Category Archives: Country life

#Farm365

Posted on by

6

I’m taking a little side step today. I’ll be back with my 2015 Home Goals next week. Yesterday I came across something that I feel is important, and I wanted to share it with you.

At the end of December, Andrew Campbell, a dairy farmer here in southern Ontario, posted the following tweet.

This blog post explained that “the project’s goal [is] to shed more light on the daily happenings of a farm [and] … to spur on conversations around food production.”

I love the concept. Obviously, Matt and I are not farmers, but we’re supportive of farming, and since buying our own farm, I’ve gained incredible admiration for contributions farmers make.

I feel that #farm365 and social media can raise awareness of farmers and the work that they do.

Here’s Andrew’s first tweet:

Unfortunately, basically as soon as Andrew started posting his pictures, #farm365 was highjacked. Rather than a respectful productive discussion about food production, Andrew and other farmers were attacked with accusations of animal cruelty. It’s very nasty–and I realize by writing this post I may be opening myself up to some of that.

Andrew’s response to the highjacking and to the nastiness was actually the first post I saw. This was the post that introduced me to the rest of the campaign.

I think this is one of the most thoughtful, positive, informative, personal, passionate blog posts I’ve read. I’ve included a few excerpts here, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.

“What started as a simple idea on New Year’s Day based on other photo-a-day challenges, #farm365 on Twitter has turned into something far greater than a few pictures of corn or cows. It’s turned into a great force of farmers sticking up for themselves and consumers getting a better idea of what it takes to send food out of the driveway…

Farmers are compassionate, well-meaning and very proud individuals… Many showed their farms in the moment, sharing their beliefs and systems and they did it with the great passion they work with every day. They are the true heroes of what #farm365 is. A look at what really goes on behind a barn door or in a field.”

Country living–and by association, farming–is something I’ve become passionate about since moving to our own farm. I realize my point of view–and Andrew’s–is not shared by everyone. Even though I’m not a farmer, I’m going to be looking for opportunities to support the #farm365 campaign. This blog post, building awareness in my little corner of the internet and lending my voice to the conversation is step one.

Merry Christmas

Posted on by

8

Christmas stockings hung by the fireplace

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be here.

And yes, we actually have a working chimney and a way for St. Nick to enter for the very first time.

A full fireplace post will come in the new year.

For now, I want to say thank you all for reading. Have a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the holidays.

Odds and sods

Posted on by

11

Ice storm 2013

Some happenings from this week:

  • This weekend marks the one year anniversary of #IceStorm2013. Parts of it were neat. Parts of it were really challenging. Moving out of my own house over Christmas was memorable, but something I’m hoping not to repeat.
  • A friend at work sent me this meme last week. I probably found it funnier than it truly is, but I can see Baxter trying this logic on us if he ever finds himself in this situation. It’s been years since we’ve had a Christmas tree, and he definitely won’t get the chance this season.
  • I discovered a new blog, Finding Home, last week. I love their story and their style.
  • I’ve been able to work from home for a few days over the past two weeks. I rarely work from home–I like the discipline that comes from being in the office–but I have really enjoyed my days at the farm, and I’ve been pretty productive.
  • A thoughtful post on the evolution of a blog and finding your niche.
  • I donated blood this week. I was a regular donor for years and years, but then I fell out of the routine. I restarted donating earlier this year, and it feels good to be back. Are you a donor?

We have lots of family activities happening this weekend–a real kick-off to Christmas. Can you believe Christmas is here already? I have one more day of work left and one more blog post for you next week before I take a little break.

Now it’s your turn. Were there any exciting happenings for you this week? What are your plans for the weekend? Has Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) “started” for you?

Winterized

Posted on by

5

Notice the past tense on the title of this post? We are ready for winter here at the farm.

… Well, I’m not ready for cold and dark, but the house and the property are.

I had a small project list for November.

  1. Make sure all of the gutters and downspouts are winter-ready.
  2. Remove the mower deck from the tractor (and maybe attach the snowblower).
  3. Add some protection around our new trees.
  4. Turn off the outside water taps.
  5. Take off the window screens.
  6. Transition the mudroom to winter mode and get the winter clothing out of storage.
  7. Set up the bird feeder on the driveway turnaround.

I am thrilled, proud, excited, relieved (choose your adjective) to share with you today that every single one of these tasks is done.

Here is some photographic evidence to prove it.

Patchwork brown and white downspout that regularly fell apart replaced with white downspout that’s securely screwed together.

Fixing downspouts

Weeping tile rabbit/weed eater barriers around all of our littlest trees. (How to: Cut section of weeping tile approximately 12 inches long. Slit it vertically (a sharp utility knife works well, but it takes patience). Wrap the weeping tile around the bottom of your tree).

Use weeping tile to protect trees from rabbits in the winter

Bird feeder in the ground, full of food and accepting customers.

Chickadee at the bird feeder

The thing I’m most excited about is seeing the birds at the feeder. Last year, it took them until Christmas to find it. This year it took them a day. As usual, the chickadees are the bravest, but a pair of cardinals has joined them as of last weekend.

Are you all ready for winter? What have you accomplished? Or what’s still outstanding on your to-do list?

Odds and sods

Posted on by

3

Some happenings from this week:

  • Matt and I got the mower deck off the tractor. Taking it off is easier than putting it on, but either way the mower deck is a beast. This John Deere commercial blew me away the first time I saw it. Who would have guessed that I’d find tractor attachments so exciting? (And, yes, Wiley’s safe. We’re not trading in our Kioti any time soon).
  • We’re holding off on putting the snow blower on the tractor, although we’ve had a surprising amount of snow over the past week–although not Buffalo quantities. It’s only November for goodness sake!
  • A friend gave me a chandelier that she didn’t want in her house. It’s a gaudy shiny brass crystal monstrosity that I think will be wonderful in my office.
  • Matt and I are hosting our annual month-before Christmas party this weekend, including a full turkey dinner. Of course one of the oven elements is on the fritz. Matt sourced a new one and installed it, but it’s still not working. Argh.
  • I have the vision for our master bedroom worked out in my mind. That is, except for the paint colour. This bedroom has me thinking about navy.
  • The safe house bedroom that Kelly at View Along the Way made is one of the most thoughtful spaces I’ve seen.

What’s been the highlight of your week? Any special plans for the weekend?

The end of soybean season

Posted on by

4

The sun has set on our first soybean crop.

Sunset over the soybean field

As of two weeks ago, our fields are empty, so it’s time for the final report of the year.

At last report, the soybeans were just turning gold. By harvest time, there was no trace of green or gold left, except in the trees along the border.

Dry soybean field

Dry soybeans

The plants dropped all their leaves and the beans dried.

Dried soybean plants

They no longer looked like edamame and they tasted a bit like peanuts.

Dried soybeans

And they sounded like rattles. I’m not sure if their sniffiness changed, but Baxter apparently liked the sound of them or the feel of them against his face… or something. Every field walk he insisted on walking through the plants.

I found the harvest part very interesting, so brace yourself for lots of photos.

The main piece of equipment is the combine.

Combine harvesting soybeans

This thing is massive.

Combine harvesting soybeans

I would not want to be a soybean.

From the combine the beans go into a trailer.

Trailer full of soybeans

Shucked soybeans

Again the scale is massive. The tires on this trailer are over 5 feet in diameter.

Tractor towing a trailer full of soybeans

The trailer full of beans is relayed to a big truck for transport. (For scale, there’s a person standing on top of the truck behind the chute).

Soybean harvest

All that’s left are the dry stalks, husks and a few stray pods.

Harvested soybean field

As of last weekend, the stalks got a light dusting of snow. Yes, already.

First snow 2014

And so concludes our first season of soybeans.

Who else has had snow already? Is the harvest done where you live? Does anyone else find the harvest process fascinating? Are you as easily impressed as I am by farming equipment?

The end

Posted on by

5

This is the end, my friends. Not the end of the blog. Don’t worry. It’s the end of project season here at the farm.

For those that haven’t been following along since the beginning, I posted my 2014 Home Goals at the start of the year. Since then, I’ve pretty consistently done a project a month. As this is the first post of November, normally I’d be sharing with you the plan for this month’s project.

Well, there is no November project. Later this week, I’ll post the laundry room reveal, and that will be it for this year. Yes, there are a few more things on my original Home Goals list, but I’ve decided I’m ready for a break (not from blogging, just from projects).

Of course, I won’t be kicking back completely. Part of my rationale for stepping off the project train is to take care of some of the niggling little tasks that have been hanging around for a little while and maybe even start to get ready for Christmas. As well, I have a whole bunch of seasonal jobs that need to be completed so we’re ready for winter.

Matt already got a start on fall clean-up when he went over our eaves troughs with the leaf blower the other week.

Cleaning gutters with a leaf blower

Here are some of the other things on my winter is coming to-do list:

  1. Make sure all of the gutters and downspouts are winter-ready.
  2. Remove the mower deck from the tractor (and maybe attach the snowblower).
  3. Add some protection around our new trees.
  4. Turn off the outside water taps.
  5. Take off the window screens.
  6. Transition the mudroom to winter mode and get the winter clothing out of storage.
  7. Set up the bird feeder on the driveway turnaround.

Just seven. That’s about half of what I had our first fall.

So apparently I cannot stop with the projects after all. Stay tuned. It appears I’m going to be busy.

What’s on your fall to-do list? Are you feeling the pressure of a looming winter? Do you have a project cut-off point?