are beyond the scope of this missive.

But truth remains true despite the actions of men or nations to the contrary. And the truth is that the admonition to mind your own business did not originate in 1787 with the Continental Congress.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (in the Bible)reads:

“11…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (NIV)

There are five real good bits of advice there:

• “Lead a quiet life.” Don’t strive to be noticed. Stay “under the radar.” “Fools’ names, like fools’ faces, are often seen in public places.”( Thomas Fowler)

• “Mind your own business” This would seem to be common sense, but then, “common sense is not so common.” (Voltaire)

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." (Abraham Lincoln)

• “Work with your hands.” Be busy doing something productive that will earn the respect of others.

• Don’t “be dependent on others.” Ultimately you become the chattel of the entity you rely on.

Maybe we would do well to re-instate "Mind Your Business" as our National Motto.

Think about it.

By What Measure?

Here in America we are once again faced with the painful process of selecting whom to vote for to serve as our President. The dialogues that accompany this process show just how many devices and points of view the people (that’s us) use to measure and evaluate the candidates and the policies they espouse.

There are those saying that the other party is too far “left or right”; that candidate is “too conservative or too liberal”; that policy is too “liberal or intolerant”. Many have a sense that there is more wrong with our government than can be fixed by an election. It seems to have gotten off track in some way.

I have been reading about the relationship between the government and God from his point of view as revealed in the Bible and expounded upon by one of the greatest Christian apologists of the last century, Francis A. Schaeffer. I believe he states clearly what the problem is: We the People are guilty of elevating our government beyond its rightful position.

The following has been taken from an address delivered by the late Dr. Schaeffer in 1982 at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is based on one of his books, which bears the same title. I encourage you to read this to the end.

When the government negates the law of God, it abrogates its authority. God has given certain offices to restrain chaos in this fallen world, but it does not mean that these offices are autonomous, and when a government commands that which is contrary to the Law of God, it abrogates its authority.

Throughout the whole history of the Christian Church, (and again I wish people knew their history. In A Christian Manifesto I stress what happened in the Reformation in reference to all this) at a certain point, it is not only the privilege but it is the duty of the Christian to disobey the government. Now that's what the founding fathers did when they founded this country. That's what the early Church did. That's what Peter said. You heard it from the Scripture: "Should we obey man?... rather than God?" That's what the early Christians did.


Every appropriate legal and political governmental means must be used. "The final bottom line"-- I have invented this term in A Christian Manifesto. I hope the Christians across this country and across the world will really understand what the Bible truly teaches: The final bottom line! The early Christians, every one of the reformers (and again, I'll say in A Christian Manifesto I go through country after country and show that there was not a single place with the possible exception of England, where the Reformation was successful, where there wasn't civil disobedience and disobedience to the state), the people of the Reformation, the founding fathers of this country, faced and acted in the realization that if there is no place for disobeying the government, that government has been put in the place of the living God. In such a case, the government has been made a false god. If there is no place for disobeying a human government, that government has been made GOD. (Emphasis added.)


Caesar, under some name, thinking of the early Church, has been put upon the final throne. The Bible's answer is NO! Caesar is not to be put in the place of God and we as Christians, in the name of the Lordship of Christ, and all of life, must so think and act on the appropriate level. It should always be on the appropriate level. We have lots of room to move yet with our court cases, with the people we elect -- all the things that we can do in this country. If, unhappily, we come to that place, the appropriate level must also include a disobedience to the state. (Stated in 1982)


If you are not doing that, you haven't thought it through. Jesus is not really on the throne. God is not central. You have made a false god central. Christ must be the final Lord and not society and not Caesar.


May I repeat the final sentence again? CHRIST MUST BE THE FINAL LORD AND NOT CAESAR AND NOT SOCIETY.

Taken from an address delivered by the late Dr. Schaeffer in 1982 at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is based on one of his books, which bears the same title.


I challenge you to read the book.

First one thing and then another

Have you ever noticed how beginning one task can lead to something else entirely different? Well that’s just how my day went earlier this week.

Up until about a year ago, I had my little flock of laying hens in a small frame chicken house surrounded by a 900 square foot run.

I moved the hens in to a new hoop house and a much larger run when I increased the size of the flock. Over the last few months I have removed the fence and decided this last week to pull the chicken coop to a new location.

I hooked my little Ford truck to it and began pulling. The soil was rather dry but the 4x4 skids under the coop just plowed in and it quickly became stuck.

What to do?

Pull harder. I began backing up and then tugging a little harder. At first, the building budged a little. The next tug resulted only in the loud sound of crunching wood and a sudden sense of lightness in the truck as it separated from the resistance of the chicken coop. Drat! The cast iron eye bolts the chain was hooked to pulled through the 2 x 4 frame member.

What to do?

I hooked on to the other end of the coop to pull it out the other way. The eye bolts on that end of the coop were ½” bent eye bolts not cast. A few tugs resulted in pulling them out straight. Double drat!
What to do?
Well, as it was getting on in the afternoon and resident grand-daughter number one was due home from school, I just left the coop where it was and moved my truck up to the house. Tomorrow is another day, right?

Tomorrow did come and I was ready to take on the task of moving the chicken coop which had become the task of repairing the chicken coop.

I used my small trolley jack to lift the building. Then I put two eight foot long round posts under it to use as rollers. I replaced the bent eye bolts with the cast iron eye bolts from the other end. Using my truck I slowly pulled the coop as far as I could before needing to shift the rollers under it. After doing this a couple of times, I had the building up on solid ground where repairs could be made.

After removing the trim and siding, the broken 2 x 4 was fully exposed. Removing it was a straight-forward process as was replacing it with a new one. Be assured, the new was installed with additional 3 inch screws and extra bracing.

Once the framing was repaired, all that was left to do was replace the siding and trim. Repairs to the chicken coop were complete!

A sense of accomplishment and was accompanied by thankfulness for the tools, strength, and know-how needed to accomplish the repairs.

Now, I still need to move it but I’m going to save that for another day.

A Reasonable Compromise. Really??

On Sunday, January 31, Catholic Bishops across these United States spoke and/or sent letters to the churches in their dioceses decrying policies of the Obama administration. Specifically mandates within the Health Care Reform Act requiring all employers, including faith-based institutions like schools and colleges to provide employees with health care insurance that covers the cost of contraception, including the “morning-after pill" and sterilization. The Catholic Church teaches it is intrinsically wrong to use any form of contraception to prevent pregnancy.


According to USA TODAY, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh in a letter to his diocese, denounced what he said is Obama's message to Catholics:

'To hell with your religious beliefs; To hell with your religious liberty; To hell with your freedom of conscience.'

The following Thursday, Jay Carney, Whitehouse spokesman, was trying to put an end to the negative reactions to the president’s policy. He stated flatly, “the decision has been made.” End of discussion?

Nope. The Administration has offered a "compromise". As I understand it, under the compromise, religious organizations would not have to provide birth control and "reproductive services" to their employees directly. However, the insurance companies providing the health care for the religious entities would have to provide those goods and services to the individual employees at no charge.

What!?? If there is no such thing as a free lunch (and there is not) then there is no such thing as free birth control or "reproductive services"! Thus far it remains doubtful the Bishops will accept the proposed "compromise".

This is not about birth control or freedom of choice! This is about the free exercise of religion! Our government has no right under the Constitution of these United States to tell a Bible-based religious organization to violate the tenants of their faith. (Yes, there it is; my Judeo-Christian bias is showing.)

Some will quote surveys showing that Catholic women use birth control about as often as the general population. Given the number of two-children Catholic families I know, that claim does not surprise me. But that is a personal choice of the women involved.  My religious tradition frowns on the use of tobacco and alcohol.  However, I occassionally choose to enjoy one or the other.

To my non-Catholic friends; let me remind you of what German pastor and theologian, Martin Niemoller said in 1946 regarding the Nazis, by whom he was arrested in 1937:

"First they came for the Communists, and
I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Communist.


Then they came for the Trade-Unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Trade-Unionist.


Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.


Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak out for me."

Has your Pastor mentioned the infringement of the government on religious freedom? I have not heard anything about it from my Pastor and I really would like to hear him speak up. In the meantime, I will continue to speak out!  Will you? 
 
I am asking you to re-post this on your Facebook or personnal blog if you agree.
 
Thank you.

Another Update on my Barn Repair Efforts

Well, I guess it's been about a month now since I started repairing my wind damaged barn.  So let me report on my progress.

This past week I turned my attention to constructing the covered pens at the back of the barn.  They are about 4.5 feet tall at the front and 3.5 feet tall at the back.  These will serve as covered storage for firewood, housing for small livestock, or farrowing pigs.  As I was planning this, I thought I would use 1 x 4's for the roof purlins.  But when I got to the lumber yard, I found that 2 x 4's were less expensive! A pleasant suprise.  The purlins are untreated lumber.  I thought this was best so that the screws used to hold the roof metal (and the roof metal itself) would not be subjected to the preservative chemicals in the treated lumber,

The treated boards that comprise the back wall were all recycled from a residential deck that a friend of ours removed in the course of his work as a building contractor.  I obtained a quantity of this lumber in exchange for several dozen eggs from our hens.   I love trading!  What is now the open end will be closed with a board/hog panel fence as will the balance of what was the back half of the barn.

Our son came out to "the farm" to help me Tuesday of this past week to install the back wall.  While he measured and cut the boards, I attached them with 2.5 inch screws.  His youngest daughter (4 years old) "helped" with the scrap lumber.  It was a very pleasant afternoon, unseasonably warm, and spending it with them made it very special for me.

Yesterday and last night we received the first significant rain if the year.  Today is seasonably cool, cloudy, breezy and muddy.  So, I am indoors with rhe grand-daughters as their mama and grandma both had to work today.  It is good to spend a day reviewing the work of the past weeks and anticipating the coming days.  In my anticipation, I am quick to always include "the Lord willing".  My Grandpa used to say, "Man proposes and God disposes."  So it is.

Update on Barn Repair

Thought I would check in and give you an update on the progress made toward fixing my tumbled down barn.  Overall, I am pretty pleased with what I have been able to accomplish so far.  The initial demolition has been completed and much of the debris collected, sorted and hauled off or saved for future use.  Hopefully some of the framing lumber can be re-used in the restored structure.

The picture above was taken from about the same place as some of the early pix.  It shows that the barn is only half as long as originally built.  Part of what was incorporated in the barn previously will become open pens for livestock.

This photo shows a closeup of the supporting wall under the westside of the loft.  This will also be one side of the loading chute which is to come.

The new lumber is all treated.  I made the decision to use it based on two facts: The cost of an 8-foot treated 2X4 is within pennies of an untreated one; carpenter bees have done a lot of damage to the untreated lumber I used originally in the thirty years that this barn has been in existance.  The carpenter bee bores a 3/8" hole into the underside of a board or beam.  It then bores a tunnel along the grain of the board in which to lay its eggs and food for the hatched larvae.  This can significantly weaken the framing member.

When I built the barn I used 8d and 16d ring-shank nails.  In this new construction I am using Phillips head 3-inch screws made for treated lumber.  I prefer screws in most kinds of construction now because they are easier to install with a cordless drill-driver, My old elbow doesn't much like swinging a hammer.  The holding power of the screws is far superior to that of even ring-shank nails.  Another big plus is that they can be removed without tearing up the boards when I need to change something.

I have also used some "old school" tools on this project.  When I needed to join a 4X4 and a 2x8, I got out my antique 1/2" auger.  It was originally made for use with a hand brace but was modified to fit my drill-driver.  When I needed to "adjust" the fit of some framing members, I got my antique framing chisel and what is as close to a "Boss" as I have. The large wooden mallets used by carpenters were often referred to as "Bosses". 

These  old tools, and really the whole process of repairing this barn, has caused me to recall and reflect upon the memory of an old gentleman from my boyhood: "Grandpa" Thurlow.  I knew him when I was about 4 years-old.  At that tim he was an old man and worked as the care taker of a cemetary.  I learned later that he had been a builder and repairer of barns.  He will, hopefully, be the subject of another blog post to come.

Fixing my Tumbled-down Barn



This is one of the saddest sights in rural America to my way of thinking: tumbled-down barns, once vital and productive, abandoned and in disrepair. It is a fact of life that a barn neglected long enough reaches the point where rehab is out of the question. Repair is simply too dangerous, not to mention too expensive. Such barns either collapse under their own weight or are knocked down and burned to make way for something else. This sad fact drove me to get to work on my barn.


On May 7, 2009 a small tornado went through our neighborhood.  Thankfully, it did only minor damage to our house.  It did blow a large red oak tree onto the back end of our barn.  The damages were covered by insurance so we had the house repaired.  We did not however have the barn repaired, choosing to use that part of the proceeds to pay toward our mortgage. 

The tree cutters removed the large oak tree in pieces and laid them out around the barn and in the adjoining pen. They also removed a two-trunk locust tree which turned out to be a windfall (no pun intended). From the trunks of the locust tree I cut four hefty 8-foot fence posts.

After the tree cutters did their work, I turned our four growing hogs into the pen behind and along side the barn. They did their job admirably; rooting up and devouring the vegetation that had grown up amongst the stumps, chunks, and rocks. On Monday of this week I began the process of demolishing the portion of the barn that needs to be removed in order to rebuild the barn.

Now, before you judge me harshly for taking so long to address my tumbled-down barn, let me hasten to note that I am prone to think long on a project before actually getting into it. I have to take the project through a process that is part cogitation and part gestation before cutting the first board, digging the first hole or, for that matter, writing the first word. Perhaps I should also add in my defense that I did use a strong rope and my truck to pull down part of the crushed structure several months ago. The resulting CRASH and cloud of dust left me more than a little leery about proceeding without some serious thought.

And so it was this past Monday morning found me standing out in front of the barn, crow bar in hand much like Saint George sat on his horse, lance in hand, before the dragon. It was a very cold morning and I sort of felt like I was wearing armour wearing insulated overalls and a hood. But I warmed up quite nicely as I worked and by the end of the day, I had made very good progress.

At end of day one.

Tuesday was the last day of Christmas vacation for the oldest granddaughter-in-residence so, in her mama’s absence, it was my job to watch over her. That worked out very well in that I was absolutely too sore to go out and do battle with the barn two days in a row. My hands were the biggest proble I had worn good work gloves so they weren’t cut or nicked. I hadn’t picked up any splinters. But oh, the joints were sore! Just trying to make a fist hurt.

It made be think of something I’d read. In his book You Can Farm, Joel Salatin makes the point that age is an important consideration as one contemplates any agricultural endeavor. Well, duh! Sure it is! It is an important consideration as one contemplates any number of endeavors, but the fact is I’m never going to be any younger than I am right now so I’d better stay after it!

I was back “after it” this morning and made a lot of progress. The first thing I did was move all the used building materials stored in the barn out and into my trailer. There wasn’t a lot of stuff, but I didn’t want it underfoot. Then I proceeded to haul out all the barn parts that I had taken down earlier and placed them in the trailer as well. I continued to do that as the day progressed in order to keep from stepping on a nail. Stepping on a nail protruding from one of those boards could ruin an otherwise golden day.

When I quit working on the barn today, most of the back half of the barn was stripped of siding, stringers, rafters, and roofing.  Now it is dark out, supper has been eaten and the chicken house shut up. And I can feel the stiffness setting in. As the Lord would have it, tomorrow I am scheduled to watch one of our other granddaughters which will provide me a perfect opportunity to rest a day before returning to work on the barn.


At end of day two.





Stay tuned for further progress reports

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.

Free Chicken Feed

If you raise chickens let me ask you a question: Would you like to know where you might get some free food for them? Some time back our friend Herrick Kimball wrote a post at his blog about free chicken feed. You can read it here: http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2006/11/free-chicken-feed.html
Well, in the interest of helping my fellow poultry keepers, I want to share another story about free chicken feed.

About 30 years ago I was the assistant manager at Fantastic Caverns north of Springfield, MO. http://www.fantasticcaverns.com/ At that time my wife and I were living in our mobile home out by the caverns. It was there we raised our first batch of 25 fryers. Lacking an outbuilding, we set up a brooder box for them in the extra bedroom. When they had feathered out and were ready to leave the brooder, I made a pen for them that measured about 8 feet by 8 feet. Half the top was solid and the other half was poultry wire on a wood frame.

Among my many responsibilities at work was the overseeing of the snack bar. Each evening I would bring home the left over popcorn. Yes, we made fresh everyday. Generally this amounted to 2 - 4 gallons of popped corn. The chickens loved it and thrived.

Well I got to thinking about that the other day and got to wondering where I could get free popcorn now. Actually some friends of ours own Ozark Mountain Popcorn http://www.ozarkmountainpopcorn.com/ so I asked them if they ever had any waste popcorn. Well sure they do and they are happy to give me some now and then. Typically I receive 55 gallon plastic trash can liner full. The corn is "plain" that is without any added flavors or salt. In return I take them a dozen fresh hen fruits from time to time.

The hens love the popcorn. During these cold winter months, I continue to feed a commercial feed but only about 50% of what I was feeding before. Once spring arrives and the vegetation and bugs re-appear, I expect to cut out all commercial chicken feed.

Now where can you get free popcorn? I suggest you check with movie theaters, indoor sporting arenas (don’t overlook college or university sports arenas), and baseball or softball facilities. The corn you receive at these sources will likely be salted but based on my past experience, that will not be a detriment to your flock.

Hard Scrabble Times

The other day I was exploring the web site http://www.homestead.org/ and came across an article by John Molloy entitled The “Swiss Army Knife” of Homestead Tractors. The following paragraphs caught my attention:

What used to be pretty well accepted as “normal” life is likely where we're all headed – tougher times.

Most people deluded themselves into believing that the last several decades of post-modern decadence would last forever. It was the “easy life” characterized by a second mortgage-credit card existence securely tucked in an endless immigrant-groomed suburbia and required little more than showing up for some completely unproductive and over-paid 9 to 5 job. The denizens produced absolutely nothing of tangible value, and that era is crashing to a close.

High five and six-figure salaries are vaporizing like the morning fog off river bottoms, as the harsh light of economic reality burns the hazy illusions away. When you have off-shored the manufacturing of products that have true and measurable value, and the Corporatists have turned our formerly productive economy into one based on nothing but “service”, well, we can only wash each other's clothes for so long before the money runs out. The multiplier effect is dead, particularly once you have to import the soap.

“Hard Scrabble Times” alright, maybe even the “Real McCoy” of economic depression is probably what awaits.

The last President who ascended to power after the wheels had come off the economy once said, “Nothing happens in politics that isn't planned.” Economics and politics are pretty well all intertwined these days, just as they were back in 1933. Who am I - a lowly occasional scribe and creature of the land - to argue with such a respected intellect and connected man as F.D.R., therefore I shall simply agree with his premise.

Men with plans perhaps nefarious, best laid, now coming to a devastating
fruition.

Wow! Do you suppose that is true? I think it probably is. No, I am not wanting to "dog pile" on former president G.W. Bush. A debacle like we are experiencing and are about to experience has taken more than the last eight years to develop let alone plan. If it was planned, it was certainly not planned by one single person or political party. Many entities and persons are complicit in this mess. One thing we can count on is that many of the same people involved in getting our country to this point are ready and waiting with a great deal of enthusiasm to jump in and "fix" the problem by redesigning and redirecting the role of government through this crisis.

What concerns me more now is what can I do, what can you do, to deal with the situation.

Three things come to mind: pray, plan, and prepare.

Pray for wisdom and guidance after praying for forgiveness.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

Plan because right thinking leads to right actions. How will you stay warm in cold weather or provide a cooling breeze in hot weather if the power goes down? What will you eat if the factory food production and delivery system is disrupted? How will you get to work (if you still have a job) if the public transportation you depend in is disrupted or it becomes too expensive or dangerous to drive? What will you use to barter if "real money" becomes scarce or worthless? Where will you go if civil unrest overtakes your town or city?

Prepare now. One of my greatest struggles right now is putting into action the plans that I have made. Some how, taking the first steps toward preparedness seems to make the probability, the reality, of the coming storm more real. Can you relate to that?

I have received most of the garden seeds that I ordered for planting this spring. But there are canning supplies to lay in, food stuffs like flour, sugar, salt, etc to buy and store. The hog pens are not yet ready nor the feeder pigs purchased. I still need to complete some fencing projects when the weather permits. Chicks and rabbits are still to be acquired. Provisions need to be made to pump and store water from the well if the power grid fails, a catch water system installed and myriad other tasks.

In the midst of all this planning and preparing, I think it is very important to plan and prepare so as to be able to share with others, beginning with our extended family.

One thing I won't do, and I encourage you not to do it either: I will not look to the government to provide for me and mine.

Beware the government big enough to give you everything.

Cleaning up the Jungle

Some folks may not know that there are jungles in southwest Missouri but there are. I have spent several days in the last two weeks cleaning up a jungle right here at Way Haven. Truth be told, I have several days’ work still ahead to complete the project.

We sold our last pigs abut 20 years ago. Since then a jungle has been growing up in our hog lots. Wild grape vines, poison ivy, berry brambles and locust trees took over; slowly at first and then with amazing speed. I had thought that I would just put some feeder pigs in the lots and let them clean things up but “The best-laid plans of mice and men oft times go astray”.

Late in the summer of 2006, I thought to cut down a BIG red oak tree about 25 feet away from the smaller hog pen adjacent to the barn. I have cut down lots of trees without a hitch but this time something went wrong and the tree went east not west. The good news is it missed the barn. The bad news is it crushed parts of the fence on two sides of the aforementioned pen. That meant I couldn’t turn pigs in to clean up the jungle so, two years later, I have finally gotten around to cleaning it up.

The picture below is taken from the stump of the fallen tree looking toward the barn. By the way, I owe a big thank you to former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson for my barn but that’s another story.

Above is a picture of the blocks cut from the tree just above the main split in the trunk. You can see where the trunk splits in the photograph below.


When I was finally able to get the downed tree off of the hog panel fence, I found the damages were not as extensive as I had feared. On the end closest to the stump a complete hog panel was pretty much toast. Maybe I can cut a small gate out of it which would be great because on the other side of the pen, where the top of the tree hit the fence, it hit just about two feet from the end of a panel. It looks like I can put a gate cut from the other panel there. If you look closely at the picture below you can see the gap. You can sure see the jungle that remains.



I spoke to the man from whom we hope to buy feeder pigs. He projected they would be available in mid-February. So, I need to stay with this project to have the pen ready by then. By the way, if I were to re-take these pictures today, everything would be covered with snow and ice. That is winter in southwest Missouri!