EVA and JETHRO / Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farming / Natural Ranch Products

 

Eva our grand daughter helped her Grand father for most the week-end.  She stayed up on the roof and handed him nails and held boards in place.  She is nine, and loves the outdoors and can be a bit eager but will stick with a challenge.

Brian held her on Jethro  our donkey, for awhile and she wants to ride alone.  Jethro is a pain. He is always in the way and wants to eat your sandwich, drink your coffee, pull on your coat and push at your shoulders.  He means well, but can be obnoxious.

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INCREDIBLE HUSBAND Kansas Farm Living / Midwest Small Farming / Natural Ranch Products

 

It’s incredible what my husband is capable of at his 65 years of age.  He climbs the ladder to the roof and walks the planks high in the air.

 

I can’t watch!  He holds the trusses with one hand and hammers the nails with the other.  These trusses are made with this old lumber, probably 100 years old, and is much heavier then new lumber.  Without the boom truck I don’t think this addition would have been possible.

When the trusses were all done and nailed in place, my sister Kathy and husband Dave stacked 1x6x8 feet boards on to the trailer( no board was exact) so Brian could use them to cover the trusses. Each board is unique and needs trimmed or cut to fit in the spot Brian has picked for it.

 

It took Brian several days to complete the roof, but oh how good it looks.

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MILK BARN ADDITION Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farm / Natural Farm Products / Using Recycled Lumber

 

Brian is building an addition to the milk barn to help the cows with their caving this winter.  It will give them a space to get out of the cold so the calves will be safer.

 

The barn addition is being built using that old lumber taken from houses Brian took down many years ago.

Dave’s old truck with the boom on it that he designed several years ago, has been a life saver.  Each board is winched up and held in place while Brian nails it down.  Dave added an extra height to the boom so it would make it easier for Brian when on top of the roof.

The building process is slower then when using old, weathered lumber, but it is looking so fine.  The money we save makes it so well worth it.

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Gurney, June & Mae / Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farming

Gurney, June and Mae our wonderful cows, all will have calves in the dead of winter. 

Moonlight, the Jersey bull, was only 12months old when he began his romance with our girls and now we are looking toward a calving round up in two or three feet of snow.  You might say “ What a bull!,” or you might say, “ How could you leave him alone with those cows?” How ever you look at it, we’re in for a interesting winter.  Oh the extra milk!

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WINTER IS COMING SOON / Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farming

Winter is coming soon!  The weather is really nice now but the scent of winter is approaching, you can feel it as the wind touches everything and the grasses turn brown. 

Here in Kansas we have distinct seasons. Fall is in full bloom, leaves changed to red and gold and are falling off the trees and the mornings are chilly. 

“US Fall 2010”

I brought in the last peppers and tomatoes from the garden before the hard frost. I put three tomato plant in pots to set in the living room at the windows facing south, in hopes that I’ll receive a fresh tomato in winter.

There is so much yet to do before the snow flies.  I painted all three decks all by myself, haha.  They look really good but I’ll have to repaint next year I suspect.  We’ll have to cover the windows on the chicken houses soon and cut more wood for the fire place.  We need gravel for the driveway and to go behind the house so we can get out after a heavy snow.

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What A Cow! / Mid West Farm Life / Carolyn’s Natural Soap

Becky the cow, remember her?  She had not been milked for 6 months and as far as we could tell, was pregnant and her calf was due in October.  Well, her udder filled up and was so swollen Brian had to milk her to relieve the pressure.  Long story short, she is not pregnant and is being milked twice daily and giving rich Jersey milk.  The Vet said, “ she could have a bad ovary that could be looked at.”  Anyway she is healthy and happy and beautiful to look at.  We’d love to have a calf from her but she doesn’t need to have a calf to freshen, haha.  What a cow!

Summer is coming to an end

 

How is everyone out there doing?  I haven’t blogged for sometime and have a lot to share.  The horrible heat wave of summer seems to be over for now.  We got another heavy rain couple days ago and we needed it badly.  The rains have come often enough to keep the grass growing so the cows are still happy.  Grass fed animals seem to thrive on fresh damp grass.  The dew has been thick for the last few mornings and our girls would rather eat then come to the barn for milking.  The milk is so sweet and full of rich cream.  What a blessing in these difficult days, to have good milk provided right here on the farm.

 

Carolyn Reid

www.carolynsnaturalsoap.com