Keeping warm

Becoming acclimitized to chores on the farm has been a challenge for Sterling, well for all of us really.  Things that used to be solved at the push of a button are not always so easily solved here.

For instance, when we were cold in Portland we would push a button for heat. Here at the old farmhouse, this is a huge undertaking.  To stay warm we have to build a fire in the potbelly in the morning or fireplace in the evening, I know I know, you are thinking, easy just build a fire.  Maybe it would be if the wood was delivered.

First pack up the chainsaw, a can of fuel and some chain oil.  The chainsaw has become probably the most valuable piece of equipment here on the old farm.  Then you head to the woods, look for the old deadfalls, old is best because wet wood doesnt burn well.  Then you "buck" the timber into 16" pieces.  Then you load up the wheelbarrow if its close, or the Llamas if its far and haul the wood back to the wood shed.

Next you buck the wood into 8" pieces for the potbelly, since it is the main heat source in the house.  You do this by loading the bucking cradle up and then use the chainsaw and cut the wood in half.  Then with the second most important tool, the axe, you split the pieces into less than 5" diameter wedges so they fit thru the potbelly door.

After that you load up the outside woodbox,

Load the inside woodbox, empty the ash collection tray, open the flew and now you can build a fire.

I know from experience now, that you should always be doing one or more of these steps per day.  Because once you throw out your back and you are down for a week, the wood storage gets low quickly.  I know why farmers would have lots of kids...Sterling will take over this entire job as he gets older.  But currently he loves being the one to fill the wood boxes, he sees he is a vital contributor to one of the most important aspects here.  He looks forward to being "upgraded to a level 2 woodsman".  Thats when he gets to chop wood he informed me.

In the meantime we will all have heated discussions(no pun intended)about who gets to sit in the hot seat! But I guess we will have to fight the animals for it first!

Mutant apples and making butter

Sharon and sterling are making butter today from the raw milk we buy down the road.  Also the last of the apples are proving to be most gargantuan!!

Jumping off the cliff

I know this is old news to a lot of folks but for those of you just now reading along, we moved to the country.  We moved because we were tired of our life in Portland.  We moved because I had a bad job situation.  We moved because of Portland's terrible public school system.  We moved to start our dreams of living in the country.

I started documenting the entire leap on video and I was watching some clips the other day and I think maybe someday people will want to see it.  Not because I think it is some great or original story, but because I think a lot of us don't know where to start when we want to follow our dreams.

We have only been here 2 weeks, and the only reason I am starting the blog now is because I am layed-up from throwing my back out while clearing the llama pen.  It's kind of a "bring you back down to earth" kinda day.  Injuries on the farm are never awesome.  Especially since I am the strong back around here...but I guess we all need to take the time to heal instead of pushing constantly.  I think that's something everyone needs to do no matter where they are or what they are doing in life.  Thats why I am here after all.

Part of my dream up here is to make a retreat.  I want to make a place that people can come to and reflect on life.  Heal, sit in hot tubs, look at the Olympics and breathe.  I want people to take the time for themselves.  There's too much input bombarding everyone constantly, it lends to stressful days from the moment you get in the car and fight traffic.  Everyone has a reason to unplug and relax, whether it is the work, school, or family stresses.  So I plan to provide a place for this to happen.

In the meantime, we are trying to figure out how to make a living on the land.  Sustainability for my family is really important.  So we are trying to figure out what to farm, how to farm it and what else we can do here.  Some of the ideas are having events, Llama pack trips, Olympic adventure outfitting, in addition to our old income sources like Sharon's craft and jewelry and my video and photography stuff.
The hardest part of this whole thing was jumping off the cliff.  What I mean by that, is saying screw to the bosses, ignoring the naysayers and just going for it.  Granted the old house up here was needing a renter and the family farm has been here, slowly falling down, but here.  But by saying fuck it to everything down there, we were able to sell our house, get completely out of debt and be able to buy another place if we choose with a good down payment.  Our original plan was to buy an hour outside of Portland and do the same thing with our dreams.  But we were lucky enough and brave enough to uproot and go long.  It is a hail mary in some aspects, but we feel it is a safe play regardless because in the end, we are financially free and our boys will grow up free to roam and have a good school system to be educated from.

So now the adventure continues and this will be our forum to share our experiences and learn from!