Holidaze

We have been enjoying a pretty relaxed holiday this year.  Only our younger daughter, Cadence, was home, so we kept our celebrations small and simple.  My Christmas present was this flashy pair of muck boots (Bogs brand), all the more cute with Zinny lying next to them. I LOVE these boots --they are comfy, easy to slip on, and so warm, but I have still been wearing my decrepit old Muck boots to the barn because I can't bear to get these pretty boots all stinky and disgusting yet.  

The crazy entry rug? It is a carpet scrap from a downtown hotel that was installing new carpeting -- I got permission to dumpster-dive for it. It is large enough to cover our entire entry floor, collect all the snowy, melting boots and shoes that enter our house and protect the wood floors from tracking.

Zinny is growing tall and lanky and becoming such a good dog. I was getting a bit frustrated with  house-training, mainly because I would get absorbed in a project and not realize she was indicating she needed to go out. Finally, I hung a bell on the door handle and every time I took her out to potty  I  made her paw ring the bell before opening the door. It only took one day for her to master the concept, and now she rings the bell to go out and hasn't had an accident since. Sometimes she jingles the bell to let us know a cat wants to come in, too. She is a genius!

I found some hay to get me through another month of cow-feeding.  Feeding cows  is rather stressful and very expensive this year.  Here is Jitter with a dusting of snow, looking sort of like a Christmas cookie.

Yesterday was my birthday and we invited a bunch of friends over last night for snacks and wine, an annual tradition. I hadn't done much  outdoor decorating, but I saw this is idea for ice luminaries on Pinterest and it was so cold out I was inspired to make some.  I filled a 5-gallon bucket halfway with water and suspended an ice cream bucket inside (with something heavy inside to keep it from floating up, hung from a broom handle spanning the top of the 5-gallon bucket.) Then I placed greenery trimmings and cranberries in the water around the edge and set the  bucket out to freeze.  After it was frozen I ran hot water  over the bucket and the ice slid out. The bottom hadn't  frozen solid yet, but that was perfect because it  made a cavity to put the candle inside. The luminaries are really pretty lit up at night - I will try to remember to take a photo of them in action.

Rog made me a wonderful birthday cake using one of my Pinterest  recipes - lemon cake with raspberry layers, buttercream frosting and  coconut.  (It was delicious, but next time we would try a less buttery frosting.)  I must confess, I had a piece of this cake for breakfast today.

Thanks to having a deadline, I finished a painting for the January exhibit at Crossings, "Just Figures."  My number one NewYears resolution will commit to lots more art-making. 

Rog is out roof-raking the solar panels as I write this.

One unintended consequence of the new aquaponics greenhouse is that it makes it much more difficult to reach the panels on the west end of the barn with the roof rake.

Fortunately,  as soon as a bit of snow is cleared away, the panels heat up and the rest of the snow slides off very soon. 

We are at our two year anniversary of installing the solar panels, so Rog had me photograph the  inverter to document the amount of power they have produced: 2.01 megawatts  to date!  We were pleasantly surprised because last summer there was a malfunction with the inverter and it had to be sent to the manufacturer for repair. We were unable to produce energy while the inverter was gone for three weeks, during some of the sunniest, longest days of the year, yet the system still produced almost as much power as last year (last year, 10,700 kilowatt hours, this year 9,400.)  I guess we have the drought to thank for that.

Jumble of Activity

The past two weeks have been crazy busy, with no time to blog, but I will  post a jumble of photos and  try to catch up a bit.

Poblano is growing into a handsome little bull calf (he hasn't been transformed into a steer yet.)  I have been working to  become his friend and now that he has tasted grain, pears and cookies, he likes me considerably  more.  He  enjoys being scratched under the chin. At first he wouldn't come up to me but if I walked through the pasture he would sneak up and follow behind me. But tonight he came running to meet me!  Next, halter training.  

The most exciting news is that younger daughter Cadence is home from film school in Prague!  She will be working part- time editing a documentary for a nearby filmmaker, is seeking a second job, and is working on getting her husband here from Mexico --the visa process is daunting. She seems happy to be back on the farm--and immediately dove into harvesting, preserving, weeding, and bonding with the animals, She especially loves the turkeys.

The turkeys must like her, too. At least they were sure showing off for her.

In preparation for a big farm event, The Second annual Farm Fair and Cow Puja, we are doing some major purging and reorganizing in the barn. The past two weekends Rog has been  cleaning the loft, which was full of tons of  scrap wood, fencing, buckets, etc. Now that you can see the floor, I am thinking that with a  big window, this might  make a sweet studio space...But the plan is to move stuff currently stored on the  ground floor up to the loft so we have covered barn space for  vendors if the weather doesn't cooperate. (Please, let it be sunny!)

Being by nature last minute, of course we didn't actually start planning the Farm Fair/Puja until  5 weeks before the event - it is coming up September 30th.   I pulled together a poster design and created a farm website  so we can promote the event. We have a dozen awesome artist vendors lined up to sell their work. There will several local bands performing music all afternoon. The Trolley will bring people from downtown - which will be a festive way to get here and will reduce parking congestion.  There will be tasty food --Chef Johnny Mango will  use seasonal veggies from our farm garden.  T-shirts are in the works. So much to do still - but it is going to be so  much fun!  There is no admission fee and you are all invited!  For updated details, visit the website or the Squash Blossom Farm  FB page.

Last week we noticed the solar panels were only producing about half their usual output of electricity. At first I thought it might be  because they were dust-covered - we haven't had rain in weeks and being on a gravel road, everything is very dusty.  So, we hosed down the solar panels, but only gained minor improvement. We called up Curt, our installer and he came right out to check on the system. There is a malfunction with inverter and it has been sent to the manufacturer to be repaired. It kind of hurts to miss out on electricity generation on these perfect sunny days, but it should be repaired and hooked up again by the end of the week. 

We haven't had the time or resources to make much progress on our aquaponics system this summer, but we have been enjoying the silo pond. Remember the three goldfish we put in temporarily last spring? They must be happy, because  now we have a rather large school of baby goldfish.  There is also a leopard  frog living in the pond and this cute toad, which I often find sitting on the faux lilypads.

A friend gave me a funky retro light globe that was hanging in bedroom of the house she recently purchased.  I took it apart, inserted the workings of a  solar walkway light, and  set it onto a gazing ball stand.  I set it next to the morning-glory-covered gate (it will look  great  if those  morning glories ever decide to bloom!)

Here is a blurry handheld shot of it at night, lit up.

Speaking of recycled whimsy,  I wanted to post a  photo of the garden shed door close up - so you can see the window. It is made from a large vintage sandwich glass plate. The morning light shining through the glass is delightful.

This morning,  a lot of flies had gotten into the milking parlor. I am getting very  accomplished at fly-swatting. I think my successful kill rate  must be  over 90%. I have gotten great at spotting flies hiding in the straw on the floor, on the rim of LaFonda's feed bowl, the walls,  wood trim,  beams and celing. Those flies are tricky. Because there were more flies than usual, I also hunted them down in the hall approaching the stall Suddenly I noticed pencil writing on one of the beams!  "Otto Kohn, Jr, " and the date--maybe 1920? The barn was built in 1914, so perhaps it was the signature of one of theAmish workmen who built the barn addition.  I need to go to the history center one of these days and research this farm.  I  love living in this place with so many stories and secrets!

Just a few more days of milking and then I will dry LaFonda off.  As much as I will appreciate freeing up  that hour in the morning, I am sure going to miss our milking sessions. I think she will too- she sure seems happy when I call  her to be milked! She is the most delightful bovine--very deserving of a Puja celebrating her!

WordlessWednesday: February Mornings

procrastinating....

Everyone slept in this morning. Rog has had several late nights in a row playing music (see future post about that) and as his biggest groupie that means I also am up late.  I did get up at 7:30 to do the chores, but then crawled back into bed after for another hour.
The cows were still lounging in the loafing shed at 7:30! Usually they are waiting impatiently for breakfast at the hay feeder.

The stray black cat living in the barn, whom I have decided to call "Poet," is very affectionate and has a voracious appetite. Does "he" look pregnant to you?  Maybe when I  assumed he was a neutered male that was wishful thinking.  Some farmer I am!

When we  finally got up, I made scones and Rog made coffee and we settled in on the sofa to brainstorm about the aquaponics  idea, raising fish and  plants in a symbiotic system. Sylvia Bernstein's manual "Aquaponic Gardening" arrived in the mail a couple days ago and I have been devouring it.  I think our barn has great potential for setting up an aquaponics system! (Now if we only win the lottery.)

After our breakfast we went outside to play with some toys. Rog roof-raked the solar panels. We got about an inch of snow last night and when I  did chores the PVpanels had been snow-covered. By the time we raked them, about a third of the snow had already melted off. They were  producing 1600 watts of electricity, partially covered in snow, but they are much more efficient when the light isn't blocked. As  Rog raked the panels he could easily reach with the roof rake, the  production went up to 4800 watts. They heat up quickly uncovered and the snow slides off. I just checked now, about 45 minutes after roof-raking and they are totally melted clear and producing 6700 watts at 1 p.m. on a sunny winter day!

A one-inch fluffy snow is perfect for woveling - I cleared off the patio in a couple minutes. I love that wovel!

Now we have no more excuses--time to  tackle the dreaded project: taxes.

Wrapping Up 2011

The year is getting off to a beautiful, although busy, start.  Tonight I am finally carving out a few minutes to reflect on the highlights of 2011, our third year as farmers:

The two farm events I both anticipated most and worried about most last year was the birth of our first calves last spring.  Happily, everything proceeded perfectly, and we have had constant joy watching Jitterbug and Lindyhop grow from adorable, frolicking calves into a gentle heifer and a sturdy little steer.

Being the person responsible for cattle-tending, I would also list two cow-related items as invaluable farm improvements in 2011:  Getting the bucket milker so I don't have to milk by hand and installing the cow fountain so I don't have to carry heavy water buckets in winter or haul hoses in summer.   My hands and back are so relieved.

Last year was our first summer without our daughters on the farm and we were pretty concerned about being able to keep up with everything without their assistance. But then, Bethany and Brendan happened along, two enthusiastic young people who wanted to learn absolutely everything they could about growing food. Thanks in great part to their contributions, the garden was beautiful and productive, the Farmers market was a great success, the animals were always fed/milked/tended promptly, and heaps of produce were preserved for winter.

In May, we finished remodeling the Granary and opened a little Farm Store in it this summer.  That last sentence makes it sound simple, but it involved wiring the building for electricity, installing windows and  floors, getting a conditional use permit from the township board, acquiring  display cases,  inventory, and a cash register, and advertising that we exist.  Nearly every Sunday afternoon all summer we had live music and families hung out and enjoyed the farm.  One weekend, we held a celebration honoring our bovines, a Cow Puja.

Although we didn't raise special meat chickens this year, our laying flock expanded to over 60 (including a few too many roosters who ultimately became meat chickens and several pet banties.)  We raised nine turkeys, three guinea keets hatched form eggs laid by the adult guineas, and two Pekin ducks. We lost NO poultry to owls.

We expanded our beekeeping efforts to include two Warre  hives, plus the original Langstroth hive. In the fall, we had our first successful honey harvest, over 75 pounds of pure, golden sweetness. Rog made some of it into mead, which will be ready to enjoy next winter.

Perhaps our most ambitious project was the high tunnel greenhouse for extended season growing.  We are indebted to friends and our interns who helped us erect the frame on Labor Day and especially to Chad who returned many days to help complete it.  The high tunnel bounty has exceeded our wildest veggie expectations--we are still harvesting amazing greens in January in Minnesota!

Our solar panels began producing electricity one year ago.  Curt, the installer, calculated they would produce 10,700 kWh per year, with slight variation depending upon weather.  Rog read the inverter one year and 3 days after the system went online, and it had produced 10,700 kWh to date, precisely as predicted!

It is always surprising and rewarding to look back on an entire year and realize how much you accomplished. Day to day, when the To Do list is so long and things aren't getting crossed off as fast as they are getting added, it doesn't seem like much.  But it adds up! And these are just the highlights, not including the minor things - like making lip balm or repairing a fence - and not the challenges - like dealing with snow storms or heat waves or wells going out.  I guess celebrating our progress is one reason we celebrate the New Year. The other is setting new goals -- but that will have to be another post.

Solar Summer

This morning, a fellow from our power company, Peoples Electric Cooperative, requested a few photos of our solar installation for a presentation he was doing on renewable energy in their service region. That reminded me, I should do a little solar update for the blog! The beauty of these PV panels is that we never have to think about them, yet they keep plugging away, providing energy.

I really appreciate how they are so  unobtrusive on our barn roof.

Last month, our farm purchased 711 KWH electricity (for electricity when our solar panels were not active) and sold back 608 KWH (for electricity we produced but did not need), reducing our electric bill to $11.64, not including the monthly facility charge. The electricity we use directly from our solar panels doesn't show up on our bill at all. With daylight hours still growing longer, our next bill should show a credit.

We still have a gigantic tree trunk from the old silver maple that we removed so it wouldn't shade the solar panels. The tree was growing inside an old silo foundation and will be tricky to grind out.

My next crazy idea is to line that silo foundation with a pond liner after the trunk is gone and raise fish in there. We are researching the feasibility of  straddling the silo foundation with a high tunnel greenhouse and having a very small aquaponics operation with fish and plants.  Stay tuned...

February Snowstorm

We are in the midst of a  February snowstorm, with  about a foot of snow predicted by tomorrow. It has been a blustery day, and I haven't accomplished much all day other than chores, some cooking, a nap and intermittent photos of the storm, which I will now subject you to.
When I went out to do the morning chores, the snow was just beginning, with deep rumbly thunder. A thunder-snow-storm is always kind of magical.

Brown cows are so cute as they get dusted by  snow.  Reminds me of gingerbread.

The landscape of Lariat's snowy, fuzzy back.

And her snowy head.  She doesn't much like the camera looking at her up close. When the whites of her eyes show, you know she is stressing.

By the time I finished morning chores, snow was already piling up on the patio and steps. Aargh.  All last week I chiseled away at the remaining two feet of snow on the patio, snow and was able to see the patio bricks, enabling me to dream of a leisurely brunch on the patio one of these days.  What a setback.

The patio gate, leading into the snowy expanse.

Inside, the cats know how to enjoy a storm. We followed their example and took a little nap this afternoon.

In anticipation of the snowstorm, I had refilled all the bird-feeders last night.  The bird-feeders were like Grand Central Station,  with  cardinals, assorted woodpeckers, nuthatches, various finches, bluejays, chickadees  and juncos flitting from feeder to feeder constantly.  It would have been fun to have time-lapse photography of the level of seed going down throughout the day.

After our nap, it was time for evening chores. LaFonda was already patiently (or more likely impatiently) waiting for supper.

Snow and sleet and hail(!) was coming in bursts, and the brisk wind had shifted, now coming from the southeast instead of the northwest.  The best thing about the strong wind is that it is keeping the solar panels clear of snow. They'll be able to leap into action as soon as the sun comes out.

Beyond the granary arbor in the garden, the scrawny scarecrow danced in the blizzard.

This morning Rog  had a gig playing music at the Unitarian Church. I was worried about him getting home safely on the crummy roads, but happily, he didn't get stuck until reaching our driveway.  It may have been premature, because we are expected to get another 6 inches of blowing snow throughout the night, but he blew out  the driveway (and the car) this afternoon.

Then he blew out some nice paths to the chicken coop

and the barn and loafing shed.
My hero.