Digesting a M.E.A.L. and General Updates

 

Anyone need an extra chin? (He'll hate me for this one someday.)

I did a quick review of my latest posts and realized that I haven't given a very indepth update of things going on.  Upon further reflection however, I feel like I have little to report.  Not only because I'm more of a house resident than a farm participant, but because winter hasn't really left yet in the sense that the farm is still enjoying some down time before the spring rush hits.  

Mark was down with a couple bouts of the flu or 'the diabolicals' as we call a certain symptom thanks to the colourful vocabulary of my brother.  At one point I made a comparison of Mark's ailments to Old Man Winter's case of the...er...dumps.  Then Mark went into a few days of the sweats as his body rid itself of the bug, the same point at which Old Man Winter happened to be warming things a little too quickly- hence the water in the basement.  (OMW has since gone on the warming strike however and we're back in frigid temperatures again.) 

I kept wondering why Mark was taking so long to recover and didn't seem to get completely over it the first time before it hit again.  Then I found this picture of him during a day of 'recovery' here at the house.

We're pretty much done lambing with two old girls holding tough and who may or may not be just fat rather than pregnant.  This is my first batch of lambs from my new ram and I had hoped to be able to sell some registered polled dorset breeding stock since quality breeding stock is in high demand around here these days.  Of course of the five lambs I've had up to now, only one is a girl.  I have my eye on one of the rams as potential breeding stock, but since I had wanted to keep a ewe or two for myself, this looks like a bit of a 'growing year' as they say. Thankfully I've had a number of requests for lamb lately, so when I ship these ones that were born at Christmas, I shouldn't have much trouble selling them.  

 As for that Local M.E.A.L that I attended, I am still shocked at how much fun it was.  I don't usually get very stressed about public speaking, but the format for this was really wearing me out.  I got there a bit early in order to get my bearings.   I was under the impression early on that it would likely be a small group of concerned young people so when I settled near the front with my friend and fellow presenter, Jen Campbell, we grew increasingly concerned as we kept turning around to a room getting fuller and fuller.  The organizers kept digging out chairs from all over the building and the noise level grew.  As the room filled up, we kept catching glimpses of pioneers in our respective agricultural fields who we felt had far more to contribute than either of us.  When I stood up to speak I would estimate that more than 200 sets of eyes were watching my pictures and trying to keep up with my quick words (I did warn them that I would be speaking fast so they better be ready to listen fast).  I was aiming for an overall message about the importance of organics using our farm as a reference and although I was obviously preaching to a choir of concerned eaters, the energy in the room was invigorating and impressive.  Apparently the presentations will be available online sometime in the future. 

  The precision timing required meant that I could not get off on a tangent or cut myself off prematurely.  And given the topic (organics) it was difficult for me to stay reigned in.  I actually made three different presentations before I settled on the one I went with.  I am happy with what I ended up choosing and got a great response from the crowd.  I had sort of asked to go early on and I'm glad that I did, because I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the presentations (8 in all).  And as a listener, the Pecha Kucha format is really ideal.  Six and a half minutes is just the right amount of time because if you don't like the speaker or the topic, it's only 6 minutes and if you do enjoy it, you're intrigued and wanting more.  There are no questions from the floor at the time of presentation, so it means the discussions afterward and very one on one and personal.  It was really an excellent night.  The organizers did an amazing job and I can't help but think that this event was more successful, attendance wise, than if it had been organized by farmers.  That's a whole other post though.

Despite the temperatures not really climbing, apparently the maple sap is running a bit at home and that always makes me wish I was in West Branch this time of year, sipping warm syrup from a bottle with a whittled wooden stopper and re-learning the rules for 45's, again.  I hope for a trip home soon, but with various church activities tying up our weekends and the weekdays starting to ramp up it's never a sure thing.  For the sake of family here's a few pictures of the kids. 

Climbing trees is much easier in the winter!  Hard to believe this was only taken a few weeks ago. 

 I had asked Wilson to go entertain Thayne one day as I was trying to do something in the kitchen.  This is the sweet scene I found when I peeked around the corner. 

 

Some smiles from my boys. 

Hope this finds you eating some locally produced, free range eggs purchased from your favorite farmer.

-Sally

Hockey sticks as a farm implement

This is a disclaimer to any of you animal activists out there who've never dealt with cattle- you won't like this post.

When I first came to Mark's farm, maybe even for a visit before we were married, I remember seeing a broken hockey stick being thrown out.  I promptly said, "Don't throw that out if you really plan on having cattle someday! You'll need it!" 

Growing up, when we moved the cattle way up the back road to the summer pastures, we were all equipped with various sticks and shovel handles and placed strategically to prevent cattle, by whatever means necessary, from going where they weren't supposed to (into to the graveyard, or Grammy's house, or the wrong drive way, or down the big hill, etc.)  Probably when we were smaller, the hockey sticks were meant more as a security tool for our peace of minds rather than an implement of cattle discipline.  But as we got older, it became apparent that something about the shaft of an old hockey stick is a very effective means of moving a large beast.

When I showed my dismay at the tossing of the old stick at the Bernard farm, I was met with a face of utter dismay and the statement, "We'll NEVER use hockey sticks on cows here." 

Now let me be clear, it's not like I grew up beating cows and calves for fun.  We weren't put through any sort of cattle beating training and we didn't use them unless we had to.  But until you've tried moving a big Charolais steer into a shute, or separating a Hereford from her calf or teaching a stubborn Angus calf to lead, you cannot possibly understand the strength and stubbornness that comes with 1200lbs of refusing muscle.

Anyway, the point of this story is that Poppy escaped yesterday afternoon while Mark was mucking out the barn before feeding.  Up at the front barn I heard him whistling to the dog and looking a bit disgusted standing at the barn door while Poppy ran at high speed through the muck and the mud going everywhere but near the barn and near her bawling mother.  While trying to keep Rosie in and coral the wild beast, the dog was being of NO assistance (read:being a royal pain). But between the two of us we somehow got her close enough to the door to grab her; with me behind twisting her tail and Mark holding onto her collar, trying to drag her in.  Mark is not used to not being able to move something with sheer strength. 

I'm pretty certain that if I could have seen into his eyes they would have been saying loud and clear, "Dammit, I could really use a broken hockey stick right now."

The moral of the story is to watch those things you say you'll 'NEVER say'.

Hope this finds you looking for signs of spring around every corner- it's coming!!!

-Sally

Alive and Dry

I have been itching to get a post done for what feels like weeks now. Between a couple rounds with the flu, some water in the basement, a trip to the ACORN conference, a night owl baby and the daily rigors of life, leisure computer time has fallen pretty far down the list, if not off the list completely.

But I just wanted to let you know that Barnyard Organics is alive and well.  The aforementioned ACORN conference was really great, again, and it was a special treat to have a two night stay in a hotel room with only one kid in tow! A big thanks to Poohie and Grampy for that vacation!

I am working on a project right now for a night called A Local M.E.A.L. (Meet, Eat And Learn) involving chefs, farmers, sellers and eaters where I will be presenting a talk called, "Why Organic Matters", using examples from our farm.  This is a particular challenge for me in that there is a very specific format for the talk called, Pecha Kucha, which is new to me.  It means that each speaker provides 20 photos/slides with each timed for 20 seconds so that the entire presentation cannot be longer than 6 mins 40 seconds.  It has been a real challenge for me to reign in my words and make each one really count, since 20 seconds is NOT VERY LONG!  Especially when it's something that I'm so passionate about.  So that has been eating up any spare computer time, but I think I've started to get it wrapped up.

Well, according to the kids, time is up, so that's all you get from me for now.

Our website and email is back up and running so life goes on.  I hope to post more soon.
Lambs have started to arrive and spring feels like it's on its way after all.  Whew.  Life goes on.

-Sally

Notice

Please note that our email (info@barnyardorganics.ca) and website (barnyardorganics.ca) is currently down.  Our alternative email contact is sallywb@gmail.com.

Looking forward to figuring out our technical problems and getting back on track.

Sally

The White Stuff

 These are good shots to start with because they show perfectly just how fed up Wilson is with all the snow.  He's sort of marooned in the front yard, unwilling to go any further.  I think we're all a overwhelmed with the snow this year, but most of us don't have to wear big bulky snowsuits and mittens that we can't get our thumbs in just right, or have 1.5 foot long legs.
As I write this I can see the freezing rain hitting the windows and having gone over for  chores tonight, I'm doubtful it will make much of a dent in the snow we got today.  Whew.  It really came down from about 2 o'clock until it turned to freezing rain this evening at about 7:30.  We will see what tonight and tomorrow brings, but they're calling for 'another weather system' on Monday and Tuesday.  No rest for the wicked.  Here are some shots of our back yard today.

 This one is taken from our back basement door, looking out at the swing set (which you can barely see on the left hand side).  I took both of these pictures holding the camera way above my head and shooting randomly, since the drifts are too high for me to see over. 

 This one shows the roof of our little shed and shows how close the drift is to my clothesline, which is on a rolling lock so it can lowered and raised.  It's at it's highest setting in this picture.  And again, with the camera held up over my head, this is all I can see.

 Lucy, showing a little nature-made snow cave around the back corner.  Also, conveniently right where the furnace oil guy needs to get to, so minimal shoveling to make him a path back there. 

 Here's a shot of a favorite moment of mine from my mom's latest visit when she made one of her stellar batches of bread with the kids.  Wilson's face says it all.  Pure happiness.  Lucy is a little too important in her role as 'ball roller', to entertain photographers.   

 Here's a recent shot of the wee three Barnyards.  Although as I type wee, I notice how big Thayne looks in this picture.  He's grown out of his first round of sleepers and is into the 6-12 month ones already.  Happy ONE month little guy!

 This is the toothless grin of the compost turner.  That's the forklift tines in the front right corner, so you're not confused.  It did come with teeth, but they were worn and bent and most of them were useless so after much research and deliberation, Mark has ordered new teeth for the beast, but otherwise, it's living up to all expectations.     

 I don't know if you can see in this picture of a proud owner with his new toy, but the brand name is Wildcat and there's a cat face on the logo.  When Lucy was getting the details on this new rig, we told her it's for turning poop.  She looked carefully at the logo and said, "Is it for turning cat poop?"  We had to admit that yes, it could be for turning cat poop, but that's not quite what we go it for. 

On a final note, apparently in my last post, I perhaps made it sound like things on the farm were more lax than they seem.  Or rather maybe I made it sound like because the farm was at a slow time of year, the farmer is also enjoying a slow time of year.  I would like to take this moment to make a correction in that, while the farm may be tucked in quietly under a blanket of snow, the farmer is a busy little bee on the home front.  Apparently I've been remiss to mention the endless 'honey do list' that he's been chipping away at.  It's true that I have a very rugged, very useful platform for my washer and dryer.  And it's true that my closet doors have got a new lease on life. It's true that the multiple small holes in my living room wall have been filled and painted.  It's true that I very much appreciate all these things and am grateful to have a time of year in which my thoughtful husband sees fit to take advantage of 'projects' that otherwise get shifted down the list in warmer weather (understandably).

It's also true that I wish I could post more often than I do.  I apologize if anyone who has been reading, is sorely disappointed that these days you're getting more pictures from home and less ag-related commentary.  Don't despair! I'm keeping up to the ag-related stuff (like a crazy article I read today about a new bacterial pathogen related to GMO soybeans that is starting to show increased abortions in dairy cattle- yikes!), it's just tough to find/make the time to post it.  I've been meaning to include this link to a Farmers Tribute that has been circulating my Facebook lately.  It might be the residual hormones of post-pregnancy, but it pulls at my heart strings and makes me pretty proud of where I came from and what I'm working on for the next generation. Evidently, some of the pictures are for a specific farmer, but the content is for all farmers.  (Bruce, I think you may especially enjoy it.)   

I'll leave on a high note of two kids actually enjoying the snow. It's only February so we might as well settle in and enjoy the snowy ride. 

Miss you!

-Sally

UnFarm Related

Due to sub zero temperatures, many feet of snow and wee ones, pictures and stories of goings on from the farm are nil.  I do well to make it to the farm more than once a day, so remembering to bring a camera and take mental notes is nearly more than I can handle at this point.  SO, instead of inundating you with made up stories of what I THINK might be going on over there, I'll instead just inundate you with a selection of pictures of what I KNOW has been going on here.  I call this collection "On the homefront- Winter 2011".

 I love this picture for the look in their eyes.  Don't you wonder what each is thinking?

 I think this one is hilarious, because when I took it I didn't realize how prominent the hanging toys are in the foreground.  The hippo looks like it's terrified and trying to warn me of impending doom (or rather Thayne, more accurately), while the butterfly and looking away, averting its eyes from whatever is going on behind it.  Probably a good idea since this one of the many moments that Lucy is asserting herself as boss and hushing up Thayne by stogging the 'soozer' in his mouth.

 Bath time.  Fascinating for everyone.

 My favorite!

 This is actually a shot from our trip to West Branch.  This is my Dad showing Lucy how to snowshoe.

 Here's an example of two fine Canadian winter past-times.1) a man shoveling snow off a roof (in this case, it's the arbor out back, outside the bathroom window) and 2) watching a man shovelling snow. Better than TV! 

And speaking of TV, here's the older two teaching Thayne early, to enjoy the moments of TV, since they are a treat.  Note the silencer (soother) in place so as not to ruin the time of indulgence.

 The book box, apparently more comfortable than the couch and chair?

Isn't this a wise creature.

-Sally

Auctioning off Computer Time

If you assumed that my lack of posting was due to having a new baby in the already crazy house, you would be partially correct.  You would be even more correct however, if you guessed that my lack of posting is due to a lack of computer access because the farm manager has been completely consumed with an online auction.  Finally, this morning, his anxiety was laid to rest as Barnyard Organics became the proud owners of a second hand compost turner.  And if you assumed that computer time would only be taken up by an online auction in which the bidders could see each other's bids, you would be wrong.  This was closed bidding, but that apparently doesn't stop a bidder from checking the site obessively, brooding over the bid, hoping (in vain) that some computer glitch might magically reveal other bidders offers, etc.  Anyway, as I said, thankfully, life in the office can return to normal, now that the auction is over and the compost turner has found it's long lost owner.

The next thing on the agenda is to organize it's trip home from Dartmouth and then the subsequent evenings spent in the barn, tinkering and fixing and taking apart and puttering about.  There is nothing like a new toy on the farm, and to be honest, one won through an auction seems to feel even more gratifying. 

Life with the new baby is going well.  Thayne is very easy going (so far) and seems to have settled right in amongst the chaos, calmly watching the world (and it's toddlers) rush past (stopping for the occasional head pat, soft-spot-poke).
There's been a few storms since I last posted and the snow is starting to accumulate, although according to my family members in NB, we've got NOTHING on them.  Word on the noon radio show today is of a couple more storms on the way.  Let 'er come, as they say.  And admittedly, the weather between the storms is actually quite lovely.  Crisp and wintery, but not burn-your-face-off cold or anything.  The evenings have been particularly nice lately.  Thayne doesn't even notice that we're outside as he's bundled up in his carseat in the wagon to go to chores. 

The sheep are doing well.  The mothers are starting to look a little wore down as their lambs are getting bigger and greedier.  I need to get some more probiotic to get them back into shape (and not skimp on the creep feed).  The next batch due to lamb in March/April are starting to fill out, which is good, since they were looking not so great back in December.

And of course, after committing 20 dozen eggs to the ACORN conference, the chickens decided that this cold weather was not their cup of tea and have implemented a boycott, by stopping laying.  We were slow/late getting the heat lamp in there during the cold snap and I correctly worried that a couple days later they would quit.  Let's hope we can kick start them back up again soon.  Warm porridge some morning maybe?  Suggestions welcome.

Well, 2 of three kids are napping. I'm off to get the third (the eldest and most difficult) off to the same fate in the magical hopes that I may myself get to nap too!!!  weeeehoo!

Hope this finds you well rested.

-Sally