Farm Update

The last month has been very busy between clearing out part of the forest, burning all the brush from the forest, building fences, building a green house, building more raised beds for the garden including one that is over 45ft long. Also we put in three windows and two doors on the barn.

Then, just to make it interesting, we trenched and laid a water line and electrical line all the way from the pump house to the new green house and then to the barn. Also we built three brooders for 19 ducklings, 18 layer chicks, and 100 broiler chicks that we got this last week. I'm sure I forgot one or two of our recent projects but I'm sure you get the point that I've been very busy lately.

Here are some photos from our recent adventures at Providence Family Farms.

Here are some of the broilers chicks

Leanne's ducks

The new layer chicks

I thought I would throw in a couple of photos of some of are other animals

Sherlock

Sam

Aravis

Just some of our raised beds in the garden

Dad working late at night putting one of the doors on the barn

Got the windows and doors on just before the snow hit.

but it just lasted of a couple of hours and then it melted:(

Our new weather vane on the chicken house

The ditch going to the barn

Leanne's duck Pound to be completed another day:)

Farm Field Trip

Last month we went with the Reilly family to several

different farms in Sequim to see how they run and do things.

We went to Freedom Farms, a horse training ranch and

Dungeness Valley Creamery, a raw milk dairy (which just

happens to be the same dairy we get our milk from).

We also went to Fairaview Farm a self-sufficient farm and

Bekkevar Family Farm, a farm that has been in the same

family for almost 100 years.

Our last stop was Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm to try

out a bowl or two of lavender ice cream.

We all had lots of fun and learned a lot as well. One thing

we learned is that we don't like lavender ice cream!

Hanging on the edge

This bridge is on the Old Donner Pass Highway. 

It has a spectacular view of Donner Lake and Donner Pass on Route 80.

A bear was walking across Rainbow Bridge (Old Hwy 40 at Donner Summit, Truckee) on Saturday when two cars also crossing the bridge scared the bear into jumping over the edge of the bridge.  Somehow the bear caught the ledge (see unbelievable photo, above) and pulled itself to safety.  Authorities decided that nothing could be done to help Saturday night so they returned Sunday morning to find the bear sound asleep on the ledge.After securing a net under the bridge the bear was tranquilized, fell into the net, lowered, then woke up and walked out of the net.

 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalms 139: 2-3   

Gun Owners Fear Obama will take away their 2nd ammendment rights

Surefire 6P LED

My pocket sized, high-intensity LED flashlight for tactical, outdoor, and general use. Puts out a smooth, brilliant beam with four times the light of a larger two-D-cell flashlights, and  bright enough to temporarily blind and disorient a person by impairing his night-adapted vision. And it continues producing useful light levels for an impressive 11 hours on a single set of batteries. Lightweight, strong, aerospace-grade aluminum body resists crushing or bending. Small size, high output, and extended runtime make it perfect for self-defense, camping and backpacking, emergency/disaster-preparedness kits, or everyday carry. Vary tough flashlight I would recommend this flashlight to any one that is "in the dark a lot" and need a super bright flashlight that is Small and compact.

 

My Remington 870

For those looking for that "one shotgun to do it all," you'd be hard pressed to find a more affordable all-purpose option. Capable of digesting 2 3/4, 3, and 3 1/2-inch 12-gauge shells without a hiccup, the Model 870 ExpressSuper Magnum Synthetic is as at home in the dove field as it is in the duck blind or on the skeet field. With 28-inch vent rib barrel with a Modified Rem™ Choke, this pump-action shotgun features a non-glare matte finish on all exterior metalwork and an all-weather black synthetic stock and fore-end.

I got it about a week after Christmas, and me and any one else will tell you that the Remington 870 is a solid gun, and I am proud to own one.

This is Remington country.

Snow

It's SNOWING!! 

At about 2:30PM it started and has been off and on ever since.

I will try to post more photos in the morning.

Roping A Deer

Haven't stopped laughing...Roping A Deer (Names have been removed to protect the UNEDUCATED!) -- Actual letter from someone who farms and writes well!I had this idea that I was going to rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it.The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope.The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it.After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up -- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me.I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation.I took a step towards it... it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope and then received an education.The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.That deer EXPLODED.The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer -- no chance.That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined.The only up side is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual.Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in, so I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute.I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.Did you know that deer bite? They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist.Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head --almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds.I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it.While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose. That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp. I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -- like a horse -- strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run.The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away.So now I know why, when people go deer hunting, they bring a rifle with a scope to sort of even the odds.

Christian Heritage Father Son Retreat 2008

Pilgrim Bible Church camp out

The 2008 Pilgrim Bible Church Camp out was a blast, we all had a great time.
Thur different games and activities from volleyball to water polo in kayaks, and of course, a talent show. Each morning and evening we heard wonderful Bible teachings. Here are a few photos my sister and I took.

Northwest Trek

A few weeks ago the Langford boys and my mother and I went to Northwest Trek.
For those that do not know what the Northwest Trek is, it is similar to a zoo with animals that are native to northwest Washington.
We all had a great time seeing all the sights.

Spotting Deer

About a week ago I was mowing the yard and I happen to look at the field and I saw deer, so being that I am Matthew I stopped where I was and ran and got my camera then ran back outside just in time to see the deer go in to the forest. Instead of giving up I lit-off across the field into the forest. When I got in the forest I slowed down and went into stealth mode, about 200 feet into the dense forest, a stick snapped, I stopped. I looked to the left and there was, one of the deer. I could barley make out the deer under the brush and trees. So I pulled my camera off my back and crawled as close as possible (about 15ft away) and started snapping pictures, the deer was wondering what I was and started to walk closer and than it stopped at about 8-10ft away and then figured out what I was and ran off.
On my way back I saw the mother deer off in the distance, she was a little more skittish and ran off.

Psa 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.

My new Knife

Down behind enemy lines? Left to fend for yourself? These are the scenarios that inspired the LMF II. Former military man Jeff Freeman led the charge to engineer this fearless new 10" survival knife. And we field tested it with the troops. This knife is as adaptable as the personnel who carry it. Use it to cut through the skin of a fuselage. Or sever a seat belt. Or egress through the Plexiglas of a chopper. Plus, the LMF II does a slick job cutting firewood and building shelter. It can even be lashed to a pole to create a spear.


Overall Length: 10.59"
Length of Blade: 4.84"
Weight: 11.4 oz.


"Gerber sent the LMF II prototype to Iraq. A Marine told me it saved his life when he used it to cut a heavy-gauge cable. He also used it to punch through the Plexiglas of a helicopter. Splitting tent stakes shouldn't be a problem."
Anthony Licata, Field & Stream, May 2006

Dear Mark (Gerber Legendary Blades),
"I'm here writing this letter because Gerber's new LMF 2 worked like you sad it would. My spotter and I set our position over a section of road where there had been a great deal of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) placed. There was no moon and it was as dark as it could get. This meant I would be able to see the bad guys with my NVGs (night vision glasses), and they would not be able to see us... which is the way a soldier likes it.
As we began to engage two targets, a larger contingent of bad guys arrived and started looking for us. I decided we should pull back and I radioed for evacuation. We moved to a bombed- compound and set up a defensive position to wait for the helicopter. We were then told that the helo had been diverted to a med evac and we would have to wait for our Bradley's, which were about 10-15 minutes out.. no big deal.
Two of the bad guys moved into the compound. We were waiting for them to come into the open for a clearer shot. As luck would would have it, they turned on a generator. Within seconds, the compound was lit up like a Wal-Mart parking lot, and the two men continued their search.
My spotter and I noticed two 220-volt power lines running along the wall to the floodlights. I remembered you telling me that the handle and the butt cap of the LMF 2 knife were insulated and would not conduct electricity.
I have to admit I wasn't exactly thrilled about the thought of having to cut the "hot lines" but in the battle you do what you have to do.
I moved over to the wall and wedged the knife behind the power lines and used my body weight to cut through the lines, I did turn my head and close my eyes.
I felt the heat from the lines arcing but that was it. I wasn't electrocuted. Darkness returned and our cover was restored. We were able to re-engage while we waited for our evac. The knife blade had a couple of chunks eaten out of it by the high voltage, but when I got back to the compound I worked most of them out with a honing stone. You can still see where the blade was arced. Thank you and your company for this great knife.

SFC Dillard Johnson
Platoon Sergeant 3rd ID 3-7 CAV

Tall ships

About a week ago we went down to the bay and saw some tall ships. Hear some of the picture I took.

Gardening

The last three days we have been vary busy doing the not so original task of gardening among several other things.

The creek that runs along the side of the property was over flowing and semi flooded the bottom corner of the pasture, so dad and I dug it 3-6 inches deeper.

Dad and I rota-tilled the second garden to get it ready for planting the pop corn, the sunflowers, and the pumpkins thanks to the Hamilton family for letting us use their rota-tiller.
Dad spaying the cordoned off area.

I burned branches for about an hour and a half and I'll tell you it got hot!!

Ashley Leanne's horse.

This is Pepe' the chicken that guards the garden.

The Garden, containing everything from: corn, beans, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, garlic, cantaloupe and much more.

The labor of the righteous tendeth to life; the fruit of the wicked to sin. Proverbs 10:16

This last week we helped the Bittners spoof up there yard and help paint. We all had a (as the English would say) "jolly good time."

Winter is hear

Winter is coming. You say how do I know, the frost on the ground one of the sure signs.

Another sign is the snow that came this morning.