Well established is the fact that I may, indeed, be the world’s worst at updating a blog. But alas, I am still here among the living and will provide the people with a small-ish update. Homestead life has been anything but boring over the past many months. There are so many events to write about, that I’m not entirely sure where to begin, but I’ll take a stab at it anyway.
Last spring and summer saw us bring some new additions to the Homestead. Our kids are involved in 4-H (which has been a learning curve for all of us,) so per the request of the young agrarians (and the father agrarian,) we brought on six ducklings for the very first time. What a joy they have been! If I had known that ducks would have been such entertaining creatures, and so hardy, we would’ve gotten them long ago. Miss E, our oldest, exhibited a pair of them at the fair and placed 2nd in her division, making her eligible for the final round of selection for Reserve Champion. While she didn’t land that, we were still so proud of her, and she learned so much!
This place has truly gone to the birds, as pullets (young laying hens) were also shown at the county fair. She again did well and placed in the first round!
Not only did the girl show ducks and pullets at the fair, but she also tried market lambs. We’ve never raised sheep before, so we had a lot to learn. From proper feed ratios to shearing, it was all hands on deck. Although we didn’t know what we were doing, and they were a lot larger than we had anticipated when we picked them up, she made huge strides in training them. She was pretty discouraged that she didn’t place as well with the lambs at the fair, but she plans to try again this year, this time with some experience and a lot more knowledge under her belt. Winning isn’t everything. Learning dedication and perseverance are valuable lessons that will serve her well all through life, not just where animal husbandry is concerned.
Aside from the happenings of 4-H (which consumed much of our summer,) this was the year of the pig at the Severt Homestead. Each of our 4 gilts delivered litters of piglets, which was cause for great excitement, but also the source of many tears. If there is a statement that has ever been true, it is this: “where there is livestock, there will be dead-stock.” Our first litter of piglets (born on little miss A’s birthday,) were large and healthy. A second litter was born on Labor Day, and were also strong and healthy. Of 8 piglets from the combined litters, 4 survived. The third gilt delivered 5 piglets during the night, and subsequently laid on all of them and none survived. The final gilt later delivered a single piglet, which she rejected. The kids felt sorry for the little fella, and he became our garage piglet. Miss E would go to bed late and wake up before the sun every day for weeks to give her new charge his bottle. Not only did he live in the garage, but little “Wilbur” also traveled with us to church and homeschool co-op.
Despite our best efforts, Wilbur passed away in an accident shortly before he turned 3 months old. We were all devastated. He received a special burial; there were many tears. While death is something that we so often shield our young ones from, farm life makes that impossible. Our kids understand the fragility of not only animal life, but human life as well. They understand that life is a precious gift. Their father and I are trying our best to instill good character into their little lives, not only through caring for little creatures, but also through building relationships with our family and others.
The mourning for Wilbur didn’t last forever. Within 2 days, after I had prayed for my children’s hearts to find comfort after the painful loss, a tiny stray kitten appeared under our livestock trailer. It was love at first sight. The farm kids instantly bonded with the shy little tabby and began bringing her warm milk and kibble twice a day, patiently working with her until she became tame and friendly. Mittens has become the resident barn cat, happily living under a trailer and greeting us with leg rubs and happy purrs at feeding time every day.
Most recently, there has been one BIG addition to our little farmstead. One big, fluffy, love-bug named Jimmy. He was a Christmas surprise for the kids, and it was “the best thing ever,” according to them. (Truth be told, their mama was probably just as thrilled as they were, as I’ve been waiting a long time to find the perfect farm dog!) Jimmy is a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix, and he is the ideal farm guardian. Gentle, patient, and affectionate, he helps us round up the poultry at dusk, checks the coops and pasture for intruders, and watches for prowlers coming in from the woods or via air. He came from a family that had already done the hard work of training him, for which I am most grateful, so he is a perfect gentleman. He helps make our farm feel safe and complete.
But will our little farm ever be fully complete? There are more things in the works (some big and some small) that I INTEND to give updates about as soon as they happen. However, my history with “being up to date” betrays me. I will do my best. Life happens, people get sick, time gets away from us. At some point, I would love to write an entire post about my health journey over the last year, as my own life has been totally transformed. That will have to wait for another day. Until then, stay warm (the lows here this week will be -10 or less 😵) and be safe out there.
Severt Hives and Homestead 