Goodbye Irene...

Well...we're glad that's over!

First off, let me say that we are very fortunate, and very thankful that we only saw a smidgen of what a lot of the east coast saw of Hurricane Irene this weekend!

All day yesterday the clouds rolled in, but we had no steady rain until milking time last evening.  By then, the rain was steady and the wind had picked up.  We went to bed and got a few hours of sleep until "something" woke us around 3 am.  Things were definitely happening outside!  The wind was howling and the driving rain was seeping in around some windows where it wasn't supposed to.  Jim went out to the barn to check things out, and had been back inside for just a few minutes when the power went out.  We lay in bed, seeing blue flashes in the night sky...were those transformers exploding? 

We were wondering when we'd last needed to use our generator, and wondering how it would work for morning milking...

It's time consuming to do the work this way, but if we wouldn't have had the generator, those ladies woulda been a hurtin'!  Our generator will run only one major thing at a time...the vacuum pump for milking...then the compressor to cool the milk...then the barn cleaner to empty the gutters...then the pipeline washer...etc...  It was almost lunch time when Jim was halfway up to the top of silo with a silage fork, to fork out silage by hand, when the power came back on.  He was more than happy to climb back down and throw the switch!

This was a typical scene.  Once again, we are thankful that this limb was on a telephone line, not an electric line, and it only stretched the line, didn't tear it...

This is what's left of the corn field behind the barn that we chopped on Friday.  Not down too bad, but definitely leaning...

This one section of our neighbor's field didn't fare so well...



We only had 3 1/2"  of rain, and minimal damage.  There are still people locally who are without power, and people with flattened corn fields.   Many in other areas have experienced flooding and other damage. 

By milking time tonight, it was hard to believe that just twelve hours ago or so we were on the edge of a Hurricane!  The skies were a beautiful blue once again!  I find that amazing!

It was definitely not my choice, but definitely a memorable way to celebrate my birthday! 

Silo Filling...2011...

Today was a busy day, to say the least!

Filling all three silos was on the agenda.  The two silos at home were ready to go...the unloaders were both raised and secured at the top, and all of the doors were fastened shut. The silo at the other farm was ready too.  There's no unloader to raise in that silo, but it's an old tile silo that is no longer airtight, so we installed a liner in it several years ago.  Each time we fill it, Jim has to patch the area in front of the doors...from top to bottom. 

Here, the chopper is opening up the field at home behind the barn.  The tractor and cart are on the right...the only part of the chopper you can see is the spout...

This afternoon, I climbed the silo.  NOT my favorite thing to do, but....how else was I to get a good picture?

The first picture is looking into the silo from the top.  You can see the silage blowing into the silo through the gooseneck at the top of the silo pipe.  The metal contraption you see in the center of the picture is the unloader, hanging at the top, out of the way of the silage.  And the circle you see at the top, is the roof...

This is the view from the platform at the top of the ladder between the two silos (inside a protective cage of sorts)  The white thing in the middle of the picture is the silo pipe.  It's attached to the blower at the bottom.  The silage is unloaded from the wagons into the blower, and blown forcefully, fifty feet up into the silo...

And...just for fun...a view across the fields looking over the barn roof...

Other than a few "hiccups", things went relatively well...

We are very glad to be finished filling silo!  The silage is a little wet...we're getting some juice at the bottom of the silos, but like I've said before...rather too wet than too dry!  And tomorrow, hurricane Irene is threatening with who knows how much rain.  That would have set us back several more days until the ground would be dry enough to get into the fields.

In a few weeks, we'll refill the silos...top them off one last time before the late corn is too dry.  The rest of the corn will be harvested dry...either shelled and grain banked, sold, or picked as ear corn for our corn crib.  I'd say we've earned our sleep tonight!

Slate Roof Repair...

Wow!  What a beautiful day!

In fact, it's been a week of gorgeous weather!  Doesn't feel a bit like the August weather we usually have...we've been spared the typical end-of-summer heat and humidity, and been blessed with temps in the low 80's with low humidity.  It was actually cold this morning...someone had even shut the out-kitchen window and turned on the heater!

One project that got worked on today was repairing a section of our barn roof...and what a nice day for that!

One of our Amish neighbors has a slate roof business, and he sent some workers over to check out a section of our barn roof that needed repair...

The leak was just above the hay mow on the east side of the barn.  It was clear from inside the barn where the leak was (the recent rains made it quite clear), but a bit tricky to find from the outside.  He found it, fixed it, and we're good to go!

The Amishman who was there today also commented on the condition of the barn roof...he said it's one of the better roofs he's ever worked on!  The barn and house roofs are both covered in Peach Bottom Slate, which came from a quarry about 30 minutes south of us in southern Lancaster County.  It's a very high quality slate, and is original to the barn which was built in 1912!  The quarry hasn't been used for perhaps fifty years...so any Peach Bottom slate that you might find has most likely been taken off another roof.

Other than some minor repairs, we have been very fortunate...both Jim, and his Dad before him, have taken good care of it.

The next roof project will likely be to put two rows of snow catchers on the south side of the barn roof.  In the winter, the snow slides off the slick roof and comes crashing to the ground two stories below, sometimes damaging spouting and the barn cleaner elevators on the way down.  But that's a project for another day...

For now, I'll enjoy the beautiful evening watching the Phillies WIN their game against the Mets!

To Chop...or Not...

This is the time of year that every farmer has a big decision to make...

To chop corn silage...or not!

Our silos are nearly empty, and the corn is almost ready to chop for corn silage...but not quite.   A lot of our Amish neighbors have begun chopping.  You see their binders and wagons slowly making their way through the fields.  The silage is a little green, but the cows need to be fed!

This week we took some samples from our fields, ran them through the chopper, and tested the moisture level.  In our small silos (12 x 50) the silage should be between 65% -70%.  If the silage is too dry it doesn't have enough weight to pack well, and the air will spoil the silage.  Spoiled silage is trouble!  Silage that is too wet isn't good either, but better a little too wet than too dry.

This is one of the fields that we tested. It will probably be the first one that we will chop here at home...

An interesting perspective from inside the field...

The ears are large and the silk is dry and brown...

This is what we call the milk line.  Break the ear in half, and look at the white part of the kernel.  When the corn is ready for chopping, the milk line is about halfway down the kernel.  This ear shows the milk line only about 1/4 of the way down.  There's probably plenty of moisture there yet...

After the sample stalks were run through the chopper, they looked like this...



We took the samples from two fields for moisture testing.  They tested 69% and 70%...still a little bit wet, just like Jim suspected.  But it won't be long...typically the moisture drops about .5% per day, and with the rain we've been having, it probably won't be any faster than that.  So...we've lined up the chopper to come next week. 

Once those silos are filled, it will be a weight off our shoulders.  Trying to get it just right can be stressful...the weather...lining up the chopper...everything needs to fall together just right.

It seems like just a week or so ago that we were struggling to get the corn planted with all the rain we had in the spring...and here we are harvesting already!  Where did the summer go?!

Linking to Farmgirl Friday at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House

Eat Fresh...Eat Local...

It's something we're all hearing a lot about now...and it's a great idea! 

Not everyone is able to grow their own produce, but for those of us who can do it, there are lots of opportunities this time of year to eat our own fresh foods...or at least to buy and eat local.

Yesterday I was canning tomatoes, and had a quart jar that did not seal, as well as a jar that wasn't full enough to put in the canner.  So...today I put those tomatoes into a kettle, along with some onions and peppers from my garden, and some garlic and celery (from the store).  I simmered them until the veggies were soft, and then Jenna put the concoction through the food mill...

I thickened it with some water and cornstarch, and we had fresh tomato soup!  Sprinkled with parmesan cheese...I haven't gotten so self sufficient as to make that yet!


I cut some of the red potatoes from our garden into wedges, tossed them in olive oil and coated them with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and baked them...

And added some cherry tomatoes from the garden to a (purchased) lettuce salad...and we had a delicious lunch! 

I could have grown my own lettuce, but we don't eat enough of it to make it worthwhile. 

It can sometimes be more time consuming, but I think it's satisfying to see what all we can grow or buy locally.  I'd like to hear some of your ideas on the subject...

Catching up...

I was looking ahead at my week, listing some of the things that I need to catch up on...

My lima beans must be picked yesterday tomorrow, I have more tomatoes to can, cleaning that needs done (ugh!), more mountains of laundry to do, and the yard really needs to be mowed again.

I wonder if it would be more fun to mow, if I could do it like this?

That's Roger pulling the mower for our neighbor.  I wonder if he would like to mow my yard for me this week?

Missing a Friend...

I'd like you to meet our neighbor Joe...

This picture was taken on Eric's first day of kindergarten, in 2002.  Joe and his wife Bonnie were excited to see him get on the bus for the first time, so they sat at the end of their driveway and waited for the big moment!

Kids are great ice-breakers...and our kids were one of the ways that we got to know Joe and Bonnie.  The were very private people, but over the years we gradually got to know and appreciate them...they were wonderful neighbors! 

They meant everything to each other, and when Bonnie passed away in 2008, Joe was devastated.  He gradually adjusted to the "new normal", and we enjoyed visiting him often.  Over the past two years, as Joe became less mobile, we saw him every day...we took him his newspaper and made his morning hot chocolate.  We enjoyed watching the Eagles and the Phillies with him...even though he was an avid Pittsburgh fan!

Over the last month, Joe's health rapidly declined, and he spent some time in the hospital before returning home under Hospice care.  We, along with some other neighbors and a family friend, tried to honor his wishes by caring for him during his last days.  Jim and I and a nurse were with him when he took his last breath on Tuesday morning.

There's now a "new normal" for us to adjust to...and we will miss him!

Salsa Recipe...

One of my favorite things to do each summer, is to make salsa...

Actually, let me correct that statement..."One of our favorite things to eat is home canned salsa!"


All of the scalding, peeling, chopping and canning is rather time consuming, but oh, so worth it for the delicious jars of mouth watering salsa that we can eat all year long. This year I invested in a food processor... mainly for the purpose of chopping all those tomatoes, and was it ever worthwhile! And...today Jenna helped me to peel them...even better!

Enough said. Here's the recipe. It is NOT original with me, so I can take no credit, but it's hands down the best we've tried so far...

SALSA

Combine the following ingredients and set aside:

14 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
3   cups onion, chopped
1/2 cup chili peppers, chopped
1 - 3 cups green, yellow or red peppers, chopped
8 - 10 cloves garlic, chopped

Combine in a saucepan, and cook until slightly thickened:

1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup vinegar
10 Tbs. corn starch
2 1/2 Tbs. salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. cumin

Mix cooked sauce together with drained veggies.

Fill pint jars, leaving 1/2" head space.  Process in a hot water bath for 35 minutes.  Makes 10 + pints.

After opening, you may add corn and/or black beans to the salsa.  If you want to add them before canning, you would then need to use a pressure canner for processing.  (time and pressure were not provided in the recipe)

One batch down...at least two more to go! 

4-H Roundup...

This weekend is the 4-H Roundup at our local fair grounds...

It's a practice fair for the 4-H members to show their animals...a great way to get experience with showmanship and also to see how your animal is doing overall.  Since this is Jenna's first time showing goats, she was eager to participate!

A lot of preparation goes into showing animals.  Earlier this week the goats were washed, clipped and washed again.  Jenna's 4-H leader came out to do the clipping.  Today they were washed one more time before we headed over to the fair grounds.  Thank goodness they enjoy it!

After weighing in, Jenna put them in their pen and had a few finishing touches to do...she put baby oil on their horns and baby powder on their knees to cover up the grass stains that wouldn't wash off...

And of course if there are treats involved, the goats are happy!  Jenna brought along some maple tree "helicopters" for them to eat...their favorites...

And then it was time for the show...



There are two competitions.  The 4-H'ers are judged on showmanship...how well they handle themselves and their goats, and then the goats are judged individually. 

After walking the goats around the ring in front of the judge, they are "set up", to show off their best qualities....

The novice class was for those who had never showed before, and Jenna placed near the middle of the class.  The judge gave lots of helpful hints to the kids to help them know where they were doing well, and where they needed to improve.

As for the goats themselves, she was a little disappointed at how they placed.  The competition was tough, and April didn't cooperate too well.  But then Dot did better than we expected...it was a fun learning experience!

So...now we have seven weeks to prepare for the real thing at the Lampeter Fair.  It's hard to believe that fall is just around the corner!

A Difficult Season...

You may have noticed that I haven't posted quite as often over the past week or so...or made many comments either...so I thought I'd give a short update on life at our house...

Over the past few years, we've become close friends with one of our elderly neighbors, a widower who has no children or family close by.  He spent some time in the hospital recently, and is now back at his home, under the care of Hospice.  He has named us as his primary caregivers...so we, along with another neighbor couple, and a close friend of his, are responsible for his daily care.  It is an honor that he trusts us with his care, but is exhausting at the same time; both physically and emotionally!

Please pray for our neighbor as he finishes his earthly journey, and for us and the other caregivers, as we try to honor him while continuing with our busy lives the best that we can!

Thank you!!