Cogburn

This was our rooster, Cogburn. What was I thinking naming him after a gruff, drunk character in a John Wayne western?
He was a great rooster, and a good pet for awhile. He was handsome and very large. He grew taller than my knee. He called his ladies in each night. He made sure everyone was accounted for. Even the ones that escaped into the neighbors yard. He would call them, and retrieve them if he had to.
After an accidental incident with Luke and a stick, Cogburn decided children were a threat to him and the flock. So, he began attacking Luke. Luke came in 2 times with large bruises, scratches and bites bleeding down his legs. Once Cogburn had chased him 1 acre down the driveway biting and clawing the whole way. Poor Luke.
Our family loved rooster and wanted him to be friendly. He couldn't be a free range rooster anymore. So we gave him treats, held him and tried to desensitize him to Luke and Daphne. It looked like it was working. He wasn't growling at them and would happily take food from their hands.
On one particular day, Daphne leaned down to give the hens a treat. Cogburn growled and leaped across the chicken yard straight at her face. Thankfully, Daphne was not in the pen. If she had been in the pen...I shiver thinking about it. Let's just say we would have been in the emergency room. After that, he growled and (if given the opportunity) attacked anyone who came near. Including egg collectors.

So the final solution was to slaughter Cogburn. Growing up I was taught how to process chickens. So it wasn't new by any means. We hung Cogburn upside down (duct tape) until he passed out. Then it was no work at all to do the rest. Not a struggle or a headless running chicken! Thank goodness.


Life lessons. A very interested pupil here. I think she'll help me if I need to do this again.

I don't have pictures of taking out feathers and insides. I was pulling feathers with Luke. There was no one to take pictures. This was a great opportunity to explain the necessity of not being silly around animals of any kind. To be mindful that they may not understand ones intent. It took a good 45 minutes to gut, feather and clean chicken. Luke was a ready hand the entire time. He helped out with almost everything.

From pen to pan in less than 24 hours. Very tasty!

Boots

These boots don't look like it in the picture, but they are baby cowboy boots. Luke and Daphne both used these boots. Now the boots get another turn! Somewhere after 6/17/2012 (our baby's due date).

Personality types and learning styles

So our computer is not uploading photos. Sorry.

The past few weeks brought some good ideas. I attending a home school conference awhile back. There was a gal there who suggested finding out the way you learn, and the way your children learn.

It was a light bulb moment for me! So enter the world of quizzing to find out how to best teach Luke and Daphne.

I'd encourage all the readers to try this. It is great information and fun. I had several times I was elated to make a discovery (Luke is dominant Naturalist/Kinesthetic), and other times I was taken aback (Daphne is a Concrete/Random). These are just some of the tests. For our family, It was helpful to take all of these tests. I hope you enjoy.


For Briggs-Myers type testing for children:
www.personalitypage.com/html/kids.shtml


For Gregorc Mind Styles:
This is not a test, but you can easily figure out who is what.
www.floatingneutrinos.com/Message/arcs/links_on_abstractrandom.htm

Then once you've found what you and your children are. Look at:
http://iweb.tntech.edu/rclougherty/workshop/page1/page6/page6.html

For Multiple Intelligences test:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/

Of daily life, updates, and chores...

Hello all,
It has been busy. We are finishing up the first home school year. It is going splendidly! It is amazing to see our Luke learn to read this year. And he is a natural at math. Yay! Daphne wants to be like brother, so she sits and does workbooks as well. She is learning about following instruction and doing a job thoroughly. We are blessed with the opportunity and freedom to teach our children. We are also blessed with several friends who home school too.

We are also planning to plant our garden this weekend. Yes, I said this weekend. Most people will plant around here between Mother's Day and not later than Memorial Day. The ladies from our co-op said that planting should take place just before, or at, Father's day! It is because of Sandy's elevation. I was told that our home is even higher and get's even colder weather. I asked what tomatoes I should plant. Several ladies rolled their eyes, and said tomatoes are a treat and don't make it every year. They told me to try them, but to stick with potatoes, peas, beans, squash, and everything green. Good news is we are near the top of a small hill. So there is lots of sun (when the sun is out). I'm hoping this does well to grow our garden.

The bad news is we haven't fenced the garden off. The previous owners did not. I don't see how they didn't. We have rabbits, deer, geese, and elk on the property. I am hoping our little garden makes it until the fence goes up!

We are blessed with all this wonderful work. We love it! We get to spend family time doing chores. There is working, singing, teaching, teaching moments (for parents too), and laughter. We could not be happier! Ryan thought that having a farm would mean more work for him, and less time with the children. But, in fact, it has been more time with family, doing farm work.

Here is our chore list:
Complete chicken coop
Put up children's swing set (We are in the market for one and would love one used)
Repair 4 wires of electric fence on 3, one acre pastures.
Fence garden
Cut down large tree in back yard
Trim up all trees and bushes in back yard
Clean exterior of shop, barn, woodshed, and house
Go to the woods and collect firewood for this winter
Buy 1-2 cords of wood from neighbor
Pressure wash all fencing, outbuildings and 5 acres long driveway
Re-seal driveway
Seal the roof of the shop

Then there is my list:
Organize all closets
Go through children's clothes and pull out the donates
Mail the clothes going out to several friends and family
Figure out a summer schedule for chores
Cleaning out toys in children's rooms
Look into buying bulk gluten-free, peanut-free, oat-free flour
Planting/maintaining garden
Burn the burn pile

And then all the day-to-day things. Home-schooling, cleaning, cooking, laundry, vacuuming, weeding, cutting the lawn, dusting, etc...

Then when this is all done, we get cows in September. Wahooo!

Really it is going to be a schedule that is important. But, I don't know how life will look. So I find I'm making a schedule and re-vamping it over and over. I really like a schedule. Maybe I'll post of the schedule when it is completed. I'll have to put that on the schedule : )

The waterfall story

Next to the house is a waterfall. We started it up (months ago) for several hours, then it stopped working. This past weekend Rick and Debbie came up to visit for Easter. We all worked in the yard all afternoon. It was sunny and 65 degrees outside. Debbie and I were trying to figure out what went wrong with the pump. I disassembled it. Cleaned it. Checked out the electricity source. Everything I could think of. And could not figure out why it was not working. Again and again we plugged it in to see if the thing we tried had cured the problem. But the motor would not start.

Debbie came in and put her hands on the pump. She began praying for it. We plugged it in after that, and it started working straight away. We spent the rest of the day cleaning the pond and the river out. I am so glad for my in laws. They are a blessing to us. And it has been great witnessing Debbie's prayer life. She prays and believes. What a sign of faith! Now I know it was a silly pump, but it would have been expensive to replace. Thank you Jesus for Debbie (Mom/Grandma)!

Chicken coop

I am so excited to post about the coop. Ryan and I designed this coop ourselves. We had ideas from friends, and two books: Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and Chicken Coops.


We are so thankful for friends and family. We have had help with so many projects. Thank you Greg, Tim, Rick (Dad/Grandpa) and Dick for lending a hand and some tools! We really appreciate your willingness and hard work.
Luke helped out too. He was in charge of pulling nails.

Notice chickens helping too!
This is the coop on the end. The run is the fenced area. Since this picture was taken, we've stapled a fine mesh wire to the bottom of the coop floor (seen above). We are going to put in removable floors for easy cleaning. We also planned the coop floor 1 1/2 feet off the ground. This is ergonomically easier to clean no stooping). I'll post more progress as it happens.

How much is encouragement? 10 cents a branch...

There is so much work to be done around here lately. The recent wind storm didn't help. So at 10 cents a branch, the children were asked to take a branch and haul it to the burn pile. That is about a 2 acre walk.

We also paid Luke 10 cents for every branch he encouraged Daphne to haul. At first, Luke wanted to haul all the branches so he could make the most money. So he was running up and down past her to get the most branches. Daphne tripped several times on the blacktop. She was crying. She was cold, and wet. Luke was grumpy when I asked him to help encourage his sister, and to slow down. So at the end, 10 cents made for a good lesson for both children.

Luke slowed down and walked along side of Daphne. Telling her she was a big girl, and a good worker. T hen they were happy, laughing and Luke was such an encouragement to his sister! The mood lasted all day. Then they both counted money and chatted about how it is better to work as a family, then to just play. Wahoo!

There have been many projects since. Now I do not have to pay Luke, he is just encouraging her on his own. He does need to be reminded, from time to time. But it just warms me all over to see them working together.

Romans 12:10
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

^{Ecclesiastes 4:9-10}
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

Wild Horses

Our neighbor boards horses. She recently lost her husband, and wanted to open up more of her land to board even more horses. The other day, she and her daughter came up the trail with these two horses. They could hardly control them. Neither of them wanted the bridle on. They let us know "These are wild horses".

I don't know if they are really wild or just untrained. But they act wild. This was on of the first times they came up to us at the fence. Usually they run away, growl, or try to challenge the dog.

However, they are always neighing. It is a wonderful sound. I can't help but smile when I hear it.

Egg coloring

Happy Easter

We had Easter dinner at our home this year. I was excited to have most of our family over. We put together 3 tables to make one giant table. And had just enough chairs (thanks to Papa and Nana). I could not get everyone in a single photo. I think there seems to be a funny, and a serious side of the table.

The chicken garden

I started seeds in our house a while back. When they were less tender, I moved them to the green house to live with the chickens. I read about how carbon monoxide from chickens helps plants to grow better.

I placed wire over the hens to protect the plants.

Several days later I found 3 hens had learned to climb through the wire. They ate all the new plants. They also ate down a rose bush in the larger pot in the back. This was sad because it is a start of the wild rose bush from my great, great grandparent's property in West Virginia. I think I was most upset about that. I am hoping it comes back to life.

Do you have these in your kitchen?

My friend posted her recipe for "Banana pancakes". I tried it. It is super tasty. Eggs, bananas ans vanilla are the only ingredients.
In a bowl mix 3 eggs to every 1 banana. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional). A blender would work well.
Stir the mixture before scooping onto hot griddle. It tends to separate.
Enjoy! The above picture is with a plain yogurt/honey mixture. They taste like banana bread, and have the texture of a firm crepe. They are very sweet. Taste them before you even think of adding syrup.

Warning: Do not tell your children they are pancakes.

Our kiddo's were disappointed. They expected pancakes with syrup. Different was not "Good".

"But I didn't want it to happen"

"But I didn't want it to happen" Luke says to me.

I'd sent him out with a garbage bag earlier in the day. A while later we stumble upon this mess.
A good teaching moment for sure. Especially about doing things proper the first time. I felt really bad for Luke. He does not like sticky, dirty things. But it was good for him to clean up all the garbage.

He now reports back to me after taking out the garbage. "Mama, I put the bag ALL the way in the garbage and shut the shed door"

A good idea

We used a rubbermaid tote and cut holes in the top for ventilation. Within 2 weeks we knew it was not going to work any longer. Chickens stink. Even if you change the litter and wash the inside.

So off to the garage. Until the garage stench became so strong it wafted into the house. We had to get them out. I was thinking about the green house. It would stay warm, had electricity, and would be safe from predators. I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

Thanks to Elisha, an idea was born. I had to come up with materials. Since it is temporary, I used what I could find. It works well. But holding up the "Coop" is cardboard, duck tape, a washing machine drip pan, and wire taken from around a tree. It's like a homeless shelter for chickens.

Chickens

They are finally here. I have planned for chickens for several years now. We have 11 Barred Plymouth Rock and one Red sex link. We had to return one of the original chicks. All the feed store had left was Red sex link. So that is how we acquired "Goldy".

Goldy is Luke's chick. Luke just adores her. He carries her all over the yard.

Our family decided to let Chloe and Lilly name some chicks too. When I asked Chloe, she told me she wanted her chick to be named "Chicky". A good solid chicken name. I probably would have chosen the same when I was her age.

Then there was Lilly. She said she wanted to name her chick "Princess Leia" because "Luke likes Star Wars". I thought she said "Princess Lay-er". I asked if she had said "Lay-er". She started cracking up! I love when children are mature enough to understand that something is funny.

She was stern and serious with me the other day on the phone. She wanted to make sure it was "Leia" and not "Lay-er". She then told me she would name another "Lucky Charms".

Snow is no joke here

We've lived in Oregon most of our lives. We thought we knew about snow. Well...we didn't really. This is from 2 days of snow. 18 inches of wet, heavy snow. Our new driveway is more than 10 acres long. It took Ryan 2 days of scooping with the tractor to get us out! But I don't think he minded too much.