The last 5 months of 2022 flew by rather quickly. It was Thanksgiving and then before I knew it, we were in full holiday mode. Then it was over. Many of the things I had hoped we would get done in the house did not happen before the holidays.
However, we had a very nice 1st Christmas in our farmhouse. I got to see all our old Christmas decorations that have been in storage for the last three years. We put up 3 trees. First time ever for me to put up more than one. It was so much fun putting everything up, but another story taking it all down.
Before the holidays hit, Paul got some more trim work done. We took a break from working to enjoy the holidays and to prepare for the arctic blast that hit. We did have some pipes that froze, but thankfully nothing busted!! With the mild temps after the holidays, we worked outside.
We got an estimate for someone to do the banister upstairs. When the estimate came in, I text Paul and let him know he (Paul) had won the bid for building the banister and was going to have to start ASAP. He has installed 4 post. I'm going to paint them and then he will continue on with it. Paul is knocking out trim work a little at a time still. He also built a coat rack at the back door entrance that I wanted. I got it all caulked and painted. A few doors got painted and several door knobs have been installed as well.
Recently, we have been thinking about our garden for this summer and Paul made some raised bed containers.
The chickens are now getting some free range time. We just have to watch the cats when they are out. Bonnie was stalking Pearl. I was saying, "No, Bonnie, no!!!" She didn’t change her pounce position, so I picked her up. It ticked her off and she slapped me with her paw!! We have the brattiest animals. I had a man come to pick up a silkie rooster and when he arrived, Murphy went berserk barking and running laps around him. I caught him and put him up. We walked up the hill to get the rooster and came back and Bonnie and Clyde were both in his car. I went to get them, Bonnie ran off and Clyde jumped into his back seat. All I could say was “ I am so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with our animals.”
Paul has completed more work on the coop. He got it stripped on the front and right side. I got the front painted, but still have the side and back to paint. He closed in the porch and added a little access door for more storage underneath the porch. Stairs to the porch have been added. On the inside, he started adding stacked boards to the walls and built a storage shelf. I started making little curtains for the nesting boxes, but still have a few to complete.
He built the nesting boxes and within a week of him building the boxes the chickens started laying. There are no words to describe how exciting it is to collect eggs every afternoon. Right now we get up to 7-12 eggs a day, depending on the temps. I think all the hens are laying now. I am so proud of our chickens. Many people have told us not to waste our time building nesting boxes, that the chickens wouldn't use them. Paul tried to convince me, but I insisted he build the nesting boxes. So far, all the chickens have been laying their eggs in the nesting boxes. Well actually there are six boxes and they all use the same box🙄. I bought 12x12 artificial turf squares and they work wonderful in the nesting boxes and make keeping them clean so much easier. We also discovered the more roosting bars you have the less likely they are to sleep in the nesting boxes.
I got a new coop for Christmas. It is cute, but extremely heavy. It was quite the chore getting if off the trailer after we picked it up. It did take a little tumble coming off the trailer, but all is good now. He just has to get a run built for it.
Speaking of Chickens, right before the arctic blast, I was trying to add my silkie hens to the hen pen. I have added several and never had any problems. My little partridge silkie hen got all of her top feathers pulled off her head and her head was bloody from being pecked. I was so mad at those hens. We were not on speaking terms for awhile and I wouldn't let Paul make them any cornbread for awhile. 😂 We made-up after they started laying. I also added 3 silkie roosters to the rooster pen and Mr. Frizz nearly killed the white one. It was awful. I had a neighbor look at them both and she thought they would be okay and they were after a long stay in the Silo Springs Infirmary. We named the rooster Scar. My little partridge silkie hen passed recently. All her feathers came back in and she was just fine until we went out to feed and she had passed. I’m thinking the roo I saved, Scar, may have had something to do with that😞. She was a fragile little thing. Silkie hens have been the hardest breed for me to keep alive. I have 4 silkie roosters, that are beautiful, but only 2 hens left. I'm going to try to hatch some silkies in a week or two. If they don't make it, I think I will be done with silkies.
I got an incubator for Christmas and we hatched some Polish Chicks that hatched a few days after Christmas. It was so much fun!!! They are teenagers now. I ordered some D'uncle eggs and bought a few more tolbunt Polish eggs to hatch. They hatched on March 2nd.
The D'uccles are so little and cute. I also have some Croad Langshan chicks ordered. They lay purple eggs!! I can't wait to get them this Spring! Paul and I have also been talking about turning the Milk House (on the barn) into 4 breeding pens. I'm sure that will be a spring/summer project.
Since my last post, we had another calf born. Wilma gave a us a big surprise.
We were not expecting a delivery from her. Paul walked out one morning and Cash was out in the field. He looks just like his momma and she is very protective of him. Its was getting close to his weaning time and he wandered off from his momma into the front field. We decided it was close enough to weaning time, because he was so easy to catch without his mom around. He has not been a happy camper, but he does love Calf Manna!!
I noticed Lita’s teats were all wet and Sadie had been in weaning for 2 weeks. Later I saw Brista (our 2 + year old British white) nursing her!! I moved Lita to a different field and Brista has been having a conniption fit. Weaning for the second time must be way worse than the first time!!🙄
We are heading to Oklahoma for another highland heifer the end of March. Her name is Pixie. She is a yellow Highland. Can’t wait to get her here!!! I love mine and Paul’s road trips about as much as getting a new heifer!!!
Paul and I decided we needed to rework the closed in part of the implement shed. We opened up the wall where it was more usable. Sadie and Cash are using the stalls currently for weaning and it has worked out so much better than before.
Life is CRAZY!! I would have never guessed in a million years I would live on a farm or in a house that has been under construction for nearly 3 years, or drive an hour and half to and from work everyday. What I have discovered is, when I am reading my bible and talking with God daily, I handle it pretty well. When I stop reading my bible and slack in my prayer life, my life gets pretty tough, frustrating and stressful....which makes Paul's life pretty stressful😂. It makes me think of the Bible song Brantlee use to sing when she was little:
Read your Bible pray every day, pray everyday, pray everyday and you'll grow, grow grow
Don't read your Bible forget to pray, forget to pray, forget to pray and you'll shrink, shrink, shrink.
Reading the Bible has several benefits. Here are a few:
- It shows us God's character. His Holy, Unchanging, faithful, gracious, loving character.
- It teaches, corrects and trains us
- It reorients our thinking, so we can grow in spiritual maturity
Likewise, the effects of not reading your bible are pretty substantial.
- Our love for him grows slowly and pitifully apart from Him. Also, the guilt for our sin feels either heavy or nonexistent.
- We will more easily fall into despair. Feelings of hopelessness will grow instead of security in the promises of God.
- The Lord energizes us for his work through his Word. Without it, we easily lose steam and become spiritually winded, requiring more rest. We will be slow and plodding, lacking energy and will.
- Sin fights to keep us from God and his Word. The less we read the less know of God, the less joy we have and the greater our struggles seem.
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