Joys of Farming

So we got some snow on Valentines day. The dogs like to play in it, but the chickens hate it! I am just done with winter, snow & cold. We've also had some below zero nights. YUCK! I want NEED Spring!

On Saturday, we realized the freezer part of the refrigerator in the store broke. Even though it's really small, we had it packed with meat = a $310 dollar loss. Not fun!

We are anxiously awaiting sugaring season. Today, we are were going to tap our lines, hoping to get the first run this week. Mark filled our gathering tank with water & hitched the trailer to his tractor, so K3 & I could clean the sap tank in the woods, while he and K3's boyfriend tapped the lines. We are all ready, dogs can't wait to run @ Grandpa's, and the tractor dies. Which means he is trying to fix it while we wait.The day is flying by, looking like we aren't going to tap today. These are just the joys hardships of farming.

Here's some pics from the week:

Poor Miley, her cone is like a shovel in the snow.

On chicken was brave.

This is 5 minutes after I mopped. Looks great, doesn't it?

JD is growing. This is his puppy sweater, looks like a cap on him now.
I had to buy him a new collar, because he outgrew the one I got him a month ago. His feet are giant. We can hear him coming in any room, just by the noise his big paws make.

Sheep are getting big with lambs!

K1 has been working with her horse. We had to sedate him to get him home when we bought him.Now he walks right on.  

100th post....

This is my 100th blog post, so I looked back at my first post and decided to re post it. This was written  5/8/12. 

Why We Want To Farm

For Mark & I it began when we were kids. Mark spent his childhood playing with toy tractors, playing @ Wilbur’s farm, and knowing he wanted to be a farmer. I have happy memories playing @ my brother’s farm with Christa, and @ the LeRoy’s farm.

We grew up and both of us worked on my brother’s farm. I milked cows for ten years and Mark worked there for twelve. Then we moved on for jobs with better pay & better hours.

In 2009, I took a class on sustainability @ CCV taught by an amazing professor (J. Williams), who opened my eyes to the problems with our food system. I watched Food Inc, read books by Joel Salatin, Michael Pollan, and Barbra Kingsolver. I realized there are many ways to farm, other than the traditional dairy farm which Mark & I were so familiar with.

So, here we are....trying to make something of Triple K Farm (named after our three daughters). Our goal is to provide a healthy, happy, and sustainable quality of life for ourselves, our animals, and hopefully others.

We currently sell hay, maple syrup, lamb, and K3 sells eggs. We have hopes for much more in the future. Stay tuned...

I remember writing this post. We were trying to find a way to make our farm work. We were definitely discourage.We had a plan and knew what we wanted to do, but no land or barn to make it happen. Every option we tried to pursue ended up not working out. Mark desperately wanted to farm on the Simonds homestead, but that wasn't an option. We found a small farm in Leicester, but when we went to the bank it was just a little too expensive. Then we found a field for sale in Whiting, but that sold too quickly. We had thought of asking Leo & Arlene about renting, but thought for sure they would think we were crazy & shoot down the idea like everyone else. I remember sitting at the table with Mark and we made the decision that if we couldn't make this happen in 2013 than we were done. We were tired of being half way in the game. In or out!  Well, we asked Leo & Arlene and they agreed! Not only do they allow us to rent the barn, but help us in lots of little ways. So here we are Livin' the dream!

I hope you all enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it.I just have to document this crazy life we lead somehow, and I may as well share with others. So raise your glass, to another hundred blogs. Cheers!

Been awhile.....

Nothing exciting happening here. Last weekend we cut firewood both days. On Saturday K2 & her boyfriend helped with a load, and on Sunday K3 & her friend helped with another load. We did 4 loads total last weekend. I was so tired. I'm pretty strong - I carry buckets & bales twice a day, and clean stalls, but 2 long days of wood & my arms were so sore. I was going to blog on Saturday night but I didn't want to use my arms! 

K3 and her Best Bud - K5

Yesterday was a snow day & my niece came over to watch horse movies.  We snuggled on the couch and watched Flika (my favorite horse movie, maybe because it has Tim McGraw in it!)

K1 & her little cousin

On Tuesday we noticed Miley was limping. We found she had cut her leg. So we bandaged it & put on her cone so she can't rip it open. This is what she did last year & ended up with stitches. I was really glad we saved her cone.

Poor pitiful Miley

JD enjoying the sun.

Poor JD doesn't fit in his basket

Today I updated our website www.triplekfarm.com. Check it out!

Yucky January!

We've had a cold January. Many days in the single numbers, with below zero nights. That means we've had some frozen water bowls and animals that stay in all day. When it's this cold they eat more hay just to keep their body warm. Not to mention we've been going through a lot of wood. After being in the cold I am so happy to have a nice warm & toasty house. Not so happy when I had to split more wood today, because we don't have enough to finish the winter.

January means the dreaded T word.....TAXES! I gather all my info so that I can file at the end of the month. This year I was a little behind,so that meant days of sorting & filing. My main reason for starting this right after the Christmas stuff is put away, is because I need it done before sugaring. Once that season starts  my life goes into high gear- sugaring, babies, than gardening & open petting barn, then it's haying..... busy, busy!

Next on my list is to work on some new ideas:

• More CSA options.
• A Spring Fling & Fall Festival.
• Weekly playgroup
• Season passes

I'll keep you updated  :)

Here's a few pics from my Crazy Life!

Another calf....I think Mark has an obsession!

JD got into the trash & was so happy with his find, he didn't even notice the lid around his neck!

Brat Boys are growing.....

JD makes a good pillow for K1!

One of the few days it got warm & Miley dug around in the dirt.

Manwear

I came to the realization that I don't have my own barn clothes. I was suiting up for chores the other day when CQL looked at me and made the comment "You go to the barn every day, I think you can have your own clothes." Hummmm, that's a good point.

 Here's what I wear: A big sweatshirt (I have several that "shrunk" and no longer fit Mark). If it's really cold I wear his old flannel lined Carhartt pants, the ones that are ripped in the knee. He wears newer, hole free ones to his job. I wear yoga pants under these. These are my own :)  I have his old, before we were married (we've been married 21 years!), jacket. Then to top it off, I carry his old knife. The one that he got from my brother at the first family Christmas he went to. It barley cuts baler twine! I asked for a pink jackknife for Christmas, but sadly I didn't get one. K2 jokingly tells me I look like a man, when I walked in the other morning she said "good morning, sir!"  I think that's why I wanted a pink knife, something feminine...you know to make me feel like a lady.  The good part of my barn  manwear  is that I stay warm.

I did just get a haircut & color  from my most favorite cosmetologist (K2)...not that you can tell because most days my hair is tucked inside my hood. Here's where I should insert a selfie, but it's late, I'm tired, and I'd have to actually "do" my hair. 

We have a baby Alligator!

Well, at least that's what I have nicknamed JD. He is constantly biting. You walk by him & he grabs onto your pants. We tell him "no bite" pull him off & he snaps at you, like an alligator. He also snaps at you when he wants to get your attention or play.  He has torn socks (that were on the feet of my niece), boxers (he grabbed from the laundry room floor & when K1 tried to take them from him they ripped), and K3's sheets!

He is also becoming adventurous when we go outside. He does NOT come when called. Miley only comes occasionally, so the two of them take off with me running (or skating in this weather) behind them. So frustrating! Carter rocks he ALWAYS comes when called. Even if he is running full speed after something, he will turn around & come back to me every time.

JD's biggest vice is mice/moles. The big dogs love to catch moles that live under the snow. They have great fun catching them, and then playing with them until they die. After they've had their fun they leave them on the lawn. This is where JD comes in...he finds the discarded moles & EATS THEM, in like, two bites. It's crazy,he grabs them and I start yelling at him. Than he gobbles them up whole, and eats them in two bites. I don't know how he doesn't choke or get sick.The first time he did this I looked away and started gagging. It is so gross.

On the plus side, he is doing really well with house training. He has started to whine at the door, which is great! Not all the time, sometimes I see him sniffing / circling and get him outside, other times I do find puddles. Several days can go by with no puddles or piles in my house. He is totally crate trained. He goes right in his crate and settles down. He never has any potty accidents in there.

JD also knows how to sit and we are working on stay. He loves his toys! He loves to play with Miley. He also  loves to snuggle. He is outgrowing my lap, much to his dismay. He's also getting too big for the shoe box, which is his favorite spot in the kitchen. It's tough to grow up.

All in all he's a lot of fun and a happy go lucky pup! But, he is definitely lots of work & time. It's a good thing he is so cute :)

He's discovered the chickens.

It's a hard life, being a dog!

Goodbye 2013

When I look back at the year, I definitely feel like it was a busy one. Here's few things that stick out in my mind.

January- was get ready for sugaring. We bought a bigger arch. Mark spent a lot of time installing that, which meant that I did a lot of  the wood splitting !

February- was lambing & sugaring. Which is always CRAZY! We had a set of quads born, and I spent several weeks bottle feeding two of them. I was so happy they all made it!

March & April- we started working on the petting barn. We spent many hours demoing, remodeling, and I think we went all over VT and even to NH buying various animals- alpacas,calves, mini ponies, and goats!

May- was junior prom for K2 & senior ball for K1. We also got our first two foster pups!

June- K1 graduated from high school, which was a little emotional for me.  We had the grand opening of our petting barn - we had about 100 people, which was our goal. We begin selling our meat & poultry CSA shares.

July- was many days at the petting barn, managing all the animals, and haying!

August- Back to school for the girls. I don't know where time has gone but I have a freshman in college, a senior in high school, and a freshman in high school. My babies are all grown up!

September-  K3's field hockey games, birthday parties & field trips @ the petting barn.

October- Petting barn closes for the season. We had a very successful Fall Fun Day!

November- We got a new puppy (he found us) named JD.

December- we've had harsh weather. A foot of snow one day, -15 another, and than a inch of ice. Doing anything outside has been miserable.

2013 was all about Livin' The Dream! As always I am so thankful for Mark, my girls,and our good health!
Looking forward to another great year!