Walking the Deer Trails

It’s Monday and I can’t complain about how the day is going. Still, I wish I was here instead, walking the deer trails along Sand Creek with Cesar. Most times, I’m with V. or the kids. This time, a solo trek + dog.

Cesar scares most of the wildlife away, but I love watching him jump, meander, sniff, run and swim.

There is less time for woods-walking once summer begins, so hoping to get lots of exploring in before then.

Wordless Wednesday: They were here

Buried Treasures

I found myself part of an unexpected archaeological dig recently, uncovering treasures from past generations on our farm. I was digging in a flower bed and found this, an old wagon hitch pin:

I had to laugh at V.’s response: “I can use that.” Shortly after, we were cleaning out the lean-to shed on the barn and found this on a wall:

His grandpa, ever the resourceful farmer, used an old license plate to patch a hole in a grain storage bin.

I wonder what treasures of ours might be discovered in 50 years?

Storing Potatoes

My wheat farmer should have been a potato farmer. He loves growing potatoes and regularly plants about 60 hills in our garden each year. He usually has good luck. Each hill can have anywhere from 2 to up 7 or so potatoes. The challenge is then how to store them so they don’t rot.

Here’s what we’re trying this year. We’re using empty cattle mineral tubs with holes drilled for air. We then layered the potatoes with pine shavings. The tubs can get heavy, so we only filled them about halfway and then carried them down into our cellar.

I’ll let you know about mid-winter if this idea works or not. And, if you’re in the area and enjoy home-grown potatoes, let us know!

Megaregions and our farm

For at least the next generation, our corner of the country is insulated from a population growth trend called megaregions. The smart people at a project called America 2050 define a megaregion as “multiple, adjacent metropolitan areas connected by overlapping commuting patterns, business travel, environmental landscapes and watersheds, linked economies and social networks.”

The U.S. is expected to have 11 megaregions by the year 2050. The Great Lakes megaregion, for example, will include the cities of Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. This megaregion is expected to experience a 28.3% growth in population by 2050. The Texas Triangle is another megaregion and includes the cities of Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. About 70% of the Texas population is expected to live in this region by 2050.

The U.S. will include 11 megaregions by 2050.

Our farm is about 30 miles south of the green circle in the middle of the map, Wichita, Kan. — not yet a megaregion, but still an area to watch. Maybe two generations from now that green circle will become another megaregion, connected to the Kansas City area. That’s OK with us. That development is north and we’re south.

Don’t get me wrong. I think these megaregions offer lots of opportunities, especially for employment, mass transit and more. I just want to be on the outside looking in.

Wordless Wednesday: Claysville Store on the Katy Trail

How to wash a chicken

I was chatting on Facebook about my 4-Hers getting ready for the Sedgwick County Fair, which included E. washing her chickens.

“How do you wash a chicken?” they asked. “Very carefully,” I answered. Sorry…couldn’t resist. Here’s the real scoop on how E. washes her chickens. In this case, Speedy.

1. Catch Speedy by moving very quickly, cornering him in the chicken house and grabbing him.

2. Slowly submerge Speedy — but not his head — into warm soapy water. (We use Dawn dish soap.) Hold tight with one hand. Use other hand to rinse off feathers and scrub feet.

3. Remove Speedy from water. Let him drip just a little. (Don’t know why. That’s just her technique.)

4. Make sure Cesar doesn’t sneak in or a dirty chicken will be the least of our worries.

5. Submerge Speedy again, this time just in warm water. Give him time to enjoy. (He just bobs about in the bucket, like he’s on a floatie on the lake.)

6. Give him to your brother to hold, so Speedy can drip dry. Must ask nicely because brother doesn’t really want to hold a wet chicken. Then, place carefully in pet carrier to transport directly to the fair.

Finally, enjoy spending time with Speedy and his friends in the poultry barn.

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters on pasture

Annie and Belle

Willie the orphan lamb

Willie the orphan lamb

I’ve been a farm wife for more than 20 years. Not once has a farm animal made its way into the house.  That is, until a couple of weeks ago when a ewe (female sheep) died after giving birth. What to do but start bottle feeding her lamb? Since the little male, who came to be known as Willie, needed to eat about every four hours, he came inside.

My farmer-in-law brought out a baby bottle and diapers from the grocery store and we were set. Since Willie had only sucked on his mother for a short time — and because he was hungry — he quickly took to the bottle. We started him on canned goat milk until we were able to buy powdered milk replacer for sheep.

He was just so darn cute — always eager to eat, snuggle and play. The kids took turns falling asleep with him each night. I would gather him up before I went to bed, so he could have his last bottle of the day and then settled him in to his blanket in our mud room. I didn’t even mind those 2 a.m. feedings.

But, lambs grow up and need to be sheep. So, today Willie is back outside in his pen. We brought home a three-week-old Alpine dairy goat buck yesterday, so he has a pen mate. We just finished feeding both for the night. When we left, they were busy practicing butting heads. Their pen is full of fresh straw, so I’m sure they’ll tuck themselves in soon. Or, not. Who knows what happens in the farmyard when the farmer goes in the house?

Wordless Wednesday: Honey Creek School, #21, 1874

Honey Creek School, Beloit, Kansas