Traditions

The Norwegian side of my heritage comes out strong at Christmastime.  The family is gathering here on the 23rd and preparations are in high gear.  Today I made lefsa.  It's kind of a Norwegian "tortilla" only rolled extremely thin then baked on a griddle until crisp.  To eat it you run it under water and lay it between towels to become soft again.  Traditionally it's eaten as a sweet, spread with butter and sugar before rolling up or used as a carrier for boiled cod and potatoes.  I've never developed the Norwegian passion for boiled cod so we eat it sweet.  I felt the spirits of my grandparents and Mom hovering near as I used Grandma's old crockery bowl, her wood rolling board and special grooved lefsa rolling pin, and my mom's old cookie cutter to cut the rounds for rolling.  I well remember rolling lefsa in the kitchen of this house back in 1976 before we got married.  Then we baked it on their old cookstove.  It was a rite of passage for me.  I had to roll them out under Gramp's eagle eye.  He commented only that it was probably because I had long arms that I could roll them out so well.  High praise from him.

Here are my grandparents on their 65th wedding anniversary in 1974.  They lived here on this farm from 1916 until 1977.  No wonder I sense their spirits here!

Here's a photo of Gramps at their old cookstove which they used as long as they lived here.  When I see this picture I can still smell the fragrance of the corn cobs burning in the stove.  It was an efficient and cheap fuel, a waste product from right here on the farm.  Getting the temperature right on the top of the stove or in the oven was no small trick!  

I'm so thankful for the heritage I have from them and the legacy they left us in this family.

A Night In Bethlehem

Instead of the traditional children's Christmas program at church this year a special "Night In Bethlehem" was planned.  There were booths representing things like a baker, a jewelry maker, a scribe, and a carpenter shop.  At each booth there was an activity for the children and part of the story of Jesus' birth.  Pete's part in the program was to be the scribe, helping the children use a stylus to write a Hebrew word.  

After the visitors had been to each tent they were led outside to a live nativity where they heard about Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.  As part of the live nativity we'd been asked to bring our two sheep.  So around 3 pm we loaded up the sheep and drove them to church.  

Skip and Dude on their way to church for their supporting role

When we got there a pen had been set up for the animals (our sheep, a cow and a donkey - fortunately no camels or oxen).  My first misgiving came when I saw the pen panels.  The rails were far enough apart that I knew the sheep could get through them.  My second misgiving came when we put the sheep in the pen and they totally freaked out at the donkey.  Things calmed down a little when I put out the hay I'd brought.  Calmed down, that is, until I walked out of the pen and started to walk away.  Dude bolted and just as I had feared he went right between the pen railings and scampered off to the parking lot.  You can supply your own mental image of several adults and numerous children trying to capture the witless sheep loose amongst the cars.  

Once we corralled him it quickly became evident to me that I was going to have to stay IN the pen with them or we'd be chasing sheep all night.  The owner of the cow graciously brought over an extra bale of straw for me to sit on and someone else rooted through the costume box and brought me an old bathrobe to put on so I'd at least look a bit like a shepherd.  I'm not sure how I looked but I was grateful for the added warmth of the robe.  It was an incredibly beautiful evening for mid-December in Illinois but still, three hours at 45 degrees gets chilly.  Nevertheless, I got to see all the visitors to the stable and how much they enjoyed the animals.  The children were fascinated by the donkey and sheep especially.  I think perhaps the size of the cow was a bit daunting for them, even though it was a beautiful animal.

The sheep were fine as long as I was near and the cow and donkey stayed away from them.  They were mildly curious about Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  

The "fearsome" donkey

I had planned to take lots of photos of the various booths and activities but I didn't get out of the animal pen all evening.  After the last visitors were through we loaded the sheep back up and headed home.  The dogs were ecstatic to see us all again and the sheep were so worn out from their adventure that they immediately laid down to chew their cud and didn't even come when I put feed in their bin.  As I walked away from the barn a coyote howled in the distance. One old scribe and one old shepherdess dismantled the travel cage and went wearily into the house, ready for a little peace and quiet.

Never A Dull Moment Farm...?

Late this morning I was out in the yard picking up sticks that had come down in the recent winds when I saw two big white dogs go running across the creek bridge into the field.  Drop twigs, run yelling for the dogs to come back and for Pete to come help me.  Pete never heard me but did see one of the escapees and came running.  I managed to grab one and coax/drag him back to the pasture.  It is not easy to drag 100 pounds of pure resistance.  Fortunately when one was back in the other one came willingly.  Then the hunt was on to find their escape route.  Today they had dug a huge hole under a gate (last week they had partly unhinged the gate and used it like a flap to get out).  I wish I could have seen them squeezing through that hole!  So...after plugging the hole, our plans for the day were all scrapped and we spent the next three hours putting up electric fencing around the pasture.  It's tough love for the dogs - they will jolt their noses once on the hot wire and forever be afraid of it but apparently it is the only thing that will keep them in the pasture.  They've escaped four times in recent weeks, each escape route a new and creative one.  We've never had Pyrs this committed to escaping.

Their other crime was that they had "loved a chicken to death" this morning.  Apparently one of the hens had wandered into their pen and become a plaything.  This is the kind of thing that used to make me crazy trying to figure out how to deal with them.  We've already put extra fencing around so the hens can't get in the pasture.  I've now gotten to the point where I file this under Things I Can't Control and move on.  There is NO reason on God's green earth for the hens to go in the pasture - food, water, dust baths are all outside the pasture.  If they WILL go in, I can't do a thing about it.  

Later this afternoon we went to church to set up for a special Christmas activity tomorrow.  While there I received a call from the sheriff's office.  Our house alarm had gone off and they were wondering if we were home or if they should send squad cars.  Pete raced home (squad cars were on the way).  A neighbor said that a white truck had been parked in our east driveway for a while but there was no sign of forced entry.  Very suspicious but we're puzzled as to why the motion sensor in the living room should go off...?  

At any rate we had three crises today with a hen getting IN the pasture, the dogs getting OUT of the pasture and someone apparently trying to get IN our house.  The good news is that it was 50 degrees here today and sunny.  It would have been much less pleasant to put up electric fence posts in sub zero weather and frozen ground.  We're thankful that each time the dogs have gotten out someone was here to see them and get them back before they took off for parts unknown.  They've got a good life in that pasture but apparently they have wanderlust.  I wish we could let them roam but we can't.  Pyrs need fences.

They look suspiciously like they are hatching escape plans.

 "It was all Bilbo's idea!"

Badger, the loveable miscreant.

When the dogs get out, the sheep go crazy and raise a ruckus to alert us.  Either that or they are complaining that they can't get out, too. 

A little holiday cheer

We don't do a lot of decorating for Christmas anymore but we do enjoy a bit of holiday color and lights.  

Doesn't everyone have a Christmas rat or two???

Sunset this evening.

A perfect late autumn day

We planted a cherry tree. 
Grow little tree, spread out your roots! 
Another cherry and two peach trees are coming on Saturday. 
Finally, we're getting the orchard re-established.
Trees make me HAPPY.

Whit helped.

We moved the old dog house up by the back door to make a cozy place for the outdoor cats.

Whit tried it out.  He approved.

The chickens love ranging the farm.

In the pasture all is well.  32 degrees is the perfect temperature for Pyrs to sun-bathe.

Preservers

A friend once told us, "There are two kinds of people - those who like to start over and those who like to preserve.  You guys are preservers."   The comment was made at the time we were trying to decide if and how to renovate our old farmhouse or whether we should just build a new house.  Of course we ended up renovating because we are, in truth, preservers.

And not only when it comes to houses.  It's hard to put into words but somehow I find it fundamentally important to preserve and restore the connections to what went before - where we came from.  Without a history we would be marooned in the present and that would be an incredibly lonely place to be. So I try to preserve genetic diversity by using heirloom varieties of plants in my garden.  I love preserving and practicing old skills like spinning, weaving and rug hooking.  I enjoy preserving the family history in genealogy records and photos because when I'm gone, who will remember these things?  I treasure the antiques that have been passed down in the family.  And I have been on a mission to restore and preserve native prairie plants around our house and in the fields around the homestead.  

Part of preserving those plants is collecting the seeds, passing them along to others and saving some for expanding their domain here on the farm.  This past week I finally got around to sorting and cleaning the seeds I'd collected and dried earlier this fall.  I collected 15 different varieties of seeds, although that's only a small sample of all the kinds growing out there.  I was amazed at the beauty and diversity of the seeds as I worked with them.  Some were so small that I had to use my digital handheld microscope to make sure I was actually collecting seeds and not dust!  Once I got started I couldn't stop - it was so fun to photograph the seeds under the microscope.

Rattlesnake master seeds.  These seeds are dangerously sharp!

Here's the stickery seed head I gleaned the rattlesnake master seeds from.  My fingers were very sore after dealing with these seeds.

Royal catchfly seeds - about 2 mm wide.  This plant is considered rare so I'm happy it is thriving here.  Its blossoms are bright red, a rare color for prairie flowers.

Culver's root seeds, barely a millimeter wide but they grow into quite a large plant.  I find it so amazing that all the information and equipment to grow is packaged in such a miniscule seed.

Hoary Vervain seeds, also quite a large plant.

New England aster seeds.  These are phenomenally successful at spreading and turn into huge plants.  By late summer the flower beds are dominated by their purple and pink blossoms.

Prairie blazing star seeds.  This is one plant I've fallen in love with!  Such lovely long blossom stalks in gorgeous pink.

Rudbeckia seeds.  Hard to believe they grow into rivers of gold in the flower bed.

Smooth blue aster seeds.  The plants aren't nearly as big and showy as the New England asters but they are lovely in the border.

Yarrow seeds.  A very useful medicinal plant that grows wild pretty much all over the place.  I'm glad to have it in my beds.  

Even with this small selection of seeds it is easy to see the different methods the plants use to spread their seed around: some have fluff to carry them by wind, some stick to whatever happens to walk by (I've seen royal catchfly seed heads sticking to the cat!), some form heads attractive to the birds and some just drop straight down at the foot of the mother plant.  The truly astonishing thing is the sheer NUMBER of seeds each plant produces to ensure it's preservation.  Nature is far and away the very best preserver!

Late Autumn on the Farm

Autumn has turned the corner from October's bright blue weather to November gray and damp.  The corn is still in the fields here on our farm but not for long.  Most of the traffic going by on the road is ag traffic -  combines, grain trucks, grain wagons and prosperous looking pickups driven by the farmers.  It's a good time of year when the crops come in and the fields are put to rest for the winter.  We also really enjoyed a visit from our California kids who were able to spend about a week here on the farm.  We all love having a baby in the house again - another generation in the long line of people rooted in the farm, even when they are far away.

A little volunteer oak growing in the prairie grasses and putting on a real show of color.  We have one resident squirrel who plants acorns all over for us.

The very last intrepid blooms in the prairie plants - a couple of late royal catchfly blossoms braving the November weather.

Summer color has given way to autumn texture.  Wild sunflowers will provide food for the birds over the winter.

Dewey drops on switchgrass blades

Stephen, Becca and Joshua were here for Halloween - our only trick or treaters.

I love the prairie skies any time of year.

Bouncing baby boy

A little piece of sewing history.  This puzzle box of old Singer treadle machine accessories was found in the drawer of my grandmother's old sewing machine.  A friend who collects sewing machines pointed it out to me.  While I think it's really cool, I know I'll never use it and passed it on to Lynn who has been wanting one for a long time.  

Design of the puzzle box is really very ingenious.

Quiet naps in the sunroom

And happy playtimes in the middle of the living room.