Scythes, Stoneware, Cannons & Morning Bacon

It has been a busy weekend. Had several plans for what was going to happen but had to adapt accordingly. Part of the roof is leaking on the exterior, so the plan was to remove the shingles and reshingle the area. Well when we got up it was raining, so that shot the plans to the wind. Couldn't quite start on the new porch either, since I didn't really think it was a good idea to work with wet timbers...so then I remembered that there was a festival going on at the local steam grounds. So after I took my wife to work, and cooked up a nice breakfast, the wee one took a nap, and then we loaded up and off we went. Seems like the rain was definitely a sign that I was supposed to take the kids out. At the festival there was a flea market, steam show, parade, tractors galore, the old farm buildings [cabin, barn, trading post, wood shop, print shop, and metal shop], civil war re-enactors, and food galore.

The first table we walked to after unloading the caravan [dad + 6 kids], had something that we have been looking to acquire for awhile. Stoneware shoulder jugs! I found three in very nice condition and with minimal chipping. After haggling a bit of a deal, I quickly took them to the truck.

At the old trading post, the gentleman had another item I have been seeking. I wasn't sure that the items he had were for sale or if they were just for show, but hanging in the rafters were a couple of scythes. I went in to ask him if they were available, but he was busy talking with another couple and the kids were ready to move so I determined to go back after a bit and see what I could find out. We stopped in the old cabin and let the kids look around. It is a one room original homestead cabin that they exhibit. I got into a bit of a tiff with the gentlemen inside though. My son made a comment that he wanted to live in a cabin like this when he was older and the man inside [in his late 40s early 50s] proceeded to tell him what a horrible life it was to live in a cabin like so. He was very discouraging in his attitude and while we walked away I made it a point to discuss the possible reasons for his attitude and told the children that he surely had no right to say what he said. After wandering through an enormous amount of tractors from the 1930's to present day, we came to the Civil War Encampment. The unit was a light artillery unit who had three cannons with them. After spending some time checking out the artifacts, they actually let the kids play with them...which gave me tremors watching them opening the old spy glass or rolling around the cannon shot, playing with the black powder revolvers - it showed that old time craftsmanship was made to last for sure. We spent a good hour and a half there, watching the cannons fire and exploring. Even had a nice trail lunch of pickles, peanuts, jerky and blueberry bread with sarsaparilla soda to wash it down. We walked around a bit more and then it was back to the trading post. After talking with the owner [a gentlemen in at least his 70's] he told me that no one in his family had figured out how to use the scythes since his grandfather. I explained what I want to use it for and he said since he had 4 he could part with one...for $5.00! I quickly scooped up the sturdiest one I could find and thanked him for his help.

Then it was off to the steam train, more shops, more tractors, then it was time to go home and feed the critters.

Sunday morning was a nice wake-up call! When I went outside there just happened to be four pigs wandering about the property, clearly not where they were supposed to be. Wish I would have took a picture though, because I sure felt like an old swineherder when I walked the piggie parade back to the hole they made in the fence. After repairing that and taking care of the rest of the critters we had breakfast and went right to work on the new porch [which you can see in the background of the pics]. We all worked all day on it till we ran out of timbers. It was a nice surprise though for mama when she got home! I can't wait to finish it. It is a 12' x 16' form, which is enormous compared to our old 3' by 3' porch. It should be the backdrop for a lot of good times to come. Once we got everything cleaned up and done for the day, we waited for mom to come home and finished off the rest of the homemade root beer. It was a great weekend!

Future Hunters Arise!

Great news! Everyone passed their test and are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to go afield and enter the chase. Our oldest will be able to get her license immediately, while the other two will have to wait for their 12th birthdays. She is quite excited that she will be able to go deer hunting this year. They have all been out in the blind with me, but never with a chance at taking a shot. Their next project is earning enough money to obtain a bow, rifle, and shotgun suitable for their use.  We shall see what the future holds!

Hunter-Trapper Education Class

Tomorrow is the big day. The three eldest children have been diligently studying the online portion of their hunter-trapper education course [seems nowadays their is a 4 hour online course that must be completed prior to attending class, guess things change over the years.] They are quite excited, as am I. Upon completion of the course and their 12th birthday they will be able to obtain their first hunting license and begin what is hopefully a lifelong joy of hunting. They have already spent quite a few years afield with me on various occasions, but have never been able to actually have their own gun and 'hunt'. I believe this is an important milestone for them, and one they have been looking forward to for many years. They are growing up and the opportunity to provide for the family through the hunt is now before them. I plan on rewarding them with a feast/bonfire and a gift if they pass. I am thinking that a knife making kit would be a great gift. They could create a blade that would serve them well for many years. We shall see what tomorrow holds!

Homestead Handyman

The day began without a plan, hoping for one of those sunny days like we have been having for some time now - but to no avail. Off the job for a week, so been planning on painting the goat shed. Today was not to be that day! Forecast was for rain and it came. In between though I did finish cutting the last two panels for the goat shed and screwed them in place. Came back up to the house and decided to take care of another problem on the list. When we added onto the old place, I was very green and following the ways of a couple of old timers who were teaching me the ropes. I know now what I did not know then - the importance of OVERHANG on a roof. Not sure as to why that was left out when we built the roof, but none the less it didn't take long for us to notice a problem. Water had been creeping down the inside of the exterior wall and soaking the floor and interior wall. So I grabbed the old sledge hammer and pry bar and proceeded to rip off all the wood on the exterior wall. Then came the scraping of the old insulation, then chipping out of the floor and general cleansing. Had the boy giving me a hand in that process. Continued moving along and reinsulated it, then replaced the exterior wall with fresh new boards. So that moves the interior wall closer to the top of the list. Tomorrow's plan is to go and retrieve as much timber as possible to side the lower half of the addition, grab a few sheets of plywood siding for the top half, and also recover a ton of cement blocks from a friend's scrapped construction project. Figure on rolling the older ones out of bed bright and earlier so they can assist! They do love helping out though, and are learning a lot. Not a project goes by that they don't help in some way. Teamwork! Makes it go by faster too.

We also built a milking stand for the goats, as we want to start training the doelings on the routine. I found a few plans online and kind of adapted them as best I could. Ended up only needing two brackets to reinforce it, was able to find everything else I needed around the ole homestead.

Busy Weekend!

It has been one heck of a busy weekend! The kids and I spent almost the entire weekend preparing for the arrival of some new additions to the homestead. We finished tearing down our old hog pens removing all the cattle panels and 4 x 4 posts so that we could flip them into a run. Then we pounded in the t-posts and began wiring the panels up. I thought I was getting quite the deal when they told me to take all the t-post clips I wanted, but now I can see why it is that many people don't even bother using them. So using a mixture of successful clips and galvanized wire, we completed the run. The kids were not thrilled after trying out the post driver, but it was a good learning experience for them. While trying to level out the area for the panels, we managed to dig up a nest of ground bees - no one got stung thankfully. Then a massive downpour arrived and I took that as a sign to pause for the day. Sunday was construction day! After finishing the fencing, I developed a pleasant and hopefully functional design for the house. It is a 7' x 8' x 6' three sided building with partial covers in the front. We used the good old handsaw to cut the angles and I spent a good several hours instructing the older children in the joys of framing. Now it just needs a nice paint job and a latch and it will be good to go! I will post pictures as soon as we are finished.

A 40 Hour Week...

I work a full time job and have been there for 18 years. For the last 20 years of my life I have never not held a full time job. From the age of 17, I obtained a job and have held one ever since without any pauses. I did not come from a rich or middle class family. I did not have all the latest video games, coolest clothes, newest shoes, or travel on vacation or school trips. I learned that in order to have something, I had to work for it. I did not blame my parents for this and in all honesty am glad that I gained the work ethic that I possess from experiencing life. I attended school in a district which was highly composed of those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. I didn't allow the difference to affect my life. I am sure that the differences were apparent, but I didn't care. I was an A.P. Honors student and excelled in my classes. When the time came for college, I knew it wasn't feasible so I joined the USMC straight out of high school. Since then I obtained a college degree while working full time as a produce manager in a local grocery store, and then as a direct care staff at a facility for the mentally and physically handicapped, and now as an educator in that same facility. I can see how my experiences and the societal pressures led me to believe that life had to be lived a certain way. That one need conform to the idea of amassing large amounts of printed paper in hopes of being the same as everyone else. That one had to dress a certain way or act another in order to be 'a productive member or society' and to join the herd. My 'friends' were there mining my abilities and luring me deeper into the herd. All the while, I was determined that I was not like the 'sheeple' [btw I know consider that term an insult to sheep]. I would speak out against the ideas, always being adamant in my opinions and actions while all the while wearing sheep's clothing.  Then one day the moon rose full, and I could no longer stand forth and accept the path I was being led down. I re-examined life and saw that the honor I sought was being tarnished by the incoherence of the life I had begun to live. I did not need to change to be something I was not, but instead needed to embrace fully my true being and live. I needed to direct my energies to living as coherently as possible. 110% had to be given to the truth of life instead of the facades of this society. I saw the taint for what it was and even still find more and more differences every single day that bring about a change within. But still that hold is squeezed tight in one simple fact - I still work a 40 hour week. Could I quit and focus all my energies where they belong - on my family, our homestead, and our dreams? I have no doubt that we would survive and be able to make that adjustment. Would it be easy? No, there would be more trials and tribulations, more planning and scarcity, and more reinforcement to return to being that obedient servant. I still work a 40 hour week. I truly believe that directing my energies away from what is truly important will constantly hold back our efforts at achieving our dreams. Aye there's the rub! One can not keep one foot in the land of our consuming society and one in a self-reliant agrarian belief. Doing so essentially cancels out progress. Society does not like change, it doesn't care for those who choose to stand outside its boundaries, or those who go against the flow. It strives to pull everyone into the melting pot of monoculture and blind ignorance. As long as I work a 40 hour week I am forced to flow along with the rest of their wishes and dreams, forsaking our own. How does one change that? It takes money to escape money? Can one ever escape? Thoughts to ponder during those 40 hours...

Motivation and Stewardship

What truly motivates the life we strive to live? There is without a doubt a deep spiritual answer to this question. In fact there are many answers to this question, none of less value than the others. There is one answer though, that stands forth every single day. One answer that is there when we wake up in the morning, follows us throughout the day and through the night. Always there unspoken or not, by some it would seem forgotten. That answer is our children.

They are the progeny we will leave to inherit the Earth. They are the ones who will continue our journey and in turn prepare it for our descendants. As parents we work hard to provide for our children, to offer them  the best of opportunities, to meet their wants and needs, so that they can grow to become happy, healthy, and strong young adults. Every action we start, for good or ill, plays an important role in forming the mind and realities of our children. I think sometimes this can be forgotten, as many lessons are taught through the perceptions of your actions. They are always watching, listening,and absorbing the lessons of life. It is essential we live in a manner that we would hope they will emulate and give them the basis to make sound and honorable decisions in their own lives when the time comes.

We are all stewards of the Earth, not masters. It is our duty to live in harmony and strive to maintain that healthy balance, for their sake. When I see the children out picking flowers for mom, and being sure to only take one and leave the rest as they found them, or my daughter rescuing an abandoned baby mouse or tadpoles from a drying puddle, or my son picking up litter off the street simply because it is there - I know they are learning these lessons well.

"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." --Native American Proverb

An Introduction and a Brief History

I am a 37 year old, happily married husband and father of seven [ranging from 9 months old to 12 years old]. A number of years ago, my wife and I decided that it was time to get back to what we like to call the 'old ways'. At the time we lived in your classic 'city lot with a white picket fence'. Having both grown up in the 'sticks' we both had a bit of knowledge and so started bringing the country to the city. That didn't last long - our crops soon overtook our land, our ve was always a question around the neighborhood, tanning hides, processing deer, fish and turtles, performing our rites always watching to see who was peeking out of what window next door....it just clearly was not what we wanted nor could accept. Our beliefs were also causing issues for our children in school. We also knew we could not afford to buy our dream of large number of acres in the country, so we plotted, planned, and kept to our path. I normally hunted on my brother's property, and one day after climbing out of the woods bow in hand, I was greeted with a posting across the road from my brother - a tax sale notice posted on the land across the way. After all the research I found it was clean and that it was going to be put to auction for the taxes - as long as the taxes were not paid by the deadline. The day before the auction, I placed a call to check for the final time and it appeared the taxes had been paid. A shame, but we thought we would continue waiting and watching - knowing one day we would find what we sought. I just couldn't get that property out of my head though - it was 16 acres directly across from my brother's 13 acres and surrounded by state forests. So we tracked down the owner and wrote her a letter, explaining our situation and our plans for the future and offering to purchase the land if at all possible. A month later we received a letter in the mail from the lady, hearing our plans and about our family she said that if we would meet her she would give us the land. She and her family had no further use for it, as her husband had passed and her children had no desire for it. Long story short - we met, filed the papers and paid the taxes and became the proud owners of our 16 acres of untamed wilderness. It came to be that her son who was a bit 'touched' had been living there. After spending several months attempting to have him vacate [though out original plan was to include him in our design if he wished it, he did not, and after meeting him we knew it would never work] he finally did leave. We worked on reclaiming the land and making the house habitable. It was March and we were finally ready, after the girls got back from their weekend retreat at the Girl Scout Camp we were going to completely move in. On Monday, my wife dropped me off to work and drove out to get everything ready for our first night....when she got there everything was burned to the ground. No fire trucks, just piles of ash everywhere. Apparently it was never seen or reported and we lost everything we owned except what was packed in the van. After the police investigation it was labeled arson, etc, etc and finally there were no answers other than 'some delinquents must have been out causing trouble'. It was a tough time, but we were all alive and well and that was what mattered. Thankfully we had waited to stay there or else it may have been a completely different story. We made a decision that we would buy a tent, move to the land and start fresh from the ashes - and that is exactly what we did - us, the kids, 2 dogs, a cat and our 30 chicks. Cooking on a fire, living without electricity, running water, or anything else we spent the next 8 months rebuilding a 1960's mobile home that was also on the property, planting and living. One of the best damn years ever [and they keep getting better!]. That was three years ago and our 'homestead' has truly flourished one small step at a time.