Just hamming it up at the farm

Sunday at the farm was a very productive day.

We started tearing down the old greenhouse that had fallen in the "Blizzard of '08".

We found a bunch of chicken raising supplies from when my grandparents were raising a flock.

The major find was a big brooder. We just need to rewire it with a safer set up.

We also found a bunch of the original doors and windows off the house (c. 1876!). The doors were in really good shape.

There was a giant pickle crock that was cracked but repairable. I am sure the glaze is lead so we would not use it even if it were not cracked.

We took a peek into the old smokehouse and saw so many treasures that we want to go after. We are very patient though, knowing how unsafe that building might be.

At the entry way of the old chicken coop we uncovered a giant flagstone that was placed there to keep the mud down. My dad thinks he may have placed it there years ago.



This mama was all coy and shy about having her picture done.

This mama muscled her way in when I was taking pictures and shoved her mug right up into the camera to make sure I took her picture. She is a big ham but she is my favorite goat...don't tell the others. You can see her baby belly. I am guessing she will go another 4 weeks or so before we meet her little ones.

We have lots more to do in the coming months, stay tuned for updates.

Garden update: Yesterday we started 90 tomato plants, 48 cucumbers and 21 zuchinni plants!

What does an old building have to do with dairy goats?

In 1846 Thomas Crawford Davis first laid eyes upon the Willamette Valley. One hundred sixty three years later his family is still living on the same piece of ground that he homesteaded.

A lot has changed since his day. Much of the land has been sold off and houses have popped up all over like mushrooms after a rain. We still hang on to 22 acres though, and intend to for many generations to come.

The love of the land is behind our foray into farming again. Ideally we'd like to develop into a fully self sufficient farm with solar power, rainwater catchment and the like. We're starting small this year with a cistern or two to help with the garden.

Below is the old smokehouse on the farm. It has been around for about 150 years. This year marks the end of an era as this building will probably have to be torn down. It survived the heavy snows of December, but it is completely riddled with dry rot and will soon fall in on itself if we don't tear it down first.

We are heartbroken to be losing this building that was built so long ago by our pioneer relatives.






If you are out at the farm picking up milk, don't hesitate to ask to see the smokehouse before it's gone.