Sugar Creek Farm

Interlopers

2009-06-29T19:16:00.002-05:00

It's always fun when the piglets are at that age where they're old enough to be adventurous and small enough to slip through the fences. One evening, as the cows were coming back up from the pasture, they found piglets hanging out on their turf.

Everybody just sort of eyed each other up and down... I was waiting for it to turn into the gang fight scene from West Side Story.

But pretty soon a mama stepped in and put a stop to the shenanigans.

Good thing, or there's no telling what might have happened.

Don't send out the search party just yet

2009-06-22T22:35:00.002-05:00

Both girls are playing softball, and this year Rafe gets to play t-ball for the first time.

Rafe & Liv's games are in the evenings, and Madeline's are during the day.

Which adds up to a lot of bleacher time.

And in between the day jobs and the ball games, we somehow manage to do farmers markets, do chores, castrate baby pigs, haul broiler chickens to the processor & pick them up again, and haul home loads of hay.

But why is it that the laundry is always the thing to fall by the wayside? Maybe that's just me.

1 year ago:

This week

It's that time again!

Mama said knock you out

Birdseye view

2009-06-15T22:37:00.003-05:00

My cousin had asked if we'd like to have a ride in his helicopter. Um, yes! Yesterday was the day.

Matt and Madeline were totally stoked about it. Me & Olivia & Rafe were a little more on the fence. Rafe thought he might do it if he had "muffins" for his ears, but in the end he decided against it.

Matt getting in

It was a very cute little helicopter, just big enough for the pilot and one passenger.

Matt going up

Madeline coming down

I was on the fence - I hate flying in general - but the photo opportunity was just too much for me to pass up. And I was so glad I went, it was a blast! It wasn't scary, and it didn't make me motion-sick or anything! The view was incredible.

The only time I got a little nervous was when we stopped for fuel. To fuel up, Tim had to land the helicopter on a platform built on a flatbed trailer. Then he started cranking on various knobs and such. Then he looked at me and said, "I've got everything locked down, you shouldn't take off." And then he left me, alone, in the helicopter, perched on a suddenly very small platform on the back of a truck, with the helicopter still running!

Um, shouldn't take off?!?

But all was well. He's a pro.

In this next picture our house is about right in the middle.

Our house again

And our pasture

Cows (& Star) in the pasture

Our house, and garden to the left. The garden has been very slow getting going this cold, wet & busy spring.

House, with the meat wagon parked in front.

My favorite picture of the day...garden, pasture, creek. The broiler chickens are in the upper right.

Olivia going up.

Thanks again, Tim! We enjoyed it so much!

1 year ago:

Checking in

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature

Flood pictures

Itchy and scratchy

2009-06-08T19:54:00.002-05:00

The new piglets are as cute as ever, and at that age where they go on little walk-abouts. One day I watched as they scratched their various and sundry itches.

The rooster is wondering just what he's walked into.

All together now!

1 year ago:

Hen and chicks

Summertime

Count 'em

2009-06-01T21:19:00.002-05:00

Matt gets some of the credit for the pictures on this blog. Often when he goes out to do chores he'll call back up to the house on his cell phone and tell me to "come quick with the camera, there's a photo opp out here!" One day he came across this mama duck and her new brood, come out from hiding wherever it was she hatched them.

I headed out with the camera and couldn't believe how many ducklings I saw! I counted, and counted again, and came up with 17 ducklings. Seventeen!

After a while I saw mama duck again and this time another duck hen was with her, so I think perhaps the first duck was just doing a little babysitting. Today I saw the two of them together again, this time on the creek. They've lost a few ducklings - I counted 12 today. Little ducklings paddling on the creek are pretty high on my "Cutest Things" list!

1 year ago:

So where were we?

Farm boy

It's a mom thing

2009-05-27T22:13:00.002-05:00

A while back Olivia had an impromptu sleepover party. One of the mom's asked me, "Are you sure you want all these girls over?" My response was, "What's a few more?"

Some of the pullets hang out with the new gilts during the day and can often be seen standing on this snoozing mom. With a litter of 9 piglets constantly rooting and nuzzling on her I imagine her response to the pullets is, "What's a few more?"

1 year ago:

Rejected farm slogan #14

Peeps

2009-05-21T21:43:00.002-05:00

This hen stole away and hatched out 6 chicks. That one peeking out from her wing is just the cutest thing!

Couldn't you just die from the cuteness?

1 year ago:

Since you asked...

Runner girl

2009-05-20T19:48:00.005-05:00

It's May, that time of year when spring and summer activities converge and overlap, and blogging comes to a standstill for a bit.

(I enjoy the irony of an Osage Green Devil jumping over a St. Ansgar Saint hurdle :)

I've been making most of my kid & family updates over on Facebook (so friend me if you're there!), but thought I'd exercise my proud mom perogative here and share a little about runner girl's track season this year.

Most of the season she ran the shuttle hurdle relay, the open 1500m, and the 4x400 relay. The last couple of meets she's run the 4x800 relay instead of the shuttle hurdle. The whole 8th grade girls team had such a great season.

Last year she broke the Osage 7th grade girls record in the 1500m. So her goal this year was to set a new personal best, which would also break the 8th grade girls record.

Her PB last year was 5:44, and the 8th grade record this year was 5:48. She broke that record the last 3 meets with times of 5:48, 5:40, and finally 5:29 at the conference meet on Monday. And what made her happiest? Proving her dad wrong. First thing she said when she got back to the stands, "Ha! Dad didn't think I could break 5:30 this year!"

Her 4x400 team also broke the school record, twice! I don't remember the times now, but they beat it by 2 seconds the first time and then by 4 seconds at the conference meet on Monday. They also broke the conference meet record, but unfortunately another team broke it by more.

And here's just a random picture I took of one of her best friends, and it just turned out so cool i had to share :)

Thanks for bearing with me :) I'll be back with more cute farm baby pictures...

1 year ago:

Zorro's a chicken

The maple tree in our backyard

Nanny at work

Strrrrrretch

2009-05-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

Oooo, all of that stretching makes a baby tired!

1 year ago:

Punks & bluebells

Chicks, batch 2

Happy Spring

Piglets

2009-05-10T20:47:00.003-05:00

The new gilts have all farrowed! I was waiting to tell you until we saw how things would turn out, since the news has generally been bad in the past. The results are about 66% good news and overall I'm pretty happy with how things went with these girls, especially for them being first-timers.

I'll give you the full story later. For now, I'm going to inundate you with pictures of cute little piglet butts.

1 year ago:

Spring self-portrait

Yeehaw

Back to the chicken pictures

As requested

2009-05-06T22:01:00.003-05:00

More calf pictures for Brian.

This little beauty is Sophie. Her mother is Caramel. Usually Caramel has black calves, but once before she had one like this named Louisa.

Such a cute mother-daughter pair! I love how Sophie looks like a lamb as much as a calf.

1 year ago:

I am rooster

Potatoes in

2009-05-05T21:34:00.002-05:00

Rafe was a big help in the garden on Sunday. With his help we got 20 pounds of potatoes planted.

He uses a hand trowel to get the right spacing...

...and sets them in the row.

Matt came behind him covering them. All that was left for me to do was snap pictures...my favorite job :)

Pete & Repeat

2009-04-27T21:01:00.002-05:00

2 cute little heifers, that look a lot alike! Fortunately one wears white socks so that I can tell them apart.

4 years ago:

Holy Moly

Virginia Bluebells

3 years ago:

The baby parade continues

2 years ago:

Whatchimacallit

Cow hip lifter

Seeing double

1 year ago:

Are you my mother?

Uno

Flexible

Little Peep

How to Cook : Eggs Benedict

2009-04-22T21:21:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, a long time ago...I turned 30. And one of my best friends from high school did, too, just 7 days before me. So I flew out to San Francisco to celebrate with her.

Me, left, Susan, right

Susan and I share a love of food. I wouldn't exactly call us foodies, though. I think having Ding Dongs and nacho cheese dip on your favorite foods list disqualifies a person from that moniker. Regardless, we ate some really good food for our birthdays. It was in San Francisco I had a breakfast I'll never forget.

Buckwheat pancakes.

Fried potatoes.

And eggs benedict.

The aftermath.

Fast forward to today. The hens are laying again. I'm in need of an egg dish to fix for supper. I decided to give the home version of eggs benedict a go. With a few changes, of course

Eggs benedict is usually made with Canadian bacon. We have cottage bacon made when we butcher pork, and it reminds me a little of Canadian bacon. I like to use it on pizza, or to lean up a BLT. I thought it would work just fine in my version of eggs benedict.

Then you have to poach your eggs. Simply get a saucepan half full of water boiling then reduce to a simmer. Crack an egg into a measuring cup, then quickly slide the egg from the cup into the simmering water.

Cook 3 to 5 minutes, to desired doneness. The eggs kind of look like jellyfish while they cook.

Remove the egg from the saucepan with a slotted spoon. Place Canadian bacon, or cottage bacon, atop an English muffin. I changed things up a little here, too, and used slices of English muffin bread. It was delicious! Put an egg on top of the bacon, add Hollondaise sauce and sprinkle with paprika.

Hollandaise sauce is simple to make, and is yet another good use for extra eggs. Melt 1/2 cup butter, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Place 3 egg yolks in a bowl, then slowly whisk the melted butter mixture into the egg yolks. Cook this mixture in the microwave 30 to 45 seconds, whisking every 10 seconds, until thickened.

My home version of eggs benedict turned out yummy, and made a wonderful spring meal paired with asparagus.

4 years ago:

Overheard

1 year ago:

Alarmed

How to Cook : Bean & Ham Soup

2009-04-21T21:15:00.002-05:00

Is there anything sexier than a man tilling your garden? (And some random chicken.)

I didn't think so.

4 years ago:

Lined up at the buffet

1 year ago:

I'm it

Beak to the grindstone

2009-04-20T22:04:00.002-05:00

The first batch of chicks for this year is in the garage brooder pen. These guys are all business when it comes to eating.

2 years ago:

Go fly a kite

1 year ago:

The huddled masses

Portrait

2009-04-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

This is Pretty Girl. Don't tell the others, but she's Matt's favorite cow. He loves Herefords, and Pretty Girl was the first one he bought. I guess there's always a special place in a guy's heart for his first Hereford.

4 years ago:

Welcome, Art and Socks!

Monday

Happiness is...

3 years ago:

Easter calf

Take 2

I love the piglets at this age

2 years ago:

Chicks will pick a sunny spot on the floor

1 year ago:

Whazzup, chicken butt?

Just in case you were wondering

How to Cook : Ground Pork

Numero dos

2009-04-16T21:25:00.002-05:00

Calf #2 is on the ground, and so far so good.

But as you can imagine, I'm now impossibly paranoid. My office window overlooks the cows' winter lot, and I'm constantly checking on them. Today this little girl layed in the same spot for what seemed like much too long. But eventually her mother did rouse her for a bite to eat.

Isn't she cute? I love how she looks like she's wearing a hoodie!

We have another cow that looks just like this one, and she had a calf that looks just like this one. I've got to try and get a picture of them, if I can tell who's who!

2 years ago:

Frosty

Garden, April

2009-04-15T21:53:00.002-05:00

This has been one of the nicest springs I can remember. The mud hasn't been too bad, the weather's been warm. The farmers are getting a good start in the fields. Madeline had her first track meet of the season yesterday and we had a gorgeous afternoon for sitting in the bleachers cheering. (And yay for her 8th grade team for winning the meet! They placed in every single event. She placed 1st in the 1500m, she anchored the shuttle hurdle team which placed 2nd, and she anchored the 4x400 which placed 1st.)

Of course, all of this has me worried that we're in for a drought. Because as you all know by now, I'm a fretter.

So I'm really itching to get in the garden. With the late harvest last fall (due to the epic floods) my dad didn't have time to get the garden turned then. So Sunday afternoon he brought over his big rig + the soil saver.

As you can see, Rafe had to ride along with Grandpa.

Down one side,

up the other side,

a few times through the middle and the job was done.

Hopefully we can get time to till and plant some early-season crops before the rain Saturday. I'm just craving something fresh & green!

4 years ago:

A good day

2 years ago:

Simba

1 year ago:

I know, I know

That had to hurt

2009-04-14T21:37:00.002-05:00

See that egg? Front row, third from the right? Every once in a while someone lays a giant egg, and it just makes my hiney tingle.

4 years ago:

Eat, drink and be married

1 year ago:

Today's chick fix

Trusting my instincts (or not)

2009-04-13T22:19:00.004-05:00

Remember this guy?

He was 6 days old on Saturday, and had been doing good all week. When I checked on him Saturday morning he was just standing in the pile of cornstalks that the cows like to sleep on. I thought to myself that he didn't look as spunky as usual, but I don't know much about cows so I dismissed the thought.

Some friends came out to see the baby chicks and I wanted to show them the new calf. His mother was at the bale feeder eating, but he was nowhere to be seen. Matt found him in the shed, next to the water tank laying in a puddle, now definitely acting very dumpy.

So Matt hauled him out of there and tried to get some electrolytes down him. He swallowed but wouldn't suck, so we asked my brother to have a look at him. His breathing was clear, he wasn't scouring, he just seemed dehydrated. So my brother tubed him to get some more electrolytes in him.

Unfortunately our Easter morning didn't bring a miraculous return from the almost-dead. Our first calf of the '09 calving season became the first loss of the '09 calving season. And I'm wondering why I don't trust my own instincts.

4 years ago:

Today I am...

3 years ago:

Chix Oh Six

1 year ago:

Chicks, batch 1

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:42:00.002-05:00

4 years ago:

Happy trails

Our new friend Troy

Flarp

3 years ago:

George

Spread a little sunshine

Take me to the river

Spring

2 years ago:

Cuteness

Spring, O Spring

Tragic tale o' the day

1 year ago:

I'm a big boy now

It's like some kind of farm soap opera

Dimitry

Photogenic

2009-04-08T21:38:00.002-05:00

Matt would like this blog to be all cows, all the time. But really, this time of year, they make for rather boring photo subjects. They just hang around, waiting for the grass to green up or to give birth.

Chickens, on the other hand, are interesting. All. year. round.

The colors. The clucking. The antics. I keep chickens as much for entertainment as for eggs.

1 year ago:

At large

New digs

2009-04-07T22:07:00.003-05:00

The 4-H pigs are finally out of my garage. They really seem to be enjoying their new digs. Theirs is the small port-a-hut that you can barely see, with large round bales on either side and squares stacked in front of the entrance to cut the wind. (The large port-a-hut behind it will be for farrowing next week!) Today when I went out to check on them they were laying in a pile in the doorway, getting a little sunburn on their butts!

My house no longer smells like a petting zoo...for a couple days, anyway, until 150 chicks arrive on Thursday.

4 years ago:

Peeps galore!

1 year ago:

Over my dead body

Sunrise

2009-04-06T21:40:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning, about 6:30 a.m. There's not a whole lot that needs to be said about this one, except maybe...wow.