Homestead Update 2025/03/30 (Part 1)

Whoa! It’s been a rush. With it being Spring, things are growing and changing all over the homestead. This update might be a bit much to read in one setting, but with this being our journal to our children for the future, I’ll leave it all there. If you want a quick snapshot, the title headings give an idea of what is happening in our lives with a few more details for any sections of interest. (I am dividing it into two posts, the first with things that are happening, and the second dealing primarily, though not only, with some of the systems that we are working on developing to help taking care of the homestead not consume all of our time and money.)

Just tonight (2025/03/30) we had our first cows make a break for it and disappear into the night. More on that later.

So what’s new?

Prayers for Alex

In past updates we have mentioned or referred to our friend Alex. For, so much of our homestead we have him to thank. He brought chickens when he knew we weren’t ready (but needed to get a jump). He gave us goats to help us get started. God had him show up at just the right times when I was really hoping I had another strong hand available. He has been teaching our boys their various instruments. He has been challenging and encouraging us in the faith, and so much more. He and his wife have been a tremendous blessing.

While I don’t think of him as older, with his spunk and activity, he is in his 70s. During the winter he fell, and while he can now stand up and walk for a little while, he still can hardly leave his house. His spirits are up as he learns so much more about living by God’s strength.

Any prayers for Alex are appreciated.

At the same time, much wonderful good has come from this. God has been teaching him so much through it. (I already thought of him as about the closest reflection of Jesus that I knew even before the fall.) Also, he saw the value of the homestead lifestyle when he was older and his children were gone. They live in the city. While we live close and were taking care of his animals for a while, his children and grandchildren have started coming out and learning what to do. Also, another man at church has been taking Alex’s teaching spot in the rotation for leading the Wednesday Bible Study. It is great to see this opportunity for growth of the church.

Cows! Welcome to your new home!

Bonnie and Red when when they first arrived.

As mentioned above, we now have a cow and calf pair, Bonnie (who is bred back, aka: pregnant) and her calf, Red. They came to join us on March 1, 2025 and have been a blessing. Both are very calm and came from a very nice family who had more cows than they needed. (God’s system gives ample provision through multiplication!) Bonnie is an A2/A2 Dexter.

Both of those will need another post to explain. Basically, A2/A2 is a genetic quality that is better for human digestion. Most cows on the big dairy lots are A1/A1. And a Dexter is a smaller cow (still quite large in our eyes) that doesn’t give as much milk, but is tough against the elements, good at foraging, disease resistant, births easily, has a rich nutrient dense milk, and was the family homestead cow for many generations. (Most big dairy cows are Jersey cows, which produce more milk than our family could use, and aren’t as resilient.)

The cows also brought our introduction to electric fence, which seems to work great and they don’t get near it… more on tonight’s escape below.

Goats: 2 more does, 1 buck and 3 new kids

God provided a great deal for three more goats (two bred does and our first buck). Just this week one gave birth on Wednesday, and the other gave birth to twins on Thursday. One of our original two females gave birth in January. That brings us to four adult females, four kids, and one buck.

We are working on milking the moms.

A picture can’t capture the joyful energy of the kids running, jumping and climbing everywhere.

Rabbits and Bunnies: One new doe and likely some bunnies coming soon

Our momma rabbit who gave birth to eight bunnies during the winter is likely going to be giving birth again soon. She is pulling hair to get her nest ready for the babies. 

We also bought another breeding age rabbit a few weeks ago. We saw the signs of a successful breeding, so believe she is pregnant (with our buck), but aren’t sure.

Our new doe

Bee traps: In the tree and ready for new tenants

We also set up one of our honey bee traps about 13 feet up in one of our trees, and still need to place one on a friend’s property. While called “traps”, a term often associated with killing wasps, mice, and other unwanted critters, these traps simply offer a swarm of bees a nice place to live. Once they move in, we will move them to an even more spacious hive, where they can build their colony to grow and thrive, hopefully for years to come. (Until they outgrow it, swarm again, and half of them follow a new queen to move into another home… possibly in a new trap or hive that we have waiting.)

Life … and Death (and a chance to learn)

While we have had a lot of new life on the homestead, we have also had some very sad deaths. Last year, all of Mother Hen’s chicks thrived (until the raccoon incident). This year, eight chicks hatched after surviving a -18F winter. We learned about keeping them warm(ish) with setting up a heat lamp, putting wind blocks on the coop, etc. Unfortunately, after being born (with nice weather) all eight chicks died within a few days. There were several different ways they died, including getting stepped on by mother hen, but one by one they all died over a few days. This was sad, and as we were looking forward to refreshing our hens. We’re also looking to learn what else would can do to prevent this in the future. Every failure gives an opportunity to learn (so we have lots of opportunities to learn!). With all that is happening, life goes on and we nearly forgot about this loss until looking back to write this update.

“Mother Hen” as we call her, tends to go broody and sit on eggs to hatch new chicks. Thank you, Mother Hen!

Ducks and Geese (the great battle!)

As well as the death of the chicks, we have also been having an issue with our ducks. I should say, an issue with Canadian Geese. The geese think the pond is all theirs, and geese are known to be territorial. They attack our ducks to keep them off the water, and even fly into their coop at night and attack them. (The electric fence can protect them from coons, foxes, etc.) Unfortunately Canadian Geese are federally protected as migratory birds, so there’s not much we can do right now. We are looking to beef up their night time living area, since they free range during the day and have been going further up the creek instead of in the pond.

Pekin Ducks (Bigger eggs, but unlikely to go broody)
Welsh Harlequin ducks (slightly smaller eggs, but more likely to go broody and hatch eggs)

Wind

There is wind, and then there is wind. A few weeks ago, we experienced the latter. It was so strong that it blew a round hay bale that is up to my shoulders about 10 feet UP a slight incline. It also blew over our two playgrounds that were not tied to a tree and made our shingles look like keys on an automatic player piano, which meant that I was up on the roof gluing them down where the tar strips were letting loose. (Elyse was concerned that I would blow right off the roof, but I knew that it was strong enough that I would gently glide to the ground on a gust of wind. I learned that years ago from Mary Poppins.:-) ) Strangely, instead of becoming a kite, a mobile shelter I built with a tarp over a curved cattle panel just sat there and bent down with the wind. A barn near us seems to have lost its roof (not ours, though ours was flapping). There were tornados around, but not near us (more up in Saint Louis). According to the neighbors, for as long as they can remember the tornadoes come our way then always break to the north or south (or both). They don’t know why but think that there is some land formation that keeps us from getting hit.

Several Ohio friends saw about the tornadoes in the news and wrote to ask how we are doing. It was great to hear from you!

Piano key shingles, rolling hay bales and two playgrounds down. This wind was intense.

Clearing Fence Lines

We’ve previously mentioned that the property was pretty much abandoned for around 20 years. With wanting this to be a place for people to come and have time with Christ through his creation, we are working on cleaning it up. Recently we cleared a long stretch of fence line that was buried in thorns, and ground covered with rocks and sticks. While the thorns were painful, it was a joy working with the boys and throwing it all into a large fire we built nearby. We also found some old half buried barbed wire fence that we’re glad we got out before anyone got hurt. Things are looking much better and are much safer.

With the fence cleared of thorns, we can see the pond. (Also pictured our Hügelkultur garden, Greenhouse, Chicken tractor, etc.)

Hide and Go Seek for the Creek Drain (before our land bridge washes away)

We have a spring fed pond and the creek from that spring runs right across our property. There is a land bridge across that creek with a pipe running from the creek above down about 4 feet to the pond. Unfortunately the intake of the pipe is blocked and covered. We know it is there, but can’t find it. One of my sons and I have been working on finding it to unclog it before the land bridge washes away. We’re getting some clues, from listening on the other end for if we hit the pipe by driving a pole into the ground, but haven’t found the intake just yet.

If you look closely you can see poles jabbed into the water looking for the drain. This should just be a small creek from the spring.

Redbuds & Ants  (Yum, Yum, Yuck!)

The boys enjoyed “helping” our neighbors pick the flowers from their redbud trees. She uses them to make cookies, etc. (… a possible motivation for the excitement to go help pick?!?).  They came back with about two 5 gallon buckets of flowers for us to use for baking pancakes, etc. Unfortunately, we didn’t know it at the time, but they also apparently had ants. The pancakes and other goodies have been delicious… the piles of ants were not so fun… but seem to have dissipated quickly after we moved the redbuds.

Our neighbor’s redbud trees. Beautiful and great for the soil. We’re hoping to grow more on our property.

Fruit Trees… now to wait three years…

This month we added two peach trees, two cherry trees and two plum trees to the mix. At the same time our previous apple and pear trees, and various berries, are really starting to grow. Just today we picked some of the flowers off of our pear trees. (We need to keep them from fruiting for three years so they can focus on root development.) Our fig trees aren’t yet showing signs of life, but it may just not be warm enough yet… or maybe we killed them. We’ll find out soon.

Some of our new fruit trees with our original garden (with temporary fence to guard against the chickens) in the background

Gardens

Our tower gardens are loaded with Kale and Chard and should be ready to start eating soon. One of our in-ground gardens is now loaded with cold hardy crops such as onions, potatoes, etc. and a focus now is planting the other garden.

… This post continues in Part 2 …

Homestead Update: 2025/02/18 – Preparing for the deep freeze

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Having animals, and a house that is not well built for cold, gives some things to think about as it seems that we are heading into -10F tomorrow night. 

Fortunately it’s Missouri, which means that there is a short winter (compared to Ohio) and the weather changes quickly and frequently. “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few days.” is a common saying. We have recently been in the 50s, yesterday was in the 40s, today and tomorrow are in the single digits with -1 and -10 at night, and then we head quickly back into the 50s and even 60s (and then hopefully continuing on to spring and summer).

Here are some of what we have been doing to get ready for the cold:

1. Cut Our Water Lines – While this may seem a bit drastic, after our lines froze last year I had a plan. Now I get to test how it works! :o)  When we moved in we needed to replace all of the water lines through the house and we went with PEX and built a “Water Circuit Breaker” that allows me to shut off every line individually. True to what they say, even when PEX freezes, it expands and doesn’t break, which was a relief last year when most of our lines froze. That being said, break or not you still don’t have water. So, this year before the cold came, I cut the water lines at a low point, put in a T joint going down to a shutoff valve. I can now turn off each line, put a bucket under that valve, and open it to drain the line. I’ve been doing this on cold days with our laundry and kitchen sink (which were the worst for freezing up last year) and it’s been working great. It’s a hassle that I’ll only need to do a few times each year, so works well for me compared to more complex or expensive automatic solutions. I also don’t need to worry about the electricity going out and electric heaters not heating the lines.

  • Update 2025/02/21 – The drain sort of worked. We still had a frozen line where there was a dip in a line, but that was fairly easy to hit with a hair drier instead of having an entire frozen water line.
Our “Water Circuit Breaker”
Drain out valves at low points

2. Prepare for our Heaters to Shut Down when it Gets Cold – Yep, one of the fun twists of mini-splits with a heat pump is that it shuts down when the temperature gets too cold. A heat pump works by pulling heat out of the outside air and pumping it into the house. This works great when the temps are cool, but above freezing and still works reasonably well even down into the teens, and possibly even into single digits, but at -10 there isn’t much heat to pull from the air and I am fully expecting that (like last year), our primary heaters will shut down when it gets cold. Last year we weren’t really ready for that and, with our new baby bundled up, we were really glad that we had two Mr. Buddy Portable Propane Heaters. These are meant for camping, etc., and were lifesavers for us. This year we are more prepared. We fixed the large pellet heater (which we learned the hard way didn’t work last year). This will heat a portion of the house. We also have space heaters spread throughout the house. And we still have those portable propane heaters for really warming up the area where we are working, eating, etc.

A portable heat lifesaver!
(Nearly useless without the fan)
  • As a note: I have no idea how a heat pump works. There are times that it is quite cold and the heat pump still pulls the heat out of the air and into the house. That is amazing to me. I was recently told that on very cold days sometimes people will build a bonfire outside of their house not far from the heat pump. This creates heat that the heat pump can then pull into the house. Maybe I should move our burn barrel and wait until the cold days to burn our burnable trash. Hmm, something to consider.
  • For the Portable Propane Heaters, I am grateful for refillable 1 pound canisters. Instead of the $5-6 for each canister, we are refilling off of a 20 pound tank for about $1. I have three refillable canisters for each heater so that even if we run them all night (which we did last year, but not this year as we are more prepared), I won’t have to go outside to refill them in the middle of the night.

3. Garden Starts from the Greenhouse to the House – While the greenhouse is wonderful during the day, it gets cold at night and we were losing our seedlings even with a heater on. We moved everything to the house and will move them back after the deep freeze.

Garden Starts under Lights
(in a bathroom we needed to gut)

3. Wind Blocks for the Goat Shelters – Our goat shelters are made from hooking shipping pallets together and adding a roof. This makes for a very drafty enclosure to get out of the rain, etc. For the one shelter we basically wrapped it in a tarp. The other shelter is new and was quickly built for our buck who we recently added to the mix. We didn’t have time or the tarp to build walls and Elyse thought of a great idea. We recently picked up 4 free IBC totes that are filthy and needing to be cleaned on the inside (when the weather is warmer), but that are clean on the outside. We moved them into the goat fence and put them all around the outside of the shelter. This created a great wind block.

The boys built it with pallets.
We put a tarp over it for extra winter wind block.
A last minute IBC tote wind block

4. Wind Block for the Chickens – We recently built a mobile field shelter. I have it out to test how it will handle wind and snow… did we actually build a giant, very heavy, kite? Before the deep freeze, I moved it right in front of the open door to the chicken coop. This not only blocks the wind (I hope), but also gives them a place to get out, and for me to spread their feed, without being out in the full wind, cold, and snow.

Our portable field shelter

5. Wind Block for the Rabbits – Like the other animals, the rabbits got a wind block by having their cages covered by a large tarp (an old billboard sign). We pull it down to cover everything at night and up during the day.

Rabbit Cages with the tarp up

6. Extra Feed and Bedding – All the animals are on extra rations these days. We are careful to make sure that the animals have plenty of feed to keep their body temp up. We also put down straw or lower quality hay in the various shelters for them to snuggle down.

7. Heat Lamp for Mother Hen – One of our hens loves to go broody and sit on eggs. This is a wonderful blessing to have chicks, but she isn’t very discerning about timing. The warm winter temperatures in Missouri keep confusing her and she goes broody when very cold days are still ahead. Earlier this winter we tried moving her to the greenhouse for wind block and warmer daytime temperatures, and put a heat lamp over her. This agitated her and she quit sitting on the eggs. This time we just put the heat lamp over her. We’ll see how it goes and if the eggs freeze. One thing we have noticed is that other hens have been coming to sit with her and help keep the eggs warm. I’m not sure if this is to really be helpful, or if they just want to cuddle under the heat lamp, but either way it seems that it would be helpful. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully we’ll have baby chicks after the freeze.

8. Metal, Sloping Water Bowls – For many of our animals, especially the goats, a 3 gallon plastic bucket works great for water. However, with the freezing temperatures, it was very slow and difficult to get the ice block out each time we gave them new water. Switching to metal bowls with sloping walls, though much smaller, made it easier to dump the ice and add new water. We need to add water much more often, sometimes just minutes after adding the first time, but this has been much easier to give them water with the freezing temperatures.

One bang on something solid to get the ice out
  • We do have water heaters that can keep water from freezing, but with the small amounts for the rabbits, etc. it was easier to just make regular rounds to check on water and take care of the animals as needed. If we were dealing with larger 100+ gallon stock tanks, a water heater would definitely be helpful.
  • Geothermal water heater! – In the future, once we have a better grasp on our set up and routines, there is a way to easily keep water from freezing using geothermal heat! It basically comes down to digging a 3-4 foot hole and putting the water container directly over it. The heat from below the frost line will come up and keep the water from freezing. (There’s a bit more to it, but that’s the gist of the idea.)

While I can’t say that waking up and heading out into the cold to take care of the animals is my favorite thing, there is a certain joy in it. It is a blessing to know that I am taking care of these animals, that this is really helping them and keeping them alive. It also gives a meaningful start to the day. Perhaps my favorite part is doing it with one of our sons who has taken over the ducks. For him this means carrying water and food down from the house to make sure that they have what they need. He has been dedicated, even when he was a bit sick. It has been nice being able to connect with him as we take care of the animals together.

There are many other blessings to the cold, reducing insect populations, helping to break down the wood chips on our gardens, helping some plants to grow sweeter, etc. God created cold for a reason, and while my fingers may not always like it, it too is a blessing.

Update 2025/02/21 – We are now past the cold with temperatures rising. All the animals (and people) are doing well. We had a friend lose some animals in the cold and we are grateful that ours did well and didn’t seemed bothered much (though everyone stayed closer to their shelters than they normally would have).

Avocados

 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”– 1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) 

“Have you had avocadoes?”  I asked the 2 year-olds as we pretended to cook in a children’s class. Some looked at me with a blank look and another responded with excitement, “Yes! I had an avocado before!” Conventiently, there were two fake avocados in the play kitchen. I was able to show them the big seed for the avocado and had some fun discussions about this fruit with the littles. They were all very interested. 

When I am with the children in class, I am always grateful to find “vegetables” and “fruits” among the toys, rather than fast foods, cookies or packaged foods. Children’s work is to play. They learn a lot while they play sub-consciously. The commercials know how fast children can learn, and strategically design advertisements and toys to prepare the next generation to be their faithful customers in the future. Being a parent and educator, we are to either create a safer environment for these tender minds, or to teach them how to navigate the realities when life does happen.  

Back to avocados, they are an interesting fruit to me. A fun name to say for a child or a language learner. I never had a single avocado growing up, never heard of it either. It was not until my young adult years, when China started to put some imported fruit on the supermarket shelves, I had my first-hand encounter with this foreign tropical fruit. Even then I had no interest in purchasing one. Unlike other sweeter fruits, avocados can’t even be enjoyed as a treat. They were not only more expensive than local fruits, and they didn’t look too appetizing from outside. Even worse, since there was not much interest, they looked even sadder, sometimes even starting to rot. I was more amused by the name, and looks of this peculiar fruit.

Avocados are often called “crocodile pears”(鳄梨) or “butter fruit”(牛油果）in Chinese. Perhaps, the outside skin looks like crocodile skin when it is ripe. They look green when picked early and you can usually ripen them at room temperature after a few days. Then they change their color from fresh green to darker green, almost dark black, kind of like crocodile skin. You will need to store them in the fridge before or at that point if you are not going to eat them right away. 

Fast forward a few years, when I first came to America as a new Mom almost fifteen years ago, I learned that avocados make super baby food. They are high in healthy fats, fiber and good for brain development. Unlike the scarcity of avocados in China, I saw the abundance here in the U.S.. Being a curious eater, I gave avocados another try and got hooked on this fruit ever since. The other name “butter fruit” gave me clues on how to use it. I waited until they were soft to the touch, cut it open, and served the creamy flesh directly to all my babies as super baby fruit. They also came in handy when we were on the road. 

Now, as the children grow, avocados still remain on our shopping list. I use them wherever the recipe calls for butter. Names can be powerful. The “butter fruit” keeps giving me clues for more creative ways to enjoy these creamy and healthy additions. I put them on sandwiches, smash them with bananas to make AvacadoBanana jellies, add them to salads and soups, and if we want to add a kick, we mix some salsa in to make guacamole dips. 

Avocados, you never quite know what you’re going to get.

Over the years, we’ve had a good number of avocados, along with avocado-opening experiences. It is entertaining when we see different sizes of seeds after they are cut open. Sometimes, a tiny little avocados with a huge seed, so it is disappointing to not get much flesh out of it. Being a frugal mom, I tried to make an object lesson out of it. I have my children guess what the inside might look like for the next avocado since the first one didn’t do its job well. I will remind them the appearance can be deceiving. Sometimes, we get lucky and get a huge avocado with a tiny seed! We all exclaimed the discoveries with great enthusiasm and that avocado got “hurrayed” around the house. One boy even ventured out to attempt to sprout the seeds with toothpicks poked in suspended above a cup of water. Simple joy is truly not too far from us in our daily lives, if we stay open-minded for what life unfolds at times. 

On the other hand, life is not full of roses. I may get the ripening timing wrong, or some avocados got picked way too early and can never get ripened well. They look black, rotten and ugly inside. We tossed quite a few of those bad ones as well. Yet, the big seeds after being washed can make a fun game. The boys used them as huge marbles! 

Now being on a homestead, I recently learned the goats shouldn’t eat avocado peels or any part of the avocados. It is like dogs should not eat grapes or raisins. One thing good and familiar for us can be potentially dangerous to the other. That is why it is important to continue learning, understand different needs and resources around us. Being a good steward takes heart, skills and knowledge.  

That being said, have you had a fresh avocado? Do you have another name for the avocado? What is your experience with an avocado? What is the size of your seed? I hope you are having as much fun opening and discovering the inside value of your avocados! 

When I am overwhelmed with so much to learn, it is nice to revisit something familar and learn something new about my old friend. Actually, a fairly new friend who has become an old friend. Being willing to try a new food is simple but not always easy. Food choices can get very personal. However, being open-minded is part of the growth. You never know how things are going to turn out when you give them a fair amount of tries. Um… Perhaps, I should start to think about how to grow an avocado tree in a greenhouse someday! :-) Any growing tips to share?

Goats: A New Life

Yesterday morning (2025/01/16) a loud scream rang out across our property. At the time, I (Rob) was taking care of a few jobs outside before getting ready to leave for our homeschool co-op. At the time, I was smoothing out wood chips that had been dumped for our Hügelkultur and no-till gardens, when I heard the scream. Thinking I likely knew what it was, I dropped everything and ran toward the sound. I was correct.

Our black goat was giving birth to her first kid! I went into the goat shed (built by our boys out of old shipping pallets) and sat in the corner in case any help was needed. One of the boys went in to let Elyse know and to bring some blankets in case I needed to wipe a baby off. One of the dangers of a winter birth is that while momma goat should be able to give birth unassisted, if she has multiples, which is common, the first baby may be born healthy, but freeze to death if not dried off while additional kids are born.

First fairly clear picture of Darcy and mamma goat

After the goat was born, the next concerns became that mama goat, being a first time mother, wouldn’t lick the baby clean and dry, and waiting to see if momma and baby would figure out nursing.

Goats, and most nursing animals, need to have the thick, first milk (colostrum) or they will die. In God’s grace, He created humans to be able to survive without the colostrum, but doing so comes at a great cost, as God also created this to be the ideal start on life for a new baby to boost their immune system and so much more. Our new “scientific” society that promotes toxic formulas, is denying the ideal way that God created. While other substitutes, such as raw goat milk, are much better than formula, there is no substitute for mother’s milk that even changes from nursing to nursing to meet the baby’s needs. Farmers seem to understand this for their animals, and it is good to see an increasing awareness among many for human babies.

Everything went as smoothly as possible. I can’t say if it was a gift of God for the timing, etc. or if God has given animals an instinct to know when they need to give birth, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect considering we are in mid-January. This whole week is supposed to get into single digit temperatures (Fereignheit). There was a real concern about if the baby would be able to survive. The baby goat was born less than 48 hours ago, but is already jumping around. If she (yes, she’s a new baby girl… which by the way won’t change no matter what anyone may think), would have been born during the freeze, she very well could have died. Instead she was born on a warm day (in the 50s) and had yesterday and today to grow, get moving, etc. before the freeze comes. We are always concerned when temps are going to be solidly below freezing for a week, but the goat has a much better chance of making it. Those two days make a huge difference.

In addition, she gave birth early enough in the morning that we were able to be there for if there was a need, and still to make it to co-op by around noon. (Morning births are normal for goats, which is nice for all involved.)

First Steps

While Elyse and our younger two were there when the rabbits were born (also on a Thursday co-op day), this was my first time to be there for an animal birth. It was also Black Goat’s first birth, which is usually a higher risk. It was great to see momma and baby goat figure things out without any help. Nursing was funny to watch at first. It’s like baby goat knew that milk should be somewhere, but didn’t have a clue where. She was sucking on momma’s knees, face, side, etc. Finally she found one drop of milk and zeroed in on the correct target. Momma also didn’t know what to do. She was balancing on three legs for baby to nurse and kept falling… onto baby. After a short while, they figured it out and momma is able to stand there eating, seemingly oblivious to baby nursing under her.

Figuring it out! :o) Mamma with a balancing act while figuring out nursing

Momma and Darcy (baby goat’s name), are doing well, with Darcy getting more and more active and curious. She is circling trees and looking to climb them. She is dancing around the goat and chicken enclosure. She’s doing great.

Within 24 Hours Darcy was outside running, jumping and climbing anything she could

At first we didn’t know how to sex the goats. After watching some videos we learned that it’s quite easy. We just needed to watch how she pees and boys and girls are quite different.

On a homestead, girl goats (and just about any animal) are more valued than the boys. They can breed. They provide milk (or eggs, etc.), while the boys just eat, have a quick role in reproduction and continue to eat. While boys often become meat, Darcy will likely be with us for a while, so we decided to give her a name.

MOM LAYING, DARCY STANDING IN CRATES 8575 PHOTO

Mamma Goat and Darcy

With all of the work and setbacks on the homestead, it is amazing to also look around and see all of the progress and ways that God has provided. He provided us with the goats, rabbits, and chickens, all of which are now multiplying. He provided for us to have good spots for various food bearing trees and bushes, as well as many that are already growing on the property. There is still so much to do, but even now, in the middle of winter, there is life!

While there is a lot to do to get ready for spring, so we don’t want it to come too quickly, we are also excited to see the world come alive and for the goats (who have only known their new home here in the fall and winter), to experience the whole world becoming a giant salad feast, as well as for the other animals to benefit from the abundant food.

I was blessed to be there for Darcy’s birth, and we are excited about the new lessons that God has prepared for us to see his amazing power and wisdom in creation.

Darcy
Female
Birth time: 2025/01/16 at around 8:45am

Husband

Written on January 4, 2025.

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. – Isaiah 54:5

I like to look up words when I am not sure about its definition. According to Wikipedia, when “husband” is used as a verb, it means “to manage carefully”, derives from an older meaning of husband, which in the 14th century referred to the ownership and care of a household or farm, but today it means the “control or judicious use of resources”, and in agriculture, the cultivation of plants or animals. Webster’s dictionary also includes “to use sparingly or conserve” and gives more details about how to “manage carefully”, i.e. to “manage prudently and economically”. In British English, “husband” is a synonym of “steward”,  manager of another’s property.

As a homesteader, I have found the definition quite interesting and comforting. You don’t have to be married to husband or practice husbandry. “Husband” has much more meaning than what is commonly known as “a married male mate”. As I home educate my three boys, a recurring concern is “what if I screw up my boys?”. Truth to be told: I often battle with following the world or the Word and a lot of times I don’t know what I am doing, be it parenting, homeschooling, homesteading, Christian marriage, and so many aspects in Christian living. My greatest comfort is His grace is sufficient for me; where I am weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

Today is one of those days! The Lord has once again graciously shown me how He is always able when I am weak. It’s a typical Missouri winter day, cold, humid, and raining. Homeschool routines will gradually start up again after the Christmas break. The baby has been up a few times during the night for the past few days. I am feeling short in my school preparation and sleep deprived. 

On the other hand, farm work is slowing down a little bit, which has given me a chance to reflect, to write, to pray through goals and needs for the season. Each busy mom can benefit from a moment to pause, to reorient, and to embrace the gift of life the Lord has given. As I am counting my blessings,  I am especially proud of my boys and of course my husband for taking care of the land, managing it carefully in so many ways. Their prudence and diligence shine even brighter during those darker and colder days. (I should add dark nights too, after the duck chasing at night episode.:-) )

In the morning, the boys will get food and water for the birds and rabbits, collect eggs, move the chicken tractor, and move the goats to fresh grass. At night, they will shut the gate and check on food again. As the temperature drops, getting outside is not as comfortable but is even more important to make sure the water is not frozen. We may have different seasonal jobs as animals or garden needs vary. For example, we recently moved the six bunnies with their mom in a rabbit tractor my husband built. We move the rabbit tractor to give them fresh bedding like we did with the meat chickens. 

Rabbit tractor with mamma rabbit and her six bunnies (Also used for chickens, but we take the bottom slats off.)

Occasionally, the boys may report about any unusual happenings. A goat may get tangled and will need help to get untangled. Last week, another strange thing happened. Our favorite hen decided to go broody as we entered winter. Perhaps, she got confused by the few warm days we had earlier this month. We are fine if she quits and actually tried to discourage her from going broody. So far she is doing well under a heat lamp in our greenhouse. She seems a little confused and misses her old coop though. We will see what happens next. She is one of our original three chicks gifted to us when we first started living in the country, and hatched a flock of chicks last spring. She took a risk to initiate the multiplication and we decided to support her endeavor as much as we can. (Note: The mother hen agreed with us a few days ago that it was too cold to hatch chicks in the winter and stopped sitting on the eggs. Hopefully, she will try again in the spring.) 

Speaking of the original three chicks, one hen was killed last year by an unknown wild animal, another is a rooster (or we called him Roostie). Roostie deserves his own separate story. To keep it short and sweet here, he has become our dinner tonight. It was delicious after two days of marinating and hours of slow cooking. We have too many roosters for our hens and attempted to give a rooster away but without much interest. Roostie served us well and gave us many first fond memories of chicken-keeping. We have his picture on our wall and he has inspired my son to crow for Christ. 

Roostie

Unfortunately, Roostie became more and more naughty and pecked us, our neighbors, and visitors. It hurt, but thankfully, no serious harm was done. However, he killed several of our hens, and one duck, too. We were thinking of the necessity to let Roostie go for a while, but one boy did not agree. We had asked experts, read books and knew once a rooster starts to peck people, he would need to go immediately. Our wishful thinking still had a hope that this rooster might be different and could convert. It is an unavoidable process for a new homesteader to cull an animal. We are taking each step slowly as we are pretty slow learners. Finally, our whole family agreed that Roostie needed to go before the weather would get too cold to process him outside comfortably. 

I am amazed that all the boys took it fairly well when the timing was right. The reality lesson speaks much louder than reasonings! The boy who didn’t want to remove Roostie even initiated collecting the feathers. He made a Chinese kicking toy, Jianzi, out of feathers! I love the simple joy to honor Roostie! We had previously processed meat chickens, but Roostie was our first typical farm animal being with us for over a year. It was a “tough” first-time experience, literally. We didn’t expect Roostie would have a MUCH thicker, almost rubbery skin. The tough decision gave us opportunities to discuss and learn more about husbandry basics: to manage carefully for most production, to protect people, other animals, and to consider faithful stewardship through calculating feed cost, overall benefits for sustainability, etc.

Jianzi, Chinese kicking toy

The boys spent more time inside today. The aroma of the chicken/rooster stock was floating around when everyone found their own passion to pursue. One boy was helping to rip worn-out clothing to strips for garden use or just for fun, while saving buttons and pockets for other projects. Another boy was figuring out how to use the sewing machine and made a gun strap. He was pretty proud of the end product and excited for the money saved. Another boy took out pencil and paper and started to draw garden plans for the spring! The boys were discussing where, when to grow what with great anticipation and excitment. They worked hard with my husband to dig the rocks out and prepared a new garden for this year! I am excited to hear that they are taking ownership of the new garden in their planning. Again, the word “stewardship” (or “husband”) came to my mind for areas to work on. 

Life does not get boring on a homestead, even when we are all inside! Another exciting first-time experience for today was the double-duck egg omelets! The boys saved up a dozen for a weekend special. I had veggies chopped up in advance to speed up the meal prep. The older two boys were the chefs! What a treat! It’s even more of a treat that they served with great enthusiasm. Yum, yum! Those duck eggs are extra special because they spent hours herding the ducks back home from the pond! We had to give up chasing the ducks near midnight and one boy was thrilled to find the duck eggs near the pond the next day. I am happy to report that after all the labor, the ducks are happily contained within an electrical fence in their new home, giving us duck eggs each day even in the cold winter. (My husband and son also wrote their own thoughts about the duck adventure.) 

As I am meditating on our current training focus for home education, a verse came to my mind, “… if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). The Lord has entrusted those precious boys under my influence for their early years. What a privilege and great responsibility! My sons have proven to be very capable in various unprepared circumtances. With a teenager in the house now, I need to learn to let go and allow them to have more room to experiment, to learn, and to steward the land. 

Just like the ducks were excited to find the pond, able to swim without any instructions, children need to get outside, to be exposed to great living books, to apply what they have learned to meaningful work, to make mistakes, and to experiment within boundaries. Ultimately, we don’t home educate just for schooling, but we are called to make disciples with our children. I am grateful that the Lord has blessed us for this season of child-rearing to be so close to plants, animals, all his creation AND like-minded friends. 

How to raise boys in a fallen world with an increasingly blurry gender definition? If a boy does not know he is a boy, how can he know what a husband truly means? Perhaps, when “husband” as a noun is losing its original definitions, we could find some roots from its verb form. For a man to take care of the land is nothing new. Men did that for centuries in different parts of the world. The first man, Adam, was placed in a garden. Noah had a vineyard. Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, David, and Amos were farmers or shepherds. Elijah and Elisha did homesteading. Wealthy men like Job and Solomon lived a full life while working on a number of homesteading projects. Naboth was killed for guarding his own vineyard. Jesus went fishing with the fishermen. No wonder that Proverbs and Psalms have so many references to husbandry or land management.  

Knowing real homesteaders here have made those Bible stories not so ancient. His living word has made its vivid forms of illustration by being closer to the land. If I think about it, the homesteading lifestyle is not just recorded in the old but true stories in the Bible. Only one or two generations ago, most people were working with the land in some way or the other. America’s first president, George Washington, would rather be a farmer and was reluctant to be the president. The urbanized lifestyle has only been common for a brief time in the grand scheme of history. Many parts of the world still practice making a living off the land. What if the ancient wisdom is not so far away from us like we thought? What if we can be closer to the Creator by exploring more basic off-grid living options and homesteading skills? Isn’t “husband” qualified to be a simple but profound goal for raising my boys? So much to learn, or should I say unlearn?

As I sip the herbal tea preserved from our container garden, my heart is more rested and refreshed. I know my earthly husband is embracing his role to husband, AND my heavenly Husband will keep me to the end. May the Lord help me respect my husband in a way that will reflect a Godly union for His glory. I pray my boys will learn to “husband” by working with their father, and know their Maker as their Husband no matter where they are or what they do! 

Which word would you like to use for your new year focus? 

Further reading:

David Platt explains much better here for how to pray with delight to our “Husband” through the Scripture verse from Isaiah 54:5. May your love to the Redeemer be ignited. His love is truly immeasurable.

Herding Ducks on a Pond

Have you ever:

  • herded a flock of ducks
  • into a fenced in area
  • on land
  • from an over 1 acre pond
  • in a canoe
  • at night
  • when you can’t see where they are without a flashlight
  • with your children on shore to help?

Neither have I, but man we sure gave it our best shot for hours on end. They would get sooo close, and then slip around the canoe, or even get on land and then split and head to the pond. Ahhhhh!

However, the next day, when I am gone all day for a car repair, I come home and all of the ducks are in the net, and my boys have the biggest smiles on their faces! What!?!?!?! (One of our sons wrote about this on his new blog.)

This happened a few days ago and it brings a huge smile to my face as well as a dose of humble self introspection.

A little back story… our ducks found our pond, which is great for them and we’re excited, but it’s not great for continuing to have duck eggs, and racoons and other predators having an evening meal is a concern. They need to be in the new pond side home we built for them and to learn (be trained) to come back home at night.

Okay, about my learning.

The night before my boys were all in (and sometimes Elyse with our 1 year old), we were going to get these ducks into their new fence (as opposed to the chicken coop, where they had been, but had started getting harassed by the chickens). It was going to happen, so until 11pm we were out there and managed to catch one duck, which was known to be the largest and slowest. Not even close for the others.

I had taken control and handled it quite well. My sons admitted that my canoe handling to herd the ducks was doing quite well. We even got them up onto land near the fence. My boys were nicely directed to the best spots, all would go well… until it didn’t and we started all over… again… and again… and again.

You learn about yourself in a time of near success and failure. I learned that I can be a “bit” bossy, and then can blame when someone didn’t do what they were supposed to do (or that I pictured them doing).

My boys were real troopers and stuck with it, but it didn’t work and more importantly, it didn’t create a family bonding and sense of being valued that will keep my boys excited about the family team.

The next day, without me, they succeeded where we had failed. They worked together as a team. They were smart and led the ducks not to the net, but as far from the pond as they could, then cornered and caught them one at a time and brought them back to the fenced area.

Everytime I see the ducks I smile, not because they are there (though that is also exciting), but because of the teamwork that I know was required to get them there. I love that my boys were working together and creating a bonding time. I also love that Elyse let them try. There is some concern with having them out near the pond and out with the canoe in January.

I am also convicted. Our ducks were scared from their home in the chicken coop due to being attacked by the roosters. They had no intentions of going back “home”, and they found a better home (aka: the pond).

If my children are the “ducks”, is our home one they will want to come back to? Is this a place where they are safe? Is this a place where they are loved? Is this a place where they have value and purpose? OR will they find that place somewhere else, out in the world?

Does my attitude draw them in or push them away? Is this a place where they can grow, have purpose and value, or will they find that fulfillment in the world?

They will grow up. Our goal is that they would love to be here, that they would follow Christ wherever he may take them, but that their default is to stay and grow our family team rather than fleeing from it. This is not that they would be children forever under my direction, far from it. It is that they can grow to pursue who God has made them to be, that they could surpass me.

I am still reflecting on this together with Elyse, so don’t have answers (though I have some ideas), am I living in a way that reflects Christ to my family and draws them in, or am I living for self, or for accomplishing a task and driving wedges into relationships?

This is something I am praying about, repenting about, and hopefully truly changing, by the power of God.

Venison

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. — Proverbs 12:27 ESV

You know you live in the country, when you have neighbors and friends, who offer you their overflow of abundance, be it fresh garden produce, gallons of raw milk, Morel mushrooms, dozens of fresh eggs, or various kinds of animals and meat. It is not that we don’t have kind offers in the city, but the overall feel is different. It feels more down to earth, practical, spontaneous and more country. In some way, it strangely reminds me of life in China. 

Thus, this transition process of country life has led me to think about learning a second language. I started learning English in the 7th grade (middle school in China). I practiced, practiced and practiced, using books, tapes (yes, it’s hard to believe I am that old:)), radio programs, and a variety of opportunties I could find. All the practice served me well and prepared me one step further into a new culture. It was not until college, when I became an English major, I was able to work on my oral English more. I was blessed to have native speaking teachers, who not only helped me with my language skills but also led me to the Truth! 

If being able to communicate with native speakers was a big jump for my language skill, coming to the States to live, to serve and to home educate my children has made English my second language rather than a foreign language. It’s challenging yet rewarding, just like a lot of hard but good things in life. 

That being said, we are blessed beyond measure that the Lord has made our path clear to move out of the city, despite all the setbacks for the past year and challenges we are still facing ahead. One of the huge blessings by simply being here is to see my boys thriving. Just like learning a new language, the younger a child is exposed to the target language, the easier it is to learn. It warms my heart to see my family working hard together to build our homestead, despite the hardships and uncertainties. Deep or simple joy through the trials is crucial for the young and the old to learn.  

A mother’s attitude can be influential at home. By God’s grace, we are learning to count our blessings in different seasons of country living, as the Lord guides and provides. Right now, we are blessed to have water, heat, a new roof, functioning appliances, one working bathroom, most furniture that can stay at one place for a while without the need to make room for another project, no mold in the wall, working septic, flushing toilet, working water heater, a working six-seat truck… The list keeps going! 

The Lord has provided abundantly in so many ways. Yes, our Heavenly Father has blessed us through visible gifts through our kind friends or opportunities by orchestrating unique circumstances. But most importantly, as the Holy Spirit leads us walking in obedience to His will, we are being changed and sanctified through the trials. The man of the house is being transformed into a jack-of-all-trades. I receive many conveniences I used to take for granted with more gratitude and appreciation. I am grateful that my boys get to grow up with those fixer-upper, make-do, repurpose, thrifty experiences with joy and even excitement, as life unfolds unexpectedly. 

One major addition to our weekly activities this year is to join a local homeschool co-op. We were on the wait-list last year and spots opened up for all of our children after the wait. Instead of joining another co-op, we had a gap year without a co-op. I am so glad we waited. This co-op is much more Christ-focused with a homestead feel as well. A fitting community for where we are now. 

My oldest took a huntsman basics class and came home with venison. (The teacher did ask the parent for permission first.) I cook almost everything from scratch. The boys have been testing my cooking capacities as they harvested different kinds of meat. I will save the details of meat processing for another time. For now, I will just say nothing is wasted and all parts have their purposes. If my boys are going to eat it, I have no problem figuring out how to prepare them as long as they are foods God created for us to eat. 

It’s interesting for me to find out the term “venison” comes from the Latin verb venari, meaning “to hunt or pursue.” It can refer to a variety of hunted wild game, but is most commonly applied to deer meat. In China, deer meat is considered a delicacy, not as fatty, but nutritious red meat. It has a lot to do with all the running a deer does. The lean meat takes time to prepare with a lower temperature so the meat will not go tough. 

My boys smelt the aroma of meat cooking in the kitchen, and kept asking me, “Are we having deer meat TODAY?” 

“Yes, but you have to wait all day.”

Waiting has many unseen benefits, including building expectations, growing our patience, and strengthening our faith. Not bad, eh? The truth is: Waiting, however, is the hardest work at times! Waiting is harder when we don’t see, feel or taste. The reward at the end of waiting makes the time in between seem a little more bearable. Waiting is particularly harder in this modern culture, which exalts the speed and convenience. Children not too long ago could learn about the cause and effect through diligent work by simply observing life. Nowadays, parents need to be extra intentional to include or create rewarding slow processes in life. I am more old-fashioned and believe delayed gratification deepens the memory and happiness.

Cooking from scratch everyday is work but worth it! Believe me, when I saw the big chunk of meat to marinate, and to prepare for the oven cooking, I could actually better understand why the Proverb says “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game”. This venison preparation helped me have more sympathy for the man not willing to roast his game, while before I could scoff “who would do that?”. Life is to be lived fully. When living a more agrarian lifestyle, the ancient wisdom has made its fast track to my mind through real life references. My slothfulness was convicted and my hands got busy. An interruption to my normal meal plan didn’t seem to matter any more when I heard all the exciting chats between the boys about what is for dinner! 

You know another blessing for cooking venison at home? 

If you guessed leftovers, you are correct! Meat has its way to satisfy you and make you full. No wonder feasts tend to involve meat. We don’t eat much meat, so occasional meat addition made a normal day celebratory. Plus, you can collect the bones and make bone broth! Okay, bonus point for being homestead-minded if you are already making broth! :-)  Again, nothing goes to waste for a homesteader. Our hearts and minds are as, if not more, stimulated as our taste buds! 

What’s for dinner today? How do I make the most of my “game” and pursue a little deeper?The prep is not limited to the food. Perhaps, some “food” for thoughts during the dinner? The food nourishes the bodies, the minds and the souls at the table. Eating together serves its purpose to start a conversation and fellowship with your loved ones. 

Know that your labor is not in vain, dear mothers! In due time, you will reap a harvest from your diligent work if you do not give up (Galatians 6:9)! 

Dear mothers, your thoughts and efforts to shop smart, to prepare healthy/hearty meals, and to make memories together are all glorious. Your children will thank you even when they don’t express it now. Those memories serve me well across the ocean and the span of years.  

Dear sisters, do you truly love your Master? Then, feed the lambs under your care, as the Lord instructed his beloved disciple (John 21:15). If you want your lambs to mature, feed them not just milk, but also solid food (1 Corinthians 3:2). May your soul delight in the riches of fare, as you listen to the Master, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2)! Once your soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods in His living Word, the overflowing joy cannot be concealed. You will be singing songs of praise despite your circumstances. Do you have a hymn you would like to share as you gather your loved ones to the table? If you are alone or your children are grown, try to think of someone you can dine with and give praises together! I believe your joy will be more than doubled when it is shared! Okay, you have been diligent to read to the end. It’s time to get the “game” going! Enjoy!!

Frost Flowers

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Psalm 119:18

Our to-do list on our new homestead has yet to get shorter. I was pretty naïve to underestimate the time and difficulties involved to start a new lifestyle in our forties with four young children. In the midst of house-fixing, homeschooling, mobile baby’s explorations, cooking from scratch, and other commitments, it’s easy for me to focus on the task rather than the beauty around me. It takes time and intentionality to slow down, to observe, to ponder and to change. The devil is very good at taking wandering souls as captives if we are not grounded in the truth.

Thankfully, our good Shepherd is very patient with us. He guides us, leads us, and provides everything we need as we navigate Christian living on earth. I am learning to embrace His laws as protections rather than limitations. I am experiencing more of His grace as I fail to follow the laws. He knows, He sees… What a comfort! 

Busy life has its way to teach me to seize the moment, find new rhythms and glorious purposes in daily mundane. The demands of life have been pressing me to establish firmer boundaries and to create necessary routines for this season of life. One of those routines is to be intentional to have some one-on-one time with each child each month on their special days (the day of their birth). I am a firm believer in accumulation effect. Little things add up, good or bad. So far, I am grateful for keeping “the special day” tradition. 

Normally, the boys were out with the animals in the morning. On “special day” this week, I came out with the “special child” to do some outside work together. Nothing fancy or big, just a reminder for me to slow down a little bit from normal routines. I suggested walking a loop around the yard before we headed into the house. I am so glad we did! 

As we started walking, this observant boy stopped and just stared. I looked around and wondered what was the matter. Even though I desired to slow down, I was so quick to get anxious when things were not moving as fast as I would like to. I saw quite a few “white toilet paper balls” around. A frustration started to surface and I was about to burst out in anger. Yard junk has been accumulating as well! I am not happy about this kind of accumulation and tried to keep the yard-cleaning on the backburner. There is enough to do in the house or around the house already. I don’t go further back on our property often, so out of sight, out of mind. 

But at the sight of the “ugly toilet paper balls”, my mind was racing. This was not supposed to be a moment for discipline talk. A gentle small voice inside reminded me to wait on the “junk” talk. 

By God’s grace, I held my tongue and waited for an answer from my boy. Quite to my surprise, he said, “I saw something beautiful!” 

“What did you see?” I was in dismay. 

“Flowers!”

“Flowers?!” It’s getting weirder and weirder. It was already early winter in December. The leaves were all gone. 

“Yes! I read about them in the magazine. They are something special here!”

Thank God for holding my tongue! My ignorance and short-temper were not exposed, and His grace abounds even more.

My boy continued to tell me more about the “frost flowers”. I bent down and picked a few.  They looked like cotton candy and would melt after a while, especially if I would rub them in my hands. It felt miraculous! I almost missed them. Even worse, I was angry with them. How foolish I was!

 I looked up the “flowers” afterwards and appreciated this special encounter with my special one even more. “Even experienced nature explorers have never seen frost flowers. This is because you have to be in the right place at the right time.” (You can read more about frost flowers here.) 

I will add that I am particularly in need of the right person with the right eyes to see the beauty. How many more wonders around me have I missed or mis-judged? Lord, have mercy on me! Open my eyes, so I may see the wonderful things of your law! Most importantly, Lord, open my eyes, so I may see YOU! Isn’t Wonder your name? (Isaiah 9:6)

Homestead Update: 2024/11/25

New Bunnies, Processing Chickens, Pilgrim’s Progress, Mushrooms, and so much more. This has been quite a week!

Baptism

Acts 2:38 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday we had river baptisms with 71F and tonight we need to consider our pipes freezing. God is so good in his provision. One of the new members of the church saw his need to be baptized, and with multiple serious health issues and a major surgery coming up, he knew it was now or in the distant future (if ever). So the date was set… and God provided. Beautiful weather, though still cold water. It was amazing being there, to see this step of faith. There was a concern for whether he would survive being baptized, and I’m sure that thought crossed his mind. This made it all the more amazing to see the faith that God has given him and the excitement to publicly pronounce his faith through baptism. A challenge and encouragement to us all to live with bold obedience!

(Update: 2024/12/01 – He was in church today, doing well and excited to be in the Word!) 

Baby Rabbits

When we moved in, the pastor gifted us an old rabbit hutch he built and three rabbits to breed. We failed, but learned from our mistakes and by asking lots of questions and traded for two new rabbits with a friend at church, who was just raising them for meat anyhow. This past Thursday, we had the excitement of welcoming new bunnies into our homestead. Mother and babies seem to be doing well. We aren’t sure how many there are yet (As they are enveloped in the nest mom made by pulling her own fur, but we have caught glimpses of them.) One of the things we’ve seen with the homestead is how God doesn’t just give, he multiplies. Plants multiply. Animals multiply. It makes it easy to see how in a world with no sin (oh, the thought!) there would be abundant food, beauty, and provision for all. We are looking forward to seeing and holding the bunnies, but for now we’re leaving them alone for mom to take care of them.

(Update: 2024/12/01 – They are starting to look like rabbits and we can actually see them now without hoping for a glance through momma’s fur bed when they move. So very cute!)

Chicken Processing

On the other side of life’s pendulum, on Tuesday we were reminded of the way that life is given so that others may live. This may seem a bit more formal than necessary, but as we process any animal, we like to take the opportunity to remember that Christ gave his life for us. This time we processed our meat chickens in time for Thanksgiving. This is our first time to prepare and process our own chickens and it went very smoothly. We had 13 meat birds (we did 2 a few days before to see if we needed anything before the big day), which was a good number for our first time. We’ll be faster in the future, now that we have a rhythm. Part of homesteading is learning, so we did it old school, plucking by hand, etc. The boys have processed coons and groundhogs (that were invading our chicken coop, and after asking some of our friends about it), and while birds are a bit different, they did great and did most of the work of getting them ready to head to Elyse for final prep to cook or freeze, and preparing the organs, etc. to make sure nothing is wasted. Like the baptism, God provided a great day. We needed to get them done before the temperatures dropped, and God gave us a great break in the cold to have a beautiful day to set up outside.

(Update: 2024/12/01 – It was wonderful having my mom and sisters join us for Thanksgiving and to serve up two of our own chickens, though they were so large that we only needed one.)

Mushrooms

People have been so generous helping us with animals, seeds, plants, advice, and so much more. We are grateful that our mushroom logs have continued to produce and provide us the opportunity to build connections and be on the giving end to those who like mushrooms. It has also been wonderful having large, fresh, healthy mushrooms in our meals, to have mushroom tea dates after the children are in bed, and a blessing for the boys to get to fill grocery bags with the bounty of God’s provision.

(Update: 2024/12/01 – They keep coming as we picked more today. Such a blessing for a family that loves mushrooms!)

Goat Petting

The goats are getting to where they let me pet them briefly without my needing to hold the leash. This has taken time and training, and it is fun to see. I also have a growing confidence that if I give them more freedom they will come to me when I call (especially if I have their “white bucket” with me :o). It makes me think of our gracious God and my  stubborn heart. If I would just joyfully follow my God, even when I don’t know where we are going, he will abundantly take care of everything else for purpose and provision.

(Update: 2024/12/01 – They continue to be more comfortable with me and come to me and are starting to be more comfortable with others as well. The boys and even my mom and sister were able to take them for a walk on their leash recently.)

Pilgrim’s Progress

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving we were blessed to see “Pilgrim: the musical” live on stage. We didn’t know what to expect and were so blessed, though we needed to leave at intermission for bed times. Arise Collective Theatre puts this on as a free (professional quality, donation based) ministry and tours throughout the year. If it comes near you, I highly recommend it. (Though it does have some parts that may be mildly scary for younger children.)

Sunday School for All

Yesterday our church had a special during the main service, so the sanctuary was needed to set up. All of the adults and one of the other youth classes joined our Young Adult Sunday school. It was a big change, and Elyse and I were grateful to see God working in giving everyone a desire to dig into God’s word, participate in the activities and discussions, etc. 

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow evening my mom and sisters arrive for Thanksgiving. We are excited to connect with them as they join us out on the homestead! Last year we had a new baby and our heat wasn’t working, so we didn’t do much for Thanksgiving. With our vision being for this to be a place for people to visit, it is always a joy to have people stay.

WWIII

With WWIII being a hot topic of discussion (it’s hard to even believe I’m writing that), let’s first look at Psalm 2, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, and then look at a few applications that I have been reflecting on.

Psalm 2

  • Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
  • The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 
  • The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
  • I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
  • Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Here are two takeaways that I have been reflecting on recently and in discussions with Elyse.

1. God is in control of all things

  • He knew who were his from before the creation of the world
  • He had all of history planned from before the creation of the world
  • The hearts of the kings are bent to his plans
  • He laughs at the schemes of evil men (Though his “laughing” may not be as I picture.)

2. We can rest and even rejoice in Him and His plans

  • A good Christian saying is “Don’t worry. God is in control.” While this is very true, I fear that it can miss the grandeur of this truth. God is in control. God is not just passively permitting. God is directing and all of the creation and history follows his plan. When man sinned in the garden, this was not out of God’s plan. The cross was not a “Plan B” to redeem God’s plans gone awry.  When Pharaoh had God’s people in slavery, Moses and the Plagues were not a move to get things back on track. God had created Pharoah, and the situation, so that his (God’s) power may be known in the nations, and so that his people would learn to trust and follow him… though that took another long, 40 years, in the wilderness to grasp that lesson.
  • “God is in control”, does not mean that people won’t suffer and die. It means that God is in control in the pain.
  • “God is in control” and the “problem” of pain doesn’t mean that God is not good. From outside, we see the pain. For many who have been in the pain, it is often in the deep pains of life that God is most real, most comforting to those who trust him. It is the pain that is used to give us growth and even joy. A joy in Him, not on the passing pleasures of the world.
  • We can not only “rest”, we can “rejoice” in God being in control. In the pains of life, in sudden accidents and death, in loss of job and income, in bombs falling and evil “winning”, we can rest and rejoice. We can rest knowing that God’s plans are good, always, and for the best for his people and for his glory. Not only can we rest, we can rejoice. As we look beyond the pain we can ask, “What is God doing?” What is God doing in that sudden death? What is God doing in the struggle and pain? We can rejoice, knowing that God is working it out for his perfect purposes. We can anxiously look forward to seeing the beauty that he will reveal.

Homestead Update 2024/11/05

Everyday is just like today… very full and completely unique from every other day! :o) We’ve been amazed at how full every day is, not just busy (though they are), but full. Our prayer continues to be that in the fullness (and busyness) of it all, that we would continue to be focused on Christ, pursuing him and his ways, and living in obedience, not habit or routine (as important as good habits and routines are).

Here are a few highlights of the day TODAY (2024/11/05)… though likely posted a bit later!

  • Goat Walking – Oh, the goats. I love them and… well, I guess I just love them. I certainly have spent a lot of time with them. At least I can say that I spend a lot of time with my kids. ;o) A friend of ours gifted us two goats. (They wanted to gift three, but we decided two is good for now… especially since the reason the third wasn’t ready is that he was having a hard time catching it and we aren’t sure we want that one. :o)

    The two goats that we have are about a year old and have almost never been handled. We on the other hand want them to be ready to be with children, be walked around the property to eat brush, etc. It has been a fun challenge earning their trust. I am the primary trainer until they are more accustomed to people. Our relationship started with netting them and wrestling them into a cage to bring to our house and today was the first time they ate out of my hand (with jumpiness), let me rub their heads and were on a leash with me.

    This process has helped me to appreciate God’s love for us. I know they want the food outside the confines of their fence, but I can’t just let them go freely or there will be chaos and destruction. I think I want them to have that feast even more than they want it, but they need to learn to trust me first, to come along with me, so that I can lead them into feasts of food that they can’t even see or imagine from their limited vision in the fence. How many blessings does God have for us that we are simply not ready to receive? This can only come through knowing, trusting and walking with him.
  • Animal Care – With the focus on goats, as we are training them. I want to also express appreciation for all that our boys do each day to take care of the chickens, ducks, and rabbits: moving chicken tractors, filling water and food, making sure that the free range birds get where they need to be, foraging food for the rabbits, etc.
  • Mushroom Rains – We just had a lot of rain. And that means MUSHROOMS! We had tried growing mushrooms before we moved, but didn’t have the set up for it. Here, our mushroom logs are blooming nicely and we have a nice flow of Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms when it rains. Josiah loves checking and cutting the mushrooms and it was fun watching him walk up from the woods with Elyse with a big bag of mushrooms and a smile on his face. Mushrooms are wonderful things. They are not plants, they are Fungi and they are one of the renewers of the earth. They can take things that are old, broken and rotting and turn them into soil and edibles. Not only is God’s creation absolutely amazing! It points us to him. Only God can take a broken, rotting life and give it purpose and impact.
Mushrooms!
  • Flour…cise – You’ve heard of exercise (at least as a distant concept :o). We have “flourcise”. This is where you set up the manual grain mill and go at it. We often take turns with Elijah and Isaiah taking 50 rotations and Rob taking 200 to rest between turns. This time, Isaiah went all at it and kept going, and going, and going and did most of the grinding for us. I was amazed. (As a note: We often buy our flour from Azure, but didn’t get that order in and Costco and Walmart didn’t have quality flour, so we dug into the organic wheat berry stash and started spinning.
Isaiah Flour-cising
  • Boat Retrieval – Our boat (which we discovered buried in vines on our property), which the boys like to take fishing on the pond was resting comfortably several feet from the water… until it rained, and poured, and just kept coming. So today, Isaiah (our early riser) discovered that we were going to get to wade out several feet to the boat and work on bailing it out and bringing it in. I guess the boys will be back up and fishing.
Gone Fishin’
  • RV Twister – Finding a water leak in an RV is a fun mix of Twister (the game where you bend into strange contortions to reach areas that didn’t seem possible) and whack a mole (where you nail the problem… just to have another one pop up). I am happy to announce that our RV is back up and ready for visitors (in time for my mom and sisters to come for Thanksgiving). Note: If you’re passing through, or want to come visit, we’ll leave a light on for you. (This works best in warm, or not too cold, weather.)
  • Election Excitement – Oh yeah, and there is an election today. I almost forgot (as the results map sits on my other screen). I have been amazed how different elections are here from Ohio. One could almost forget that there is an election. Perhaps it’s because we live in the country, and don’t watch TV, but I had an endless supply of fire starter in the swing state of Ohio and I think we may have had one or two election mailers here (but never fear, we don’t order trash pickup, so have plenty of other things to burn). One thing that I have learned with this election is to be excited no matter who wins. Like really, actually excited. Not that I didn’t vote and have strong views on many of the choices that were to be made, but to truly rejoice in the only true cause of peace and joy, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. If Trump wins, What is GOD doing? If Harris wins, What is GOD doing? If Missouri, one of the most anti-abortion states, enshrines abortion in the constitution (which it looks like it will), What is God doing? While I may mourn for some of the results and what they mean (and be grateful for others), and the reflection they have on the heart of man and the revealing of our deserving of judgment and wrath and need of mercy and grace, I can always rejoice in what GOD is doing. None of it is the end of the world as we know it… unless, of course it is, but that is entirely in God’s hands. None of it takes us out of God’s hands, though some choices may result in strong testing of our faith (which, by the way, isn’t a bad thing). Our BSF study this week included Daniel 2: 20-21, “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.” Read that a few times and apply it to the election. GOD “deposes kings and raises up others”. Just as God raised up David, Josiah and Hezekiah, he can raise up kings for blessing. And just as God raised up Pharaoh, “for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Romans 9:17), God can raise up kings to show his power (in judgement) that His name might be proclaimed in all the Earth. So, while we pray for godly ways to prevail, we can rejoice no matter the outcome (even through possibly mourning) as we can excitedly ask, “What is GOD doing?”.