2016 Accomplishments

At the beginning of the year I sat out a list of things we were going to try to get done. You can find that here.

As I write this I recognize that I completely and utterly failed on getting gutters installed. Along with cisterns, ponds, and tree planting - though I did order in all the supplies and seeds, so we'll try that again in the spring. I was pretty pissed at what I didn't done until I sat down and wrote out what we did get finished. Overall we moved the ball forward quite a bit this year.

Here's a list of what we did get accomplished:

1. Moved Andrea and the Reds to Texas with possessions and Pug dog intact. A special thank you to Bill and Diane who were gracious enough to drive the Reds to a memorial service for their great grandparents in Michigan, and then on down to Texas.
2. Bill built two spa benches after arriving in Texas.
3. Built Andrea a Farm Table and bought the wood working tools to go with it as a Mother's Day/Birthday Present.
4. Built a kitchen island that turned out awesome.
5. Got a great deal on two top bar beehives and will try to add bees come spring.
6. Found a really good looking registerable, full blooded Belted Galloway Bull.
7. Went in halfsies on a shorthorn steer that will be in the freezer next fall.
8. Bought a Red Wattle barrow and a Red Wattle/Duroc cross barrow. Sold 2 halves and put the rest in the freezer.
9. Got 6 paddocks set up and working.
10. Figured out how to better ground the electric fence and had 0 breakouts this year.
11. 20+ broiler chickens put up.
12. 25+ laying hens raised and should start laying in March 2016
13. Bought and installed a pellet stove to keep the house Africa hot for Andrea during the winter.
14. Bought a large smoker.
15. Bought a tractor, shredder, disk, hay fork, blade, and plow.
16. Bought a cattle trailer.
17. Bought a car hauler to haul our vehicles as they age and inevitably break down. :-)
18. Bought a four wheeler.
19. Picked up a aerator, sprayer, and seed spreader from a generous co-worker.
20. Bought organically grown hay from two neighbors and put up 18 bales for winter.
21. Bought several new farms tools, pull ax, pitchfork, etc.
22. Andrea picked up a used washer and dryer.
23. Let a buddy use my Seqouia and got a small deep freeze in exchange.
24. Worm bin.
25. Put in a clothesline for Andrea.
26. Composted a ton of grass clippings.
27. Picked up a large deep freeze and filled it with meat we raised.
28. Added two additional garden beds for the 2017 garden.
29. Found a compost supplier locally and brought in and spread 8 inches of compost on all the beds.
30. Raised 2 hogs successfully and have greatly enjoyed reading them.

2017 Goals will go up soon.

60 Gallons of Gas as a Prep

This has proven to be one of the best investments I've made in the way of preps. It's a simple system that I first got turned onto by Jack Spirko.

Step one: Buy a good quality shelf system.

Each month moving forward on payday buy a 5 gallon gas can, fill it with gas, mark the month with letters and numbers on each can. After 12 months take the can filled up on payday the month you started, put it in your car, tractor, lawn mower, generator, molotov cocktails etc. Refill the can and repeat each month moving forward.

When you have a power outage, you won't be scrambling to keep your generator full and freezer cold.

If you want to see what you can do with that 60 gallons of gas take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8a7YDTTd28

Thoughts on Propane Tractors

So, I had the question posed tonight about my thoughts on Liquid Propane tractors from a "doomsday prepper" standpoint. For the record, I'm not much for the whole doomsday prepper movement. Self-reliance I'm all about, but trying to prepare for ever worst case scenario will leave you alienated, overwhelmed, and broke. I'm firmly in the modern survivalist camp that Jack Spirko has done much to define this way: doing things help you thrive if times get tough, or even if they don't. 

But I digress. For LP to make sense you already need to have one or more large LP tanks (500+ gallons) on your farm. You also have to be willing to not have all the horse power that you would get from the same model tractor in either gas or diesel. On the plus side LP is the cleanest burning fuel out there, and your engine will most likely last longer than the same gas or diesel model. 

Gas made the most sense to me, as I keep at least 60 gallons of gas on hand. My tractor doesn't see real frequent use, so gas makes more sense than diesel based on ease of starting after sitting for long stretches. LP is also easy starting due to how clean it is. Parts availability would be the next thing I'd think about for any tractor. Does the local NAPA carry all your parts or are you limited to 1-3 online retailers. 

In the event of mass disruptions of fuel to most of America, we'll have bigger things to worry about than how long you can get your tractor to run for. :-) As a wise man once said, after 3 days without food the thin veneer of civilization starts to peel off pretty quick.

Heating the House; Two is One - One is None

Providence protects children and idiots. I know because I've been both. -Mark Twain-

My wife enjoys being warm in the winter. Make that Africa hot, she's happiest when the house is above 75 and pushing 80. She's easy on the thermostat during the summer, so the least I can do is make her happy during our brief winter here in Texas.

The selection of pellet stoves in Texas is not what you have up North, to say the least. So after much research I found a model that worked for us from Tractor Supply, it was delivered to the front door back in September and sat collecting dust waiting for a free weekend to be installed.

As luck would have it FreezePocalypse 2016 found the daytime high on the Snow Compound at 77 followed by a nighttime high of 24. 53 degree drop in a matter of hours. The house came with a heater in the master bath and a very small propane fireplace that is great for knocking the chill off of 45 degree nights, but can't keep up when it's in the teens or 20's outside.

As with most of my projects this one was motivated by sheer panic. To quote Twain again, "If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done." Fueled by the impending Freezemageddon, I started measuring once and cutting twice. Through sheer luck of the height of the pallet and floor protector, the hole for the 3 inch pipe ended up in the only section of the wall that it could have gone through, again it's better to be lucky than good.

It's going to be in the teens tonight, and the pellet stove, while rated to heat 2200 square feet is doing a fair job of keeping the house relatively toasty. There's no way the propane stove would have the main living area at 76 degrees.

The project was pretty straight forward, order the insulated pipe, high temperature silicone, and for the first time in my life I had every tool needed in my possession and didn't have to go into town. I finally feel like an adult.

Growing Soil With Every Bale of Hay

One of the unexpected benefits I saw last year from feeding hay was that after each bale was more or less eaten by the cattle the remnants of hay left behind ending up being a great spot of pasture this year. As growing soil is a big part of our mission it's a big plus. In the photo above you can see where I drug another bale of hay through the bale from last week, and the soil that's already forming under it. To the right you can see a big green patch of green to the top right, that's where a bale was placed last year. 

Now each bale is placed in an area that isn't growing grass very well, or more simply, on my really crappy areas. It's astounding to watch in the spring as the remnants of that hay end up being a big green patch of pasture. Is it cost effective to add bales of hay simply as a soil amendment? No, but
there's no reason not to place the hay in areas where I'd like to see the soil improved.

I figure somewhere in the next decade I could really improve the worst areas quite a bit with nothing more than being cognizant of where I drop off my winter hay. Not a bad deal.

https://www.instagram.com/snow.farms.tx/

The Case for Small Government

My friends on the left have spent the last eight years basking in charisma of President Obama, oblivious to the folks on the right who came to view him with fear and loathing. My friends on the right did much the same thing during the Presidency of George Bush, not able to understand the disdain the Americans on the left felt for Bush. It's interesting to watch the same feelings of doom and abhorrence fill the left again with the impending inauguration of President Trump.

Here's the libertarian argument for making government smaller, in an effective Republic the ability of any person that occupies the Oval Office to affect the average American should be almost impossible. The smaller government is, the less reach it has into American homes, wallets, and psyches, the safer everyone feels. The arguments that folks on the left made about Bush being a warmonger, and spendthrift were quickly forgotten once President Obama came into office. 8 years later, we're still dropping warheads on foreheads in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, added Syria, along with a hundred other little wars that no one that lives in a city of significance cares about, because their kids aren't there. Name the last anti-war protest you saw against President Obama, the man won a Nobel Peace Prize for heck's sake.

The national debt doubled again, and while the right spent the last 8 years moaning about the out of control spending, Republicans are currently putting together spending plans that would make FDR blush. In my humble opinion either common sense will win out or we'll continue to play screw your neighbor into bankruptcy (best case) or civil war (worst case). Only time will tell, but the joy of my little compound is doing our utmost to become self reliant and remove ourselves as best we can from the pendulum swings of national politics.

Testosterone is a Heckuva Drug

In the pictures above and below are all the earthly remains of my two Ideal 236 roosters. Testosterone will allow you to grow big and strong. Testosterone will give you the hubris to fight the established cock of the walk and challenge him for mates. Testosterone will give you the confidence to explore, face danger, and expand your empire. It will also make you feel bullet proof, which outside of Luke Cage, none of us are. 

I was hoping that one of the two roosters would survive into adulthood to help meet our goal of a self sustaining flock. Alas, 'tis not to be. They survived almost 4 months free ranging in Texas, that in itself is no easy feat. If only they'd believed me when I told them everything in Texas is trying to kill you. 

The Case for Paddocks

Winter in Texas is so much easier than what I had grown used to in Idaho. That said, things do slow down here with the lack of sunlight and cooler days. Last year I went through 10 round bales of hay with 5 head of cattle, this year we've doubled the herd to 10, but since 4 of them are calves I only bought 18 rounds to try and make it through the winter.

In the interim I'll run the cattle through each paddock for 1-2 days, versus the week or so they cattle get to spend there during the growing months. It's not a real supplement, since the grass is only 6-8 inches tall, but based on their reaction they enjoy the change of pace from hay, and I'm sure there are nutrients available in fresh grass lacking in the baled hay.

Depending on how hard the next two months of winter are I might be able to cycle the cattle through twice. My focus is on taking care of the soil in the paddocks and the main pasture. The main pasture will get turned in to paddocks soon, if the time affords itself.

Everyday Skills - Polishing Shoes

 

I think it's easy to get lost in all the high speed low drag things that are out there and forget that some of the simplest skills can make our lives much better.

How does polishing boots make your life better? Well your boots last longer, thus prolonging the time those two Benjamins you'll have to spend on a new pair of boots can stay in your wallet. You don't look like a homeless guy when you're wearing well polished boots. Your wife will appreciate you not being mistaken for the homeless when you're in public, that's another plus.

Don't be intimidated if you didn't have an angry Marine teach you how to properly polish boots (or dress shoes for that matter). You'll need some polish that's close to the color of your shoes, it doesn't have to be perfect, believe it or not it'll work itself out just fine. Get yourself a horsehair polish applicator brush, run in a circle clockwise and counter clockwise in your polish. Apply that polish to your shoes lightly, evenly in circles if you desire. Take your horsehair shine brush and brush it back and forth, up and down until it's shiny. Repeat polish application if all your leather isn't covered.

You can keep any pair of shoes looking respectable for decades.

Another Year Around the Sun

Not a bad view on my birthday.

It seems that each year brings more complexities, more uncertainty, and more things to be thankful for. Raising the Reds is terrifying. It seems I find something new to worry about each day, yet life goes on. To be honest life has never been better. I'm blessed with a wife who not only humors my pursuit of self reliance, she is a tremendous partner as we continue to add additional projects to the homestead.

It's been a good year, we've had failure and wonderful success, more than anything else we look to 2017 as the first year we will be together completely since we got married. I have a list of accomplishments that'll will go up on the 31st of December, and in early January I'll throw up the list of projects I'm hoping to get done in 2017.

Life is good, my heart is full. To the 6 people who read my tripe on a regular basis, thank you for your support and sharing the journey with us!

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Christmas at its core is about family and family traditions. This recipe came from the Reds' paternal grandmother, and is one of their favorite desserts. As a blended family it's fun to find our own traditions. This lemon pie is definitely going to be one moving forward. It's easy to make, pretty to look at, unique, and unbelievably tasty.




1 cup sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice
Mix sugar & cornstarch together in a saucepan.

Add egg yolks, milk, butter, lemon juice, and peel.


Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.

Cool in refrigerator for about a half hour.
When cooled stir in sour cream and pour into baked pie shell.

Chill at least 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream.






1/4 c. Cornstarch. 1 T. Grated lemon peel

3 egg yolks. 1 cup sour cream1 cup milk. 1 9inch baked pie shell1/4 cup butter. 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

If I use a 10' pie plate I  one and a half times the recipe....  Using 5 egg yolks.

Crushed Egg Shells

With my latest garden was a mixed bag. The onions grew great. Lots of cucumbers before it got hot, the okra did well, but then I remembered why I didn't like okra (the taste), and the peppers did really well-so well in fact that I just gave another twenty away the first week of December. That said it was another atrocious year of failure for tomatoes in the garden. The watermelons yielded a single misshapen melon that found it's way to the hogs. I had a Celebrity tomato plant that did pretty well in a pot. So during the calm of winter it's time to get serious about next years garden.

We eat a ton of eggs, and I've been saving egg shells since last late summer. If you want a new way to annoy your wife, trying having all your broken eggshells just chilling in your fridge for months. I promise, it'll work. Anyway, I finally got around to processing them in the food processor. What you see above is roughly 100 egg shells, about 4 cups worth that will be part of the amendments in next year's tomato transplants. I think we'll probably be able to add another 100 or so egg shells to the cause by March planting time.

Hopefully between the horse compost, the chicken compost, rabbit manure, and the soil amendments I'll get more than a handful of tomatoes in return.

Training a Mad Dog

I'm hard headed. If you don't believe me, ask my wife. When we first picked up Mattis, who we're calling Mad Dog more and more, we hadn't been planning on getting a dog. We saw the listing on FaceBook for a German Shepherd and Great Pyrenees cross, and we just jumped on it and brought him home. Failure to plan is planning to fail, and we achieved a pretty high failure rate that first week.

Katniss was a dream dog to train. I was alone in the house with her, she was a born pleaser, and we spent every minute together. As with my gardening skills, and the old Bel Biv Devoe song, I Thought It Was Me. Reality is a cold hearted mistress.

He would lose his mind in the crate, would only sleep for an hour or so, leaving Andrea and I to be zombies all day. I knew I needed help, and as fate would have it I came across a story mentioning Susan Garrett had been on Tim Ferriss' podcast and was worth listening to. It was amazing how much I learned while I was running. I had not been introduced to the Dog's Choice school of thought. It WORKS, and quickly. It has even worked with the other giant puppy that we have, the Pyrenees Anatolian cross who's a year old, even working on both at the same time.

In a day of handfeeding Mad Dog stopped fighting being in the crate. After another night of "Crate Games" he fell asleep for the first time in the crate at bedtime. He wanted to be on the bed with Andrea and I after his first wake up, but it was progress! This system isn't about dominance, it's about creating an environment to allow your dog to know how much they want to please you and let them take advantage of that desire to want to work for you.

Within a week Mad Dog slept through the night in his kennel for the first time. Using the "ItsYerChoice" method I have a dog that follows me around quietly, sits at my feet wherever I'm at because I've built value. He's learned to sit and lay down easily, and started sitting at the door as we get ready to go outside.

Don't be like me. Before you get a puppy, puppy proof your house. Get a crate, make it your puppy's favorite place. Buy chew toys, the Kong is great, chew rings are great as well. I'm against plush animals as chew toys if you have kids, because their plush toys will also become chew toys.

Mad Dog is quickly becoming a part of our family. I still miss Katniss everyday, but I'm a dog guy, and it's nice to have a buddy again. I'm hoping for a fun time ahead with him.

Homestead Tools - Kitchen Aid Food Processor

I'm over 40, so in my mind I'm officially old. If I've learned anything during my short time on this planet it's that quality is worth paying for. I would never tell you to buy the most expensive version of anything. Rather do your research and try to make a lifetime purchase, especially if it's going to be something that makes your life easier and allows you to get more done.

I'd never owned a food processor prior to buying the behemoth pictured above. Heck, to be honest, I didn't even know what they did. I was dating a girl who cooked, and taught me to enjoy cooking in the process. She walked me through all the things this Kitchen Aid could do and after buying it I couldn't go back.

I make a paleo meatloaf that consists of 6 eggs, 1 pound of ground beef, one pound of spicy italian sausage, a cup of parmesan cheese, a little minced garlic, a minced jalapeno, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. All of that goes into the food processor at one time and it turns the ingredients into a really smooth, evenly mixed loaf in no time.

I use it to grind up eggshells into a fine consistency, make our laundry detergent for pennies on the dollar, make butter, grind up graham crackers for pie crusts (or Oreos), make butter, peanut butter, almond butter, humus, pesto, mayo, the list goes on and on.

Update on the New Farm Pup

Imagine for a second a black, puffy, puppy with a small vertical white stripe on his chest running as if possessed by the girl above. It is the most tragic, hilarious, heart warming thing ever. Mad Dog Mattis is coming into his own.

Mattis is a ninja pee master. It's amazing. It just appears.

Mad Dog has me trained to jump out of bed and take him outside roughly every two hours. All while waking the wife by leading her to believe the Mexican Cartel is coming for her head.

He dominates the 120 pound Great Pyrenees cross. Often by latching onto his junk and refusing to let let go. If you want tragedy and comedy I have it in spades everyday. Mad Dog Mattis is relentless in wanting to play, even when Bear begs for mercy.

Mad Dog loves the Christmas tree. He believes it was erected to give him a new chew toy each day.

It's good to have a dog again. Katniss is still very missed.

How We Built Our Hog Pen

We went as barebones and cheap as we could with our pig pen. We bought the hog panels at Tractor Supply for $21 each, we had 4 T Posts on hand that I placed in the center of the 4 panels (on the outside of the panels). I connected the panels to the posts with a roll of heavy gauge wire that had been left behind by the previous owner, by simply tying solid square knots in three places, low, center, and high. The panels themselves were connected with both the wire, in the same three places, and then I also bought some cheap securable carabiners from Amazon that gave me the ability to securely join the panels on the ends, and allow me one corner to not use wire and be able to get in and out easily.

I made the mistake of using a half of a boiler as a feeder. It was heavy enough that for the first several months they couldn't move it, but looking back we were lucky that they didn't cut themselves on it. Next time we'll use a half of a 55 gallon plastic barrel. The water dish was the heavy flexible type and worked well.

Our next foray into hogs will be with grazing hogs, either kunekune or Guinea Hogs that graze. We have a ton of extra grass, might as well make it into bacon. I've got to do more research into the kunekune, what little I read today said they can be run in orchards as they won't gnaw on trees. We'll see.