We need to get small

No not Alice in Wonderland small....

Brian and I have been doing alot of soul searching and number crunching this last week. We've decided that our farming endeavors need to get really small for a while.
Why did we come to this decision? Well, we've been pretty stressed this year with all the setbacks from wind and weather and it's started taking it's toll. We need to build a barn, put up fence, put out a fall garden and we still don't have our hay in. Our family obligations and needs have changed too. Brian's youngest daughter has moved in with us and her older sister has given us our first grandbaby, my daughter is getting married and my son and his wife will soon start on their homestead. This week my mother fell and broke her arm. She needs a good bit of extra help with things while she is in a cast. Our family needs us. We've decided it's time to pull back and give ourselves room to breath.
We are going to sell half of our heritage cattle and sheep. We won't be raising pastured poultry to sell next year and we are cutting our laying flock down to the bare neccessity of 35 hens. We've decided to concentrate next year on putting food by for our family. We will still have some produce to sell, but we won't be supporting a CSA. We will have pork and lamb to sell next year, but no beef or chicken.
We want to have time to go fishing with Kacie (one of her favorite pastimes) and play with the baby and to ride and drive our Haflingers. We want to have time to show folks around the farm when they come to visit without that little voice in the back of my mind listing off all the things that need to be done. In short, we've decided to cut back so that we are having fun farming again not stressing out all the time.

3 steps forward and 2 steps back

Well it's been a while since I've posted anything. Posting wasnt' an option from Tuesday through Saturday - we didn't have electricity due to a big storm/near miss tornado.

It's been such a trying year so far: losing the barn, an over abundance of rain and now we've lost the eggmobile about 30 chickens and over a dozen trees with this storm. I always say if life give you lemons make lemonade.

This time it is going to be hard. We're discussing various possibilities for barns and chicken houses. Our thinking is running toward buildings that are closer to the ground and not so prone to take flight.

In the mean time, there is hay to be made, weeds to pull, fence to build and a wedding to get ready for.

Tomorrow is another day. We'll see what it brings.

Be very very quiet we are hunting roosters....hehehe

After the near tornado blew through our place we discoverd that my son, Anders', rolling rooster pen had blown apart and all 6 roosters were running amuck. We called and left Anders a message on his cell and waited for him to come by after work.

At 4:30 he arrived with what appeared to be an oversized butterfly net and proceeded to gather up his roosters on by one. That really makes it sound easier than it was. Actually, the roosters had no intention of going back into the pen.

As Anders approached they split off in 6 directions running through the tall grass with their tail feathers flying. Anders darted after the nearest one net at the ready. It led him on a merry chase three times around the house. Then SWOOSH! down came the net. Anders tucked the rooser under his arm, carried him back to the pen and dropped him in. The indignant rooster paced back and forth looking for a way to freedom.

It was incredibly funny to see my longlegged, red headed son running about the yard chasing one rooster after the other. I sent Kacie in to get the camera - we had to have pictures!

As Anders ran by, I asked if he wanted some help.

"Nope!" he laughed. " This is more challenging. And I'm having fun!"

About an hour later the roosters were all safely back in their pen and Anders had gone on to take care of his other animals with a smile on his face.