Farming in the shade

We had tolerable weather on Friday, our first day at Kerstmarkt. The wind was bitter, but the thermometer read well above freezing. Our heaters kept our blood from freezing, and the best part: no precipitation of any kind! Saturday's weather was even better. It got so warm mid-day that we turned the heaters off! The lovely weather brought out a steady stream of shoppers who were inclined to linger, chat and buy. The Farmer's new toy was a hit with the shoppers. The weather has turned ugly, and the forecast for this coming week has  me shaking in my boots already. Let's hope they're wrong...

A little levity: Some fun facts: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008. Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. this year. The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007. The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil, accordin...

A few new pair of socks, ready to roll. Kerstmarkt starts this Friday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. It is WINTER-like, and we are taking donations for a propane heater for The Farmer to use as he sits outside, cranking socks. (Just kidding.)

I like entering giveaways. I like hosting giveaways. I like letting people know about giveaways. If you don't like giveaways, just scroll down--I've got some great photos of baby calves further down... A bunch of etsy artisans are also homeschooling moms. We've formed a team to encourage each other and help promote each other's shops. Way down on the right side of my blog is seven-photo rotating display of various items that homeschooling moms make and sell over the internet to help make that one income stretch a bit further. Today begins the Schooling at Home Etsian Team Celebrate the Holidays Giveaway. (I challenge you to say all that 3 times, quickly, out loud...) Go to the team blog to see what you can win today. If it's something you like (or would like to give as a Christmas gift), feel free to enter the drawing. Limit of two entries (one per person per shop giveaway) for each day. Tomorrow, there will be 2 new items, and 2 more each day until we run out of i...

We've added some new animals to the farm. The Farmer sometimes helps out at a nearby dairy farm. The bull calves are not needed on a dairy, so they are raised for meat. We took these two home when they were only a few days old, and have been feeding them calf formula (known in the business as milk replacer) ever since. They have access to solid food and water all the time, but are only fed warm milk replacer twice a day.  I've never timed them, but they are such eager eaters that I think it takes them approximately 1.07 minutes to drink their bottle. They are penned separately because they have such a strong sucking reflex that they will suck on anything and everything, even each other. If you want the sensation of (almost)  having your thumb removed by suction, just stick your hand near a calf's pen. It's astonishing!  These are Holstein dairy calves. This is the breed that is most common on American dairy farms. The Holstein are large cattle, and eat a lot. But they a...

If you are starting to think about unique Christmas gifts, consider buying handcrafted. Etsy is a good place to start, especially if you like shopping from the comfort of your own computer. If you'd like to buy local, consider visiting craft shows in your area or using the "Shop Local" feature on a site like etsy.  For those in the West Michigan area, the Etsy West Michigan team has assembled a gift guide at their blog . It provides great ideas for those hard-to-buy-for friends and family members. These items can be purchased at individual team members' etsy shops (just use the links on the site for easy clicking), or if you'd like to shop in person (and save the shipping costs), check out the list of shows that Etsy West Michigan team members will be attending over the next 5-6 weeks.

We woke this morning to an unnatural brightness, way before Mr. Sun was due to make his appearance.  You can always tell when it's snowed--the world is a little brighter. Fortunately, we were ready. Mostly. The sheep were still out in the pastures. Time to finish setting up the barn and call them in. No, we didn't use the bell. We used food to entice them in. And a cat. A cat with a new name--The Pied Piper.  The sheep didn't really want to come in. But that cat sure was interesting. One ewe walked closer to investigate. The cat turned and walked into the barn. The ewe followed, as did all the others. For where one sheep goes, the others will go, too. Who needs herding dogs when you've got the pied piper?

I love to use old flannel sheets in weaving my rugs. They're soft, they beat in well, and if I don't like the color, they're easy to overdye in the washing machine. Yesterday I completed 3 rugs. I didn't get much else done, but I had this to show for my time: Countdown to Kerstmarkt (the seven-day outdoor event where we sell our goodies)--14 days... So much to do, so little time.

Last Saturday we braved the weather and headed to the nearest big city to join the other vendors at a small craft show at a school. The Farmer brought his circular sock knitting machine (csm for short), and demonstrated all day long. We had so much product (I typed "stuff" first, but that didn't seem respectful of all the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into making this stuff, so I changed the wording) that we had to rent two booths. Which was okay, as this show wasn't full. Our new rack (seen off to the right in the above photo) gave up the ghost 15 minutes before the show began. A kind fellow-vendor loaned us two nylon straps, and we made do for the day. A bit too much weight, I think. Black tablecloths sound good in theory--they show off the product well. Unfortunately, they also show off every fuzzer and stray bit of fluff well. And when you're working with wool products, there's a lot of stray fluff.  We did fairly well for the size of the sale. But...

A couple of years ago, we had a woolen mill turn a load of our raw wool into some very nice dress weight wool blend crew socks. These fit men's feet size 9-12, and are machine washable and dryable. If you'd like a pair (or more) of Shady Side Farm woolen socks, here's your chance. They are available in natural color only. $15.00/pair Shipping for 1-2 pair is $2.00 to the US, $3.00 to Canada. If you buy 3 or more pair, the shipping is free.  You don't need a paypal account to order these--just a credit or debit card. When it brings you to the paypal page, make sure you have the quantity right. Then click "proceed to checkout" and then "continue" near the credit card symbols on the left of the next page. Be careful to enter your address correctly (so the socks get to you!). If you have any questions, feel free to email me by clicking on the link in my profile. Tomorrow, we will return to our regularly scheduled programming. Sorry for this commercial in...

When you start to see this: You can also expect to see a bit of this: Fall seems to be the time when a young ram's mind turns to thoughts of love...

Before our last show, we did a "dry run" in our workshop. We carefully set everything up, took some photos, and then never looked at the photos when we were setting up at the show. Lotta good that did. Going through the set-up process must have been enough to cement it in our minds. Of course there were some changes... This Saturday, November 8, we'll be at another Western Michigan show. Come and visit us at the Eastside Christian School at 2792 Michigan, NE in Grand Rapids. We'll be there from 9-2, and The Farmer will have his sock machine along. If  you mention that you read our blog, we'll give you 10% off one item--your choice. I bought a new calculator just today so that I don't have to do the figuring on scratch paper, like at the last show. 

We've been using the lovely weather to finish a few things around the place before winter's blast hits. We've mowed the lawn (hopefully) one last time. We bought some used snow fence, after seeing the benefits our neighbor reaped last winter.  We gave the deck a new coat of stain. "We" meaning The Farmer and his son... And we had some fun, too.

In honor of Election Day, I offer some random quotes on voting... “To make democracy work, we must be a notion of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” --Louis L'Amour (1908-1988) “If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves” -- Thomas Sowell (b. 1930) Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do. --Wendell Berry (b. 1934) Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. -- Andrew Lack (?) Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: ' Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter....

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. --Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Sometimes an old farm building is worth saving. Sometimes, when you take the top off to put new shingles on, you find that an old farm building is not worth saving. Such was the case with the one-stall garage that became the barn for a 9-year old girl's first horse.  When the horse was gone, the owners added on to each side of the one stall and it housed a few Black Angus beef cattle. After the cattle were sold, the building housed a hay baler and wagon. And a woodchuck.  Today the old horse barn/cow barn/equipment shed/woodchuck palace came down.  Progress...