Christmas Break Activities

So, what do homeschooled boys do on their Christmas break? Butcher pigs!

A couple of weeks ago Jim placed an ad in our local weekly paper, advertising two pigs for sale. I think the Bartletts are known in the area for dominating the want ad section, and through that is how we've purchased a lot of things.

Well, the two week period went by, and there wasn't even one call to express interest in the pigs. Today is butchering day. On a whim, Jim called the paper to see what happened, since we have yet to receive the bill for placing the ad, and discovered it never ran! We'll know better next year. Jim still has the leftovers of being a university professor in his brain, and likes to use email. Around here, physically doing things seems to be the norm, such as driving to town, walking in to the paper's office and handing them the ads. Apparently that is the only way you can be sure things go smoothly. I count it up to Providence, as now I will be able to pressure can some pork along with having more in the freezer. And fresh pork chops for supper!

But I Haven't Finished with our Last Storm!

Ice on my kitchen window during the cold snap.

I have more photos to share, we haven't been plowed out yet, and looks like another storm is brewing:

From the National Weather Service:

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SAT NIGHT. THE NATL WEATHER SVC IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH. WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SAT NIGHT. SNOW WILL DEVELOP DURING THE DAY ON FRI & MAY BECOME HEAVY BY FRI NIGHT & SATURDAY. SIX TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE EAST CNTL. WITH 4 TO 7 INCHES ACROSS THE CNTL [which is us Turtle Mountain people]. 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WEST. EXTREMELY COLD WIND CHILLS OF 40 TO 50BELOW ARE POSSIBLE WEST SAT NIGHT. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE CNTL [which is us again] BY SAT AFTERNOON & NIGHT.

Peter, the goat milker.

Not Frozen Yet

We are all doing okay, in spite of the frigid weather. Our outdoor faucet (which is made for winter weather) did freeze up, so the boys have to come inside and haul buckets of water from the laundry tub to the animals. We did purchase a heater for the waterer down by the barn, but they still have to haul water down to fill it up. We just got the heater as the cold weather was beginning, and it sure draws electricity. It's a blessing, though, since the boys don't have to haul water down quite as many times a day as they used to.

Last night one of us neglected to get up during the night to refill the wood stove, so it was probably about 50 degrees in here when morning arrived. We won't do that again! I'm setting my alarm for 3:00 a.m. to keep the fire going. I did turn on the floor heat this morning, because the concrete was very cold to walk on. I'm not sure the boiler has even brought the floor heat up to the lower setting I had it turned to yet, but I can tell the difference when we use both the boiler and wood stove on these exceptionally cold nights. Unfortunately we'll pay for it when the electric bill arrives.

Jim signed up for off-peak heat with our electric company. That means they have the ability to shut off power to our water heater whenever extra electricity is needed, and we receive a cheaper rate on our electrical usage. Since this cold has started, we've hardly been able to use the water heater. Tonight I noticed the red light wasn't on which meant we did have use of the heater, so I finally got the boys to take quick showers before it went off again.


There are two things I want to show you in this photo ... One is how we dry clothes in the winter: around the wood stove. I place everything on hangers, and use clothespins to hang up socks and other items that could fall off the hangers. It certainly saves on dryer time.

The other item to notice is the old water heater on top of the wood stove. This is what is giving us hot water, in spite of having our regular water heater turned off by the power company.

We brought our wood stove from Fargo when we moved up here. Originally it was purchased for use during Y2K, but if I remember correctly, all we did was burn paper in it. A friend up here was getting rid of an old water heater and asked if we wanted it, and Jim thought he could rig up a system to have pipes running through the wood stove which would heat water, with the old water heater used as a holding tank. I don't know all the details, but it works pretty slick. The water is heated and piped to our "real" water heater in pipes running by the ceiling. I was more than a bit wary when we first started using this operation, but it does a good job and sure beats heating water on the stove. We do have to be careful about how much of the hot water we use at a time, since the old water heater only holds 30 gallons and it takes a while to heat more water. In the summertime the water still circulates through the pipes in the wood stove, but since the wood stove isn't operating the water isn't heated.

We ended up having to insulate the pipes that run to the "real" water heater, as the they would sweat from the very cold water that comes from our well and then drip on whoever was under them. We also had trouble at first when we didn't use enough of the hot water before everyone went to bed at night; we would suddenly awaken to the sound of running water. The PTR valve would open and send hot water through a hose into a bucket, but if the bucket filled and no one woke up, the water would be all over the floor and was a real mess to clean up. We haven't had that happen for quite a while now, and I'm wondering if the innards are coated with hard water deposits and affecting how warm the water is heated. We also had to be careful when using the shower, because the water was VERY hot.

I'll have to post some time about the love/hate relationship I've had with our wood stove. There definitely is a lot to learn about using them, and we had to learn a lot of it through the school of hard knocks.

What Do You Do When There's a Blizzard Outside?

The Weather Service wasn't kidding when it predicted frigid cold, snow, and fierce winds. We battened down the hatches, and prayed for the safety of our farm animals. Our dog Samson has found refuge in the house, and loves to lay by my feet as I work in the kitchen. I have to be careful not to trip over him, but I must admit that I enjoy having a dog in the house.

Jim checked up on the main floor this morning for signs of the temperature getting too close to freezing, and everything seemed okay. We are storing our potatoes, pumpkin and squash up there until they are consumed. We have a small hole cut in the floor just above the wood stove, so apparently that heat source is enough to keep the area where the produce is located above freezing.

Jonathan took another look right after lunch, and discovered the water bottle we keep up there as a makeshift thermometer was now frozen. We moved into high gear, and brought everything down. And the photo below is what took place all afternoon:

David was in the back, washing more pumpkins in the laundry tub.

I usually bake the cut up pumpkin pieces in the oven, but that would have taken forever. So, we also chunked pieces and boiled them on top of the stove. We must have a hundred pumpkins to process! I then mashed the pulp and placed it in bags that will go into the freezer.

There's more to do tomorrow!

What's in Store for Us

This just arrived in my inbox:


A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.



THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. EXPECT 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW & WINDS OVER 35 MPH FROM LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. WIND CHILLS WILL FALL TO NEAR 40 BELOW LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. TRAVEL MAY BECOME IMPOSSIBLE. IF NECESSARY, RECONSIDER TRAVEL PLANS.

----------------


Our winter has been rather snowy lately. In fact, our driveway was snowed in yesterday, due to a small amount of snow and lots of blowing. Jonathan needed to get to his vacuuming job this afternoon, so Jim tried using the station wagon. No go. Jonathan walked back up our quarter mile driveway and got the pick up truck (in need of repair of the rear brakes; we keep losing brake fluid) to pull out the car and then continue on to the retreat center. Even the gravel road going past our land has yet to be plowed, which is unusual for our township. In previous winters the township plow has come in to clean out our driveway without us even asking, so it makes me think they are starting cost saving measures. We tried to call them all day today, but no one is around to take messages.



Last night I had allowed our German Shepherd to come into the house for a visit. The younger boys were in bed, and Jonathan had just gotten there as well. All of a sudden Samson let me know he wanted to go outside -- highly unusual. I let him out, and saw him look to the right and stare. I took a look, and there was one of our pigs! She had climbed on the frozen hay in their pen and gotten out. Andrew had said the two remaining pigs have been a bit restless since the other two were butchered, but I hope this doesn't happen on a regular basis. Jim was still working on his computer, so I let him know and also got Jonathan up. I had just finished cooking up a bunch of pumpkins, so gave them the scrap bucket with the peelings, and away they went. Unfortunately, "Nancy" wasn't interested in the scraps. Jonathan ended up pushing her all the way down the hill and into the pen. At least she sort of cooperated! They did some bracing of the pen, and were back in by 11:15. So far so good -- "Nancy" hasn't been up to visit us since.



We discovered something else this morning that we are not happy with: Somewhere during the night we had visitors on snowmobiles. Many times people on those machines would follow the power lines and cut through our fields, but this time they must have taken a nearby snowmobile trail and then veered into our big field, right down to the barns. They then rode their snowmobiles in between the barns and onto the lake. It would have been easy for them to hit a fence or two, and I just hope it doesn't happen again.

We were told once by a local snowmobile enthusiast that NO HUNTING OR TRESPASSING signs do not apply to snowmobilers, but landowners have to post NO SNOWMOBILING signs to let people know not to use the land for their recreation. To us, NO TRESPASSING means just that, but I guess we learned something new. There are plenty of trails up here for snowmobiles and even a state park that is noted for their trails. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Leaf Lard vs. Regular Lard

Somewhere I had read there was a difference between leaf lard and regular lard. Just before we butchered our pigs this week I read again that leaf lard was superior to the other lard, and was what was used to make pie crusts, biscuits, etc. My source came from a tutorial I found on Granny Miller's blog .

When we processed the second pig I asked the boys to keep the leaf lard fat separate from the other, and yesterday rendered them in separate pans on the stove. I was very surprised to see how much quicker the leaf lard fat melted, compared to the other type. Last year I rendered lard and never really understood what the cracklings were, but with the leaf lard they were very easy to see as the fat was almost done rendering. The regular fat seems to stay rubbery much longer, and the leftovers in the pan weren't as crisp as the other cracklings. Maybe I didn't render them long enough, but it seemed like I was working with that fat all afternoon and into the evening and they weren't turning out quite like the other one.

I have more lard to render before I'm done with these pigs, and then it's time to do the tallow from the deer we butchered a few weeks ago. Then I can check that job off of my "to do" list -- which seems to be as long as my summer lists!

Pig Butchering

Time to take care of those pigs.



Last night we reviewed the DVD that John and Lisa Mesko of Lighthouse Farm produced, entitled, "Hog Butchering". You can find details of the DVD here. The information was very helpful for today as we got started on processing a pig.


This is what you do when you need some help!


Notice the computer screen in the background is still on Mesko's hog butchering DVD for reference.


Even the refrigerator has been taken over by pig information!

Peter and Jim are working on pork chops (and they tasted very good at suppertime).

Jonathan working on the chops as well.


Andrew was helping with cutting fat to render into lard. We went from the odor of dehydrating onions to lard being rendered. Good thing we aren't expecting company. I neglected to take a photo of David as he helped me package meat.

Winter Days

Yesterday a squirrel came out for some sunshine. We also have bluejays all over the place this year, especially when the boys set out corn on the bird feeder.

The boys are practicing their instruments as I write this post. These long winter evenings are perfect for catching up on activities that are placed on the shelf during the other three seasons. Peter usually goes to the barn to milk the goats about 5:30, and then we have supper. That gives us plenty of time afterward to relax and read a good book -- or play music.

I am still plugging away at dehydrating our onions and cooking up pumpkins for freezing. We had good crops of both this year, and I am thankful for that. A couple of days ago one of the boys came in to tell me that someone had left the extension ladder up to the 2nd floor from the main floor; this meant that all the cold air from the top floor had free access to the main floor where the pumpkins, potatoes and onions were being stored. During cooler weather we keep insulation boards as a covering between floors to keep out the cold air that comes in from the still open soffit area by the roof. The extension ladder is kept down unless someone needs to get into the next level. The boys hauled in the onions and we discovered our white onions had probably gotten too cold somewhere along the line and were mostly mushy, but thankfully the yellow onions were still okay. We got busy and filled the dehydrator with another load of chopped onions, and have yet more to go. We have quite the scent of onion when we start the drying process! The dehydrator sits on a table in the living room area.

This afternoon while I was baking bread the guys butchered two of our four pigs. They decided to take the bossy one first; she was also the largest. When they went into the pen to get her body, the other one they planned to butcher managed to escape from the fence. All that is needed to catch a pig is the bucket used to feed them scraps! Ours happened to be empty, so placing a pumpkin in the bucket was all that was needed to catch her. Their bodies are hanging in the woods near the house, and tomorrow afternoon we will probably begin processing the meat. I feel like I'm still recovering from processing venison, but we'll sure be thankful for the meat in the freezer.

Butchering animals has never been -- and probably will never be -- my favorite event on the farm. The gun shot brought tears to my eyes, but I rise to the occasion when the meat is brought in and we get started in the process. Our pigs have always seemed like dogs: friendly and curious animals. It is important to put their lives into perspective, and be thankful for how their life provides life for ours.

This is JP, one of our barn cats.

Enjoying Winter

Thanksgiving was a double celebration for us; we also celebrated Jim's birthday. The boys are masters at making the birthday person feel loved, and Jim's day was no exception. While Jim was working on something in the house, the boys were busy decorating their skating area with balloons and "danger" tape. If you look closely, you can see the balloons and tape down on the lake. We keep our four pigs down the hill in the valley between us and the lake.

Andrew has taken over the job of making cut out cakes, so he decided to make a cake for Jim that highlighted Jim's favorite berries -- raspberries and blueberries. We grew a lot of raspberries this past summer, and Jim is working on a domestic blueberry patch as well.

I asked David this afternoon if he wanted to walk with me the quarter mile down our driveway to get the mail with me. I guess boys don't really care for just walking. He needed a mode of transportation, and had Peter help him get Calliope ready for a ride.

As you can see, we had more snow yesterday. The township plow has not come in since it really isn't enough to keep us from getting out of the driveway.

David does a good job of getting Calliope to tow the mark -- unless she wants to do something else. We got down to the mailbox at the end of the driveway, and Calliope decided she wanted to take a run on the gravel road. Needless to say, we need a saddle! David slid off. I was glad to see that as soon as Calliope felt David falling off she stopped and patiently waited for him. We had to tie her to the mailbox post so I could help him get back on.

Peter then decided to take Calliope for a ride in the field, and allowed her to run. She loves running through the field, and I have heard she loves to run through water as well. I guess we'll find out for ourselves in the spring.

This isn't a great photo, but above is a picture of our one and only snowmobile. It was given to us the first winter we were here, by someone that probably wanted to unload some junk from their yard. I'm not sure how old it is, but we think it was built in the 1970's. Andrew found something on it that stated the machine was built in Twin Valley, MN, and it came with a Minnesota Vikings logo on the side. The machine was "updated" a bit, and a Canadian Motoski engine was installed in the thing. They don't even make snowmobiles like that any more! It's currently sitting in the middle of the field because it quit for the umpteenth time, and the boys are having trouble figuring out how to get it started again.

I had to include some photos of my flowers. The violet is doing well this time of year, and blooming like crazy. I dug the geranium out of the garden before the frost hit, and it's doing great!