Bartlett Production's Newest Installment

Start of Winter?

According to the newspaper:

Astronomical start of winter to arrive with no snow in forecast



FARGO – You wouldn’t know if by looking at the brown ground outside, but the astronomical start of winter arrives tonight.


By: Forum staff reports, INFORUM


You wouldn’t know if by looking at the brown ground outside, but the astronomical start of winter arrives tonight.


The winter solstice will occur at 11:30 p.m., marking the shortest daylight period of the year for locations in the northern hemisphere, the National Weather Service says.


After today, the daylight period will increase each day until reaching its maximum again at the summer solstice in June.

Usually this time of year we are moaning about all the snow and cold, but so far it's been very pleasant  and we've accomplished a lot that we couldn't have done during a normal winter.  

We'll see what happens in January.



A Tour of the Big Lake

Someone in the area uses an Ultralight to take photos and videos of the Lake Metigoshe area.  It's so enjoyable to see what he sees from the sky.



Makes me look forward to summer!

Humiliation

Samson is a very good dog, but even a good dog can only take so much! He doesn't bother the cats. However, if they bother him he will put their head into his mouth and get them slobbery wet.

There are occasional times when Samson decides to stalk a cat and try his best to scare it. Makes for a great opportunity to give a yell and spoil his plans.

Sunset

Sunset comes quickly these days ... And yes, we have snow -- and cold. The low tonight is supposed to be zero degrees. I guess it's time to bring out the long underwear.

What's Ahead for the Week

From what I hear, we'll be butchering turkeys this week. A few weeks ago we butchered a bunch -- someone will be baking a 27.6 pound tom for Thanksgiving! It was quite a challenge to fit that turkey into a bag that was intended to hold up to a 25 pound turkey.

More to follow soon (hopefully!).

Big Blessing

Yesterday the boys helped a family clean out the husband's mother's basement. They ended up bringing home a truckload of treasures that otherwise would have been destined for the landfill.

Look at all those jars! The man explained that his mom was a hoarder, and we should dump all the contents because the canned goods dated back to the 1980's. I am thrilled to have more canning jars.

Not only did they bring home the canning jars but we were also given a combination electric/wood cook stove. The electric side no longer works, but with a little elbow grease we could make the wood side usable. The stove would be a welcome addition to the main floor of the house. It's a bit cool up there since we have yet to finish insulating some of the walls.

I've intended on posting some of our recent activities, but canning has gotten in the way. More to come later.

Too Early

Today the temperature was in the low 80's, and here's what's next:

Monday, 12th:  58 high/43 low; 10% chance of precipitation.

Tuesday, 13th:  54 high/29 low; 20% chance of precipitation.

Wednesday, 14th:  49 high/29 low; 10% chance of precipitation

Thursday, 15th:  58 high/45 low; 0% chance of precipitation.

This means on Monday and Tuesday we'll have to harvest eveything that can be harvested.  It means we have to pick green tomatoes from 250 tomato plants!

Calliope

It's been slightly crazy around here with fall activities.  On top of everything, David went down to the barn and discovered that his pony, Calliope was down.  She was laying in the field on her side, too weak to get up. 

Calliope has been a worry for me all summer.  Ever since her winter coat came out she has been very thin.  David purchased some horse feed for older horses, the type that is mixed with water to make it easy to eat.  She seemed to like it a lot, and started gaining weight.

And then 2 days ago she no longer wanted to eat. 

I should mention Calliope is 30 years old. 

She has been a wonderful starter horse for David, just the right size and good disposition.  Calliope was a bit difficult to catch, but once she was caught she submitted to bridle and saddle and seemed to enjoy getting out of the pasture and off for a ride.  Sometimes David rode her bareback before getting a saddle, and when he'd fall off she would stop and patiently wait for him to  get back on.

Peter and David checked on her frequently during the day and helped her to drink water from a bucket.   I was very surprised when they came in later morning to report she was once again on her feet.  She hasn't done much all day, but I consider it progress to see that she is getting around and working on eating grass in the pasture. 

I know there will come a day when we will find her gone, and I'll be very sad.  We are just thankful for the days we've had her, and for the wonderful memories she has given us.

I Need Help!

Last spring a friend brought over some plants she was given and offered them to me for our garden.  Sure!

Well, some of the plants grew jalapenos, and now I don't know what to do with them!  I have a big steel bowl brimming full of jalapenos.

Please let me know if you have any good ideas on how to use them up.   My family is not big on spicey food, so I need to be careful on how I serve them.

Thanks!

EXCELSIOR: Ever Higher - Official Trailer

Friends of ours spent 5 days with us over Memorial Day weekend.  We had wonderful food and fellowship, but the main reason they came was for their children to work with ours in producing a movie that will be submitted to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. 

What a huge task -- and it's only a 15 minute movie!  I can't imagine what it takes to produce a full length movie.  We'll know in 6 months or so if the movie makes it into the festival's competition.

And now for your viewing pleasure:




If you want to check out Excelsior's website, please go to http://www.excelsiorthemovie.com/. 

And the Winner Is ...

No one!

Thanks for all the guesses as to how many beans were sitting on my kitchen table.

The guys helped wash, snap and place the beans into jars -- and I did the actual pressure canning.

The beans gave us 86 quarts to process.

I am very thankful for each and every bean.  We all enjoy them, and many times it takes 2 quarts at a meal to fill everyone up.  Besides, it's prudent to can as much as possible during good years, since every year isn't always great for a particular garden vegetable.  Last year wasn't good for beans.

We'll see what happens if the bushes produce another bunch to pick!

It's That Time of Year

I walked in the house after picking raspberries, and this is what greeted me from our kitchen table:

You can guess what I did all afternoon and into the evening!  There are lots more to do tomorrow as well.  I am very thankful for all of these green beans, since we have almost depleted our supply from previous years.

I'll let you know how many quarts came out of this pile of beans.  Any guesses?

Great Farm Post

I say AMEN to this post by Vaughnshire Farm.



Chicken Butchering Time

I'm taking a break while waiting for more chicken to be brought in. 

David and I are quality control, which involves doing the final cleaning and inspection, bagging, weighing and getting into the freezer. 

Jim, Jonathan, Peter and Andrew are outside in a small alcove in the woods, doing the actual butchering. 

Jonathan tried some new things this year, and our days seem to be going much smoother than other years. 

New this year is a modified Whizbang chicken scalder, which is made out of an old water heater the guys picked up at the landfill.  Andrew also made a holder for chickens, so after they are cleaned up the chickens sit on PVC pipe pegs and allowed to drip dry.  Makes my work so much easier.

Photos will follow after  we are finished.  Yesterday we managed to butcher close to 80 chickens, and today so far we've done 50.  I think the guys said we have 40 to go before we call it a day.  That means we'll be butchering again on Monday.

The Joke's on Us

Remember all those times during the winter when I've blogged about how cold it is, or how much snow we've had during a blizzard? 

Well, the National Weather Service just sent the following warning out to us.  What a switch!


AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF


CENTRAL & SOUTHEASTERN NO. DAKOTA THROUGH TUES EVENING.

A HEAT ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR FAR WESTERN & NORTHERN

ND THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING.



TEMPS IN THE 90S TO AROUND 100, COMBINED WITH VERY HIGH

HUMIDITIES, WILL PRODUCE HEAT INDEX VALUES REACHING 105 TO AS

HIGH AS 120 DEGREES IN THE AFTERNOON & EARLY EVENING HOURS

THROUGH TUESDAY.



LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF THIS CURRENT WARNING  OVER FAR WEST & FAR

NORTH CNTL NORTH DAKOTA WILL SEE EXCESSIVE HEAT OF 100 TO

105.



AVOID OUTDOOR ACTIVITY IF POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON & EARLY


EVENING.   IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE, DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS & STAY OUT

OF THE SUN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.



And, this is specific for our area:
 
 
HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT /9 PM MDT/ TUESDAY.




THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A HEAT

ADVISORY, WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT /9 PM MDT/ TUESDAY.



* HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES SUCH AS HEAT STROKE & HEAT EXHAUSTION

CAN OCCUR IF THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.


A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPS IS

EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPS & HIGH HUMIDITY

WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE

POSSIBLE.

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

This is serious business for our animals, and we'll be doing all we can to keep them comfortable and out of the sun. 

Strawberry Season

It's strawberry time again ...

 Jim decided to try a new method for our plants this year instead of having the traditional strawberry patch that is very hard to weed and maintain. 

 Our farm has been keeping Pepsi in business by purchasing quite a few of their white 55-gallon barrels.  We order them from the local Pepsi plant, at a cost of $5.00 each.  The barrels have a pop (soda for some of you) residue in them, so we scrub them clean and have used them for pig feeders, Whizbang chicken plucker barrel, holders for water, and now strawberry plants.

Jim placed the barrels on some old carpeting to keep the weeds from coming up around the barrels.  The barrels are sitting on their tops that were cut off  so they can be rotated and keep the plants evenly exposed to the sun.

Andrew and Jim used an acetylene torch to melt the plastic, then a knife to cut the side and a wedge to pull out the softened plastic and create a cup to hold soil and the strawberry plant.

Jim placed rocks on the bottom of the barrel, then filled it up with garden soil mixed with compost.  The tube in the middle extends all the way to the bottom and is filled with sand.   The tube is what's used for drain tile, so the holes allow water to reach all the way through the barrel.

The strawberries are easier to pick, and much cleaner.

We are enjoying our bounty!  And our raspberries will hopefully be ready in a week or so.

Minot is Still Having Struggles

I spent the weekend helping out in the kitchen at a family camp near our farm.  There were quite a few families there that had stories to tell about the flooding in Minot.  I heard of some that will have to have their home razed, due to being flooded by the Souris River.  One man said the water actually was up to the rafters of his house.  Apparently the structure of the house is then compromised, so it will have to be destroyed.  I think the weekend's festivities were a welcome distraction for the families that attended.

Below is an article from Fargo's InForum about the State Fair.  We don't usually attend, but for rural North Dakota families, this has been a big event. 

Published July 11, 2011, 12:00 AM


North Dakota State Fair canceled due to flooding


First time event not held since Minot became fair’s home in 1965


MINOT, N.D. – Saturday night was a tough one for Ranae Korslien. The manager of the North Dakota State Fair said she was “worn out from the tears” after the state fair board decided this year’s event would have to be canceled.


By: Tammy Swift, INFORUM



MINOT, N.D. – Saturday night was a tough one for Ranae Korslien.


The manager of the North Dakota State Fair said she was “worn out from the tears” after the state fair board decided this year’s event would have to be canceled. This is the first time a state fair has been canceled since Minot began hosting it in 1965.


“It’s tough on the heart and tough on the checkbook,” Korslien told The Forum on Sunday. “We did everything we could to make this year’s fair a reality. Sadly, the circumstances have changed. We are left with no choice.”


Officials made their decision based on a revised hydrograph from the National Weather Service, which showed waters from the flooding Souris (Mouse) River weren’t receding as quickly as anticipated.


The latest culprit was a Friday night downpour, which dumped about an inch of rain in Minot and 5 inches of rain north of town. “And of course, all that rain dumps into the Mouse River,” Korslien said.


Water remains on the fairgrounds; in fact, when Korslien and another employee drove toward the Midway area this weekend, water leaked into the doors and ran over the floorboards of the pickup.


Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman said the cancellation was a sad but necessary step.


“I feel disappointment in that we’re not going to have a fair but also a little relief for the pressure it would have put on the community,” Zimbelman said.


The mayor said the city would have struggled to host the fair this year because of problems like lack of housing.


“It’s very disappointing, but I think the people of North Dakota will understand,” he said.


The cancellation will also place another financial strain on the flood-ravaged community. Although Korslien didn’t have exact numbers, she said fairgoers typically pump “millions” annually into the Magic City. The grandstand shows alone generate “a couple of million,” she added.


Officials will have to refund any tickets already purchased for fair shows, and Korslien says she’s glad her staff had just installed a new system, which should expedite that process. People who paid with credit cards should see credits on their statements by July 31, she added.


In spite of this latest disappointment, Korslien was already searching for silver linings. She told of fair employees who worked days on end monitoring dikes and pumps to successfully keep the $75 million State Fair Center and just-built, $15 million Fair Grandstand dry.


She also raved about the dedication of her 30 employees – 13 of whom were flooded out of their own homes.


And she spoke optimistically of next year’s fair being the best yet. “We just have to pull our bootstraps back up and figure out what we’re going to do, and we’ll be OK,” she said. “So come out next year and see how nice it’ll be.”

Summer

 It's been hard to accept the fact that it's already July.  We've had some very busy days, as well as having not so nice weather.  

Our muddy areas are drying out, and there have been fewer rainy days.  We've also had some temperatures in the 80's -- a first for this season. 

I am still concerned and continue to pray for the families in Minot, ND, who have lost their homes due to flooding.  Minot is our closest larger city, which is 100 miles away from us.  The river crested but there's a lot of clean up to do after it completely goes back within its banks.

I have lots to catch up when it comes to this blog, but for now will tell you a bit about recent happenings.

 Rick is one of our weed eaters ... No need for a gas powered one when you have goats around!  Rick is our Boer goat, and so far has fathered 2 kids that are half dairy/half Boer.  He has a very even temperament, but tends to be more than a bit whiny when he isn't happy with his surroundings. 

The guys have been staking him in areas that needs the brush taken out.  I walked down to the barn this afternoon and was amazed at how completely he cleans out everything!  Not a leaf was left in where he resided yesterday.

Yesterday was also this season's maiden voyage of Andrew's raft.  Earlier in the week Jonathan and David walked over to our neighbor's house to retrieve the raft; last fall the tether had broken and it floated out into the lake.  Since we don't have a canoe or boat we had to let it float around until it touched shore.  The raft spent the winter stuck in the ice, but after it melted the raft ended up close to our neighbor's shore.  They poled it back to our bay and did a better job of tying it up.

David talked Andrew and Jim into taking the raft out for a swim.  Due to the immense amount of rainfall this spring the shoreline is closer to the barn and more stumps, etc. are submerged, so navigation is quite difficult.  The guys worked and worked, but never did get the raft out of the area where it was docked.   

This afternoon David managed to talk all the guys into trying once again -- and they successfully got the raft poled out into the bay.  A good time was had by all.   

 While waiting for the raft to take off  I noticed a little procession out in the field.  We've kept the 2 Jersey calves in the same area as the goats, and where one goes -- so goes the rest.  I guess the calves think the are goats!  This time it looks like Milcah was leading the pack.

If you look up the hill you will see a white tent looking thing.  Peter decided to invest in a portable car port to use for milking the cows in the field.  He hasn't figured out all the details yet, but it should work quite well.  This will save a lot of time, and can be moved closer to the cows as they are moved in paddocks in the big field. 

Darla and Calliope are enjoying being out in the field as well.  Darla isn't all that keen on cows, and they are kept separate from them.  Every evening when I'm upstairs washing and sterilizing milk bottles I look out the window and see Darla trotting up and around the side of the hill.  She gets her exercise, and I'm sure it helps to keep the flies and mosquitoes at bay.  Calliope is almost 30 years old, and is content to stand under a tree and relax.

We actually have a herd of cows!  To the right are Della and Sandy, Peter's Jerseys, and to the left are our beef cows.  I had never seen Red Angus before we acquired these 2 yearling steers.  We've had Cal for a year now, and he's enjoying his new friends.

Jonathan also has his chickens up in the big field.  The broilers are in the chicken tractors, and Jonathan's laying hens and future layers (hatched last March) have shelters inside of electrified poultry netting.  Moving pens keeps Jonathan very busy.  The tractors are moved twice daily and the hens moved every other day. 

The broilers will be ready for butchering in a couple of weeks. 

This is a photo of Jonathan's laying hens.  Last fall he purchased some layers from a lady that didn't want to winter them (those are the white ones), but most of his layers are Rhode Island Reds.

Jonathan has been smiling a lot lately -- he had his braces removed last week!

Last week our second sow delivered 13 piglets.  They are all doing fine!  It was so much easier to have this bunch than the ones born the end of March (for us, but maybe the sow would say differently).  Pigs have a gestation of 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, and she was right on target.

The first bunch of piglets currently numbers 11, since we ended up losing 2.  They are 3-1/2 months old and growing larger every day.

Maybe you remember Wilbur, the piglet we had in the house for a couple of weeks.  Well, he didn't make it.  We got him to the point where he could rejoin his siblings in the barn, but he never really fit back in with them because he had a leg that didn't work quite like it should and was easily jostled around.  He took to feed like a pro, but ended up having a prolapse and the guys worked unsuccessfully to keep his intestines in.  He was the little pig that wasn't afraid but always greeted us when we went into the barn.   



It's Wet Up Here

Well, this area of the garden was our corn.  This area was also our beets and rutabagas.  This isn't just inches deep of water, but at least 6 inches deep.  I should have known better when I planted this field in the mud.  You might say I'm a bit discouraged about our gardens.

Peter heard today that last night we received 3 inches of rain.  That was on top of a bunch more we've received since Memorial Day weekend. 

I do know the Lord is in charge.  We do what we can, but the outcome is up to Him.   I'm sure glad it's not up to me.

Turkeys

Turkeys 2011 from Bartlett Farm on Vimeo.

Jonathan ordered his turkeys a bit later than last year so we can butcher them closer to Thanksgiving.  Hopefully the weather won't be too cold when they are ready.

I'm always amazed that turkeys are so curious, and have better personalities than chickens.   It's so much fun to get them to gobble!  I think the poults were a week old when Andrew took the video.

Stormy Weather

Storm from Bartlett Productions on Vimeo.

Peter caught the end of one of the storms we've been having lately.  The ground doesn't seem to get a chance to dry out before we receive another rain. 

Yesterday we were continuing our efforts to finish up planting in the garden areas.  This is an unusual year, because normally everything is in by Memorial Day weekend. 

Today is one of our first warm, humid, sunny days.  The crops should start growing now, but then so will the weeds and mosquitoes!  We have our work cut out for us.

Pigs and Fences

Last night I about 10:30 I heard the sound of a bucket being tipped over.  I thought it must be our dog Samson, who is characterized by pushing an old sled from in front of the cat house (which is Samson's dog house that was taken over by the cats) to get to the cat food.  It was a bit surprising to find Zorro -- our boar -- eating Samson's dog food. 

I'm very thankful that Zorro is a friendly pig, but at approximately 500 pounds he doesn't like to be pushed around.  I got Peter up and he brought a bucket of milk to entice Zorro back to his place down the hill and into his electric fence.  It wasn't quite as easy as that, but eventually Zorro was back in his home. 

The next hour was spent trying to determine why Zorro's fence wasn't receiving a charge.  I think we finally fell into bed about midnight. 

And then Zorro was out again this morning.  Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this and keep him happy where we want him to be.

Old Faithful

In December of 2007 the boys received this 1984 Ford F-150 truck from one of my brothers.  My parents' neighbor had purchased the truck, and gave it the best of care.  After the neighbor passed away it was given to one of his son-in-laws, but was never used.  A year or so later my brother made an offer on the truck, and then gifted it to our sons. 

We sure found all kinds of jobs for the truck, and the 4-wheel drive came in handy when our road turned to mud or we had a snowstorm and someone needed to get out of the driveway.   The truck was Jim's mascot when he campaigned for state senate back in 2008. 

The longer we had the truck the bigger the holes grew in the floor and bed, too.  It was all those wonderful Minnesota winters complete with lots of road salt that did a good job of deteriorating the body of the truck. 

Last December Jim, Jonathan and I took a trip to Minot, and returned home in a very bad ice storm.  I was sitting in the middle, with Jim driving and Jonathan reading a book to my right.  I could glance down at the bottom of the door on Jim's side and see the yellow lines in the middle of the road.  You'd better not wear good clothes during mud season or rainy weather, since you would end up getting splashed!   Jim always told us to keep everything off the floor -- or it would be gone.

Well, yesterday the guys took a trip to Minot with the old truck.  They didn't even get to Bottineau when the drive shaft disconnected and they had to pull over.  Someone stopped and Jim used their cell phone to call us; Peter took the car down and Jim used it to get parts in town.  They were able to repair the truck for less than $5.00, and once again they were off. 

The guys completed some of their errands in Minot when someone noticed the trailer had a flat tire ... Always something.  Thankfully they were close to Home of Economy and drove over there for a new tire. 

And then they were able to arrive at their final destination to receive a very special gift.

It's a 1994 Ford F-250!  We are so blessed, and thrilled!  The other truck will definitely be used around the farm, but we'll use this one when we need to go on the road.  

There's been a lot going on lately, and I will try to post more often. 

Spring

Does this sound like a SPRING FORECAST to you?

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM CDT /NOON MDT/


SATURDAY TO 1 AM CDT /MIDNIGHT MDT/ SUNDAY.


* RAIN WILL BECOME ALL SNOW BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.


* WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 50 MPH SAT AFTERNOON. THE

COMBINATION OF HIGH WINDS & HEAVY SNOW WILL CREATE BLIZZARD

CONDITIONS SAT AFTERNOON & EVENING.


* TRAVEL WILL BE HAZARDOUS DUE TO SNOW COVERED ROADS & BLOWING

SNOW SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING VISIBILITIES.


* STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD RANGE FROM 6 TO 9 INCHES IN

GARRISON, MINOT & BOTTINEAU.
 
Hard to imagine.  We had a couple of nice days, complete with mosquitoes and woodticks.    We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Living on an Island

Check out Andrew's blog to see why we just about need a boat to get off our land!

Our road also goes back up onto a state highway in another direction, but there is water over the road in 2 spots and another culvert that is sinking.  We've had so much precipitation this year that many roads in the county are deteriorating.  Overland flooding has been a major problem in the state.

Today is a sunny day, but the day before yesterday we had more snow.   Yesterday was cold and cloudy.

This photo was taken on Thursday the 21st. 

I should have planted some spring flowers last fall ... We sure could use some color around here!

This Week's Happenings

Well, the above photo is what our driveway looked like this week.  On Monday Peter was able to head down the driveway with our car, but on the way home ended up parking it about midway up so we could still use it if we walked down to where it was sitting.

The top of the driveway is the worst.  Needless to say, wearing rubber boots is a must.

Our little pig friend has done very well.  I was thankful when he was brought back to the barn to his mom and siblings, since I no longer had to be up twice a night to feed him a bottle.

As you can see, the piglet's left front knee is enlarged.  I guess he isn't walking on it much, but sure keeps up with the rest of the crew.   Jim said he is the best eater when it comes to the feed they are giving them in the weaning process.

And no, we didn't let him out of his box in the house on a regular basis, it was done only to see how well he could walk before getting him back to the barn.

I think the above photo was taken on Friday.  Yes, we still have quite a bit of snow.  The latest forecast is for another storm to hit Monday night and could last until some time Wednesday.  May can't come soon enough for me!

The area surrounding Jonathan's chicken hoop house is fairly clear of snow, and the laying hens  enjoyed getting outside once again.  However, the chickens drifted closer and closer to the house, so Jonathan set up his electric poultry netting around the opening of the hoop house so they could be out but away from the house.

We are in a flyway of sorts, and it is always enjoyable to watch the Canadian geese returning.

One day last week David came running up to the house to let us know that Ebony had just had triplets!  We knew she was huge, and suspected she would have a bunch.  Last year she also had a set of triplets, but one died. 

Jonathan and Peter held Ebony while the triplets had their first taste of colostrum.  The last 2 born were on the weak side, so the day involved helping them to nurse every 4 hours.  Everybody was doing very well by the end of the day.  Goats only have 2 teats but all 3 seem to be getting enough milk.

While all the hoopla was happening, Samson was checking out Leah's kids.

Leah's kids were born almost 2 weeks ago, but they are the same size as the newly born triplets.  We think Leah had her twins prematurely.  Thankfully, all went well.

Jonathan's Rhode Island Red chicks are doing very well in the brooder.  Every day he lowers the temperature so they will be acclimated to cooler weather when they go out of the brooder.  I think Jonathan is scheduled to receive his first batch of broilers around May 1.

This is Milkah, Della's heifer calf.  She sure is cute!  We have her in with the goats.  A lady we know from the area came over one day to burn off Milkah's horns, and showed Jim and Peter how to do it. 

David needed something to help him climb onto Darla's back, so he and Peter constructed a stand to do the job.  Darla is doing very well during her daily training sessions by Peter and David. 

Doesn't this look wonderful?  We had snow again yesterday!  Thankfully most of what came down melted today.  We'll see what we receive during the next storm tomorrow night.