Workin' the Farmlet

What an absolute treat this weekend was... to be able to spend lots of time outdoors and on our farmlet. I call it a farmlet because it reminds me of Shakespeare and because it is so small (4.93 acres) that it really cannot be properly classified as a farm. My farmlet is very old, so it has some real advantages (windbreak pines all grown up) and some real disadvantages (literally everything needs maintenance that has been neglected way too long).

Yesterday I had worship team practice at church in the morning and then a get-together with a friend at Panera. He is excited about almost everything and speaks almost twice as quickly as I do. He is also a very skilled handyman/general contractor and is willing to help me put a wood-burning stove in the old farmhouse. So I said "thank You, God" and told Jay that if we still have the house in late summer we'll do it. We'll need to. I think I would put the wood stove in the parlor so that it not only radiates the heat to the main floor, but also up the stairs to the bedrooms.

After getting home, I was treated with a warm enough afternoon to work outside. Grandpa came out around 1:30 and worked on the tractor with me for a little while. We were trying to get the headlights going. After a little while, it became clear that we were going to need a new fuse and headlight, so we tabled that project until we can get some parts for the Case/International Harvester dealer.

After Grandpa went home, the boys and I cut down a number of saplings growing in unfortunate places. One of the saplings was surrounded by medium-sized rocks (5-35 pounders), so we decided to move those to a more secured location. Actually, Tara wanted a rock garden around the big rock by the deck, so we hitched up the trailer and hauled a nice load of rocks to the side of the deck. Everyone except Avery helped.

Tara would like me to say that she is making a curtain for Avery's room just like the pioneer women did (probably the pioneer women who lived in this house!). She is taking a sheet she bought at Salvation Army and turning it into real curtains. I do not think the pioneer women bought things at Salvation Army.

Evan likes to walk with me around the perimeter of the farm and talk about all kinds of stuff. This is fun for both of us. Talking to Evan is like talking to a child and an adult all at once. It's great to have your kids as some of your best friends. Disclaimer: That doesn't mean in the slightest that I believe you are supposed to try to be your kids' friends in the sense of not exercising authority. I believe in authority and I exercise it regularly. I believe in obedience-on-demand and I insist on it regularly. And I do it all for the glory of God and the joy of the people involved. The best part is that Evan would agree with me and probably defend the idea even more rabidly than I do.

We planted the first two rows of our garden today. We now have peas growing out there as well as cucumbers. Even though it is a small garden, it will be a great experience for the kids to see produce growing on our very own land. There are some experiences you just have to have for yourself.