Kleinshire: Springing into long days with an update on the farm and animals

Second parking lot Mass.

When the boiler is turned off for the year.

Meat chicks

Lilly with her charge Max

The days are getting longer. Things are sprouting, turning green. Mamas have babies, and the milk is flowing. The ground is awakening. Spring is finally here! Amidst all the change in the outer world, our little farm is plugging along in it's own fashion as is the way it works.

Yesterday Franz used his "new" tractor to spread manure over my gardens. I have spent my time mulching new elderberry bushes I planted a few weeks ago. I pruned the raspberries and cleaned out dead canes. Franz pruned the orchard trees. The boys and I gathered all the branches into piles to pick up with a trailer. I weeded around my 12 rhubarb plants. Franz has been cleaning animal pens.

We have had 6 does kid. 4 are dairy, 2 meat. With a total of 13 kids so far. We are still waiting on Hyacinth to kid. She must not have taken the first cycle. So, any day now with how wide she is. She will have to let those babies out. Rosie a first freshner meat goat is the next in line for an April kidding. The older 3 meat does, and 4 first freshners meat girls, will kid this summer. Milcah and Ruth our older Nigerian girls, will also kid this summer. Matthias our Nigerian buck, and Baloo our Kiko buck have thoroughly enjoyed their living arrangement with the girls. Soon they will be put back together in the buck pen. And, the meat does and dairy does will be put in their respective pastures. Mamas are kept with their babies till weaning. Two months for bucklings, three months for doelings. Unless the babies are sold as bottle babies.

Meat chicks arrived this morning, and last week our hen chicks came. The mature hens in the coop are laying lots more eggs. We will be getting turkey poults in June. Meat chicks will come in small batches every two months for three more batches being raised this year.

The plan is to get 5 piglets again later this spring. We barter turkey and chicken, for piglets and grassfed beef. I love the bartering system that we use with fellow farmers and friends. The pigs will be raised for our own use and family. Maybe someday when we have all our pastures in place we'll raise our own beef. Right now it is nice to get good grassfed beef in our trade.

We booted our house kitty Georgie outside. She has happily taken up residence with the farm cats. At first Georgie went wild, but now she affectionately comes when we call. Cat our fixed outside female, is the queen. There seems to be a truce of the females avoiding each other.

Max our LGD puppy is doing well under the watchful eye of Lilly. Lilly seems to really have accepted her charge, and even saves him a bone. Yet, she will correct Max when he is getting out of line. Leche is still in charge of her pen. Being that she is an Alpha, she is not allowed near Max, but still eats with Lilly. Max has his own eating time and space in a stall by himself. Snowy our farm dog is happily in a routine of running her rounds and barking at anyone who pulls in the driveway.

Our inside birds Louis and Zelie are as chirpy as ever. They are happy to see spring coming in. We still have a fish tank with two fish.

Tarcy Franz's horse keeps pushing and finding ways through the fence. We are going to be making a sacrifice area where the horses shelter is. They will get let out to pasture at intervals. Franz has spread seed in the goat pasture, and yesterday in the horse pasture. Cyprian has started working with Thora. As it warms up we will be brushing out their winter coats. I would love to see the boys riding Thora this summer. I am proud of Franz, as he trimmed Tarcy's hooves himself while I held Tarcy. I trim the goats hooves, but horses are big and intimidating to me for trimming.

Garlic is coming up, so is the rhubarb, and some perrenial herbs. Trees are budding. We pulled out the maple taps over a week ago, and boiled the last batch of syrup. It was a great run on sap this year. We have two organic apple trees, two grape vines, and two more elderberry bushes coming in May. The grape arbor is still under construction, but will have 12 vines once we plant the two new ones. We have a few older ones around the property and lots of wild grapes. We lost an apple tree last year as it tipped over from saturated ground. The orchard is a work in progress as the trees were very overgrown when we first moved in. I will be transplanting some currant bushes from my parents to add to two bushes here. Franz makes excellent currant wine, among others. My strawberry bed is coming alive, so lots of weeding to do. In the fall I will be tilling strips to put down manure and manage the jungle it has become. Raspberries hopefully will produce well. As these are a favorite with us all. We have not utilized our walnuts and beechnut trees. So, another project for fall. We have a Ginko Biloba tree, that I should figure out how to use too.

We would love to add honey bees to our setup. If not this year, then next. Meat rabbits is another project for next year.

School is going. Though it gets tougher to focus when the sunshine is calling us outside. I am happily able to hang clothes outside on the lines to dry. There is something poetic about seeing the cloth diapers snapping in the breeze and being naturally bleached by the sun. I like our clothes lined dried as well.

The boys love to roller blade on the cement slab by the deluxe brooder. They also explore out in the back of the property finding rocks and random treasures. They have built some scary forts and bunkers. There is a hood from a truck sitting on the incline by the polebarn, that has become a pretty cool slide. Cornelius loves to zip down it with his brothers. Various pots, pans, containers, utensils, are found outside as the boys make mud pies, grass balls, and play in puddles. Bikes are ridden everywhere. We need to get Chrysogonus going on his. He and Cornelius fight over the trike. Cornelius also has a beep car.

The back porch is becoming the greenhouse. We are setting up little green houses to start seeds. So far, lettuce and spinach, four kinds of onions, hot and sweet peppers, and some celery. Soon I will start tomatoes, herbs, flowers, and more celery. I have sweet potatoes and regular potatoes coming. The rest of what I grow will be direct seeded. Franz is starting his zuchinni and brussel sprout seeds this year. I think he plans to direct seed the winter squash and pie pumpkins.

Nelson Agricenter in Viroqua had their annual fair sale. So, we purchased lots of fencing material. We have some major fencing taking place in the next couple of months.

I have been making food even more from scratch as we sit in quarantine. With Franz and the boys it feels like I am feeding an army. The appetites are not lacking here! I need industrial size cooking ware to cook with. I am hoping I can find the energy to preserve food before baby Klein comes. I have been putting together my birthkit, and getting the essential things for baby. Like a new infant carseat, used Bob stroller, new moses basket, etc. I use things till they literally are falling apart. After five boys these were all needed.

My purchase of a Bob stroller has a purpose. I did the "Dam Challenge" 12 years ago in the Kickapoo Valley reserve. The race is 7 miles of canoeing on the Kickapoo river, 15 miles biking the ridges and valleys of the driftless, and 3 miles running an old logging trail. My plan is to do it this fall. With a Bob stroller there is no excuse not to train with baby Klein. I have invited all mine and Franz's family to participate too. It is an awesome race to experience. At least that is what I recall. Though maybe I will

have a different opinion after I run it this year:')

Franz and I have lots of ideas for our farm house renovations, building a barn, putting up pastures, layout of our yard, and planting and making gardens. We also have a really cool idea for where to put a permanent chicken coop and run that is more ideally located. The list goes on, but we slowly are chipping away at our dreams, to discover the beauty God has in mind for our family farm.

We are not completely consummed by our own work. We think of all those we know, and pray daily for everyone. Especially those who are struggling. May God bless you!