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Sep 16

SweetWater’s Going Green


Welcome back to SweetWater! We have been busy working away the past few weeks and have a lot to share.  Not only are we cutting hay, but we built an impressive greenhouse that will hopefully keep us growing well into the winter months.  All in all, the greenhouse is 65 feet long and 16 feet wide. So we have plenty of room to really expand our produce.  I am happy to say that we found a place that sells heirloom seeds which means that most of our plants will produce viable seeds.  Nate and I would personally prefer to avoid GMO foods like the infamous “Big M.”  Most of their products are designed to only grow for one planting and the seeds are useless.  We might have a few naughty plants in there, but overall we should have a good amount of heirloom varieties growing.

When we started this project, I was thinking we would grab a few PVC pipes, some plastic, and create a basic structure to keep those critters & bugs out of the garden.  Happily, Nate felt it was worth the time away from working on the tractor to build a more permanent structure.  Now we have a greenhouse that should weather the elements and put up a good fight against the invading goats, chickens, & dogs.

Even though we had to invest about $1000 toward the materials and a week of our time to build the greenhouse, we saved ourselves thousands of dollars by doing it ourselves. Our final product would most likely cost about $6000.00 to buy and have constructed for us.  So in the end the money and the time were totally worth it.  Plus if we get a few good crops that we can cook, freeze, can, and supplement animal feed then we will have earned our money back in no time.

Nate constantly amazes me with his ideas. Even though I often scratch my head in the beginning stages of projects trying to understand his plans, he always seems to make these amazing cost effective structures that really work. Let’s just look at the greenhouse to see what I am talking about.

 

 

 

 

The Construction Phase:

We already had the raised beds and Topsy Turvy Planters constructed using free pallets & A-frames we found on Craigslist.  We brought up fresh soil and sand from around the creek.  This allowed us to save money on support posts, rebar, PVC pipes, ventilation fans and greenhouse grade plastic.  Once we were done putting down the soil, Nate cut the rebar and drilled it through treated 4x4s using an electric drill contraption he made. The drill pounded the rebar into the ground; which saved Nate’s arms from having to manually pound the rebar into the ground.  Besides making it easier, it also made the job go by super fast.  Meanwhile, I got to play on the chop saw, cut the PVC pipes, and glue them together in order to span the width of the greenhouse. Nate continued to frame the door, fan windows, and back wall.  I stuck the pipes on the rebar creating an arc over the greenhouse. Then I screwed the pipes to the top of the 4×4 roof beams running lengthwise.  Nate added some more soil along the inside wall so I could grow more plants on the ground and then we were on to the final stages of the greenhouse.

 

 

The Finishing Touches & Final Product:

To finish the greenhouse we had to drape the 6 mil UV protected greenhouse plastic over the arced pipes.  Of course this is when our perfectly clear skies decided we needed a few gusts of wind.  So we had to secure the sides down quickly.  We sandwiched the plastic between the 4×4 ground supports and treated 2x4s.  Nate closed off the two ends with boards which also secured the plastic on the front and back.  He designed a swinging door using our scrap pieces, installed front and back fans, and added temperature controlled vents on each end.  Finally, we realized that due to the size of the greenhouse we needed to install an attic exhaust vent in the middle of the structure.  This part was tricky, but fun.  I lifted Nate in the bucket of the Case tractor and very carefully moved him over the roof of the greenhouse.  Definitely a good way to learn how to operate the bucket controls.  One mistake and I would have destroyed some pricey greenhouse plastic.  Fortunately, the exhaust vent mission was a success.

 

 

Nate and I both added some final touches to complete the greenhouse.  He ran electrical lines through so we could run the fans and added a thermostat that automatically turns the fans on and off depending on the temperature.  Meanwhile, I got to have some fun playing with paint.  Besides painting the front and back of the greenhouse, I painted a door sign on some scrap wood and made these fun little stone vegetable markers.

Nate and I are pretty proud of the final product.  Oh and Nate is going to install a drip system from a rain water collection tank we are going to set up.  That will help save us some trips to fill up our house water tank and give me more time to weed, prune, and babysit the attention seeking critters. Silly goaties! As of now, I just finished planting seeds yesterday. I already have some seeds sprouting. I am excited because I have a bunch of vegetables and herbs I have never used before.  This means we will get to try out new recipes down the road.  Of course now we have farm fresh eggs from our chickens and therefore lots of new options for our omelets!

Before I sign off, I have to share with you our Topsy Turvy Mania.  Our neighbor mentioned she liked using Topsy Turvies for growing her tomatoes.  Nate and I happened to find some Topsy Turvies for about $1 at Big Lots so we scooped up a bunch and gave them a try.  We have been pretty impressed so far.  Although they are marketed for mainly tomatoes, we took the majority of our last crop out of the beds and transferred them over to the Topsy Turvies.  A lot of the crops are doing better than they did in the bed!!  So as of now we are Topsy Turvy converts.  We will keep you posted on how they hold out through the next crop.

Life is always busy here on SweetWater and we are happy that you are sharing our adventures with us.  We hope to keep the farm thriving and growing as grandpa & grandma Palmer had envisioned years ago.  I know some of our friends and family have wanted to help us in our goal to develop a sustainable working farm.  I just added a donate button to the blog and website.  Of course we would welcome the donations and would use them towards maintaining and creating a sustainable farm. We also welcome suggestions and ideas.  I am always up for gardening tips and do it yourself projects.  So if your donations come in ideas, tips, and suggestions, we would love that too!

Wondering about some of our upcoming sustainable living projects? Here are just a few projects on our horizon: incorporate alternative energy sources (solar, wind, & water) to the farm, and develop innovative ways to use the hay bales (hay bale gardening & hay insulated barns/buildings).

Well, first we have to get this hay cutting thing under our belts then we will be off on the next project. Next time I will fill you in on the hay cutting process.  I can’t wait!!!

Thanks for visiting us on the farm!

Nathan, Lily & Our Critter Crew
www.oursweetwaterfarm.com

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Aug 30

Free Range Days Are Here On SweetWater!

Welp, I may have fallen behind on the blog, but we have made a lot of great steps forward on the farm. So Today I thought I would take a moment to try to catch you up a bit about life on SweetWater.
A month or so ago we were wishing for rain & now we are grateful for clear skies.  In fact just a few weeks ago, we could have just stepped out the door and gone for a little swim in the lower hay field (although it would have been a pretty mucky swim).  The constant heavy rain had caused the creek to burst over its banks and flood the fields.  According to our neighbor, who came to check and make sure we didn’t float away, it was the highest he had seen it in 60 years.  Nate and I woke up early and at my nervous critter momma request, we went to check on the goats to make sure that the creek hadn’t flooded their pen.  As we were walking over, the rain slowed down and sadly we watched at least 4 beautiful trees uproot and get carried downstream.  As their roots lifted from the earth, the sound they made was almost like they were crying in pain. We now have a few new gaps along the creek.  Nate and I hope to remedy that in the near future by planting some vines, bushes, and trees. If all goes well we will help firm up the river bank, protect the trees, and maintain the integrity of the creek.
We have been busy the past few weeks fixing and planning for the coming weeks.  As you have probably inferred from the title of this blog, our little crew has earned some more freedom.  As much as I wanted to keep them protected from the big bad world of hawks, owls, wild dogs, and bad beasties…it was time to let them leave the coop (pun intended). So our oldest group, the chickens, were the first to earn a little extra freedom during the day.  It took about an hour or so before they were out of the coop and exploring their new fine dining choices.  Obviously they loved it!  I was a bit concerned about the dogs, but Nate had done a good job of teaching the dogs the chickens are off limits.  Plus Agatha, our dominant rooster, has developed a bit of an attitude since the baby birds moved next door to the chicken coop.  So I don’t think the dogs want to get pecked on the head.  Trust me the dogs have more to worry about now since the goats are all free ranging too and Captain finds it appropriate to give them a head butt from time to time.
Of course there are many benefits to free ranging the animals besides all the amusing antics of the critters.  The animals are happier and healthier with the freedom.  It helps cut down on feed and maintenance of the coop/pen.  It helps with fertilizing the land (and cars/ doorway/ garage).  One of the biggest benefit so far is the decrease of grasshoppers and ticks around the house.  That being said it also has some draw backs too.  I am constantly having to “baby sit” and make sure everyone is getting along.  The big chickens like to pick on the baby birds.  The goats like to sneak in the garage and get into the grain.  Everybody likes to get in the garden. Looks like our green house project just got bumped up on the list.  More on that in my next post.

One of my friends posted an article about her 2 1/2 year old daughter going through stages of disequilibrium and equilibrium.  I think those stages apply to free ranging on the farm too (plus lots of other real life scenarios as well).  The first day everything seemed copacetic, but by day two we were definitely in the early stages of disequilibrium.  Chickens were pecking Guinea hens on the heads, goats were climbing on tractor parts, dogs were barking at goats and everyone was in the garden (I repeated this because it seems to be a reoccurring trend).  I am pretty sure Nate and I both had a moment envisioning goat and chicken dinners to help ease the chaos.  Thank goodness we could put all the critters away with a little bribery of feed.Over the last few weeks, we have lost a Guinea and a pheasant to an owl, our dominant rooster, Agatha, has pecked me pretty hard in legs twice because he was in a panic about being fed first, I’ve had a turkey jump in my arms, a chicken jump on my back, and you guessed it goats in the garden.  I have to tell you, that is just part of the process.  This past week Nate and I are starting to feel the equilibrium set in again.  The goats are venturing into the fields more, the chickens are leaving the baby birds alone, the baby birds have learned to roost in the trees by the house (away from the owls), and the dogs enjoy herding (chasing) the various critter friends.  The garden still gets an unwelcome visitor every so often, but Nate and I found a way to make it more difficult for the critters to eat too much while we get the green house finished. (Again, more on that in my next post).Now we can just sit back and laugh at their antics again.  I must say it is pretty amusing to see the goats playing king of the hill on the trailer, a chicken walk by the front door, or a billy goat sneak in the house every so often.  I expect we will encounter some more growing pains, but that just part of farming. Sometimes you just have to figure it out as you go.

Speaking of keeping equilibrium, I will have to cut this post short because I have to feed and put the critters to bed soon.  Trust me a regular schedule makes all the difference in the world.  They may not have clocks and watches, but those critters definitely have a concept of time.  If I am late on my feeding schedule, they will let me know.

Before I end this post, I wanted to mention how excited Nate and I have been to have some visitors lately.  I have to give a big thanks to my brother for all his help when he came out to visit.  While Nate’s shoulder was out of commission, Todd helped put up the fence and set up the second coop for the baby birds.  The baby birds were happy to be able to spread their wings and move about more.  Plus it gave our nosey big chickens a reason to hem and haw about their new neighbors.  It was a great visit and we look forward to him visiting again.

 

Also a big thanks goes out to Uncle David for delivering Grandma Sue’s love seat.  It came just in time for my brother’s visit; which meant we were able to offer him a comfortable place to sit and rest after a hard days work.  The couch is the perfect size for the bunk house and we are grateful to Grandma Sue and family for thinking of us.  We wished Uncle David could of have stayed longer, but we were glad he could share in some of the progress we have made since his last visit.

Nate and I are excited because we have had a lot of friends and family express interest in coming and visiting us on SweetWater.  We hope that they will be able to find some free time in their schedules and drop on by the farm.  We love that others have been able to sense how much fun we have been having here on the farm and want to share that with us. The gate is always open for family and friends.  If you are in the area or want to take a trip to visit us as the farm grows, please feel free to drop us a line.  We could always use an extra hand, if you are willing, or just come on over and enjoy the scenery for a few days.

I hear a rooster crowing outside, a turkey chirping, and a goat crying…so I better get going.  Check back soon because I still have so much to share.  Nate is days away from our first hay cutting, the tractor is almost better than new, I have been playing mad scientist (natural scientist) in the kitchen, we are in the process of building our first green house, & Nate and I have gone Topsy Turvy crazy!!!

Thanks for visiting us on the farm! Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Nathan, Lily & Our Critter Crew
www.oursweetwaterfarm.com

 

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Jul 25

Mishaps & Raindrops On Roses

Greetings from Captain Von Trapp!
Well part of the promise of this blog was to share not only our adventures on the farm, but our misadventures and mishaps too.  I guess as we get older we realize that often those “that’s not how we planned it” moments just happen sometimes.  Even if they are down right unpleasant at times, we often learn the most from our mishaps.  Most of the times those “not so good” events lead to better than expected results. Yet as Dr. Seuss so eloquently told us…”sometimes they don’t.”  Sometimes these road bumps serve a purpose to remind us to slow down and appreciate what we have, the ones we love, and what we have accomplished.  Life can get busy, we can’t plan everything, nor should we try. This week life told Nathan and I to slow down a bit.  Perhaps not in the best way, but it gave me a moment to pause and to appreciate all the good that has happened to Nathan and I this year.  We certainly appreciate all the support & love from you all as well.
Although Tuesday started out as an “it’s not my day” kind of day for me,  Nathan ended up getting top billing for the day.  So we will start with his mishap.  Who knew getting the mail could be so dangerous?  Well when you involve slippery roads, naughty neighborhood dogs, and a four-wheeler the odds slip from your favor.  It is safe to say the odds were not in Nathan’s favor this past Tuesday.
It was Tuesday evening and we were wrapping up a busy day here on SweetWater.  Nathan had the Dexta up and running the day before and had spent Tuesday readjusting the timing on the tractor so that it would run smoothly.  He wanted to do one more check at our mailbox because he was expecting the new steering wheel to arrive that day.  If you have been to SweetWater you understand why we take the four-wheeler to the mailbox. For those of you who have not visited yet, the house is set back quite a distance from the road.  It is a nice little walk to the mailbox, but if you have a package with tractor parts the distance walking back to the house feels like it has tripled.  I made the mistake once of walking to the mailbox and ended up lugging back what initially started out as a thirty pound package and I am absolutely convinced somehow got 5 times heavier by the time I finally reached the bottom of the hill by the house.  Anyway, Nathan jumped on the four-wheeler to do a quick check before we went to check on the goats.  After 5 or 10 minutes he rode back down with a serious expression on his face.
I came to find out that while he was checking the mail he noticed some dogs on the property.  Unfortunately, we have a lot of wild dogs in the area.   As much as I love critters, we have to be careful because the wild dogs have been known to come on to people’s property and wipe out an entire coop of chickens or herd of goats.  So we have to encourage them to stay away.  Nate was going to run them off when his back tire slipped on wet loose gravel.  Long story shorter…the four-wheeler flipped, Nate fell off and his shoulder took the brunt of his fall.  Thank goodness the four-wheeler did not land on him.  We decided better be safe than sorry, so we spent the evening in the ER. After some X-Rays, we discovered Nathan separated his shoulder from his clavicle.  We were glad to know for sure, but it will be an expensive trip to find out that we were already doing all that we could do to help it heal…ice, sling, pain medication, and rest.  I am happy to report after two days a lot of the swelling has gone down and he is able to move it a little better.  I will give him credit, although I know he would rather be out working on this and that, he is taking it easy and really resting his arm.  Life told us to slow down…we listened.  I am grateful that Nathan is doing better and the accident was not worse than it was.
Well after Nathan’s incident my “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” doesn’t seem so bad after all… even if it did involve chicken poo. Regardless, I promised mishaps and life on the farm provides many opportunities for mishaps.  Nathan and I have definitely encountered a few along the way so far.

If you know anything about goats, they are like preschoolers – cute as buttons, but naughty as can be.  Of course our house is now littered with books about homesteading, raising goats, raising chickens, and farm equipment.  I have read many tales of how goats will make you laugh, drive you bonkers, and make you love them again in one fell swoop.  Well our darling little herd reminded me this past Tuesday of one of the cardinal rules of goat keeping. CLOSE the gate completely even if you are just stepping out of the pen for a second.  What started out as a quick refilling of the water buckets ended up as a thirty minute game of follow the leader.  At this point in the day, my spirits were still high.  So I was amused by our three boy goats and their antics.  I was also happy to see that our new billy, Captain Von Trapp, was so gentle and happily followed me around as I finished up my chores and then right back into the pen.  The little boys were a bit more challenging and the girls trying to see if I had more treats did not make it much easier.  After some failed attempts of me picking up goats and putting them back where they belonged…I FINALLY got everyone back in place.  Well until Friedrich decided to show off his new skill of jumping over the wooden gate. He is our official trickster of the bunch.  Joke was on me…just as I was ready for another goat chase…he jumped back in his pen.  Good one Friedrich!

I should have called it a day after my morning with our silly little cherubs, but I decided to not leave well enough alone. You see after finally getting some much needed rain, I decided I needed to give the baby game birds a better rain shelter.  The day before I had found some scrap wood and built a basic box that would last until we moved them in with the chickens.  I placed it in the coop and the birds seemed to like it.  I should have left it at that.  I didn’t.

After talking to Nathan, I was worried about them still getting wet.  I decided to try and rotate the box. MISTAKE. See.. since I knew it was temporary, I used particle board or as Nathan and I call it “fall-aparticle board.”  Think about any piece of furniture you have bought from Target or Wal-Mart.  It is not fancy, but it does what you want it to until you try to move it.  Same concept here.  I picked it up and tried to turn my bird box…completely fell apart.  Let’s just say that if the baby pheasants hadn’t heard enough colorful language from Nathan building the tractor, I added to their lexicon.

Yup..chicken poo

Obviously, I should have stopped there, but another rainstorm was brewing and I could not leave the baby birds without some sort of shelter.  I had to get creative and I had no desire to even look at particle board at the present moment.  I grabbed the plastic storage bin top I was using as a floor for the birds and set it up as a make-shift shelter.  It was humid. My hair had slipped in my face and I was getting sweat in my eyes. Lovely, I know…but it got worse.  I wiped the hair out of my eyes and managed to rub chicken poo across my forehead into my hair.  UGH!!!  Okay… I got the message.  I was done for the day.  Well after my mini meltdown, a quick shower, and Nathan patiently listening to me spouting off and then making me laugh.  I finally got the message…
The next day, I found an easier way to give them a shelter using two of the lids, some shavings, and an old bath mat.  As you can tell by the picture, the baby birds love it.  Like I said, often our mishaps lead us to better solutions.  This was a lot less work for me, will be easy to clean (bird poo remember), and provides a great shelter for the birds until we move them to the coop.

Turns out it wasn’t just Nathan and me who had a bad Tuesday. Poor Truman, our black lab, learned a painful lesson too!  He made the mistake of chasing one of the baby goats and of course got a lecture from us about acceptable behavior.  Well our billy took it upon himself to reinforce that lesson.  As I was trying to get all the goats back in their pen on Tuesday, Captain Von Trapp decided to have a quick but effective conversation with Truman.  I turned around to see poor “Who me? Trumie” receive a billy goat head butt to the side.

OUCH!  Truman can be a little slow to learn most of the time, but I am fairly sure he got the message.  Seems like all the dogs quickly gained a healthy respect for the goats as soon as the billy arrived.  With horns like these, it is a pretty simple message to learn.  They still love to come out and “help” with the goats, but they do it from a safe distance now.

So mishaps happen here on SweetWater. We definitely have bad days here on the farm, but while we are licking our wounds or healing our egos (in Truman’s case) good things are happening just outside the door.  While we were recovering from this week we noticed a lot, discovered some great connections, and had time to just catch up with each other and our family & friends.

We realized the goats led us to a few great things.  We were very lucky to find their previous owner on Craigslist. Besides selling us some great goats and being super helpful, she makes goat milk soaps & scrubs, and sells goat meat.  I bought some of the soaps and they are fantastic.  I highly recommend trying them out.  Nate and I would love to sell some baskets with “SweetWater Treats” one day and these would be a great addition.  Plus maybe eventually perhaps one day, but don’t quote me on this…we might want to have our own goat meat.  So we plan on buying some from her and seeing if we like it…but like I said…MAYBE we might try.

Oh and now that we have goats we finally have the start of a pond!  While Nate was clearing up some of the fallen logs for the goat pen, he managed to get the dirt in the right place to hold some water by the garden/goat area.  It still needs some work to ensure that it will not just drain away, but it has held water for the past few days.  Hopefully, we can get it finished up soon, plant some trees around it, and let the grass grow back.  It will be a nice little hidden addition to the property.

I know this post covers how life can throw you curve balls and things don’t always work out as planned.  This is all very true, but I cannot end this post without talking about another powerful force that has a way of rearranging your plans.  I eluded to it earlier during my goating misadventure…and feel I need to take a moment to acknowledge it here.  You see, if you have ever owned an animal, you will at some point realize who is actually in charge.  Yup, they are.  This week alone we were reminded twice of who runs the show on SweetWater.

Surprise I’m a boy – call me Aggie.

Example #1 The Goats:  Nathan and I made two nice pens. One for the girls & One for the boys.  We wanted the boys to stay with the Billy so he does not get lonely.  Friedrich, our jumper, decided otherwise and jumped out of his pen and in with the girls.  (Don’t worry. He is a wether (fixed)).  He was with the girls when we got him and is buddies with our little tom boy, Briggita.  As Nathan put it, “You might as well just leave him there, he is just going to do it again anyway.”  So much for our plans on that matter. Oh and the goats decided when we should introduce them to the dogs too.  We had a plan of bringing one dog in at a time in an organized fashion.  The goats decided it was more fun if they came out of the pen and met the dogs all at once.  Thanks guys!

Example #2 The Chickens:  Nathan and I have been talking about when we should start free ranging the chickens. I was thinking in a few more weeks.  I was planning on letting them out when we were outside working and putting them in when we were not around. Agatha, our dominant rooster, apparently feels differently and has been letting himself in and out for the past few days now.  Welp, I guess that decision is made for us.

Whether plans change, decisions are made for us, or we have a set back, Nathan and I know that is just part of life here on the farm.  Plus there is plenty to look forward to over the next few weeks.  We are excited for some family visiting (maybe even a few friends too)!  The tractor is almost ready to go and we can test out the hay equipment (maybe even attempt our first hay cutting).  Oh and we are counting down the days until we get our first farm fresh eggs.  Of course, I expect the critters will keep us on our toes and make us laugh a lot.  As you can see, even with a few bumps and bruises, life is still sweet on SweetWater.

Truman is ready to try and play with those goats again…just a little further away this time.
Thanks for stopping by the farm!  See you again soon.
Nathan, Lily & Our Critter Crew
www.oursweetwaterfarm.com
Interested in the Goat Milk Soap & Scrubs, check out http://www.greenerpasturesproducts.com/

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Jul 15

Rain Dances, Machines, & More Machines

After many many rain dances, we finally have rain.  You can almost hear the critters, plants, & grass sigh with relief.  We needed it and although it didn’t last long, we’ll take what we can get.

Not only does the rain bring nourishment to the plants, cool the air down a bit, but it also gives me some time to sit down and update the blog.

I learned my first rule of blogging, never   promise updates in a week or so.  Farm life can easily consume your time and by the time you settle in at night you are ready for a tasty beverage and a good movie.  Blogging is furthest from your mind.  Blogging rule #1: leave a little mystery for when you might post next.  It is a lot more realistic.  Trust me…I am about 30 blog posts behind based on my initial promises.  So I officially wipe the slate clean…and I’ll leave it to the weather to predict my next blog post.

Okay, back to SweetWater!  Been busy little bees here.  All you have to do is step outside and you can see SweetWater is bustling with life.  It has been fun watching the transformation.  Nate & I often find ourselves stopping and catching our thoughts.  Amazed at how much we have accomplished in such a short time.  Pretty “Sweet” if I do say so myself.




Speaking of accomplishments, Nate has been making amazing progress on the Super Dexta.  Of course it has been one of those projects where you open something up to fix it and realize you have two more parts you have to fix before you can get to your original fix.  Given the desperate TLC this tractor has needed, I am surprised I have not heard more colorful languages filling the air.  Nate really deserves a lot of credit on this project.  He takes his time and focuses on doing it right.  So far we got the tractor all painted up and he started putting the parts back on her earlier this week.  

Then he was able to finally get her started up for the first time since we bought it and I am happy to say it starts without using the glow plug and runs pretty clean.  He was worried we might have to do an engine rebuild but looks like we are in the clear.  Unfortunately, once running, he realized the clutch will not disengage and was suspicious of the fork and or throw out bearing being damaged.  Well, he got the engine/trans separated and found the cause.  This has a dual stage clutch, one for the transmission and one for the PTO.  The trans/drive disk was obliterated and not much left on the PTO disk either.  So he ordered the rebuild kit and got it all back together by end of the week.  Now he is putting the finishing touches on the electrical which needed to be completely replaced.  Here is a list of all the new parts that we have purchased for the Super Dexta thus far.

 
 
 
Owner and Parts Manual
Starter
Ignition Switch
Proofmeter and Cable
Oil Pressure Gauge
Clutch
Rebuilt Water Pump
Thermostat
Water Temp Gauge
Radiator
Glow Plug
Remote Single Spool Hydraulic Valve Assembly 
PTO Seal
Drawbar
Misc. Bolts Pins Etc.
Spin On Oil Filter Conversion Kit
Fuel Lift Pump
Fuel Filter
Foam and Vinyl for Seat
All New Fluids
Air Filter Element
Coolant Hoses
Fuel Lines
Steering Control Arm Ball Joint
Wiring
Head Lights
Rear Lights
Down Light
Horn
 
 
 

Not to mention all the welding and fabrication Nate has had to do to get the original parts back to serviceable condition.  He eventually wants to design a canopy/brush guard over the top of the tractor to protect us from the sun and branches and I am sure some new tires are in our future as well. 

 Soooo….yes, it has been a lot of work but we did only pay $800 for the machine and it will be a “better than new” machine when we are done.  They sell for well over $3k in average operating condition so it leaves a lot of room for parts.  We’ve done a lot of research on these particular Fordsons and they seem to be very well respected around the world.  Quite the little powerhouse for the size.  

 
So like I said, Nate is doing an amazing job on getting this tractor up and running.  I am having fun helping where I can.  I mean you should see the amazing paint job.  Perfection I tell ya! Oh and I am pretty good at holding stuff in place while Nate adjusts this and that.  I can tell you it is hard work, but hopefully it will pay off with lots of little square hay bales!
    
Speaking of hay bales, we also have purchased a Hesston 1071 Mower Conditioner for $1500 and a New Holland 276 Hayliner Small Square Baler for $2400.  These are very good prices on older but great machines.  Fortunately the mower and baler are field ready so just add grease and go.  Now we are on the lookout for a good herbicide “Wicking/Wiping” apparatus to start dealing with our Johnson Grass situation.  Considering the simplicity and fairly inexpensive parts required Nate would like to try and make his own. 
 
So this is where I have to make a confession. About halfway into writing the blog, I called Nate over to explain all the parts he has fixed, my mom called, and Nate took over a writing a good chunk of the blog.  I am glad he did because I could never have remembered all those details.  That being said I think I should translate some of what he said for those of us who are less mechanically inclined.  So let me summarize…

 
We pulled the blue tractor apart, sanded, and painted it. Then Nate began putting it back together.  It started without needing to replace an expensive part.  YAY!  We like when the expensive parts work.  Except that one of the pedal thingies wasn’t working right. So he had to pull the tractor apart. (See the picture above) As he thought one of the inside gut parts wasn’t working properly…so we had to replace it.  Now he is replacing all the electrical lines, so she will be as good as new.  Well that is how I understand it all. Although, Nate has been doing a great job explaining the parts to me and I am learning more technical stuff as I go.  So if you don’t understand the technical stuff just yet, I hope my summary helped a bit.
 
Off to bed for now.  Hopefully the weather will allow me to update again soon.  There is still so much to share.  I am updating the website. If you visit, remember it is in progress.  Anyone who has played around with designing websites knows it ALWAYS takes longer than you think.   Hopefully, I can link this blog to the updated website in the near future.  Of course, I will probably have to start mowing again now that we got some rain.  So I won’t promise any time frame.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Oh and I should probably post more pictures of those cute baby goats too.  Trust me, I could write an entire blog about what we have learned about raising goats in just a few days of owning them. I can tell you that they are worth every penny! I guess that post will be coming soon….stay tuned.

 
Thanks for visiting SweetWater.
 
Always,
Nathan, Lily & our critter crew
 
 
Old Promotional Video for the Super Dexta
More Super Dexta FootageOh you should be able to leave a comment now.  We would love to hear from you.

 



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Jun 28

Will The Roosters Please Step Forward? (Critters & More)

Leo our resident Fatty
Welp, we have had a few busy weeks and it looks like I need to play catch up.  I think I will break it down into three separate blogs to make it a little more reader friendly.  I’ll call this one: Critters & More.
Part 1: Critters & More
Well, we had our first rooster crow on Father’s day.  I like to tell Nate that the rooster was wishing him a  Happy Father’s Day. I am guessing we have 7 hens and 6 roosters, but this is based off of comb & waddle formation. Not the best way to determine sex, but I am not going to look at their tushies anytime soon. So this is the method we have.  They are growing quickly, so hopefully this guessing game will be over and we can start guessing how many eggs we will collect instead.
As mentioned, they are getting very big and fat. We decided we should expand their coop area a bit so they can run and fly around.  Our goal is to free range during the day and coop at night.  This will protect them from the beasties that like to feed at night on juicy plump chickens and such.  We have been pretty lucky with the chickens as far as training them to roost in the coop at night.  I was reading up on how to train them and all prepared with my special treats to lure them into the coop the first night we let them out.  Well, Nate informed me that they already went to the second floor of their coop and put themselves to bed once the sun went down.  Woo – well that was easy! No need to play the tricky “chicken chasing” game.
I think a lot of our success in raising the chickens so far is that we have taken the time to create a consistent feeding/caring schedule and of course Nate’s awesome chicken tractor.  They love it and feel safe there. They love spending the day lounging in the 1st floor screened-in level and scratching for bugs outside. At night they always find their favorite corner on the second floor and zonk out for the night, knowing they are safe and sound. Of course we have to do a little work too.  Every morning Agatha starts to crow (oops Agatha may be a he after all) and requests I get outside and do my job.  I let them out into the chicken run and give them fresh food, dirt, and water.  They like to follow me around and peck at my rings if I let them.  Of course they come running full speed if they see corn in my hand. Apparently this is their favorite treat and it causes quite a chicken free for all when we throw them a cob.  Then about once a week I scrunch up my nose and it is time to clean the coop. Fortunately, I have years experience shoveling poop thanks to Skeeter and Darling, the horses I had growing up.  Chicken poo is a bit easier than horse manure, so I can’t complain too much.  Plus we are happy that the chickens seem to do well with hay as bedding. We have plenty for free!  We are collecting the poo and adding it to our compost pile for next year’s garden.  Oh and trust me…the chicken’s have been doing their best to provide us with plenty of fertilizer.
I know Nate and I have really enjoyed watching our little chickens grow and interact.  So much so, that somehow we ended up with 16 new feathered friends to add to our 13 chicken crew. Wait…did you read that right…we now have 29 birds?!?!
Turkeys can fly at one week old!
Yup, we decided we should add a few Guinea Hens to our crew to help with the ticks (ugh ticks).  We referred to our favorite resource, Craigslist, and found our new guineas.  What we didn’t know was we were about to encounter a cute Vietnamese couple, a retired doctor and his wife, with an interesting hobby.  In order to keep busy in retirement, the husband decided to build this amazing house landscaped with citrus trees and exotic plants.  As we looked towards the back of the property, we noticed that the plants were not the only exotic features to the property.  They had an aviary full of exotic birds.  Our guinea trip just expanded into baby bird trip.  In the end, we ended up with 6 guineas, 2 turkeys, 2 Phoenix chickens (fancy chickens), 2 black pheasants, 2 red pheasants, and 2 Lady Amherst pheasants.  We cannot wait to see the pheasants and chickens feather because they have the coolest coloring as adults.  Anyway, one of my favorite parts of the guinea trip was when Nate asked the wife if they ate any of the birds.  She gave him a look and said, “NO!! They are just for fun!” Lol, that is my kind of lady!!!
Nate and I discussed on the way home, that we would like the birds to hatch some of the eggs in the future.  So we referred to one of Nate’s favorite sayings, “Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance” or the 7 P’s.  It was time to build a more permanent brooder than just a cardboard box. We let our new additions rest in our transfer plastic box as we built (Nate built & I helped) our wooden brooder box.  Again, we are happy we picked up all that free scrap wood we found on Craigslist because the box frame was already built for us.  We just needed to add sides, and the inside features.  With our brooder built, red light in place, we released our new birdie friends to their home.  They love it so far!  Important note: baby pheasants, turkeys and guineas can fly!!!  So make sure you put a wire cover on top of the brooder or you are going to take “chicken chasing” to a whole new level!
Besides being able to fly, I was a little more nervous about this group of birds because they ranged from 2 days old to a week old.  The turkeys are like awkward teenage dinosaurs compared to the little pheasants and have a habit of stepping on the other birds’ heads. Ack!!!  Fortunately the little guys are quick and learned that the turkeys are a bit dopey (like Truman).  It has also been a little more challenging managing the heat and red light this time because it is already so hot out.  We have to really watch the clues they give us and adjust the light accordingly.  If they are panting, raise or turn off the light. If they huddle together, turn the light on.  I have noticed that since the turkeys are much larger, the little guys seem to mimic them and treat them a little like a mother figure. It is pretty cute.
Somebody is watching me watch him.
Here is what we have learned about raising baby birds: Buy a red brooder light (red keeps them from pecking each other to death), give them two types of water for about 3 or so weeks. One water should have antibiotic in it and one should be plain water.  Give them dirt or sand…they will eat it up fast.  It helps them poop.  Without it their poor little gizzards don’t have much to work with to get the food through.  Also, give them little box shelters, sticks, and rocks to explore.  It helps them develop life skills in a safe environment. Plus it is way more fun for them.  Finally, always count your birds when you move them to the cleaning box.  Poor Nate found out the hard way on that one. We  moved the birds to their cleaning box so we could clean the brooder.  Then we pulled out the rocks, logs, and dishes to wash them (birds poop on everything).  We emptied the shavings (we use non cedar shavings in the brooder because the hay can sometimes have mold and make them sick when they are little and not fully developed) and washed the plastic barrier.  As Nate was pressure washing the log, a big dust ball popped out of a hole in the log.  He was surprised at the gunk in the log, when he noticed it started to move!!!  Poor little guinea got his little booty pressure washed because he was hiding in the hole. OUCH!!!  Nate collected him, rinsed him off in the sink, and we returned him to his friends.  Poor little guy kind of sat in shock for a bit.  He eventually dried off and is happily trying to catch flies now.
Someone is in catnip heaven!!!

So as you can see the domesticated critters are happy and flourishing here.  Edgar has taken well to his new outside kitty role…and even found the catnip in the garden!!!  The dogs are being dogs.  They happily reminded me, much to my chagrin, that country dogs like to catch and kill things.  Ugh…Simon and Truman, our resident hunters, found a baby bunny nest and let’s just say it did not end well.  I confess I was a bit devastated seeing the poor baby bunnies meet their end.  I had to readjust my view and remember that I am back in the country.  I can’t save all the animals.  Although, there are a few animals here I am not inclined to save…ticks, flies, and snakes to name a few.  Hopefully, the birds will help keep the ticks at bay.  We have fly tape that is keeping the flies in check.  I have been experimenting with a natural coffee, basil, jalapeno pepper spray to keep the bugs and caterpillars from eating the plants in the garden.  We are preparing ourselves for the invasion of the grasshoppers…that are everywhere you walk now.  Again the birds will hopefully help there too.  If only I could figure out how to get rid of those snakes!!!

Nate and I have been working away on the tractor and like to go down to the creek to cool off after a hard day’s work.  Well, turns out we are not the only ones who like to go for a dip in the cool water.  As I was floating in the creek, I looked up and saw what I thought was a turtle head and then I noticed it was a bit long.  Ack!!! SNAKE!!!!  Nate and I were on dry land in seconds.  Simon had a moment where he was face to face with the slithering beast and even Simon opted to leave the snake alone.  Fortunately, we scared the snake as much as he scared us…and this time he was a harmless water snake.  We do have to watch it…because there are some less friendly snakes around…yuck!

Inside…who me?

Don’t worry…we aren’t “afraid of no stinkin’ snakes!”  We still visit the creek everyday.  Now that it so hot outside, I take Xander down for a daily dip in the creek. It is hard being the resident old guy in dog days of summer.  I hope my favorite little German Shepherd will continue to surprise us and keep on living it up, but the heat does take a toll on his old man body.  We gave him a bit of a hair cut and make sure we hose him off throughout the day.  He has slowed down a bit, but he still enjoys his daily Simon chase around the hay fields.  So don’t count him out just yet!

Well…now that  you have had your fill of critter stories…I have to get to work on the hay equipment blog.  Yup we have a tractor, baler, and mower now.  Can’t wait to share our hay equipment adventures.  Check back in the next day or so to see my part II- Tractor Tales.  Oh and I added some pictures of our progress on the tractor and a tour of the house to our website. Enjoy! http://oursweetwaterfarm.com/OurSweetWaterFarm/My_Albums/My_Albums.html

Thanks for joining us on the farm.

Always,
Nate, Lily, and the critter crew

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Jun 10

Discount Days Here on SweetWater

Take a break and see what we have been up to on SweetWater this week.

Nate and I have been combining our strengths lately: shopping and fixing stuff! Farming life can be expensive if you are not willing to do a little discount shopping and get your hands dirty. So we have been slowly adding to our farming tools.  Remember that trailer we bought for about $900.00

Well for about a hundred bucks we will have it on the road in no time. Painting is done and now we are waiting on new brakes to arrive.  Our new Super Bumblebee is almost ready for future shopping – think hot tub! -err I mean farm work.

With the trailer almost ready, Nathan and I have been continuing our quest to find farm equipment we will need in the near future.  Sure we can run to Tractor Supply and pick up the newest John Deere, but that would be cheating.  Remember the chickens haven’t produced any golden eggs just yet, so it is all about the discount shopping.  Of course we continue to partake in our daily ritual of searching Craigslist and other internet discount, trade, and online auction sites. So far Craigslist seems to be the best way to find great deals and free items, but we wanted to broaden our resources so to auction we went.

Last Saturday, we hopped in the truck for “date day” and headed to a local farm auction. It might not sound like a glamorous date, but it is fun to get out and explore new parts of the country.  Besides being beautiful countryside, there are lots of local attractions you can see on the way.

The first ever Wal-Mart is about 20 minutes from SweetWater

Anyway, the auction was a new experience for both of us.  I must confess it was fun for the first half hour and then it got a bit old.  It is one thing to hear the auctioneer belting out bids on TV, but in person it begins to feel like you have buzzing bees stuck in each ear.  I still am not exactly sure why they speak that way.  It actually makes it harder to hear the bids.  Nate and I had our eyes on a few tractors and were hopeful we would leave with a tractor in tow. We realized after the first one we had on our list went for over $6000.00, this was not going to be the best route for getting our tractor. Especially, since the tractor was not worth that much considering its condition.  So we left the auction to the regulars and went on our way.  What was interesting was that a lot of the old timers came to the auction mainly for the social component.  They would stand around look at the equipment and talk with no intention on buying anything.  Anyway as I said, we left the auctioning to them and went back to Craigslist.

Although the auction did not yield success this time, Nate and I found a tractor after many days of searching. Not just any tractor, a Super Dexta! Right now it might have the frame only a new farmer can love, but we hope to work our magic and give this tractor a second life on SweetWater. She is already looking a little better after only one day of work.  Plus maybe her story can be a precautionary tale for others.  Simple moral: 5th graders should not be asked to drive the truck.  As Super Dexta tells it: her previous owner thought he could take her in all her two wheel drive glory up a steep, steep hill.  Surprisingly she got stuck, so of course he called for help. With his trusty pickup truck and his 5th grade son at his side, he hooked Super Dexta up to the back of the truck.  His son took control of the truck and he took his place on the Dexta prepared to steer her out of her predicament.  He gave his son the command to put the truck in drive and give it some gas.  Oops in neutral it went and poor Super Dexta and the farmer ended this story with broken pieces.  The farmer hobbled to Craigslist and sent the Super Dexta to SweetWater.  Lucky for Ms. Super Dexta, Nate and I are a lot like Herbie the Elf. We love those misfits and know with a little work they too can find there place, especially for $800.00.

Speaking of misfits, SweetWater seems to be a fountain of youth for the critters.  Xander continues to follow me everywhere and keep that young pup Simon in line.  If you saw how fast he runs these days, you would not know that I thought I was going to have to send him to the great dog farm in the sky a few months ago.  He may be 14, but he is living like he is a young pup. Edgar, our resident cat, is happily expanding his reign of power.  After 14 years of being an indoor cat, he is now allowed to be a daytime outdoor cat. He is taking advantage of every minute and even trying to trick Nate into letting him out at night too. Of course he has not ventured too far from the house because the “white dragon” (Simon) still thinks it funny to chase him.  Let’s just say…we are working on that.  Simon loves having the menagerie of animals here.  For a puppy, playtime is important.  If he wants to explore, get Truman. If he wants to play chase, get Xander.  If he wants to get me riled up, chase Edgar and the chickens.  It is hard to be bored on the farm now.

Sir Simon with the “Goose of All Seasons” after learning it is not a chew toy. (nom, nom)

The chickens are getting bigger and fatter. I find myself reminding Nate more frequently of our deal when he stares a little too long at their big fat juicy legs. “These 13 chickens are for eggs only…our next batch…that is a different story.”  Anyway, they are growing nicely and we still are playing the rooster guessing game.  We did have two escape chickens, but they were easy to catch. They don’t like to leave the others so they just hang around the gate.  The first time it happened, Poe (one of the black ones) walked right up to me, let me pick her up and put her back in the coop.  The second time, Brinkley (one of the brown ones) played “Duck, Duck, Goose” with Nathan. Xander tried to help, but I think he was just trying to help it into his mouth…so we suggested he not help.   After a few laps around the coop, I heard a squawk and Nathan had sweet Brinkley in hand. Long story short…I have to keep reminding Nathan, these ones are for eggs only.

But what about Truman?

As you can see we are all finding our place on the farm…even Truman. Truman and I seem to enjoy the big machines.  You can usually find me on the riding mower cutting the walking paths and around the house. Plus “Truman the Tractor Dog” and I like to sneak off in the Case 580 Super E (big tractor) when Nate is not looking and look for logs and sand.  As long as I pet his head, Truman is happy as a clam being copilot on our farming adventures.

I have also become quite good at hooking up the water tank trailer and refilling the tank by myself.  I am quite happy having that responsibility because it means I don’t feel so guilty about taking long hot showers.  We still have to have our creature comforts after all, especially after a long day on the farm. Plus I am not really doing it all by myself because you guessed it, I have three little shadows who come help me set up the pump and explore the spring while I work.

Well that is it for now. Thanks for stopping by our blog.  I hope to get more pictures up soon.  I took some pictures of the inside of the house because I know our moms will love to see them.   So now that I posted it here…I better get to it. Check back in a day or two on the photo page.  Time for dinner now. For some reason, Nathan’s famous chicken wings sound so good right now.  Don’t even think it…I was thinking of the store bought chicken wings…not the ones outside.

Thanks for visiting, but now it’s time to play!

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May 31

“What’s New On the Farm?” you ask.

 
 
 
Well despite the thunderblasters that have made their way through the area, I am happy to report we have been able to get a lot done here on the farm and still find time for fun.  We are currently in the middle of the 1st hay cutting of the season. Nate and I have been taking notes on how to cut the hay and look forward to eventually getting the equipment and be part of the process.  Believe it or not, despite it being hard work it looks like a lot of fun.  I’ll let you know if I change my mind after I have a go at it.
 
 
 
Part of our daily ritual is to wake up, enjoy a good breakfast, and hit up craigslist for good deals on things we need to make this a working farm.  We have managed to get free wood that helped build the chicken tractor and the garden boxes. Well after many days of searching we finally found a great deal on a new trailer we have been looking for in order to help us move items on the farm and to be able to pick up items we need for future projects.  We are pretty excited about this find and are looking forward to painting it & doing some minor fixes to make it perfect.
 
 
 
 
 
We realized that in order to really get started on some of the bigger projects on our list we needed to stop and take a moment to organize inside and outside a bit first.  Nate spent a few days cleaning out the shop and the sea crate.  It looks amazing now. I will post some pictures in an album soon.  I have been busy cleaning and organizing the inside.  I now have a second shelf for canned goods and pantry items thanks to Nate. It is nice to go through and get a handle on what we have, what we need, and know where it will be in the future.
 
 
 
 
Life on the farm usually involves establishing routines.  Routines are a good thing,especially with animals.  For example, every morning I get up, feed the dogs, feed the cat, and feed the chickens. Well a few weeks ago I added another routine to our schedule and some how acquired 3 trainers in the process.  
    I decided to cut a path around the outside of the lower hay field so I could start running again.  Well, those dogs learned that routine quickly.  It has become a favorite part of their day. Simon loves to run down to the stream and catch fish, Truman (who avoids water as much as possible) runs down to the patch of trees by the river and chases rabbits & turtles, and of course Xander stays by my side the whole time but is ready to chase Simon if he tries to dive bomb us at full speed (which he does A LOT). 
    It is a beautiful view and great for running (minus the occasional tick), but boy do I get in trouble if I try to skip a day.  Those dogs have grown to expect that daily run, rain or shine.  Truman has taken to barking at me and running to the path if I dilly dally too much.  Looks like they will make sure I get my daily dose of cardio in whether I like it or not.  Fortunately, I think I was able to convince Nate to start joining me.  It will be all the more fun that way, plus maybe the dogs will throw some of the dirty looks his way on those rainy cold days where the couch looks just too comfy to leave.
 
 
 
 
 
Of course we make sure we have some play time too. At least once a week Nate and I leave the farm and explore the area. I call it “Date Day.”  We have gone to a couple amazing restaurants, checked out some great shopping areas, and of course seen a movie or two. We had the neighbors over for Memorial day and got the scoop on some other places to visit.  We plan on checking out three neighboring lakes, some hot springs, Branson, go-carts and a diamond mine south of Little Rock.  We also are looking forward to some good yard sales this coming weekend. Woohoo…shopping! Plus we have fun exploring the river, caves, and woods on the property. When the weather holds, we light up a great big bon fire and enjoy happy hour under the stars at our favorite little watering hole. Life is good on SweetWater!
    

 
 
Hope you are enjoying the site.  We are working to make it better. I would like to add a guestbook or comment section.  Nate is working on adding a way to donate to projects.  Otherwise, Nate is finishing getting some items ready to sell on ebay, clearing the area for the second sea crate, and getting the sono tubes in place.  I am cooking new recipes, playing with our new juicer so I can find tasty ways to use our growing garden, getting ready to prepare our big garden, keeping the place mowed and maintained so Nate can focus on the big projects, tending to the beasties, and helping where I can on the big projects.
    
    ~Adios for now. Always, Nate, Lily & the critter crew.

 

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May 21

Welcome to SweetWater Diaries.


Hopefully today we will have our website up and running.  Poor Nate spent most of the afternoon wading through FTPs, Domains, URLs, and other computer speak trying to upload the site.  I guess that is why we have rainy days…to get all the busy work done. We had a pretty successful day and still managed to enjoy the quick sunburst by taking a walk around the hayfield with three very happy dogs leading the way. 
    We have been pretty busy here.  Nate finished the chicken tractor a few days ago & now the chicks are happily causing trouble in their new double decker condo. They are getting very big and starting to develop little personalities.  Nate and I have set up two chairs just to watch them. Believe it or not they can be more entertaining than satellite TV.  We play “How many roosters do we have?”
 
 
Oh we have upgraded our water pump by the spring and now we can fill the tank in about 5 minutes. Nate showed me how to hook up and drive the water tank trailer so we can work together and that has helped cut down our overall time of refilling the tank to 15 minutes from start to finish.  Besides upgrading the water pump, we have upgraded internet, added satellite TV and improved our cell phone reception.  It is nice to stay connected. 
    Now that the chicken tractor & garden boxes are done, we are taking time to organize the house and garage.  Oh did I mention we finished the garden boxes a few weeks ago.  Nate worked hard using lumber we were able to get for free and built two large garden boxes.  While he was working on that I was planting seedling and buckets of various fruits and vegetables.  At present, we have are seeing the fruits of our labor (pun intended).  We have plants growing and they are loving the rain and sun combo we have been having.  We just made fresh pesto with our basil and have been sneaking our fresh cilantro in all the meals we can.
    We have been snapping pictures of our various tasks.  I plan on uploading them soon.  After we get the house and garage organized, Nate will be starting the foundation for the sea crate house & I will start tilling the land for the big garden.  More to come, so keep checking back…

Always,
Nate, Lily, & our ever growing critter crew. 

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