Homesteading Field Trip

Yesterday was a day spent up North.  We took the dog to get spayed and then went to the feed store.  Stopped to visit  a dear sister in Christ and then went on a field trip.  The field trip was to a fellow homesteader's.  I was excited to meet this woman.  She lives at the end of a mile long driveway.  She's off grid and has built a log home.  We met her goats, donkeys, horses, and a mule.  She took us to her garden, now sleeping, and her orchard.  Showed us her projects under construction and led us inside to warm up in front of a crackling fire.  Don't you love meeting fellow homesteaders?  It's like you have an understanding right off.  No need to explain things, they get it.  No need to apologize for the way you live, they totally understand.  She extended an open invitation to stop by whenever I'm back up that way.  I think I'll take her up on it.

Back to our homestead.  Lord bless your day and your endeavors.

From Glory Farm

First Hunt

It's deer hunting season here in Minnesota. Since my honey is out in Wyoming,(and since he doesn't hunt), a fella from church showed up this morning to take my son on his first hunting "excursion". It's not a "trip" because they'll stay on our property. I'm praying that my son has a fine time, but more than that I'd like to see this fella bag a deer. He's been hunting most of the season and still nothing.

 I never used to care for venison, and honestly, it's still not my favorite meat, but I can fix it so it's tolerable, even tasty if I can it. I'm not going to refuse fresh venison anymore, it's now a blessing.
So I pray for safety, and two or three nice sized deer for these guys.
Oh BTW, I don't hunt either. :)
From Glory Farm

Rain, Goats, Sheep, and a Mountain

Drizzle and snow, cold and wind, a perfect day to stay inside and bake.  I'm blessed that I can be so picky and not have to work outside today if I don't feel like it.  Tomorrow they say, the sun will be out and I can enjoy being outside. 

This is just a random picture I stuck in here, because I thought it was pretty.  My daughter took it up on Beauty Mountain which is a few miles from our house.

I just pulled the brownies from the oven and put the granola I made in the fridge.  I have this cup of coffee to drink and the Saturday paper to read.  So much to do....

I discovered that I have a dairy doe that's expecting in a couple of months.  Not a good time to have kids up here.  I thought I had been diligent enough to prevent this from happening,but....

I have a Saanen buck coming to breed my other dairy does and the Angora does should be bred already.  I have three sheep that won't come home.  I'm thinking of organizing a sheep round up with some friends and see if we can't get them into their paddock.  They are a wild bunch.

Washing and carding fiber, that's what I want to get done on these drizzly days.  Cleaning for Thanksgiving.  I'm going to use Kim Wolf's idea for furniture polish- some olive oil with a little lemon or orange oil in it.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Don't we all?

This is kind of a hodge podge of thoughts, hope you followed okay.  My son wants to get on here and play some Indiana Jones.  He likes to read over my shoulder to get me to speed up.  It works.

Love to you Ladies-

From Glory Farm

Back 40 books

One of many  books available at Back 40.

I don't know how many of you have a weakness for books, especially homesteading ones, but it's a major problem of mine.  There are sites out there full of these books and I just visited the Back 40 Books site.  I ordered a homeschooling math book for my son called "Arithmetic in Agriculture".  It comes with a teachers' book and is for 8th grade and up.  I'm so excited.  This is the kind of practical knowledge that we need here on the farm and it's an old book, kept in print by the Amish. 

Be sure to check out the November issue of Homesteading News.  You can find the link on my side bar.

Have a blessed day.

From Glory Farm

The Blue Bowl

Reading an entry about bowls earlier today and then reading about the wooden bowl, it's been on my heart to post my "bowl" story.

I love the old mixing bowls.  I love the look and I actually use them for mixing.  Last summer Grandma, my children and I all spent a day rummage saling.  About the third stop, we discovered a treasure of antiques.  They weren't going cheap, but they were in good shape and not priced too bad.  I found a beautiful antique, blue, mixing bowl, with an ornate rim.  A little steep at $10, but I really liked it and bought it.  We wrapped it in old sweaters and put it in a bag, careful not to chip and to warn everyone to be careful when unwrapping it.  Once home and all the packages in the house, you guessed it, the bowl was pulled out by the sweater and my son completely forgot there was a bowl in it.  It hit the floor and broke into about 20 pieces.  I admit I didn't handle it very well. I took up the pieces, placed them in the garbage and told my son it was okay.  It was just a "thing", but please try to remember to be more careful.  He knew I was sad and wanted to fix the bowl for me.  I told him even if it was fixed I couldn't use it anymore, not to bother.  Walking into the kitchen about half an hour later, there was my bowl.  The pieces carefully put back together and glued in place.  I started to cry.  That bowl means more to me now than it ever could have otherwise.  My son was so sorry for what he'd done, and I was so sorry for making him feel bad.  He fixed it because he loves me.  That bowl is sitting for all to see, in my kitchen.