We are so thankful for the rain that came this week ... Many of the storm clouds passed us by, but we did manage to squeak out a good start for precipitation. I didn't even complain (much) when the mud started to find its way into the house.
Today there was a break in the weather, and we all trooped out to the raspberry field to start weeding. The farthest end of the field seems to be the toughest to get to when it comes to weeding, so we started over there. I think it took me 2-1/2 hours just to weed and clean out one row of raspberry bushes! The boys assured me all of the rows aren't that bad. We uprooted quite a bit of stinging nettle, and didn't even think about saving it to eat. I guess I'm not yet a die hard homesteader.
It was great for all of us to be out there in the garden. All 4 of the boys have been sick this week with varying degrees of flu/cold symptoms. Thankfully, Jim and I have been spared. The longer we worked out there the colder it became, and soon it felt more like fall than spring. Now I find out the weather forecasters are predicting snow flurries for after midnight! I am very thankful we were too busy to plant all of our vegetables when the weather was balmy, or we would really be in trouble now.
Jim purchased another queen bee and workers, and they arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, the cold weather last night did them in. I just shake my head sometimes at how much we have to learn about farming, gardening, bees, animals, building, canning, etc., etc. I keep reminding myself how each incident is a learning experience, and some day we will look back and marvel at how much we have gained in knowledge.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Another Catching Up Post
I know I'm supposed to be writing about our first experiences with homesteading, but so much is going on in the present that I need to write those things down as well. I must admit to incorrectly thinking before we moved that country life was going to be a slower pace of living, but I was very wrong. I feel like sometimes I can hardly catch my breath!
Our friend Steve had organized a Country Living Skills Workshop for Sunday, May 13. This time the topic was planting, pruning, and general care of trees and bushes. The whole event was taped, so if you are interested, I'm sure Steve could eventually get you a copy. Our family has obtained a state nursery license, and Steve traveled to Minneapolis to pick up this year's trees, bushes and flowers that had been ordered. Friends had purchased some of the trees and planned to come up to attend the workshop, and decided to come a day early so we could have some great fellowship. Seven families and some singles got together for a shared meal and Bible study.
On Sunday our friends the Dagleys came over before lunch to help transplant some strawberry and raspberry plants. Many hands definitely make the work load lighter! The guys also worked on planting trees and bushes that hadn't sold, but would be used later on to create more trees and bushes. I don't remember all the things that are now in a part of our gardens, but they include roses, lilacs, hazelnut bushes, juneberry bushes, and different varieties of apple trees. Steve did a good job of showing us the proper way of planting trees, and Jim did a section on air layering. This part of the workshop was done down by our old Norwegian cabin; there is a crab apple tree over there that was planted by the people who once lived in the cabin. The trouble was the tree was surrounded by overgrown caragana bushes, so we had to climb through them in order to see what Jim was going to do with air layering. Needless to say, I lost count at how many wood ticks I removed from my clothes and skin! They seem to be the worst they have been since moving up here. (For some reason, even after removing the tick our family has been experiencing the bite area swelling and becoming very itchy, and it takes a few days for it to go back to normal. Our youngest looks like his legs are covered with mosquito bites, when in reality it is from the ticks.)
We had one more incident that day which made it very memorable. Our boys thought it would be a good time to play something called "Prison Ball," so one of our boys decided the hose that was wrapped around the pump's tank in the bathroom area would make a good boundary line. The hose was a bit tangled and he was in a hurry, so he gave the hose a jerk. Unfortunately, the hose was attached to a fitting and when it was pulled it snapped off the pump's pressure switch! I was in the house at the time in the kitchen area, and heard a very large WHOOSH! sound, so I ran back and found my son trying to hold back a geyser of water! The water was shooting upward, soaking everything in the bathroom area. If it weren't for the quilts that make up the walls, the entire basement and its contents would have been soaked as well. I didn't know how to shut the thing off, so I ran out to get Jim, and he managed to pull the breaker switch. What a mess! Since it was a Sunday afternoon we couldn't get a new pressure switch, so we were without water until later Monday morning. I certainly had a mound of dishes to do after the water came back on!
I spent last Tuesday and Wednesday helping to open up Metigoshe Ministries' summer camp. Another lady and I spent our time cleaning up the kitchen and walk-in cooler areas. Their dishwasher was having problems, so after a morning of "wash, rinse, sanitize," we hauled the remaining dishes to their ministry center and finished the job in the big dishwasher. Hopefully by now they have the problem solved.
On Thursday morning we had an early call from the post office, asking us to come down and pick up our chicks. Along with the 20 or so hatched from our own eggs, we added another 65 to the bunch. No Cornish Cross this year, but the boys chose more of the traditional varieties of chicken to raise. So far so good, with only 2 deaths.
I had an enjoyable time on Friday, taking Andrew downtown with me to pick up groceries and other necessities. I hadn't been to town for ages, and it felt good to get away for a couple of hours. One of our stops was the local hardware store to buy a 3/4 inch dowel. Well, we found everything but 3/4 inch dowels! The store is located in a very old building, and the basement is full of lots of interesting things for a young boy to check out. We must have been down there for 45 minutes, and not once did a clerk come down to see what we were doing. Didn't buy anything, but had fun looking.
We had more company on Saturday, when the Hendersons brought back our trailer after using it to haul their new apple trees home. We had a very cold weekend with not much rain (not complaining, though we really need rain). There sure was a lot of thunder, but not much rain. Someone told us it is good to have thunder and lightning in the spring since it promotes growth, and I hope that makes up for the small amount of rain we received. The men and boys still managed to get in some interesting target practice -- dangling eggs by a string and attempting to shoot them. What a way to check for rotten eggs! Hendersons have 5 boys with a baby on the way, and we have 4 boys, so there was a lot of camouflage running around the farmstead.
Today was a quiet day, so there was time to finally get a post done.
Our friend Steve had organized a Country Living Skills Workshop for Sunday, May 13. This time the topic was planting, pruning, and general care of trees and bushes. The whole event was taped, so if you are interested, I'm sure Steve could eventually get you a copy. Our family has obtained a state nursery license, and Steve traveled to Minneapolis to pick up this year's trees, bushes and flowers that had been ordered. Friends had purchased some of the trees and planned to come up to attend the workshop, and decided to come a day early so we could have some great fellowship. Seven families and some singles got together for a shared meal and Bible study.
On Sunday our friends the Dagleys came over before lunch to help transplant some strawberry and raspberry plants. Many hands definitely make the work load lighter! The guys also worked on planting trees and bushes that hadn't sold, but would be used later on to create more trees and bushes. I don't remember all the things that are now in a part of our gardens, but they include roses, lilacs, hazelnut bushes, juneberry bushes, and different varieties of apple trees. Steve did a good job of showing us the proper way of planting trees, and Jim did a section on air layering. This part of the workshop was done down by our old Norwegian cabin; there is a crab apple tree over there that was planted by the people who once lived in the cabin. The trouble was the tree was surrounded by overgrown caragana bushes, so we had to climb through them in order to see what Jim was going to do with air layering. Needless to say, I lost count at how many wood ticks I removed from my clothes and skin! They seem to be the worst they have been since moving up here. (For some reason, even after removing the tick our family has been experiencing the bite area swelling and becoming very itchy, and it takes a few days for it to go back to normal. Our youngest looks like his legs are covered with mosquito bites, when in reality it is from the ticks.)
We had one more incident that day which made it very memorable. Our boys thought it would be a good time to play something called "Prison Ball," so one of our boys decided the hose that was wrapped around the pump's tank in the bathroom area would make a good boundary line. The hose was a bit tangled and he was in a hurry, so he gave the hose a jerk. Unfortunately, the hose was attached to a fitting and when it was pulled it snapped off the pump's pressure switch! I was in the house at the time in the kitchen area, and heard a very large WHOOSH! sound, so I ran back and found my son trying to hold back a geyser of water! The water was shooting upward, soaking everything in the bathroom area. If it weren't for the quilts that make up the walls, the entire basement and its contents would have been soaked as well. I didn't know how to shut the thing off, so I ran out to get Jim, and he managed to pull the breaker switch. What a mess! Since it was a Sunday afternoon we couldn't get a new pressure switch, so we were without water until later Monday morning. I certainly had a mound of dishes to do after the water came back on!
I spent last Tuesday and Wednesday helping to open up Metigoshe Ministries' summer camp. Another lady and I spent our time cleaning up the kitchen and walk-in cooler areas. Their dishwasher was having problems, so after a morning of "wash, rinse, sanitize," we hauled the remaining dishes to their ministry center and finished the job in the big dishwasher. Hopefully by now they have the problem solved.
On Thursday morning we had an early call from the post office, asking us to come down and pick up our chicks. Along with the 20 or so hatched from our own eggs, we added another 65 to the bunch. No Cornish Cross this year, but the boys chose more of the traditional varieties of chicken to raise. So far so good, with only 2 deaths.
I had an enjoyable time on Friday, taking Andrew downtown with me to pick up groceries and other necessities. I hadn't been to town for ages, and it felt good to get away for a couple of hours. One of our stops was the local hardware store to buy a 3/4 inch dowel. Well, we found everything but 3/4 inch dowels! The store is located in a very old building, and the basement is full of lots of interesting things for a young boy to check out. We must have been down there for 45 minutes, and not once did a clerk come down to see what we were doing. Didn't buy anything, but had fun looking.
We had more company on Saturday, when the Hendersons brought back our trailer after using it to haul their new apple trees home. We had a very cold weekend with not much rain (not complaining, though we really need rain). There sure was a lot of thunder, but not much rain. Someone told us it is good to have thunder and lightning in the spring since it promotes growth, and I hope that makes up for the small amount of rain we received. The men and boys still managed to get in some interesting target practice -- dangling eggs by a string and attempting to shoot them. What a way to check for rotten eggs! Hendersons have 5 boys with a baby on the way, and we have 4 boys, so there was a lot of camouflage running around the farmstead.
Today was a quiet day, so there was time to finally get a post done.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Read This Before Deciding to Homestead
We had one of those interesting days today ... I am pulling wood ticks from my clothes as I write, so you know it's been "one of those days."
The day started out fairly normal for everyone. We had a call from town to let us know the trees we ordered were in, so Jim and Peter headed to town to pick up our trees and bushes that we purchased for a dollar each. Jonathan planted onions, garlic and carrots and vacuumed at the ministry center. I spent my time doing washing clothes, hanging them on the clotheslines and making meals. The interesting part of the day began close to suppertime.
A family stopped by to pick up our only male puppy (still looking for homes for 3 more), and I had just gotten back into the house when we heard a big POP! I thought I smelled something weird, so immediately thought about a problem with electricity and the incubator. Sure enough it was the incubator -- but AN EGG HAD EXPLODED!! I haven't smelled that since chemistry class in high school! We got that thing cleaned out, aired out the house, and proceeded with supper.
All of a sudden our chicken killing dog named Selah started barking like crazy, so we knew something was afoot. Sure enough, one of the piglets Jim and the boys brought home last night had gotten out. I didn't think that was worthy of going down to chase, so I went out to get my towels off the line. Our oldest cat ambled over, rubbed on my laundry basket full of clean linens -- and sprayed it! Now that made me mad, and he knew it! He may not be around much longer.
It was quite interesting to watch the pig chase. After a couple of misses, Jim was able to dive for her and grabbed her before she got away again. Then we realized the other piglet had disappeared while we were concentrating on the other one! Since no one had watched her escape, we didn't know where to look. Jim unleashed our dog Selah, and she went to work. Turns out the 2nd piglet hadn't gone too far, and the boys were able to grab that one as well. They sure can squeal! Instead of helping to catch the 2nd piglet, I grabbed the chicken killer dog and had her collar in one hand while holding 2 fresh chicken eggs in the other and headed for the house. Needless to say, by the time we got everyone settled down we were all covered in wood ticks. Thankfully the mosquitoes haven't been out in full force as of yet.
Life can get rather exciting on the farm.
The day started out fairly normal for everyone. We had a call from town to let us know the trees we ordered were in, so Jim and Peter headed to town to pick up our trees and bushes that we purchased for a dollar each. Jonathan planted onions, garlic and carrots and vacuumed at the ministry center. I spent my time doing washing clothes, hanging them on the clotheslines and making meals. The interesting part of the day began close to suppertime.
A family stopped by to pick up our only male puppy (still looking for homes for 3 more), and I had just gotten back into the house when we heard a big POP! I thought I smelled something weird, so immediately thought about a problem with electricity and the incubator. Sure enough it was the incubator -- but AN EGG HAD EXPLODED!! I haven't smelled that since chemistry class in high school! We got that thing cleaned out, aired out the house, and proceeded with supper.
All of a sudden our chicken killing dog named Selah started barking like crazy, so we knew something was afoot. Sure enough, one of the piglets Jim and the boys brought home last night had gotten out. I didn't think that was worthy of going down to chase, so I went out to get my towels off the line. Our oldest cat ambled over, rubbed on my laundry basket full of clean linens -- and sprayed it! Now that made me mad, and he knew it! He may not be around much longer.
It was quite interesting to watch the pig chase. After a couple of misses, Jim was able to dive for her and grabbed her before she got away again. Then we realized the other piglet had disappeared while we were concentrating on the other one! Since no one had watched her escape, we didn't know where to look. Jim unleashed our dog Selah, and she went to work. Turns out the 2nd piglet hadn't gone too far, and the boys were able to grab that one as well. They sure can squeal! Instead of helping to catch the 2nd piglet, I grabbed the chicken killer dog and had her collar in one hand while holding 2 fresh chicken eggs in the other and headed for the house. Needless to say, by the time we got everyone settled down we were all covered in wood ticks. Thankfully the mosquitoes haven't been out in full force as of yet.
Life can get rather exciting on the farm.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
PS
Our newest goat kid died about midnight last night. We tried feeding her colostrum with an eyedropper and she was swallowing it, but I think there must have been something wrong with her at birth. She was much smaller than the other kid. Now we have to figure out what to do with our newest kids, since 2 of the 3 born to 2 does were bucks.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Must Be Farm Life
We did something tonight that I didn't think I would ever do: Brought a newborn goat kid into the house. She was born earlier this evening, and was so weak that the mom just left it and concentrated on the healthy one. We waited a bit to see if she would go back and clean up the weak one, but finally we brought the kid into the house to dry it off and see what we could do. The boys have attempted to milk the mom for colostrum and then are feeding it to the kid with an eyedropper. So far she is still alive, but I wonder what will happen during the night. The plan is to take turns so that every hour someone will milk the mom for some colostrum and feed it to the kid.
We also have a bird hatchery in here ... Every time the boys found an egg they would bring it into the house and place it in the incubator, so these eggs are all hatching at different times. So far we have 3 fully fluffed out chicks, and another one is soon to emerge from another egg. There are quite a few left in there, and the incubator is starting to emit a nasty odor. I am wondering if there is a rotten one, but the boys tried candling a couple of nights ago and thought they had removed all the bad ones.
The puppies will be 6 weeks old on Friday, and today Peter went to town with Jim with updated posters for town. The kittens will be 5 weeks on Friday as well, and we may have one spoken for already.
Somehow we lost a female turkey today. The boys were going to figure out a pen for the 2 males and 3 females, but couldn't find one female. We are hoping she is nesting somewhere and did not meet the same fate as one other one we had. This spring we found a pile of feathers in the woods, so something must have gotten her.
I guess this is what you call farm life!
We also have a bird hatchery in here ... Every time the boys found an egg they would bring it into the house and place it in the incubator, so these eggs are all hatching at different times. So far we have 3 fully fluffed out chicks, and another one is soon to emerge from another egg. There are quite a few left in there, and the incubator is starting to emit a nasty odor. I am wondering if there is a rotten one, but the boys tried candling a couple of nights ago and thought they had removed all the bad ones.
The puppies will be 6 weeks old on Friday, and today Peter went to town with Jim with updated posters for town. The kittens will be 5 weeks on Friday as well, and we may have one spoken for already.
Somehow we lost a female turkey today. The boys were going to figure out a pen for the 2 males and 3 females, but couldn't find one female. We are hoping she is nesting somewhere and did not meet the same fate as one other one we had. This spring we found a pile of feathers in the woods, so something must have gotten her.
I guess this is what you call farm life!
Monday, April 30, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
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 .
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 .
Saturday, April 14, 2007
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.
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.Friday, April 13, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, April 06, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
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.
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)
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, March 23, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
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.
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.
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