Enjoying Spring

I've been waiting for a rainy day to get some things done around here, and unfortunately we haven't had any wet weather since the snow melted. We awoke this morning to a light drizzle, and it was such a blessing. We sure could use more, since an hour after the rain stopped this morning it was dry once again.

A couple of weeks ago we had a few marathon canning days. Our friend Steve picked up 200 former laying hens from a Hutterite community a few hours from here. At first we were going to butcher them ourselves (or should I say the boys were going to butcher!), but for 50 cents per chicken we had them do the butchering before Steve picked them up. What a job! I don't remember how many quarts and pints we canned, but 2 pressure canners were going constantly for 3 days. We still have 50 chickens left, and I can't say that I'm excited to finish the job. I am thankful for all that ready to eat chicken meat, though.

The boys and I spent 3 days last week in our former city, visiting friends and family. Our reason to go was to help our former neighbor celebrate her 100th birthday. This lady is absolutely amazing. She has the best attitude about life, stating that she has had plenty of reasons to worry, but chose to give that up years ago. Mrs. Nelson has a wonderful sense of humor, and her memory is probably better than mine. It was so much fun to spend the afternoon with her, and I hope some day we can do it again. My parents drove 5 hours to spend time with us as well, and it was so special to have them with us for a day and a half. We also had time to do a bit of shopping and visit with other friends.

As I write this, I am listening to the chirping of a chick. One of our Buff Orpingtons decided to be a broody hen, but after a while thought another spot in the shed looked like a better place to sit on eggs. So, the boys grabbed the vacated eggs and placed them in the incubator in the house. So far 3 chicks have hatched. Jim and the boys marked the eggs and have been turning them, but so far that is all that has hatched. We also have 4 kittens in the house. They will be 5 weeks on Friday, so it won't be long before they will be gone.

The puppies are getting very cute and are full of personality. We have had 2 spoken for, and now need to find homes for the last 3. I am getting a bit anxious about finding them homes, since I don't want to end up with 5 dogs running around our farmstead! We have kept them in our hoop house at night, sleeping in a big metal watering trough, but it's just a matter of time now before they figure out how to jump out. It's so much fun to walk outside and have them notice me, and then they come running with their tails wiggling.

The goat kids are doing well, too. We have another doe that should be kidding soon, and I hope she does all right. Then I need to learn how to milk goats! My sons are experts, and they can teach me.

We have another bumper crop -- and that is wood ticks. They are everywhere! I don't go into the woods, but I still end up with them on me. I suppose the boys bring them in and the dogs do, too, but I also get them just from walking over to the clotheslines to hang clothes. I suppose it will be this way until the weather becomes hot and they disappear for another year. Any odd feeling sends me to check to see if I have another one on me.

Jim and the boys have started to raise supports in the main floor of our house. Maybe by fall we can be up there, but we may not have windows installed for the winter. I can't wait to spread out a bit! Currently we have way too much stuff in this basement, and it's frustrating to try to keep it clean. Jim elected to shell in the structure last fall and then build the floor between the 1st and 2nd floors; the boys have already decided that as soon as the floor is built they will sleep up there. I hope they wait until the soffits are enclosed, as mosquitoes would be a problem.

So far the boys have planted potatoes -- more than last year (and we harvested about 1200 pounds of potatoes)! They have also planted some peas and carrots, and cucumbers were planted in our hoop house. We don't have a way to keep heat in the hoop house at night, so we have chosen not to plant anything else in there yet. Most people don't even think of planting in this area until Memorial Day weekend, and tonight the temperature could go into the lower 30's. Last year we planted tomato plants in there, and that same night they froze. I don't want to do that again. Jim has been working on setting up a pump system to bring water up from the lake. Our raspberry plants -- all 600 of them -- look like they are in great shape, and maybe we'll have enough to sell to others later in the season.

That's about it for now.

Review: A Journey Home

Our family borrowed a DVD from fellow blogger Herrick Kimball entitled, "A Journey Home," produced by Franklin Springs Media. This DVD tells the story of the Tommy and Sherri Waller family. Tommy felt prompted by the Lord to give up his corporate job and move to rural Tennessee with his wife and 11 children, choosing instead to live a more simple life. This DVD is a documentary chronicling 18 months of their lives, showing how they began organic gardening and then selling the produce at a local farmer's market. This was how they made their living. Their oldest child was 18; their youngest looked like a newborn. If you are interested in what Herrick had to say about the story, please go to his blog and check out his entry from Thursday, April 5, 2007.

There was a lot going on in my mind as I watched the movie ... For one thing, I wondered if the family ever had a down day, where things just didn't go right. All that was shown were positive things, and I guess I wondered if they, like us, had at times made bad choices, had crops fail, sickness in the family, etc. Did they ever run out of money? I am a practical person, wanting to know the nuts and bolts of things, and I wish they could have shown a bit of how they worked things out so they could do all the things they did. How did they manage to buy what they needed to set up their farming activities?

Jim left his teaching position in Dec. 2003, and has been home with us ever since. We too felt the Lord calling us to a move from city living to country living, and for a simpler way of life. Even though we knew the Lord was in it -- it was hard! Many times our way of making money was by saving money here and there, and have done without many things. How did they do that with 11 children? It is an amazing story.

I must admit I was a bit concerned that some families watching this movie would decide to jump in without really counting the cost. The Waller family seemed so perfect -- and maybe they are. However, the Wallers had laid a foundation in the Lord to get them to where they were, and because of that were able to do what they were doing. Their house was in order, the children well trained, and Tommy Waller had a clear vision for what he was going to do. All of this caused them to be ready when they felt led by God to minister in Israel.

If you are interested in checking out the Waller family, you can go to their website called Ha Yovel .

Part VIII : Getting Ready to Move In

Our cement contractor thought the boys needed a dog, so he offered us one of his puppies. At the time we were still living at the the retreat center and told him if he could hang onto the dog for a while we would take one as soon as we moved into our basement. The puppy was 1/2 Border Collie, 1/4 Blue Heeler, and 1/4 American Eskimo. Jonathan and Peter went to work on building a dog house. Their doghouse was big enough to fit all 4 boys, not to mention a puppy! Orange clothing was worn since it was in the middle of hunting season. Our land had been open for hunting up until we purchased it, so we didn't know if people would still try to hunt here.

Time to bring in the firewood for the woodstove! Andrew was a very diligent worker.

The walls were yet to be insulated, so we needed a good fire to keep us warm while working.

One day the boys and I stopped at our neighbor's for a visit. Mr. Roland happened to notice a bit later there were 3 deer in his yard down by the barn. To our amazement, he took out his gun, and shot. The deer took off running, so Mr. Roland and the boys hopped into his pickup truck to pursue. A few minutes later one of the boys came back for a chain, and soon the deer was hooked up to the tractor and hoisted into the air.

Mr. Roland then taught Jonathan how to gut and skin a deer. I was shown how to find the various cuts of meat, and was given half the deer to take home.

Puppy Sitting

Our dog's puppies were born three weeks ago today. We thought she was going to be a very good mom, as she seemed even a bit overly anxious for her 5 babies. Well, that anxiousness turned into disinterest, and she started refusing to feed them. We have resorted to forcing the issue.

We started tying Selah outside near the doghouse so she doesn't have to listen to the puppies' antics all day long. (She is our chicken killer, and cannot be loose unless the chickens and turkeys are safely in for the night. Now that we have domestic ducks and geese that come up from the lake and sleep by our chicken tractors, she will never be free to roam unless someone is with her.) I wait until the puppies wake up and yelp for food (usually every 4 to 4-1/2 hours) and then bring her in and make her to go into the box and lay down. By then the puppies are frantic and probably latch on a bit too zealously. We have to stay right by the box to make Selah stay in there and nurse. As soon as they are done we let her out and she stays outside by her doghouse.

This is not the way I imagined having puppies would be. I feel like I'm back to having babies of my own, since I have resorted to staying up until the puppies' last feeding, bring Selah in to nurse, and then take her back outside. That has been the only way we have gotten a decent night's sleep! They are usually ready to eat again by 6:00 the next morning.

I hope we will find good homes for the puppies. We don't plan on keeping any of them (no matter how cute they are), since we have discovered having 2 dogs is one too many. The boys and I feel we need to do something with Selah, because she has been a problem dog from the time we brought her home. I appreciated John Mesko's blog entry about treating animals as animals and not like humans. John was referring to animals raised for butchering, but there comes a time when pets also need to be placed into perspective. I hope we can find a good home for her.

More New Additions

Just to let you cat lovers and non-cat lovers know, we expanded our cat population by 4. Our cat named Funny Face gave birth to 4 little black and white kittens. Funny Face and I were both surprised when her water broke and left puddles all over. The boys were outside, so I elected not to tell them until she started delivering her babies. We had a box set up in the bathroom area, but she just didn't want to stay in there. Thankfully, when the actual delivery time came she crawled in there by herself and took care of everything. This is her 2nd litter of kittens, so this time around she isn't quite as protective of them.

Our basement population currently consists of 6 humans, a dog and her 5 puppies, and now a cat and her 4 kittens! Good thing we have a concrete floor!

Movie part 2

This is part 2. The first part is below.

Try Again

See if this movie works now...

Part VII: Inspection Time

Grandma and Grandpa Wagman drove all the way from northern Minnesota for a visit in October 2004. This was their first visit, so they were given the grand tour. They probably saw more than they wanted to see! Jim always loved to show people around our homestead. The basement was finally enclosed, and the door was set in place.

Notice our front stoop! It's amazing what one can do with wooden pallets. Notice also the mud ... It clung to everything, and the inside concrete floor was a mess. Grandma and Grandpa just happened to visit after a period of rain, and the mud was very slippery. The driveway (which was just a cattle path) was so slick that only a 4 wheel drive vehicle could make it in.

All it took was a walk to cause a person to grow about 3 inches from the mud clinging to their shoes. It was terrible! Of course, it was just one more fun thing for the boys.

This photo is the back of Metigoshe Ministries, where we were living at the time. While my parents were visiting, Jim headed to Minot (about 1-1/2 hours from here) to buy supplies and parts at Menard's. He also came back with my new kitchen stove firmly attached to the roof of the car. It's amazing what you can do without a truck or trailer!

Grandpa helped with the electrical work needed to install our water heater. We were preparing for an electrician to finish with the hook up of various things so the state building inspector could make his inspection. Grandpa had some very special apprentices.

The electrician had quite an audience!

Jim would set up his laptop and work in the corner of the basement. As you can see, things were moved into the basement, but nothing was set up. I would stay at the retreat center and make meals, then bring them over to feed the family. Our days were full.

Jim felt we couldn't afford to install a septic system, so our bucket with the toilet seat came out of the woods and into the basement -- behind the refrigerator.

We did not have a very good experience with the state building inspector. He wasn't happy that we were going to spend the winter in our basement, and seemed to get upset at any little thing that wasn't what the code required: No outside light, not enough outlets, etc. He was also not happy that Jim and the boys did most of the wiring themselves. Finally after being overly critical, he calmed down and sat at the table and discussed various items with Jim. By the time he left we discovered that he could actually be quite decent. I guess it was a lesson to the boys that "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)

Doing Chores

Jim and the boys left this morning to head to some friends' farm about 3-1/2 hours from here. They will be back tomorrow, and their main reason for going was to pick up more goats. I guess they will bring back 2 pregnant does and a buck. We lost our buck in January, and also lost a doe. I sure hope our remaining adult doe and 2 kids will remain healthy and not pass anything to the new goats.

Since I am the only one home, I am holding down the fort with taking care of the puppies (actually I am keeping Selah the mom from getting into trouble while in the house) and doing the chores. This has been good for me, since I am usually doing something else while the boys are out taking care of the animals. It felt great to get out early this morning to receive directions from our very capable sons, and then in the afternoon to check on the egg laying business.

I found 6 eggs in and under the nesting boxes. However, our rooster has decided to become ornery and seems bent on attacking me! The other day I collected eggs and was surprised when he jumped on my leg. This time it was out and out warfare on both of our parts. I don't know what one is supposed to do with an attacking rooster, but I hit him with a branch until he quit. I guess this means we've become enemies, since he did it again tonight when I was checking everything in the shed and putting the turkeys away for the night. He leaves the cats and goats alone, but apparently I am a threat to him. Our poor hens are also taking a beating, since at least 3 of them have feathers on their backs pulled out. I would gladly push for butchering him, but he is the only rooster we have and are hoping they will produce chicks later in the spring. I guess doing chores tomorrow will be another "wonderful" experience.

Even though it was rather cool and windy today, it was nice to be outside instead of working on things in the house. Our German Shepherd named Samson walked me down the 1/4 mile of very muddy driveway and begged me to throw rocks so he could go retrieve them. Whenever our son Peter is gone he becomes my buddy and does everything he can to get me to play with him. I love dogs, so it doesn't take much!We saw lots and lots of geese heading back into Canada, and noted that it won't be long before the ice is off the lake.

Our dog Selah is the one that just had 5 puppies. She reminds me so much of what I was like as a first time mom: very uptight and nervous. I never knew puppies this young could make so much noise ... All she has to do is step out of her whelping box and they immediately start whining and yelping for her. She then is so torn about going outside or even to get a drink of water. I hope she learns to relax soon, or she will wear herself out. That crazy dog still has her intense desire to go for our chickens and turkeys, so I have to stand outside any time she goes out and make sure she leaves them alone. Maybe she could take that rooster and knock him down a few pegs! Just kidding, I think we still need him.

I am looking forward to sunny, warm days, and planting in the garden. I was offered a parttime job recently, and it was very tempting to take it. However, it is my desire to work with our family here on our homestead instead of spending hours away from everyone. There are a lot of things afoot on our farm, and I want to be a part of it. Our older boys are talking about using a garden plot to grow vegetables for sale. That will take up quite a bit of their time, so I will be needed to work in our areas of the garden. I can't imagine what it will be like to be picking raspberries from 600 plants! At the rate the boys eat homemade raspberry jam, we'll need every berry we produce! I have a feeling, though, there will be plenty left over for others.

Movie by Andrew

We are trying to figure out why Andrew's movie isn't working .. Stay tuned, and we'll have it fixed!

Exciting News!

Our dog Selah delivered 5 healthy, chubby black puppies. They are so cute! Selah is such a good mother. We knew last night she was beginning the early stages of labor, as she couldn't settle down and was doing a lot of panting.

Our son Jonathan built Selah a whelping box; we had trouble getting her to stay in there, but when the time came she headed straight for the box to deliver her puppies. It didn't take very long before all 5 were delivered.

I wish I could show you some photos, but Selah is mostly black and so are the puppies so it doesn't make for clear, sharp pictures. It's been a bit tough to get anything done around here, since I love puppies almost as much as I love babies!

If anyone is looking for an interesting breed of dog -- look no farther. These puppies are 1/2 German Shepherd, 1/4 Border Collie, 1/8 Blue Heeler, and 1/8 American Eskimo.

First Day of Spring!

The boys reminded me that today was the first day of spring, but around here it's mud season. I am planning to continue writing about our adventures with moving up here and starting our homestead, and the next installment is partially about the mud. More about that later.

I think the last time I wrote I mentioned that one of our goats was very sick. Well, she died the next day. That was over 2 weeks ago, and we have tried our best to do what we could with natural remedies to keep our remaining adult doe and 2 kids healthy. This morning the doe was experiencing diarrhea, and I sure hope the family we bought the goats from is correct in saying it could be a result of detoxifying. We'll just have to wait and see.

Our dog Selah is due to give birth soon. This is a new thing to our family, and I hope everyone is around to watch the birth. Selah is kind of a high strung dog, and I hope she does okay with everything. I have been worrying about her, as I see how tough it is for her to get around these days. Guess I remember all too well how it felt the last week of my pregnancies!

We spent an afternoon last week planting seeds at friend's house. She has a wonderful low cement wall solar collector which is perfect for the seed trays. The house faces south, and plants grow like crazy over there. I look forward to the day we can start seeds in our own home. Jim was checking various catalogs for the plastic we need to cover our hoop house; we didn't completely take off the plastic last year since we wanted some protection from the elements for our garden tools and made a small shed with it where the plants weren't growing, and the sun weakened the plastic. I think we are looking for a higher grade of plastic that won't be bothered as much by the sun.

Hopefully the next time I post it will be back to the book!

Home from Convention

Life has been a whirlwind lately. We left a week ago Tuesday to prepare to testify at a House legislative committee regarding allowing grandparents to homeschool their grandchildren. What a fiasco! I don't understand all of what happened, but apparently the legislative council goofed somehow and the state's homeschool bill went from about 6 pages to 7 lines! In order to work on the bill for grandparents they first had to reintroduce the whole homeschooling bill. Even the legislative branch seems to not know what they are doing! One particular legislator was very hostile to homeschooling in general, and we left knowing some bad things could happen to our bill.

Our drive to Fargo was anything but peaceful, since a big winter storm was brewing. I was glad I wasn't driving, but it was also tough to just sit there and pray for safety. We were also pulling a trailer, and I wondered at times if we could make it up some of the hills on the interstate. Needless to say, we were very thankful to finally hit town and get unpacked.

Thursday was crazy. We were supposed to get set up for the convention, but instead a lot of the day was trying to figure out how to deal with weather related items. Thankfully, Skeet Savage, her daughter Mercy and son Israel Wayne had flown in on Wed., so they were ready to roll. Unfortunately, Steve Demme of Math-U-See had gotten as far as Chicago, and made the decision to fly back home. Even the recording company from Kentucky got as far as Iowa City and had to turn back. That meant no taping for the convention! John Mesko (Good Farmer John) had also gotten snowed in back in Minnesota, and may even still be snowed in.

As if one storm wasn't enough, there was a temporary lull and then another blast of blizzard conditions hit the area. We ended up with about 1/3 of the people that normally attend the homeschool convention when it is held in Fargo. We still felt people were ministered to, and that made all the hassles worthwhile. The Lord's will for the convention was accomplished.

This week we are working on getting back to normal -- whatever normal is! The first order of business was to shovel out from the storms. Thankfully the snowplow had come in and cleared our driveway, and friends shovelled a path from the top of our hill to the door of the basement so we didn't have to wade through 3 feet deep snow while unloading our car. The weather is supposed to make a drastic change by the weekend, and we'll be into the 40's. This time it is above zero!

We are still having goat problems, though. One of our does was down again when the boys went to do chores this morning, so we spent a good part of the day working on her. By tonight she was up and eating well, and we hope to keep her that way. I'm so thankful it didn't happen while we had friends watching our animals. We should have kittens and puppies by the end of the month, and this will be very interesting!

The Hills (as locals refer to our area) aren't quite as hillbillyish as they used to be ... Two nights ago we received a call from a neighbor to let us know that someone had stolen a truck with a trailer, and when they drove on our gravel road had gotten them stuck. Instead of just leaving them, they burned the truck and trailer, and left nails and other construction materials strewn across the gravel road. After a call to another of our neighbors who didn't know anything about this event, I received a call back with further information. Apparently the truck and trailer had been stolen in Fargo and driven all the way up here. So far the culprits have not been apprehended. We have to get back to the scene of the crime and get the nails, etc. off the road so we don't end up with flat tires when we head out that way.

Back to our homeschool bill. Today the committee took up the bill once again -- and didn't tell us they were going to do it. All we asked for was to allow grandparents to homeschool their grandchildren, and this is what the attached amendment would do (and they took out the provision for grandparents to be able to homeschool their grandchildren!):

1. A mom without a college degree could avoid being monitored by the local school district if she took the national teacher's exam; the amendment would change that to "the pre-professional skills test".
2. Required testing was originally set for children in grades 4,6,8, and 10; the amendment would change that to grades 3, 4, 6, 8 and 11.
3. Testing can be either the state assessment test or a nationally normed state achievement test.
4. This amendment would require parents to pay all testing costs.
5. It will be the "grade level proficiency score of the state assessment test" that will be used to determine extension of monitoring or evaluation for learning difficulties -- just as the 30th% and the 50th% of the nationally normed tests are used.
6. Instead of "basic composite score" it now reads "composite score" or "score", depending on which line of the bill you read. In reference to remedial plan, it also reads, "every subject tested..."
7. A new section reads, in part: "Violation of chapter - Penalty . If the superintendent of public instruction determines, after a hearing ... that the child's parent has violated a provision of this chapter ... the ... school district ... monitor the parent for a period of one year. If the parent is already being monitored ... extend the monitoring ... for a period of one additional year. The child's parent is responsible for the cost of any monitoring required by this section".

I say all this to say -- North Dakota has the reputation at Home School Legal Defense as being the most restrictive state in the country for homeschooling laws. This takes the cake.

New Adventure for Our Family

Today we were invited to our neighbor's, which is a mile north as the crow flies (longer by road). They have about 30 sled dogs, and needed to take them for a run before the weekend, when they are hosting some type of "wilderness women" type thing at the local state park. So, I got to ride in the sled with our oldest son driving, and then our 2nd and 3rd sons took another sled, with my husband Jim and our youngest son taking the last sled. Our neighbors used snowmobiles to ride alongside, in front or in the rear to make sure we were doing okay. The weather was perfect, and we had a great time! We traveled a distance of 12 miles. I am ready to do it again! We were taught how to harness and get them attached to the sled, as well as how to use the sled itself. The dogs were just itching to go, so it was quite wild and noisy before we got going. By the time we got back they were a little on the tired side, since they were pulling us up and down hills the whole 12 miles. The owner of the dogs raced in the Ididerod back in 1999, and only has one dog left from the original team.

If you want to see photos and a short You Tube video of our time, check out our son's blog at www.jonathanjbartlett.blogspot.com.

Heading Down the Home Stretch

Just a little over a week from now we will be heading to the ND Home Educators' Conference in Fargo, ND. I am the occasional secretary for the Assoc., and my boss is Jim. Not only are we preparing for the convention but working to keep the freedoms ND homeschoolers have attained and stem the tide of attempts to take some of those freedoms away. The ND legislature meets every other year, and this legislative session has been a doozy for us homeschoolers. So far we have done okay and even received the right for grandparents to homeschool their grandchildren, but yesterday was "crossover day," and all the bills switch from the House to the Senate or Senate to the House. Needless to say, the fight will be on again next week as the various committees meet. It's been such a blessing to see all the homeschooling families that continue to send emails and call their legislators to fight for what they desire to see happen within the state.

Our homeschool convention will feature Skeet Savage and her son Israel Wayne from Wisdom's Gate. Steve Demme from Math-U-See will also be speaking. We are also glad to have Good Farmer John himself -- John Mesko of Lighthouse Farm (blogs with Northern Farmer, Jim V. and Nathan V. at http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/ ). John will conduct a workshop and also offer at booth in the convention hall.

My son Jonathan and I have lots more to share regarding our adventures with homesteading, but it's kind of on the shelf until the convention is over.

We're Tough!

I found this section of an article in today's Fargo Forum online newspaper. This will give you an idea of just how tough we are up here in the frozen north!


Temperatures dropped below zero in Minnesota on Saturday morning and were expected to remain there until sometime Tuesday, the weather service said. By noon Monday, subzero temperatures had blanketed the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for 58 straight hours - the longest stretch in 11 years.
In northern Minnesota, the temperature crashed to 42 below Monday morning at Embarrass, 38 below at Hallock and 30 below at International Falls, the weather service said.
Veterinarian Wade Himes wasn't too concerned as he ate breakfast at the Shorelunch Cafe in International Falls.
"We get up and go to work, and people come and see us. I don't think anything changes that much. (You) just dress warm," said Himes, 69.
Grand Forks, N.D., also registered 30 below.
"For this time of year, this isn't that unusual, as far as temperatures go," said weather service meteorologist Bill Abeling in Bismarck. "To get record temperatures this time of year in North Dakota, you've got to delve down in the 40-below region, so we're not even close."

(PS: That's not true. When we got up this morning, the temperature on the outside thermometer read -40 degrees! Maybe that is why our car wouldn't start this morning ...)

Part VII: Building the House

The basement foundation was finished, and now it was our turn to enclose the sides and roof. My brother Mark had very generously offered to forgo his usual camping near the Boundary Waters in Minnesota to help us work on our basement. We are so thankful for the week he gave us.

Our well was being dug the same time we were working on the basement. Jim had contacted as many well drillers as he could find to hopefully get someone to drill before winter set in. One man agreed to come, but never showed up. Finally, a man came over to check things out, and told us he would soon return to get busy. We had to learn to accept the schedules of the various contractors, because there were days when they would just plain not show up -- with no explanation. We had been told to get someone over to witch for water since there was no guarantee that water would easily be found. That just didn't sit right with Jim and I, since we feel divination like that was not something the Lord would approve of. Instead, we prayed a lot about the correct location for the well.

The day the well drillers showed up was the day Jim felt impressed to change the location of the drilling. Instead of drilling in an open space he asked them to please drill closer to our power pole. That was fine, and they began drilling.

I can see why not many people make well drilling their occupation; it is a very dirty, muddy, cold job. They must have worked on our well for at least a week. Shortly after they began they hit a large rock and had to move over just a bit. We continued to pray!

We take photos of everything, and this one shows our first bit of water! We were so thrilled. Of course it took drilling down 243 feet to hit water. We were charged $5.00/foot for the test hole, and then an additional $8.00/foot to actually develop the well.

The drillers had to come back on a Saturday when we were ready to bring the water to the house and install the pump. Jim was away from home that day, so the boys and I were in charge of doing what we could to help out. All I can remember is how bitterly cold it was that day in October.

The man who excavated and poured our basement brought his backhoe to dig the trench for what was needed to get the water to the house. It was amazing to watch him operate that backhoe, as he actually walked it across the trench so he could dig in front of him as he went along. When he was finished he walked the thing back off the trench!

While all of this was happening, I had an amazing conversation with the well driller's assistant. Besides telling me he was missing his son's basketball game and the well driller was missing his grandson's basketball game, he told me the well driller was as thrilled as we were to find water, since he had drilled just 2 miles away from us a few months earlier and never found water. He had not expected to find water on our land. We were praising the Lord over that revelation!

While all the well drilling was going on, Jim, Uncle Mark and the boys were working on enclosing the basement. In this photo, Jonathan was making scrambled eggs on our Coleman stove. He knew how to use the stove much better than I did! Uncle Mark taught the boys how to catch hornets, since they tended to swarm us every time we sat down to eat a meal.

Jim chose to utilize wood for the parts of the basement that would be above ground, including the entire side facing the lake. The basement was built into the side of a hill. The cement contractor used this type of machine to smooth out the floor, and people often ask us how we ever got it so smooth.


Uncle Mark was great at teaching our boys the fine art of housing construction. He seemed to have all the time in the world to answer any and all questions. Mark later told me the burden of the construction was not on his shoulders, so he was much more relaxed about it than Jim was.

We also had the Kenney family up from Fargo for work detail. Their children were soon referring to my brother as "Uncle Mark," and learned as much as our boys did.

Everyone had a job. Jim was learning a lot from Mark as well.

Boys and Gerbers go hand in hand!

That corner is where our bathroom is currently situated.

This is the side of the house that faces the lake, which is farther down the hill.

Finally getting the roof ready for winter! We weren't sure how a flat roof with rolled roofing would handle snow and cold, but we gave it a try. We didn't have enough finances left to install windows, so we faced the winter living in a dungeon. The only window we had was in the door.

Left to right: David, Andrew, Peter and Jonathan. This was our makeshift door until Jim could install the real thing. This piece of plywood was nailed in front of the opening to keep critters out while we were back at Metiogoshe Minstries for the night.

Caleb Kenney getting a lesson from Uncle Mark in the proper use of tools. Peter was taking the lesson in as well.
Our time with Uncle Mark wasn't all work ... There was time for play as well. Our boys and the Kenneys had a lesson in black powder loading and shooting.

We have a nice shooting range developed by Jonathan. Kenneys seemed to have as much fun as our boys!
While all the building was happening, the ladies fixed meals over at Metigoshe Ministries. What a crew!

October 4, 2004. The Lord gave us beautiful weather in which to build. This was the summer the area had its last frost in June, and first frost in August! We went from raw land to starting our own homestead in the Turtle Mountains.

Real Winter

Winter has definitely arrived. It's actually been cold -- and very cold indeed! We continue to learn the ins and outs of farming, and unfortunately we sometimes have to learn things the hard way.

Last Saturday the boys went down to the goat shed to do their chores and discovered one of our does was down. Ebony was laying on her side, too weak to get up. The weather had turned very cold overnight; the temperature in the afternoon was in the 20's, but by morning it had dropped to 30 below zero. Poor Ebony was very cold. Jim and the boys rigged up 2 heat lamps, and added bedding and a blanket for her.

Jonathan thought we should check on Ned our buck, since he hadn't heard him stirring yet. David ran over to his shelter, and was very upset to find him dead. We aren't sure just what happened, since he seemed fine the day before. I usually call to him when I go outside, and if he is in his shelter he will stick his head out and greet me. He had done that the day before, so it was a great shock to me.

I am very grateful for a network of people we have come to know and love, who gave us good information on what to do to save Ebony. She is still weak, but gaining strength. We continue to check on her because if she falls over onto her side, she cannot get up on her own. It has been exciting to watch how patient and caring the boys are with Ebony as they tend to her needs.

Part VI: Our Home in Between

Before we officially moved, Jim and the boys spent approximately 2 weeks on the land, gathering information on contractors, contacting the local phone company to bring in a phone line, adding electricity, etc. Jim knew there was the distinct possibility the house would not be ready before the snow flew. Approximately 3 miles from our house was a retreat center on Lake Metigoshe, aptly called Metigoshe Ministries; Jim contacted their office to see if there would be a possibility of our family bunking in there until the basement was finished enough to move in.

Friends surprised us by driving up just a week after we moved up here, and stayed at Metigoshe Ministries. Part of their facility is an old church that was moved to the site, and bunk rooms were added for visitors to use at a very reasonable price.

I was still in a state of shock after having moved only a week previous to their visit, and was so thrilled they had brought enough food to feed our family as well. I hadn't brought much in the way of food with us, since I knew I had no place to store anything. (In one of my other posts, I explain how our outdoor refrigerator and freezer were storing tools, etc.) Part of my culture shock was also due to how expensive food was to purchase in our town's 2 small grocery stores; I could purchase a jar of unsweetened applesauce in Fargo on sale for 99 cents, and in Bottineau when it went "on sale" (and they rarely had unsweetened) it was at least 3 times that much. I was finding it very hard to cook anything for a reasonable price. Metigoshe Ministries not only had bunk rooms, but there was an area in their building called "Life and Growth" that had a full size stove, apartment size refrigerator, and living area. We ate out meals in that room, since it was very chilly outside. Anyway, our time with our friends gave us the opportunity to scope out where we could possibly live on a short term basis until the basement was roughed in.

Jim's folks came shortly after our friends had gone back to Fargo, and stayed for a little over a week. The night before they left to head back to New Hampshire was the coldest night we had experienced: 27 degrees! That is a bit chilly for living in a canvas pop-up camper. Jim decided it was time to do something about our living arrangement.

That morning, we jumped into our van and made a trip over to Metigoshe Ministries. We talked with the people in the office, and were told we were welcome to move into the Life and Growth Place. What a blessing it was to have a warm, dry place to stay! We were given two rooms, one for the boys and one for Jim and I. We knew any time someone wanted to stay in the rooms we occupied we would have to move upstairs to their actual bunk rooms.

It rained steadily that first night ... So much so that when I helped get our youngest ready for bed (we even had easy access to a shower!) we discovered the rain was running in from the ceiling. I found the lady who stays in an apartment on site, and she realized the worker who was reroofing had neglected to tarp the roof! As I was running around helping to mop up water and placing buckets in strategic areas, Jim was on the roof with the director, nailing on tarpaper. What a night! Of course, the boys thought it was great fun.

How great it was to be able to clean up and sleep in a nice bed, after working hard during the day on our basement. I made meals in the Life and Growth Place and then brought them out to Jim and the older boys. I tried to keep the area clean as much as possible, since there were quite a few people that would walk through there and even use the room. We cleaned up especially for Sundays, since a church also meets on the premises and Life and Growth was used for Sunday School.

During our stay my parents came from Minnesota to see us. It sure was nice to have a place to visit that wasn't out in the cold!

Our family has many fond memories from living at Metigoshe Ministries. Jim tells everyone we stayed there for 59 days and 128 loads of laundry! The staff truly went out of their way to help us out when we needed a place to stay. Not only that, but out of our time there we developed relationships. Our oldest son has a vacuuming job there and I am occasionally called upon to help out with cooking, cleaning or office work. The Lord truly blessed us with our friends at Metigoshe Ministries.

Authentic Agriculture

Last winter I was reading posts from a Christian self-publishing Yahoo group, and happened across a family that called themselves "Lighthouse Farm." Something they said made me curious, so I checked out their website: www.lighthousefarm.com . I discovered we had two things in common: They were currently living in Indiana, and were packing up and moving to the family farm in Minnesota. Well, I lived in Indiana for 3 years and am originally from Minnesota, so they were as good as family to me! It was then I started reading Good Farmer John's blog.

This was my introduction to what people were calling Christian agrarian thought.

Jim and I moved to the country because we wanted our boys raised in the country, and needed the space to grow our own food and do other things we had dreamed about. Jim is the thinker in the family, and knew a bit about the large agricultural corporations and how corrupt they are. My only knowledge of the Monsanto corporation was its name; a friend from Fargo worked for them, and also married a chemist in the company.

John Mesko has written an excellent post over at the Northern Farmer blog (www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog) entitled, "Authentic Agriculture: Defined." Reading this post will give you an idea of what our family has been thinking, since we are in agreement with the Meskos in what they are expressing. I am very grateful to Good Farmer John, since he has helped me to understand the times with regard to farming, and also to see the importance of raising healthy, wholesome food for our family.