Two of my goals for here on the farm are to make do with what I have and to keep my country life simple. During this same season, but a few years back, Don and I went to help family with an outside project. They briefly stared at me with … Continue reading →

We are ready to heat our home and dry our laundry. It’s a good feeling to have a full woodshed. Yes, we have a propane furnace and cutting, splitting, hauling and stacking wood takes time and work, but wood heat feels so good. Once the stove is stoked and loaded … Continue reading →

On October 16th, a hard freeze spread across mid-Missouri. The evening before, we did one last garden harvest of anything ripe enough to store. This included a quantity of watermelon. What a treat this turned out to be. All nine were around 20 pounds of sweet deliciousness. Because of their … Continue reading →

For whatever reason, a few skunks decided to make our yard and garden their home. Most likely they were attracted by all the moles. However, when they took shelter in the crawl space under our house, it was time for them to go. The trap we purchased worked well. We … Continue reading →

Once again, we have skunks looking for free room and board – this time under our house. We first noticed them scavenging the yard for beetles and possible moles. They don’t seem interested in us as we go about our daily activates, but because of the odor, potentially eating the … Continue reading →

The garden tilled up great. All the grass clippings, leaves, composted manure and wood ashes keep the soil going strong. On March 3rd, we tilled the garden, installed a trellis and dropped twenty-four snow pea seeds in the ground. Last year I planted the peas too late, the temps warmed, … Continue reading →

Not the greatest picture, I know. Given the subject, you can understand why I photographed through a closed window. Earlier this summer, these seven stinky omnivores took up residency under a concrete slab that leads to our basement. They eventually found and consumed the cat’s food and started sheltering under … Continue reading →

Don dropped a buck this firearm season. After all the trimming and deboning, we stored 19 quart jars in the pantry and 10 one gallon bags in the freezer. I’m estimating this to be about 120 single servings of deer meat. Even more if you add those single servings to … Continue reading →

Our annual Fall rituals have begun. Firewood is being moved out of the elements and stored in its designated shed, and we continue to prep food to be stored in the pantry. As I type, apples are being dehydrated for future uses. Our home smells delicious. The attached image shows … Continue reading →

This year’s garden is abundantly providing for our family, neighbors and the community garden. I’m not sure if the compost nutrients have kicked in, the seeds we started were exceptional or watering from the pond instead of rural water is the benefit, but this year’s plants have overgrown their spaces … Continue reading →