7 Reasons to Go to Your Local Farmer's Market

I know that on Thursday I usually post a recipe. Well this week, I didn't have the time to get a recipe ready to share with you all. That doesn't mean that I wasn't cooking or baking, in fact I have done quite a bit this week. All my cooking and baking have been in preparation for our local farmer's market.

Our local farmer's market.

I have been an avid fan/shopper of our local farmer's market for over five years. In that time you get to know the vendors, you know the quality of their food and produce. I absolutely love when the farmer's market opens and I try to go every week. At the very least I try to get there every other week.

Well this year, I have decided to take a leap and become a vendor myself. I am excited and scared all at the same time. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. I have wanted to make things and sell them, but I have always thought up excuses as to why I couldn't.

Jams and Jellies I will be selling at my local farmer's market.

I was talking to a friend of mine who is great at motivating me and giving me pep talks. She talked about how to first have faith. No matter what God will take care of us if only we will believe. She also told me that if I never try, I will never know if I can succeed. She is absolutely right!

I thought I would share with you the reasons why you should go to your local farmer's market. Some of you probably have, but maybe there are a few who never have.

Eggs are a popular item at the farmer's market.

So here are my 7 reasons why you should go to your local farmer's market.

1.  Great Food!

The food that you buy at the farmer's market is fresh!  It hasn't been picked before it's ripe, to sit on a truck as it travels across country, only to sit (again!) on the shelf for who knows how long!  If it is baked goods, you know it has been baked within the last 24 hours.  You also get to try new things that you might not even see at a regular grocery store.  In fact I can't wait to get some more of the apple wood smoked salt one of the vendors sell. It is amazing!

2.  Great Price!

When I first started going to the market, I noticed that a lot of times the cost of food was higher than at the grocery store.  Not by much, just a few cents. At first my budget-trained mind kicked in and thought, I'm not going to pay that! But then I realized, I'm getting locally raised, organic, top quality food.  That few extra cents?  Worth it! And it is much cheaper than buying organic in a grocery store.  Plus you cut out the middleman. There is nothing better than buying straight from the grower, because...

3.  You Know Where Your Food Comes From

I love knowing where my food comes from. I love knowing that my food comes from a farm that is only a few miles down the road. I love knowing that the produce was picked less than 24 hours from the time that I purchase it. What to know where the food comes from? Ask questions, ask about the farm and their farming practices. They love to share that information with you, and then you will see the value in the items you buy.

4.  Reduces Carbon Foot Print

I touched on this in reason number one. My veggies and baked goods are not coming from across the country, or even from another country. They did not have to travel thousands of miles in a pollution emitting vehicle. There is also less packaging and less waste. This is a great and easy way to start your trek on becoming environmentally friendly! :-)

5.  Vendors Are Very Knowledgeable

Vendors are very knowledgeable about their product, they have to be. I got in on a conversation one year about pest control. One shopper was asking the grower what kind of insecticide he used. The answer? He doesn't! At least not a chemically based insecticide. That was music to my ears. But then he went on to give the buyer some options of how to take care of pests naturally. So have if you have a question, ask it! They are more than happy to answer.

6.  Your Money Goes Back Into Your Local Economy

This is so important! I am supporting local farmers. This money is going straight into my local economy, right back into my home town. I want my town to flurish and I want those small (read non-corporate) farms to prosper.

7.  You Get to Meet Some Great People

The vendors at the farmer's market are some of the most wonderful people that I have met! I love talking to them and getting to know them. The best part, is that they all seem like a big happy family. I have not heard one vendor say anything negative about another vendor. I love that! If someone runs out of an item, then they know where to send you so you can get it from someone else. Unlike the corporate world, they are not out to compete with each other, but to help each other.

I hope that I have convinced you to go to your local farmer's market. In fact I hope that you come and visit me and the other vendors at the first farmer's market of our season.

Do you already frequent your farmer's market?  Tell me in the comments below your favorite item to buy

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2 comments farm, farmer's market, farmers, farming, food, health, locally grown, organic

Life and Death on the Farm

About a year ago, I wrote a post about farm life and if it really is worth all the trouble.  Fast forward a year and the troubles are happening again, but in a deadlier version.  But I will get to that a little later.

First I want to introduce you to our newest family members.  This is what I love about having a farm. The babies and the new family that we introduce on our farm. The new life that makes you feel so good and happy inside.

One of the things that I love about our public school is that in kindergarten and first grade, the classes get to hatch ducks and/or chickens.  They learn all about the process and the life cycle.  They get to see something that most do not get to witness, even in this rural area. I have never see children so excited.  Talk about a true hands-on learning experience.  That is something that they will always remember.

Aren't they cute?

The only thing is that once they chicks and ducks hatch, they need a place to go, We were lucky enough to be able to get 5 chicks from Carly's class to take home with us.  They are the cutest things and we get to experience raising chickens from the chick stage.  Before, we always bought pullets because we were afraid that we didn't have the time involved to take care of them.  But since we raised ducks up last year from babies, we thought we could do the same with the chicks.

We are hoping to get a couple of more ducks as well. There is a class that is currently trying to hatch some ducks and hopefully if they all hatch, we will get a couple of them.

But chicks aren't the only addition to our family. We have another one as well.

Carly has always wanted a bunny. From the time she was 4, she has been asking for one. We have always put her off saying that we didn't have a place for one and we didn't have the time to take care of it.

Well, this weekend we finally gave in. But there is a catch. She had to pay for the bunny, she has to take care of the bunny, and she has to do extra chores in order to help pay for feed.

Meet Rocky:

Our sweet, totally adorable, floppy-eared bunny. I'm in love!

Rocky is short for Rock Star.  That's right! We have a rock star living in our house. ;-)

We are not sure if it is a boy or girl, but it is the sweetest thing ever! This little bunny is so docile and loves to explore. I'm glad for this addition to our home. Steve and Carly will be building a rabbit hutch this summer so look for that post to be coming in the future.

Now for the bad.

We have lost a couple of our animals. First is was one of our guineas. It disappeared while we were away for the weekend. We even had Steve's daughter come and check on our animals. We came home to a pile of feathers.

With this many feathers you know the outcome can't be good.

The worst part was that four days later the guinea showed up in our yard dead. So now I'm wondering, did it get away from the original attack, only to come back home to be killed? I really thought that maybe one of our dogs had ended up killing it, but now I'm not so sure. They are rarely every aggressive to our birds, so it wouldn't be like them to kill one of them.

I posted a YouTube video of the sound of coyotes that run across our back field every night.  Well, the other morning, after Steve got up to go to work, he heard Abby (our border collie) going crazy. He got the spotlight out, and shined it into our backyard and just beyond the electric fence stood a coyote. As soon as the light hit it, Abby took off like a crazed and vicious animal (she is honestly so sweet) and tore into that coyote and drove it down past our creek.

This is one of the reasons why we have the dogs that we do. They are both stock dog breeds and very protective. While they may be part of our family, they do have a function on our farm, and that is to keep us and our animals safe.

We started talking about beefing up security. We need to redo the chicken run. The chickens can now get out and they roam free all day long. I love it, but it is no longer safe for them.

But the guinea is not the only one we lost. We also lost one of our ducks. Our one and only male duck. I didn't find a pile of feathers like I did with the guinea. It only took one...

This is the last thing I wanted to see.

I also found some paw prints.

One of the paw prints I found.

These are too large to belong to one of our dogs.

So now the hunt is on. Our first priority will be to drop everything and start working on our chicken pen. They are not going to be as happy, but they will still be alive. And this summer, we hope to get a chicken tractor built so they can still roam where there is fresh grass, but still be protected. And of course while we are home, they can roam free all over our yard.

So take a look at the paw print for me, and if you recognize it, let me know in the comments below what you think it is.  Is it a coyote? We also have bobcats around here as well.

Leave a Comment animals, babies, chickens, coyotes, death, ducks, farm, farm life, farming, guineas

7 Things I Have Learned About Having Ducks

Last year, about this time, I received a phone call from a friend wanting to know if we wanted some ducklings.  Without even thinking I blurted out, yes! Then realized it would probably be better if I asked my husband, Steve first before I commit us to this new endeavor.

Steve and I had already discussed adding ducks to our growing farm.  It was something that we wanted to do, but we needed to build a floating duck house (Be sure and watch our video on building a floating duck house), and find a good place for them to grow before going to our pond. 

Steve reminded me of all this, and I reminded him that we got chickens before we had a chicken coop.  We tend to do things like that.  We always put our cart before the horse.  If we waited until we were ready, nothing would happen!

So Steve agreed, with reservations of course, and I excitedly once again told my friend, yes!  She didn’t know how many there would be.  Anywhere from 2-7, but she would let us know when they were ready. So excitedly we went about the rest of the evening planning and dreaming, anxious to get started on our new adventure. 

Then time past, and we didn’t get any ducks.  And so we waited.  Still no ducks.  And we waited some more. And still no ducks.  We actually thought that we weren’t going to get them.  We kept asking and wondering.  The kids kept asking and wanting to know when the ducks were coming.  We even went to pick them up one night from my friend’s house, but they hadn’t been delivered.  Things were looking pretty grim about actually getting any ducks and Steve and I had pretty much decided that it was probably for the best.  Then at what I thought was the worst possible time (one week after I had major surgery), we got our ducklings. 

They were absolutely adorable!  We ended up getting 4 ducks and we immediately fell in love.  I realized that the timing was perfect.  With me unable to do anything but look at them (and even then it was only for a few seconds) the kids HAD to pitch in and do their share to take care of the ducks.  Of course Steve had a big hand in the ducks’ welfare and I am so grateful!  When Steve had to go back to work, but I still wasn’t able to take care of myself, let alone anything else, my parents would come over and my dad took care of those little ducklings.  I think he enjoyed it!  Or at least if he didn’t, he sure didn’t complain. 

After having them for almost a year, there have been a few things that we have learned.

1. Ducks are extremely messy and smelly!

I really had no idea how messy they are until we got them.  They love to splash in the water!  And not just puddles or ponds.  They like to splash in their drinking water.  They also mix the water and food together and then it gets everywhere.  If you have to keep them inside (we did until it warmed up and they were older), then I must warn you about the smell.  We had to clean out their little home twice a day.  It was almost impossible to keep it clean!  We don’t have a garage, so inside the house was where they stayed.  If you have a garage, that would be much better!

2. Ducks are surprisingly resilient.

We almost killed one of our ducks unknowingly.  We thought it would be a great idea to fill up a little tub and let them swim.  What we didn’t think about was that they water, straight from our well was icy cold.  One little duck, the runt of the bunch, got too cold and almost died.  It because lifeless and I grabbed a towel and wrapped it up and gently rubbed it.  It started to revive, but I knew it needed more warmth.  So I heated up one of our rice bags and put the bag under the towel that I had the duck wrapped in.  It survived, thank goodness!

Then another duck got trampled by the others while they were outside.  It was unintentional, but we thought this little duck was a goner for sure.  We separated it and took special care of it.  It took a couple of days, but was soon well again and able to function.

3. Ducks make great watch dogs.

I remember when we got our guineas my mom warned me that they would be loud.  Well, it wasn’t the guineas that were loud, but the ducks!  Not all the time mind you, just when something was going on that shouldn’t be.  Their quacks were definitely loud enough for us to hear inside the house, and we always knew that when we heard them, we needed to check on them.  They are great watch dogs!

4. Ducks love to eat dog food!

We do not intentionally feed our ducks dog food.  Our ducks, chickens and guineas roam free in our yard.  So if the dogs have not eaten all their food from the night before (we have to feed them at night when the animals are all put up so they actually get to eat!) then the ducks go straight to the food and finish it off for them!  Our poor dogs, they don’t quite know what to do.  They know better than to hurt the ducks, they have been trained.  So they just lay there and watch them eat.

Poor Lynn and Abby, the ducks eat all their food. 

5. Duck eggs are delicious!

Duck eggs are a bonus!  They are extremely delicious, very rich and creamy, are great in baking.  They have 9 grams of protein compared to 6 grams that a chicken egg has.  They are also higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, and people who are allergic to chicken eggs, generally are able to tolerate duck eggs.  Also depending on the breed of duck you have, they can lay year-round.  Our ducks laid this past winter while our chickens did not.  This allowed us to continue having eggs without having to buy any!

6. Ducks live well with chickens and guineas.

We decided to put our ducks in with our chickens and guineas.  We did have to ease into this.  We first put them into the run with the chickens, but not in the coop at night with them.  The ducks had their own little home at night which was fine for the summer months, but we knew during the winter that we had to get them into the coop.  Allowing them to ease into it, made all the difference.  It did take a couple of months, but they are now living happily together

7. Ducks will always come home at night.

When we first started taking the ducks to the pond, we thought we would have to go and get them to bring them back to the coop to keep them safe.  We were shocked when on the first night as we walked out the back door to heard them back to safety, they already beat us to it.  They had spent the day on the pond, enjoying the water and all the luscious berries, and grasses and bugs to eat.  But as the sun started to go down, they made their way back to their home for the night.  Every night since then, no matter where they might be in the yard, or even the field, when the sun starts to go down, they come home. 

Coming home.

We lost one of our ducks.  I’m not sure what happened to it, although we can all guess that it probably ended up as a scrumptious dinner for either a coyote or fox (we have both).  We had lost chickens and guineas before like that, but it never bothered me knowing that is part of farm life.  It bothered me losing a duck.  I think of them more as pets than as a farm animals. 

Playing in the pond.

This spring we have a chance to get more ducks and we have jumped at the chance!  We love our ducks and are looking forward to getting more to add to our family. 

Are you wondering about adding ducks to your farm?  I would definitely say it is worth it.  They are wonderful animals and even though they are a little work, they make our farm and our family a happier place.

Let me know in the comments below how you feel about ducks.

1 comment ducks, farm, farm life, farming, water fowl

Gardening in Winter: A Cold (Frame) Story

It has been a very mild December for us here in Missouri.  We were thankful for the weather that we did have as we laid Tippy to rest in our orchard.  Tippy was our dear sweet kitty.  She will be missed, and there is quite a void in our house without her.  Sox our other cat grieved over Tippy.  I didn't realize how much her passing would affect him, but it did, it affected all of us.

On the day we buried Tippy, the weather was very mild and we decided to take a little walk around our farm.  As we went buy our raised garden beds, I noticed some growth.  Some of our onions and spinach are growing.  I knew we had some old windows that we were saving to use for a greenhouse, so I asked Steve if he could fashion a cold frame for me.

Little onions and spinach growing. 

I have wanted to try and grow vegetables during the winter months, and I thought this was the perfect time to start my hand at it.  I'm not sure if this is going to work, but I will let you know.  With the raised beds, all we did was use one of the covers that Steve built, and then put the windows on top to create a greenhouse effect.  I will have to keep a close eye on them to make sure that they are getting enough water, and sunlight, but not burning up either.  A true cold frame would allow you to raise the glass so that the heat it generates from the sun does not burn the plant up.  At this time, we do not have this feature which is why I need to keep a close eye on it.

Our windows sitting on top of the cover on our raised garden bed. 

If you would like to watch the video I have it shared below.  It also shows you a beautiful view of our creek. If you would like to see more of our videos, then check-out our YouTube channel. 

Let me know in the comments below, have you ever gardened with a cold frame?

Leave a Comment cold frame, farming, gardening, Our Videos, sustainable living, vegetables

We Are Taking Family Night Back!

We have gotten into a rut.  A bad rut. This rut involves us being in so many activities that for almost a year, there was only one night a week that we would actually be home.  Supper was a rushed affair usually in front of the television, and almost never eaten as a family.  This was a far cry from how we did things just a year earlier.

I was always proud of how as a family, we would eat supper together, at the dinner table, and talk to each other about our day. It was important to me and Steve to make sure that dinner time was family time. 

Friday night was the exception which we instituted as Family Movie Night.  We would usually make pizza and watch a movie as we sat together on the couch.  Wednesday was our family game night. Right after supper we would play a game together, usually a board game.  We would have fun, and we would enjoy each others company.

Then last year, life happened.  We let activities take over our evenings.  We had cub scouts, and football, then basketball, then baseball. We also had piano lessons, tumbling, and hip hop.  Then we had the regular school evening activities thrown in on top of that.  Sometimes we were rushing from one thing to another.  Or we would even be double-booked, and have to miss out on something.  Needless to say my kids were in a lot of activities!  

On Facebook we looked like a super-family.  We were going and doing everything.  In real life, we hated it!  The kids begged to have a family game night again, but because we were so busy, we just couldn't  fit it in.  

We had ceased being a family.  We were just four people, going from one activity to the next.  We stopped communicating with each other, and we stopped enjoying each others company.  I really wanted a change, as did the rest of us, but once you get started, it is really hard to stop.  

What saved us was the torrential rains we received this summer.  Because of the rain, activities started to be cancelled.  Instead of rushing home, grabbing a bowl of cereal, or a peanut butter sandwich, I was able to go home after work and cook supper.  We weren't rushing somewhere so we were able to eat as a family.  

It was really nice to start cooking, and it was nice to be together.  Then last week, instead of turning on the television, we started playing games as a family again.  The kids were the ones that asked, in fact pleaded, so we said yes.  We had so much fun, that we started playing games every night!

We have had a great time reconnecting again.  We have talked and laughed, and joked with one another, and I was thinking to myself last night as we played Phase 10, these are the times that the kids are going to remember the most. The fun times, the family times.

Our happy family!

So thanks to the rain, we may not have a garden, but we have our family back!  Tonight Drew was supposed to have a baseball game, but guess what? It was cancelled due to a rain storm.  I'm kind of glad, because now we get to finish that game of Phase 10 we started last night.  I know that while he will be sorry about not playing baseball, he will be more excited about being together as a family and finishing that game. 

For the next year, the activities are going to slow down.  We are going to be very careful what we chose.  We are not going to be gone every single night.  I know we won't be able to have game night every single night, but we are going to be home, and eat supper together, and enjoy what little time we have before the kids grow up and are gone. 

Have you found that activities rule your life?

1 comment family, family night, farming, fun, games

Throw Back Thursday: Meatloaf!

Who doesn't like a good meatloaf?  Okay, I can hear groans out there.  I really think that meatloaf gets a bad rap.  Meatloaf was a staple in our house when I was growing up.  It wasn't necessarily my favorite meal, but as an adult, I do like it.  What I find funny is that my 9-year-old actually asks for it.  When he does, I like to accommodate that request.  Plus, meatloaf can make some yummy sandwiches the next day for lunch!

Freezer full of hamburger...

My husband's uncle had to butcher a cow and we, along with my mother-in-law were the lucky recipients of some hamburger.  For our family that was an awesome gift!  We go through hamburger like you wouldn't believe, but this past year we have had to slow down because of the prices.  This is one reason why we are raising our own beef.  That and honestly the meat is so much better tasting, less fatty, and you know what your own cows have been eating and where they've been!

Needless to say we have been cooking a lot of ground beef recipes lately.  My meatloaf recipe is loosely based on my mother's recipe.  I find that my mother's meatloaf is a little too wet for my taste.  My mother-in-law's recipe is too dry.  After trial and error, I have come up with a recipe that our family really enjoys.  Feel free to take this recipe and adapt it to your tastes.  Really there is no limits to what you can do with meatloaf.

Note about recipe: there are some ingredients with no specific amounts given.  I usually hate recipes that do that so I apologize for giving you one, but some of the ingredients depend on your personal preference.

Holli's Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef (chuck/round - whatever you prefer)
1 large egg
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
1 small onion (or amount you prefer)
handful of italian breadcrumbs (I use this because it is already seasoned, if you use plain, then you may need to add some spices)
dash Worcestershire sauce (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup

1. Grate onion into a medium sized bowl. I like grating because you get the onion juice for flavor and then the onion itself is small so you are not biting into a big chunk.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands.

Ingredients all ready to be mixed

3. Put the mixture in muffin tins - that's right a muffin tin, it cuts down on cooking time and makes perfect portion sizes!
4. Top with ketchup if desired.

Ready to put into oven

5. Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until down.
Enjoy!

Get the printable recipe HERE

I would love to hear what you think about this recipe.  Please let me know below!

Leave a Comment beef, cooking, farm, farming, hamburger, meatloaf, recipes, tbt

Farm Fresh Eggs!

Normally, I like to stay up to date with what is going on in the world.  As a full-time librarian, it really is my job to know current events.  So how the price of eggs sky-rocketing got past me, I will never know.

How I did find out was during a conversation with a couple of scout parents during a camp-out.  It just so happens that we all own chickens and were talking about how our chickens were laying during the summer as well as who was brooding, etc.  One of them brought up the fact that they were so glad that they were getting eggs and not having to buy them at the store because of the cost.  Of course I had to ask about this, because honestly the last time I noticed the price of eggs, it was just under $2.00/dozen.  That is when I was told that the cost of eggs is now almost $5.00/dozen because of the Avian Flu.  

Ridiculous!

I was completely shocked!  It has been almost a year since we have bought eggs in the store.  So to be honest I really don't pay attention to egg prices.  But to not even read about this or hear this on the news...my summer is just too busy I guess.

So with the news of soaring egg prices and then seeing those prices for myself, I knew that I needed to take even better care of "our girls."  Don't get me wrong, our chickens are well taken care of.  But with those kinds of prices, the eggs they are laying now are like golden eggs!  We currently have 5 hens and we get anywhere from 3-4 eggs a day.

Our Girls (as well as Mr. Rooster)

It is situations like these where I am so thankful that we are growing our sustainable farm.  To be honest, I don't know if we could really afford the $5.00/dozen eggs in the store.  We would just have to try and do without or make substitutions, especially in baking.

Even though having chickens is work, it is well worth it to be able to feed my family something that is a good source of protein.  Also I know where those eggs came from.  I know how the chickens are raised, and what they are fed.  I know how they are treated, and I know that they don't live in poop all day long. ;-) And in times like this I don't have to worry about the fluctuations of the store prices.  For those that can't have chickens either because they don't have room, or because of city ordinances, I would suggest checking out a local farm, or farmer's market.  Usually the prices are a LOT more stable than a regular grocery store.

So what are the egg prices in your neck of the woods? Let me know in the comments below.

Leave a Comment chickens, eggs, farm, farming, sustainable living

Our Garden is Finally Planted!

Our garden is finally planted...and growing!  I really didn't think that it was going to happen.  I can't tell you how worried I was.

We are always late with planting.  It seems like there is one thing or another that keeps us from getting our garden in on time.  Usually it is the weather.  This year there were other things as well that kept us from planting. One was that our tiller wasn't working.  But thanks to my handy husband, he got it going and got the garden tilled.

A lovely tilled garden

 Because I wasn't completely healed from my surgery, we did have a little help from my sweet mother-in-law.  She was more than willing to come over and help with the planting.  In fact her and my husband did the majority of the work.

I had lots of help

 What I was especially excited about this year was that I was able to plant some shelly bean seed that had been saved from plants that my grandparents had.  These seeds have been passed down from a couple of generations.  There was not much left and I was really nervous about planting them in case nothing came up.  But the thought of planting those beans was exciting at the same time. 

Shelly beans handed down from my grandparents.

In case you are wondering, shelly beans are similar to pinto or brown beans.  We cook them up in our family just like brown beans.  And they taste wonderful with a slice of cornbread.  Yum!

We also had help from the infamous Sox.  You remember the one that loved to get into my tomato seedlings?

Sox (in a box). :-)

And of course, there is only one way to plant a garden...

Bare feet

So tell me...

How does your garden grow?

Leave a Comment farming, gardening, planting, sustainable living, vegetables

Sometimes I Wonder If It's Worth It

While I didn't grow up on a farm, I spent many days in my childhood at my grandparent's dairy farm.  I have always wanted to have my own farm and raise my children with that kind of life, and in the process teach them some valuable and great life lessons. I know that farm life is hard. There are many set-backs and it is far from being a glamorous job, or one that you can get rich at.  Carrying hay to cows as you sink down in knee deep snow, having to carry buckets of water for the animals because the pipes froze, and having your crops eaten by deer, racoons or your own dog are just to name a few.  But with what has happened the past several days, I have begun to wonder if it really is worth it. 

We currently have 7 chickens,  4 ducks,  and one guinea.  We originally had 4 guineas but 3 of them were killed. Knowing that they like to be in groups we put the lone survivor in with our chickens.  It seemed to work but there are days where they just don't get along. In fact they are just  like children. Best friends one day, enemies the next. There is definitely a group dynamic being played out daily in our chicken coop.  Throw in 4 ducks to the mix and there are times where you have bedlam.

They seem calm now...

My story starts with last Thursday.  This was the day where we had one of our roosters (we have 2), and our guinea to get out of the chicken run.  And where did they end up?  My freshly planted garden!  Of course trying to chase them out just ran them further through the garden and all I could think about was that my garden was ruined!  To add to that, as Carly and I were trying desperately to get them back, the 4 ducks escaped and you guessed it!  They too went right to my garden!  It must have been a site to see, me chasing the rooster and guinea, Carly going after the ducks.  She had just got the ducks put up, and was back helping me when the ducks got out again.  I was ready to cry.  It was time to leave for Carly's tumbling class and we were both muddy and out of sorts.  Luckily with the help of my husband who had just gotten home from work, we were able to get everyone back in.

As if that wasn't enough drama, the very next day after my husband came home from work, he asked if I had seen our calves lately.  Come to think of it, I didn't believe that I had seen them in a couple of days!  So he started looking for them.  And they were no where to be found on our land.  That week we had experienced some bad storms, high winds and lots of rain.  Steve had found several places where the fence was down.  He called our neighbor and asked if he could look on their land, and thank goodness the calves were there and alright!  People may not realize it, but cattle thieves still exist and of course that is what I was thinking.  

Trouble makers!

So while the calves got home safe and sound, that meant that there was a lot of fence that needed to be mended.  A. Lot. Steve spent three days working on all the fence that goes around our entire property and fixing all the spots where the calves could get out.  And while he loves doing that kind of work, it was exhausting, hard work.  

One (out of many) of our new fence posts. Nice work honey!

Which brings us to last night.  Steve had just finished putting in the last  fence post and stretching the wire.  He came into the house and asked if our dog Abby had gotten into the pen with the ducks.  My heart froze in fear.  I asked if the ducks were alright and he said no.  Then I asked if they were dead and he said no.  I told him that Abby had not gotten into the pen with them.  Then he said that two of the ducks had their feathers torn off their backs.  

He brought the ducks in and thanks to a friend of mine that also has ducks, I knew that I needed to put some triple antibiotic ointment on their skin to help heal and protect.  One duck was worse than the other, and I was just sick to think about the trauma they went through.  We think that one of the roosters got to them and was trying to breed them.  So instead of a shower and resting, Steve had to reinforce the chicken and duck pens to make sure that they couldn't get to each other. And I had to reassure the kids that the ducks would recover.  In fact this morning, the ducks are doing much better.  Their little backs look horrible, but they are eating, drinking, and hanging with their buddies.  

The two in the middle were the ones with feathers gone.  Poor babies!

So with all this happening within less than a week's time, I have begun to wonder, is it really worth it?  It is so much work.  Like I said earlier, I knew it was going to be hard work, but it is harder than I ever thought it would be.  It has lots of heartache with it too.  But there are also the good times.  Like the first time we got eggs.  The produce that we got from our garden last year and everything we canned for the winter.  The freezer full of beef to help feed our family and cut down on grocery bills. The kids learning to bottle feed calves.  And more importantly the life lessons that my kids are being taught.  They see the good with the bad.  They are learning that in life, not everyone wins, and not everyone gets a medal.  They are learning that hard work is the key to success, and that being rich does not mean having a bank full of money.  

So in the end I guess maybe it is all worth it.  At least it is giving us adventures that we can have, share, and remember.  

What about you?  What are some of the struggles you have had?

2 comments calves, chickens, cows, ducks, farm, farming, fence

What a wonderful Easter!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays!  To me it is a time for renewal.  It is a remembrance of an awakening after death.  Of course I am referring to Jesus being risen from the dead. But I am also referring to the beginning of spring.  After winter's "death" the renewal of spring comes and with it comes life.  I absolutely love springtime.  The beautiful flowers, the start of gardening, the sunshine and warmer days.  

I thought I would share with you just a few pictures of my family's Easter weekend.  We had egg hunts, church services, special meals, and even celebrated my father's 80th birthday!

Here are my beautiful eggs from our chickens getting ready to be boiled for deviled eggs.

And here are the eggs after they are done.  They were gobbled up in no time at our family dinner!  So easy to make and so good!

We went to an egg hunt and the kids had a great time.  Not only were there eggs that the kids searched for, but also there was candy everywhere!  Here is Carly gearing up for the egg hunt.

And here she is picking up eggs and candy.

Drew also had a great time at the egg hunt.  You have to admit Easter candy is some of the best!

And here they are after the hunt.  They are loving the loot they got!  In fact if you look close enough you can even see a little bit of chocolate on Drew's face.  I think he ate as he hunted. :-)

So what are some of the things that you did for Easter?

Leave a Comment chickens, Easter, eggs, family, farm, farming, fun, holidays