Pearce Pastures: Where did I go?

[Pearce Pastures]

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?
I live in Northwest Indiana, about 40 minutes from Lake Michigan in a very small town. Spring is cool, summer hot, fall is awesome, and winters can be treacherous especially since our country doesn't plow in my town very often.
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
I am married to my best friend and we have 3 children (Ben 12, Elliott 7, Julia 5).
3. How would you define your farm?
We are small farm at this point and recently bought more property to expand
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
I would go backpacking/canoeing/camping. Time would be the resource I would need for those.
5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?
Yes. My husband and I love to build and rebuild things. We have put an addition on our home, built a deck, rehabbed our 150+ year old barn and we are about the build a new barn and home.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
Nope
7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?
I have no idea. We moved to a small city when I was in kindergarten from our middle of nowhere country home so I didn't grow up with this. It just always wanted it.
8 Is it a hobby or an occupation?
Somewhere in between I guess. I work as a high school and college teacher too but we are starting to earn a bit from our animals, at least enough to break even on our costs
9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?
For my formal education: all things literature, lots and lots of genetics, biology, cytology background. Informally: woodworking, crocheting. More I'd like to learn? I love to learn new things so pretty well whatever for which I have time and opportunity to learn.
10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do?
No crops. I manage to keep some plants alive for consumption but I much prefer animals.
11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?
Definitely. We raise our own chicken, goat, and do some small canning. We buy pigs and steer from the neighbor to process and would like to try raising a steer at some point (not ever doing another pig!).
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
In the barn with the critters-or- (and don't tell my husband) sometimes I grab a book and just go sit on the bathroom floor with the door locked for awhile to get away from it all....gotta do that sometimes
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
No--but I can drive a SUV full of children and groceries while pulling a trailer load of hay.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
Chicken hutches, milk stands, goat toys, picture frames, kitchen tables, crocheted blankets....I get bored easily and then start making things. Don't think I would want to teach others this. I teach literature all day and building stuff is an escape for me.
15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
Yes and we currently have lots of chickens, rabbits, goats, and a pig.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
Yes but only wood.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
Yes-I have a lot of perennials. I also have strawberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, melons growing with some success.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
Whenever I can but yeah, only bait here.
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?
We have 10 acres right now that we share with my parents for raising meat and dairy goats.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?
Master's degree
21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
I am best with the goats, but pretty decent with chickens, and I am starting to learn more about rabbits.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
If I didn't have to pay for it, I would definitely take vet courses, learn more about goat physiology, health, and genetics-I would like to research and learn all things goats. I don't know if I would want to be a vet but it is so interesting.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
Yup-tables, chicken coops, and such
24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?
Not really. I do respect those who do and there is value in it, and I do use the occasional "natural" remedy. It just isn't my passion.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
I love where I live-it is not fancy and is kind of plain but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Plus it makes traveling to other places an adventure.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
Nope
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
Uhhh...I suppose a woman who could pause time and people while she used her 20 arms to get her "to do" list done.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals?
Yes, for the most part. We have gotten our parents hooked on the farming thing and our other family members are at least amused by it.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
Yes, and we do try for home grown food for the most part. I pasteurize our goats milk for us to drink, we have fresh eggs daily, and raise our own meat.
30. What was your best animal experience? Worst?
Delivering my goat Lily was the best. But having to tell my son that the baby goat he had been helping to deliver before I sent him inside when things were going badly had died.
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
Not really. We stock up on fish once a year while in Michigan for a family fishing weekend but that ends it.
32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?
I process our meat myself, milk and make cheese, do some light canning.
33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?
Same as above.
34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?
Not yet but we are putting in a geothermal heating and cooling system next year in our new home.
35 What is on your to do list?

Putting that here would break the BYH server
36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?
Haven't but would love to
37. In what do you trust?
God and that is about it.
38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?
Absolutely.
39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?
Yes, and I think it is helping my kids to be responsible and respectful as well

 

[BarredRockMomma]

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Well yesterday was a wild day. Started out with my husband getting a call from our friend/the owner of our kids' daycare to see if he want to work there temporarily.

But I guess I should back up....

My husband worked for a garage door company for the last 5 years and then we decided he needed to finish his degree and get a job somewhere where they pay and benefits were better so we could retire someday. So for the last year and a half, he has been going to school full time at night and working full time during the day---stressful but it has worked. Then this summer, he could no longer work classes around work and we made a flying leap of faith and he resigned to finish this degree. Then he landed a paid internship with Arcelor Mittal which is where he is hoping to work permanently after he gets his degree---it was awesome! He was making a little more than he was before, was home with us for dinner every night, and he was getting college credits. The internship ended last week and his next set of classes starts this coming Monday and we were looking at having just my income to go on until he could get a job that would work around his school schedule. We have put away a little each week but were still kind of worried.

So when the phone rang yesterday and it was about work, we were very relieved. It is a little weird and against the norm for a man to be working at a daycare but everyone knows my husband and what a family man he is so it should be fine. He was really worn out by the end of the day though

While he was working, I had to take the kids for school registration, which was pretty smooth. My middle child is starting school this year---I am expecting a few phone calls from his teacher. Elliott is a funny kid but he has a wild streak in him that gets him into trouble sometimes. I think school will be good for him to channel some of that energy.

Then we had people coming to buy goat babies from us. We have sold older goats before but never bottle babies so this was very new to all of us. The family that bought them was very nice and we spent about and hour and a half teaching them hoof trimming, shots, feeding and such and they were fast learners so I am sure the goats will be well cared for. I already miss them though. The kids handled it pretty well but were a kind of emotional after they left. Ben shed a few tears and said he really did NOT want to sell his goats, but was fine after a good hug. Julia, in her still babyish voice, told me she needed some medicine because her feelings were hurting her. And Elliott was just oblivious

Well out to the barn for working on a chicken breeding box.

 

[SheepGirl]

Julia, in her still babyish voice, told me she needed some medicine because her feelings were hurting her.

awww

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Got the breeding pens built and 2 coats of paint are now drying. Can't wait to start trying our hand at breeding our own chickens. We have had them for 7 years now but always order chicks so this is going to be a learning process. We were thinking of starting out by just experimenting a bit with our Speckled Sussex rooster and our Australorp and Barred Rock hens and see how it goes.

DH had two offers for some sidework installing windows and building a storage shed. While we appreciate our friend helping us out, DH is not liking the daycare work much (I don't blame him--it is helping to pay the bills in the meantime but is definitely going to be a temporary job if he gets calls on his applications). The next 10 months are going to be tight around here, that's for sure.

And Elliott...that kid was driving us all crazy today. He has some catching up to do with his maturity and learning concepts (he had some hearing issues and sleep apnea that we finally resolved with surgery followed up by therapy for a year). We have to be so firm with him and it breaks my heart sometimes but if let up on correcting the behaviors, he backslides quickly.

I broke up 3 fights before I finished my coffee this morning, all of which we started by him just TRYING to make people mad. I don't get him when he is like that---like ticking off people is amusing. Well that does not fly with me. I sat him down and tried to explain to him that if he doesn't treat people nicely, he will end up with no one liking him and spend a lot of time alone. I thought he understood...guess not. It could not have been more than 10 minutes later that my older son came up holding back tears because Elliott had knocked the bird house he was trying to build right out of the tree and laughed. So he spent most of the day alone in his room to give him some idea of what I meant when I said nobody would want to be around him if he didn't knock it off. I hope tomorrow will be better.

 

[autumnprairie]

Welcome to the world of BYH journaling. I am looking forward to reading more.

 

[Roll farms]

"medicine for her hurt feelings" - too cute!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

"medicine for her hurt feelings" - too cute!

Julia, in her still babyish voice, told me she needed some medicine because her feelings were hurting her.

awww

I made her a cake Made me feel better too.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

The kids are all playing so nicely today (phew). Kind of a yucky day outside so we are getting a lot done inside today.

I am getting some stuff together for going back to work on Tuesday. In addition to teaching sophomore English, I am teaching a college course this year for the first time and am a little nervous about it. I spent a good chunk of summer putting together the curriculum and it is fairly straightforward because IU spells out its expectation pretty clearly for both staff and students. The thing that has me nervous is the site visit that they have at some point in the year. They look over your materials and check to see if you are grading to their standards. I think I grade fairly and have a lot of rigor behind it, but when we reviewed actual graded samples of essays, I was blown away by writing that I rarely see from a high schooler and it was earning Cs and Ds at their university. Going to have to be a tough cookie and tighten up.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Waiting on DH to get home so we can tackle a whole bunch of stuff today.
First, he has this habit of collecting junk and over the years, he has gotten better because he knows I will pitch a fit if he brings home something he found on the side of the road that has no use. For example, one day he came home with absolute glee and showed me the newspaper box that was sitting out by the dumpster by his work. I not talking a little mailbox----it was a one of those paper boxes you put a quarter into to buy a paper, still with the concrete attached to the bottom of it. What in the world are we going to do with THAT, I asked him at the time. He just looked at it and had nothing----back to the dumpster.

The short version is that one of our two barns is was pretty full of junk for awhile until I got him to understand that it was not okay to just take over one of the buildings to store garbage. Today we will be emptying out what remains which is a boatload of scrap aluminum (that I didn't have as much an issue with since he is recycling it and making a few dollars---but he needs to take it more regularly so we can actually use the building). I just finished rebuilding our homemade trailer and got it titled and licensed so we can drive it on the street. So as soon as he gets back from helping the daycare this morning, we will load it up and drop it off!

Then then plan is to design and start building some animal pens in the building. Right now, it is just a big room, dirt floor, and two windows. I would like to create some poultry space and maybe a few extra stalls for goats to use for breeding, kids, and etcetera. Will have to take some before and after pics.

The boys are outside playing right now---they were starting to fight over couch space so I removed the problem... GO OUTSIDE! Ahh now they are playing nice together since they have a common enemy to be mad at.