Before the Big Frost

Fridays on the Farm

Some of you may know that the Spy Twins and Granny Smith are doing school at home this year.  The deal is that if they work very hard with NO COMPLAINING monday through thursday, we go on a field trip on friday.  

Last Friday we went over to visit our friends on their ranch in Star Valley.  This is our favorite place - a little bit of heaven on earth - and a boys paradise!  We have gone over there before and learned all sorts of things about fishing, building log cabins, constructing stone fireplaces, carving tree trunks into fantastic shapes - you name it.  This time we spent most of the time swimming in the pond with a break for lunch around the campfire.  

This is what we call real life education. 

The Boys at Crabapple Farm

The manure spreader is such a fantastic backdrop for pictures.  I love it.  Too bad I can't ever get my exposure right.  Alaska Wild Berry, Help!

The Sheep Show

Hallelujah, we're almost done with 4-H.   The sheep were the final show. The kids did great, the lambs did great and Golden Delicious won the grand champion showman for the entire thing.  She didn't miss a beat, and Helga, her lamb, was lovely.  Now, the big question is, will we do this next year???  It's too early to think about - the smell of lamb's wool is still quite fresh.  We don't have to decide til January.

Farewell to Sampson

We sold Sampson last week. 

Sampson is our old faithful 1966 John Deere 4020 tractor.

 We needed to sell it, we wanted to sell it, and then when the people arrived to pick him up, everyone was suddenly not happy.  Granny Smith burst into tears and could not be consoled.  I felt awful, and Mr. Bechtel had a rather grim line to his jaw.  The people had come all the way from Boise and suddenly we were thinking thoughts like Mr. Bechtel's grandpa would think whenever he went to sell his cows:  It they're worth that much to them, they're worth that much to me!  

How is it possible to become attached to a piece of equi

pment?  Granny Smith stopped crying long enough for a final picture after the tractor was loaded on the trailer.  And in the future we are not naming vehicles. 

 I hope it helps - Mr. Bechtel and Granny Smith are already looking forward to Sampson Junior.... Long ways off! 

Meat Goats

This was the first year we tried meat goats.  Here are the notes for those secretly wanting to show meat goats at the county fair.  

They are easy as pie compared to sheep.  No shearing, etc.  Also, both the meat goats made weight, didn't prolapse their intestines (gross - the things you learn about...), and in general were a lot easier than either sheep or pigs.  Unfortunately, they also don't make as much money at the sale, either.  So what's a person to do?  

Here's Braeburn with his Boer goat Kruggerand.  

And Nova Spy with his goat, Nanni Pelli.  The judge got a real kick out of her name, I guess.  Too bad we can't send her political namesake to the sale also.

Apple Enters the Arena

Golden Delicious brought her pig, Apple to the fair.  He was a huge hit.  Apple was not your average, dirty, yucky pig.  He was very bright eyed, intelligent, and friendly.  (Think Charlotte's Web).  Several times during the week I would come into the barn and find little groups of children around his pen calling, "Hi, Apple!  Hi Apple!"

Showing pigs is a bit different than dairy goats, though.  You just let them wander wherever they want to.  Apple went pretty slowly and didn't get in too many fights with the other pigs.

I can't remember where Golden Delicious and Apple placed, but they both did well and it was a great experience for a first year project.  We sold him at the sale, which was sad, but G. D. Made some money for her college/mission fund, so that's happy.